Semiserious Chefs

When we put the property up for sale early in the year, we almost had a sale, and were planning our trip, rip-roaring, ready to go. I’d been following some families on YouTube who RV Full-Time, and starting thinking about how and when we would have a chance to meet up with them in the Lower 48. By the time our sale fell through I had found out they were both coming to Alaska for the summer. “That’s okay, perhaps we’ll cross paths on the Alcan!”  But then, no more interest in the property. After weeks and weeks I realized we wouldn’t be meeting them on the Alcan.

Do all of my hopes and dreams ride on meeting these folks? No, but they sure seem nice, and interested in sharing their story. One family is older with a much nicer rig and older kids. The other family is probably our age with a little girl …and a much nicer rig. (We’re just fine with the fact that we will have what we can afford. In fact doing so means we will be able to afford to travel longer.) Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t idolize anyone, it’s just that they are doing what we are hoping to do, and doing it successfully. So why wouldn’t I want to learn from them?

This is probably where I need to clarify one thing. A rather important thing. We wanted to travel as a family before we ever thought about YouTubing it. Already having this blog we realized that we love to tell stories. In particular our story. After a few tries with some vlogs, we really think we might have what it takes to do some travel vlogging, but we’re not bent on making it rich and famous on YouTube. If people like what we have to share, if our story is personal, inspiring, or encouraging for them, and it affords us the opportunity to continue traveling, then, yeah! That would be great! If it doesn’t work out that way, we have, no doubt, had an amazing adventure, prioritized our time to spend it together as a family, and made great videos about it along the way. It’s a win, no matter how it plays out.

So back to these families. Come to find out that they both planned a meet-up here in Anchorage! I had planned to hunt them out in the Lower 48, then to cross paths on the Alcan, but, go figure, they came right to my totally-stuck-here doorstep!

So, as I’ve been talking about this need to be patient and content, it shouldn’t be that hard if I simply look around at the opportunities I’m getting right in front of me. I’ve already met Marc, Trish, and Caleb of ‘Keep Your Daydream‘ and Nate, Marissa, and Hensley of ‘Less Junk < More Journey‘! And Nathan went with me:

Everyone was so kind and down to earth. You see people online and you want to believe they are as nice as they seem, and every one of these folks were! That little Hensley? She’s so stink’n cute in their videos, but ever more so in real life, with a big bushy poneytail, freckles I had never noticed, and those iconic pink boots on the wrong feet.

In bringing Nathan, I had felt that he and Caleb and certainly Hensley would hit it off and start playing together. It wasn’t until the very end that Nathan began opening up with Hensley. They were running around Cabela’s playing with stuff friends and pop guns. “She’s really nice! She’s fun!” “YEAH! I was trying to tell you that hours ago!

In the end, I don’t know if I’ll get to meet up with these great folks again, but it’s likely. And, though we feel stuck here right now, our property, just like all properties, will eventually sell and we’ll hit the road.

I’m super excited to leave right now, but this adventure is going to be so much more than I can even imagine, that the frustration of being ‘stuck,’ I’m sure, will melt and be nothing else up a few words left in this page.