Reflections on our Epic Adventure

Greetings from beautiful Newport Beach, CA, our home.  It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve been back and Greg and I have had some time to process our month-long adventure.  With all the laundry done and the RV cleaned up and returned to its generous owners, what remains are lots of memories of our epic time together.  As we return to our normal lives, we are so grateful to have had the month to explore places we’ve always wanted to see, and navigate roads that were not always easy.  Would we do it again?  (The question I’ve heard many times since we’ve been back)  ABSOLUTELY!! This trip was not only good for us as a couple, but also for us as inviduals…allow me to elaborate:

Good for us as a couple…

Greg and I have been married for 28 years.  Our journey through the years has been an adventure in and of itself.  Raising two stellar kids, navigating careers, mounds of homework, about a million sporting events, college and now empty-nesting, it’s been an amazing ride.  Now we find ourselves at a crossroads.  Lord willing, with many years ahead of us, we often find ourselves wondering “What now?”  To go on this adventure together, where every day held many unknowns, Greg and I solidified that fact that we are a GREAT team and that together, we can deal with anything that comes our way.

We LOVED seeing the sights that we did!  Each of them spectacular in their own way!  We are so so glad we posted in our blog every day, because we are already straining to remember the details of each leg of the trip. We are  grateful to have this travel journal so we can always vividly remember our epic adventure.

FAVORITE SITE:   CANADIAN ROCKIES

BIGGEST THRILL: CATCHING MY FIRST FISH, EVER IN MY LIFE

 AND…SEEING ALL THE WILDLIFE…

HAPPIEST MOMENT:  SEEING THE CHAMP WIN THE WORLD TITLE

WARMEST MOMENT: PICKING UP JOAN AND KENT AT AIRPORT

 LOWEST POINT:  DRIVING ALL DAY, ONLY TO ARRIVE IN A DIRT LOT, COMPLETE WITH TUMBLEWEEDS 

(Sorry, no picture…too painful)

One of my favorite things about the trip was how seamlessly we fell into our roles…with both of us knowing that the other one had his/her fair share of the work to do, we quietly/happily each did our part to ensure a smooth journey. Greg drove every single one of our 6,500 miles, hooked/unhooked our power/water supplies daily, and cooked all of our dinners, to name a few huge tasks.  I did my share with taking care of the doggies needs, navigating for Greg, laundry and, of course, blogging each day.  Being together was so easy and so rich.  (Now that we’re back, I really miss him.  Of course we still see each other every day, but its not the same).

We learned a lot about ourselves…even after all these years, there are still things we need to work on as a couple.  Our daily mantra was:

“Listen to your wife,” and

“Trust your husband”

Of course, both probably can’t be achieved at the same time,  since I tend to be more apprehensive about things in general, but definitely things we can continue to work on.  We hope to remain mindful of these goals as we move forward.

Good for us as individuals…

I can’t speak for Greg but for me, this was a very stretching experience.  I am most happy with all that is familiar and routine and this trip was anything but that.  This trip made me realize that it is very good to be uncomfortable if its means growing.  This trip opened up my world…not just in seeing places I’ve never been, but also in trying things I was scared to do.  Was I apprehensive to venture out on the open road? Fly-fish, zip line, and ride a segway?  You bet…I was always quite sure I couldn’t do the activities before me.  But I DID!  And I had SO MUCH fun every moment!!  What’s next?  Hmm…sky diving? Hang gliding?  You never know.  But this I do know…Somewhere along the line I became afraid of doing new things, and without knowing it, my world became very small.  I do not want to live in a box…I want the courage and the enthusiasm to embrace all that life has to offer.  My days on this earth are numbered, and I want to live the fullest life that I can.  I want to receive the full blessings that God has for me!

While I could go on and on about our epic adventure, I think I will stop here with this idea….Travel is either a great experience, or a great story.  For us it was both.  Thank you for coming on our adventure with us…it meant so much to have our family and friends riding along with us.  We love you all!  The next time we’re on a trip…we’ll save you a seat so you can ride shotgun!

Happy Trails!