ch-ch-ch-changes!

"Time may change me, but I can't change time" I should preface the following paragraphs with "nothing has been signed yet", but if verbal handshakes suffice (and for all intents and purposes here, let's assume they do), (and we did shake hands in person on our recent visit) then some major changes are in store for the Michael Taylor's and these changes will be happening at a much faster pace than we'd imagined possible.

Quit talking in circles, Joni! What do you mean? I'll be giving you just the basics (and knowing me I'll still be wordy as heck). I'll leave out any names at this point as we haven't signed anything. BUT, there is a bicycle manufacturing company, that Mike and I both are very familiar with, have enormous respect for, and have worked with for years (Mike was key in bringing their presence into Palo Alto Bicycles years ago). They are one of the most innovative, grassroots, no compromising allowed type companies. They happened to find us in December and began talking to us about some possibilities. (This is important to know---we did not find them...or were even looking this way...they found us, and we responded with both interest as well as a little trepidation).

No one here will be surprised to know that we were having some hurdles adjusting to our new "life" here on the Prairie. This is not because it's bad here---it's not. But the life that we have been living conflicts too much who we are as people. Mike now knows he's not the "Corporate type". He has a great job here, with alot of future $$ possibilities. But he is so in conflict with who he is as a person that he ends up feeling like he is living someone else's life. I like my new job, but it isn't the job I would choose for myself. And while I feel fortunate to finally have this job, I also feel like I am living someone else's life. So we have been giving alot of thought to the choices we made...and were making arrangement's to go home (to California baby!!)

Then, this opportunity came into our lives. It's on a coast---but it's the East coast. Boston (Watertown to be exact), MA. (I've probably given away the secret to you bike people). Two good job opportunities. Very scary life opportunity. But career possibilities that fit who we are as people, like a glove. Lifestyle jobs. Long hour jobs...but jobs that relate to who we are...inside and out. Even down the road...like what we'll be doing in 5 years/10 years/20 years (a.k.a. Jobs we can grow with). Two jobs. Both Taylor's. Plus the Scrapper. But Boston?

The gist is that I believe we are heading East---not West...in the very near future. (they say "Now"---but we've got some ends to tie up here first). We are finding that our path to "balance" that nourishes who we are as "whole people" is very far from a straight line...the "pull" of the west coast is strong in our hearts. The long term goal is for us to be back home, and in order for us to make that happen with good lifestyle careers for our future, we are heading in the seemingly opposite direction, trusting that, based on what we know, that it is a circular route back to the coast we love.

So---I guess you're as caught up as you can be on the current Taylor life status. It's a bit chaotic right now. Also very exciting. I gotta go start boxing up junk again. I feel like I just did this. And, yeah, I already know about the weather in Boston. But life is more than the weather.

...and like I said, nothing has been signed, but it's very likely to be done in the next day or so...

Love, Joni