Life of Ken – Vol. 9

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Happenings from the Homefront

As we made our way into January we started the month by taking down all our Christmas decorations and getting the house back in order. This was the first year (in MANY) that I put up (and took down) the lights from our house. The whole process went much smoother than I anticipated. Now that I have done it, next year should be even easier.

Knox headed back to Auburn for his final semester in college. Grace also headed back to Auburn. She will be helping some folks as a nanny, working other jobs, and preparing for her masters program that will start in the fall.

Kai and I had been looking forward to a big father-son hunt for several months. We joined Jon Vroman and his two boys along with Kendall Kirk and his two boys at Kendall’s ranch about an hour and a half outside of Fort Worth. It was a cold weekend that even started with a dusting of snow on the ground and ice in the trees. We played games, had great conversations, and cooked food together. Our first evening in the blind, we saw almost nothing except a few doe that were too far out of range. We were just starting to pack up when a huge drove of hogs came out of the woods and started feasting around the feeder. Luckily we had not yet packed up our guns. We set our sights and successfully harvested a large sow. Afterward, we carefully removed the backstraps and brined them overnight to enhance their flavor and tenderness. The following day, they were ready for a flavorful marinade to complete the preparation.

The next morning we had a successful day at the range working on marksmanship and hunting skills. Around 3:45 PM we loaded up to head out to the blinds. Kai was excited to potentially harvest his first deer! We arrived at the blind and donned out hunting backpacks (loaded with gear, binoculars, etc). Kai started running ahead, filled with anticipation. Life sometimes shows up and dramatically changes your plans. Kai tripped and fell forward landing on a fallen branch. The two bones in his right forearm forcefully snapped. He looked back at me and immediately said he had broken his arm. I gently helped him out of his jacket, looked at his arm, and knew it was a bad break. The next 45 minutes (the time it took us to get to the nearest ER) were some of the most stressful and challenging moments of my life. I felt helpless to relieve my precious son of the incredible pain he was experiencing. Once we arrived at the ER he was in great hands. Two hours later they had his bones reset and splinted up, ready to begin the long healing process. 

Now we are going for weekly checkups and X-rays to ensure the bones are staying aligned and healing properly. So far, so good!

In other medical news, we recently visited with a spine surgeon for a consult based on recent pain and MRI results for Amber. We thought the issues she has been experiencing was most likely from a couple of recent activities that didn’t go as planned. Surprisingly, the surgeon said that her disk compression has been in place for quite some time and is quite common in folks over the age of 40. We discussed multiple options that include physical therapy, spinal decompression, and disk replacement surgery. Stay tuned to see where this heads.

Work, work, work!

The Laundry Luv executive team had our first quarterly EOS offsite. We spent the day with our facilitator, Daniel Himel, mapping out our 2025 priorities and what we need to accomplish in Q1 to manifest those to reality. I continue to be incredibly impressed with the EOS process and the impact it is having on our business.

I’m excited to announce that we’re nearing the finish line on fundraising for Laundry Luv. In a remarkable show of confidence, a major investor we’ve been collaborating with has committed to closing out the remaining balance of our funding round. Not only are they providing a credit facility to support our growth, but they are also bringing tremendous value beyond capital—offering extensive experience, influential connections, and access to a deep network of industry contacts. This partnership marks a significant milestone in our journey to scale Laundry Luv.

On another exciting front, we’ve just completed our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), a crucial step in our expansion strategy. The timing couldn’t be better, as Amber and I prepare to attend our first franchise show in Dallas. This event will be an incredible opportunity to introduce the Laundry Luv franchise model and connect with like-minded entrepreneurs who share our vision for growth.

Due diligence on the office-flex project in Mansfield continues to yield promising results. We’ve completed physical inspections of the property and roofs, along with a thorough review of the existing leases. Additionally, early conversations with potential capital partners have been highly encouraging. The next step is securing the details on financing—a critical piece of the puzzle. While there’s still work to do before it’s finalized, the progress so far is very promising.

Brain Food (what I am reading, watching, and listening to)

I finally wrapped up The Quaker Book of Wisdom book my Robert Lawrence Smith. I loved the timeless principles such as simplicity, integrity, and peace, drawn from the Quaker tradition. It reminded me a bit of the wisdom imparted by John Wooden in his book Wooden on Leadership. I just started reading (Audible) Stories That Stick by Kindra Hall. As someone who loves the power of story, I am super excited to dive into this one!

I spent lots of time over the past month in long form podcasts. I used my time learning about world political dynamics and the future of AI by listening to the All In Podcast, the Lex Fridman Podcast, and the Flagrant Podcast (this one is great to mix in a bit of humor; note for those with little ones, it is NOT kid friendly!).

Kaizen

A group of crazy badass men in our local GoBundance tribe decided to do a 30-day cold plunge challenge. I love a great challenge, but I was not fully committed to this one. However, I DID commit to doing one every week in January. The experience taught me many things, including the deep realization that the anticipation of an event is most often much worse than the event itself. I have known this for a long time, yet even with that knowledge, I still found myself anxious for the entire day before my cold plunges. It is a reminder to calm our minds. All will be well.

We just attended a Fambundance event in Utah and spent some very intentional time coming up with our Wimberly Family Values and our family rhythms we want to continue and/or implement. It was awesome having Kai (9) and Grace (22) both participate in the process. Grace also assisted as a facilitator, helping the teen group with their exercises.

Random Musings

If you have been following this newsletter for a while, it will come as no surprise to you that we got a call today from our house sitter that she was at the veterinary office with Riley. Yes, he ate a bottle of her medicine and had to have his stomach pumped. This dog is getting REALLY expensive, and he is only two years old!

Until next time.

Take action and be grateful!

-Ken

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