This is my man. Kevin Wood.
We met when i was just a kitten, a senior at San Clemente High School. It was LOVE at first sight, we bonded over air hockey, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and snowboarding in tank tops (because obviously I had to show off my ummm, assets) We were engaged quick, I was only 17, my parents pretty much fell off their rockers as well as the rest of my family, but it was love, TRUE LOVE. We had a longer engagement and tied the knot June 14, 1996. I was only 20. We had plans for kids and he MADE me wait a few years to start a family (longest 3 years of my life cuz I just wanted to be a mom) but it was well worth the wait. There must've been something in that Utah water because we made 3 babies (all girls)in 4 years!!! We were fitting right in with the Utah crowd (we are not Mormon, but we sure love them). My hubby was working 60-80 hour work weeks in Corporate America climbing the ladder at Home Depot. I also worked in Customer service for Home Depot when the kids were young. When our second daughter came along, my hubby took the leap to the competitor, Lowes. He thrived in his new environment and we enjoyed moving all over the Western US as he was climbing the ladder. We lived in So Cal, Northern Cal, then moved all the way to Boulder, Colorado. There we loved taking the kids to Breckenridge and teaching them to snowboard as young as 2 years old. Those were fun times. we eventually moved to Black Forest, Colorado and purchased an amazing spread on 5 acres in the trees
This home was a DREAM for us, a place to grow and spread our wings, a place where our son was born...a perfect place to raise up our growing family. This is also where we decided to homeschool. Many factors led to this decision but one of the key factors was the hour long (plus) bus ride each way. So, we pulled the girls from Public School (terrifying) and took on their education. I LOVED it, we had a great network/co-ops and homeschool friends and then one day...my husbands boss pulled him into the office and told him, AZ OR BUST... that we were going to have to transfer. So we packed up and headed west to a place we NEVER we thought we'd live, I had visions of opening the door and tripping over snakes and scorpions and WHO KNOWS what else! I clearly had a bad attitude about this forced move...but GOD KNEW. We ended up loving our time in AZ, granted there were some moments (like the 118* days) where I wanted to pack my bags and run away, but God did a work on our hearts and we truly learned to appreciate the BEAUTY in the desert. Also, here in this place Olivewood designs was born. Head back to my first blog post to read the story . Fast forward to 2016... things were going well, really well with our business. In 3 years, Olivewood grew from a few friends sitting around my dining table to a well oiled machine that was doubling my hubby's six figure income.
Kevin and I ALWAYS dreamed of being our own boss, living the life an entrepreneur and here it was, we were holding this dream in the palm of our hands but what were going to do. His job was a safe haven, a reliable source of income, the bread and butter we had relied on for 22 years. It provided insurance and benefits and a nice 4 weeks paid vacation but this dream we had always hoped for and prayed for was staring us in the face saying "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?" Are you going to take this EPIC LEAP OF FAITH and leave your career of 25 years or are you going to play it safe and do business as usual...long work weeks, little family time, lack of freedom and working for the Corporation... so we prayed, and prayed and PRAAAAYYYYEEED! We talked with friends, consulted with other entrepreneurs, watched others who were pioneering this self employed life, oh and did I mention we prayed, and cried, and trusted and talked through all the possibilities. and we JUMPED, You GUYS we flipping' JUMPED off that cliff and we are growing our wings on the way down. We trusted God, we listened to His voice, His encouragements, HIS BLESSINGS on our business. I often tell my friends, this isn't my business, this is HIS BUSINESS. There is NO WAY that I, a high school graduate (with no college degree) a former homeschool~stay at home mom to 4 kids, could grow this business the way it has EXPLODED in 3 short years. IT is HIM, and now WE,
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the Wood family, are running this business TOGETHER, FULL TIME. We are doing this thing! !! Every Etsy sale we thank God for another month that we can give back to our Creator, pay our mortgage, feed our kids and pay the water bill (oh the water bill) WE now have freedom to explore, spend quality time as a family and remodel our dream farmhouse together....
and you wanna know something? You are a HUGE piece to our puzzle, YOU show up to our sales, YOU buy our creations to adorn your walls or give as gifts. YOU shower Our family with blessings through your comments and your 5 star reviews on Etsy and YOUR uplifting dm's. We read them all together and WE feel SOOOO blessed that this is our NEW LIFE. THANK YOU doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the words we'd like to shower you with but it's a good start. We are forever grateful for this DREAM COME TRUE for our family!!!
