Have You Lost Your Minds? (and other things you're probably wondering)

 I know people most likely have lots of questions about our pending year-around-the-country trip, so I thought I'd put together a quick blog post with answers to some of the most common ones. If I didn't answer it, feel free to ask. 😀

Cannot WAIT to show after pictures...she's got so much potential!

Are you and Chris crazy?
Quite possibly, yes. But I'm pretty sure a decent amount of insanity is necessary to do this.

Where are you going?
Everywhere! Or nearly. Our general itinerary is the southwest from January to March-ish. Then we'll hit the south before it gets too hot, head to the East coast in the summer and then finally the midwest before winter sets in.

Why?
The answer is multifaceted, but our main reasons for doing this are to broaden our horizons and experience the different cultures of the US. While traveling the world would be the ultimate horizon expanding trip, that isn't very feasible, so we're going to see this country. We're excited to see and get the chance to live life in different parts of the US. We're also looking forward to spending more time as  a family. Chris' job has had times when it is VERY demanding, time wise, and we want to be able to do things like eat dinner together every night and have weekends with him.

What kind of RV did you buy?
We spent months discussing, researching and talking with friends who are also crazy enough to live in an RV full time with four kids and after much thought, we ended up purchasing a 2005 Keystone Raptor (fifth wheel). It's got a fantastic layout, and we've got big plans to make it look like a house and not an RV. Her name is Rosie, and she's going to be pulled by Howard, the Dodge Ram we also recently bought.

So you're taking a year long vacation?
While our trip might seem like a vacation at first glance, it's not. We'll still be doing school during the school year (if this was purely a vacation, we wouldn't be taking math books, haha) and living our normal lives, just in a variety of locations. 

How are you affording all this?
No joke, the YNAB (YouNeedABudget) app is a large portion of how we've been able to save enough for this trip. It's also a combination of selling large items (cars, plane, etc) and some inheritance money. Our current plan is that Chris will be taking a leave of absence from work, but if he needs to work part time on the road or find some seasonal work, we'll make that happen.

The future kids' room

What are you doing with your house?
We're taking advantage of the real estate market and selling. So if you're local and interested in a house on nearly an acre that's close to town (but feels more secluded) and has the best neighbors let me know. 😉

How do your kids feel about the trip?
They're a mix of excited to see all the places and sad to leave their friends. Which, not surprisingly, is exactly the way Chris and I feel. I'm thankful for technology that will let us keep in touch with our people. We've also been working on convincing friends to meet us in various locations, and are excited to see friends and extended family who don't live nearby.

Imagine those lower cabinets in dark teal 😍

Will you go back to T-town when you're done traveling?
We can't say no for sure, but it's very likely we'll end up somewhere else. We don't yet know where that might be. It's possible (but highly unlikely) that we'll fall in love with someplace like Northern Michigan or South Carolina and want to settle down there, but most likely we see ourselves landing someplace in the Idaho/Montana/Wyoming/not California region.

Will you visit us?
Probably! We certainly want to see as many family and friends as we can, and we'll figure out a way to keep everyone updated on where we are and what our next stop is.