Category: Random Musings

An Ode to the US Government

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There are a lot of reasons to be cynical about the US government right now (and we’re definitely cynical about it!) This post is not about that. Our travels across the country have given us a greater appreciation for many of the things the government is doing right. Here’s a list of the some government institutions we now love even more.

The Road and Highway System

We’ve been able to travel almost 30,000 miles in 9 months to some incredible places. It literally would not have been possible without the roads and highways. Thanks to all of the construction workers, civil engineers, and city planners than work hard to make sure we can all get around.

The National Park Service

Human beings don’t have a great history of thinking long-term about the environment. The National Park System is not one of those instances. The foresight of people like John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Marjory Stoneman Douglass, and so many others is something we can still learn from today. We have so many awe-inspiring places in this country with countless people working hard to “preserve and protect” the natural wonders of this world. Visiting the National Parks with children has given us an even greater appreciation for these parks – the Junior Ranger programs, visitor centers, and ranger classes have taught our entire family so much about the natural world and the importance of preserving it for generations to come.

State, County, and Army Corps of Engineers Parks

There are lots of awesome government-run campgrounds all across the country (plus tons of public land with free dispersed camping). We’ve been especially pleased with the affordability of the Army Corps of Engineers parks. While not quite as “glamorous” as the National Parks, these parks provide great opportunities to get outside and enjoy nature, have a barbecue with family or friends, or spend an evening camping under the stars.

The Affordable Care Act

We were a bit nervous about health insurance when we decided to quit our jobs and travel the country. It turns out the ACA is amazing! We were able to get quality, affordable health insurance in a process that’s way more convenient and easy to understand than it used to be. (Although our great experience with the ER in Canada reminded us that the US still has a long ways to go!)

The United States Postal Service

Did you know you can receive an email every day with scanned images of the pieces of mail that will be coming that day? We didn’t! Kimberlee’s mother has been kind enough to check our mail for us while on the road, and this feature has been great for helping us keep an eye out for important pieces of mail. Not to mention that there’s a post office practically everywhere that makes it easy and affordable to send and receive mail.

Public Libraries
In addition to checking out ebooks and audiobooks with the click of a button, libraries have also been a great place to do some work while on the road (free wifi!) Every time we’ve been amazed at how many people are using the libraries – they’ve been packed! Of course we’ve seen lots of people checking out books, but we’ve also seen students studying or working on group projects, people of all ages using the computers (including using them to look for and apply to jobs), and some incredible librarians who seem like they’re working multiple jobs at once as teacher, researcher, social worker, IT support person, customer service rep, oh and librarian as well.

Our country still has a long ways to go to achieve the ideals upon which it was founded. However, these institutions give us hope, help temper our cynicism a bit, make us glad to pay taxes, and motivate us as we strive to form a more perfect union.

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Our August “Plan”

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Hahahaha. PLANNING. We did our best but the universe had some other ideas…

We had finally set a hard departure date of August 2 but a few items have set us back…

  • second house buyer “changing her mind”
  • broken front axel on the Fit
  • broken suspension on the truck
  • dying spark plugs on the Fit
  • dying spark plugs on the truck
  • dying VCT solenoids on the truck
  • undiagnosable engine shaking on the truck (Any ideas? Anyone? Nick’s tried everything.)
  • shaking bumper/bike rack on trailer
  • a leak (or two or three) in the truck topper
  • Eliza got an infected bug bite
  • Nick’s phone screen broke
  • I got an ear infection (at 36? REALLY?)
  • my computer screen broke
  • gas leak in house basement
  • kids deciding now is a great time to be interested in potty training

Nick reminded me the other day that we made a decision to trade stability and predictability for flexibility and spontaneity…so I guess we are getting that now, JUST NOT IN THE WAY I EXPECTED.

ANYWAYS, after a depressing few weeks, we’re finally getting ready for some adventure! In a while we’re going to head up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to meet up with some friends from seminary and then spend some time with Nick’s parents and grandpa. After all those festivities we PLAN to tent camp around and see a few sights. Hopefully nothing else breaks between now and then….I’m not holding my breath.

ALSO BECAUSE THE GAS IS OFF I CAN’T EVEN COOK A FROZEN PIZZA IN THE OVEN RIGHT NOW. WHAT IS LIFE.

I don’t believe that God tests people or sends tribulations to teach a lesson, but I do believe that we can learn about God and life in all our experiences, not just the happy ones. So what am I learning…

For a new plant to grow, first the seed has to die.  Maybe that is what’s happening here…our old life has to die in order to grow a new kind of life and it’s just a lot longer and slower of a process than I thought it would be. I was ready to pull the bandaid off and run away, but that’s just not how its working out. (We’ve been actively leaving since our announcement in February. FEBRUARY!) I’m now required to surrender my pride when well meaning people ask “When are you leaving?” and I just have to say “I don’t know.”

So guess I am learning that I am not in control? GREAT. DOING REALLY WELL WITH IT OVER HERE.

I AM at the wheel of control while Nick and his dad push the Fit down a busy four land road after the axle broke. Luckily I was a block from the Honda dealership so they didn’t have to push TOO far!

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A Midsummer Night’s Update (Or How We Tried to Stop Worrying and Write a Blog)

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It’s been awhile since we’ve posted because…well…things have been interesting. We’re trying to keep a good balance between our anxiety and being optimistic, and I’d say we’re doing a decent job as you can see from this chart:

How I'm Feeling
The biggest hurdle we’re facing right now is selling our house. Two weeks ago we had a contract with a buyer signed and we were excited to hit the road at the end of July! Unfortunately, the deal ended up falling through, so we’ve had to relist and start the search over. This means keeping the house clean, dealing with showings, and all that real estatey goodness.

There are other stresses as well: no longer receiving a paycheck and having a mortgage to pay, the fear of the Affordable Care Act being stripped down which would make our health insurance while on the road more expensive, and trying to decide which type of frozen pizza to buy from the grocery store. But those are all minor compared to the stress of selling a house.

We’re still optimistic we can hit the road this summer. In the meantime, I’ll be doing some freelance web design work to bring in some money as needed, and we might start eating frozen pizza for 2 meals each day instead of just one. Which wouldn’t be half bad 🙂

In all seriousness, sure, life has been a bit stressful. But we’re not being forced out of our home, we’re not one of 22 million people at risk of losing health insurance entirely, we’re not being shot because of the color of our skin, and we’re incredibly privileged to even have the opportunity to think about this sort of adventure.

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