Hello world...

Such a simple title with such far reaching implications.

It simply amazes me that I am sitting here writing a message that can literally be read around the world, from my living room.

It used to be that "Hello world" was simply the first thing that a programmer would make appear on his monitor. Now it's actually possible for someone to make it appear, and be seen by the world. OK, so being a tech guy this really isn't that amazing to me, but it's still pretty cool.

As you've probably gathered from reading the About Me section on the sidebar, or the description of this blog at the top of the page, I used to be deeply involved in the tech world on a daily basis. I still am. Don't get me wrong. The only two things that have changed here are my focus in life, and my job.

I used to have a round-trip commute of roughly 50 miles a day to work as a System Admin / all-around tech guru. I loved the work and the pay was enough to live on. Then in January I had a son, and my entire world changed.

I never really was a morning person, so it's not like I ever really enjoyed getting up for work. After my son was born, I truly began to dread it. I didn't want to leave him. I tried to take the first two weeks of his life off from work entirely. This didn't really go as planned because due to the size of the company I worked for, they simply couldn't cover all of my responsibilities for me. I worked with a great bunch of highly capable guys, but they needed my help. So needless to say, my plan to only work half-time for the next two weeks, turned into about 70 hours instead.

Once I went back to work full-time, I began trying desperately to find a way out. My wife didn't want me working any more than I did, so she was trying to figure out an escape too. Lucky for me, my mother-in-law had already built it, and was looking for a way out too. See, my mother-in-law has an extraordinary talent for business development. Now we're not talking multi-billion dollar corporations here. We're just talking about developing what many people would see as a hobby into a sustainable, profitable business. She has been doing this for over a decade, and as far as I know has literally given away almost every single business she has developed. Luckily, I happen to be the recipient of her best one to date. In a somewhat surprising and often surreal twist on life, I am now the official owner of an Etsy shop by the name of Dear Emma Stationery.

Now, instead of getting up at 6:30-7:00 in the morning and driving 25 miles to work for someone else, I get up whenever my son wakes me up, and walk out into my living room to work for myself. There are many benefits to this beyond just sleeping in (although I tend to really enjoy that one). I get to be here to witness every new little development in my son's life. I don't have to work all day, and come home to ask my wife "So what'd he do today? Anything new?". I absolutely hated the thought of missing something like his first smile, first step or first word.

So now, my wife and I work together full-time. Not only in business, but more importantly in raising our son. I can't imagine ever going back.