If you would've told me a year ago that right now, in the middle of a cold Chicago January, I'd be planning to sell my house, get rid of a car, downsize all of our stuff, pull my kids out of school, and hit the road in a travel trailer...I would've looked at you like you had three heads. Oh how time changes everything! Sure, I may have had dreams that looked like that (well, maybe my dreams looked more like me in my very own tour bus traveling the country to get to my next sold out show) but never did I ever think they'd actually come true. It's crazy how life works sometimes.
It all started in August 2020 when, somewhat spontaneously, my hubby and I decided to buy a travel trailer. Maybe it was the pandemic talking, but the idea of hitting the road with the whole family, to curb off the cabin fever, was exhilarating. Not more than a week after we picked it up from the dealership we found ourselves driving through hell and highwater (we narrowly escaped a tornado) to go on our first family adventure to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Halfway through our week long stay, we had all gotten chiggers and ticks (including the dog), the water to our campsite broke, and it was 105 degrees with 1000% humidity outside, but somehow, we still had the best time. Since then, we have traveled over 5,000 miles with our camper all over the mid-west and as far as South Dakota, and hey, we even kind of know what we're doing now (most of the time). So naturally, the next step is to sell everything we own and do this full-time!
The idea was actually my hubby's. He brought it up as I was interviewing for the job I have now, which allows me to work 100% remote. I thought he was joking and I did what any good wife would do, I ignored him. Then he brought it up again....and again...and I began to wonder, is this man serious?! He couldn't possibly be, right?! Strangely enough, he was serious and so I actually had to stop and think about what this could mean for our family. We just moved into this house 4 years ago and were in the midst of a major renovation - so that would need to be finished. Our girls, 6 and 10, would have to leave public school and be homeschooled (or road-schooled as all the cool kids say), and somehow between when we bought the camper in 2020 and now, we have acquired 2 more pets! Could we really make this work?
Well...the answer to that question is yet to come, but we are determined to give it all we've got because ultimately, we've decided that the most important thing in life is to spend time together and to make as many memories as we can. So we are throwing caution to the wind and setting our sights on hitting the open road this summer. We are so glad you are here, reading about our crazy awesome adventure, and we are really looking forward to sharing all that it entails. Stay tuned for updates on everything we are doing to get ready to set sail! It's going to be a fun ride!
Stay happy my friends!
Melissa
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