Remember when?

I remember the Fall of 2007, do you? I found myself smack dab in the middle of a huge debate over a wind generator with very little help. I remember locals stopping by the job site to get in my face, I remember going into Frans Market and having people turn their backs on me, and I remember how everyone back home said good luck and went about their lives.

I mention this, because time flies and the moments in time that define a person are often times forgotten or overlooked. I remember laying awake at night in our rented, run down cottage and thinking about the possibility of losing my company over a matter that I had very little control over. I remember building, piece by piece, a home that helped reshape the building industry in this state. I remember the grinder accident I had before a big public hearing on the wind generator, and how I didn't go to the Emergency Room (even though Mary Bigelow did all she could to get me to go), so that I could give my rebuttal at the hearing. The carpet in Onekama Township Hall has the stains from my bleeding finger and a day doesn't pass that I don't think about how incredible that experience was. I carry scars on my hands from the work we did on that home and those scars help to remind me of the amazing experience that I had building it.

I remember when the final meeting for the wind generator issue was and I remember the emotions that were running wild in that room. I salute those people in the world who stepped up when times got tough and helped generations move forward. I salute those who didn't just say good luck, but rather, rolled up there sleeves and fought shoulder to shoulder with me on a very tough issue. Onekama will always hold a place in my heart, because it help shaped the person that I have longed for so long to become. I learned many valuable lessons on that project, but the most valuable lesson of all, was that I learned to never give up on my dreams. I learned that no matter what happend, I would always see a problem through and have the guts to take care of a problem no matter what it costs. I learned that not many people shared that same value, and that it was a defining value that has helped me become who I am today.

I am excited to have built the homes that I have built. Back in 2007, I did all I could to get other builders to build sustainably. Now, much to my delight, builders have stepped up to take on jobs with ICFs, SIPs, and advanced framing. I have continued to pick jobs to build solely on their impact on the industry. I am consulting more than ever on everything from schools to Earth Shelter projects and everything in between. Next up for me, once we complete the Earth Shelter Project and I finish the nation wide tour to promote the documentary, I will start another project. That project will be one of many that I am considering. I am most interested in another Earth Shelter project or a straw bale home. I will keep you all posted. For now, life is good and I am so excited to be living the life I am living..