It was just about a year ago that we first purchased Beaulah (our lovely fifth-wheel Hitchhiker RV) and stayed in it for our first night. Then after a summer of preparing and down-sizing, we moved into Beaulah in September 2015 for full-time living on the road. Since then, we’ve driven almost 20,000 miles & stopped in 16 different states on our cross-country tour!
And in 3 short days, we’re headed back to the Midwest. Wow.
As Susan posted recently, we’ve been learning a lot about ourselves throughout this process. We’ve certainly had our ups & downs, as most journeys do. And to be honest, I think we are ready for a travel break. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been really exciting waking up every weekend (or two) in a new place, with new trails to hike and new sites to see. But as Susan wrote, we still have to live our regular lives – and that’s kind of tough. I’m working full-time with a client ramping up for a go-live (and if you are from the healthcare IT space, you know that go-lives — and the time leading up to them — can be intense), and Susan’s on Mom-Duty pretty much all the time. Without family & friends nearby (for most of our travels), we’re flying solo. And that’s pretty tough! My hat’s off to those single parents or young families that start a new life far away from their family & friends, because it’s not easy work!
So we’re ready to “come home” (in a manner of speaking) and reconnect with everyone again! And a big thank-you to all the wonderful comments of support & encouragement on Susan’s last post – it’s good to hear other’s have been down this road before (even if just metaphorically).
I think back to a lot of the hopes & dreams we had when we started out – like that’d we be blogging regularly, for example – with maps & photos! Dreams of finally eating a healthy diet, and working out regularly, and reading / writing / journaling / reflecting more. You know – all the things. It’s hard to understand why all those bad habits we’ve built up over the last decade or two didn’t magically change when we started living in a camper full-time 9 months ago! (/s)
A part of our desire to come back to the Midwest is to get back to familiar faces & familiar places, where we can recharge a little. We want to try to come up with some semblance of a “normal” life, for a little while at least: Go in to the office to work, have play dates with friends, dinners with family, workout at the gym, etc. It may sound crazy to say it, but we miss those things!
At the same time, we’re really not done traveling yet. There’s so much to see and do out here, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. But we do need a break, with some time to reset and decide what we want to do differently on our next go-round. And maybe, just maybe, we can start building some better habits now so we can hit the road again (in the to-be-determined future) with more realistic goals. Like blogging better 🙂
2 Responses to What a Difference a Year Makes
Loved ALL the blogging and adventures and photos and Facetime and visits but……………….I am so excited to have you back in Madison!!!! I think you both have done a fabulous job of reporting with detail, grace and comedy and it seems you have found some particularly wonderful places to visit. See you soon!!!!!
Love you guys…..Mom <3
Will be fun to have you closer! Loved all your blogs….you’re gifted writers! Safe travels on the way home! Love to all of you!! Love, Mom Patnode
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