Celebrating our 1st NOMADiversary!
May 19 will always be a special day in our lives. A year ago today, we departed on this adventure we call life. We sold our house outside of Philadelphia, packed all our belongings into our 5th wheel, and officially hit the road as full-time RVers. So today we celebrate our 1st NOMADiversary or maybe we should call it ROADiversary!
When looking back at our blog post from 365 days ago, we took a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished this year. It was our goal to live out our blog name See Simple Love.
SEE the Country
A SIMPLE Life
LOVE Each Other
As we look back, we have just touched the surface on these goals, meaning that on May 19, 2018 we hope to again be able to talk about living out these goals.
GOAL: Enjoy Local Culture – local bike trails, small town coffee shops, and local cuisine
YEAR ONE: We’ve enjoyed so many local things in so many different wonderful places. I’ll just mention a few of our favorites.
Coffee Shop: Folklore Coffee Company in Elizabethtown, PA
Bike Trail: Courtney Campbell Trail in Clearwater, FL
Restaurant: Brothers BBQ in Campbellsville, KY
Ice Cream: Belgian Gelato in Charleston, SC
GOAL: Take Time to Pursue Things We Never Took Time For – kayaking, biking, golfing
YEAR ONE: We certainly haven’t spent nearly enough time doing some of the things listed above. However, the moments we did spend paddling & pedaling where thoroughly enjoyed (Minus the one really, really hilly trail we biked in Delaware! Can you say, out of shape?) Golfing - hmmm? We better get on that or we will have to get rid of the clubs that are taking up precious cargo space in our “shed” on the back of the Big Tow’er. While our time at the links was lacking, we did pursue many other things we have never done, such as kayaking with the manatees, biking beside the gators, and playing disc golf. Not the same course, but still 18-holes. We will let that be the exception for keeping something we haven’t used in over a year - the golf clubs.
GOAL: Marking Some Things Off our Bucket List – Stay in states we have never been to, visit National & State Parks
YEAR ONE: We had a few bucket list items we accomplished. Now you may ask where the bucket list is, we don’t have a physical list. There are just those places to see and things to do that are always on the brain. However, a mental list is not really a true list, so a printed bucket list is a 2018 goal maybe? Stay tuned. List or no list, we visited Everglades National Park & Acadia National Park and stayed in 18 different states. While we had been to 17 of the states before, we spent time visiting areas in those states we had never had the chance to explore. In the sports department, add Rupp Arena, the Basketball Hall of Fame, Churchill Downs, and the Louisville Slugger Factory & Museum to the list. Lucky for us, there are hundreds of thousands of things to still see and do in the US of A. Bring it, America!
GOAL: Work a Job We Have Never Tried Before
YEAR ONE: We are both big fans of learning new things. We are more than willing to try anything at least once. We knew Workamping would provide us with plenty of opportunities to do just that. If you are curious about the world of Workamping, make sure to check out Workamper News the company that coined the term Workamper® back in 1987. They offer a free membership that allows you to search for jobs and receive the digital version of their magazine. If you do opt for the gold membership which includes additional features like a resume builder & printed magaizine, we would love if you would mention that you were referred by using by using the code AMB103. This was the source we used to find our first two gigs. Read about our Amazon CamperForce experience here and we will be outlining our experience at Coastal Kayaking & Acadia Bike over the next several months.
GOAL: Getting to know our new home inside & out – the good, the bad, the ugly!
YEAR ONE: We did get to know our RV, but it is not the one we started with. When we departed Spring City, Pennsylvania on May 19th, the Big Tow’er was pulling our first 5th wheel Calvan. While we were looking forward to some renovation & upgrade projects, he was in need of more than we had anticipated. While we were both a little sad to see Calvan go, our little Charlie joined our family in July. He’s treated us pretty well and other than a scratch on the side from a tree in New Jersey & a broken ladder rung from a steep hill in Pennslyvania, he is still looking good as new! We still have several projects we want to tackle to efficiently make use of all of the nooks and crannies of our tiny home on wheels.
GOAL: Visit Friends & Family – We have been blessed with such wonderful families & friends, but weren’t able to connect with them as much as we hope to in the future. Can’t wait to see their faces more frequently!
YEAR ONE: While we have yet to see each and every one of our friends & family, we did see more of them than we have in many years. We were able to visit Ohio five times this past year and made a trip to Chicago to catch up with my sister & her family. We saw each of Russ’ five siblings at least once as well as visiting with his Dad on many different occasions. We caught up with friends in Virigina, Ohio, Indiana, Pennslyvania, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Maine. If you weren’t on our travel path yet this year, maybe we will be able to catch up with you during 2nd year of travels. See you down the road.
We hope you continue to enjoy our musings as we begin the next 365 days. As we blog, we hope to not only create a journal of memories, but provide first hand experience to those interested in full-time RVing, and inspiring others to follow their dreams.
Buckle Up & Hold on Tight as we continue the thrilling & sometimes bumpy Ride of Life…
