For the past few months, Augusta Life has been quiet. Not because I lost interest — I genuinely love this — but because life got loud.

But here is the reality. I’m first and foremost a father and husband. My children are in a very busy phase of their lives with activities that are increasingly demanding. Aside from my full-time job, I am pursuing a PhD, writing a novel, and from time to time, picking up side jobs.

Add in the holidays, and the blog quietly fell to the side. Mostly because I didn’t want to do something half-baked (for lack of better words).

As the new year came around, I felt the need to make some adjustments. Not only in my weekly schedule, but also on this site.

Identity Crisis

When I first started this project nearly a decade ago, I had a completely different vision. My goal was to create a directory for local businesses to advertise in and leverage my SEO to improve their rankings.

That model didn’t get too far. I think Yelp and Google Business already do a pretty good job at that. And more recently, locally, there is the Little Guide Augusta that does a fantastic job for local businesses.

When I realized the idea would be a failed experiment, I shifted gears. Instead, I made it into a local guide website. There was another fundamental problem with that. I had to be well-versed in the city and know a lot more than I do. A quick note: I’ve been living here for no more than 6 combined years. What I had to offer was no more than what most residents did.

The idea for the guide website was also quickly scrapped.

Then came the blog. That got some traction. But my posts were a little too generic, and I didn’t like the direction the site was taking. At one point, I even had recipes here.

Then another thing in life happened. I was PCSed. For my military folks and veterans, they will know exactly what it is. The military moved me from here to Nebraska, where I was stationed for nearly three years.

During that time, the site sat.

When I returned, I still didn’t know what to do. It was a passion project that I could never let go of. And so, I held onto the domain. I was trying to figure out how to move forward. Then it hit me. I was already chatting with locals and business owners. Just in general. I could make some out of it.

That’s where I found joy.

So… What now?

What is This Site About?

We established that this is not a directory or a guide. It is a blog with a different twist. I’m not catering to a large audience or tourists.

My focus is on the locals. Meeting people and talking to them is what makes this site.

From time to time, I’ll throw in personal updates — PhD progress, the novel I’ve been writing forever, random thoughts on life in Augusta.

There is one question that hangs in the air…

Am I abandoning this project once again?

Where Do I Go From Here?

The short answer to the question above is no. I have no intention of leaving this site. If you are a reader, you will notice that I’ve revamped things a bit. I changed the layout and the looks. This is all to fit within the new idea that I have for Augusta Life.

I’m committing to posting weekly — a mix of local interviews, personal updates, and whatever else I find worth sharing. If you want to follow along, subscribe below, or just check back when you remember I exist.