Every once in awhile, we run into road blocks. Looking back over the past couple years these road blocks show up just before something really big happens.... that is really exciting!!! For example, we were closing our electrical business to pursue our music career by bringing music to under-served communities in senior care facilities all over the US. Sounds great right? Believe me when I say...there was quite a process to reach that decision lol! Seems like it would be a simple thing, bringing joy to others. Well, there we were in a very interesting spot actually. Our business was closing due to an injury Joshua sustained working in the field. This electrical contracting business was a fairly new business. Although, it was growing and successful it had also taken on some debt because we were in a rapid growth phase when his injury was discovered. We were facing bankruptcy and this was the perfect opportunity for us to really examine what direction we wanted to take instead. At this point we decided to follow our dreams and do what our hearts wanted to do...sing together! Joshua had gone down this path before with his family, they were the Carpenter Family Singers for twelve years when he was growing up and he was very reluctant to do it again. His experiences with the family group were not the best ones and he loved playing piano, traveling and life on the road. I on the other hand was totally in!!! Not saying that I wasn't scared and uncertain of our future, I just knew this is what I had always wanted...performing, singing and traveling the world!!!
So, this is where I return to the road blocks part of the story. I have a tendency to wander while I write ;) Here we are, our credit has taken a big hit, we are going bankrupt, selling one home to pay what bills we could, foreclosing on a rental home because we could never sell the home for what was owed. Now, Joshua was convinced based upon past experience, that we needed to outfit a bus to start pursuing our dreams. Out of the blue he was looking at buses for sale online and found one that would be a perfect fit for our needs! Now for the road block, no money to purchase the bus, no credit and no other options to get it. He thought at this point "What the heck, I will submit a loan application. The worst thing that could happen, they tell me no." This is one of those moments that we look back on and are blown away by how the universe opened up doors (or cleared the road blocks lol) in order to get what we say we wanted! We were approved for the loan!!! What?!?! How was that even possible? This of course started a chain reaction of road blocks. We had just enough money to drive to Tacoma, Washington where the bus was located, sign the loan paperwork, drive the bus back to Grand Junction, do the necessary renovations to meet our January 1, 2016 deadline!!! During this time, we would run out of money several times to do the renovations. While he was working side jobs, I was booking dates for care centers in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas. All the while, not knowing how to book shows or having any past experience in doing anything in the music business and learning barely enough music to do a one hour show! While we were doing local shows for practice, the bus sprung a fuel leak just before Thanksgiving that once again depleted what funds we had for the renovations at a $2,500 repair. Joshua and I really began to doubt ourselves and our commitment to moving forward. He came to me saying "maybe God doesn't want us to go this direction?" At this point, I just asked him "what are you committed to?" He shared his fear with me about not having the funds to finish the bus with a kitchen, bathroom and the possibility of leaving with just our mattress on the floor. I shared with him that I was committed no matter what and even if I had to sleep on the mattress on the floor, we would figure it out to get where we wanted to go....singing together :) Here we are, recommitting to what we said we wanted all over again and with the help of some friends, odd jobs and a few local shows, we created just enough funds by Christmas. In eight days, we finished our bus with the bare necessities needed to keep the commitment that we made and the shows we booked starting our official first music tour!!!
Since the moment we made the decision to follow our hearts and dreams to sing together, bring joy to others through music we have experienced and continue to experience road blocks. Here we are again at a cross road, Joshua has been experiencing lots of health issues since we left on that original tour. It has continued to morph into different things, from flu like symptoms, weakness, blacking out, low iron, the list goes on. We are now in Grand Junction, CO again. I believe we are here to reset, rest, spend time with family, get clear on our intention moving forward and I also believe that we are moving into a bigger game. At this point, I am uncertain of our future again, I have doubts and I know now more than ever....I LOVE singing and performing and I can't imagine myself doing anything else!!! I don't know what the future holds for me and I have learned, I don't have to force things to happen. Instead, I get to keep taking steps forward and trusting that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. For me, when I see a closed door, I keep moving until the right door opens...sometimes that takes a few extra cold calls, or switching to a different/new location and I am going to get past the road blocks that test my commitment!!! I believe on the other side of this latest challenge there is something BIG waiting for us because with every great challenge, comes great reward and that keeps me going <3