SURPRISE! We have orders to Lisbon, Portugal. On paper, it’s an exciting sentence, one that carries the promise of Europe, a new rhythm of life, and another chapter abroad. But as anyone who has lived this life knows, the story doesn’t really live in the destination. It lives in the space between the orders and the move, where nothing is finished and everything still has to happen.
Right now, we’re deep in that in-between season. We’re waiting on passport renewals and Overseas Medical Screening approvals, tracking household goods shipments coming from two different countries, and navigating vehicle shipping timelines that never quite sync with real life. Layered into that is the not-so-small detail that we’re moving two pets internationally, which brings its own maze of vet visits, vaccinations, paperwork, timing windows, and travel coordination that has to line up perfectly, or not at all.
This move is unfolding alongside high school graduation. Milestones don’t slow down just because the military asks you to pivot again. Caps and gowns share space with shipping inventories. Senior photos are planned in between medical clearance forms and airline regulations. There’s joy in watching a chapter close, and a quiet ache in knowing the next one opens somewhere new, again.
At the same time, life doesn’t pause on the professional side. Day to day, I’m still running a small leverage platform with more than thirty people working with or for us at The Option. That means systems to maintain, people to support, decisions to make, and standards to protect no matter what country I’m in or how fragmented the rest of life feels. Leadership doesn’t wait for calm seasons, and neither does responsibility.
Behind the scenes, there’s more being built. I’m deep in the background research of launching a second company, doing the slow, intentional work that requires clarity even when life feels anything but clear. We’re also laying the groundwork to bring on a new partner—having the kinds of conversations that require trust, alignment, and a long-term lens. On top of that, I’m in the middle of two master’s classes toward my MBA, reading, writing, analyzing, and submitting assignments while everything else keeps moving.
Then there’s volleyball. This spring, Mia is competing in the U.S. Club Volleyball circuit, which means travel, early mornings, long weekends, and a parallel track of recruiting prep. Film edits, emails, showcases, camps, and college conversations are happening in real time. It’s exciting and demanding all at once, and it’s unfolding as she prepares to attend her third American school in three years.
And threaded through all of this is the reality of distance. As we prepare to move to Portugal with Mia, who will expand her academic journey at CAISL. We are also watching Carson stand on the edge of a college decision, choosing his next chapter somewhere in the eastern United States. At the same time, Nic is finishing his freshman year at JMU, hopeful to head to Australia in July just as we depart for Portugal, beginning his semester at Flinders University in Adelaide. The timing alone feels surreal, one child stepping into a new school abroad, one launching into college life stateside, and one potentially starting a semester on the other side of the world. Each path unfolding at once, each carrying its own weight.
This year, our family is also physically split across two locations, while Mike is knee-deep in the geopolitical realities of the Middle East. His work lives in a world of constant tension, complexity, and high stakes, while the rest of us manage moves, milestones, and logistics across continents. It’s a strange duality, handling school forms and shipping crates on one side, global instability on the other and learning how to hold both without letting either consume you.
This life teaches you how to function in motion. How to lead without everything being settled. How to build systems that can carry the load when you can’t be everywhere at once. It teaches you that stability isn’t about staying still, it’s about creating structure that holds, even when everything around you shifts.
So yes, we’re headed to Lisbon. And yes, we’re still waiting on a lot of things. But in the meantime, businesses are running, degrees are being pursued, kids are growing, pets are being cleared for travel, and futures are taking shape across continents.
If you’re in a season where nothing feels finished but everything is still happening, you’re not behind. You’re just living a life that moves.
And that is exactly the kind of life Jump Jet exists to make space for. ✈️💛