Reflecting on Life on the Road

Well, I'd say this post is long overdue as it's been almost three months since we left behind our home in British Columbia to embark on life on the road. Over these two months I have had a lot of time to think about what this journey means to not only me, but also to our family. 

Nolan loves being thrown in the air! {Washington - April)

When we first left BC I thought to myself, "what if we made a mistake?", but since that first time that question honestly hasn't crossed my mind since. There was some adjusting for me to things like showers in the trailer and sometimes at RV resorts (not always as nice as showering in your own home) and laundry at RV resorts (we've had some iffy incidents), but overall I adjusted better than I had expected. At the end of the day, the adventure and time together outweighs anything that we may perceive as a negative.

Back in BC - May 2016

We're still working on living with less. I mean, we did sell the majority of our stuff, but some things didn't sell and some things we wanted to keep for when we do settle down in one place again. Since we're unsure of where we will end up, we've managed to fill a 5x10 storage unit until we find our home. 

As we go, things have left the trailer as well. Living with access only to a small closet, both Brett and I have realized we only wear a very curated collection of clothing. We definitely don't need as much as we had before. Out of season clothes are stored under our bed in suitcases and then our small selection of favourite seasonal clothes are in our closet. 

It's harder with children, we don't want to, nor can we force Halle to get rid of things that she loves, but considering she is only four she is very good at donating items she no longer loves or plays with. She got a lot of nice toys while we were in Florida, and once we got back to BC her and I went through all of her toys and she picked a lot to donate which lightened the load a little. This has also helped us to realize how little they need. Halle uses her imagination far more when we are just out in nature hiking and exploring the natural world around us. 

Nolan loves finding sticks and rocks and just playing in the dirt

We still have a long way to go before we are truly "minimalists". You can't just get rid of all of your stuff overnight, it takes time and effort but we'll get there since our focus at the moment is our family. 

To me the best part is the adventure, the unknown and the time spent together. As I have mentioned previously most days we start out and see where we end up. Brett drives and I keep my eyes on the Road Atlas to direct us to our next destination. 

Halle had a blast fishing at the trout farm we camped at in Mission, BC back in early May

When I think of life before everything changed, I know that we were happy. Life had found a happy routine for the most part but Halle and I missed Brett on those long days that he was at work. Is that "normal"? Yes, for most people, but it's not the life we want to live anymore. In the months surrounding Brett leaving his job a lot happened to remind us just how short and precious life can be - so why aren't we together enjoying it and doing the things that we love? Will we spend the rest of our life on the road travelling? No, probably not. Will we find jobs we love that still give us plenty of time together and to see great places? YES! Will we spend money on travel and experiences instead of "things" and "stuff" that take up time and space! Absolutely! That will always remain our focus moving forward.

Hiking at Rolley Lake Provincial Park in BC

Admittedly, not every day is perfect. Somedays we are tired and cranky, and somedays our children are a handful to deal with... just like any other kid. Our lives are still not "perfect", but we are all so much happier at the moment. We're exploring and seeing sights that some people may never see in their lifetime. For that, we are extremely thankful. 

Rolley Lake Provincial Park in BC

The other day I said to Brett, "At the end of each year, I always wonder how the next year will top it! I really didn't think 2016 could be better than 2015, but look at this! How could 2017 possibly be any better?". Yes, we still have half a year ahead of us to enjoy and soak up... but I'm already intrigued to see how our future plays out after this. All I know, is we'll continue to live it to the fullest.

On Time...

For so long, I seemed to spend my days waiting for Brett to get home, waiting for the weekends or a holiday. There always seemed to be a focus on what came next, next, next. Time would either drag on endlessly or fly by while I attempted to freeze it for just a moment longer. There was never a happy middle point,  but sometime over these past two weeks we've all been learning how to enjoy the little moments.

The beach in Manzanita

As I write this, we've only been on the road for about two weeks, but in a good way it feels so much longer. We've seen and done so much in this short time, but most importantly we've smiled, laughed and created some awesome memories. 

We're not glancing at the clock that often these days. We aren't worried about when and where we need to be, and to be honest we're not evening rushing the kids off to bed at the end of the day because we're all enjoying our time together. We go to sleep at night, happily exhausted from a day of exploring and laughing together and we usually sleep until 7:30 or 8 in the morning. If it's a day that we need to check out, we eat and once we're finished we have a routine of cleaning up, getting dressed, packing up and heading out. Somehow, by the time we all pile into the car we'll find that it's right on time for us to be checking out of our site. 

An evening walk together as a family

Our driving days usually work out well with our schedule. Nolan's morning nap usually lines up nicely with our departure time, so he'll fall asleep easily in the car. If it's a short day of driving (2 or 2.5 hours), he usually sleeps most of the drive. If our day is longer, we'll usually stop after 2 hours of driving for lunch, eat, stretch our legs and maybe explore, depending on where we are, then Nolan takes his second nap as we continue driving.

I'm seeing time, especially as a family, very different these days. The days are happier and easier when we're all together. There isn't as much to take our focus away from each other. There isn't a big house to clean and keep tidy, no bills to pay, or other things that need our immediate attention, other than being with each other. 

These are the exact reasons why we did this. Quiet moments being together, evenings by the campfire, bed time cuddles, playing at the playground, running on the beaches, exploring the Redwoods. This may not be life forever for us, but it's life for the next few months. It's a chance for us to change the way we view our lives and our priorities. I hope that wherever we set down roots in the coming months, we can take these memories and lessons with us. I hope we always remember that creating these memories together are what is most important, and that we continue to focus on experiences rather than items. 

True love - their bond continues to grow and blossom

We are only given so much time here. So much time with our children while they are small... and so much time to love these people and places. We plan on doing our best to take advantage of each and every one of those moments as best as we can, and I hope you all do too. 

From BC to Long Beach

Well, here we are... life on the road has begun. We ran into some minor car trouble on Friday, but lucked out when we found a friendly mechanic to take a listen and diagnose it as soon as Brett thought something was up. The downside is that we had to wait until today to have it repaired in a town about an hour from where our reservations for Friday and Saturday night were. I'll dive into that more in my next post, but for now I want to share how our first few days on the road have treated us.

Last Tuesday was our final day at the house and it was madness. We lucked out and had a few friends lend a hand on Monday night and Tuesday morning with some of our last minute stuff, but even with everyone's help it was just after 5pm before we drove away from our house.

We had a few stops to make before we crossed the border, but we crossed easily. After the day we had, we figured that we all deserved a little treat so we stopped at one of our favourite places for ice cream - Edaileen Diary in Sumas, Washington. Brett jokingly told the lady that he wanted the "super extra-large" cone, and she did not disappoint.

Brett's giant ice cream at Edaileen Diary

That first night we had made reservations pretty close to the border, in La Conner so it made our first drive pretty quick. The sunset that night was gorgeous - the sky turned the most beautiful shades of pink, orange, blue and purple. It was the most beautiful sunset I had seen in a long time and a perfect start to this adventure. 

By the time we arrived at our first resort it was just after 9pm and the campsite was dark. Since it wasn't busy, we were able to pick any site that we wanted, so we found once that backed onto the water. In the morning we were pleasantly surprised to find that we were not only close to the beach, but also the playground which Halle loved.

Nolan started pulling himself to standing on everything the day that we moved out. So he now loves looking out the trailer window by the dinette with his big sister

It was so wonderful to wake up that first morning with nothing pressing on our agenda and nowhere to be. We had reservations that night in Elma, Washington - only because it was a good stopping point between La Conner and Long Beach. When we checked in the previous night we had been told that we could stay as long as we wanted the next day, so we lounged around together and enjoyed a stroll along the beach and some play time at the park before lunch.

Our view from the trailer door on our first morning in La Conner

Even the pups are enjoying this adventure so far

Our biggest mistake was leaving after 3 which left us in awful traffic in Seattle. What should have been about 2 hours, turned into a 5 hour drive and we arrived in Elma after dark. When we first exited the highway, we drove about 10 minutes past the RV Park before we stopped to ask for directions, at what turned out to be a dispensary. When we finally arrived at Elma RV, the host Dennis was nice enough to come out and meet us to provide us with the late night check in info and to guide us into a pull-thru spot (which makes life a lot easier with a big pick up and a 30' trailer). Our late arrival meant that Elma was strictly a sleeping spot. When we woke up in the morning Brett made breakfast, did our "check-in/check-out" with Dennis (who loaded us up with delicious chocolate chip cookies), and then we left around 11 for our drive to Long Beach.

Pretty standard - Nolan standing and Halle, his constant protector

The drive was lovely and we were at Long Beach by around 1pm. We checked in, dropped off the trailer on our site and headed into town for some lunch. We had a quick bite at Hungry Harbour and then went for a walk so Halle could pick out some postcards to mail to her friends. Next came the most important part of the trip - time to play on the beach.

It was a muddy, mucky walk on the first half of the trail from the RV park to the beach, but once we arrived it was well worth it. The beach was all ours, with the exception of a few trucks that passed by us a couple of times. Nolan fell asleep in the carrier on Brett, so after snapping a few pictures, Halle and I got her kite out too fly it for a bit.

When she got tired of that, all she wanted to do was run in and out of the waves with me... so we did. We ran, we laughed, we yelled, we played in the sand and we got totally soaked and sandy. The whole time I just kept thinking "This is the best Thursday ever"! I felt so alive and lucky that afternoon that I got to spend my day playing on the beach with my favourite people. I know it meant a lot to Halle as well, she kept telling me how much she loved me, and then had me draw a picture in the sand of us playing in the waves, and a big heart over our heads. She reproduced the picture on paper when we got back to the trailer and hung it over her bed. 

I love that she dressed in sequins to play on the beach

Life has moved at a different pace these past few days. We haven't relied on the clock, or really worried about the time unless we are packing up. Even then, we rarely know what time it is until we pile into the car to move on. 

This new adventure of ours started less than a week ago, but already we've had our ups and downs. From a whiney 4 year old, who at times misses friends and "home" (which we very much expected), to our recent car troubles - the downs have been minimal. The ups however are so great. The family time, playing, watching the kids laugh and explore together, the incredible sites we have seen. I can only imagine what other wonderful things we'll see and do over these next few months on the road. In the moments when I find myself missing home and wondering if we've done the right thing, I look around remember I am living a dream. Not many people will get to do this in a lifetime. Not many people will visit all of these places that will we see and I am so thankful and so excited for the opportunity to do this with my little family.

We've seen so much already and I can't wait to share more photos of our time in Oregon later this week. For now, back to the family...

On Big Life Changes

Am I making this sound easy? Just sell all our stuff, move into a trailer and travel for a while... then move to the other side of the country. Piece of cake, right? Well, not so much. This whole process, while extremely liberating, exciting and freeing, has been equal parts scary, emotional and stressful. Many nights I lay awake wondering if we're doing the right thing, if we will miss our life here and all of those other late night nagging thoughts. This sh*t is hard! Excuse the language.

While we are crazy busy finalizing plans and downsizing, I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once everything is done here, we will be out there exploring and spending more time together doing the things that we want. Today's post is a little more personal, giving you a bit more insight into some of the crazy and emotional thoughts running through my head recently. 

Are we doing the right thing? Well, YES! Of course we think we are. A couple of years ago, Brett's sister came to visit and told us she was thinking of quitting her job to go back to school. Her decision would bring her and her fiance to the opposite side of the country and be a huge life change. We cheered her on, encouraged her and told her that sometimes you just need to let go and trust it will all work out. Now we find ourselves taking our own advice. While we have done a lot to prepare for this new chapter in our lives, there is still so much left to do and there are a ton of unknowns in the months ahead. Despite the stresses, I keep reminding myself the most important thing is that we will all be together, and we have friends and family who support us in what we are doing.

Our very first visit to Vancouver in March 2012 to find a home

I often remind myself that only four short years ago we were just visiting British Columbia for the first time. Back then I was thrilled that our little family would have the opportunity to live in and explore one of Canada's most beautiful provinces. At the same time, in the back of my mind I was terrified of this big change. We were leaving behind our families and friends to move to the opposite side of the country, and we had no idea if we'd like it. When we arrived, we did our best to embrace it. We met so many wonderful people, went on fantastic adventures and made the most of our time out here, rain or shine. We learned that change is hard and scary, but so worth it. We also learned that going into something with a positive attitude and outlook can drastically effect the outcome of any situation. So this is exactly how we will move forward on our new adventures.

Will we miss our life here? OF COURSE! I bring myself to the brink of tears almost daily thinking about the friends we are leaving behind and all of the things we still want to do. We didn't build our life here overnight. It took a long time to make this place feel like home, and we are surrounded by some seriously awesome friends that have become our family. I will miss them dearly, but they are also the best reasons for us to come back and visit as often as possible.

July 2012 - our first trip to Vancouver Island with our friends who we now consider family

Each night as I snuggle the kids to sleep, I look around whichever bedroom I am in and think of all of the wonderful family moments we have shared here and my heart aches a little. I know at the end of the day a home is strictly bricks and mortar, and it's the people and memories we make that truly matter. Saying good-bye is never easy, and leaving this home where Halle grew into a little woman and where Nolan was born, will not be easy.

The hardest part by far is knowing that Halle struggles with it. We're doing our best to keep communication open with her, while not burdening her with unnecessary details or worry. We stay positive when we discuss it with her or in front of her, and she's enjoyed things like picking out our new truck and trailer. But still, she'll frequently approach us out of the blue, with a tinge of anxiety in her voice and announce, "I need Mama/Dada snuggles" and we know that she's feeling nervous or anxious about what is to come.

We talk about how we will miss our friends and our home, but we will visit and we will make new friends. She knows that we'll have a new house with lots of space to run and play and she'll get to help us decorate her new bedroom... she may also get a cat. I am most reassured when I think about how much she loves travelling, nature and adventure, and how she will flourish with all of these new experiences.

As much as we are about to set out on an adventure we have always dreamed of, I am still feeling small bits of worry along the way. It won't always be easy, but I know deep down it will most definitely be worth it.

When One Door Closes...

January 13th, 2016, a day we always want to remember. That day brought about a big change that at the time felt scary and uncertain. 

The morning started out pretty normal, taking it easy with the kids. After our baby woke from his nap, I left our 4 year old on our bed watching her favourite show while I took a shower. When I emerged from the bathroom, I was shocked to find that she was no longer alone. My husband, Brett, sat on the bed with her and by the look on his face I could tell the news was not good.

That morning he had been let go at work, for what we believe was a cost cutting measure. They paid him more than adequate severance, but it shook us to the core. We hadn't seen it coming and felt abandoned on the West Coast. 4 years prior, we had up and moved from Toronto to just outside of Vancouver for his company, leaving behind our family and friends, with a 9 month old baby. It had been rough, but his company was wonderful and we felt secure and confident in our decision to move.

When he was let go in January we realized that it was time to reassess how we were living our life, and what we wanted for our family. For close to two years, Brett had been commuting 3+ hours a day and putting in over 60 hours a week so that we could afford our big comfortable home and consumer lifestyle. Most of the time he spent with myself and the children was on weekends and the few family vacations we would plan each year. He was starting to feel as if he was missing out on our kids growing up.

While he easily could've gone out and acquired another job in his field we realized that, that was not necessarily what we wanted. We started doing some online research, followed by meeting with our realtor and investment manager and quickly realized that our options were greater than we had initially thought.

With a lot of research we confidently began to tell family and friends that we were choosing the road less travelled. Our plan was to sell our home, pack a trailer and drive from the West Coast of Canada to the East Coast to purchase a small home on a large piece of property. We no longer wanted the hustle and bustle of a busy life, but rather we desired a slower pace and more simplified life.

Walkins Wanders is our outlet to share our journey to that simple life, and our road trip adventures along the way.