Well, we'd been talking about getting out of crowded Southern California for years but since we've both lived there our whole lives, the question became "where would we go?"

Following a series of events we found ourselves pondering the question again in the Summer of 2006. Robert approached Joss with the idea of traveling the country to "see what we can see" and surprisingly (to Robert anyway), she said "Sounds like an idea!" Thus began a year long odyssey of research, reading, talking, investigating, shopping, buying (lots of buying) and then packing (and lots of that too!)

We've rented out our Southern California home of the past 14 years, packed the trailer with the essentials (we hope), loaded the family and dog into the truck and hit the road for places known and unknown.

One of the most common questions we got from people before leaving was "You haven't left yet?" It turned into quite the project, at least for us, to get everything and we do mean EVERYTHING, ready to leave. There were the house projects that we never quite got around to, but now had to before we rented the place. The examining of every little paper clip (those were easy), kitchen appliance, utensil, box of screws, tools, extra bike parts, wrapping paper, toiletries, clothes (lots of clothes), yard tools, wheelbarrows, light bulbs, furniture, lamps, bedding, heating pads, paintings, artwork, extra bed frames, ladders, empty boxes, and on and on. It's amazing how many "things" there are in a home!

To get an idea, open all your boxes, drawers, cabinets, cupboards and garage and ask yourself: Do we think we'd need this on the road or should we pack it for storage or should we sell it or should we give it away? Oh and don't forget to consolidate your accounts, get everything online if possible, cancel utilities, put in a change of address, update your vital papers and a few dozen other things! Did we mention fitting those "necessities" in a new home on wheels that will be bouncing down the road? And still raising two precocious boys? Oh well, you get the idea!

For more information about what we're doing, check our FAQ page also.