Two steps forward...

… you know the drill.  Right now it feels like we've taken 10 steps back.  Last week the sale of the house fell through and since then we've only had a few showings.  It’s a bit of a let down, especially considering how crazy it was right before the offer came in.  I know that some of that is the long weekend and some is the weather.  Currently it’s raining buckets, and I mean rainfall warning and everything kind of buckets.  Not exactly house hunting weather.  Knowing all this doesn't make me feel any better though.  

And to make matters more frustrating, this weekend is the city wide garage sale.  A perfect opportunity to offload some of that pile that’s in my garage.  Except for the rain and the possibility of showings. Grrr.

I know this is all temporary, and that we'll be able to move forward again soon, but right now I feel bogged down in mental mud.  

Make a decision already!

I have been driving myself and hubby absolutely crazy trying to choose an RV.  And I’m so done!  And yet we still haven ‘t bought the trailer…  So many things to consider – floor plan, cost, amenities, age, features, suitability for full-timing...  The list is endless!  I know I’m over thinking it all. I know I should just choose one and be content.  I mean, it’s not like I haven’t done my research. And anyone who knows me knows I never jump into anything blind. But is all this angst and worrying really helpful?  It’s just a part of who I am. Perhaps this journey will help me to let it go. 

In comparison, finding the truck was a cake-walk. There’s only three possible options when you need a dually.

Make a decision already!  

Making Connections

It’s funny. In the eleven years we've been here in Airdrie, I have never felt so connected to the community as I have since we decided to leave it. Maybe it’s just finally noticing all the things this vibrant fast growing community has to offer, knowing that we won’t be here to be part them, or maybe it’s that I finally have something to share, something to talk about. Since we've decided to head out on our adventure I've had long conversations with people that I have barely or never spoke to before. I've laughed more and shared more.  And I’m a pretty reserved person – well, to be more accurate, I’m terribly shy when it comes to sharing my life. Funny that this journey of ours has prompted me to start a blog and do exactly that!

It helps that it’s also (finally!) spring, and people are outside again after a long winter. And this winter has been long! Airdrie at the moment reminds me of a bear coming out of hibernation, shaking the sleepiness of the cold dark season off its shoulders. 

At the same time as I’m rediscovering our own community, I've discovered a whole vibrant community of people and families who travel, whether it be in an RV, around the world by plane or by boat or by bicycle.  There’s just something welcoming about these wonderful unconventional families that make me already feel a part of that community, even though I've never met any of them in person.  Check out some of them at http://www.familiesontheroad.com/fotr.html.  

The beginning

Yesterday was a crazy day, and seems a fitting place to start this blog.  Ten days ago, after a whole month of preparation, we put our house on the market.  Yesterday we got an offer – unexpectedly.  And we received it while driving 2 hours to look at a truck.  Not the smartest idea to be negotiating two major deals at the same time, but it all turned out.  We bought our truck!  And accepted an offer on our house!  So much change all at once and a bit overwhelming.  These steps bring us so much closer to where we’re going but the enormity of it all is terrifying.  I admit, I shed a few tears last night when it all came crashing in.  We just sold our house and don’t yet have somewhere to move in to.  Yikes!  We just got a vehicle that is waaay more truck than anything we would ever normally need.  What the heck are you doing?!

Well, it all began years ago.  A discontent that began creeping in.  A desire to make some kind of change in the usual routine.  To think bigger and not spend my life – and my family’s life in an endless round of work and school and kid’s activities.  A feeling that solidified over the last while into a plan.  After much discussion we decided to make some big changes to our lives.  In July we will set off across North America for a year or maybe longer to explore, learn and show our children (and us!) more of what this amazing continent has to offer. 

It’s most definitely scary to commit to the decision to uproot ourselves from our stable life, sell our house and most of our belongings and move into 400 square feet, but it’s also freeing.  And we, as a family, feel the rewards will be enormous.   And right now, as all the steps we need to take to get ready for departure day seem insurmountable, I know that we can do it, because it’s worth it.  Time to take an enormous breath, or two or three or six and keep moving forward.