Have you ever wondered if you were going to make it through another week?
That used to be a common thought for me.
I admit I am a “workaholic”. (Now currently with FOUR boys, that’s right – FOUR BOYS!)
I don’t stop working either at work or home until my head hits the pillow, and even then my dreams are littered with to-dos! I love my life, even though I could hardly make it through the days not that long ago. After years of constantly building on more and more work, I honestly didn’t know what my limits were. I let myself believe that I could continue on this track forever. It took me about 18 years of increasing stress to almost break.
It all started about 20 years ago when my husband Rhett had this “brilliant idea” to quit a good paying, comfortable job with benefits to start his own cabinet company. I wasn’t comfortable at first, but I didn’t want to stop him from pursuing his dreams.
Within a couple of years I was pregnant with our first baby, and I couldn’t believe that I was finally going to be a mommy. I worked full time until my doctor put me on mandatory bed rest due to complications with my pregnancy. Honestly it was the most relaxing time of my life and I felt so spoiled. My parents took care of my every need while Rhett was at work and my brother Paul drove me to my doctors appointments three days a week.
Then the day came that our beautiful Rhett Taylor was born. It was the best day of my life. Looking into the eyes of this tiny baby boy melted my heart and I felt a kind of love that I had never felt before. (More on that later)
It just so happened that I was on maternity leave when Rhett was opening his first store. I was able to help him during that time until my maternity leave was over. I must have spoiled him because every day after I went back to work he begged and begged me to quit my job, but I thought that was an even crazier idea! The two of us with no income and a new baby??! Needless to say, he finally talked me into it. And so, with tears in my eyes, I let my superiors know that I was submitting my notice of resignation.
A month later, there I was working in the showroom with my newborn baby, Rhett Taylor. I loved getting to spend time with my little family, but Rhett was starting to get really busy. Clients were calling all the time and he couldn’t keep up. I knew he needed my help, so I asked him to show me how to read architectural plans and how to work with the software.
I knew I needed to learn and needed to learn fast! I spent that weekend studying and taught myself the design program. I was able to design my first set of plans for a beautiful kitchen and we sold it the next week! I was so excited! I never in a million years thought I could design the cabinetry or that I would actually love it!! Rhett never designed a job after that! I took over sales and design and he was able to focus on deliveries, installation, and other important aspects of the business.
Even though I liked designing, this new business was tough! Tough on us mentally, physically, and financially. We worked so hard, night and day and every weekend! There were times when I felt this black cloud over my head following me everywhere I went. There were days and weeks that I cried myself to sleep because I was feeling so overwhelmed. But I knew I couldn’t give up and I needed to work even harder just to stay afloat.
Then one day, I was designing with my nine-month-old baby asleep on my lap and I felt so sick and nauseated. I thought to myself, “Oh no, I’m pregnant!” It took us almost five years to get pregnant with our first baby and my baby was still a baby!! How am I going to keep up this pace if I am pregnant?
Fast forward almost nine months later. There I am, at work, having contractions. I was on the phone with one of my advertisers. I had to put her on hold several times until the contractions subsided. After each contraction, I would continue our conversation. Once I hung up with her I called my doctor. I had been induced with Rhett Taylor, which made me unsure if I was in labor or if it was just a false alarm. My nurse suggested to go home and soak in the tub, and if the contractions got worse, she recommended getting checked out.
I went home and got in the tub, the pain was so intense that I immediately jumped out of the tub, got dressed, and drove back to the office to find my husband. When I got there I told him that it was time. He said time for what? It’s time to have a baby!!! We had a 45-minute drive to the hospital and the contractions were getting worse, only minutes apart now. We barely made it to the hospital and our second baby boy, Jayden, was born.
Within days I was back to work. No such thing as rest for entrepreneurs and self-employed! Thankfully my parents lived close by and they were able to give me A LOT OF HELP with the boys. (I couldn’t have done it without them – more of that to come) Within a month of having our second child, we opened our second location in Draper, Utah.
And that’s just the beginning…
Almost a year ago I felt like I was going to die. It was as if life had placed an anvil on top of me that was too heavy for me to lift. I forced myself to continue until my husband had to have an intervention. I was too proud to admit it, so he made me an appointment to see a doctor. The doctor was confused about why I had come, though, as I was well under the “mark”. My husband had told her I was having issues with MENOPAUSE! I couldn’t help but laugh until I cried hearing it, and it made me realize that something must change. That was the moment I finally admitted to myself that I was not limitless.
It all seemed to change, though, the moment my husband and I signed the loan documents for our new farm. My husband seemed to know that it would help me to be away from the city and escape from work. What we didn’t realize was just how much I would love this change! It was a new lease on life, in a way. We now had a life, away from the bustle, for just our family. It requires so much time and effort to take care of, but it’s fun and relaxing and our family is always working and playing together! That’s what matters most to us!! I love my husband and boys more than anything in this world and I love spending good quality time with them!!
This blog is about our journey as a family, from signing those papers to getting our farm life a working reality! There have been so many ups and downs and exciting, new experiences. It is a journey that I hope to share with others and for our family to be able to remember for years to come. My boys are growing up so fast, this is a journey about family, love, and learning. Learning to be ourselves, learning about new skills, and learning to live as a city family in the country without nannies, tutors, housekeepers, gardeners, caterers, Uber, Door Dash, or Instacart!
If you are new to this story, get ready to laugh, cringe, and ask yourself that same question I ask myself each day now, “What’s next?!?”
