leap

I cannot believe that it is January 17th  and I still never posted Harry's birthday (December 8th!)  And I have not posted anything about Christmas Day or the New Year.

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement regarding my new office space.  I cannot tell you how much that means to me.  I have had my Ph.D for 20 years now!!!!  Yes, I did get it at a ridiculously young age (not kidding--I went straight through from BA to MA to PhD-- even summers).  I have been a college professor and a speaker and a counselor/marriage and parenting coach for a long time. However, I never had the guts to rent my own space. I intentionally chose to really be there raising my kids at home and do other things and the timing never felt right.  The one time I almost signed a lease (about 9 years ago) we  decided to move to Virginia.  So, off and on over the years, I saw clients in a home office or I sublet from someone part time.

I have always wanted to do this.  Always.  But I have always been afraid.  What if I don't have enough clients to pay the rent?  What if I fail?  What if I cannot manage being a good Mom with being a good business woman?  Being a good and present Mom always came first for me (and it still does). It was easy to work from home and do my public speaking when invited.  There wasn't a whole lot of risk involved.  I could always say no  to a new client or a speaking engagement if I felt overwhelmed.

 I know I am good at what I do. I know these are the gifts God has given me to share with others.  I know that deep inside. Other people give me that feedback constantly as well.  People refer clients to  me by word of mouth all the time.  But I don't market myself or advertise and sometimes business is slow.  I was okay with that as I have always had lots of other things to do.

There is a really cool small office building on my street about 3 blocks away. The location is ideal as I can be there in mere moments.  Lots of small business owners in our neighborhood office there.  It has stained concrete halls and seagrass carpet.  It has exposed brick.  It is exactly where I would want to office.  I have even sublet there before.  But all the offices were occupied and there has been a waiting list for years.  Plus, I was not sure my current client load could pay the rent.  I put my name on the list a few years ago just in case something opened up.  And it did in November.  They called me and I hesitated a little bit and lost the office.  I expressed my regret about taking a day to think about it to the leasing woman and I think she really felt for me.  Days later she called to tell me she thought someone else might be leaving in January.  This time, I did not hesitate.  I just leapt at the opportunity.

And you know what?  Since I took the leap, I have not had one bit of worry or doubt.  Over the Christmas break, I spent a lot of time trying to pull together furniture and art for the office.  It was so much fun.  We had these old tables in our attic and I decided to paint them with Annie Sloan chalk Paint (another post coming on that).  We had a lot of old artwork crated up in the garage that we hung.

At one point Dave teased me asking if I was starting a furniture refinishing business or getting an office set up!

After a few weeks of work, I saw my first clients in the new office last week.  Then, the night before last, a few of my very close friends came to my office on our way out to dinner to have a champagne toast and see the new space.  It was so fun.  Our plan was to have a glass of champagne, some cheese and crackers, say a prayer and move onto dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday.  But honestly we talked and laughed for almost 2 hours there. In fact, my girlfriends want to have a weekly happy hour or Bible study there! My sweet friend, Bagel sent flowers which was SO sweet and thoughtful!  It was a very special night for me.  And as promised here is a look at my small, new office space...






On my first day seeing clients, my sweet hubby sent me these gorgeous flowers.

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I bought the desk at a local charity guild resale shop.  It was in AWFUL shape but I painted it.

I REALLY need a good desk chair.  This one is temporary.  I am thinking about this one from Overstock but am open to suggestions.  I want it to be chic and comfortable as I plan to do some writing there with my laptop.  Anyone have one like this that they like?

I painted this old table and LOVE how it turned out (I will post before and afters this week)





I painted this one too.  Like my gold peanut?

And here are some phone shots of my friends stopping by...

I am so blessed.  My friends have been so supportive and encouraging.  We gathered in a circle and prayed that God would bless this space and use me and it for His good.

When hands reach out in friendship, hearts are touched by joy.


My heart was so touched by joy!

Please e-mail me if you would like to schedule a session or know of anyone needing my services.
 I see clients by phone or skype too.

I will post details about the furniture that I painted etc. in the next post.