Last summer we shared dinner with the Arnolds, an Indy couple who had a similar dream and fulfilled it for two years straight…and every summer since. Right now their family of 5 is in Hawaii!
While waiting for our meal to be served, we listened to Jon and Amy’s experience of preparing for and leaving on their years-long journey. They likened it to getting the space shuttle out of earth’s gravitational pull.
I’d say this analogy works! It takes much effort, energy, resources to do!
We began this adventure in January 2015. (Actually it was conceived the December before, although that’s another story.)
It involved fun things like dreaming together and watching YouTube videos.
But mostly, it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. We remodeled and repaired our home of over four years.
We sold, gave away, donated, or threw away almost every earthly possession we had. Many memories. Things we loved. Things we enjoyed. Things we shared. Accumulated junk. craigslist. Goodwill. Practical things. Luxuries. Painful. Overwhelming. But now done.
We bought a motorhome and started a whole new learning experience! (Can you say “black tank,” “water conservation,” “laundromat,” and “my fridge is the size of a bread box”?) Our closet is actually bigger than the one we had in the old farmhouse, though!
We “squatted” in the Camping World parking lot more days than we care to discuss, visited a couple of nearby campgrounds, lived in Cliff’s parents’ field a lot, and took one 10-day-trip to Kentucky and Ohio.
We totaled our RV last Christmas, were homeless for two months, finally bought a new RV, took a few more trips, and spent more time in Cliff’s parents’ field. Meanwhile, we readjusted our plans…AND got rid of more stuff!
We found that not everyone shares our dream; not everyone understands our dream; not everyone supports our dream. But our new dream in its revised form is now a reality! We left Indiana Friday afternoon!
Destination: 2 months out west!
Our route is fluid, but here is a link to our current model. It’s definitely a work in progress, though! Let us know if you have suggestions!
Vision of the Birds 