how did we get here?
our story
Soon after Christmas of 2016, Corey and I started talking about taking a road trip to go visit friends and family members around the eastern half of the United States.
We both owned somewhat seasonal businesses in Maine, so mid-February was the perfect time for us to be able to take a couple weeks off (never easy when you are self-employed) and just go.
To say that this was an ambitious trip would be an understatement. We rented a 2015 Nissan Altima for $131 a week, unlimited mileage! It was seriously the cheapest vacation for a family of 4 ever! We ended up covering 6000 miles in 3 weeks, and it was amazing.
After traveling to Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Florida and DC, we drove the last leg home with this understanding – it was time to move south to warmer weather. It had been 3 years since losing my Dad to ALS, and we had been saving for that entire time knowing that something was coming, we just didn’t know what it would look like. We had talked and prayed about it for years, but never felt like it was the right time. It was different now though. It was finally time to move forward with our plan.
Enter house projects…gag.
If someone offered me a million dollars to paint our ceilings again, I would seriously hesitate. It was awful. Good learning lessons, of course, but still excruciating. You know, things like – which is the best kind of ceiling paint so that you don’t need FOUR coats?!? Seriously though, never again.
Fast forward a few months. While still working on house projects and trying to get the house ready to list as well as selling a good deal of our belongings, we started discussing that if we are going to sell our house and leave the businesses to start over in a new place, why don’t we take a couple months to see the US? The more we talked and prayed about it, the more it became a real possibility.
This plan developed and morphed for months. We listed and sold our home of the last 13 years, sold almost everything we owned, traded in our beloved Tacoma for a GMC diesel and purchased our travel trailer to go see this beautiful country of ours and give our girls an experience of a lifetime.
Originally we were set on Florida being our landing place after the trip, but after years of being on the road, even that is still up in the air! We are continuing this leap of faith and still searching to see where we belong. For right now, where we belong seems to be in a 30ft Grand Design. Who knew?
Corey
Corey sees the world from a unique perspective. His creative vision for a certain photo or video allows others to see his distinct point of view, which give them the inspiration to go out and create their own art. Corey's time in the Navy fueled his love for the sea. The ocean and other bodies of water are continuously featured in his photography. An amazing chef, he never uses a recipe and never makes the exact same dish twice. He is a skilled carpenter and woodworker and loves making a vehicle look like new. He and Jessie are also movie buffs and make quoting movies a part of their daily conversation!
Jessie
Jessie, like all moms, thrives when surrounded by her family. Her passion lies in helping other women navigate the various stages of life, motherhood, and marriage through leading moms groups and homeschooling co-ops and speaking at women's conventions. Ever a traditionalist, Jessie loves the holidays and all family traditions both old and new. She enjoys working out especially when Corey and the girls join in and tries daily to rise to the challenge of homeschooling. She loves big and she is usually talking, laughing or singing way too loud!
Lily
Lily is an artist and a comedian. She loves understanding how things work and is a great discerner of people. She is fiercely loyal and wants to please those around her. Lil is a budding artist and graphic designer. She enjoys sketching people and creating logos and is already working on her first business venture.
Leila
Leila brings fire and passion to our family. She is extremely compassionate and loves others with her entire heart. A master of organization, she is the designated list maker and bag packer in the family! Leila's great passions are working with animals and baking. She is known as the animal whisperer (from dogs to lemurs and even tigers) and she creates the most decadent desserts.