Ailana’s Journal: Part 2—2026-07-05 (Patreon)

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LOOKING UP by Allen Geven

Last night, when Isaac and I wrapped up the last of the work for First Call Property Services, we agreed to grab some lunch after church today, so we came to Yummies Bistro. We wanted to talk about where things are with our company.

Just saying that feels strange to me. The idea that I’m part owner in a company is beyond anything I would have imagined back in Indiana working in the steel mills.

When Clay and Josh helped us set everything up, I figured that would be it. We got all the permits, business licenses, and all the legal things we had to have, then came up with a way to handle billing, pay expenses, and keep the books going.

At first, I only helped out a few times now and then. Now, it’s a couple of service calls every day for me. We put in—Kaylee, Isaac, and I—twenty-five billable hours yesterday.

This week, a few times when she finished a cleaning job and Hudson was napping, Kaylee figured out how to do payroll so we can officially hire Emily and other people as needed. We wanted to make sure we were doing things according to the law—not just handing cash to kids under the table.

One of Emily’s friends, Jenna Mercer, is going to start helping on Monday. I know her dad, Chief Dan Mercer, from the Coast Guard station. He knows it’s as-needed and just for the summer. He and Jenna sat down with Isaac and Kaylee for about an hour yesterday to talk through all the details.

We’re calling this—as Clay probably would say—a proof-of-concept week. Depending on how it goes, we might take more jobs the week after.

We’re not in a position for me to quit my job with the Coast Guard. We are pretty sure everything slows down drastically once school resumes, but for now, we’re staying busy.

I sort of butted into Isaac and Kaylee’s business to make sure they were saving for the winter. Yep!

“We learned our lesson last year,” Kaylee said.

“We knew things would drop off,” Isaac added, “and we saved. We just didn’t know how little work we’d have.”

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THINKING MORE by Kaylee Branch

THINKING MORE by Kaylee Branch—Hudson is napping, and Isaac wanted to nap, too. He suggested I take a couple hours for myself before we get to work tonight cleaning today’s checkouts.

So, I come down to the beach, and spread my towel. I might nap, too, but I have some things on my mind.

I saw Allen’s post, and I guess I wanted to say something from my side.

Because this week has felt like a lot.

Not bad a lot. Good a lot. But still a lot.

Me and Isaac went from trying to get by to having to think about payroll, schedules, taxes, customers, jobs, supplies, and whether we can say yes to one more thing without messing up the things we already promised. That is a different kind of tired.

But it is also a different kind of hope.

Last winter scared me. I don’t think I ever said it that plain, but it did. We had Hudson, we had bills, and we had work slowing down more than we expected. We got through it, but I remember how it felt. I remember looking at Isaac and wondering if we were always going to be one bad month away from everything getting hard again.

So when Allen says he butted in about saving for winter, he ain’t wrong. But I’m glad he did. Because me and Isaac need people who love us enough to say the practical thing, even when the practical thing is not exciting.

This business feels like a door opening. Maybe not all the way yet. Maybe just a crack. But I can see light through it.

I’m proud of Isaac. I’m proud of Allen. I’m proud of myself, too, even if that feels funny to say. I only graduated high school, and sometimes I feel like everyone else knows more than me. But I can learn. I am learning.

And maybe that’s the big thing today.

We are not where we want to be yet. But we are not stuck where we were, either.

That feels worth noticing.

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