The last few months have been a whirlwind.  So many questions to answers, so many things to figure out.  Should we get an RV or a 5th wheel?  Where should we get a storage unit? How much is it?  But slowly,  little by little we have been answering all these questions. I’m not going to lie and say there haven’t been nights that I wake up thinking, “WHAT ARE WE DOING?” But most days I picture us, driving on the open road, in our new home, off to a new destination, and it fills me with joy and excitement.  So for now, here are the things we know.

WHEN ARE YOU LEAVING?

Sometime towards the end of July.  We live in the best place to spend summer so the idea is to enjoy our summer here and be back around the same time next year.

ARE YOU CAMPING THE WHOLE TIME?

We have purchased our beautiful RV with the idea that most of the time on the road will be spent living in it.  However, we are towing a car because there will be times when we plan on staying in hotels or VRBOs.  In big cities, such as Chicago, Boston, New York, and Washington DC we will most likely store the rig to explore.

DO YOU HAVE EVERYTHING MAPPED OUT?

NO. We are leaving in late July off to Utah, then Colorado.  We will stay in South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore and then we will cruise through different stops in August to get to Maine before it gets cold and through the northeast for the fall foliage.  We really want to see the leaves and the colors we’ve heard so much about and spend time at John “Hutch’s” family’s cabin.  We will also be cruising through Boston in September to hang with my best friend and college roommate Sun and her awesome crew and we are planning to spend Halloween in New York with Aimee and her family.  We will then zig-zag our way through the Appalachian mountains and the Atlantic Coast as winter progresses.  Eventually, all the way down to the Florida Keys.  That’s pretty much as far as we’ve gotten.  We will keep you posted as plans are unfolding.  We would love for friends and family to meet us along the way.

ARE YOU GOING TO HOME SCHOOL THE KIDS?

YES. I will be leaving my position at Kinoshita and taking a leave of absence from my job.  I have been at Kino for 16 years and that will be a very emotional good bye for me.  As most of you know I teach 4th grade and the twins will be in 4th grade next year.  So, we thought it would be a perfect time for me to home school them.  Our “baby” will be in 3rd grade, which I have also taught, so while the idea of teaching my own kids frightens me – I know at least, I’ve got the curriculum part down.

IS JOHN TAKING TIME OFF FROM HIS BUSINESS?

NO.  If you know my husband you know he is passionate about his business and he will continue to work from the road.  He has clients and colleagues all over the country and will often fly home to see clients and his business partner Ben.  Ben will maintain the office and activity in SC.  It’s because of his hard work and ability to help clients wherever he is that we are fortunate enough to take this trip.