Let’s start with the obvious: What the heck are we doing and why?
We’re living in an RV, starting on August 20, 2017 until mid-August 2018. We moved out of our house in Lafayette, CO that we love very much and into our new home, a 2000 Fleetwood Southwind that Harper dubbed “Bessie.” Our plan is to see what we can of the United States and Mexico in this improvised year (T.I.Y.) and homeschool Miss Harper for first grade.
We are, at heart, improvisers, though, so the plan is sure to change along the way.
Why are we embarking on this journey?
1) It’s an investigation into how others live and how we might live better. For example, we have lived in Boulder County for our entire marriage and Harper’s upbringing so far. Boulder County’s population is 0.8% African American. We’re not sure that this is the best environment in which to raise our girl. Also, the cost of living in the area is quite high and we are both artists. We struggle to make ends meet most months, working many, many more than 40 hours. We wish to visit places that prioritize family over work and have a cost of living that might make that easier. This doesn’t mean that we’re planning to move, but it is a possibility.
2) Homeschooling Harper seems like a great chance to pull her closer and get to know her curiosities and learning styles as she is still at the beginning of her school career. There were quite a few unsettling moments in her kindergarten year that made us wonder how we could be serving her educational and emotional needs better.
3) It’s typical for a couple of 40-somethings to have a mid-life crisis, right? This seemed like a better idea than buying a Ferrari or sleeping with the secretary. We don’t even have secretaries.
4) It’s an American cliché!
5) In this age in which our country seems in more turmoil and political chaos than ever, we want to get some boots on the ground and see what the hell is going on here.
6) It seems like and adventure like this one is just what the doctor ordered for our family.
Please feel free to drop us a line along the way with encouragement, questions, requests, prayers, challenges, or gigs. himself (at) garygrundei.com – or – meridith (at) meridithgrundei.com