Being a full-time RV family and traveling across the US was never a serious thought in our minds...until recently. We came about the idea in a very roundabout way. Though, as we look back, we realize many things over the last few years have self-aligned for this crazy adventure to be an option. So let us begin back in the fall of 2019.
While on maternity leave with True, the hospital where I worked permanently shut its doors, leaving me unemployed. While blissfully soaking in our new baby, I opted to start a graphic design and writing freelancing business instead of searching for a new, outside-the-home job.
Five months later, Covid-19 rocked the world. Like all the other schools, Valor’s Montessori shut down, and he finished his (pre)school year at home. Covid continued to dictate our lives, and Valor attended a Virtual Academy for Kindergarten. Finally, for first grade, he attended in-person public school. That same fall, Nick quit his 9-5 job and went full-time working for himself.
In October (2021), we started talking about wanting to move. We were completely over the Chicago winters and hated the general lack of motivation during months of darkness and frigid temperatures. For the birds, we say!
After endless online research, we took two trips to eastern Tennessee; and began heavily researching how to relocate our family. Through our due diligence, we uncovered that two years of self-employed income taxes are required to be eligible for a new mortgage loan. We slammed on the brakes and found ourselves in The Waiting Place. During this time, I encountered my brain thinking a lot about the two-page spread in Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
While my thoughts frequently hovered over those thought-provoking pages penned by Dr. Suess, I kept coming back to how in life there is so much waiting and staying; think of all that we could be missing! It's a mindset to break. Personally, I don't want to waste precious time on earth simply waiting for the next thing...
About halfway through Valor’s first-grade year, we realized traditional schooling felt like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. We saw his spirit changing, and we were not interested in having a schedule dictated by the school system. As his parents, we refuse to allow the sacred wonder of childhood to evaporate so quickly. After reading books, listening to podcasts, talking to friends, and praying, we decided to homeschool Valor, starting second grade.
—
High-level stars-aligning moments overview:
I work for myself (virtually) >
Nick works for himself (virtually) >
Restless and ready to move >
The decision to homeschool >
Halt on the moving front >
Enter the exhilarating idea of a full-time RV life to pass the time in our Waiting Place.
—
Nick and I started to re-evaluate our lives and talk through options that would be best for our family. We stayed up many late nights discussing various possibilities. Something we conversed a lot about (even years leading up to this) was essentially the imagery of a white picket fence, also known as The American Dream.
Again and again our conversations returned to, is it all that it's cracked up to be? We have the house, new car, dog, playroom full of any toy a child could want, and much more. But to us, all this stuff was honestly just an endless and exhausting cycle. Instead of spending weekends with our kids, we found many chunks of our time was in maintaining, organizing, and cleaning all this stuff. Our house and belongings were stealing time away from what we wanted most — time together. We agreed, this too is for the birds!
Day to day, it feels like we have all the time in the world, but we don’t. (The days are long, but the years are short.) Our boys are growing up so fast, and this disillusioned life does not make sense to us as a family.
We want to catch all the moments of our life together.
We want more time and fewer possessions to maintain.
We want our kids to hold tight to the reins of their childhoods, maintaining their child-like wonder.
We want to get lost in books and enjoy a curiosity for life while learning from the school of nature.
We want to be the family that lives an intentional life (even if it looks different than most), living in pursuit of a grand purpose.
We want an adventure that leads to tales told for many years.
We do not want to be swayed by societal pressures and chaotic schedules.
We want an extraordinary family life, making fantastic memories together and seeing more sunshiny days.
And we don't believe this is asking for too much.
We each get one life to live, and this is it!
This life is both nothing and everything.
So you'll find us in The Waiting Place ready for anything, because there is fun to be done!
