So Refreshing!

 

Want to take a dip in the same pool of water as Billy the Kid?

Then go to Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, New Mexico! Now it is a popular attraction and easy to get to from the interstate. It is a good place to bring your kids and yourself on a hot day or even a cool day like it was when we went!

It is 80ft around, 80ft deep and always 61 degrees. It is an underground spring that puts out 3,000 gallons of water a minute and keeps this rock hole in the desert full! There are under water caves that people have died in while trying to explore and map them, but do not worry they have had it gated off to the public since 1976. They think the underground cave system may somehow be connected to Carlsbad Caverns but the caves are so big and complex they are not sure.

I liked it a lot! It was cold! Paisley and I jumped off a 20ft cliff into it. It took a lot of nerve to do that! L wasn’t old enough to go off the big cliff but he was the first one in. So if you are ever passing through New Mexico make sure you stop and take a dip!

G

( This is the first of many guest posts from the kids. Part of their school is researching places we visit and learning how to edit a video, as well as , improve their writing skills. Just one of the many ways we incorporate learning while traveling.)

 

 

 

Lots of Miles, So Little Time

 

 

I’ve kind of fallen behind on blogging. It’s not that I am not thinking of it. I am. I have so many blogs started in my head, and on my phone’s notepad and even in emails to myself. I’ve got a million and one pictures documenting our journey. But I have not had the time or the energy to finish anything.

In the past 28 days:

• We’ve driven 2000 miles ( 1200 of which were just over the past 4 days),
• We’ve flown to Las Vegas and back on quick 4 day parent getaway,
• I’ve been a single parent for a week while Shawn was on business in OK and I opted to stay put with the kids.
• We’ve handled all loose ends in Nashville, including Dr visits.
• And somehow, I’m still sane. ( At least I’m trying to pretend I am.)

But we have finally landed in New Mexico. It’s going to our home base for a bit. We will still be mobile, but some work stuff came up and we decided it would be best for us to head west for a bit. And honestly, we love it here, so it’s win/win.

It wasn’t on our itinerary to be back in this area until July but when Shawn approached me with the idea 4 weeks ago to chuck our original route out and head west, I agreed wholeheartedly. That’s the beauty of this lifestyle:  we can make these types of decisions and have the complete flexibility to change our plans when we need to.

So here we are, again, in the Land of Enchantment. I’ll be soaking in these views and taking a deep breath before I continue on. As soon as, we get settled in I will share more from these last few weeks. Even though they’ve been exhausting, they have been absolutely amazing, challenges and all.

 

How Do You Do It?

I get asked this question a lot.

I think it is because we are choosing to live outside the “normal”, Shawn working from home, homeschooling ( now roadschooling), 5 kids, living in an RV, getting rid of most of our belongings, kids with some crazy food allergies.

There’s a lot that is “different” about us, but we are still like everyone else.

I still have bad days, we still have struggles, our kids act like kids, some days I question everything and just want to give up. But we’ve committed ourselves to our vision. I try to act and react with that in mind and when it all falls apart I take a moment and start all over again. If you were with us every day, you’d see all the imperfections along with the beautiful moments we share. But at the end of the day I choose to focus on those moments of beauty.

So how do I do it? How do I juggle 5 kids? Eating healthy? Taking adventures?

Homeschooling? Working around a husband that works in the RV?

I just do the best I can every day. When I fail, I give myself a redo. And at the end of the day I reflect on those beautiful moments and use them to inspire me in the days that follow. I am here, I am alive and I choose to live the life that fulfills me even when it’s not the easiest path.

 

Stop #1

We started our full timing off with 5 days in a friend’s driveway near Columbus, OH. It was a nice way to break in the RV and to catch up with our friends. The kids were thrilled because they have a really cool piece of property. So cool, in fact, that we never even left their house. Which was perfect!

They have several acres with a creek and a forested area, they have chickens and a zipline, they have access to a swinging bridge that goes over the creek. What more could you ask for!

On Friday a mutual friend joined us from Cleveland bringing our kid count up to 10! It was a blast for the adults and kids alike. I got some much needed grown up conversation and the kids all got to catch up and get reacquainted with their friends. Good food and good company abounded!

Sunday was Easter so we got to experience dyeing eggs together and an egg hunt on Sunday morning. Each child was allotted 10 eggs and it was fun to watch them help each other out and encourage the younger kids to get an egg.  One of my favorite parts of watching a multi age group is seeing how they can all work together. It gives the older kids a chance to become leaders and nurturers and the younger kids a chance to look up to someone and feel encouraged by bigger kids.

The 5 days passed much too quickly but we treasured the opportunity to easily visit with friends who are usually several states away. Just one of the many perks of having and RV and traveling full time is the opportunity to catch up with friends all over the country!

Ready, Set, Go. . . Pull over, pull over, pull over.

I took most everything personally in my early years. For instance, if my baseball team lost a game by one run and I had batted 3 for 4, then I would have felt like it was my fault that we lost since I didn’t go 4 for 4. After five kids I have learned that things will happen and to accept it for what it is.

We had some moments during our launch date that I want to record to make it known that everything wasn’t smooth or perfect…but we handled it with cool heads and it all worked out. A few moments to share:

• We got the interior of the RV ready to set out on the road, trailer hooked up, engine was humming as we said our goodbyes and the kids were all strapped into their seats. Tiffany got in the van to start it up and the battery was dead. The van battery has never died. Small, anticlimactic moment in the “launch”.
• Five minutes on the road and I noticed one of the storage compartment doors blowing in the wind. I pulled over before we got to the 4-way stop in Leo. Rookie mistake!
• Tiffany called 30 minutes into the drive because the fire escape window blew open and was flapping in the wind.
• I noticed another storage compartment door blew open an hour into the drive. That’s it! I got out on the state road and locked all the doors. Ugh.
• Tiffany called again because the kids in the van were screaming. We got separated on the road and she didn’t have any snacks. They were in the middle of nowhere and she was facing three meltdowns at one time.
• Tiffany called me about three hours into the drive and asked me to pull over because T threw up everywhere. We rarely (once in seven years) have had someone get sick in the car. Seriously! What on Earth was going on?
• It took 30 minutes to get in our friends’ driveway because they had to chainsaw so many tree limbs so the RV could fit down the lane.

Although frustrating, we did realize that all of these things were trivial and everything would be fine. It’s uncharted territory and we are figuring out some of the details as we go, such as communicating exact RV size and checking (and double checking) all doors and compartments before we take off.  We were about an hour later than expected to our first destination in Columbus, OH, but everyone was healthy (including T). Our stay ended up being great despite the rough start!