Anyway, I ended up driving up to Stephenville Texas to the Barefoot Market for the final day of Cleanse America to hang out with Paul, Penny, Daniel, and Linda. It was the best day of the Cleanse in my opinion because it took me out of my normal routine. I finished up work in the Bearded Brothers kitchen early that morning, and drove the 3 hours to Barefoot Market, where I was greeted by this sign…

Bearded Brothers - Barefoot Market

Chris, the other Bearded Brother, was planning on making an appearance too, but had to stay in Austin at the last minute. I spent much of the day chatting with Stephenville resident’s, demoing bars, and hanging out with some of the Cleanse America crew. I even enjoyed my first durian experience with Paul Risse, something I would likely repeat, but not sure if I would buy the exotic fruit on my own. It wasn’t as strong smelling as I thought it would be, but the onion like taste topped with a custardy sweetness threw me for a loop and blew my mind. And, within an hour of eating the fruit the tryptophans had kicked in, giving me a very calm and relaxed feeling.

It was a good feeling to just let go of control for a day and not worry so much about work and what was and wasn’t getting done. I was even able to spend a few moments in the sun reading for pleasure. It’s not often that I just relinquish my day-to-day tasks and allow myself to relax. It’s something I need to learn and practice more regularly. One of the reasons I wanted to start my own business was so I would have more free time to enjoy personal recreation and time with family. But, sadly the nature of a bootstrapped startup means I’m working constantly. I really enjoyed giving up control for a day, though. I plan on doing it again for an entire week in May. It’s the last opportunity my wife and I have to take a vacation together before our baby comes in September, and it’s going to be the longest period of time I’ve taken off since starting Bearded Brothers.

The Cleanse was a great experience, and below is a summary of what I took away from the whole experience.

1. I got affirmation on something I already knew. A high raw diet is ideal for optimal energy. I had more energy during the 10 day cleanse than I had in a long time. This was primarily seen on two occasions. One, the day after I had a restless nights sleep of only 6 hours I still had loads of energy and lots of mental clarity to get work done. Two, was the final day of the Cleanse when I decided to drive to Stephenville, TX to the Barefoot Market. Again, it was another night of little sleep, as I had to start work early that morning then drove the three hours and stayed up until midnight hanging out with friends.

2. Mental Clarity. I found myself more productive during the week, able to focus for longer periods of time, was distracted less and got lots of work done. I also felt less anxious and stressed. I had more of a calm about me than stress and worry that I tend to carry with me.

3. Even a healthy plant based diet doesn’t compare to 100% raw. I don’t desire to maintain a 100% raw diet for a number of reasons, but I was surprised at how much my body detoxed. It just goes to show how much food affects the body. I have been vegetarian for 4 years now, and have always been high raw (in varying degrees). I had foggy head during most of the Cleanse, and experienced numerous bowl movements, expelling toxins from my body. I was really shocked at the amount of detox I went through, despite a very healthy diet. It’s served as a reminder I always, always, always need to be mindful of what I am putting into my body.

4. I was able to spend a lot of time in prayer and reflection during my trip to Stephenville and was reminded of how much God has blessed me. I was also reminded by friends that God has his hand in the things I am doing. It was comforting to know that I am being taken care of and to appreciate all the blessings I have experienced in the past two years. It hasn’t been easy not having an income other than my wife during that time. But the hard work is about to pay off. In just a few months I should be able to start paying myself and my wife will be able to leave her full time job to become a stay at home mother.

5. Discipline is something I am still capable of. I started off the year with a 7 day juice/raw food cleanse and gave up caffeine during that time. I told myself after the Cleanse was over I would mostly drink tea, rather than coffee. I quickly fell off the wagon though, but gave it up again for Cleanse America. Since then, I have had coffee twice, but the desire for it is considerably lower and I feel that I will be able to commit to less coffee. I felt much better without it and I truly believe that I’m capable of only having it in moderation. I find I’m less anxious and focus better when I don’t have high amounts of caffeine coursing through my veins.

I thoroughly enjoyed cleansing and enjoyed seeing how others benefited from it as well. I plan on making cleansing a regular routine in my life. I also plan on being more conscience of my every day decisions. Even though I already eat very healthy, there are still numerous things I can do to bring about a better balance in my life. I’m thankful that the Cleanse helped remind me of these things.

Did you participate in Cleanse America, or have you had a recent cleanse experience? If so please share it in the comments.

I really feel like the cleanse has been helping me focus more on my day-to-day tasks. Even though I still have a slightly foggy head, my ability to focus and get work done has seemingly increased. Just this morning I rocked out a ton of Bearded Brothers samples, shipped off several orders, and prepared several wholesale orders for delivery later this week. I feel like I’m on fire!

I will say my fitness level has been a bit less than I was hoping for this week. I was hoping to exercise daily, but that has yet to happen but mainly because of a busy schedule, not for the lack of desire or energy. I was planning on going rock climbing tomorrow, but decided to take an impromptu trip to Stephenville, TX to the Barefoot Market to celebrate the last day of the cleanse with part of the Cleanse America crew. I’m looking forward to enjoying some of the delicious raw foods prepared in the wonderful cafe at Barefoot Market.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now, aside from this delicious kale chip recipe I made earlier this week; and devoured within an hour! Warning, they are addicting!

Spicy Cheesy Raw Kale Chips

• 2 bunches of kale, washed and de-stemmed
• 1 cup of soaked cashews (drain after soaking)
• 1 red bell peper, chopped and de-seeded
• 1 cup of nutritional yeast (or more)
• 1 medjool date, pitted
• cajun seasoning
• paprika
• sea salt

After washing and de-stemming your kale place it all in a large mixing bowl. Blend the soaked cashew, chopped bell, nutritional yeast and medjool date in a food processor until you get a creamy consistency. After that, season to your liking with cajun, paprika and sea salt.

Once your mixture is seasoned to your liking spoon out on top of the kale in the mixing bowl and mix until all the leaves are well coated. After that, place on mesh dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 5-6 hours. Now, enjoy!

Raw Vegan Chili

It’s almost the end of day five, and I’m feeling pretty good! Tonight we made the Raw Chili from the Recipe Guide. It was one of the best raw meals I have had, and it was very easy to make. It’s one I will definitely have to incorporate into my regular rotation of meals. I think it’s good to have as many simple raw food recipes so that it’s easier to make a regular part of your life. Many raw recipes I see in books are very complicated and take lots of time. It’s essential to have simple things to make if raw foods are going to be a big part of your life.

Yesterday I took my trip to San Antonio and brought some leftover beet burger mix and flax crackers for lunch. I also had several pieces of fruite and some spicy cashews and Bearded Brothers bars. It just goes to show it’s still possible to eat raw on the road. It all boils down to keeping it simple! The day was also a “foggy headed” day, but thankfully the fog lifted again this morning and I was able to get out and enjoy a run around Town Lake.

I was planning on running 8 miles but my wife talked me out of it since I was cleansing and hadn’t run in a few weeks due to an injury. So I settled for a moderately passed 4 miles. Aside from the humidity the weather was great, sun was shining and there was a nice breeze as well. I’m hoping to get in some more outdoor activity tomorrow. But, it was good that I decided to cut down the mileage because around the 4 mile mark I started feeling like I needed to eat and rehydrate (even though I had drank 16oz of water during the run).

So, after the run I swung my Juice Land, formerly Daily Juice on Barton Springs and picked up green smoothie. I was sort of disappointed in the taste, but it was still filling and provided the nutrition I needed after my run. The smoothie contained papaya, lime, agave, and green vibrance. I chose this particular smoothie because I rarely ever have papaya, and wanted something different.

I already mentioned dinner, but for lunch we ended up having raw bbq tacos (recipe contained in link) instead of a salad since we had some romain lettuce leaves that were going to go bad. The recipe is another simple one, and an all time favorite of mine.

It’s hard to believe I have now gone 6 days eating 100% raw, even in the height of my past raw food experiences I had never gone that many days on all raw foods. I doubt I had ever gone more than 3. It has definitely ben a pleasant experience so far, but a little bit of hard work involved for meal planning and recipes. But it has definitely inspired me to up the raw food intake in my life and be more cautious of the little things in my diet.

Just a few more days of the cleanse left. I look forward to sharing more of my experience with you, especially doing a final recap of all my thoughts.

Anyway, day three went pretty well. I felt energized and my brain fog had lifted. I ended my day with some rock climbing on The Greenbelt, here in Austin. I felt really strong and confident despite not having climbed much in the past month. It was great to be outside enjoying the amazing weather. It was a perfect afternoon for climbing. I was surprised more people didn’t show up. The only crappy part of the day was crossing the creek to get to the climbing wall… my iPhone was in my pocket and got submerged. So my phone is now burried in a bag of rice in attempts to dry it out.

Today, though was very interesting. I was full of anxiety, stress and worry. My work day in the Bearded Brothers kitchen was jam packed, and the afternoon was filled with deliveries to stores. We are growing fast, which means I’m doing a lot more, but don’t have any extra time. I have had days like this in the past but wasn’t as anxious as I felt today. After hearing Paul Risse talk about his irritability symptoms on day 2, it leads me to believe that heightened anxiety was very possible.

Despite the anxious feelings I attempted to take deep breaths as much as possible and pray. Prayer is definitely something that hasn’t been as present in my life as it should. I’m constantly distracted by work problems, so even when I do pray my mind alway seems to gravitate towards solving work related problems. I definitely see the need for more quiet time in my life, but struggle how to make that happen.

I was also pretty bummed out my work day was so long and hectic. It caused me to miss my group run this evening. I was really looking forward to getting outside and de-stressing in nature. But, on the bright side I was able to go to the grocery store again and pick up some more delicious raw foods and prepare a meal for my wife and I. We enjoyed one of my favorite raw meals “Beet Burgers” (recipe below), along with some flax crackers and guacamole. Time with my spouse has been lacking lately too. We are both looking forward to spending the weekend together. We plan on going to Beets Cafe for a raw desert with the money I’m saving from not buying any coffee or tea this week.

So, overall I would have to say I’m feeling pretty good. Tomorrow I will be attending Entre Leadership One Day in San Antonio. I’m hoping the time away from work will refresh my mind and the commute there and back will give me time to reflect and pray. The conference I am going to is lead by Dave Ramsey, of Financial Peace. His material is helping my wife and I get out of debt and he is also helping me grow my business with passion and integrity.

Anyway, that is all for now. Daily posts throughout the weekend are questionable since we don’t have internet at our house. If you don’t hear from me this weekend expect something from me on Monday!

Raw Beet Burgers

• 3 Beets
• 2 Carrots
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• 1 avocado
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• pinch of sea salt (or more if you like)
• 2-4 teaspoons of dijon mustard (my modification to original recipe, original calls for 1-2)
• several romaine lettuce leaves
• capers for garnish (highly optional)

Directions: Grate the carrots and beets using a food processor or grater (food processor highly recommended). After the carrots and beets are grated, transfer into a large bowl and attach the S blade to the food processor. Pour the grated beets and carrots back into the mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients, except for romaine lettuce leaves. Process the ingredients and then pour back into serving bowl.

Finally place the mixture on romaine lettuce leaves and enjoy.

This recipe goes really well with spicy flax seed crackers and guacamole. I will likely post that recipe later this week. It was a modified version of the flax crackers in the Cleanse America recipe book.

I’m extremely grateful to be able to take part in the cleanse. Having formerly eaten a diet as high as 80% in recently years I didn’t think I would begin experiencing detox symptoms at all, much less at the start of day two. I woke up this morning feeling foggy headed, the feeling stayed with me most of the morning and lifted later in the day, but returned just before beginning to write this post. It just goes to show how much diet affects the body.

I think the thing I’m most excited about it just getting to eat raw foods! Since moving to Austin my food budget has drastically decreased, thus not really giving us the option to eat as much raw foods as we would like. And, to be completely honest, Austin got the best of me with its local eateries and taco joints. When I first moved here I was trying a new restaurant every week. However, my wife and I had to tighten the reins on the food budget which has lead us to cooking almost every meal at home; though my breakfast and lunch is usually raw.

I’m also looking forward to a variety of salads and other yummy raw meals. For the past year I have been stuck in a salad rutt, eating the same salad nearly ever day, which had caused me to move away from raw foods for weeks at a time. So, I hope the cleanse will break my salad boredom streak with some variety and new recipes. Just this morning I made a delicious walnut vinaigrette dressing (recipe below) that went really well on my apple and hemp seed salad!

I also hope to break my “addiction” to coffee. It was something I had given up for about a year previously, but got addicted again when I moved to Austin and started working from coffee shops. Sort of ironic, since I was in the planning stages of Bearded Brothers, my raw organic snackfood company! I was originally planning on allowing myself tea during the cleanse, but I decided yesterday that forgoing caffein for the entire cleanse was going to be best. I went sans coffee through the weekend and had my last cup of tea yesterday!

I’m also hoping my energy levels will rise. Even though I get consistant sleep and a good amount of exercise, and still eat an overall healthy diet my energy levels are not what they used to be. I remember when I was able to run half marathons and then still go out and have fun doing other things in the afternoon, without a nap. Lately, though I’m wiped out after a 10 mile run or 40 mile bike ride.

And finally, I hope to get motivated to exercise more, even if it’s just pull ups on my hang board at the house. It was one of my new years goals that I have failed out due to lack of motivation, and honestly remembering to do it. So hopefully the cleanse will help clear my mind as well and help me to remember better. I plan on getting exercise nearly every day during the cleanse.

To learn more about Cleanse America, check out their website and Facebook Page.

I hope to make daily updates about my progress during the cleanse.

Walnut Vinaigrette Recipe

• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup of water
• 3/4 cup of walnuts
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 TBSP of raw honey
• dash of sea salt, to taste

Instructions: Place all the ingredients in the blender and whirl! If the mixture is too thick add a bit more water. I like the constancy of mine fairly thick though, it sticks very well to lettuce leaves.

The Recipe

• 1.5 cups of almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1 1/2 bananas
• 2 TBSP of almond butter (or peanut butter if you prefer)
• 1-2 TBSP of raw honey or other sweetener
• 1 hand full of spinach, or add your favorite greens powder
• 2 Scoops of Chocolate Flavored Warrior Blend, by Sunwarrior
• 8 cubes of ice

Add all ingredients in your VitaMix blender (free shipping using the link beside) and process until smooth! The recipe will make approximately 2 servings.

Sunwarrior is also committed to sustainability! I recently had a chance to meet some of their team at Expo West and they are working hard to make their line of products organic! There isn’t a set ETA, but rest assured this company cares about the environment and creating a high quality, non-gmo, organic product. They are also vegan, soy free, dairy free and raw.

Me, climbing The Chief (5.6) in Joshua Tree National Park

A couple weeks ago during my trip to California for the Natural Foods Expo I set aside a day to go climb at Joshua Tree National Park. A friend of mine from Dallas recently moved out there, so we met up with another local for a day on the rocks. If you have ever seen pictures or videos of Joshua Tree, they don’t do it justice. This place is amazingly beautiful; stunning rock features, TONS of beige and green joshua trees, and expansive blue sky’s. It was a shame I only had one day to spend here. One could spend an entire year here and never climb everything the park has to offer.

Since moving to Austin nearly two years ago I have been mostly sport climbing, so to get out and lead some trad climbs felt amazing. The time I have spent sport climbing has actually helped with my confidence level on the rock. I figured since I hadn’t lead trad in a long time I wouldn’t be able to lead well but I found it quite easy. We did stick to easy climbs, but Joshua Tree is well known for stiff, sand bagged grades, meaning climbers rate the climb much easier than it actually is.

The first climb we went up was only rated a 5.1, which technically should be an easy scramble up a pile of boulders, but that was not the case. Even though the climb was easy, I felt it was more in the 5.5 range with one 5.7 move. I forget the name of the particular climb, but it was right off the road with parking just a few feet from the clim. Picnic benches also surrounded the cliff face, which made sorting gear quite easy. The tables also made for a nice resting place while waiting for others in the party to finish a climb. It seemed to be quite a popular area because of the ease of the climbs as well as the access.

Me, climbing The Chief (5.6) in Joshua Tree National Park

The second climb of the day was called The Chief. It’s a classic 5.6 climb about a quarter mile from parking. The short 60 foot climb was one of the most exciting climbs I have ever done. It’s now on my list of top, all-time climbs. The crack starts off angling to the right and then shoots straight up onto a small ledge, which then finishes out on another crack to the left, going straight up. From the small ledge you can go straight into the crack, pulling what I felt was one 5.7 move, requiring you to step on a thin ledge to pull the slight overhang into the crack. You might not even call it an, “overhang” but the angle is odd moving up into the crack from the ledge and requires a high step.

Typically a climb earns its rating based on the hardest move on the route, but that didn’t seem to be the case on this climb. Some online sites rate the route at 5.5, the guide book book we used gives it a 5.6. But despite what rating you want to give the climb, it was a blast to climb. The route took gear very well, too. I plugged in a few cams as well as a couple solid nut placements. There were a couple sections of the climb that were easy to run out as well (meaning you put extra distance between gear placements), which made the climb easy to complete with a fairly light rack of gear.

After both the lead climbers in the group had a chance to climb the route, we all topped out on the climb and enjoyed our lunch while overlooking the expansive desert. It was a beautiful day, and well worth the drive out from LA. It’s small moments like we had on top of Reggie’s Dome that made me thankful I am capable of enjoying such things. And, it made me appreciate creation in a way I don’t necessarily experience living in the city. Sure, Austin has great trails, but every few miles you will be close enough to a highway to see power lines or hear the roaring sounds of cars driven by people with busy schedules going about their hectic lives I wonder if I will ever get enough of the outdoors, it certainly brings a since of peace and clam every time I get out.

There are times I feel like I would love to live in a small mountain town, away from the business of the city. But, I often wonder if I would lose my appreciation for such beautiful things? I think about the first time I ran the Greenbelt trail here in Austin, and thought how awesome it was. Now, it’s just sort of routine. Running in new locations I have never been before renews my love for the outdoors. The same can be said for climbing as well. So, in a since I’m thankful to live in the city where I’m close to people and have good relationships. I think it allows me to appreciate nature all the more.

Anyway, back to the climbing. We finished the day climbing Fender Bender, a slabby 5.8-. We did this climb on top-rope, as we had used the anchor to rappel down from The Chief. The route certainly had a couple of challenging sections and would have made an interesting lead, as the entire 95ft climb only had two bolts. Both the leaders in the group felt we could have lead the climb, as the crux moves are well protected by the bolt. However the long run-outs certainly would have been a mental challenge.

Joshua Tree National Park, view from the top of Reggie's Dome

After finishing Fender Bender we hiked back to the car and drove around the park a bit just to take in the views. Even though we probably could have got in another climb, we opted to take it easy and return home early. Joshua Tree is definitely a place I will have to return. Perhaps the next trip I take there will be with my son, or daughter. I hope so – I get excited about being able to share my love for the outdoors with my future children.

It was daunting on one hand to see companies like Kind bar with a HUGE booth passing out loads of free samples, giving out t-shirts and displaying large HD screens with promo reels running highlighting all the awards they have won from various media sources. On one hand I was intimidated by the large corporation and their massive amount of “success”, and part of me was fearful of having the kind of success myself. Being a small startup company, it’s hard to immagine becoming, “big”.

Entrance to 2012 Expo West

I wondered If I could even handle being that successful? But, when it comes down to it, as we grow – our staff will grow. Responsibilities will be shared, and I will go from working in the business, to working ON the business. I think it’s actually the fear of success that kept me from going into business for myself a lot earlier. I think it’s the same fear that holds many people back from doing something bold and new.

I was particularly inspired by the company Go Raw. They are an organic raw energy bar – though very different than ours. But, their process is still done by hand. Parts of the process have been automated, such as the packaging of the bars, but the actually making of the bars is still done by humans. It’s a process Bearded Brothers aspires to keep, and it’s encouraging to know it’s possible to do on such a large scale.

Two Mom’s in the Raw is another company that was inspiring. Though smaller than Go Raw, it was started up by two individuals that just enjoyed making raw snacks, sort of like Bearded Brothers. They are also still producing their product by hand. Voices in my head, as well as outside voices have told me to automate and make it more efficient, but I don’t think doing that would be holding true to what we truly believe in.

There is something to be said for food that is not produced by a robot. As I browsed around the show and checked out the massive amounts of other products, including MANY energy bars. I was reminded of how unique our product is. We have been blessed with great branding, and have started off with four amazing flavors. I’m also proud to say that we are just two individuals without any seed funding, investors, or massive amounts of personal income, doing something amazing.

Many of the other bar companies I looked at this week were started as a branch off of another company (thus they already had money), or started by a group of people that were already wealthy from other jobs (doctors to be exact). So, to say that we are bootstrapping our company feels pretty amazing. When we look back on this in a few more years we will have a lot of pride in what we have become, and how it was done.

Is there anything you are inspired to do, but are fearful of? Perhaps you actually fear success like I do at times. Or maybe you fear failure? Truthfully I think both types of fear can be motivating, but also paralyzing. I would say in most cases, though it paralyzes. It explains why so many people say they have an idea for a business, but never act. But it can be inspiring when you use the fear to propel you forward. Don’t let fear keep you from doing something amazing, you are capable of far more than you realize.

Another company I am encouraged by is one of our biggest competitors, right here in Austin. The founders still continue to work their day jobs while growing the company. Those guys are truly working hard to make something they believe in come to life. It just goes to show that you don’t have to quit your day job to start a business. If the idea is really worth pursuing you will find a way to make it work; but it won’t be easy at first.

Any GREAT idea truly worth pursuing will take LOTS of hard work. Anybody who tells you that you can make six figures working four hours a week is a joke in my opinion. Sure, you can probably make that kind of money outsourcing web design gigs to India, but what value is that adding to your life? It’s essentially just another J.O.B. Worth while pursuits take time, but the best part is you enjoy all the time spend on that project because you know it’s truly adding value to people’s lives. So, get out there and CRUSH IT, pursue those great ideas and give them life!

It also mentions bouldering, and “building”, which should actually be called buildering. But in actuality, there are very few climbers that participate in this. In my opinion, it would have been better left off the info graphic. Buildering contributes zilch to the sport of climbing as far as I’m concerned. Although, I have spent a Saturday afternoon climbing a retaining wall until I was run off by the police. In the grand scheme of the sport, it hasn’t left a significant impact.

I also feel that the info graph could suggest some ways for beginners to get into the sport, rather than just rattling off a few pieces of gear necessary to stay safe. The gear is useless if you don’t know how to use it. I’ve encountered many people at crags attempting to set up ropes that had no business being out there. If you are interested in getting into rock climbing it’s best to find a local climbing club that can give you hands on instruction, or take a course from a local climbing gym. Never head straight out to the crag and attempt to climb, no matter how much internet research you have done.

Essentials of Rock Climbing Infographic by Just Ropes

Source: Just Ropes

Being natural and holistic in nearly every aspect of our life we decided to go with natural family planning to hold off on pregnancy, but the down side of this method it does leave room for error. Needless to say, the pregnancy was a HUGE surprise. Neither one of us can quite figure out when it would have happened, but regardless we are expecting our first bundle of joy in late September, which will be just in time for the little one to witness their daddy run his first Ultra Marathon.

I had actually decided to run the race before we knew we are pregnant, but as of yet it hasn’t changed my plans to enter the race. If anything it will be my last hoorah before my life is turned upside down.

I have to be honest; I’m scared of how a kid will change our life. There is part of me that can’t wait for our child to get older so we can go on a run together, go camping, or rock climbing. The other part of me is impatient and only sees how the first few years will be a drain.

I know things certainly will not be the same, but I have to remember life is what you make it. Just this past Saturday when I was out on my long run I saw a young couple with two kids hiking on the Greenbelt, one of them being carried in a baby backpack. I also can recall parents hiking with their children at Enchanted Rock, an awesome climbing destination.

Having kids will be a chance for me to pass along the things I enjoy and bring me closer to God and allow me to enjoy life more fully. It will be a chance for me to step out of my selfish little world and invest in another life. It scares the crap out of me, but at the same time it brings a smile to my face and makes me excited!

I remember growing up as a child my dad would bring my fishing with him, his favorite hobby. Now, fishing never took with me, but it was a chance for my dad to spend time with me and share something he loved to do. He would even sacrifice his fishing time so I could water ski, which I liked far more than fishing, looking back I see he wanted to bring me joy.

Even if my child doesn’t end up adopting all the things I enjoy. I will at least be able to spend time with them until they figure out their true passion. Sure, I would love to have a boy that grows up to be a stud rock climber, Eagle Scout and ultra runner – allowing us to spend endless time together, but I will also have to sacrifice for their sake if they end up liking something else more.

Parenting will definitely be a refining process, helping to make me a better individual all around just as marriage has been doing for the past year and a half. I don’t think people realize how selfish they are until they get married, and even more so when they have kids.

I am thankful though, for the gift of life that will become part of the Simpson clan in late September. I look forward to seeing how God blesses our family and how I can grow as an individual. It will certainly be challenging running a business, investing in family, and pursuing personal passions.

One a closing note, one of my New Years resolutions was to start blogging more. I actually started off fairly strong on another blog, but then got super busy with the business, then couldn’t decided or focus on exactly what I wanted to do. But finally, last night I decided to keep blogging as The Organic Climber since I already have a lot of content generated. Plus this site allows me to blog about nearly everything I’m passionate about under one blog! I’m looking forward to bringing you more quality content.