August 8th • Big News For our Family

I know that it has been a minute since I’ve done any updates on the blog and there are many reasons for that. First, we have had terrible internet service which makes it really hard to update a web-based blog. Second, we have been doing lots of driving and preparing for our future. I really should take better notes while we are traveling so I don’t forget what I want to tell everyone but when we first started this journey we had planned to live out of our camper for at least a year. But not having a real address has turned out to be a real issue for us. We would like to get Kevin his green card here in the USA and immigration wants us to show we are permanently going to live here to apply for it.

I will be going back to some later dates and doing some blogs so you guys can see what we have been up to, but I did want to share some things that are happening in our lives right now. We had decided we needed another truck for towing our 5th wheel and a house we could use as a base and we had one week to figure it out. We didn’t care so much where we lived as long as the home fit our family needs. We needed a shop and storage for our 5th wheel when we weren’t using it and wanted a large quiet yard for the kids to play. We didn’t want to purchase just yet as there is so much world to explore and we wanted to be sure it’s where we really want to be to make that commitment.

We looked at houses and properties in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Iowa. Which means a lot of driving! We first drove to Northern Iowa to look at a house, then we drove to northern Illinois to pick up the new towing truck for our 5th wheel. The house was a disappointment and we weren’t sure where to go next. We had already had a property set up in Kansas but, when we called to go see it he proceeded to tell us they rented it to someone else. It seemed this was our luck with every property we had planned to view. Either it was rented before we could get there or when we got there it was a total wreck. It had become a trying process to get a place and we were feeling defeated.

Although, we did have 2 more properties to look at, one in Iowa just Southwest of Des Moines and one in Northern Texas. We took the drive to the one in Iowa and we fell in love with it. The landlord was the son of the owner and was super helpful with everything and getting us set up to move there. He also allowed us to park our new towing truck in the workshop there until we could get it registered in Iowa. This will be a big process and we will be taking possession on September 1st. We are very excited about this move to Iowa. Although neither of us has lived in Iowa and aren’t sure what to expect in the winter we figure we could do anything for a year and it might turn out to be our favorite place yet.

After we finalized with our landlord the information for our move-in on September 1st, we headed back to Texas where our camper was parked. On the way back to Texas we stopped in Springfield, MO to visit one of my oldest friends from Maui, Hawaii. We were able to have breakfast with Kanani and spend the morning with her. Of course, I forgot to get a picture with her so we will for sure have to get together again for that photo op. This is one of the best parts about traveling is we have been able to connect with so many of my friends and family along the way. I know there are many more to see and this is just the beginning of our exploring and visiting.

Now you are thinking, does this bring Free and On the Road to an end? Heck no! We are just at the beginning of being on the road journey and won’t be calling this the end. We will be traveling and exploring but, will now have a home base. This will actually be really good for us as sometimes Kevin has to head out of town for a few days and it’s nice to have a house with a washer and dryer to do laundry. Although this on-the-road lifestyle has been amazing there are a few things I miss. One is having space for the extra stuff, a full-size fridge, and a washer and dryer in my home. Honestly, this has been a learning experience and we may be expanding our 5th wheel to have all those things now that we have a larger truck to tow it.

Well 2,718 miles (4348.8 km) later, we are now back in Springtown, TX at our campsite. We will be here until the 14th then heading back to Southern California for my Papa’s birthday. We will then head up to our new home in Creston, Iowa. For those who asked if we have a mailing address, we do now! Send me a private message and I’ll get it to you. Our family is also sending postcards to friends and family so if you want to be added to this postcard list or if your kids do send us a message and we will add you on!

I couldn’t close this post without posting a few pictures of our new pace in Iowa. They aren’t the best pictures and I’m sure there will be way more in the future but, here is our little piece of heaven.