I started writing in a journal over 20 years ago when I was 14. It was a way to get a lot of stuff off my chest and to organize my thoughts. It became a friend and back then, writing was mostly fueled by teenage angst.

I've been writing ever since then but I've been a bit stubborn when it comes to switching from hand writing in a journal to typing on the computer. But today things change. Today I begin a new journey here writing on our blog.

A few months ago I quit a very fast paced corporate job. Making the decision to quit was not an easy move for me at all. I've worked for a company for the past 20 years and made a good living. The problem was that I was miserable doing it. I was in a rat race situation and I felt my life slipping away from me. I gave the company so much more of my mental energy and time than I gave to my own life and family. It affected my relationships and my health in negative ways.

My dream has always been to work for myself and when my partner, Jeff, the other half of BootsNGus, told me that I should really strive to make that a reality, I started to do just that. Jeff and I had been selling on Etsy and loving it for almost 2 years at that point. It was more of a hobby for us but we are so passionate about the work we do for our shop that we decided to devote our combined energies into making our business a success. I wouldn't be able to do this while working 50+ hours a week for a company I did not feel passionate about. So, I found the courage to leave and I left. Leaving the very stressful corporate world I was a part of was the best decision of my life. Jeff and I have taken our ideas and made them real. His designs and our creativity and love for vintage and handmade needed an outlet and needed to be nurtured. Etsy has given us that outlet and we are grateful! It's certainly a journey and I look forward to sharing the experience here with our friends. I'm thankful that after 20 years of really hating what I do for a living, I can finally say that I LOVE what I do. It was necessary for me to stop living a hurried, stressfull, A.D.D life and to begin living a more peaceful, reflective and SIMPLE life.

I laugh so much more now and it's about time!!

So, I'll put down my pen and journal and I'll get to typing here at bootsngus.blogspot.com! Stay tuned. We're working on some upcycled planters and more upcycled lighting fixtures this week. We went estate sale-ing in Southern Michigan all weekend long for Jeff's birthday and, boy, did we find some treasures for our shop! Here are some recent additions to BootsNGus. Have a look!