I’m Still Here…On the Road

Right now, I am sitting in the Escape Pod, next to a lake in Alabama. My husband and I really did buy a small RV (Van on steroids) and leave our home and jobs behind for a year on the road. We hit our six month trip anniversary a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was about time I published a post. I’ve written very little since we started and published even less, so this will be a catch up.

This trip has had plenty of ups and downs, starting before we even left home. In the weeks leading up to our launch, I had a bike accident that left me with a concussion, torn ligament in a wrist, cuts and bruises; and pelvic surgery to remove one ovary and both fallopian tubes for suspicious cysts which turned out benign. I had to go off my RA meds for the surgery and with the physical work and stress of trip prep, I ended up in the worst flare I’ve ever experienced. Getting out of town that day in August was nearly a miracle, but we were determined to launch on time. Luckily, we had already planned to stay in a local favorite camping spot for a few days. We were able to decompress and let my body start to heal.

Since those first days, we have seen and experienced so much in this beautiful country. The rollercoaster of life continues to keep us on our toes, though. Only five days in, while kayaking in Voyageurs National Park we got the call that my father-in-law had passed away. My sweet husband has been grieving this loss on the road because we both know that the LAST thing his Dad would have wanted would be for us to stop our trip. I would be lying if I said the stress of dealing with the loss has not put a damper on the experiences but it has also helped us appreciate our time a bit more. The loss of both of our Moms in 2019 was a huge catalyst in our decision to do this trip in the first place. Life comes with no guarantees. Everything you have can be gone in an instant. Life can feel easy and beautiful one moment and unbearably painful the next.

My horrible flare took its time in leaving me, but it is gone. My meds don’t seem to have me back to where I was before my accident, but I am not in that awful flare and I won’t take that for granted. If not for the hard times, would we really truly appreciate the good times?

I look forward to posting more, because I think this trip is changing me in ways I had not imagined possible. I hope I can find the words to make my learning helpful to someone else. You can follow our adventures on facebook and instagram @escapepodlife