I am asked over and over again how Rick and I  created this awesome lifestyle we now live and of course why glamping?

The answer is  simple and not so simple. It takes courage, vision, a little nonsense mixed in, work, dreams, paying attention, looking for the possibilities, patience, determination,  a whole lotta ‘one day at a times’, persistence, and passion! I am sure I left another 100 or so things out but you get my drift.

As I tour the property with our guests over and over and over again telling our story I am reminded how it all began and how a wee bitty dream became a vision and it evolved and grew and blossomed. After less than 3 years we have an amazing business which continues to blossom and produce new growth for us. We have been written up in several national and local magazines, newspapers around the country, Georgia traveler, TN public TV,  MTV, blogged about, we went viral with AT&T home page, yahoo, AOL and we continue to be  recognized as we go into 2012 as one of the Best outdoor experiences in the US.

You might be asking why does it happen for us and not others….Are we so special? well yes and no:) Did we buy our way in? no! Did we invest $$$ in tons of marketing? no!

There are things we did do and continue to do every day of our lives. They say it was the left brainers that took the world by storm in the  industrial age. As that era crashed a new age has come i like to call it the creative age. This time of turmoil in our country motivates me -makes me realize we have to take care of ourselves. The day of ‘get a good education’ and ‘work hard for 40 or so years to get that pension’ are over. We have to think outside the box! We have to find our passion and go for life’s greatest reward -living an authentic life with no regrets- no shoulda coulda wouldas for us! We were all born creative…

Join me in 2012 as I launch my creative workshops and year long business consulting where I will be ‘inspiring creative lives and businesses’.

On December 3rd I will host my first one day event preparing for the 2012 year of CHANGE. Find out who you are, where you are and what you love! The day will be filled with creative exercises that will both open your hearts and eyes to where you are on life’s journey.

Take a few minutes and fill out this quick questionnaire  to get you thinking. Make yourself a cup of dream java or tea and begin. Email it back to me or snail mail works too!

QUESTIONAIRE

a little about me and my team

I spent many years  helping start -ups find their way. I love small business and/ or people who want to change their lives. To see an idea or dream manifest into a vision with direction that becomes a livelihood has such unbelievable rewards. For more about me  http://themartynhouse.com/our-story/joanns-studio-bio/ I have gathered the best graphic designers, web builders, creatives to help me in my effort in 2012 to change lives. Maybe it will be your life !

Register here:  http://themartynhouse.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=21&products_id=108

Maybe it’s a new trend this Glamping thing! The word comes from the combination of Glamor and Camping. We started glamping 3 years ago with our luxury Windsor sleeping tents from India as the highlight of our unique B&B in the Georgia Mountains. Now it seems glamping is popping up everywhere:) i could go into the history of Africa and the English but really i want to talk about what we have learned in these few years about why you should glamp!

We now realize that there are a vast amount of people who have NEVER camped..yes its true. They did not grow up going to camp grounds with their parents. Instead they went to fancy resorts like Disney world booooo These folks do not know about unloading the car and setting up base camp. Pitching a tent, getting jugs of water down by the creek for washing dishes,face and  brushing teeth. They are unfamiliar with  hanging the lanterns and tying the food up so bears cannot get it. They do not know how fun a midnight run to the outhouse is or forging through the woods gathering kindling for hours just so you can have a campfire that night with samores of course !!!YEAH….now mind you I was 8 when I did this and I LOVED it.

I must admit I still love the idea of throwing my backpack on and wandering into the woods until I just cannot hike any further and stop and set up camp. But then again a quick walk up the ridge behind our house and into Bohemian Bungalow is now giving me that same satisfaction:)

This is what we know for sure-

Our guests are not allowed to drive up to their tents they must make that wonderful walk through the woods which is often their first experience of disconnecting. Amazing what a walk amongst trees can do to a persons spirit.

TMH glamping allows people to go into nature but not too far from home and check out (this means leave the cell phone and computer in the car-we highly recommend this!) and be in NATURE

Couples often just hang out on their front porch and talk and talk  just like they used to during their hot dating era:)

Every night our bonfires entice our guests to come down from their tents to join the other guests and share their lives with one another -we call it the  bonfire experience and of course samores!

Evenings listening to the owls hoot and other sounds of nature while snug in your king size bed with fine linens and down comforters now …that’s GLAMPING.

Walking hand in hand with your significant other down from the ridge to breakfast the next morning often we are told this has not happened in many years for some..i love that!

We’re told its the best sleep many have had in years!

our guests days are spent lounging, napping, playing croquet, or horseshoes. Late afternoons are shared with a glass of wine on the porch.

Our guests arrive wound up from the lives they left behind, whether its from raising kids, corporate jobs, or pressures of day to day routines. We like to think we give them a small bit of peace and quiet while they stay here at TMH. We in return get to have new friends all over the country and world now that we have connected with, shared our dream with and hopefully passed on a little bit of hope that life can be all this and more!

Its called Glamping…because its all the benefits of camping without all those reasons your parents did not take you camping when you were smaller…its never too late!

For those that know me, this will not come as a surprise that I have reevaluated my life’s direction! As a small business consultant and creative life coach extraordinaire, I like to teach people to create a life of their dreams. The first part of this process is to be sure they are living authentically and to find their true passion. Then I would guide them through creating their vision and determining an effective path towards that vision and then to set a plan of action. The next step is to be accountable (small support groups work great for this) and  finally but most importantly, to call on your universal connection (God, Great Spirit whatever name you have chosen to call it) but to know we are not alone in our quest to create! Sometimes along the way things can get a bit obscure  like that of a country road on a foggy morning. This fog feels mysterious yet in time as it dissipates, we  often find a clearer presence. 

Then there is what I shall now call a step 4, you can change your mind at any time! Sometimes what we think we want seems so real we move frantically towards it as if with blinders on that we may  miss a path along the way that really is the ONE we should be on.

I am always reminded that life is mysterious and that we change every day. We think we want this or that and then when we get it, it’s just not what we thought  it would be and that’s ok.  You can always go  down another path—its a journey, a life long journey.

It’s never too late to change your mind. I am 6 months into my 2011 vision/goals and I am redoing my vision board, creating more space for the unexpected things that have popped up. It’s important to set goals but let’s not be so rigid we may miss the surprises along the way. Take time to explore these little adventures as they might just turn out to be  a fork in your journey worth exploring!

It does not matter when your year starts, I begin in January because I like to re-evaluate my life at the end of an old calendar year and the beginning of a New Year. But YOU can start yours today or anytime. Creating the life of your dreams should be an exciting adventure into being who you were meant to be and  discovering  your true potential!

Today truly is the first day of your life!

Spring has sprung into summer and nothing says summer more than eating outdoors, whether at home or on a picnic …… i am remembering my first southern summers…..those long hot sultry days where the air hardly moves and a nice cold beer quenches the thirst just perfect!I used to hang out at a friends house in my early years with a fan in front of the screen door and our feet in buckets filled with ice water we called it air conditioning! Now i spend my summers leisurely hanging out on Glamping Ridge enjoying our guests company!

Days at the Martyn House are extra special in the summer because our tents are always comfy…that is the beautiful thing about Glamping tents,  they were made for the desert and are made of  100% cotton  so the hot air leaves just as fast as it arrives….filling the space between the inner ceiling  and roof creating an insulation of sorts keeping the tents just right!

Spring brought with it all sorts of storms, hail as big and BIGGER than golf balls, wild winds and rain, too many tornado warnings and touchdowns!

The garden did get planted however and we reaped an early harvest with lots of greens, swiss chard, herbs, radishes, strawberries, and rubarb and now i see squash blossoms and the raspberries are rippening!

I fried my first sage leaves of the year…..

and stuffed my first nasturium blossoms…….

Yes summer is here which means  summer vacations and weekend getaways….

what better time to visit us and get out of the hot city where concrete only serves to reflect more heat!

The rivers are flowing great if you like to kayak or tube. We offer great trails for the hiker or biker.

But mostly we offer you those lazy summer days where you hang out on the front porch of your tent reading or take a nap in  a hammock or get a massage.

Summer like all seasons here has its own special magic! Come relax with a glass of cold herbal tea

Treat yourself……Come Glamping ……..experience the adventure!