The time has finally come to escape Illinois {thank God} and embark on the journey of a lifetime. We are so excited to announce life's next adventure in store for our family: Work and Play Across the USA. Each month, we'll be in a new Airbnb in a new state, and we want you to join us! Find out how we're doing it below! ![]() (Our empty home that housed us for 10 years that will forever store many of our family memories.) WHY? I created this trip, in part, to show you that our country, despite what the media shows you, is an extraordinary place, and that the American Dream absolutely still exists. I created this trip to teach my children to never be afraid to try new things and go to new places, and that you can always go back "home" or create a new one. It's all what YOU make of it. I created this trip because I don't believe we were put here to pay bills and die. I created this trip because I don't believe you should have to wait until you're elderly to LIVE your life or make your dreams come true. Our time here is not promised and there's nothing guaranteeing we'll make it to any certain time, anyway. I believe you can work and truly LIVE simultaneously, especially in today's society. I find it sad that people wait until they are terminally ill to make their dreams come true and knew that I never wanted to be in that space. I'd rather be broke and travel than rich and imprisoned to one tiny corner of the world or enslaved to debt. Some have asked, "How can you leave knowing your mom has stage 4 pancreatic cancer?"... If you wait for the RIGHT time, it will never come. It just won't. There will always be something stopping you from taking the next step, most of the time those somethings are excuses and fear. If my mom having cancer has taught me anything, it's to do ALL the things I dream of now and to teach my children the same. When I told people what we were doing and they called me crazy, I knew I was doing it right. If you know me in real life, you know I always wanted to renovate a school bus into a living space and travel the country while running my online businesses. While I would still LOVE to do that, it's been 6 years since I began planning it and could never totally bring the idea to fruition because my daughter wasn't completely on board. My plan was to wait until she graduated in 3 years, homeschool Hawkins, then set out on my journey when Hayden went to college, BUT... Covid happened. Some saw a pandemic, I saw opportunity. Being forced into virtual learning has been a blessing, because it fast forwarded my plan to do this when Hayden graduated -- to now, and I believe she was meant to be a part of this journey. The hardest part was leaving my oldest son {21}, Hunter, behind and wishing I'd have done this sooner so he could've been a part of it {prime example of why NOT to wait}. Fun fact: Did you know in other countries, like Germany, homeschooling is illegal? You are literally a prisoner to one location because you're forced to send your children through their education system. That's just one tiny example that shouldn't go unnoticed, of how blessed we are to be in a country where we are free to choose how to educate our children. How are we doing it? Financially, I own 4 Etsy shops: My website: I earn us free gas with this app. There's no catch. You have to get gas anyway, so why not get it at a discounted price AND earn cash back for every person you refer? I earn meals for our family from everyone that signs up for Hello Fresh meal deliveries through me. Sign up to receive meals HERE and you'll save $40 and earn $10 for our family. Doug, my better half, drives an 18 wheeler. We have also set up a GoFundMe for any incidentals/emergencies we may incur. We purchased a trailer to pull behind my Chevrolet Suburban that houses my work set up and our belongings. How can you follow along?
If you own a vacation rental property and would like to host one of our stays, please contact us -- we'd love to sponsor your home in our adventures. Our first stop is Panama City Beach {look out for my next blog post about our journey}. Where do you think we're going next? Drop your guess in the comments below and stay tuned... We have one life to live. There are no re-do's. There's no rewind button. Your time is now. Go. Full disclosure: I blog about an array of topics from recipes and my favorite products to small business advice and tutorials. I may receive a small commission from links in my posts to keep this blog running, however, I do not represent any companies or products that I do not absolutely love and stand by 110% because that's not how I roll. The opinions expressed are my own. My blog is for informational purposes only and any information found on this site is not substitute for professional advice.
1 Comment
9/21/2022 08:47:30 am
anks for sharing the article, and more importantly, your personal experience mindfully using our emotions as data about our inner state and knowing when it’s better to de-escalate by taking a time out are great tools. Appreciate you reading and sharing your story since I can certainly relate and I think others can to
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AuthorProud Mom of 3 beautiful children. Creator, designer, & owner of Liv & Co. Join our email list for the latest blog post updates, Liv & Co. + Blue November Sales and more. Subscribe below. (We won't spam you.)
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