Sampling the Midwest

We hit the road about 5:30 this morning, with a couple of goals in mind: 1. Check as many states off our list as possible, with the hope of ending up in Wisconsin, and 2. Have a Progressive Dinner of sorts, in order to sample some of the dishes those states are known for, which basically amounts to various meats on various buns. We managed to hit five states--Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin--and sample iconic foods from two of those, plus we added in the Nebraska food, even though we haven't made it there yet. (The reason for this is that the restaurant we wanted to try doesn't appear to be on the western side of the state, where we will be later, but there was one in Kansas City, right across from the place we were already planning to stop for the Kansas BBQ.) We collected our food samples from all over and then saved them up for a picnic lunch at a lovely park in Des Moines. We laughed at ourselves the whole time and made such fun memories! Oh, and lest you think us to be true pigs, we only ordered a couple of each sandwich and then divided them six ways.

Before our official food tour even started, we stopped for a good ol' Southern breakfast in Garden City, MO

Kansas: burnt ends on a bun

Iowa: breaded pork tenderloin sandwich
(Those are Jeff's hands, to give you an idea of size.)

Nebraska: The Runza, a German hamburger with beef and cabbage and various toppings

Picnic in the park

First Adventure of the New Year

Yesterday after lunch, we hopped in our little RV and headed out on our first adventure of the new year:  a road trip to Florida, which will include three fun-filled days at Universal Studios and then a leisurely route back to Texas. Our plan was to drive until we were tired and then find a place to stop for the night. We actually didn't run out of driving steam until 4:00 am, in Tallahassee, where we pulled into a Cracker Barrel parking lot and slept until the lure of homemade biscuits was too strong to ignore. (Cracker Barrel actually encourages RVers to do this, but it was a first for us.) We have now made it to Orlando and will be up at the crack of dawn to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Toasting our first adventure of the new year with sparkling cider

Gift Giving Guide

Q. What do you get the minimalistic nomadic family in your life that just wants to get away from it all?

A. 96 square feet of road-ready freedom, with a bathroom, a kitchen, and beds for everyone.

I Am

My friend Kathy posted an "I Am" poem challenge on her blog a few days ago, and I felt like this would be a good exercise for me, as a writer with a serious case of writer's block and as a person who has a tendency to bottle up her feelings.

I Am

I am a nomad and an adventurer.

I wonder where I will go next. 

I hear the world calling my name. 

I see beauty in every corner of the globe. 

I want the freedom to go and to keep on going. 

I am a nomad and an adventurer. 

I pretend I can leave on a whim. 

I feel enamored with locations I have never seen.

I touch the land, the sky, and the sea.

I worry about unchanging scenery. 

I cry when mundanity stretches before me. 

I am a nomad and an adventurer. 

I understand that travel changes me for the better. 

I say life's too short to be lived in one place. 

I dream of having new experiences.

I try to keep a trip on the calendar.

I hope to see more of this amazing world. 

I am a nomad and an adventurer. 

If you want to try your hand at introspection and self-expression, I am including the template for the poem below. I encourage you to think about putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and explore the depths of who you are. Make it a family exercise and a topic for discussion around the dinner table. Try it multiple times, changing your roles each time. Play around with it, and have fun. Keep it private if you want, or be bold and share it in the comments here or in your own public space. 

Sunday Staycation

The nomads are restless, but we are not in a position to travel right now. So, we are invoking Plan B--the Staycation. Yesterday's adventure was a trip down to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful place, and we enjoyed wandering around, taking in the fall colors and participating in lots of fun activities! Afterwards, we had lunch at Off-Site Kitchen, a funky gourmet burger joint in Dallas. We ended the day by carving pumpkins and enjoying "chocolate-covered strawberry shortcake." It was a lovely day, and it really did feel like a mini vacation!

Beautiful fall colors!

Pumpkin Village

Learning about superfoods in the edible garden

A friend from the butterfly garden

Water fun in the children's garden

Gigantic kaleidoscope

Building flowers

Fun in Big D

Off-Site Kitchen

"Pumpkin Lanterns"

"Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Shortcake"

Awaysick

away•sick

adjective

experiencing a deep longing to go away after a period of being in one place; the opposite of homesick: 
The boy began planning road trips, claiming to be awaysick.

Last week, Weston was studying native tribes around the world during his History class. It was a topic that captured his attention and made him want to learn more. So, he checked out some books from the library, and every day he would report on the interesting things he was learning, half-fascinated, half-horrified: Mom, listen to this: this tribe would skin their enemies and wear the skins as a covering for their own bodies. 

He was also eager to know where the tribes had been located and curious about any remnants left behind that visitors might be able to see. Mom, how long do you think it would take to drive to Ohio? Do you think we could go for a weekend, so we can see this burial ground shaped like a snake? Could we try to plan a trip to South America, sometime after football season, so we can visit these particular sites?

His enthusiasm was contagious, and one day I told him that I really liked all the road trips he was planning to go along with his History lessons. His response stopped me in my tracks: I'm just really awaysick. You know, the opposite of homesick. 

This boy, who has so often struggled to put words together in coherent ways, managed to wordsmith a word that expressed the very depth of his heart...and mine. 

We stared at each other for a moment with tears brimming in our eyes and then went about our day, because there was nothing else to do. But, that word keeps echoing in my heart. I think it's the truest word I have ever heard. 

I'm not going to lie, our adjustment back to "normal" life has been difficult for me. Waking up in the same house and bed day after day and going through the same routines wears on me. During our travels, the longest we ever stayed in one place was one month. We were always encountering new things and situations, and even laundry stayed just challenging enough to be interesting. I admit, I feel ready to move on, even though I know this is a season for being rooted. I know people who really love to be home and only want to go on the occasional vacation. I think that's awesome. But, for me, the awaysickness is real. 

My question for those of you who don't revel in the routines of life and who may have similar nomadic tendencies is this:  What do you do to combat the mundanity and soothe the awaysickness when leaving isn't an option? I am eager to learn your secrets and will take your suggestions to heart.