Hitting the Brakes – January Recap
The Queen in her spot for the past 30 days. It has been nice to have one place to call “home” for a bit.
January was the first month we started and ended in the same place since leaving Colorado.
This was a month for us to regroup, refresh, and immerse ourselves into experiencing winter, south Florida style, for the first time in our lives. We never knew winter could consist of exactly one weekend! That’s right two days with high in 50’s and lows in the 30’s.
We turned on the heater, made some chili, and enjoyed the brief reminder that it was in fact winter.
Jerrod never gets tired of watching Pelicans do their Pelican stuff. This guy was hanging out nearby local fisherman waiting to steal their catch.
On one trip back to the Queen from the beach, we had to laugh when our mapping app changed our new camping spot to “home”. Apparently, even the phones were ready to stay in one place for a bit. 😊
Andrea and I had been craving community and were feeling like that was the missing piece of our travel adventures. While we enjoyed our time together, the new scenery, and changing locations, we were missing small talk with friends and getting to really know someone new.
The Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens were a favorite of ours to visit and best of all it was FREE!
Thankfully slowing down was just what we needed and allowed a new community to find us right here.
We got to meet so many interesting people all doing life a little differently than average.
Tom and Diane were running a business from their sprinter van while escaping the Connecticut winter.
Dustin and India were on a yearlong honeymoon traveling the country in their remodeled trailer.
Easy and Alex were slowing preparing for life on the road and testing out their camper near us on several occasions while only an interstate exit away from their home.
Yani ng and her husband were on a “staycation” in their camper about 30 minutes from their house. Yani ng provided us a crash course in what life what like growing up in China and how thankful she is to have become an American citizen.
We loved the views and history at the Jupiter Lighthouse. This tree just mesmerized us and we would tell you what kind it is but we constantly forgot the name. For us it is the “tree of life”.
One of the highlights of the month was crossing paths with Justin, Val, their children, and their bus.
This was a family which Andrea felt like she already knew. As they drove their bus into our small camping area, she told me “I know them” with a smile on her face.
During our preparation for this lifestyle change, Andrea had watched their bus remodel series for years on YouTube! Now here we were in real life sharing a beautiful space with them.
It was refreshing to meet people whose online personality was no different that their real life one. Spending time around them and hearing firsthand what years of living on the road have been like was very educational and inspiring.
Part of each day included a visit from their young daughter, Nova. She so beautifully reminded us of the joy of youth and the natural curiosity we all once had.
Eating NY Pizza outside in January :)
Slowing down was exactly what we needed and allowed us to gain appreciation for the path we are on while sharing our experiences with others.
This time allowed us to reflect on how much we have learned since we hit the open road, while reminding us of how much more we still want to explore.