The Place: The Steeping Room

The Cup: Stephanie had a glass of iced, mint tea. At her suggestion, I went for the Organic Madagascar Vanilla hot tea. It was lovely!

Background: A few weeks ago I attended a WordPress class and ended up chatting with the woman next to me for some time after the meeting. She was so interesting that I decided, after telling her about the blog, to ask her to join me for coffee. That’s how we got to this cup.

What got me so intrigued? There is no shortage of interesting trails to head down in Stephanie’s story, starting with the reason she was there, taking the class. A few weeks prior, she completed the purchase of a successful internet company and was now knee-deep in learning everything she could about running it and growing it in the most efficient way possible. If the business hadn’t intrigued me, it could have been the story of how she and her husband ended up in Austin after building a life and successful businesses in California. No? Maybe it was the fact that she and her husband took a year off from “life” to travel the world on their motorcycle. Yes, I did say world! It wasn’t any of those things that made me say, I need to hear more about Stephanie’s journey. It was all of it – and a suspicion that we hadn’t even reached the trailhead.

Before we lace up our hiking boots and set off exploring Steph’s story, we need to cover some:

Common Grounds

1. How did you make your first buck? Babysitting. (Steph added that if she’d saved even 10% of her earnings, she’d be loaded.)
2. What is your favorite way to unwind? Laying on a beach reading a book.
3. What is the best gift you ever received? The gift of language and travel. When you can speak to people in their own language, it breaks down a lot of barriers.
4. What was the last movie you saw? Fuel. Steph thought it was a good movie if you didn’t know much about the topic – our dependence on oil. It was a great Reader’s Digest version of what’s going on, though it was quite one-sided, politically (anyone surprised by that?).
5. What is your guilty pleasure? Diet Cherry Coke with a lot of ice. And sleeping in.
6. What is the last great meal you ate? Stuffed trout my husband made – stuffed with cilantro, slided lemons and onions. It was phenomenal.
7. What is the most interesting thing in your purse? The collection of items from the places I visit. When I go somewhere I keep a memento of the experience; chop stick wrapper, a business card, a receipt (Stephanie is planning a book called “Around Austin” that will be a tribute to the time she spent here in this wonderful city).
8. What is your favorite thing in Austin? The people. Everything I read about Texans before moving here; that they are genuine, proud, friendly – it’s all true in Austin. People here are open-minded, there is a lot of diversity and they enjoy helping one another. They work hard and they play hard.
9. What is the first thing you do in the morning? I just lie in bed for 15-20 minutes, letting my thoughts percolate. Lately, those thoughts have been very focused on ideas for my business. I didn’t always start my day this way, but since I began, I’ve found that I’m happier all day long.

The year was 2003. The Department of Homeland Security was just born, The United States and the UK launched the infamous, if poorly named, “shock and awe” campaign and Americans brilliantly renamed french fries, “Freedom Fries”. Not our finest year, arguably. On the upside, the “do not call list” was created, an adorable fish, Nemo, stole everyone’s hearts and iTunes changed the way we bought and listened to music.

2003 was also the year that Stephanie and her husband would wave goodbye to the daily grind and set off on a year-long journey that would change their lives in unexpected ways.

Leading up to that year, Steph and the Mister were living the American Dream. Great consulting careers with no shortage of eager clients and opportunities to grow; a beautiful home, cars, toys – all the modern day luxuries that have most of us slogging away 40+ hours a week trying to acquire. They had arrived. And they were burning out.

They needed a break; some time to recharge their batteries and figure out what was next for them. After much discussion and deliberation, they decided they’d make a financial plan, figure out the magic number they’d need to get by, and once they hit it, they’d hit the road.

2003 was the year they reached the number and they packed up their motorcycle and set off to see the world. OK, not quite the whole world – but a whole lot of it. Specifically, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Namibia, India, Sikkim, Bhutan, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Japan and China. Logistically, they shipped their motorcycle over and then flew to meet up with it. Stephanie wasn’t sure if she was ready for a whole year away from friends, family and home, so they planned mini-trips back home every few month. After the first quick stop at home, Steph said she realized it was a bit of a waste. “You just run around seeing everyone, doing laundry, paying bills, and repacking. There was no quality time at home.”

That year introduced them to fascinating people, showed them unimaginable sights and taught them countless lessons. The biggest lesson came when they returned home and learned that a beloved, young employee had died suddenly. Shortly after, Stephanie’s uncle passed away the day he retired, at 50 years old. This reality gave them pause. They found themselves looking at one another and saying, “That could be either one of us, tomorrow.”

Another valuable lesson was that they could do it. They could travel through sub-Saharan Africa and feel secure. They got within 50 miles of the Iraq border – in the midst of war – and were undeterred. Perhaps most surprising, they spent an entire year together, day in and day out, and still liked each other.

Stephanie tells me that when she and Doug teach classes at Overlander conferences, they answer a lot of questions about marriage survival under these extreme living conditions. They have heard heartbreaking stories from couples who don’t see eye-to-eye on how they want to travel and experience the world. An example that perhaps illustrates this heartbreak best is their own. I’ll explain.

Steph and Doug got right to work mapping out how they would keep this adventure alive. During their year abroad, they had kept their home and business and all the associated expenses. Now they were serious about taking the leap and decided to sell their home and move into a rental while they figured it all out. This gradual downsizing meant they needed to get rid of a substantial amount of stuff.

Having just gone through this myself, I can related to Stephanie’s story about the surprising amount of “stuff” one accumulates over time, and how little of it you actually use, let alone miss once its gone. “We have never been very attached to our things, so it wasn’t all that hard to let it go,” she says. I think back to my purge and recall how freeing it was to get rid of so much. I also recall the surprising sadness I felt in getting rid of my sewing machine. I only used it once or twice a year, so it seemed like an obvious choice to get rid of it. But looking back, my wedding dress, our nice crystal champagne flutes, mementos from our travels – nothing was hard, nor is missed nearly as much as that damn sewing machine.

I wonder if Steph has a similar item that she thinks about with longing. It’s confession time. She leans in, drops her voice a little, and confides, “I just couldn’t give up my crafting room.” What? I gave up a sewing machine and she got to keep an entire room of crafting awesomeness?  Man, am I a chump?!? 

She didn’t keep it all. And because they already needed a storage unit, it was much easier to justify. OK, I feel a little better.

From the sounds of it, this crafty lady had virtually a small craft store in her home, so she did have to get rid of tons of supplies. Her process for doing so was remarkable!

Stephanie has always been an avid crafter. She gets it from her mom, who was a little girl living in Germany during World War 2. It was a very hard time and she grew up with nothing. Everything she had was handmade and precious. This made her extremely resourceful and gave her a unique ability to, as Steph’s childhood friend later described, “Make something out of nothing.” Her friend, who lived on the same military base as Stephanie’s family recalled their home as having an elegant, rich feel – adding that she knew they had very little, because they were living off a similar salary.

Aside from having a lovely, comfortable home, crafting provided a fun activity. “We were always crafting at our house. One year we made bread dough ornaments for the Christmas tree, another year we were making flower arrangements. My mom was always creating or making something, so having grown up with that, that’s part of me,” Stephanie says.

Stephanie’s mom and dad also instilled in her a love of giving. So how did she get rid of her cherished crafting supplies? She reached out to her online crafting community of friends and told them she’d send them a box of goodies. She asked about favorites colors, craft projects, personal tastes and favorite products and based on this knowledge, she assembled a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) box for her friends. One hundred of them! Earlier I had asked Steph to tell me what the best compliment she ever got was. She said,”that I am the most generous person they know.” When she told me that, her face lit up and I could tell it meant a lot. After hearing this story, I can see she earned the compliment! And that her parents’ lesson to her, to give for the sake of giving, was one she took to heart.

Once the supplies were given away and the rest safely tucked away in storage, it was time to choose their mode of adventure. Having done it by motorcycle, they decided they’d take to the water for the next leg. Doug got his Captain of Sailing certification, and Steph went through basic sailing training. Unfortunately, this is where that heartbreak I alluded to earlier comes in. Stephanie realized that sailing was not for her. She tried and tried to love it, but it wasn’t in her heart. After looking at all their options (Doug sailing alone and Steph joining him for small periods being the only one that made any sense) they opted for a new plan all together. The whole point in this adventure was to be together. Sailing would obviously not provide that, so back to the drawing board. Literally.

Steph and Doug decided they’d build their own land vehicle, to their own unique specifications. First, they rented an RV and explored British Columbia, Canada, making notes of what they liked and didn’t like about the rig. Once back home, Doug set about crafting their dream machine and a little over a year later, it was complete.

The maiden voyage was across the US, just to work out any kinks and make sure it was all functional. Once it passed muster they shipped it to Chile and flew down a month later to get on board. They traveled around South America – Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia – from December 2007 to April 2009, when they decided Austin was a great place to settle back in for a bit.

Nearly four  years later, they are still here. When I ask Steph if they have plans to leave, she tells me when they make a list of all the things they are looking for from a home base, they come up with about 10 items. Austin has 8 of those, and while nothing is perfect, Austin gets pretty darn close.

Stephanie’s new business is keeping her very busy and as she tells me, it’s the perfect combination of her passion for crafting, a community of amazing, generous and creative people, and a profitable business model with room for growth. Check out her website, PaperCraftersCorner.com for all kinds of paper project ideas, stories and inspiration. *** Warning, I just hopped over there to grab the link and was immediately sucked in. *** After reading three blog posts, I was jarred back to reality when I realized I had my own blog post to finish. I’m sure that kind of thing never happens to you, but derailed may as well be my middle name.

I ask Stephanie about the best advice she ever got and she gives me two little gems. The first came from her dad when she was a little girl, and has stuck with her. Stephanie wanted something and as she tiptoed around the question, her dad asked, “How do you expect to get it if you don’t ask for it?”

The second nugget of goodness came at a time in her life when she was at a professional crossroads. She had to decide between two paths – one that was familiar but not as exciting and the other which was very exciting, but full of uncertainty. Her mom said, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Life is about choices – an endless series of choices. At every turn we get to decide where to go from here. Every day is a new day and we get to select which adventure we’ll set out for, and then pick the mode of transportation that works best for us at that time. We make mistakes, we fall down, we miss opportunities. We learn lessons, we get back, up and closed doors lead to open ones elsewhere.

Helen Keller said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” The question isn’t, “Are you living an adventurous life?” The question is, “Is this the adventure you choose?” Don’t hold back. Take leaps of faith. Ask for help. Because really, what’s the worst that could happen?

If you are interested in learning more about the adventures of Steph and Doug, visit their website. Feeling crafty? Check out PaperCraftersCorner.com for some inspiration and follow Steph on Twitter.