Survival Mode

For the past few months, it has felt like we have been operating in survival mode. We left Georgia with big plans to upgrade our truck and rig, and while we eventually achieved those goals, it was not without a lot of headaches along the way.

Technically, we should have had our new truck when we left Georgia, but with the truck market the way it is and car dealers the way they are, we left with a loaner truck and lots of promises that our new truck would be delivered to us soon (albeit already 2 weeks late).

We made our way to Pennsylvania with plans to pick up (or have it delivered, as the case turned out) our new fifth wheel sight unseen within a week.

Our decision to upgrade our equipment was not one we took lightly, but after living in our travel trailer for over a year and a half, we were at a point where we needed to do something. And the more we thought about it, the more it was obvious to us that we were not ready to settle down…and that settling down would, in fact, be settling. We knew we wanted to slow the pace of our adventure, but we are just not quite done yet.

However, after a cold winter spent largely indoors in Georgia and me starting a position full-time, we were literally busting at the seams. We loved our adventures in Cate, and saying goodbye was tough on all of us, but having more space, a dedicated workspace, and a large common area where we all have a comfortable place to sit when we are forced indoors has been an absolute life-changer.

From the moment we stepped into the fifth wheel (eventually christened Beulah), we knew we were changing our adventure to one where we camped every night to one where we were actually living. This was no longer a short-term fix, it is now our lifestyle.

Our time in Pennsylvania was flooded with drama trying to obtain our truck, fitting in as much time as possible with family, celebrating my and Bird’s birthdays, and all the dentist and doctor’s appointments…on top of moving into a brand new home and doing our best to get fully settled before we hit the road again.

After an unexpected overnight trip to Georgia to thankfully resolve all of the truck drama and two trips to Bedford, Pennsylvania to first pick up the fifth wheel and then to have the hitch installed just the day before we left (already a week late), we finally pointed our new home West and made our way to Colorado for our camp hosting gig that has now turned into us heading South for a winter in Florida.

We have had so many adventures and visited some incredible (and unexpected) places across the many states we have traveled through since April. Even though these adventures may be presented out of chronological order or completely out of geographical context, I hope to slowly update the blog with the highlights of what we have seen along the way and a few updates on what we are up to heading into 2023.

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because He loved us first.
1 John 4:18–19