Almost 21 years ago when we started out as a newly married couple (okay, let’s be honest, we were not even real adults yet, I was 19 and he was 22) we never looked at each other and said, “I wanna celebrate Christmas at the White House!”  We started out living in a double wide on base in Beaufort, SC.  I was a college student and he was a young man full of honor, courage, and commitment. There was no plan, just love!!  I take that back…the plan was hard work and determination.  We were young and in love,  building a life together that reflected our love for God, each other, and our country.   

We often say that our lives have been a little like Forrest Gump.  Unbelievable opportunities have come our way, but it’s because we jumped at the right times, we hustled, and we’ve loved the people around us. Here we were, two “kids” from a small town in NC standing on the steps about to enter the White House for a beautiful Christmas party. 

I was like a kid in a candy store!  The history, the beauty, the spirit of Christmas was everywhere!!  There was George Washington’s china, Nancy Reagan and Jacqueline Kennedy’s portraits, the halls where many press conferences have taken place, the ballroom where world dignitaries have been entertained.  However, we reminded ourselves that this is the People’s House.  That truly was the way they made us feel.  Everyone was warm, welcoming, gracious.  The decor was sparkling, the wine was flowing, the food abundant….just magical. 

When the moment came for us to have our picture taken with the Obamas, we followed our instructions to a T with how to interact with the President and the First Lady.  Well….you know, I never was good at being super serious and stuffy.  And hey, they are people just like us….but have super cool jobs.  Kevin walks over to greet Mrs. Obama and reaches to shake her hand.  She grabs him and gives him a big ole’ hug!!  He actually had to reach up because she’s so tall and had on heels (and she’s gorgeous).  I go to greet the President and he shakes my hand and says, “It’s so nice to meet you.”  To which I reply, “Actually, we’ve already met, I met you in Hawaii…remember?”  He grins real big….doesn’t miss a beat and says, “Oh yeah, I remember you!!”  And I quickly smile back and say, “I bet you do!”  We laugh, I turn to see two flashes, they say thank you so much for coming, Mrs. Obama shakes my hand and says, “it’s so nice to have you here.” And we quickly move to the side to gather our belongings.  They were both very kind and genuine.  It was an amazing night of whimsy, magic, and Christmas cheer!

I was reminded of our White House Christmas story when I recently heard Jon Acuff speak at the Pursuit Conference.  If you haven’t heard him speak… google him, youtube him, just FIND him.  He’s hilarious and very wise!!!  He wrote the book Do Over where he talks about the “magic” formula for career happiness as being:

Relationships + Skills + Character + Hustle = Career Savings Account

I’d like to take that a step further and say that it’s also like creating a Life Savings Account.  As you develop relationships both personally and professionally, hone your skills, build your character, and hustle your butt off….you’re depositing into your LIFE.  Get Jon’s book, I’m feverishly reading it because he talks about taking leaps of faith and seeing opportunities so that you can build the career and life you want. 

As we strolled through the city streets of DC that night, we reflected on our life, our opportunities, and our blessings.  Life is definitely what you make of it.  We’ve had disappointments, struggles, and hurdles.  But we never got stuck in them.  We loved the people around us, became lifelong learners, have tried our best to be good people and worked REALLY hard!!  Don’t ever let someone else define what your life can be.  Don’t let your circumstances tell you where you can go from here.  Work hard, be nice, take a risk, and DO GOOD!!