All that said, we can say with clarity that South Carolina is where we want to put down roots! That phrase is intentional, as the live oak trees actually factored heavily into the decision. We didn't realize how much we missed the trees of the Midwest until we hit Savannah, Georgia. There's something very welcoming and soothing about them. So, even though it's a bit colder there than in, say, Tampa Bay, the trees won us over.
So! Now, we are trying to figure out how to get there. Even though we promised ourselves that we were done RVing and racing around the country, we have allowed a few fun obligations to overtake that plan. To give ourselves a summer in Minnesota, we've decided to stay here, in Port A, until April 15th and then make our way north. The idea is to be in MN and Wisconsin for a graduation, a fitness celebration, and a family reunion before heading to New Hampshire. The kids will be in camp again in July-August, so we will stay there for a month or so. And then, we'll drive down to SC.
The easiest thing for us might just be to buy an RV spot while we look for a permanent residence. Our kids getting enrolled in school, changing our residency and renewing our licenses will take precedence over moving. Once all of that shakes out, we'll figure out the housing situation.
This was not an easy choice, I'll admit. I would have been just as happy to leave the RV in a ditch along a TX highway and drive straight to SC, but that seemed a bit impractical.
So that's our update!
And now, if you were curious about the fitness celebration, allow me to explain further. We all got a bit chunky and unhealthy doing this whole drive across America adventure. You would think not. You would think we'd be hiking all the time and exploring caves and such. But the reality has been that on travel days, we eat whatever fast food we can find. And because of the pace we set for ourselves, there were an awful lot of travel days. So a few months ago, we issued ourselves a challenge. It wasn't a "let's lose weight" thing, though that was a side effect, but more of a "let's get healthier" thing. Below are photos of the "before" stage where we were all just kind of eating whatever fit in our mouths.
That was late last summer (2018). We started by just incorporating more salads and less meat into our diets. And as we went, we got more and more into plant-based eating. It was easy. Many people aren't going to believe me when I say this, but I don't miss greasy hamburgers. Anyway! Here we are a couple of days ago. I think Ethan is the most dramatic. He dropped 20 pounds. I'm down almost 30. Erin is the same, but she has cut out a LOT of sugar from her diet. Henry has lost 25 pounds or so. But, way more important than the weight loss is that we all feel better - like a LOT better - more energy, fewer aches and pains.
The agreed upon reward for this transformation was at least part of the summer in MN! We're happy to say that we have to pay up. See you in May, Minneapolis!
