We have arrived on South Padre Island for the third time since we started this journey three years ago January 1! It is exciting knowing that we have survived this experience (we have definitely had our doubts at times lol). About six years ago Joshua and I sat down and really had a heart to heart conversation about what WE wanted out of life. He asked me simple questions that no one had up to that point in time ever taken the time to ask (and I never considered to ask for myself) What do you want? What makes you happy? Amazingly...right in that moment all I could think about was the beach...all the places I haven't seen yet...how do I want to be remembered? Don't get me wrong, I love my children and they were all coming to ages and stages in their own lives that they didn't need me in their daily lives on a full time basis. It was time for them to fly, learn and try things all on their own and I was excited for this new stage in all our lives....so many possibilities!!! 

So, here we are on the beach...my happy place :) We take this time to reset, reflect, formulate our plan for the upcoming year...what worked, what can we do different and what's next!!!! During this time Joshua is writing his new book, creating his highly requested instrumental CD full of familiar favorites as well as some new easy listening and fun piano solos. I am also creating, writing new original music, playing guitar, catching up on some loose ends before the end of the year and booking down the road....it is all so very exciting

Joshua and I have lots of conversations and process through the message that he wants to share through his book including what results he wants to create by writing it and sharing it with others. Through this process we reflect on our own ah-ha moments and lessons we have learned through the tools we continue to use on our journey. Just the other day I shared with him something I experienced several months ago and reflecting how experiences in my past have shaped so many decisions in my life. These awarenesses are so important to understand not only how we make our decisions but "why". Our past experiences shape how we make our decisions every day and based on the result of the experience we continue to make the same decision over and over again because we now have proof from the past based on one or maybe two outcomes...so we will continue to do it over and over even if we really desire something different...fear steps in to stop us because it will be different than what we know (believe) to be true. 

Here is an example of what I mean. I was abused by my father growing up, sexually, physically and emotionally (emotional abuse by both parents). Now, let me take you back to a specific moment when an experience shaped how I made my future decisions. I was fourteen years old, had my first serious boyfriend. My boyfriend, I and my little sister were sitting together watching an after school program about a girl being abused by her father in the same way my sister and I were being abused (this was actually the first time either of us realized anything about the other one) she expressed a very strong reaction. As a result of her reaction, I felt I should tell my boyfriend about this situation. At that time, my boyfriend was only 17 years old and was not emotionally prepared to deal with this kind of bombshell and expressed he didn't know how or what to do with this information. A few weeks went by, I found out that he was seeing other people behind my back...I was extremely hurt. Now pay attention this is very important!!! At that very moment in time my subconscious now found proof for, "when I am honest, being vulnerable, share my heart....people leave me." This one experience has shaped sooooo many decisions in my life and affected every relationship since. Just as an example, from that relationship forward I never shared my past with any of my partners in fear that if they new...they would leave me too. In every relationship since then I kept all my cards very close to my heart, I was guarded, only let people know just enough and never letting anyone get very close to me out of fear of being hurt and left all over again. That is until I met my husband Joshua who figured out my past, asked me to come clean and when I did created a brand new experience....love, understanding, standing by me even when at times I am not so easy to stand by lol. 

As a result of this new experience...I continue to be courageous, share my heart...it's not always easy and it gets easier every time I do it! 

This past week I ran smack dab into reality. Joshua had worked so hard for five weeks in the cold doing a job in the construction industry that we both left in pursuit of our dreams. He did this to get ahead on bills coming up, pay for our stay for a couple weeks so we could focus our energy on writing, recording our own music. This is something we have talked about doing for awhile and we are usually hustling so much earning just enough to get by all while doing what we love, travel, performing, bringing joy to others. Don't get me wrong...I am not complaining just painting a picture for my point. 

When we left on this journey, we had doubts and believe it or not more money and "security" than what it would appear to be right now...ironic really lol. Our level of fear, doubt has not grown just become different. In fact with each new exciting step things would appear that we are more unstable now than we have ever been and yet our faith is bigger than we ever thought possible. Our reactions are night and day different than what they started out being when we began this journey. We had regular unemployment checks coming in when we left, enough for our bills (just enough) each month and we kept creating. We had more time than what we do now and yet we were so worried about the money we didn't take the time to enjoy the time we had. Now, when we have time, we know how precious it is and soak it up. We are creating more money, gigs, opportunities than we would have ever thought possible in such a short amount of time. Although, at times it feels like everything is moving so slow...the amount of progress and growth we have is light years ahead of most that have had the courage to venture out to follow their dreams of making a living through music and HERE WE ARE! 

Our doubts come and go...not being able to pay our bills, are we good enough, are we doing everything "right", will others like us, am I too old to be doing this, will our band grow and prosper, will we have sponsors...the list goes on! And then I get a message through someone that encourages me to keep going and that what I am doing is exactly what I am supposed to be doing and it will all be worth it! 

Everyday my faith is tested...there are days I think to myself "life would be easier if you just get a regular job and settle down" and then my heart says "keep going you don't want to miss what's coming up next!" 

Joshua talks about a bible verse in regards to storing Mana....we live each day believing that we have everything we need when we need it. This is just a season, this season is happening for a reason and we are trusting that this season will pass and we will move past it into another season of lessons...each one different. This season is fine tuning and preparing us for GREATNESS!!! I can't wait to see where we grow next! 

If there is anything I would share with all of you...if what you love makes your heart happy, do more of that as often as you can...life is too short to waste a single minute. Believe me when I tell you, we have never gone without, our needs are always met, we never know when or how and we know in our hearts that as long as we follow our hearts we will be taken care of. Live like today is your last day...no regrets...doing what you LOVE, with who you LOVE, with as much JOY as your heart can handle, with PEACE in your heart knowing that you are doing your best, better yet living every minute with EXCELLENCE!!

Joshua and I have spent the last about 5 weeks in our home town of Grand Junction/Fruita, CO. It is always very interesting when we return to where we began this journey. Let me explain a bit about why I say it is interesting. When we lived here previously, we were becoming very respected and well known power couple in our little town. We networked with other business owners, volunteered our time to serve our community by sitting on hospital boards, working with our local chamber, leading various groups of men and women in a variety of community projects....let's just say we were very active in our community and becoming very well known! So when we decided to close our electrical contracting business we heard from some of our "friends" their opinions about what people were thinking and saying about our decisions...in short many thought we were "crazy"...schizophrenic I believe was the term used lol. 

It's really kinda funny looking back (and I share this story with lots of people as we travel)...I have become very proud and fond of my label of crazy! Looking back through history at some very famous people that have made history, they were also considered by their peers to be crazy at the time they were making discoveries, stepping away from the norm and learning...so I have made that mean that we too are on the right track to do the same...MAKE HISTORY!!! How EXCITING!!! In the past, I would have heard these things and freaked out thinking that I was doing something wrong and then I would have stopped just because someone else thought I should be doing something different! I would have been worried that I wasn't fitting into what society was expecting and keeping up with everyone else's expectations...Oh My!!! During one of the self development seminars that we attended, I remember hearing a statement that described why the people closest to us may try to keep us from doing what it is we want to do. There are many reasons they try to do this, fear of the unknown, fear for your safety, jealousy, fear of success and who knows what else. They may attempt to keep us from moving past them in things they don't understand. Through this process I have learned who my true friends are, who my true family is...these are the people that have encouraged me, stood by me and loved on me "no matter what crazy thing I do".

During our time here in the Grand Valley Joshua picked up some handyman work and stepped back into the construction industry to make some money while we were here to support our kiddos. This has been a wonderful experience for Joshua to realize that he really does love our new lifestyle. Sometimes you have to take a few steps backwards to appreciate where you are now. He and I both have always said that we don't want to return to the construction industry and it is really easy to fall back into old habits when you know what to expect. Yes, we are really good at making money in the construction industry...now we get to be really good at making money doing what we LOVE!!! Look out music industry...HERE WE COME!!! 

I love coming home to spend time with my family and close friends AND I am very excited to be headed back out on the road again soon doing what I LOVE! Even more so, I am thrilled that I didn't listen to all the voices telling me that I should be doing something different that what my heart really wanted to do. Just imagine the adventures, people and experiences that I would have missed out on! Going backwards and taking a step back to reflect on my past makes me soooooo grateful for the courage we have to step outside what is comfortable to follow our hearts. I am so excited to keep learning..am I scared, sure...I have no idea what is next and I know it is going to be GREAT!!! 

Over the years I have watched, read and heard about public figures of all types and their stories of success. Recently, I was visiting with someone about her husbands career in music. His experience was very impressive, playing guitar for some very well known groups. Was he famous? Nope..I have never heard of him before. I am not even sure if he thinks of himself as being a successful musician? 

One thing I have noticed between success stories...everyone's level or measurement of success is very different! So it has made me think and reflect on my own idea of what success looks like, do I even know what it is for me? If I don't know what success looks like for me, how will I know when I have it or not? Is it money, fame, unique experiences? Just by asking myself these questions I am becoming very excited by the idea of discovering how I truly see myself and clearly defining my success story!!! 

I guess I should start out with...what results do I WANT to create? Clearly, I am not driven by money because based on results I would still be working a job as a Construction Consultant/Administrative Assistant where by financial standards I was very successful. One thing I have discovered is I am motivated by relationships. How do I know this...based on results...I stayed in the same job for 10 years even though I was not happy with my job to provide for my children. Interesting huh?!?! When I was diagnosed with cancer several years ago I had the rare opportunity to dig deep into what I REALLY wanted out of life because I was being faced with not having enough time to do the things I wanted to do and experience. About a year later while I was attending a series self development seminars...I got another opportunity through a couple of different exercises to experience that again! So here I am sharing that experience with all of you now! When I looked back over my life, I asked myself a simple question...how will I be remembered? I realized at that moment I hadn't really lived, I was playing just to get by, make ends meet, no risk, going through the motions and I had done nothing really substantial to speak of to be remembered for! Now, here's an even better question...How do I WANT to be remembered? We are right back where we started with results!!! For years I had been telling people that I wanted to travel, go to the beach, see the world! I still want to do all of these things and as often as I can AND now by taking a risk to follow my dreams of singing I have been doing all of these things and more! Something else I have discovered, by following my dreams I am inspiring others to do the same...without even realizing it I am now making a HUGE difference in the world!!! 

I believe for me that my level of success is a living breathing thing! I continue to learn, grow and experience new things all the time, therefore for now I consider myself very successful for taking risks, following my dreams, building relationships. I have proven to be very successful at booking show dates (250 Shows in our first year as a band!), learning new music and growing as a singer. My success story will be different next year as I have learned and grown in other areas and now master a brand new set of skills...how exciting!!! Will I be famous? Yes, I believe I will be very famous!!! Just imagine the success story I will be sharing then...ups and downs including some really good "Peanut butter and jelly" stories to inspire others to keep going....it isn't always easy and I know all of this will be worth it!!! 

Super curious, what does success look like for you? Leave your comments below! 

Growing up and into my adult life taking risks was so "unsafe" to think about. I grew up with a mother that was literally afraid of the world outside our home, when in reality our home was one of the most unsafe places I have ever been. Although, looking back I took risks all the time...they just didn't seem that risky to me if I had made up my mind that what I was doing was what I wanted. I ran away from an abusive home when I was 14 years old and lived on the streets for a short time...risky? and I wanted something different than what I had. I became a mother at the age of 17 and stepped into the biggest risk I had ever faced, motherhood...risky?...I was living a destructive lifestyle and now had someone to live for. I chose to leave a co-dependent relationship and raise my 3 children on my own at the age of 28 after closing a family business and my only source of "secure" income...risky?...I wanted something more for myself and my children. These are just a few examples of the risks I took as I was growing up. Now, each one of these steps were not easy to take and each one was just another lesson in my life. You would think the decision to do something "risky" would get easier after a few, right? 

It has taken some time, self discovery and faith over the past two years to realize that it does get easier, in fact making risky decisions has become very exciting for me now! We took a major risk when two years ago we talked to each other and realized we were both unhappy owning and operating our own electrical contracting business. At that moment we both realized the reason we were both working together in this business was for the other person! He thought I loved to work doing a job in an industry that I secretly hated, wanted a big house, cars, toys, the "American" dream and I thought he loved working in the electrical industry, wanted the "security" of owning our own business and becoming a major player in the business world. After he suffered an injury and was told that if he continued to work in this industry he would consistently have this same injury on a regular basis. What we found out is that there is no such thing as "Security" and the "American" dream can be anything WE want it to be instead of trying to keep up with the Jones's or "Fit In" with what society expects. We could LIVE our dreams instead of just dreaming about what we always said we wanted to do in the future!!! That meant taking a HUGE risk...closing our business, selling our home and jumping in with both feet to travel on the road full time singing and playing music together!! Sounds crazy right? Well as respected business owners in our home town I can tell you that when we decided to do this together, we had PLENTY of our "friends", family, business associates question our mental stability haha! Looking back I love the fact that we actually had business associates who we thought were good friends tell us that we were appearing "Schizophrenic" to everyone in the community and they were worried about our reputation! Now I know they were more worried about theirs. This was a pivotal moment for us. We could listen to all of the people we trusted in our lives and borrow their fears for us; or we could step through it with courage to get what WE want. We stepped forward toward our dreams...not without fear...instead we were trusting in faith that this next step was going to be amazing! Since that big leap we continue to make "risky" decisions every step of the way...each step is just us getting closer to the next step, each one taking us in different and better directions! Guess what we have learned? We have never gone without, we have made more true friends around the country than we ever thought possible, experienced more kindness, love and generosity and we have not only survived...we THRIVE!!! We have experienced more bucket list experiences than we ever thought possible in two years and we are so excited to see what's next!! Joshua and I love the saying "But did you die?" after every risky decision that we make and watching it unfold in unexpected and sometimes scary ways...we say this to each other and always laugh! We continue to step out in faith, trust that we are following our true purpose and living our life to the fullest...will we die? Someday and when we do...we will look back on our lives without regrets and know we lived everyday to the fullest!!! 

What if not taking the scary, exciting and unexpected risk is the one thing that is keeping you from a better job, a better house, a better relationship or relationships, your dreams, everything you "say" you want? 

I have only one piece of advice here....take the risk...face the fear and get everything your heart has dreamed of!!! Is it scary? Sure, or it could be exciting...the choice is yours!!! 

Well, this past month has definitely been a roller coaster of events, adventures and faith building exercises lol! Do you ever experience a day that feels like a whole week (or a month) was packed into it? I can tell you our days are soooooo full that there are evenings when I look back at where we started the day and wonder, did all that really just happen today? Our bus has needed some regular maintenance for some time now and earlier this summer it was becoming very apparent that we were going to need some major repairs done. This started when the AC on our bus stopped working back in June while we were in Colorado visiting our family. Joshua is a member of a really cool Vintage Bus Enthusiasts group on Facebook that help each other trouble shoot mechanical issues, and offer great advice and resources for services around the country. They spent several months troubleshooting the common issues associated with our AC system and he got some great information for a shop that specializes in Bus AC repairs! It turns out that we were going to be about 20 minutes from that very shop, without leaving our tour!!! It really couldn't have been better timing. Since we do not have regular windows on the bus that we can open (they are emergency windows only) we resorted to opening our emergency hatches while we were driving just to get some kind of air flow going through the bus. I shared with my daughter and close friends this week that I will never look at another sauna the same again in my life LOL! We were traveling to each performance in 80-90 degree temperatures at 80-90% humidity in a closed up box of steel driving down the road...yuck! There are so many things during this time that I chose to focus on....I began a practice every morning of thinking to myself; I am sooooo grateful for the AC unit we have when we are parked, clean water to drink and to shower with, food, a safe place to stay, electricity, my health, the strength of my body....my list goes on and on!!! We had some of the best financial successes of our tour during this time AND we also experienced some of the biggest repair bills during this time. Each time we pulled into a mechanic shop, we would literally have just enough in our pockets to pay the bill. It was as if God, the universe what ever you want to call it, knew exactly how much we had (as I am sure this is true lol). Each one of these experiences were just opportunities to keep stepping out in faith and trust that we were exactly where we were supposed to be at exactly the right time. 

These experiences have just shown us how much we have grown since last year in our faith, our trust in God and in each other. Is there stress? Sure, we still have a knee jerk reaction that says "Oh Man...What's Next?!?!" the difference is we don't immediately go into panic mode. Instead, we take a step back, look at our choices, make a decision and take the next step right in front of us. Before, we would be looking so far down the road at what the consequences of this decision might be that we missed out on the moment, overthinking the situation by looking too far down the road that we stressed our selves out and made ourselves sick by creating stories of an outcome that may never even come! It is so freeing now to look at a situation, say "What's the worse thing that could happen?" take a step back, face the worst thing we could think of and realize...oh that's it! Well, we could live through that and then take one step forward instead of trying to take ten all at once or making a rational decision that we may regret in the future, like settling down, finding "real" jobs for a false sense of security lol. 

Life is a practice and we are learning everyday to follow (and trust) our hearts, listen and keep stepping forward in the direction of our dreams!!! 

So, "What's Next!?!?" I have no idea and I wake up everyday ready for a new adventure, experience and opportunities to learn, serve and meet people everywhere we go!!! 

I am not sure where to begin...there have been so many incredible changes and wonderful things happening just the past couple of weeks!!! We have been on this journey for almost 2 years January 1, 2019. When we started this new chapter in our lives we had no idea what we were doing lol. All we knew is that we were not happy where we were in our lives, we knew we wanted to do more, travel, make a difference in the world on a big scale, do what we loved to do (sing and perform) together! Through our personal development training we learned to find the thing that we would love so much that we would do it for free, then find a need and fill it. The belief is that when you find and fill the need, everything else will fall into place. However, fears step into the picture like not enough finances, limited time, becoming homeless, starving or whatever the fear, these are all the things people worry about and use as excuses/reasons not to follow their dreams. Believe me we experienced most of these same fears ourselves in a big way. A few months after we were approved for the bus loan, we found out that we had a very significant fuel tank leak and not enough finances to repair the fix AND make the necessary renovations needed to leave on our January 1 deadline. But wait there's more, we were already committed to appearing for 8 shows past the January 1 date in 3 different states!!! We were closing a very successful business due to an injury, going through bankruptcy which we never thought we would ever do and unbelievably we were approved for financing a Greyhound bus to follow a dream that neither one of us knew the first thing about doing....YIKES! We had family, friends and business associates thinking (and telling us) that we were crazy LOL and yet here we were so excited to start living our lives the way we wanted to...so ready or not we kept pushing forward through the fears!!! 

I am so excited to report believing works!!! We started our journey with basically just enough fuel to get us to our next destination, money for groceries for a few weeks, a financed bus that we renovated in 8 days with $2,500 and only 8 concerts booked!!! A TRUE LEAP of FAITH!!! I kept believing that we would attract a sponsor that saw our potential, believed in us, our mission and would choose to want to be a part of it too. Joshua and I kept telling each other as long as we are committed to doing what it is that we love...no matter what... that all the other pieces would fall into place. I am thrilled, excited and happy to report...it has not always been easy and it is true!!! We keep booking shows, they are becoming more profitable which is allowing us to do more contribution shows in the areas we get booked, we are writing our own music, we keep growing, shifting and changing our next steps based on "what is working and what do we get to do different?" Each of these steps that we keep taking forward toward our dream keeps providing more opportunities.!

While we were in Cheyenne, Wyoming we had just started to look at performing in venues other than churches, RV Resorts and private events. We were hired to do a couple of local bars and we had the best time. About a week and a half ago we were contacted by a gentleman that we met while we were playing in one of those bars in Kimball, Nebraska. He has a transport company, he had been thinking about us, believed in us, our dream and has the resources we need...he reached out to help us. I was absolutely shocked, blown away, I really couldn't believe what I was hearing!!! We had been praying for this man for almost 2 years and here he is....an answer to our prayers! Is this real?!?! We talked over the phone for about an hour and a half so I could ask him all kinds of questions lol just to be clear that this was for real and I wasn't dreaming. Last night we drove 5 hours back to the site where we were staying when Zack contacted us. With all the bus maintenance, fuel, tire replacements, even a new generator...all the things we have been praying about now complete. I can not begin to express the peace of mind that our new sponsor - Zack Porter of Triple 7 Transport -  has provided for us (and others) by stepping in to fill a need where he saw it <3 We will be forever grateful for him!!! While thanking Zack for everything, he told me "Someone believed in me once, I am doing really well, have everything I need and I want to pay it forward" this is the kind of guy he is....the world is full of GREAT people sharing their GREATNESS and we are GRATEFUL!!! Keep going after your dreams and know....DREAMS really do come true!! 

Watch our LIVE Facebook posts for details about the bus and repairs and the full interview with Colton from Sapp Brothers who performed the work at www.facebook.com/thebandwanted 

The past few weeks have been a blur of crazy activity and LOTS of changes! After leaving Terry Bison Ranch in Cheyenne, we performed at The Knotty Pine in Pine Bluffs, the senior center there and Beer and Loathing in Kimball Nebraska. We continue to learn more about our market, who "Wants" what we have and being open to opportunities as they arrive. Sometimes we never know what that is going to look like. We started this journey with a goal to bring music to communities that LOVED the music we love and who couldn't get to it easily (like senior care, assisted living, Alzheimer/Dementia). Since then we have found there are other markets who love what we do and want to support us in making a living at what we do. We have expanded into festivals, saloons, bars, private events, house parties, you name it, if there is a need, we will do our best to fill it! These new opportunities and venues allow us to keep funding our original mission!!! 

As we continue to learn, shift and grow into new markets we are always open to learning more and reach more communities around the country and beyond. We are so grateful for the fans and friends we get to meet, catch up with and spend time with as we travel. This journey would be very boring without all of you in it!! 

Just this last week we took a tour of our friends embroidery shop ACED Embroidery of Newcastle, WY (watch the live video on our Facebook page). Earl and Demah Beldon opened their business about the same time we were starting our journey just a bit over a year and a half ago. While we were there they created new merchandise products for our website!! We got to be a part of the process, watch each step as they took our logo and transformed it into a masterpiece. Our logo is now available on Men's and Women's Ball Caps!! They are very comfortable and definitely something I know we will get LOTS of use out of. Check them out on our web store. That brings me to more exciting changes!!! This week I created from ground up our brand new website!!! Our business is growing so fast and with so many changes happening so quickly we were really in need of having a web site platform that we could easily add to or change on a moments notice. Thanks to a community I joined a few months ago (Female Musician Academy/Female Indie Musician Community) I was introduced to a platform that is exactly what we needed. The platform is called Bandzoogle. This has given me an idea! Over the past 2 years I have become very good at social media growth and realizing that I have a skill in building content. So, I am now offering business/social media/website coaching to other business owners. Several people have shared with me recently that they would love to learn to do what I do :) Who knows where this will take you in your business?!?! Contact me for more information and until next time...take care of each other and let the adventures continue <3

Here is our latest update! After leaving Grand Junction, CO about a month ago now we made it to a place called Terry Bison Ranch just south of Cheyenne, WY just over a week ago. We do our best to book our tour dates (and stays) months in advance. However, there are those times that we fly by the seat of our pants and just trust that everything is going to work out just the way it is supposed to (it just may not look the way you think it will lol)!!!

Although I had been working very closely with the powers that be for our stay and nailing down a date for a performance; with Cheyenne Frontier Days being their busiest time of season, our answer was very delayed. So here we are arriving on location without a confirmation that we will be staying, playing or moving down the road and we don't need to be at our next location for about two more weeks!!! There are times like these that we get a bit nervous of the unknown; will we have running water, power to cook, bathroom facilities a ton of questions start to create some fear and stress. Joshua asked me to keep trying to contact and negotiate a solution that would work for us, as well as for the Ranch. Thanks to Joshua's persistence I was able to connect with powers that be to solidify our stay and our show dates. This was a very successful experience in the Cheyenne area, we planted lots of seeds in the surrounding areas and look forward to returning next year (working on booking those dates now)! 

Watch our live interviews with the staff and videos about our experiences at The Terry Bison Ranch on our Facebook page and be sure to tell their amazing staff hello from the The Band Wanted when you visit :)