Sarah Too

Sleepy kitties.

If you paid attention to the posts I made on here since about July, then you know my world changed radically in 2011. I got married, I quit my job (and so did Jacob), we moved to Iowa, we both changed careers, and we started our own business.

The question asked the most of me about life here in Iowa is "So what are your days and hours like?" Below is my attempt to capture the ebb and flow of our lives as gym owners...

When we arrived in Iowa, we set a goal of opening within 10 days. We had so much to accomplish in the gym space. The walls were bright red and deep black because the place used to be a bar. We managed to coat the place in 20 gallons of paint within 5 days. The floors were a mess -- old carpet glue stuck your feet to the floor. We had fleas. My legs itched for weeks. I still have scars where the fleas devoured whole portions of my ankles. Despite the pounds of weights and equipment we needed to install and put into place, we accomplished our ambitious goal. During that initial 10 days, we awoke early, went balls-to-the-wall working on the gym space, unpacking boxes at the house, registering vehicles, setting up bank accounts, and all the other bureaucratic B.S. that comes with moving.

During the first 3 weeks or so of the gym being open, both Jacob and I would wake up early and be at the gym for the morning block of classes. We alternated who coached each hour-long session. Some days we filled all the morning classes, other days, we bided our time until the next athlete walked through the door. We would also stay at the gym between classes as a lot of curious foot traffic stopped in to see what replaced the old bar. That foot traffic petered off after a while as word-of-mouth spread from our active member athletes. We again alternated who coached at the noon and evening block of classes. These were long days.

These days, Jacob and I alternated who takes the entire block of morning classes. For example, Jacob has the morning block on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week. I have Tuesday and Thursday. So today, Jacob will take on the noon and evening classes. We are both at the gym, generally, in the evenings as the 4:30 PM class is usually pretty large and we sometimes get beginners/first-timers. And we are both in the gym on Saturdays. This schedule works out nicely for us, as we each get a chance to sleep in, and have afternoons off. It definitely helps recharge our batteries.

In between shifts, I nap, read, run errands, do housework, write emails, make phone calls, update the bookkeeping, watch movies, or pet the kitties. Sometimes, Jacob and I will drive up to Iowa City for an item or two that we can't get here in Muscatine. In the evenings, we're pretty beat and we just want to wind down with food, a shower, and some reading or part of a movie. I'm pretty much lights out by 10 PM.

On weekends, we enjoy the fact that after noon on Saturday, our time is our own. We'll watch football at my in-laws, or go for a hike, or nap, or read. We go to church. We sleep in. Sometimes, one of us takes a weekend trip (me to see Amanda, or NYC; Jacob to see his Grandma or a friend). It's a quiet life and a good life. I'm sure as time goes by it will be an even busier life. For now, it is more than busy enough -- externally and internally (in my head) -- as our gym grows and as we settle further into our new lives.

What a love about my days now is that every day is productive. I don't feel like I wasted time at my desk mindlessly cruising the internet, procrastinating, or avoiding the work on my desk. I don't have pointless, meaningless meetings. I don't feel like I am going to "work". Some will say I am crazy for throwing away a stable job, or the years I put into my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I say I wouldn't be the coach or business woman I am today without those experiences. And I certainly wouldn't know what I do and don't want without those experiences. There is no road map or manual for life, so all I can do is follow my heart. And I am pretty effing happy where my heart led me.