After coming home from Alaska and touring national parks on the west coast, we needed time to decompress and reconnect with family and friends. I took a long break from social media — it takes energy to connect through online platforms — and started enjoying being fully present and putting the phone down. A friend on our caravan encouraged me to do this on our trip to Alaska, and it was great advice (thank you, Felicia).
We came home in October, and Steve went in for surgery for his cochlear implant in early November. I’m encouraging him to write about that adventure — it’s been a very positive change in his life. Then we had the joy of being with family and friends over the holidays. My mom and Tommy came north for Thanksgiving, and we enjoyed a week visiting with them. We traveled to Virginia and visited Steve’s uncle and cousins.
We stayed in Ohio for the coldest months and remembered why we like to camp in Florida during that time. We celebrated birthdays, and by the end of February we were on the road again.
The adventure of connection and community is something we’ve really been learning and leaning into this past year. Times of laughter over food and board games around the table. Our church family, praying for one another. On the road, it’s the adventure around the next bend. At home, it’s the adventures of the heart — connecting and caring deeply for those you’re blessed to have in your life. We’ve been learning this in our Airstream Club too. We’ve become active in our local club, making new friends who love to travel and explore new places. Sometimes connection involves navigating conflict and hurt feelings, but it’s always worth the work!
We camped for a month in Florida, visiting family and new friends we’d made on the Alaska caravan, and made our way home for Easter. We’re seeing the importance of being home for holidays and birthdays. Then came the adventures of gardening and landscaping. We made a “summer to remember” checklist to prioritize things we wanted to experience in Ohio — we’ve done this for several summers, and it’s been so rewarding. For example, we finally, after 19 years, made it to a Reds game. I’d call that the adventure of planning the desires of your heart.
We’re camping again, and that means more adventures to journal about.
My takeaway about adventure this year: you don’t need a camper to lean into loving people. They’re always interesting, and investing in them is a worthwhile pursuit.
— Colleen
