family & faith

In the beginning….

by Sarah

This is where it always starts.  There is always a beginning.  The interesting part here is that our beginning originally started out as an ending…

“I got laid off.”

Um, what?  Did I hear that correctly?

Yes, yes I did.

In one brief moment, the life that my husband and I created had changed.

But let me go back and catch you up.

We were the couple that followed the “How to Grow Up” manual.  We met in college, were engaged and married by 24, and started off on the path of the “perfect” life.  We had our first child at 26, my husband received his MBA from USC by 28 and before we hit 30, he was well on his way to a promising career at one of the most well known investment management companies while I would soon make the decision to stay home with our three children.  We bought our dream home, our children attended private Catholic school and we looked as though everything was just as it was suppose to be.  The reality though, was that in many ways it was not.

With my husband’s job there came a demanding way of life.  Constant traveling for him led to a lot of long hours, stress and often this would come home.  On my side, I was not always supportive, holding resentment for how little he was around and that I had given up my career so he could have his.  Because of his financial success at such a young age, we were also welcomed into a world of fundraisers, galas, travel and lifestyle that, at the time, had all the glitz and glamour one would expect and we jumped right in.  Suddenly, he was the successful husband and I was the Stepford wife and we were both becoming miserable, trying to keep up with a world that was just not us.

And then, he was fired.  And in one quick moment, instead of feeling scared and afraid, I was given a sense of peace that finally, we were free.

With only three simple words, the handcuffs were broken off and I felt that I could breathe again.

We didn’t have to live this life.  We could make better decisions.  We could start over.  We could be a better version of ourselves for each other and our children.  It is in that moment, our new beginning began.

So here we are.

Turning the page and beginning a new chapter in our life.  We are leaving Orange County, a place I have always called home.  We are leaving to live our dream.  A dream we have had for years but our past life never allowed for it.  We are moving to Santa Ynez, a place that has brought such peace into our life over the years.  It has been the place we always said we would live…one day…and now that one day is today.

So I welcome you on this journey with us.  I love to write and have always felt a calling to share with others.  I tend to be an open book.  So I have opened up This Little Country Road as a space to share this transition as we attempt to start over, focus on what is important, grow in our faith and share this special place we love with all of you.  My hope is to write each week on the transition, the places we visit (from the food to the shops, the wineries and the hidden gems), the moments we struggle, the joy we find and what we learn about ourselves and our family.

This is our book.  And it starts as they always do….

In the beginning…

24 thoughts on “In the beginning….”

  1. I love this so much. I love that you are sharing your adventure in such an honest real way. I love that you are chronicling your new life like this. So much happiness and support for you all! Xx Michelle

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  2. I love everything about this Sarah! I have so much respect for you and Loren and can’t wait to follow your journey. The transparency that you have is refreshing it makes me excited to read more. Thank you!

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  4. Thank you. I admire & respect this great decision. My family is in your “old” lifestyle… my husband flies off tomorrow leaving behind a sick son & wife after he brought the “bug” home from his last trip on Friday… I am following your journey with great interest and tips so that when we’re ready to make our “family escape” we’re a bit more prepared. Good luck tomorrow at school!

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    1. Oh the travel! It does get the best of you sometimes doesn’t it. I hope your family feels better soon. And thank you for the kind words. We just dropped them off and our Middle guy was struggling a bit. Hopefully it goes well by the end of the day! #fingerscrossed

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  5. Love that y’all are on this journey, adventure. I’ve been on adventures like these and let me tell you….they turn out GREAT!! Love you all and can’t wait to read more.

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  6. This is beautiful Sarah. I can’t wait to follow along on your journey. I hope all goes well with the kids getting acclimated and I can’t wait to hear about all your adventures!

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  8. This is amazing! We love you guys and miss you already but know this is your true calling. We cannot wait to hear what doors that little country road leads to…. HUGS!!

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    1. We miss you already too! Thank you so much for all your support in this and please continue the prayers! They mean the world. Using my tea tray as I type 🙂

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  9. What a wonderful perspective on change. Change is not easy but it’s always in how we handle it that leads us to unexpected adventures and blessings. I’m truly excited for you all and this new phase in life! And I will continue to show the boys pictures of you all as you adventure along. Blessings!

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    1. Thank you Deanna! We are so excited and are enjoying every minute of the chaos right now. Once life settles in I know the feeling of change kicks in and all your support in that transition means a ton! I hope all is well!

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  10. Loving the opportunity to follow your precious family here. God bless all of you in this new adventure!

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  11. Sarah,

    Your ability to freely share in such an engaging way is so admirable! I am so grateful to have this opportunity to follow along on your journey and I am proud to know such a dynamic and faithful woman!

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    1. You are too kind. It has taken me a lot of years to get so comfortable with it but I guess that is the one plus of aging??? 🙂 Thank you for supporting me and the family through this and following along!

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  12. Sarah,

    I admire your (and your family’s) decision to take another path, realizing that the path you’re on wasn’t quite right. And, thank you for not polishing up the story with a bow making everything seem peachy keen. Because we all know that life is not like that. Some are better than others at packaging :). Anyway, I truly hope you and your family enjoy this new journey. I look forward to reading your posts, and like I said on Insta, I hope I run into you in the valley. I’m just a hop skip and a jump away in Santa Barbara. XOXOXO Tina (Pate).

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