June 18, 2018.

This day was the day my family set out on a 52 week road trip to visit the lower 48 states.

This day was the day a new season started for me and my family.

The idea was presented to me almost a year ago. My husband. Oh, my husband can come up with some crazy stuff. But this breaks the mold, even for him. Now, to his credit, for years he’s always talked about how cool it would be to take the Jeep and travel across the United States.  The Jeep. A four-seater. Traveling all over the country, with 4 people and a dog.

Yea, that’s not gonna happen.

Then he brings up a year long road trip. With a 5th wheel. Plenty of room for the family. And the dog. And a chicken.

Yes, I said a chicken.

So, we prepped. We planned. We laughed at ourselves. We broke the news to our families. We got excited. We argued a bit. We purchased a 5th wheel. We purchased an F450. Those last two items made it real.

Then we had to get down to business. We had to find someone who was willing to live in our home for a year and watch our flock of 20 chickens. Haha! That sounds easy. Then my husband had to quit his job. A job he’s been at for 16 years. A job he had gone far in – an accomplishment I am so proud of him for.

But his time there was done. He lost his excitement for work. He was tired. He became somewhat…boring. These all are signs that it might be time to move on. And that he did. His last day was March 31, 2018 and we haven’t looked back.

The months leading up to our departure date were packed. I never realized how much would go into something like this. I mean, I knew there would be a lot to do, but the details that nobody thinks of, I had to think of. I had sticky notes, calendars, to-do lists. Every time something popped into my head, I jotted it down wherever I could. And you know, I did pretty good, if I do say so myself!

I had to pack for four people, for four seasons, in a 40′ 5th wheel! Daily living items. Items not always used, but needed. Supplies for the pets. Appliances for a smaller kitchen. Winter gear. Summer gear. Bikes. You name it. And we made it happen and only forgot a couple items. Not bad at all!

So, now, this next year I am living on the road. Each week in a new state. Many times, several cities in one week. It’s busy. It’s a lot of driving, moving and setting up house several times a week. It’s learning how to live in close proximity with the people I love the most. It’s learning how to travel, successfully, with a dog and a chicken. It’s learning how to maneuver through my day in a smaller amount of square footage than I have the past 4 years in our 4,980 sq ft home. It’s learning how to find a new routine. It’s learning how to live a year without seeing, touching or being with my chickens. It’s celebrating holidays and special occasions without our families. It’s discovering, once again, the art of relaxing. It’s being intentional with my family and the time we have to explore this great country. It’s taking time to be still. To think. To listen. To just be.

Hopefully you’ll join me on this journey over this next year as I document our time on the road and the new way of life we will create. Some things won’t change – like my desire to keep my family healthy (lots of hiking, biking and eating healthy) and sharing with everyone how we go about doing that. I also will continue to enjoy cooking and baking, just on a different level. Less counter space. Smaller oven. Small refrigerator.

Although, this hasn’t stopped me from making homemade chocolate chip cookies already! Some things you can always find a way to do them!

So, here we go. It will be interesting to look back in a year to see what has changed. To see how I’ve changed. I can only pray that it will be for the better, with a more clear picture of what I am suppose to do once we return. Until then, I will enjoy my modern day gypzee life and all that it brings with it!

You can join the family over at www.epoch48.com as we update our family happenings, while this will be my personal journal and thoughts throughout this adventure!

May you find inspiration over this next year to step out and do something crazy in your own life! It will be worth it.

Until next time,

Live Beautiful!