Posts in Category:Viva!

AKA: Viva Part One

It’s the number one question that we’ve been asked since we announced several weeks ago our plans to embark on the journey of being full-time travelers. (Well the number one question is probably “are you guys crazy?”…but that’s another story.) We thought we’d fill you in on our first very loose plan for the Summer and Fall.

It should be mentioned that despite the fact we’ve moved out of our house – and into our camper full-time (more on that later) – we haven’t actually left the metroplex quite yet. We’ve had so many people think we’ve already left…but not yet! We’re still here and want to see you and have dinner and talk life for the next couple of months. Baron will be finishing first grade, we’re going on a vacation in early June, then we’re headed out in late June around the 23rd.

Ok so back to it! Like we said last time, we don’t really have a specific agenda to hit all 50 states or visit every national park or anything. Instead, we’ve planned a path from late June to late November that will keep us in the western half of the country…but visiting a ton of great places.

We have a mantra in our family. It’s pretty simple – our life doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s life. We say it all the time, when we’re making trivial decisions that have little impact, and likewise when we’re facing potentially life-altering choices.

A few years ago, we had a big idea to sell all of our things and move across the ocean to England – to serve the local community there and be a part of a culture we’d dreamt about. When the idea came, there was absolutely no doubt it was what we were supposed to do next. There were nerves, of course, but no valid excuses for saying no. About a year ago, in early 2018, we had another big idea.

We discovered that living our lives to the fullest meant not ignoring those big ideas when they came along. It’s with that thought in mind that we want to announce our next big idea with you.

Starting in the summer of 2019, we’re trading in our sticks and bricks for a home on wheels – taking our life, work and belongings on the road as full-time travelers.

Now we know you have questions. Everyone we’ve spoken to about this before now has had a similar line of questioning. So we wanted to take the rest of this post to answer them. (And if you have more…let us know!)

One year.

As much as I think about it, it’s still difficult to put into words just how much we’ve been blessed, stretched, and refined over the last 365 days. A year ago today, we touched ground in the U.K. – where we’d spend the next six months. Our family relocated, our possessions sold, our faith put into action. From day one it was an adventure – one where we knew where we were supposed to be, but not at all what we supposed to be doing.

For six months, we walked in faith, made new friends, served a local church, grew as a family (and Yvette and I as a couple) exponentially, and generally doubted nothing. We were exactly in the path God had laid out for us. God gave us the means and the circumstances in which we could remove the daily distractions of our lives and focus in on growth. Adjusting is always a challenge, but truth be told, we shifted to life in England quite easily (much of which is due to the amazing reception we had there), and we found ourselves soaking in everything we could from these amazing people that instantly opened not only their country, but their lives and homes to us. I could go on and on about our experience there, but words won’t do it justice. (To those who shared their lives with us in Watford, we’re eternally grateful for you. We think of you constantly, and hope to see you all again very soon. And all your new babies!)

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In less than 24 hours, we’ll be getting on a plane to begin our journey back to the States. It’s been an incredible experience, and we’re so very grateful we’ve been able to be a part of it. We’re sad to leave, and excited to be home. But mostly we’re joyful. We can’t thank you enough for reading and supporting us. We love you.

We’ve been watching a lot of Inside Out at our house lately. I love that movie. It’s equal parts visually striking and a deep, poignant look at what makes up a good amount of why we behave the way we do — our emotions. If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t worry, I won’t be giving any spoilers or reviews today. (But do yourself a favor and go watch it!)

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It’s hard to believe that we only have about 10 days left here in the UK. In some ways it seems like this journey is just beginning, and we’re only now starting to become comfortable in our surroundings. On the other hand, as we mentioned in our last post, there have been some challenging times for us, where we weren’t sure what to do.

We’ve seen some awe-inspiring things, met some truly amazing people, and have been privileged to be a part of ministries and a church that is such an inspiration to us to live a more Christ-centered life. Without question, these are relationships and memories that we’ll cherish the rest of our lives. And we can’t wait to share all of that with our American friends and family over coffee or lunch (probably Mexican or BBQ, let’s be honest).

People keep asking us how we feel about going back to the States. I wish there was a simple answer.

I wish I could just say we’re happy or sad or indifferent about the whole thing. But it’s not simple. It’s complicated. And I’m not sure we ever expected to be as emotionally disoriented as we are.

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