The Road Home

Short of the complications Mom had while she was pregnant with you and your sister I have just finished what I hope will be the most stressful week of my life, it tested and stretched me to the point of breaking, and I prayed more than I have in quite some time, and did so with a great measure more intensity.

I am leaving a career that I have enjoyed, and that has rewarded me well for something unknown. I am leaving a place that was comfortable and quiet for home, but a new home that is quite a project and the most expensive thing I have ever purchased.

A few months back Mr. Ryan, as I call him around you, approached me with a job offer. Three years ago he and his wife, Mrs. Hallie, started a company called ToeBlooms. It was a great idea, infant footwear that no one else had come up with, a real life American dream that I was watching play out. I had always thought the idea would make them rich someday, but the path between idea and execution can be long, winding and full of pitfalls. I remember I was in your sisters room with you and her and we were playing and the phone rang. Ryan started asking me how things were going, and what my plans were, and it quickly dawned on me where the conversation was headed.

When I was growing up I did not know what I wanted to be. History professor was high on my list, then Nurse, then Marine, then Police Officer (bad decisions took that off the table) and finally, businessman. I would say the hardest thing about the phone call I received is that I feel I have accomplished a great deal in my current career, and even that I have accomplished more in a shorter time than I ever imagined I could. Your mother and I had a decision to make after that phone call, leave the known and comfortable behind, or stay and be content where we were. Ultimately, seeing as how I am writing this in Phoenix, we chose to venture into the unknown.

We only lived in GA for 19 months, but I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed our house that we brought you home to, the woods and fresh air in Newnan and Peachtree City. I was blessed with great friends and their kids who loved my kids. I had an office in an office building for the first time in my life, window and everything. Your father has a nostalgic bend to him, which means I dwell, but in this case there was so much to dwell on. One thing for some reason that stands out is how much I loved the cold days, chopping wood in the backyard and then lighting a fire for the night. We would all be there in this warm amber glow as a family, something about that just resonates with me. I kept thinking about that on the day they packed us, the house got emptier and emptier and part of me just wanted to stay, to hold on to it and the life we had there for a little longer. I remember standing in our bedroom and almost coming to tears, knowing that I had no guarantee I was making the right decision for my family, knowing how much I loved what I was about to leave.

Your mother, sister and you all flew home to Phoenix on September 11^th, your grandpa Turner flew to GA the same day. That Friday we packed the truck, a 26ft Uhaul, which just thinking about makes my heart sink. This thing was huge, but as we looked at all the boxes and furniture I did not think it was going to fit, my mind started racing with how much it would cost to ship the rest home. Thankfully God sent two very adept packers who managed to squeeze it all in. 1,800 miles lay between Newnan GA and Phoenix AZ. Your grandfather drove my Xterra pulling a large trailer. Dixie and I drove the Uhaul, pulling the Honda Pilot behind it on a trailer.

I have never driven anything that large in my life, God willing I never will again. The whole truck leaned to the right and looked like it could tip over at any moment. Once your grandpa stopped me to check the tires after a day and a half of driving because he thought it was leaning more! Needless to say I did not sleep well that night. We made our way across the country though, state by state, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM and finally AZ.

This is my gamble in life, or at least my first. I am typically cautious and calculating when it comes to our financial security and my career. I believe in what this company could be, and how it could change our lives, and so I am cutting my pay in half, sending your mother back to work, and we are striving forward.

Someday you will have to pick your moment to leap. When the phone rings as you sit in a cozy life you have shaped for yourself you will have to decide for your family. I don’t know which path is better, only time will tell that tale, I only know that there is no glory in complacency, and there is no victory without the prospect of defeat. My only worry is that I fail you and our family, that I fail Ryan and his family. The bible says those who are found trustworthy are rewarded with more responsibility; I feel the weight of that now more keenly than ever before. This is no large nameless faceless multibillion dollar corporation, this is my friend, his family, and my family, and I cannot fail any of us.

No matter how this part of our story ends my one solace and place of rest will be in our family. You are almost a year old now, taking a few steps on your own and actually forming a few words. You still wont eat any real food though! All our attempts end in a grimace and you spitting wildly, though lately you have taken to licking more things, baby steps for my baby boy. I love you, and I am glad we are home, in the West, shaping our future together with the friends and family we love and are blessed to have.