I'm back.

Hi all!  As we were embarking on our short lived nomadic journey, I found it much easier to just post little bits and pieces on Facebook rather than creating a blog entry.  The issues I was running into should be fixed now so I can post more easily.  

At the end of 2015, we hit ice in the midwest, rolled our truck and fifth wheel, and lost pretty much all of our belongings.  Miraculously though, none of us were hurt!  It was another reminder that you never know when your day will come, so you should live with no regrets.  Live a life full of love, passion, and joy. 

I needed to step away from the Intentionally Wandering page for awhile, as I tried to overcome the emotional toll the wreck took.

Due to job changes, in addition to the wreck, we went back home to figure out what to do next, instead of continuing on the current path.  We stayed with family for a few weeks and then decided we'd take on a new adventure, though it wouldn't include being nomads.  We leased a gorgeous loft, downtown Kansas City, to seek out the urban lifestyle that we'd always been curious about.  It was fun, it was exciting, it made us fall in love with Kansas City unlike we had ever felt before.  Aaron was able to walk to his new job. The kids and I were able to visit the Aquarium, Lego Land, Science City, Union Station exhibits, Crown Center, Liberty Memorial, parks, restaurants, etc, often and very easily.  Through a homeschool group that I found while living downtown, we've met more people that are more attuned to our way of life than ever before!  While we knew our time downtown would not last forever, it was a big stepping stone on our journey.

Rather than Intentionally Wandering, we were Intentionally LIVING!  We grew as compassionate human beings, we continued to travel, though not as much, and we pushed ourselves to learn more truth about the world we live in.

Travel is still a huge priority to us.  We spent time exploring bits of Kansas, went to St. Louis to spend time with some of our nomad friends who were passing through, and went on another Christmas trip to Branson.

Aaron, being the amazing husband that he is, sent me to Washington D.C., to the Cherry Blossom Festival, all by myself.  Some people hate traveling by themselves, but I actually enjoy it.  I wouldn't want to do it all the time or anything, but it can be quite therapeutic.  Plus, with the amount of walking I did in 36 hours, it's best I didn't have anyone with me.  I did however get to spend some time with my wonderful friend and her kids, as well as had dinner with Aaron's Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin.

We backpacked through Rocky Mountain National Park as well as spent time being tourists in Estes Park....

We explored South Dakota and all the National Park Service Sites there including Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Badlands, and even a Cold War bunker and missile at Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.  We went to Custer State Park and Wall Drug as well.  We also made a quick trip over to Wyoming to see Devil's Tower.  More on those later.

In addition to our travels, our horizons had been expanded by learning more about the food we eat, how it is produced, and how it affects our body.  I'll probably go into this more in another post.  We have since made our way to a plant-based, mostly organic, vegan diet.  Like all journey's in life, we're still learning more as we go.

We've also worked hard to focus on ourselves as human beings.  We've taken many steps forward in the realm of meditating, practicing patience, compassion, mindfulness, and philanthropy.  This too is always a work in progress, but isn't it for everyone?  Our journey has most definitely transformed itself from Intentionally Wandering, to Intentionally Living.

As the year progressed, we started thinking more about what was next for us.  There were many twists and turns, but we've actually found ourselves back in a fifth wheel camper!!  We won't be able to travel full-time for a bit due to job constraints, but hopefully that day will come again.  In the meantime, we are thoroughly enjoying having a tiny home again.  Our new rig is bigger and newer than the last, and didn't require us gutting and renovating the entire thing.  It's so cozy and comfy and just right for us!  We are all enjoying being out in nature again.  The city was fun, but this is what is right for us.

We're so excited for what this year has to offer.  We have a couple of trips planned so far, one of which will be next week and the other will be the longest road trip we've ever done. I'm so excited!

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

-Mahatma Gandhi