Our family of three traveled the US for the last three months. I photo-journaled on Instagram if you’re curious. The trip embodied the spirit of Simply Enough and #experiencesnotstuff. In the coming months, I’ll write more about the places we visited. That said, re-entry is hard. Returning on a Friday seemed perfect with the whole weekend ahead of us. It was still daylight at 7:00PM on a summer evening. But the excitement and anticipation I felt about coming home diminished quickly. The closer we drove to our house near Washington DC, the less excited I was to get there. On the other hand, my son could hardly contain himself. He was over-the-moon to see his best friend and took off as soon as the car was parked. I looked around briefly, hugged my husband who brought us home safe and sound, and began unloading the car into the empty garage bay. I had no interest in going inside. It’s just a house and now more than ever, it’s filled with just stuff. After all, we lived, …
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Mom! Stop taking pictures!
You may recall, my family and I traveled the country for three months. After just one week, I was accused of taking too many pictures. A fair complaint coming from my son who was having the time of his life, running on the field at Dallas Cowboys stadium. At this moment, he was focused on 1) scoring a touchdown and 2) performing his signature touchdown dance in the end zone. And so he did. In the Moment He huddled up at the 10-yard line with his dad, ran a slant route and celebrated the touchdown as if watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys on a Sunday afternoon. I kept telling myself, "Be Present." "Be in the moment." "Stop snapping photos because you can't recreate this moment!" Yes, easier said than done. As I thought about his request, I realized that my picture-taking-pace could not continue like this for three months. We were just two weeks in and had traveled over 3,000 miles. Beginning in the deep south, Texas, New Mexico, …
Roadtrip – How our family traveled the US for three months!
Sounds crazy right? Yes, even to us and we lived it. In fact, the night before the first leg of our trip, I could not sleep thinking about the adventure ahead. Could we do it? Would we still like each other? And then, I remembered how hard we worked to get to this point. Excitement replaced worry, so I still couldn't sleep! Traveling cross country requires planning and preparation but I promise, it's very doable. Our family started considering a three-month tour two years ahead of time. Our trip covered nearly the entire US, East to West and back again. Before jumping in the car, there was a lot to do! While this was not an overnight decision, I believe that any family can do it. As we prepared to leave, it was great to hear how so many people were excited about our decision. But I was really saddened to hear this, just as often.... "We could never do that." Yes. You. Can. I promise. First, you have to "Eat the frog." Start with the difficult …
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Not Enough Time
I confess, I have a favorite grandparent. If this were a trivia question, my husband would answer correctly. He knows. Other family members probably know too. Grandma Alice My Grandma Alice was my favorite...a character with an infectious smile. I’m accused of emulating her Spyker spunk which probably explains our connection. I wear it proudly. As the oldest granddaughter, she and I were blessed with memories that are beyond words. There’s rarely a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. I loved all four of my grandparents dearly. Ruth, Elwood, Joe and Alice were present my entire childhood. Vivid memories and stories I was honored share when we celebrated their lives. What a blessing to have four living grandparents until age 22! Such a gift of time and yet I’d love to start over. Ask them questions, listen to their stories and write them down. What strikes me about my memories of Grandma Alice is that few are about the …
No Regrets
No Regrets. Easier said than done right? Last year, after 19 years of corporate consulting, I launched Simply Enough to help people declutter and simplify their lives. On my last day in the corporate world, I posted this picture to my FB page. As I walked to my car after turning in my computer and badge, I thought to myself....No Regrets. That's how I felt then and even more so now. I love every minute of this new path. So, here we are nearly a year later and I'm about to embark on yet another crazy family adventure. This time, I'm taking Simply Enough on the road. Our family of three is planning a 3-month cross country road trip. No RV, just our SUV, minimalist packing, homeschooling, adventure-seeking, national park exploring, time zone crossing and more. Since announcing the trip, we've received so many positive comments. Many saying "What an amazing experience." "You'll never regret this time!" Can you imagine? Doing something that people …
Grateful for….
November is a popular time for listing all the things we're grateful for. Some dedicated souls post one thing a day to Facebook and I admire this every year. While that activity did not make the cut on my to-do list, there are many things on my mind this Thanksgiving Day. So much so, that I'm not sure where to start. Truth be told, I had planned to stage this post several days ago but the week got away from me. Short weeks mean free time and fun but I'm also guilty of trying to fit 5 days of work into 2.5 days. Not to mention the food shopping, pie baking and packing for our trip to visit family. I'm happy to report that all went well. For the most part, I did not overcommit and our drive was stress free with little traffic. Our son attended his first college basketball game as a special treat with his grandpa while mom and dad enjoyed an unexpected date night. It seems the holiday is off to a pretty good start. So here we are, Thanksgiving morning and I'm thankful for many …