Big Dreams

Dreams (the aspiration kind) have been on my mind lately. Evaluating mine, hearing about other people's, I realize I have had quite a few 'big dreams' over the years. I come from a dreamin' schemin' dad who's passed on the entrepreneurial dream to me.  Other than motherhood, here are just some of the few I have had over the years, some I still wouldn't mind if they came to fruition :)

~Designing and staging interiors of new homes, a lil' family venture my sisters and I fancied teaming up together for one day.  I've been decorating 'my space', whatever shape or form that's taken, since at least the age of 14-15, and even took some correspondence courses in Interior Design in my early 20s.  Then, when my brother-in-law was involved in building new homes, he and Tami were going to be living in one, and when they were decorating their home, Tami, Jodi and I went to some stores for some decorating brainstorming and boy did we really feed well off of each other's ideas.  Tami had expressed interest in continuing helping design/stage the other show homes being built and we verbally dreamed of doing it together.  Sigh...that would have been so much fun if it had worked out that way!

~ Photography, although this has been a dream for about 20 years or so, and I've taken photography courses, worked in a photo lab, it seems it just won't grow past the 'personal hobby' stage.  I love capturing couples, kids, nature and architecture especially, and I was honored to take engagement pictures for both my sisters, as well as take our yearly family portrait for several years. However it is a pretty expensive hobby to try and turn into something more, and the market here in Manitoba seems to already be saturated with photographers.  I am personally friends with at least 4 semi-professional photographers :) In the last 7 years or so however, this dream has transformed a little into doing something digitally with my photographs, I have been loving photo manipulation, touching up, and other digital enhancements. I'm still trying my hand at different things I could do to create an original photo art of my very own!

~Financial Counsellor, as I have realized over the years that not everyone has been blessed with being a student of budgeting since the age of 12 (thanks dad!), which, among other circumstances, has driven me to be quite diligent in my financial management.  14 years ago, going through a relationship with a very fiscally irresponsible person and unemployment, I started looking at ways to protect myself financially, and in my research thought it would be nice if there was an easier way to get that kind of help. Since then I have gone to a Willow Creek financial management seminar, researched many money-saving, debt reducing/preventing tips, but I also get that there are reasons behind money mis-management as well (I have had some of those reasons inflicted on me).  I informally counselled my sister when they were experiencing some really financial hard times and it felt so good to see them start finding a way out of the struggles.  I've always thought I could do this as a ministry for free in our Church, like a simple course or mentorship, because otherwise, getting this help can be an expense and people who NEED this kind of help DON'T need yet another expense.  I'm not sure, but might need a little more 'official' education on this before people take me seriously though.

~ Opening a book store/coffee shop....this one also seems to be a dream of many :)  But I love books, I used to spend hours in the library as a kid, and in McNally Robinson downtown as an adult.  I'm a fanatic of so many kinds of books, so many genres of fiction, self improvement, do-it-yourself, history, travel....etc., etc.! I could probably read 16/7 every day for the rest of my life and never run out of books that I would want to read, so being that I don't have the money to buy that many books, I often dreamed of either running a library (I played librarian as a kid, even putting sign out cards in all my books!) or owning a book store.  Now being married to a coffee aficionado, I've thought it would be so perfect if he ran the coffee shop nook in my book store....he with his 'free' coffee and me with my 'free' books....paradise :)

~ Running a Romance Resort, providing a place for couples to prioritize each other and their marriage, without breaking the bank.  Personally we've tried a few places to go revitalize our romance and although I have really liked some of the places we've been, I've always thought...'ooh, I would add that' or 'change that'....it just seemed there were some elements that were at some but not others and none had the 'complete package' I dreamed of.  So why not just build one of my own? I love the idea of transporting couples to an escape fantasy, theme rooms making them feel like they are far away from everyday hum drum (even if they are only an hour away), making complete seclusion available, making it unnecessary to leave their cabin, and providing as many resources for romance enhancement as possible.  No t.v. (maybe movies though), room service, a restaurant, a kitchen if that's what they prefer, a private pool, fireplace, shower for two (those are fun!), and the little things like candles, romantic music, etc.  AND, to give those who may be at a loss for ideas, a library :) of romance material, like books of conversation prompts, romantic date ideas, 50 gifts that cost under $5, stuff like that. I'd LOVE to go to a place like that!

~ My dream home.  I'd love to live off the land, in my own way of course, as I've mentioned here before.  Building our own home out in the country, growing and raising our own food, making most things from scratch, living as independent of the 'grid' as possible, living sustainably with less and at a slower pace, surrounded by loved ones and God's beloved creation.  Being cityfolk, we'd of course have some amenities, appliances would be nice, especially a dishwasher, and need that coffee maker if we don't own a coffee shop :) so that's what wind turbines and solar panels are for.  Hopefully 'living off the land' will be done so efficiently we won't really need typical careers for income and so we'd have time to spend on quality living and relationships. I am determined this big dream will come true one day!

~ Being a globe-trotter, not the basketball playing kind.  Besides the fact I don't have the money for this, I also have a husband not that keen on travel, so this really is a far fetched big dream, but I just love learning new things, I love experiencing different cultures, I love history, and each country has one all their own!  The landscapes, the architecture, the food, they almost all call to me, it's hard to even pick top 10 places I'd want to travel, I end up kinda lumping some countries together...like the Mediterranean countries :)  If I could make a living out of travelling, someone please tell me how!

~ Becoming an author, my dream doesn't even require becoming a best-selling author, lol.  I've had stories floating around in my head since I was in elementary school, probably because of my highly imaginative day dreaming spells.  None have been long lasting, not long enough for me to get a whole story in writing anyway, but the subjects that capture me are ever evolving, so maybe I'll have to wait until one decides to be a more permanent resident of my mind before I'll be able to share it in confidence.  In the mean time, I love making truths come to life through short analogies here on my blog, I really feel blessed when one of my own parables resonates with someone.

~ Dog breeder, once I've picked a breed that is! I've fantasized this for years, especially when I wasn't allowed pets, and now both Sean I are addicted to puppies, but dogs grow up so how can we have a puppy all the time...by breeding them :)  Might be able to do this on our hobby farm one day, where they can all run around and fertilize my garden, lol.  I've bred Siamese cats before and have learned a lot from the experience, like, don't breed anything in a one bedroom apartment :)  Seriously though, I've always wanted to be surrounded by animals, especially puppies, and what an adorable way to make a living!

And, of course, there is the dream of winning the lottery, so that all these can come true ;)  I know, I know...but that's another schemin' dream I inherited from my dad.