It's a new year and we're thinking about the last couple of months, our family's growth, our business's growth, and the goals we have in our sights.

We've been reminded the hard way lately that, hard as we try, we just can't predict the way life will go.

One week we're being productive, living healthy and spontaneously making out at midnight, the next week we just feel crushed by the pressures and curveballs of the daily grind.

Today, we're talking about how we deal with and move forward from these ups and downs.

Here's an experiment. Dial up a close friend, the kind you could call at 3am, and ask them why they choose to be friends with you. The answers might surprise you. Better yet, they can inform you of what value you intentionally and unintentionally bring to the people in your life...

Every marriage is different. Every couples' income and working situation is different. In our marriage, Peyton's schedule as a firefighter makes him available to support me and the growth of the firm. We took some time today to break down the ups and the downs we encounter almost daily, and several ways that one spouse can support another's career while preserving their relationship at home.

We got on google and we looked around. Most articles about raising teens are about how difficult it is, and how difficult teenagers themselves can be. We disagree!

As of right now, we have four (almost five) teenagers in our family, and we firmly believe that the teen years are some of the best years in our kids' journey to adulthood, not just for them, but for us. We'll tell you why in this episode.

We finally take a breather to catch up after this crazy summer. We're thinking a lot about our teenage and near-teenage kids lately. From life at home to family trips, the dynamics are changing and we are learning a lot about our kids and ourselves!

We recap our family trip to New York City and discuss the ways in which it made us think about our family's core values.

The kids in our family range from 11 to 19 years old, and we've gotten a lot of questions from friends on how we manage our household so that our kids are as self-sufficient as possible before they leave for college. So, today, we're discussing the structure we've put in place to make sure that our kids are responsible for themselves and that we stay sane as parents.

In our last episode, we talked about why the getaway is so important. We're on another getaway now, this time to NYC!

It’s so important to take make away with your significant other. Away from home, away from work, away from distractions. We recently made such a trip to Washington DC for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and, as always, we learned more about each other and our relationship along the way.

Some DC places we recommend…

National Cherry Blossom Festival https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/

Blossom Kite Festival: https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/event/blossom-kite-festival/

Trump Hotel Benjamin Bar & Lounge: https://www.trumphotels.com/washington-dc/benjamin-bar-and-lounge

1789 Restaurant: https://1789restaurant.com/

Old Ebbitt Grill: https://www.ebbitt.com/

The Occidental: http://www.occidentaldc.com/

M. M. Lafleur Clothing: https://mmlafleur.com/

The National Theatre: https://thenationaldc.com/