This past year was, without question, the most tumultuous (yet wonderful) year of our lives, together or individually, since before we met a couple decades ago. And it didn’t just end quietly. It ended with a bang. More like being shot out of a cannon or launched from a catapult straight into the unknown.

How could we have known, almost 25 years ago, the adventure we were about to embark on? When Joey and I found each other on April 20th, 2003, we knew immediately we were meant to be together. Instant certainty and instant attraction. We’ve hardly been apart since that day.

December 17th Netflix releases its' newest game show, What's in the Box hosted by Neil Patrick Harris - we are lucky enough to be invited to compete to win huge prizes over 6 episodes. So much fun and so exciting! ~ Joey and Scott

We just returned from Los Angeles, the latest stop in what we’ve been calling our Year of a Lifetime. It's the last stop of our tour of American cities: New York, D.C., Atlanta, and L.A. It was a fantastic visit that included great food, people, & weather. All of this is the result of our winning the Netflix game show "What's in the Box". Next up - London & Paris, then a cruise to the Mediterranean. Join us and we'll share all the adventure.

As we plan our Year of a Lifetime, we have been trying to decide what vehicle we'll need. Do we rent an RV? A camper? Our Jeep has been a faithful friend for 5 years, but with over 100,000 miles we decided it was time to trade her in, and in the process get our summer companion and camping vehicle! An Ineos Grenadier, which we'll now outfit as needed.

This past week we took a trip to New York. The visit was centered around an event at New York Fashion Week, Christian Siriano’s show and the after-party. While this was the main event, we were on another mission as well: find the spot where we were first married, 22 years ago, spontaneously and on a whim, in Central Park.

Our amazing year of music & travel from our What's in the Box prizes started just a couple days ago! We attended Christian Siriano's show and after party at New York Fashion Week - an incredible experience and the perfect way to kick off this wonderful chapter. Stay tuned as we make our way across the U.S., on a cruise in the Mediterranean, shopping in London and Paris...and who knows what else, we're still planning!

Winter in Charlotte isn’t all that harsh, but it can show up, peaking from mid-January through February. We work for ourselves and from home, so cabin fever can set in quickly. We needed a quick change of scenery and a night out, and a staycation in Uptown Charlotte at The Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel was the perfect fit!

I thought I knew what manifesting yourself into something meant. As it turns out, I didn’t - but I do now. And we did it. And we can. Theory into practice, and we have no plans on stopping now. If you want it, go for it, and go for it with all you have. It worked for us.

Here we go!! The time is finally upon us, and it’s so exciting. We’re officially putting ink to the calendar: trips mapped, dates set, flights and hotels booked. East Coast to West Coast, then across the Atlantic to London and Paris, followed by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal… all between now and May.

We don’t drink alcohol. Joey doesn’t drink at all, and Scott very little to none. But we still enjoy a good time — social events, a nice glass in hand, even a cocktail or two. Just not the booze part. But we have found an alternative, that can include a mood booster! THC cocktails - zero alcohol and 10mg of THC.

I’m not sure what I thought D.C. would be like, but what we did find was inspiring, exciting and left us wanting to plan our next visit.

It’s hard to believe, but our year of travel starts now. Well… tomorrow, technically. But today is for packing, cleaning, and mentally preparing to hop into an Uber at 6am, then off to the airport, boarding our plane, and just like that—this whole adventure officially begins.

The original cabin at Linwell Falls was our last looming visible remaining reminder of Hurricane Helene. It was the last of our recovery projects and will now be our new project - sometime down the line. It came down last week, leaving a wonderful wishbone shaped fireplace and chimney, and a small portion that houses our well system. Portions of the stack stone foundations remain as well.

If there is one thing Joey and I are pretty good at it's making lemonade. Give us lemons and we'll make the best lemonade we can, probably with some local honey, foraged sumac, and a hint of homegrown hibiscus. When Covid and the pandemic causes lockdowns and quarantines, we had to figure out how to keep our businesses afloat, ourselves sane, and employees working - so we had four pivots, and made the best of them all. ~~ Joey and Scott Linwell

Joey and I are project people, we love the challenge, the process, the creative energy, and even the work. Over the years we've designed and built out a couple 1930's bungalows, an uptown penthouse, a barn-to-cabin conversion in the mountains, two commercial lounge spaces, a large traditional 1910 home, a mill house, and now - new for us, so extra exciting - a mid-century modern home built in 1964. And it's a split level!

October 13th is our wedding anniversary. One of two we celebrate, our first wedding was in 2004, and the second - legal - one in 2014. Both were influenced and part of the fight for marriage equality, something we were happy to be a part of and get to celebrate twice a year ~~ Joey and Scott

We weren't necessarily looking for a new home, but we weren't closed to it either. We love our place in NoDa, the Warp Street home, but as noted quite a few times before, we are project people. If you are a project-oriented person you know that once a project is done it's hard to just settle in. It's tough to just sit back and be done. That itch is always there. The itch to find the new project!

And so it begins! Choreographed destruction to finally wipe things clean at Linwell Falls. The first step in the process of wrapping up our Hurricane Helene recovery projects. The Old Cabin. It's a little complicated, but it started this week and we can't be happier to finally see this huge unmistakable reminder of the disaster gone, and to see what we have left to work with once it's been hauled away. We have some needs and we have some ideas. ~~ Joey and Scott

September 27th marked one year since Hurricane Helene ravaged western North Carolina, including our community and our home and property. It's been a year of hard work, determination, struggle and victory.