Fifteen Years Later

Aloha, Friends.

I'm writing this from a chair in the jungle, listening to the birds wake up and the roosters crow.

Fifteen years ago this month, I hit publish on one of my first blog posts. At the time, I had no idea where the journey would lead. I certainly never imagined I'd be writing this email from a little house tucked into the jungle on the island of Kaua'i.

Yet here we are.

Some of you have been reading these emails since 2011. Fifteen years of following our family through Nevada winters and Nicaragua trips and Shark Tank spikes and kitchen construction projects. This week a few of you wrote in and said the same thing:

"We want to hear more about your family."

So here I am. Cup of coffee. Birds. An update from the jungle.

The big news first: we moved.

Our family recently relocated from Carson City, Nevada to Kalāheo, Kaua'i.

It began on Masters Sunday of 2025, seventeen months ago. I had crossed a line on what I was willing to sacrifice in pursuit of building an empire, and it was time to change course. I sat down that day and wrote what I called a Pressure to Peace Plan. I didn't know exactly what it would look like. I just knew this:

I wasn't quitting work. I was changing what I was working for.

Fifteen months later, here I am. Jungle. Roosters. Peace. Building a Quonset hut with my hands and my son, Jonas.

I'll be dedicating the next chapter of my life to the Keala Foundation, a youth intervention organization here on Kaua'i that I've been involved with for eight years.

Keala in Hawaiian means the way or the path.

His Word says: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)

The path led to a place with the same name. I couldn't make that up if I tried.

Family Update

The encouragement many of you have given me over the years has reminded me that you've never just cared about our meals.  You've cared about our family.

So here's a little update.

Samson officially earned his Private Pilot Certificate on July 7th.Thank you to everyone who prayed. The next day he flew his best friend down to Yerington, Nevada for lunch. He's not old enough to rent a car, but he can fly a plane and borrow the airport's complimentary courtesy car. Funny how life works.

Jonas has fallen completely in love with swimming.

He's training about three hours a day with Swim Kaua'i Aquatics, and we just came back from the Hawaii State Championships in Maui. I dusted off the camera and spent the weekend shooting races for Big Nick Swim Pics. Photography has always been one of my passions, and it's been a joy to pick it back up as a hobby in this new life instead of a marketing task.

(He's also the guy on the left in the Quonset picture at top.)

Wally has fully embraced island life.

He runs on the beach, explores the jungle, is currently hunting a cat, and lives with a joy that's contagious. I call him "The Fruit Of The Spirit Dog". He ran so hard last week that, for the first time in five years, he didn't even want to play fetch the next day. I honestly didn't know that was possible. He's a working dog and he loves his job - retrieving the tennis ball!

And Jessie…

God truly gave me His best when He gave me her.

"A wife of noble character is her husband's crown." (Proverbs 12:4)

She has carried so much through this transition with grace, strength, and faith. I simply wouldn't be here without her.

Fifteen years is a long time.

Some of you have followed since the Paleo blog days. You've watched our boys grow from little kids into young men. You've celebrated victories with us. You've prayed through hard seasons with us. You've supported Ice Age Meals when it was just an idea, and when it became something much bigger.

Thank you.

Mahalo. God bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you and give you peace.

Your pal always,

Paleo Nick

PS: Tune in Friday for The Rest Of The Story...

And, I mean what I say about Wally. He really likes Hawai'i...