Wife, Mom and Business Partner

As a child when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would reply without hesitation that I wanted to be a wife and a mom. When asked about a career choice, it was always be a wife and mom. When choosing a major in college, I couldn’t decide because…I wanted to be a wife and a mom!

When graduating from high school in 1999, I decided that I would attend Word of Life Bible Institute. Since I graduated a year early, I thought it would be a good stepping stone into the next phase of life. I was sure I would figure out during that year which direction to go with my major. As the year progressed, I was more and more unsure and then I met Micah. Whoa baby! It was love at 2nd sight (See Episode 22 of Prose on Production for more details!) From that point on, I was focused on getting my M.R.S. degree at the famous Word of Life “Bridal” Institute! I found me a handsome hunk of a husband! That was not in my plans at that time, but I was VERY ok with it. We were married in June of 2001. Dream #1-check!

It didn’t take us long after marriage to start talking about having babies. I mean why wouldn’t the world need a little Durling baby, right? I was born ready for this! But God had other plans. Through several long trying years, we waited for a little one. I don’t know why it was this way, but I do know that we had a whole lot of growing up to do as young adults. We were probably being prepared for the years ahead. God did allow us to have our firstborn in November of 2005. And 3 more to follow in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Dream #2-check!

Allow me to take a little rabbit trail. I was a stay at home mom for 10 wonderful (and hard) years. I will always treasure this time with my kids, but they were not pie in the sky.  During this time Micah had a job that took him away from home and we enjoyed his company on the weekends. He did what he needed to do for his family. And I admire that! Being a stay at home mom was the hardest and most rewarding job. There were many sleepless nights…one sleepless night I remember lasted for 3 years! Reflux is not a mom’s best friend! I’m going to be honest and say that I wished this time away more often than I want to admit. I didn’t realize until late in the game what a gift I had!

              You might have noticed that I did not mention business partner as a one of my dreams. I grew up with the mentality of an 8-5 employee. You go to work, you do an excellent job, and you come home at night and leave your job at work! Oh, and your pay check shows up on a regular basis! So, with that being said, I did not aspire to have any part of business ownership…. ever.

              So, what happens when you marry someone who grew up with a business mentality and has always wanted to own his own business? You become a business partner! Folks, I did not want a business! I think business owners are crazy! BUT God had another plan.

I always knew that when all of my babies were in school, that I would look for a job that was flexible around wife and mom life. Afterall, I am still both of those things. I prayed about what to do for several years leading up to this transition that I dreaded so much. I’ve always been insecure about the fact that I don’t have an education to fall back on. What could I possibly do to contribute? And then the door opened…

Micah realized that business ownership could be tied to his long-lost love for creating videos. And it became a reality. On a beautiful summer night, sitting on our deck, we married our dreams. M.R. Sterling Productions was born. And I became a wife, mom and business owner. Not what I had planned, but I was ok with it. Well I was more ok with it at first. And then I was not ok with it at all. And then I was ok with it if I could offer a helping hand every now and then. Little did I know that this would start a journey all on its own for me.

You see, I loathe change. Anything outside my box is hard for me to wrap my mind around. When we launched our business, I definitely had pie in the sky expectations. Let’s just say that it’s really good that I didn’t know what I was getting into! With 3 years under our belt, I can say that I am glad I don’t have to do those years again.

Over the course of time, I have had to fall in love with business ownership. It has not been easy! There is a constant pull for life at home and life at work. I don’t compartmentalize well. Everything is connected. And with our current office/studio in our home, I continuously have to resist the urge to be at home and at work. Folks, that is exhausting! Let’s just say there has been a lot of learning curve in this area.

              I didn’t dream of business ownership, but I know I spent many years asking God to allow our family to be together again. In His perfect plan, He pulled us up and set us down on a different path. These last 3 years have been both wonderful and hard. As a family, we are more unified than ever before. We work together as a team. We do have more time together. And I see my hubby 24/7. Pinch me now! Seriously, how can it be that I am able to spend my days with my handsome hunk of a husband? I work with my favorite person! It’s not all pie in the sky either, but we are growing and learning so much together. And I love it! Folks, I love business ownership. Who knew!

              So, for better or worse… I am thankful to be a Wife, Mom and Business Partner.