From Shawn:
Six years ago today Tiffany and I were legally acknowledged as married by the great state of Tennessee. Our kids, Gunner and Paisley, stood by our side as her Dad officiated the family-only ceremony in a local Nashville park. Our family of four has grown to seven with the addition of Lachlan, Talulah and Carrig. We’ve always talked about creating a family blog to document our journey. I am gifting this introduction of our blog to my beautiful wife as her anniversary gift. Many people might question this as a gift, but I know she will treasure it. She is the center of our family and the love of my life. I knew since our first date that we shared many beliefs and desires on how to live our lives. Our family is our world. This blog will be filled with past stories to help you understand how we went from the classic American family to one that creates opportunities to live a richer, more fulfilling life. This blog will also be filled with current stories, many written by our children, to document the upcoming year in our life. Last weekend we sold or gave away half of our belongings, packed up the rest in a 6’x12’ trailer and towed it behind our 12-passenger family van to the mountains of Taos, New Mexico. Our plan is to live in the mountains for the next six months and then spend a winter on the beaches of Florida. We don’t know where it will go from there, but intend to share all sides of our life through this blog: the exciting events, the struggles and the simple pleasures.From Tiff:
Back to trying our hand at blogging after our lives came to an abrupt halt March 10.
Simply 7 is a blog to share our family adventures and what like it is like as we try to simplify living in today's world with 5 kids.
There is nothing simple about 5 kids but it is our goal to make it as simple as possible and focus on what we want out of life. I already felt strongly about this before my sudden cardiac arrest on March 10 but afterward it magnified that feeling 100 times. I almost wasn't here to watch my children grow up, to experience the various stages they will go through, to build more memories with them. In an instant that was almost all gone. My desire to embrace each day, and to let go of all the things that don't matter whether it be emotions, pressures I place on myself, or physical things is going to be my top priority.
This is all we left home with!
