We all know 2020 has been…unexpected. So much changed so abruptly for all of us. Like many people, our work lives began to look pretty different – especially for my husband, Nathan, who had been doing some travel consulting, going to clients’ offices, and working with his coworkers in coffee shops around Atlanta (the company he works for doesn’t have an office yet since it’s a start up). All of a sudden his job became entirely remote. We also had some unexpected changes in my work life and our community and that led to us feeling the need to reevaluate. Between all of that, the fact that we don’t have kids, and that my parents are planning to move away from Atlanta (the only other family we had in the area), we found ourselves in a moment of complete geographic flexibility. And we weren’t sure that we’d ever have an opportunity quite like that again – so we decided to grab it.
After throwing around several ideas of what the next season could look like, we landed on a plan to travel around the U.S. (we’d have to drive everywhere since our dogs were coming), staying about a month at a time in various cities where we’ve always wanted to spend more time. Nathan would still be able to do his job, and I would take time to dive into some creative outlets I’d been wanting to explore. We opted for renting condos or houses in the places we wanted to travel (instead of an RV) for a few reasons. One – Nathan’s job requires him to be on calls a lot so he needs a separate space to do that. Two – the idea of having big dogs in an RV seems rough. Three – we want to experience the cities we go to as if we’re actually living there. Four – I hate camping and living in an RV just seems too close to that!
We put our house on the market and had an offer in less than 48 hours. There were so many mixed emotions because, while we were SO thankful for how quickly and smoothly the sale went, we had just built our house three years prior and never imagined we’d be selling it so soon. We had dreams and hopes for all the memories we’d make there, and while some of them certainly happened, many of them did not.
We also have some incredibly deep, rich friendships in the community we had been part of for several years, and it seemed terrifying to step away from that. We knew that in the season ahead, we probably wouldn’t find much community since we weren’t staying long enough in any one place. Of course we’re thrilled to meet people along the way in each place and hear their stories, but it’s no replacement for those who’ve walked with you for years in good times and bad.
The night before we drove away from our home and our community to head off on this adventure, some sweet friends threw us a send-off party. In keeping with everything that season had been, we laughed, we cried, we sat, we shared, we remembered, we let go, and we stayed up way too late. While my body didn’t feel awesome the next day, my soul sure did.
There is still so much to unpack from all of this – and I think it could take years – but that night of the party one of our friends shared a word for us that had to do with the parable of the field and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-46). It dawned on me in that moment that even though we were selling our “field,” we weren’t stepping away FROM a pearl of great price, we were stepping away WITH it. This community, these people (not all are pictured of course), this season – it was and will always be our pearl. We wouldn’t trade it for anything, and we don’t have to. It’s become part of us, and we will carry it with us wherever we go. Our hearts are thankful and full, and I can’t wait to share the journey ahead that was birthed from such overwhelming beauty.
Our first stop is Key Largo, followed by Asheville, Annapolis, and then Charleston. We’re only planning a few months ahead at a time to give ourselves lots of flexibility. Finding me on Instagram is definitely the best way to connect and keep up with where we are and what we’re up to – so come on – here we go!
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