2011 is finished and quite honestly we have nothing more to say but "Thank You Lord!!!" It's almost a weird feeling to look back on the past year of your life and realize there is not one thing you would change. Everything has happened in perfect timing, for the perfect length of time, and with just the right amount of excitement. Every want, every need has been provided for us , and our love for each other and for God has grown to new depths along all these adventures. It's all a dream really. Most days we look at each other and ask how we got so lucky? We haven't quite figured out the answer yet, but for now we choose gratefulness. On a day to day basis we remind each other of all the goodness that surrounds us and dwells within us and we just choose to be grateful.
In June 2010 we finished our year long commitment in Tucson. It was a hard, long and physically taxing year but we came out so much stronger and a lot more FREE! We were able to pay off 1 credit card, 2 loans, and pay down my truck enough to sell (it was upside down in a loan). Jordan worked full time as a leasing consultant and was able to pay all of our day to day bills (rent, utilities, groceries, insurance) and Juli worked full time as a manager at In N Out and was able to pay off debt and pay for fun things! It was and still is an incredible feeling to know that we did it! Over $12,000 payed off! We have no more weight to carry around with us and our bills have basically disappeared. Jordan and I quit our jobs, got rid of a lot of our stuff and drove the rest of it back to California. We saved up enough money in Tucson to build an 8'x'10'x10' shed on Jordan's parents property. Over the next month Jordan, Scott, and I framed it, walled it, roofed it, painted it, added a few shelves, and there it was- everything we own in the world in one little shed. It makes me laugh now, when Jordan and I first started hanging out (pre-dating/marriage) we talked about how incredible it would be to have no debt, have a place to keep all of our stuff and go adventure the world. We even made a pact, "The world is our playground." We were so determined to go play and experience the magic of our planet, engage and witness all of God's creation, and share it with everyone. Two and half years later here we are…. doing exactly that. Over the past two years we have had our own little house, an apartment with two roommates, a back room, a motorhome on our parent's property,moved 6 times to three states and quite honestly we couldn't be anymore happy!
By mid July the shed was complete and after a four hour battle of earwigs (nasty pincher bugs) that invaded our stuff we had everything loaded inside and on the shelves. It was time for our next adventure back to our second home in Kauai! The downside of paying off debt is working full time jobs- and the downside of that is the lack of time we get to spend together and lack of sleep- So we decided it was time to reward ourselves! We took four suitcases and two backpacks for a six month stay-cation!!! The older we are getting the more we strive to live a minimalist lifestyle. Life is so much more than things. It's hard in America to keep things small and simple. Everyone is always moving so fast and wanting more and more. Even in a broken economy where so many families are loosing lifelong investments, retirement funds, and homes so many are still living so far beyond their means. That was exactly the lesson we learned in Tucson. If there is no cash, don't buy it. Hawaii is easy for us in that sense… since it is so expensive and the pay is minimal you kind of have to live that way. All we could afford was the essentials. In six months we ate out a total of six or seven times. I have never done that on the mainland. You never realize how convenient things are and how often we take advantage of going out to restaurant. We ate a lot of eggs, sandwiches, and burritos. It was another incredible experience though and we learned to stretch out our pennies! But on top of that we got to spend a lot of time together. We usually only worked 20 hours a week and the rest was play time. Jordan got his dream job as a server at Oasis on the Beach Restaurant. It had one of the best locations on the island. It was on the beach literally, with all glass sliding walls that were always opened up. After about two months I got hired at the Starbucks across the street from his work. Working part time pretty much meant we got an extended honeymoon in paradise. The first three months though were rather busy- we had so many visitors! Ian and Richelle (Jordan's brother and sister-in-law), Tim (our buddy from Tucson), Mikey (first friend we met in Tucson), and then Justin (Jordan's best friend in Fallbrook). We did our best to give them all a proper introduction. We toured them through our favorite waterfalls, took them to the gorgeous north shore, and our favorite beaches. It was awesome to finally show people things we have been talking about since our first trip there. The second three months we mostly just hung out with a small group of people here and there and just relaxed. It felt so good to just cuddle up together and have no agenda. The winter was much different this year. We didn't get any huge storms just a nightly rain. It made for the perfect, relaxing evenings on our lanai. We would eat dinner out there, talk about life, and just enjoy the beauty and sweet air! The weeks started to disappear faster and before we knew it December was upon us! It is always mixed emotions when we have to leave the island lifestyle behind. On one hand we are so excited to come home and spend time with the family and be a part of things but then again how can you walk away from paradise? December 7th we laid on the beach all afternoon. I am pretty sure it was around 75 degrees out! Who wants to leave that and face the 20's and 30's back home!? We had a blast the last few nights there though. Our close friends came and hung out with us pretty much every night. Jordan and I went to a fancy dinner date at his work the night before we left. They served us a five course meal with a champagne dessert. It was incredible. December 8th we finished packing stuff up and headed back to Cali. It had been an awesome time but it was time to come home. The airports are always stressful and exhausting but ever since we have been back in Fallbrook it has been so nice. The transition has been so smooth and we are both filled with peace and contentment. The family time has been incredible. Plus we got to meet Logan Johnson (Juli's nephew who was born while we were gone) and Zöe Coté (Jordan's niece who was born on Dec 20). Juli was able to transfer to a Starbucks in Temecula and Jordan has been working as a DJ for Bryan (his brother-in-law), for Ian's home theatre installation business, and working on an upcoming project for his surgical laser fibers website. We have been so incredibly blessed this year and are soaking in every minute of it.
As for 2012- we have a few ideas but who knows what will really happen! Our goal is to take a 2-5 month road trip across the country. We have a lot of friends to visit, places to see and maybe find a new town we can call home for a while. But we have to work on funding, a way to travel (maybe a small motorhome), and you know all the small details. It will all fall into place and the doors will open at the right time. We have learned that much at least- God is control and he provides! We are just trusting him and loving our families and life in the meantime. Thank you for all your love and support when we are near and when we are far. We love hearing about your lives and the things you do! You can find our adventures on thelistjpcjlj.blogspot.com! -Jordan and Juli Coté
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