What the hell are we doing?

Exactly.

The short answer is making the biggest, wildest decision of our lives to live our one best life.

The long answer is captured in this post.

I have always been 2 things. A no-holds-barred adventurer and a serial monogamist in life. I know what you are thinking. That makes absolutely no sense. Yep, I know- but stay with me. I love routine. The dependability and stability of it, what I can expect and when, like most people do. But, I also, and more dominantly, thrive on not knowing where I might end up next. What adventure I can get myself into. For this reason, I have worked at the same company for 20 years (I still can’t believe they hired a 5 year old…) and yet I have done research projects in the Bahamas and Costa Rica (in the actual rainforest, with no running water or electricity), went to Germany for a bit. Traveled to some of the most amazing places in the world with no plan or itinerary, and journeyed on endless, aimless road trips. And, it’s in these moments I have this sheer sense of wonder and excitement- it’s these moments I feel most like myself and have been truly happy.

A little over 10 years ago, I met my proverbial match. I met a man who loved adventure as much as me- but who also has a much better way of planning and thinking through scenarios. If you know anything about the Enneagram, I am a 7 and he is a 6 (7’s are a “leap then look, everything in life is awesome and fun and good and the more adventure, the better.” 6’s are a “plan every single scenario and pitfall before even toeing the line, and then once you get to said line, rethink every scenario just to be safe). Now that you are armed with that knowledge, know that once upon a time, I dreamed up an adventure to go spur-of-the-moment adventure camping- and it was going to be awesome. Got home from work, told Justin to pack his bag and the dogs. We drove for 4 hours to “the campsite,” but since I didn’t do my due diligence, I never actually checked the address to make sure it was the right place. We ended up driving 4 hours to find it was the state park administration building, and not an actual campsite. One other caveat? The campgrounds hadn’t even opened yet for the season. So, we got to drive (a very long) 4 hour drive back home. And now, Justin handles those logistics.

Fast forward to this summer. We all go through tough stuff. And, we all handle it differently. I had gone through some tough stuff, and wasn’t handling it the way I should, and decided to get some help. During this time, I was stripped away from just about everything that defined me (in the best way possible). Most notably, my job and my presumed identity for the last 2 decades of my life. While I certainly felt a lot of pride for the time I put in, the relationships and the things I had accomplished, I also knew that there was something incredible, and more “me” just on the other side of this one career. And, being gone for 4 months allowed me to see that more clearly, and let go. And then I decided it was time to also let go of the physical things holding me back. Meaning- all of the shit I have collected or held onto for the last 37 years. And, in case you are wondering, it is a lot of shit. Marie Kondo said it best that if it doesn’t give you joy, get rid of it. So that is what I did. I found a box of notes from 7th grade to the end of high school, and while the nostalgia was fun, there is no reason I needed to have these things. I purged and purged and my god did it feel good. I took trips to Goodwill and Savers. I developed relationships with the nice folks at the donation centers. I was on a “get rid of shit” high. Then Justin and I had “the” conversation.

“Babe, what if we sold the house?”

“I mean, it’s beautiful, and we love it and everything… it’s just too big and too much and I don’t love my job enough for it to justify paying such a ridiculous mortgage on it.”

And, Justin agreed.

It’s a big deal to sell your home, at least to me. This was our first home, and with the help of an amazing friend, we flipped it (and had the BEST 2 weeks of absolute debauchery doing it), got married in the backyard, had all of our babies (dogs) here, where they got to experience a fenced in yard for the first time… had incredible family visits, friend visits. It has seen so much love. But you don’t hold on to something because of that. When you do, you are holding yourself back from experiencing new and more amazing adventures to come.

And so, on the market it went. It wasn’t long before we found the perfect buyers (and I may or may not have a new best friend I have yet to meet). Now it was time to figure out where our next step was.

And that, that next step is the whole reason for this blog.

We didn’t go house hunting. We went camper hunting. I decided I am not my company (interestingly enough, the tagline this year is “I am” said company…). I also realized that Corporate America, sales, retail and a 9-5 is also not me, and found my calling helping others. And so, while this adventure unfolds, I am working to become a certified Life Coach and Enneagram Coach with the goal of helping others realize what they want out of this life, who they want to be and how to get there. Side note: That absolutely includes you. I will have my website up soon.

Our plan is to get in the camper and go. Where we stop, nobody knows… kidding. Everyone will know, we just haven’t landed on a place yet for the winter.

So what does that mean?

That means…

No more snowy winters. I like snow for all of 30 seconds and then I am absolutely over it.

More time outside doing things we love (dog hikes, bike rides, camping, stargazing, bonfire-ing, kayaking, getting lost, EXPLORING AND LIVING LIFE)

No mortgage. No electric bill. No gas bill. No cable bill. No credit card bill (need not, want not- folks). No car payments.

Although it may seem counter-intuitive, we are going to have a much smaller carbon footprint. Yes, it takes gas to get where we need to go- but once we get there, I won’t be wasting gas on a 40-mile daily round trip journey to and from work in a “too big for me but big enough for all of our dogs” SUV, or many other journeys for that matter. Our camper is solar ready. We have been practicing the art of zero waste. We won’t have nearly the same amount of stuff, nor will we have a ton of space to collect. We won’t be able to freely use as much water (though we really don’t use a lot to begin with). Life is going to be simple. Down to earth. Just the way I like it.

So that brings me to the end of my first post. The point of this whole thing lies in a few thoughts… This is a space for me to chronicle our adventures, that I happen to be sharing with the world (<– go big or go home, figuratively, right?). For me to always remind myself to stay grounded. For others to learn along with us how to live a life you love, and not one you think you have to. To work through what it will mean to live in a small space with a spouse and puppers. To always remember that having stuff doesn’t equal being happy. To not live in the “when I retire” or the “next year” plans, but to be present in the journey that is life, in the here and now. And most important, to practice gratitude and appreciation that though difficult at times, this is the life we want to live and are lucky enough to be granted the opportunity to do so.

Happy wandering, friends and stay curious.

Nikki