This week wasn’t necessarily the most exciting week to report on, but it was full. It was filled with lots of work, lots of catching up, and lots of building behind the scenes.
And I realized something while I was putting this week’s Slice together:
I really don’t mind working hard when I love what I’m working on.
I know I talk about work a lot, but I genuinely love what I do. I love building businesses and figuring out how to make something better. I love creating, marketing, and sales. I love seeing an idea turn into something real.
There’s always another project, another idea, another system to improve, another goal I’m chasing and somehow, that never feels boring to me.
LDP
The beginning of this week was mostly spent catching up after our Labor Day power outage.
When something like that happens, the power coming back on doesn’t mean everything immediately goes back to normal. There’s cleaning, reorganizing, restocking, figuring out what was lost, and basically getting everything back in order.
By Wednesday, we were back at it and Wing Wednesday was BUSY.
I ended up on the pizza line by myself, which definitely kept me moving. There’s something about being back there when tickets are coming in that reminds me just how much I love our little restaurant.
Thursday through Sunday slowed back down quite a bit. Thankfully, when we looked at the numbers, they weren’t terrible.
But I am officially READY FOR BUSY SEASON.
We’re already starting to book some pretty large carryout orders, which is always one of those little signs that the season is changing.
Bring on the people. Bring on the pizzas. We are ready.
Speaking of the seasons changing...
I am SO ready to get back into Big Bend National Park.
It’s just been too dang hot lately, so I haven’t been hiking nearly as much as I want to. But cooler weather is coming, and I cannot wait to get back on the trails.
I also want to start bringing you guys along for more of it.
One thing I’m really trying to think about as Mundy Out West continues to grow is what you actually want to see from us.
More hikes? More Big Bend tips? Terlingua recommendations? Behind the scenes of the restaurant? Remote living? Business and entrepreneurship? Day-in-the-life content?
Hit reply and tell me. I really do want to know what you’d like to see more of.
One of My Favorite Brand Deals Yet
This week also included one of the coolest brand collaborations I’ve gotten to do.
My dad and I spent the day in Presidio creating content around a new business that just opened there, and the whole time I kept thinking...
How is this my job?!
Getting paid to create content, spend the day with my dad, explore one of our Far West Texas communities, and help introduce a new business to the area?
What a dream.
I’ll be sharing that one very soon, so keep an eye out!
And it’s another reminder that so many of the things I’ve been building for years are starting to connect from the content, the businesses, my education, Mundy Out West, this community, and none of it happened overnight.
But little by little, it’s turning into something I’m really proud of.
Expanding Into San Antonio
My real estate work is growing too!
I’m expanding some of what I’ve been building into San Antonio, and I’m really excited about what that could turn into.
The more I do this work, the more I’ve realized that helping people and businesses create systems around growth is where I thrive.
Give me a problem involving marketing, sales, recruiting, lead generation, systems, or business development and my brain immediately starts going. 😂
I love looking at what someone is currently doing, figuring out where the gaps are, and building something that can actually scale.
Marketing and sales are basically my love language.
And getting the opportunity to take more of what we’ve built and expand it into another market feels like a really exciting next step.
Out West Prints Is LIVE
I’ve also officially relaunched our Big Bend online boutique!
Out West Prints is where I’m bringing together all the things I love creating: Long Draw Pizza merch, Terlingua gear, Big Bend-inspired designs, West Texas goodies, and plenty more coming.
Creating merchandise has become one of my favorite creative outlets. I love taking an idea that’s been floating around in my head, turning it into a design, and then seeing someone actually wearing it.
And with Christmas sneaking up on us, these make such fun gifts for the person who loves Terlingua, Big Bend, West Texas, or maybe just wishes they were here. 😉
There are LOTS of new designs coming, so this is just the beginning.
The Lesson This Week
Nothing huge happened this week.
And maybe that’s the point.
Sometimes growth looks really exciting from the outside. Other times, it looks like sitting at your computer, answering calls, making pizzas, fixing systems, designing shirts, cleaning up after a power outage, and showing up again the next morning.
I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to create more freedom for myself. But freedom, at least for me, was never about not working.
It was about having more choice over what I’m working toward.
And right now, I’m working on things I genuinely care about.
There are still bigger dreams ahead. There are still things I’m trying to build. There are still days when I wonder if I’m doing enough.
But I also know that I really love the life I’m building while I’m building it.
And that’s pretty freaking cool.
Love you guys. Thank you, as always, for reading, watching, shopping, visiting the restaurant, sharing my content, and supporting all of these crazy ideas of mine.
See you next week. 🤎