Wow! Today marks our 377th night in our camper! Almost exactly a year ago, Brian and I were taking a walk, talking about how camping had completely revitalized our family. Hesitatingly, I brought up an idea that had been plaguing me for days, one that I felt drawn toward. I'm pretty sure I probably said something like, "You're probably gonna think this is completely crazy, but...."
The crazy thing turned out to be when Brian told me he'd been thinking about the same thing for several days. We both felt it was placed upon our hearts- this huge tug to do this crazy, completely nontraditional, people are gonna think we've lost our marbles, thing- pack up and hit the road in our camper, living full-time in an RV and traveling the US with our babies before they get too old. And thus The Dream was born.
It's been a crazy, chaotic, sort of downer of a time lately. We've felt stalled, stuck, like we're getting nowhere with our dream. We've been questioning ourselves-
"Is this really doable? Can we live full time in a camper?"
"Will this ever work out for us?"
"Is this really what God wants us to do?"
"What can we do to help us hit the road?"
"Does anyone read the blog? Do they care if we post or not?"
"What can we do to engage more of our audience?"
"Are we crazy?" (Dear readers, do you ever feel this way???)
Sometimes it's so easy to look at how much farther you have to go, rather than turning around to see how far you've come. I guess it's the glass half empty kind of thing. Tonight, instead of staring ahead into that seemingly insurmountable abyss that represents our dream and how far away from it we are, we turned around.
We looked behind us to see how far we've come in those 377 days since we last slept in our sticks and bricks home. And, wow! We've come a long way, baby! In 377 days, we've....
- Sucessfully roadschooled one child, and will be adding the second to our own BCCS (Beasley Camping Charter School)
- Secured two campground hosting positions, each for 1/2 of the year.
- Started this blog
- Started a Facebook Page
- Started a Pinterest Page
- Been featured in an advertising campaign on Jayco's Facebook Page about camping memories
- Been contacted by a producer of a new television show about potentially appearing on TV
- Been featured in a local newspaper article about our campground
- Been interviewed for an upcoming article about roadschooling in Cobblestone Magazine
- Happily lived together in a 31 by 8 foot camper and adapted to thriving in such a small spacce
- Met dozens of new friends in the campground
- Started writing an ebook on family camping activities
- Adopted a completely different lifestyle- one that's certainly not for everyone- but that feels right for us
Have we achieved our dream yet? No. We're still working on the sponsorship or money-making on the road details that will allow us to pull up roots and travel the US with our kiddos. Are we a whole lot closer? You betcha!
I love that you are making your dream come true. I think we give up when it seems to be taking to long or when we hit a road block- way to often. I have been researching and daydreaming about life on the road for awhile now, you should be proud that you are taking steps and enjoy the adventure:-)
ReplyDeleteAmie, Thanks for the words of encouragement. That is so very true- and a habit I really need to break! Thanks for stopping by, and good luck on your dream as well
ReplyDeleteLisa
I have to say, your blog was one of the first that I ran across when I first decided to pursue Fulltime Family RVing. And today I came back, looking to see if you were on the road yet ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd seeing your struggle, but also your determination and upbeat attitude- this is encouragement, indeed. Please keep posting. If not for yourself, do it for us. You never know when your words can be a great encouragement to some random person who has never even been in an RV yet... (me)
Love and Luck to your family and your dream!