Our First Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta! Part 2
Not only was this our first time ever attending the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, but it also happened to be the 50th anniversary of the event! As complete air balloon newbies it was awesome to find ourselves in the VIP section of one of the largest balloon events in the world, attending this event has been on Andrea’s bucket list for quite some time.
Love, Laughter, and Healing
What we did not know or expect was how this theme of celebrating a life lost, would open doors to healing conversations that were desperately needed.
Family bonds were strengthened, new friends became “chosen family” and the tears of open, honest communication were followed by hearty laughs throughout the night.
It’s Been a Year, Our Travelversary!!
At times it’s hard to believe we’ve been on the road for a year already. However, when we are sharing our memories of the people and places from our travels, it seems like this has been our lifestyle forever.
Why We Share Our Story?
After a year of learning, laughs, mistakes, memories, smiles, tears, and above all, love, we thought it might be a great time to share why we chose to tell our story in the first place.
Where will the Kids Call Home?
During our planning and preparation for life on the road this was a question we struggled with.
Where would our children go for the holidays? To have a home cooked meal, a bed with extra pillows, and just to be comforted by the love of mom and dad?
Becoming Resourceful
Traveling full time means our home is frequently being pulled down a wide variety of roads at 65 miles per hour. The impact this creates is like a traditional home being affected by a small earthquake on a routine basis. After each trip when we open the door to the Queen, we anxiously await the surprises inside.
4 Hidden Life Gems in Full Time Rving
An unforeseen blessing of our new lifestyle has been all the “life gems” or hidden lessons that were waiting out on the road for us. Over the next four weeks we will share four of our favorite “life gems” with you.
A Texas Sized View
Was an “unbelievable or amazing” sunset worth the risk of having “sketchy” neighbors nearby that made us feel unsafe?
Many times, in our lives, we would have said a resounding “NO”, not based on what we had experienced but simply based on opinions of others.
We would have sacrificed the “unbelievable or amazing” experience because we focused what could go wrong and were blinded from what could go right.
How many times have we missed an experience or adventure because we played it safe?
Wildcat Philosophy, French Rum, and The “Happiness” Business
It got us thinking though as we left the next day, westbound stocked up on the best French rum, stories, and a slight hangover.
What if we were all in the “happiness business”?
Living The Dream
We are blessed to be told by many that we are in fact “living the dream”. Some who aren’t quite full time yet but aspire to be will even add that we are “living THEIR dream!”
I find that last statement to be quite an honor. In choosing this life for us, others are seeing possibilities in their lives as well.
What people find interesting though is when we share our TRUTH with them.
What Size Camper Do We Need?
This is a question that is bantered about by those wanting to get on the road and those already on the road around the nation. It seems to be an almost endless pursuit of the “perfect rig”.
The truth is you will not truly know until you answer a couple questions for yourselves.
4 Steps to Full Timing Part 4
Finally, how do we decide where to travel?
The full time rv lifestyle will always be a work in progress as we continue to refine our approach as we experience more.
4 Steps to Full Timing Part 2
Some moments we were in sync financially. Saving first and living comfortably but well within our means.
At other times, we were not. Finding ourselves with credit card debt rolling over month to month, a car payment, and a lifestyle that felt good in the moment but was not sustainable. Reflecting on this now it is clear, we got caught in “keeping up with the Joneses” syndrome.
4 Steps We Took To Full Timing
In the spring of 2014, our oldest daughter graduated high school. Wasting no time, she embraced her sense of independence and adventure by moving out of our home that summer.
This moment was a wake-up call for us. While were proud of our children’s independence, we were a bit saddened by the end of their childhood.
We also knew we were facing the same reality with our younger two children in only a few years.
We began questioning what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives?
We Made It! Six Months of Full Time RVing!
To celebrate our six-month milestone, we wanted to share with you the top four things we have learned living full time in our Airstream.
Detours, Speed Bumps and U-Turns
A life on the road tends to lend itself to seeing everything as one big road trip.
Here are three inevitable actions you’ll be faced with on the road trip of life!
Why Did We Choose an Airstream?
The airstream creates conversations in every place we have camped. We feel blessed to meet people and hear their stories about their desire to have an airstream at one point in their adventure, while seeing their current adventuring rig. The fact this happens all over the country is a testament to the history of Airstream as a company and inspires us to live up to that legacy in our full-time adventures in the “Queen”.
How Do You Survive?
This is something we get asked about often. It is usually in reference to our marriage as in “I would kill my spouse if I spent all my time with them”. Other times people want to know how we manage to get by with such a small amount of “stuff” in our world.
Slowing Down and New Community
After our first week of beaches, sunshine, and amazing weather, we realized something was still missing.
We were missing people. Some specific people from our past like, family and friends, but we were also missing meeting new people and fellow campers.
Don’t Be Afraid of Your Fears!
Why do we still feel fear at this stage in life? Because we are doing something new, something challenging and we care about the outcome.
What we are not is afraid! We were not so afraid of all the possible “bad” outcomes that we did not even try. Not so paralyzed that we accepted the status quo as all that we could become.