The Pursuit of Happiness.

However you look at it, we are all in search of one thing. A thing that seems to always be just at our fingertips if we can just get one step higher. A word that rarely leaves our mouths. A need that everyone has and will work longer, push further, and pray harder - even if they don't believe in a God - to satisfy it. It is a dream everyone has, never realizing they've all achieved it time and again. We rarely succeed in our pursuit of happiness because we wait for others to tell us that we've found it.

Joel and I share a queen size mattress right now. Jackson has a therma-rest that he has moved into the living room where the shag-carpet adds a little more padding. We have a sweet house in Weaverville - just north of Asheville, and just south of the site. Our yard needs mowed, but we don't have a lawn mower yet. We have a patio that we've already taken full advantage of, lying in sun, in the fold up chairs our landlords left in the shed. We have a broken recliner sitting in front of the fireplace that we got for free because of Craigslist. I can honestly say there is not an ounce of complaint put into that description. It's hilarious. It's also good to know that we don't need much to survive.

We finished training with the first group of guides last week. The Navitat course is just plain amazing, and it's not even finished. It will be done by May 15, which is the official opening day. So much imagination and care has been put into this course that it's impossible to find anything wrong with it. It's also comforting to know that the best zip line company in the U.S. (based in Grand Junction, who knew?) is behind all of it. This week, we have alternated helping Evan out to train the second group of guides. Joel is at work now, while Jackson and I have been sitting at the coffee shop downtown since about 11:30. It's now 2:30. Yesterday reminded me exactly of working in Juneau last summer - opening carabiners in the freezing, pouring rain. This time, however, I was on the other side of things, flying into the platform at 40 miles per hour teaching the new guides how to stop an out of control guest and praying that they understood how to do it. They did. This season is going to be exciting, and Garrison will be here Saturday which makes things even more exciting.

I don't know how we got here, and often times I wake up and literally ask myself, "Where am I?" I will continue to chase happiness across the world if I have to, but for now, It's gonna be a great summer, fall, winter, and spring in Asheville, NC.