- Growing up never doubting I was loved.
- A partner who gets me and shares my values.
- Finding friends I could be myself with in high school and staying in touch with them to this day.
- A family who enjoys each other’s company.
- Mom’s never-ending acts of service and care.
- Dad’s humor and coaching, teaching me Carpe Diem and to be my own cheerleader.
- In-laws I love and a family-by-marriage that is a joy to be part of.
- The chance to know all of my grandparents.
- Frequent family reunions that built relationships with my cousins in Oregon, Texas, France, and beyond… and introduced me to travel early on.
- Two grandmothers who, in some ways, were opposites but both lived just about to 100 years old. Learning how much of my personality I share in common with grand-mère.
- Friends and family who went along with my early inklings of entrepreneurship and project management as a child, from a handmade jewelry shop in the basement and unsanctioned lemonade stand at a State Park, to orchestrating “practice” for a “circus” performance and making movies with lego and Barbies.
- The opportunity to try different things as a child, even if I never got very good at them – gymnastics, swimming, golf (still really not a fan – sorry, not sorry), soccer, drawing, pottery, CCTV.
- The time I wanted to quit tennis and my parents made me finish the season. Not because I learned something about discipline or never giving up, but I suppose I realized it wasn’t the end of the world to participate for a few more weeks. (It did, however, clarify that – for me -competition takes the fun out of activities.)
- My early jobs as a sports photographer’s printing assistant, an office assistant, and a day camp counselor.
- The first time I held a check over $1,000 was when my grand-mère helped cover expenses for a summer volunteer internship in another country.
- Talented teachers whose passion for their subject awakened my interests in things like psychology.
- A chance to be part of Mr. Wenz’s championship choir, though the real value was all he taught us about life and being part of something meaningful as a group.
- The works of C.S. Lewis, Fr. Richard Rohr, and other author-mentors who expanded my views of theology, salvation, and justice beyond America’s narrow version of Christianity.
- A liberal arts education that allowed me to pursue interests in French, Psychology, and Philosophy with all kinds of electives.
- College friends and professors who told me hard truths and opened my eyes to ways I needed to grow.
- The hilarious professor who taught physics for non-science majors. I appreciated flexing that side of my brain, and he made it fun. (I still have my notebook from that class, where I wrote down his outrageous examples and funny asides.)
- Living in an amazing on-campus house, charged with producing weekend events, and discovering my knack for event planning.
- The chance to volunteer with Special Olympics and other service projects that opened my eyes.
- The chance to study abroad in Paris and Florence, and intern for two summers in the Dominican Republic. Meeting long-term travelers and learning languages.
- A supervisor who reflected to me another hard truth about how I come across to other people when working under stress – opening my eyes more ways I still needed to grow.
- An ankle injury in college taught me how hard it can be to rebuild fitness, which led me to develop a daily habit of exercise so it’s easier to keep going than to stop.
- Jobs in college like grading Statistics papers, supporting the Entrepreneurial Leaders class, planning campus events, typing for the French teacher, being an RA for upper classmen, and barista at a coffeeshop on campus.
- Being part of the early Millennial generation who remembers life before 9/11 and cell phones. We are the outliers who are fluent in both analog and digital.
- Meeting Jedd and the many “signs and wonders” that brought us together when I thought there couldn’t be someone who wanted to do life the same way I do.
- The pastor who told us “pre-marital counseling” as soon as he met us, not knowing we had just been debating whether it would be worth the cost. … It was worth the cost.
- Working at a University with student leaders who were passionate about justice, and all the benefits of sharing life on campus with students and fellow staff.
- Traveling with students to Nicaragua and the US/Mexico Border immersion experience for my job. I’ve never learned so much (that stuck with me) in such a short time.
- The time my colleague refused to take on responsibilities outside of her role when our office didn’t have a Director. It was a first hand lesson in healthy boundaries – even when there’s a need that you could technically fulfill, why say yes unless it helps both you and the organization thrive?
- That “heated discussion” with Jedd when we had money in escrow to buy a house in Portland, and I realized I’d always regret it if we didn’t try living abroad before we settled down. It wasn’t a fun moment at the time, but I’m so thankful we went through it.
- Friends from our life group who let us live with them while in limbo – after we had quit our jobs and before our Peace Corps assignment. Jedd and I both actually liked sharing life together with other families, more than we expected. (And I appreciate the grace I was given for leaving the garage door open.)
- Peace Corps in rural Jamaica – the “toughest job you’ll ever love” – and all the amazing people in our community. That experience changed how we see the world, how we travel, and gave us a sense of resilience.
- Discovering the possibility of becoming digital nomads, thanks to the internet, and our first freelance clients that helped make our own nomadic experiment possible.
- The first baby who made me an Aunty, born – as if a personal birthday gift – on the day before my birthday!
- Seeing all our brothers become fathers, getting to know our beloved nieces and nephews, and watching them become their own people.
- Living part of each year with my parents, being in each other’s “bubble” during the pandemic, daily walks after dinner, and sharing the benefits of multi-generational living.
- Surviving the collective trauma that was 2020 (and beyond) with remote work skills and Peace-Corps-level resilience already under our belt.
- The loss of freelance clients from the pandemic that opened up new opportunities to co-create Chicca’s Cooking Club.
- Being a solopreneur, getting to set my own schedule, collaborating with people in different parts of the world, and constantly learning as both the travel and the online business landscape continue to shift.
- All the people I’ve crossed paths with in my life – those close to home and far away – who have taught me something, whether they meant to or not. 🙂
