On becoming a "Yes" man

It's funny what comfort and safety bring to your life. It's also devastating, sad, easy and mostly, comfortable.

The family Long has taken some pretty big steps over the past 6 months. Some of those have been forced. Others, the result of just simply saying, "Yes".

And I find myself doing this a lot lately. Wanna move to the Detroit area for a job? Umm, OK. Want to come to a cookout with my family? Absolutely. Spend a little bit more to make sure you get the house? Yes. Go to the concert alone for a band you really had never heard of? Of course. Mountain biking? Sure...as long as you don't laugh at me.

We've been saying all along that life is an adventure. And marriage, kids, dogs, music, faith...certainly have been an adventure for the past 17 years. Here's the thing, though: I was never very good at just saying yes. There was usually a "but" or "maybe" or "I don't know". I never realized how much I hesitated until these past few months, when I've had to choke back that urge to hem and haw and hesitate.

So, I'm celebrating. And I'm celebrating something that we usually don't want to celebrate...I am a "yes" man. Or, at the very least, I'm no longer a "Hmm...let me think about that" man.

How about you? Is there something you're resisting the urge to say "yes" to because it's just a bit uncomfortable or unorthodox? Is there something you've said "yes" to that's stretched you a bit? Tell me about it!

Sneaky

"I think I'll visit a Vineyard church today."

One simple sentence...as a status update and it was done. The groundwork was laid for the Long family to be super-sneaky today.

See, I was supposed to be coming back to Florida on March 30th. Supposedly. What happened instead was that I came home on the 23rd–a full week early. The only people that knew were my immediate family. No friends and certainly not my church family. Sneaky.

So, I've been home since Friday evening, catching up on hugs and kisses from my wife and boys, turning off location services on my iPhone and iPad, hoping that I wouldn't be caught hanging out in Florida a week earlier than had originally been planned.

Today, I got to surprise my church family by showing up unannounced. And it was so much fun. I love the St. Pete Vineyard peeps so dearly and it was a blast to get all the hugs and such all day long. It was great to eat lunch with my friends and it's especially awesome to get an extra week with the family Long.

I'll be hanging out here for the next two weeks, working from home and trying to convince my bosses that it's a great idea for me to work two weeks here and then two weeks in Michigan, as opposed to the initial three weeks in Michigan and one week in Florida plan that we started with. They're from the midwest and are honestly some of the most sincerely nice people I have ever worked with so hopefully, this works out.

More importantly, the life on pause phase is over for the time being and I can do normal things like watch TV on a couch instead of a bed, eat something other than peanut butter sandwiches and fast food, and hug my wife and kids every night and morning and in between. I love FaceTime on my phone, but nothing beats the real face time I'll be getting with family and friends over these next couple of weeks.

I have so missed you all very much.

Aaaand...we're off!

If you've been keeping tabs on my recent blog posts, you'll no doubt be aware that a new adventure has begun. As of today, I am officially in Michigan, starting a new job and biding my time until June when my family can join me here.

The new job is great and the people here are just so darned nice. Seriously. The one thing I've always loved about the Midwest is how incredibly friendly and neighborly people just seem to be. No one appears agitated. They're quick to offer recommendations on towns to consider moving to and about schools and the like. One of my co-workers is apparently working on a "things to see/do" guide for me to work through on my free time. Just very cool.

Since tonight was my first night of many to come in Michigan, I figured I would start off with one of my favorite past times...visiting the mall. So, my first official day on my new adventure ended with the mall.

The coolest thing was that I think I've identified one of my next purchases:

See? I love TOMS, but they are incredibly impractical for the harsh weather in the great white north. So just slap some faux fur in the lining and call them mine. This is all but a sure thing.

I also discovered what I'm sure will become a shop that I will visit WAY too many times over the next month until I'm back home for a week, Just Baked. Oh, how delightful to see a shop that sells over 50 varieties of freshly baked, gourmet cupcakes. It was staggering.

What was even more staggering was the delectable goodness that came back to the hotel with me. It was good while it lasted, but I shall be back for more, I promise.