Today while our wonderful father/husband worked to support this adventure we spent more time on the beach and I could almost call is school. I planted myself on a huge towel while the girls started building a sandcastle. Well, it started out as a castle (medieval studies), but they changed course midway and started to build a whole master-planned community (urban development and civil engineering) then ended up with a volcano (Rocks for Jocks 101). We also put the finishing touches on our campsite name plate (art) and learned how to use Kristin's new camera (Photography - this kid has an eye). Joel spent the afternoon surfing the web for Lego stop-motion videos (laying the groundwork for Film Making class). If I really wanted to stretch things I could call getting lost on our way back from an errand a lesson in map skills, but Siri is a lousy professor and she was mainly talking to me anyway.
We started back to school yesterday. Sort of. It wasn't planned, at least not in my usual well-researched, uber-organized, bullet-pointed, laminated planning way. This time school showed up right beneath our feet, which is exactly what I have been hoping for in this whole endeavor. I just wasn't expecting it to start this week. We checked in to our excellent beach condo Saturday afternoon but didn't get to go enjoy the surf and sand until yesterday morning. Kevin's mom had loaned the girls a seashell identification book so they were eager to go see what they could find and identify. And after several days of indoor time learning to use new Kindles and GoPro cameras (yes, I realize a GoPro is an outdoor sort of toy, but it was cold. And wet.), we really needed a good stroll on the beach. The recent cold front brought some gulf-churning winds and waves that washed up all sorts of great stuff: periwinkles and limpets, whelks and turkey wings (that's a shell, not a dinner item), and huge sponges with tiny crabs clinging to them for dear life (which we then watched become a plover's dinner item). Marine science is one of my favorite subjects. There was opportunity to explain to the 8th grader how waves approach the shore at an angle and the concrete jetties slow beach erosion, how every kind of whale except narwhals and belugas migrate through the Gulf of Mexico, and why Speedos are a bad idea. Not pictured. You're welcome. Today while our wonderful father/husband worked to support this adventure we spent more time on the beach and I could almost call is school. I planted myself on a huge towel while the girls started building a sandcastle. Well, it started out as a castle (medieval studies), but they changed course midway and started to build a whole master-planned community (urban development and civil engineering) then ended up with a volcano (Rocks for Jocks 101). We also put the finishing touches on our campsite name plate (art) and learned how to use Kristin's new camera (Photography - this kid has an eye). Joel spent the afternoon surfing the web for Lego stop-motion videos (laying the groundwork for Film Making class). If I really wanted to stretch things I could call getting lost on our way back from an errand a lesson in map skills, but Siri is a lousy professor and she was mainly talking to me anyway. The plan for the rest of the day is to grill some burgers and dogs and enjoy the sunset. Nutrition and Home Economics? Check.
So I was hanging out with one of my besties today. Tracey is as much of an organizer as I am. Maybe more so. Or not. Okay - it's probably a dead heat. Anyway, we were talking about the challenges of this sort of move. Not your ordinary move, where you go from one house to the next, but one where some things go into long-term storage and some go with you but you can't haul them around for the next month while you are "houseless." Then there is still another category of goods that you need for month long interim. I told Tracey about how my brilliant engineer husband came up with a really great system for packing. She thought the rest of the world might want to hear about this, since moving is practically a hobby for most Americans and many people decry their own lack of organizational skills. So I will share about our system. WARNING: YOU WILL WANT TO BAIL OUT ON THIS POST NOW UNLESS YOU AGREE WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS. 1. I know where to find my keys, last year's tax return and probably the owner's manual for my child's baby monitor. And said child is now in fourth grade. 2. My favorite appliance is my label maker. 3. I almost named the dog Roy G. Biv. 4. I hate organizing stuff, but I figured you might post a video at the end of this and it could turn out to be worth my while to keep reading. The first thing we did was instead of writing the contents of each box on the outside, we numbered them then created a spreadsheet that listed the box's contents below its corresponding number. That way, if we get into the middle of nowhere and suddenly realized we really should have brought along the _______________ (assuming it is worth mailing vs. just hitting a Walmart) (but you should understand the lengths to which I will go to avoid a Walmart), Kevin can find it and retrieve it from storage on his next trip back to Orlando. I didn't try to pack Harley. He climbed in that backpack himself. The numbered boxes were only for the things we began referring to as "See you in a year" items: things not making the trip with us, but worth keeping (dishes, photo albums, the cat) (not really, he's down the street with a friend). We kept a running list of the numbers of boxes that contained things we thought we might possibly need so that they would be kept at the front of the storage unit and thus readily accessible. This list turned out to be pretty small. As in three boxes containing homeschooling materials I would have to hunt down online then have shipped to Stu's Camping World in StuKnowsWhere, South Dakota and THAT issue of shipping stuff is a whole other blog post. Stay tuned. We packed (as much as possible) the "see you in a year" items first. That left the "see you in a month" items (stuff going with us) to be packed in unnumbered boxes. We used the lack of a number as our cue to know which storage unit they should go to (we have one for the yearlong storage and another for that which we would need come January 9. Also, by the time we hit this point in the packing I could barely remember my birthdate, let alone what number to give a box. Somewhere along the line my sense of humor deteriorated to the point that as I put the heating pad into a box I said aloud, to no one in particular, "Hey, look! I'm packing heat!" HUMOROUS SIDEBAR: you find some truly funny things when you pack after living in one place for 11 years.... For the "pre-nomadic era" of our journey (from house closing to fiver move-in day), each person has one or two stackable bins for clothing. Each child has one plastic bin of personal items (toys, games, books) for entertainment. We have several smaller bins each containing toiletries, electronics, important paperwork, or snacks (possibly Nutella). We keep two cloth grocery bags for laundry. I loaded one child's backpack with drawing paper and art supplies. For more general organization I kept a list (or 15) in the Notepad app on my iPad reminding me of what things to do. I normally use iCal for that, but I just got to a point where seeing a list of things to do was more helpful than having a calendar beep reminders at me all day. I had numerous lists, all neatly categorized by school or packing or RV, reminding me to do things like change our address, cancel utilities, turn in quarterly grade reports, update Harley's microchip information, inhale, etc. I also kept a list of things we will need to purchase for the Bob T (Big Ol' Bahonking Trailer) once we can move into it, but that I don't want to buy now since I don't know where I'd keep it. I love lists. As organized as we were, packing and moving is still a bear and perhaps our notes will be of help to you should you someday get a wild idea about traveling the country in a land yacht. If not and you only kept reading this far in hopes of some promised entertainment, you'll find it below. You're welcome.
QUICK UPDATE ON OUR LOCATION AND LAUNCH DATE: We are currently houseless. Not homeless, just houseless. We have been "pre-nomading," which means we don't have the rig yet so we are moving around between those who have been so gracious to host us. This week we are in Orlando. Next week we will be at the beach on the west coast. From there, we move into the Bob T., Lord willing and the modifications are complete. We will give it a dry run at a county park in Orlando for a couple of days and then we hope to pull up the anchor and hit the dusty trail on January 9.
Both the truck and "the fiver" (fifth wheel - we're getting hip to the lingo) have been purchased. The truck is awaiting our ability to actually take possession of it. With only two licensed drivers in this family and no real home base it is a bit difficult to manage three vehicles. Our beloved "Big Blue" (the Odyssey) is with us while our other car temporarily resides with our friends who will be Big Blue's new owners as soon as we have the truck and can pass off the other car to it's foster home. Confused yet? Welcome to my world. The fiver, "Bob T," is at the dealer up north somewhere, either Wisconsin or Minnesota. I keep forgetting which state. I just know it's one that produced either our last cheese or recent cold front. It (the fiver, not the cheese/cold front) is set to be delivered sometime around January 2, at which point it will be in north Florida for a few days getting some minor electrical modifications. Sometime after January 2 we will make a trip up to meet it and move in. Then there will probably be at least one more Goodwill run in our future as we discover what does not fit and cannot be crammed into storage. Since Joel got a GoPro camera for Christmas I am going to task him with producing a really fun video tour for you. GoPros were tailor-made for shooting such stunning footage as "check out this closet!" and "Look! It's our toilet!" right? Humor us. We need to learn to use it well before we hit greet Great Sand Dunes National Park with rented snowboards. And yes, he's going to get home-school credit for that. "Just get through the closing, just get through the closing, just get through the closing." For three weeks I've been repeating that like a mantra. For 3 weeks I've had no time to do anything other than pack. Put on make-up? Surely, you jest. Cook a decent meal? Ain't nobody got time for that. And besides, I'm trying to use up the random fridge contents (kalamata olives with monterey jack cheese and broccoli, anyone?) Start Christmas shopping? SWEETMOTHEROFABRAHAMLINCOLNIFORGOTALLABOUTCHRISTMASSHOPPING!Berightback!! It turned out there was no rest for the weary, at least not for a few days. After the closing there were still errands to run and all the stuff we were hauling around had to be reorganized and some sent to storage. Kevin has been ridiculously busy at work, not to mention performing the mental gymnastics of figuring out how and when to get the Jose and the Bob T. delivered and modified, researching and purchasing all the necessary goods for those projects. Don't ask either one of us what day it is. Just the other night someone walked past us and Kevin said, "Good morning." When I reminded him it was about 8:15 p.m. he said, "Hmmm...well, it's morning somewhere." \ We skipped Christmas cards this year. Given my penchant for photography and dorky iMovie trailers I figured I can make up for that in the next few months. Stay tuned. Or consider yourselves warned, either one. Ah, but we have found rest in just the last few days. Kevin's sister and husband have been our excellent hosts since Saturday (or maybe it that was Friday??? Crikey.) We've played games, walked on the beach, enjoyed a boat parade, and I am currently typing this with the most unbelievable sunset out the window to my left. In the next few days we will find more rest with more family members and best of all, the celebration of our Savior's birth. And just as soon as we get near a tree with glass bulb ornaments we will engage in this family Christmas tradition: "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." -Jeremiah 2:13 We did it. We signed on all the appropriate lines and closed the sale on our house. We managed to get all the cleaning and clearing done and as of about 1:00 p.m. on December 19 we officially became nomads. Bittersweet day. I did NOT lose it and cry at the closing. I had expected tears. We had lived there for 11 1/2 years, brought home two babies, planted trees, overhauled the landscaping at least 5 times and painted no fewer than 23 different interior colors (not all at once) (but don't put it past me). We weathered a few hurricanes, watched the neighbors' kids grow, hunted Easter eggs, and had a pet fish burial in the backyard. While I was not overly attached to the house itself, it was our home and we loved living there. In place of the sadness I had expected I only noticed a mild sense of anxiety. It had been there awhile but I chalked it up to the stress of having to not only move out, but figure out exactly where everything needed to go and not forgetting to do something important. But the anxiety was with me even afterward and just yesterday I figured out why: owning a home was my sense of security. Interestingly, one of our reasons for doing this is to help our kids understand that security does not come from following the typical path to the American dream. God, in His wisdom, knows that I need that lesson more than they do and of course, He did not wait for us to get out on the open road to begin teaching me: I have dug my own cistern and it cannot hold water. Another reason we wanted to leave a "normal" life for a year was to get off the routine of too much busyness and unimportant work, and for the past week or so (save our time camping at Ft. Wilderness) God was pointing out to me how easy it is to become completely carried away by my own life. If I owned less stuff I could have packed and moved in far less time (8 different types of cooking oil? 26 terracotta pots? 563 hangers, anyone?), thus saving myself the energy and maybe being able to tune in to the needs of those around me whose lives may be far more stressful than mine. Moving into a fiver to travel the country for a year is such a first world problem. I know that. Most of our problems are first world problems because that is where we live. It doesn't have to be where our minds reside. As believers in Christ, we have a different home ultimately -- it's heaven, and our minds should reside there, at least part-time. I hope this year of being out closer to creation and far away from our past comfort and security will get us more focused on where we need to be laying up treasures, and in doing so, we will get closer to the only cistern that will ever hold water, living water: YAHWEH.
The house is cleared out (mostly), the packing and storing is done (mostly), and now we are at Ft. Wilderness for a few days of much needed rest. I can hear you saying, "Ah, yes, Ft. Wilderness. Because an epic year of exploring the beauty of the USA is only properly kicked off by camping in an artificially clean and safe "wilderness" experience, complete with costumed characters and campsites bedecked with approximately 42 inflatable decorations." I can explain. This is an annual group shindig with some of our absolute favorite people. We wouldn't care if it was a suburban mall parking lot -- as long as we get time with this crowd. And honestly, Disney is a pretty fun place to camp. This is kick back, socialize, don't worry about the kids (who are riding continual loops on various wheeled toys), eat, laugh, eat some more, etc. There is something very fitting about moving out of our home straight into this situation where I am reminded at every turn just exactly what I will miss the most while we are gone. I better post some funny pictures before I start the ugly cry. There. I feel much better now. We've already laughed hard enough to pee a little (OK, speaking only for myself). Lisa has stolen my towel from the shower, my youngest disturbed some bee/wasp/yellow jackets and got stung 4 times, and a squirrel got in our van to chew some Tupperware and poop on the dashboard. We made doughnuts for breakfast and let the youngest give us glittery shark tattoos. I have needed this so much. I could tell because by last Tuesday night Kevin had to tell me things twice and it still didn't stick. You know how you just have that limit where your brain can't do anymore? That's when you go for the glittery shark, my friend. And doughnuts. Last night we tricked out our bikes with lights and glow sticks and garland and rode around the campground. As lovely as we were, we were nothing compared to a few campsites. Some stuff has to be seen to be believed. We've had conversations, funny and serious, 80s music review blitzes, and delicious hot schmoes. This camping trip is always one of the highlights of our year. Everyone has been eager to hear the updates and details of our plans and they all say how excited they are for us and what a great adventure this will be and that they are envious. What I didn't know how to tell anyone (without breaking down into the ugly cry) is, "Sure, I am excited but I keep asking myself how I am going to get through the next 365 days without you all close by, pouring into my life, reminding me of who I am and whose I am." Am I gonna blubber every time I skype or watch church online or listen to Casey's CD? I guess I'd rather leave this way, knowing we will miss and be missed, than to leave no connections and feel only neutral about this past eleven years. God has blessed us greatly with some truly amazing friends here. I'm just hoping they will be sure to plan the 2013 Ft. Wilderness trip in December so we can be there, along with Jose and the Bob T. Okay? Hint, hint. -Jenni In the last week so much has happened that I (Jenni) could probably have written 3 or 4 posts had I actually had time. As it is, I am not sure how much sleep we'll be getting this week....still so much to do! I wish I had time to sit here and make this lively and entertaining, but brilliant wit requires great thought (har har) and I am low on brain power at the moment. Anyway, here's the latest:
Monday through Friday was filled with packing. If you think moving is stressful, try moving while having to figure out exactly what goes into long-term storage, short-term storage, give-away or loans and then keep all those boxes separate and organized. I am quite the organizer, but even my super-powers were challenged. A good friend helped me get through the insanity that is kitchen packing. On Friday Kevin made an offer on the Fiver of our dreams and the dealer accepted. On Saturday a bunch of burly and helpful men came over to help us load the U-Haul and consume donuts and banana bread. Said truck then went to Orlando where Kevin and his dad and another friend helped unload it. On Sunday we test drove and made a deposit on a 2009 Chevy Silverado (name: Jose). About 18 other things have happened, big and small but I will update you on the rest later. This past week has had the potential to be one of the most stressful of my life yet I feel strangely calm through it all. The hugs, support and thousands of encouraging words from friends and family make all the differenceI am praising God for that peace and aiming to practice Christ's presence through all the remaining busyness. First off, let me say that this blog is being brought to you by the lesser half of this happily married, yet nearly insane, couple. The engineer… The trip planner who either has his greatest opportunity for success or his chance to have his vacation planning rights revoked for life!
Many of you have asked, “What does your travel plan look like? Do you know your route?” I (Kevin) sometimes still answer these questions with a 5 minute description of our intended route but have been coming to realize that most people have lost interest in that level of detail by the 29th second… Sorry. I was considering today that it almost feels like I know more about what we’re doing 6 months from now than I know about what we’ll be doing in the next 6 days. Weird, but true. In any event, listed below is our rough travel agenda. We’re sure it will change. Many times. But, it is the best we have at the moment and we welcome your comments on great destinations along the way. January Florida (Tampa) North Carolina (Franklin and Ashville) Arkansas (Hot Springs) Texas (Dallas and Austin) February: Texas (it’s a BIG State, Big Bend, Guadeloupe) Arizona (Tucson, Petrified Forest) Southern California (Anza Borrego, San Diego Zoo, Joshua Tree) March/April: California (Death Valley) Utah (Arches, Canyonlands) Arizona (including the bottom of the Grand Canyon!, Sedona, Flagstaff) New Mexico (Monument Valley, Four Corners) Colorado (Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes) May: Utah (Zion, Bryce) California (Yosemite – YES!, Kings Canyon, Sequoia) June: California (Northern Coast, Redwoods, Lassen Volcanic) Oregon (Crater Lake, Coast, Bend, Portland, Columbia River Gorge) July: Washington (nice to see you again Olympic and North Cascades) British Columbia (Vancouver) August: British Columbia (Mountain biking in Whistler!) Alberta (Jasper, Banff) Montana (Glacier NP Rocks!) September: Wyoming (Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, maybe even a return to the Wind River Range!) Colorado (Aspens and more great friends to see!) Dakotas (Carhenge, Black Hills, Teddy Roosevelt NP, Badlands) October: Minnesota (Voyageurs) Michigan (Praying we’ll see the Northern Lights in Isle Royale NP!) November: Washington DC (history, museums, the White House) New York (Hello, Macy’s Parade!) Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) December: Florida (you can’t do a trip like this and not see Everglades NP in your home State!) In all, we hope to see over 30 states and 30 National Parks, lots of friends and family, and lots of one another. We’re anticipating about 20,000 miles of driving over the course of the year. Finally, for those that are about to ask, “Why not Alaska?” YOU’RE KILLING ME! Alaska has been on my bucket list since I was 13 years old and a Junior High School teacher showed our class his pictures from summer vacation… I SO want to see Alaska. But, I also know we don’t have time next year to see it the way it deserves to be seen. It’s going to have to be another time, I’m afraid. So that’s the plan – as it were. We’d love your feedback so please share your comments. For now, it’s back to planning the next 6 days! I doubt I will ever go skydiving because my motto is, "Why jump out of a functional airplane?" But if I did I'm sure at the moment when I stood in the door of the plane poised to leap into thin air I would think, "Gee. This seemed like a great idea 2 months ago." That sums up how I've been feeling all week. In all fairness, we knew this point would probably come because we've read the blogs of those who've traveled this road before us and they all have a post, about 3 weeks prior to departure, titled something like, "T-18 Days. PANIC BUTTON." The house is trashed (we like things neat). We both wake up at 4:30 a.m. with our brains spinning stressful thoughts (we like eight hours of solid sleep). We have only a few more chances to eat at Mekenita (we really, really like Mekenita). And don't get either of us started on our friends. I'm forcing myself not to even think about how much I'm going to miss you all. (We'll be home in a year, we'll be home in a year. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.) The past week was nuts. I served two fascinating days of jury duty, shot three photography jobs (including my first commercial product shoot, coming soon to a Costco website near you), crossed five big chores off the "RV To Do List," got social time with TCCS friends (oh, that was supposed to be for Spanish class?), did battle with a UTI (TMI), and found numerous uses for parentheses. I could have done none of it without the blessings of good friends, a great Nana, my neighbor, Yvonne, patient photography clients, a capable teenage son, antibiotics, and the God who must have made the sun stand still. To make it all even better, Kevin sold a freezer, got us a mailing address, found temporary housing, cleaned the garage (super-duper!), purged the filing cabinet (best Christmas ever), bought me a mountain bike so I can enjoy all the Moab slick rock goodness, and made breakfast this morning. I'm sorry...tell me again why Christian Grey is so desirable? Right now there are still about 158 things I could be doing, but it is Sunday and I am determined to take Sabbath. I used to be really good at it then I fell off the wagon for a bit. A recent BSF lesson was a good reminder of why I need to get back in the habit. There is nothing I can accomplish today that will outweigh the benefits of a full day's rest. The God who allowed us to be uber-productive last week will surely give us that advantage this week if we honor Him with our time today. I'm going to enjoy a neighborhood Christmas party with my girls, bake banana bread, and join friends for dinner. As soon as I get my rump out of this comfy chair. |
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