Why France? Why now?

The easy answer is why not France. 🙂

France has been part of my life plan since I was 15. But I think this journey is more about living life with more meaning and with less noise. 

I didn’t expect this opportunity to happen so quickly. I ended up really evaluating my current life and realized that we had fallen into a routine. A really nice, happy routine but a routine none the less.

Each year our photography business was predictably busy, certain times of the year insanely busy. We survive, rinse, repeat. Then we take a month off each summer to visit a far away place. It is a lovely life filled with great friends and annual adventures. We consider ourselves wildly fortunate.

But something was nagging at me. If I (and fortunately it is we, because the husband and kids have aligned thinking) don’t shake things up I’m going to continue to feel like there is a purpose that I have to fulfil. Life was predictably hectic and would stay like this till infinity if we didn’t decide we wanted to start living into life a little bit more.

I wanted to be present. Rather than rushing around and bending to everyone’s needs, I wanted to take time to smell the roses, somewhere new, somewhere challenging. And I want to create this place, this website, this community where women over 50 can find the inspiration to embark on their next chapter.

So I decided to break what wasn’t broken.

That is how France became an option this year. I willed it to be an option. And then got to work figuring out how we were going to make this work.

The way the stars lined up, my 17 yr old daughter and I are able to take this journey together.

And it was exactly the right time for both of us. 

I want my kids to see that it is ok to dream and make their dreams a reality. But to also stretch, get out of your comfort zone and see what’s possible, challenging yourself and making new things happen. 

Seventeen is a great age for this, she has the rest of her life ahead of her – so this little shakeup will most likely help her become an even better version of herself. She’s already a pretty incredible version of herself but this adventure will make her stronger and more resilient. 

And I’m looking forward to becoming a newer version of myself as well.

As the old Guinness slogans say – change is good for you. And change makes you stronger.  

(This whole adventure is made possible with the loving support of both my husband and 15yr old daughter pictured above saying goodbye to us at the airport in Phoenix. Thank you two!)

It is never too late to reset….what are you going to do today to live into life?

On a completely unrelated note. Wow I am in awe of my husband’s street photography …I don’t know how he does it!