Transitions, oh my!

"Oh my!"  ...that is what I began to write about three weeks ago, and then, well, it all just happened so fast, I never got back here to write it all down. We have been in the throes of packing, and sorting, and purging, and yard sales, and goodbyes, and more. Moving from a 1900 square foot house that was home for the past five years, with a family of five, well, we had a lot of stuff. And, we have been in the mode of lightening the load for the past year now, with probably four yard sales total and many, many trips to Goodwill. But, in the final weeks before our big move, oh my, we had stuff! So here's the big update, we are now full-time in the Eco Womb tour bus!

The transition from a house to RV has been so freeing and refreshing, but at times so much work and too much sorting. We have been way too busy and physically exhausted. We didn't even make our deadline to be out by the 15th, and just feel blessed that the buyer of our house was so flexible with us to let us stay one extra night.  We said our goodbye to our "pink house" and only really cried when walking through the house one last time with my little Emma when she said, "but, mama, where is your mama chair?" where I would nurse her to sleep every night. And then, "but, mama, where is our bed?" where I would sleep with her every night, where I labored for hours with her before she was born, and where many, many bedtimes stories have been told. Funny thing, our mattress has been in the RV for months now, and it really is the only place we all get a comfortable night's rest, but something to do with those four walls of space that got me all teary eyed. Then, saying goodbye to our neighbors whom we love to pieces and knowing that although we will remain friends, there won't be that play in the cul-de-sac every afternoon ritual anymore, well, that brought tears, too.

But the "oh my" that has seemed to encompass this whole process for me has also included big sighs of relief and bigger smiles, along with the tears. Lightening the load of a house and mortgage and HOA nuances has been so freeing. Getting to see our dream of hitting the road and working remotely has been so fulfilling. And, turning the Eco Womb tour bus into our home has been so much fun! We have already met so many amazing people, with so many amazing journeys to share, and so many possibilities to encounter. We are just coming off of attending our first Families on the Road (FOTR) / Full-Time Families (FTF) Rally at Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral, FL with so many wonderful families on the road that we feel energized to push through the still more to sort and actually took a well needed rest to enjoy a blissful weekend around a campfire, football with the kids, a little music and amazing conversation. Plus, a whole clan of new friends that makes our crazy adventure seem normal! ---more to come on the rally soon!

So, while transitions are definitely full of "oh my" moments, the tough parts that require us to let go and move on, say goodbye and shed tears, also free us up to grow and open doors, meet new friends and fully enjoy the moments. I am already feeling more time to just "be" with myself and with the kids and more time to fully experience all of the emotions that come with transitions. Like all seasons in life, this one is intense, beautiful, draining and filling all at once. I am just so excited to shed the norm and embrace the freedom of being a full-timer. I have cooked dinner outside more times in the past week than I have in the past year, I have taken some amazing bike rides with the kids, and everyone is sleeping well after playing hard. A perfect combination of being/living in nature and then cozying up in the Eco Womb at night. Stay tuned for more details, as soon as I can upload some photos from the past couple of weeks, and try and get some rest.