Life of Ken – Vol. 8

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Happenings from the Homefront

There is something magical about the laughter of children playing. Amber and I were blessed with the opportunity to volunteer at the Tanglewood Elementary Field Day for the 3rd graders. We manned the scooter board races and kept time to find the fastest racers in the grade. Kai participated in several events and came in 3rd place on the long jump! Even though it was an unseasonably cool day, it was filled with fun and excitement. And Kai’s class got 2nd place for the entire day of events!

It seems almost impossible to imagine that my baby girl (seems like she was just born yesterday) has already graduated from college. We travelled back to Auburn University to celebrate Grace as she graduated from Auburn University. We had a wonderful pre-graduation family dinner at The Depot and then (most of us) hit the hay so we could be up early for the 8 AM graduation ceremony. There were three ceremonies that day (8 AM, 1 PM, and 6 PM). We drew the short straw! It was a beautiful ceremony with an on-point commencement speech that highlighted leadership traits straight from the Auburn Creed. Surprisingly, they graduated roughly 600 people that morning and had us in and out in less than 2 hours. Impressive. 

After graduation we pulled our RV back home to Texas. It officially marked the end of an era. It was our last full season to keep the RV at the University Station RV Resort. That place is really special. To learn more about it you can read the blog I wrote about it here.

We had Kai’s 9th birthday party the day after school let out for Winter break. We had about a dozen 9 year old boys over for a pancake breakfast topped with whipped cream and sprinkles, served with lots of hot chocolate. Then Amber took the boys to the movies to see the premier of Sonic 3. Imagine unleashing a dozen caffeinated squirrels into a bouncy castle filled with fireworks – that was pretty much her scene.

With all of our recent travels, Christmas seemed to sneak up on us this year. Regardless of the sneak attack, we had three days of wonderful celebration with family, friends, and loved ones. We also found a really cool app this year that helped everyone to get just what they wanted!

And it wouldn’t be the holidays without a little bit of drama. On Christmas evening we were having our annual dinner with our good friends when our dog, Riley, decided to eat an entire tub (40 pieces) of Extra gum. In case you were not aware (we certainly were not), gum containing xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs. Luckily our son, Knox, stopped by the house to feed the dogs. He noticed Riley lying on the ground lethargic and a pile of vomit on the floor. He quickly observed what was happening and rushed Riley to the emergency vet. 24 hours (and $2,400) later, Riley returned home no worse for the wear. In case you don’t remember, see Volume 4 of LOK for the story of when Riley ate an entire box of Z-bars…notice any patterns? Labs!

Work, work, work!

We continue with the slow process of our capital raise to fuel our growth at Laundry Luv. We are definitely making progress and expect to have the raise complete in the next 30 days. We have officially announced our franchise expansion plans with a press release that went out on December 31!

We have had some very promising calls and meetings with potential advisors for Laundry Luv. Expect an official announcement in the next few weeks of our board and their significant and diverse expertise. The Advisory Board will be a critical piece to our growth and expansion across the nation. 

We are officially in escrow for the 60,000 SF Flex Warehouse project in Mansfield, TX. Now that the holidays are behind us, it is time for a deep dive into the due diligence process. More to come on this in the following weeks. 

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

On our trip to Auburn for Grace’s graduation we listened to Breathing Under Water by Richard Rohr. Father Richard uniquely chronicles the connection between spirituality and the Twelve Steps of recovery, emphasizing the need to surrender, confront inner struggles, and embrace God’s transformative grace to heal and grow.

Two different people mentioned the book, The Wealthy Gardner by John Soforic to me recently. I took this as a sign and downloaded it on Audible. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered a hardcover copy for Grace and Knox. This book is a heartfelt guide to financial independence, framed as life lessons from a father to his son, blending timeless principles of wealth-building with wisdom on living a meaningful and purpose-driven life.

Another book recommended by a friend is A Quaker Book of Wisdom by Robert Lawrence Smith. It offers a thoughtful exploration of Quaker principles such as simplicity, integrity, and compassion, presenting them as timeless guidance for living a purposeful and harmonious life. I read this one on the Kindle app on my iPad.

One of the podcasts I really enjoy, but don’t listen to as frequently as I would like, is Everything Life and Real Estate with Linda McKissack and Dana Gentry. I listened to Episode 308 about Kendra Hall’s Storytelling Strategy and LOVED what I learned. As someone who loves to teach by weaving in personal stories, this one grabbed my attention. Now I have ANOTHER book on my reading list!

I got my political fix this month by listening to the 3.5 hour Lex Friedman podcast with Saagar Enjeti. They covered myriad topics and highlighted some of the best (and worst) leaders in history. I love how Lex is so thoughtful and curious with his questions. 

Kaizen

In early December, we convened for a GoBundance Tribal Council meeting in Austin to reflect on the successes and challenges of our 2024 roadmap. The discussion centered on the future of GoBundance, including updates to the onboarding process, upcoming events, and addressing member concerns. Our focus remained on identifying ways to deliver outstanding value to every member of our community.

In December, I attended my third Front Row Dads event of 2024, and as always, it was an incredible experience. One session featured Preston Smiles and Alexi Panos, where they shared a powerful insight: all behavior is a form of communication. Ali Jafarian inspired us with a session on creating space for adventure in our lives and showing up as leaders for our families, while Geoff Woods led a thought-provoking deep dive on strategically leveraging AI, centered around the question, “How can AI help me with this?”

And I participated in a local DFW GoBundance challenge to exercise for at least 30-minutes for 30-days straight (or put $200 in the pot for every day missed). I kept my money and hit the workouts, even if my food intake was, ahem, not exactly ideal. Somehow tasty treats kept showing up in our home all month (and I have VERY little willpower when sweets are sitting in front of me)! In January, all the men who participated in the challenge will meet for breakfast and take all the money that was raised, plus add some to it, and give it to our server as a generous tip. This, I love!

Random Musings

Eli the Elf came to visit once again. I love the wonder that his mischief creates in our home. Here are a few photos from his 2024 adventure in the Wimberly home.

Until next time.

Take action and be grateful!

-Ken

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