welcome to vegas. sin city. crazy shows and gambling galore. but there is another side. a quick drive and you’re at red rocks. a beautiful desert climbing destination.

and what am i doing in this beautiful desert climbing destination?

working.

taking advantage of a warm house with fast wi-fi.

this is not going to be a blog complaining about how i have to work right now. so don’t worry. this is going to be a blog about the complete opposite (or something like that).

i have spent the past six weeks in two amazing climbing areas with limited, if any, access to good wi-fi and cell service. although there were a few instances where i’m sure my clients wished they could contact me without scheduling an appointment, but for the most part, i was able to make it work. i was able to do work in the mornings and nights and climb during the day. i was able to head into town twice a week and crank out some solid hours of graphic design-ing, wordpress-ing, e-newsletter-ing, and social media-ing.

and i am grateful.

it is almost thanksgiving so i won’t steal the thunder of the holiday by writing about all the things i was thankful for this year quite yet, but i am feeling appreciative.

for the past three days, i have been sitting in an uncomfortable, wooden kitchen table chair with no cushion staring at my computer screen. i have woken up and said goodbye to colby as he heads out to climb for the day. i have rewritten my to do list with my pilot g-2 0.38 black pen on a piece of clean, crisp, white computer paper.

there are sixteen clients on the list, and i am grateful for every single one of them.

over the past three years, my life has evolved in a way that i could never have predicted. if you asked me in college what i would be doing after graduation, i probably would have answered – with pure hope in my voice – journalist. i would not have answered traveling around the world as i please while managing online marketing for sixteen wonderful clients all by myself.

now we all know that being self-employed has its pros and cons like anything, but i am glad that i have a support network and clients that allow me to take advantage of the pros. it is great to be able to have them start every conference call with a “where the heck are you today sara?” and not have them care when i answer india. i guess if the work is getting done…

and so, the work needs to get done.

and so, i am currently grounded. no climbing for me in red rocks this time (or very minimal).

‘tis the season for year end appeals and new websites. not to mention the launch of this great new video game from the creator of madden football. and then, not even a chance to breathe before holiday cards and annual report designs start finding their way to the to do list.

but i love it. and i am grateful that i have the discipline to stare at my computer endlessly for three days straight when the weather is gorgeous and rocks await just minutes away.

but they will always be there.

and my clients might not be.

so this is a thank you to all that make it possible for me to do what i do.
to the internet and apple products.
to my accountant (my amazing sister) and my human direct deposit (my loving father).
to my tagline mega mind (my creative brother) and my biggest cheerleader (my optimistic mother).
to mark zuckerberg and matt mullenweg.
to at&t personal hotspot and skype.
to laid back clients and loose deadlines.
to organized clients and firm deadlines.
to word of mouth and two degrees of separation.
to ovaltine chocolate milk and breyer’s chocolate chip ice cream.

thank you.

so, you might now be wondering why i am writing this blog. the answer is yes. i am totally procrastinating. i am staring at my to do list with tired eyes and a mild headache and trying to figure out every possible thing that i can do in order to put off the big projects looming ahead of me for another thirty minutes or so.

so another thank you to everyone who is reading this blog. you are contributing to my ability to live this saradipitous life.