Dear Jamie,
We’ve known each other for what, 14 years? And ever since the first time we met, I knew there was something great about you. You put off an energy that’s undeniable. Your drive and witty sense of humor are what initially made me want to be friends with you, but it was your heart and desire for more out of life is what made me fall in love with you. You might not think you desire “more,” but you always have. While we were dating, you always talked about finding ways to do more outside of whatever our career may be, and last week, we closed on our first investment property. You’ve always been into the idea of a side hustle before the term “side hustle” was even a thing. Whether it was working local events on the weekends (“Dega!”), teaching dance lessons, or the very brief idea of opening an Etsy shop, you’ve always reached outside of whatever box life currently has you in.
Thankfully, we’ve been blessed to do more “more” with our life than we could have imagined, and it’s been such a joy seeing the gears turn in your brain when you have a new idea for our life or business. Currently, we’re rearranging the house a little bit and shifting our home office space around, and it’s like you’re a mathematician staring at a chalkboard-sized equation trying to figure it all out. You’ll stand at the corner of the room and just stare at it for minutes, analyzing it, visually putting together the pieces so that everything is just right. And like clockwork, a few minutes into staring, you’ll say, “Hey, I have an idea…” and sure enough, we’ll scour the internet and stores trying to find the perfect pieces until it all looks like the image in your beautiful brain.
I know story time about our home office may seem like a strange birthday post, but what I’m really trying to say is I want to celebrate the fact that you never let life hold you down or lock you in one place. To get real for a moment, you’ve had so many big, scary, life-shattering things happen to you in your short life that would leave most people stuck in time, living the rest of their life permanently in a rut. But you are so much stronger than you think, and you always find a way to push through the mud and want more out of life. When we talk about long-term goals, your mantra is to plan for the future, but don’t forget to live your life now. You know life is precious, and you always keep moving, pushing, creating, changing. I love that about you.
If I were to summarize this post, I think the keywords for a reader would be “more” and “life.” So, that’s my prayer for you in this next year. More life. I pray that you get to experience more life than you ever have before, and that life blesses you beyond your imagination. I love you always, forever. Happy birthday, Jamie.
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