The Golden Gypsies

Simple but Special

2013-02-20T15:30:00.001-06:00

I love reasons to do special things. Valentine's used to be a hallmark holiday for me, that is before Que. It's his birthday, so as a couple it has always been special. This year I was prepared to make special things happen (and unlike previous years) on a strict budget. Previously, we celebrated the day as proud and hungry consumers. Proving our love with store bought tokens. Though lovely and yummy, we just aren't those kind of people anymore. Don't misunderstand, we still give presents and buy things, just not like before.

In the past, our consumption would include all sorts of stuff like a new dress that I'd never wear again with accessories to match, flowers with chocolates, dinner out, plus gifts. Don't get me wrong, those memories make me happy. It's just not us anymore and that's okay. These days its being together that makes something special.

Armed with Pinterest, I planned the menu for the day and ordered his secret present from Amazon. For breakfast I made heart shaped pancakes, heart shaped turkey bacon and heart shaped cinnamon rolls. Yes, I know that pancakes and cinnamon rolls are redundant but they are his favorite breakfast items. I didn't reinvent the wheel, pancakes were from a mix and rolls from the tube. I cut fresh strawberries instead of syrup for the pancakes to ease the massive sugar load.

Dad was too full but Kaeden had a puppy love lunch. It was a pb and j. I made a heart shaped with the same cookie cutter from breakfast. I used some oreos as the puppy's ears with raisins for eyes and nose. He spent about 30 seconds looking at the puppy face before devouring it. I didn't get a chance to snap a pic, so here is the inspiration.

Dinner was Que's favorite, a baked ziti. It's a recipe that I learned as a child. Ziti is one of my most requested dishes. So to express my appreciation for you, my readers, I am going to share this recipe below. Thank you for sharing this journey with us!

For desert we made variation of lemon pound cake. We used our favorite recipe and topped with strawberries, a simple strawberry syrup and the lemon icing that is in the original recipe. It was a moist, light, fluffy cake with just the right balance of sweet and sour. It was like strawberry lemonade in a cake. YUM!

Que waited patiently until after dinner for his gift. I ordered a good starter telescope on Amazon. We love star gazing. He especially loves to just sit and watch the sky for hours on end with his naked eyes, but Kaeden gets bored. Kaeden likes meteor showers and eclipses because he can see something other than twinkling little lights. Enter telescope. Now, regardless of the (lack of) celestial activity, star gazing is a definite boy (bonding) activity. Mom will wait until spring/summer.

The day turned out to be a success. A lot of people are thinking, "Is that all?'. Yes, it is all. We ate well, enjoyed each other's company and every one was happy. That's the point of days like this. Special can be simple. Hopefully this simple but happy memory will linger in our thoughts for a long time.

Stay posted for our lives as the golden gypsies!

Baked Ziti

1 package of mild Italian style turkey sausage*

1/2 lb to 1 lb ground beef

1 lb ziti noodles

2 jars of pasta(tomato) sauce

large container of Ricotta cheese*

4 -5 cups of shredded cheese*

Italian seasoning ( basil, oregano, thyme)

salt

pepper

mince garlic

1 cup diced onion

large lasagna pan/roaster tin*

*Notes: First, I am not a measuring cook. I eyeball everything. I have been making this particular recipe for 18 or so years from memory. I am going to try my best to give measurements so you can duplicate what I make, but feel free to lessen quantities as this is very meaty and cheesy. (It's a two meat and five cheese pasta!) I have even tried this with gluten free pasta and it adapts well.

Pork sausage works well, we just don't eat it. Most turkey sausages are in swine casings so I use the insides only, but sliced link sausage is good too. For the Ricotta, I use about 2/3s of a 32 oz container but I love cheese, a 24 oz package is plenty. When you mix the ricotta with the sauce, it will be an orange color with a thick consistency. If it is really light orange too much ricotta, too red not enough. I usually buy large 4 cups mozzarella and 2 cups small Italian cheese blend and use nearly all but a cup or so. A 9x11 would be too shallow for this recipe. It will yield 8-10 ~~man~~ adult sized servings so needs a lasagna worthy pan or roaster.

Directions:

Brown sausage and beef with onions and garlic. Season meat with salt, pepper, and Italian herbs. Once the meats are cooked through with no pink, drain.

Boil pasta al dente, drain. It's crucial that the pasta is not fully cooked, it will finish in the oven.

Combine ziti, meat mixture, sauce and half the ricotta in roaster pan. Once ingredients are mixed well, begin to add ricotta in small quantities until sauce is thick and orange.

Mix in a cup (or two) of shredded cheese. Mix together until ziti, meat, sauce and cheese are throughout. Cover top with remainder of cheese.

Bake @ 325 until cheese is melted and slightly browning on edges. It looks much like a done lasagna. Cut a square and enjoy with a salad.

Thanks Kelloggs!

2013-01-30T14:36:00.003-06:00

The Kelloggs

Did you watch the national coverage of a nomadic fulltime RV family? I loved the things the Kelloggs had to say, the dynamic between the kids, the parents... the whole segment was refreshing. The problem? The responses I read (both in the article comments and on boards with other Fulltime Rvers). It was awful to read the venomous reactions of the public! Watch the Today Show segment here before you decide.

What is our society's obsession with forcing a specific set of values, beliefs or way of life upon everyone else? The belief that if one doesn't follow the blue print for traditional success, the only alternative is desperation and destitution. As if deviating from traditional societal structure is a sure recipe for failure and unhappiness. If you are reading this blog, you know I believe and live differently and ~~don't~~ won't apologize.

“You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out of an education and are supposed to know your vocation. Your vocation is fixed, and maybe ten years later you find you are not a teacher anymore or you're not a painter anymore. It may happen. It has happened. I mean Gauguin decided at a certain point he wasn't a banker anymore; he was a painter. And so he walked away from banking. I think we have a right to change course. But society is the one that keeps demanding that we fit in and not disturb things. ” ― Anaïs Nin

I am not saying abandon what works for you because my life is better. I am saying that we all know traditional society has flaws. Instead of criticizing people who are attempting something new or different, applaud the effort, courage and sacrifice it takes to choose an alternative route. With all the turmoil we have been through, it would have been easier to just go back to our old way of life. To take our bad experience and apply it to the world of Rvers and fulltimers. We were advised to abandon the unknown for the known. I can't say I didn't have any temptation or desire to take the easy route, the familiar route. I can't say preschools, soccer, and on demand hot water aren't tempting. But how long before the temporary happiness of comfort and familiarity wears off? How long before I become lost in appearances and begin putting all my energy into people pleasing again? Is the trade off worth it?

It made me think of a documentary I have recently viewed, Happy.<spoiler alert> People are so quick to judge others with different life choices without examining their own quality of life. "The American dream", "The rat race", whatever you call our society's way of life, America and countries that live an "American" lifestyle are among the unhappiest people in the world, despite having majority of the world's wealth. In fact, once basic needs are met(food, shelter) there is absolutely no correlation between money and happiness. The things our society values such as status and appearance have all been linked to depression. Yet, we don't put enough value on things that do contribute to happiness like human relationships, community, charity and kindness.

Society needs more people brave enough to be authentically happy, authentically themselves. Thank you Kelloggs for showing the world this lifestyle can be done, that nomadic children are healthy and intelligent and that your family is better because of (not despite) the lifestyle and small living space. You can find more on the Kelloggs in the links below.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/family-rv-kellogg-show-life-road-151308846.html

http://www.kelloggshow.com/

Picking Up the Pieces

2013-01-26T15:29:00.000-06:00

So much has happened since I last posted. I promised the last time that I'd update you on our misfit Thanksgiving and Kaeden's Birthday. I wrote the post but craziness kept me from being able to publish it. In short after enduring repeated verbal and emotional turmoil due to ~~being brown~~ our ethnicity, the situation escalated and a member of our family was physically attacked. After all we have been through, you (especially if you are family) would think us defeated or at least reconsidering our nomadic lifestyle. WRONG!!!! Instead, we are stronger, wiser and more determined to live our dream!

When you dare to live a dream everything doesn't just fall into place.Your dream gets bent, bruised and even broken. The most important thing to remember is regardless of how many pieces your dream has shattered into, defeat is a choice...You can choose whether to sweep the pieces away or pick them back up again. We choose this life, this dream and right now it is time to pick up the pieces, regardless of how hard it may be.

The highlight of our final Georgia days was that we purchased a new (to us) travel trailer! This purchase doubled our living space. We still need to update the decor but the bones are spacious and her working parts are in good condition. Our plan was to sell the Winnie to help fund the purchase of a truck capable of towing the new trailer cross country. Unfortunately, crazy intervened and instead the sale funded our escape from the twilight zone of 1962.

Since our exodus we''ve moved near family and are working on saving for a truck so we can hit the road again. I find it slightly humorous that we fled racial violence by moving to Alabama. I guess the Heart of Dixie has come a long way, at least near Birmingham. Take that Bull Connor! We spent a ~~broke~~ humble Christmas with Gma and New Years at home with cocoa. Hopefully, February will bring me a budget to paint the trailer, celebrate Que's birthday(he REALLY deserves it) and repair/replace my laptop so I can get back to sharing with you.

There are those of you who know what an ordeal this has been. Thank you for all your support and sticking with us especially through the recent disappearances Stay posted as we gather the pieces, put them back together and return to the journey of our lives.

Holiday Season Begins

2012-12-02T14:53:00.002-06:00

I wish I had a better reason for the long absence other than the death of my laptop. There has been so much to blog about but typing a post on my phone is just not an option. So when the opportunity to use another computer presented itself, a post was born.

Since we last posted so much has changed. We have faced struggles in our work camping position, but have ~~duked~~ worked it out. There is something to be said about working with your neighbors. In many cases it is great to know your coworkers so well, but sometimes helpful gestures are really just ~~nosy~~ intrusive and a bit… ~~aggravating~~ annoying.

With the end of the summer, we prepared for our holiday season. In our family we look forward to Halloween because it begins the holidays for us. A few weeks after Halloween we celebrate Kaeden’s birthday, followed by Thanksgiving, many family members’ birthdays in early December followed by Christmas and New Years. So, we I look forward to an event almost every week. It is a festive and ~~busy~~ fun time.

I began preparing for Halloween thinking I would make Kaeden’s costume again. I also wanted to make a coordinating costume for his bestie, Colton. Last year, Kaeden was the Cat in the Hat, and his father and I were Thing 1 &2, all homemade. I saw some really cute costume ideas on pinterest. I wanted to make Cookie Monster for Kaeden and Elmo for Colton. However, the fabric stores in rural Bremen did not cooperate. They did not have the colors I needed to make Elmo and Cookie Monster costumes. The fabric they did have would have needed to be dyed, without a true color guarantee (meaning Elmo could turn out maroon and Cookie Monster navy), plus a price tag of over $14 a yard. Well that defeats the purpose of sewing a costume when you require at least two yards per costume and factor in the price of dye and trims!

We settled on a Yo Gabba Gabba themed costume from *sigh* Party City. Kaeden wore the Brobee costume which he loved. It also went with his Birthday theme, a Yo Gabba Gabba Dancey Dance Birthday. At the camp there were many Halloween activities that he participated in. He rode the hay ride and painted a pumpkin. He went on a candy hunt and even won third place for the boy’s costume contest. While it may have only been third place, Kaeden felt that he won and told Grandma so. After the costume contest they held a dance party. Kaeden danced from the first song until the last. The events were held on the Saturday prior to Halloween. So when Halloween actually came we went to a local Church’s trunk or treat and had even more fun. They had little games set up for the kids to play like ring toss to earn their candy treats.

While things haven’t been perfect, we had a wonderful start to our holiday season. I enjoy creating these memories with my family. Because you don’t grow up and remember how much or little money your family had growing up. However, you DO remember the special things you did and the time you spent together. Next post will fill you in on Thanksgiving in a motorhome. I promise. Thanks again for sharing this journey!

Day in the life

2012-08-29T13:02:00.000-05:00

Birds chirping, rays of gentle sunshine warming my face, the smell of gourmet coffee filling the air, gentle breeze blowing through the trees and flowers... drool oozing down my cheek.... wait drool...what? "SLAP... Momma wake up, you're sleeping, wake up!"

I awake to a demanding toddler, dreams of drinking a cup of coffee while lounging in the morning sun and listening to birds sing... quickly vanish. Back to reality, to my REAL life. Sounds much like your life you say? Maybe, especially if you are a mom or dad. I've received feedback on Facebook that wanted to know more about what life my life is like on a typical day. I don't have typical days, but I am more than happy to try and oblige.

Day in the Life: I am a Fulltime RV Road Schooling Gypsy Mom

830am: Alarm goes off. One eye opens with raised eyebrow. Snooze button hit.

835am: Snooze expires, Alarm goes off again. I place pillow over my head. Snooze hit again.

845am: Alarm sounds...again. This time, before eyebrow raising, Que is up. He does his morning routine in what many would consider record time.

858am: Que leaves for his morning commute. Wait is a walk across the park a commute? What about just com since it's so short...?...Mute better? No, oh well, I tried.

900am Que is at work. I lay in the bed, wide awake.

930am Lay in the bed and beg sleep to return. Wait for it. Wait for it.

935am A little head pops up. A dialogue ensues:
Kaeden: "Momma. Momma. Momma. Ma. Ma."
Me: "What?"
Kaeden: "I gotta go potty"

9:36am: Potty; This is the last potty break on the timeline, WAY too many to post.

9:40am: Breakfast. I'd like to say that every day we eat some awesome culinary creation, but mostly its just eggs, turkey bacon, cereal, oatmeal, fruit, bagels/toast, or something similarly simple on rotation. Today it is Pancake and Sausage muffins( but only bc I found the idea on pinterest, made a bunch and froze them for homemade convenience food).

10:00am Clean up both breakfast and bodies. Pretty typical brushing teeth, washing hands and dishes.

10:17am School is in session. But not really. I grab my basket and we head outside. First, I let Kaeden get some energy out and free play with outside toys. There is no point in trying to force a toddler to sit when they are so full of kinetic energy.

10:42am School is in session, for real this time. I run inside quickly, grab a juice box and raisins, put water on low setting stove for experiment, then I get my book for the morning, Today we are reading Listen to the Rain by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. Usually it doesn't take much to get his attention. I open the book and begin to "read" to myself and laugh out loud. OR it could be the allure of juice and fruit. Either way, I got the spark I needed, he notices and comes over curious. I introduce the book and ask if he'd like to sit down and read it. He agrees. Score! We read the book, taking time to play with the language of the rain sounds.{Sometimes he plays another 10, 15, 20, 30 mins. At some point he gets thirsty, hungry, tired...whatever, but I wait until he is ready to abandon his toys and sit. Once he wants to sit, I can keep his attention way better than had I ended his play time myself.}
Book time ends with my question, "Where does rain come from?" Answer: "Oh, rain? Ummm, rain in the sky." Well at least I have direction. We do a quick nod to the scientific method that I prepared. The sheet is a picture representation of the question posed. I pre-selected three pictures(to glue) as possible answers, a cloud, a bird and a house. He says no to all three. Perhaps because the picture of the cloud is not in the sky? But this is still an acceptable hypothesis. I ask him if he wants to draw a sky he says yes. I give him crayons and he ~~scribbles~~ draws something, that we call and label "sky".

11:08am Science time! Our wonderful book inspired Kaeden and I to find out exactly where rain comes from. Ok, really I just ~~manipulated~~ guided it by having the experiment ready and cool looking. Had I fumbled around for more than a minute with just the promise of something cool, I would have lost him again to toys, running and/or mud. So I dash in for the boiling water, grab some ice from the freezer and carefully bring it out. We do the rain in a bottle experiment. { Note: I wrapped the inside of the bottle(where the ice goes) with white paper to make visual "clouds".} I explain how the water gets hot, becomes water vapor aka clouds, cools then turns into rain. I throw out the word condensation and precipitation and he repeats both. Score! I pull the our hypothesis out and ask if we were right. Yes, rain comes from clouds in the sky. Should you be curious where this unit takes a two yo next, here is the link for tomorrow's science. Feel free to email a request for the lesson plan, book lists or other resources used for the water and wind unit(or any other) I am always happy to share;)

11:29 Extension play time/Math! I give Kaeden a magic bottle and tell him that he can make it rain. I provide him with a wagon full of water(to refill his bottle) and some measuring cups, funnels and bowls. He looks at me as if I just made him king of the world and ~~goes at it~~ begins work. Off for more ~~play~~ experimentation. I observe while I ~~check my fb and blog~~ do important things on my computer.

12:23 Oops, lunch prep time is a little late! Darn fb work. We leave the water outside and head back in our RV to begin lunch prep. Kaeden was not ready to leave the play, but when I mentioned food, food won. Simple chicken salad sandwiches for today. Kaeden enjoys helping so we mix the ingredients together so he helps there, but loses interest when sandwich assembly begins. Luckily, starting at 12 Calliou is on for an hour on Sprout. I turn it on and hide my face in shame. I also finish my lunch prep, wash dishes used, and cut some watermelon and wrap some portions for snacks. Kaeden? Still glued to Calliou. *hangs head

1:05 Dad is home from work and joins the family for lunch. Silence, save the occasional crunch of a chip.

1:20 Dad and Kaeden lay down to ~~watch tv~~ take a nap. Dad chooses the science channel. Kaeden falls into sleep within minutes. I explain to dad that he must take notes today, including times, when I go to work. He agrees. I go through my notes and add little details(before I forget).

2:13 Kaeden pops up. I ask Dad if he wants to take on a lesson or two. He agrees. They go outside to work shape sorting puzzles. I watch some tv.

2:26 Dad peeks back in. Dad: "What's next?" Me: "Wanna do art?" Dad: "Sure. What's art?" Me: "Oh, um it's mud painting." Dad: "-_-"

2:30 Dad and Kaeden made a bowl of mud. Dad gets out the paper. 10 big sheets wasn't enough. Fail. So Dad puts remaining mud into the wagon. Kaeden likes Dads idea and engages.

3:40 Dad and I look at our son and shake our heads. We give each other the look, you know the silent long pause look that confirms "MY BAD".

4:00 Impromptu midday shower. After Kaeden's mud ~~bath~~ painting I helped him shower off.

4:34 We finish showering just in time to see the reptile show. Kaeden feeds Iggy the iguana, Stinky the moniker, Scooby Doo the blue tongue skink. He also plays with Lucy the boa constrictor, King Caesar the giant tortoise and his tortoise buddies.

4:55 While Kaeden is still with Dad and the reptiles, I run home to put away our shower things.

5:00 Time for me to go to work. I remind Dad about notes, he nods.Dad and Kaeden ride the train.

6:00ish Dad and Kaeden go for a nature walk. They see 2 rabbits, 1 grasshopper, and lots of birds, butterflies and other flying insects.

6:45ish Dad allows Kaeden to play with his bestie, Colton(who is also two).

7:00 ish The boys share snacks and waters...quickly,

8:02 I return home from work. Kaeden and Colton are still playing outside. Hugs and kisses from the two best two year olds.

8:05 Dinner is working. We are having meatballs and rice. I cooked the meatballs in advance and froze, so really only the rice is cooking. We sit outside and share another book, this time Rain Drop Splash by Alvin Tresselt. Dads turn to read!

8:25 Dinner begins. Followed by our nite time routine. It's nothing uber fancy like a song and dance that magically takes kiddos away to dream land, just typical bed time stuff: brush your teeth, use the potty, make sure you got all the worms, all of them, that one yes, read a book, fall asleep. You know, the usual.

9:45 Kaeden sound asleep. PARTY TIME!

9:46 Grown up bed time routine. Clean up, ~~mess with my hair~~ groom, watch tv, read.

11:45 Power down.

4:49 Rudely awakened by uber bright lights and a crash.

6:55 "I didn't do it"

9:13 Slap! "Momma, wake up!"

I hope this glance into our day gives you some perspective of what it is like being a fulltime RV road schooling mom. I have found that when I share this detail of my lifestyle in conversation most people have very different (and sometimes absurd) images that come to mind. While this lifestyle is not for every one, I hope that somewhere, someone is inspired. I feel very fortunate that our family can share this life and experience with eachother and moreso to share our ins and outs with you.

If you have questions regarding our day that you find still unanswered PLEASE feel free to comment below. Thanks!

Another year, A Fresh Start

2012-08-10T11:50:00.003-05:00

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
—Hal Borland

One year ago I was much like any other typical American. I was getting ~~my a** handed to me~~ beaten down by the economy. I had downsized from a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath house to a two bedroom apartment to compensate for the financial strain. Savings were on life support, prices were rising and disasters, the costly kind, lurked around every corner. Then life decided that we were dealing with our hard times too gracefully and threw a wrench in our well planned coping strategies. We were successfully handling living with one income instead of two, why not no income at all? Yes, in the middle of the largest unemployment season in our lifetime we found our household without any income at all. Trying to make a budget of $0 work is impossible and savings can only stretch so far. In addition, Atlanta was far from the best city to live in unemployed with a hiring environment of at least 1000 applicants to one position, at best.We found ourselves in an impossible situation and we lost big. Being homeless is a situation that many of us never believe will happen, at least not to us. We are careful, educated, hard working and homelessness is something that doesn't happen as a result of being "that kind of person". It happens to unfocused, uneducated druggie winos not hard working, intelligent people. Luckily, we were offered a way to turn things around. We secured employment elsewhere and family helped us move from Atlanta, GA to Birmingham, AL. There we settled into two new jobs, a modest rental house and after a couple of months, life seemed to normalize again. The problem is that this "fresh start" didn't seem fresh at all. It reeked of familiar frustrations and a haunting doom lurking over our shoulders.

I found myself unhappy as I had been in Atlanta. I felt stifled and trapped. It was as if life was a never ending loop of meaningless tasks that accomplished an invisible, unrewarding goal. Depression overtook my bubbly persona and I became a social recluse. To make matters more complicated, towards the end of the year, my maternal grandmother suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm. Luckily, she survived but not before many long weeks of not knowing whether she'd make it through the surgeries, the stress of the surgeries on her aging body and immune system, not to mention the complications. When I returned to Alabama, I saw my tired excuse of an existence and felt ashamed. I felt as if I were wasting my life away. I had (and still have) an awesome partner, a wonderful child, yet life didn't seem meaningful.

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin — real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.

— Alfred D. Souza

It took some time to figure out how to bring meaning and happiness to my life. It took abandoning my comfort zone and seeking a new way of living life, a real fresh start. That meant taking an idea off the back-burner, for when enough money was saved and putting it in the forefront of our plans. It meant stripping all the expectations given to me by others and creating my own. Armed with courage, support and a new dream we abandoned the American dream for our own.

It is hard to let old beliefs go. They are familiar. We are comfortable with them and have spent years building systems and developing habits that depend on them. Like a man who has worn eyeglasses so long that he forgets he has them on, we forget that the world looks to us the way it does because we have become used to seeing it that way through a particular set of lenses. Today, however, we need new lenses. And we need to throw the old ones away.
— Kenich Ohmae
We began our journey of living our dream in a motorhome and seeing the United States in February on 2012. Since then, six months have passed. In those six months alone, I have lived a life full of more passion and meaning than the last 10 years combined. I've embraced the magic in sunrises, evening walks and smiles. I released the attachment of wanting more stuff, keeping up appearances and worrying about what others think of me. In the last year alone my family has gone from rock bottom to living a dream. Don't be disillusioned to think it was easy, that there weren't sacrifices or that we are finished with our transformation. Instead, feel inspired, be challenged and examine what is keeping you from living your own dream.

Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?— Mary Manin Morrissey

Life doesn't have to be the plan that you wrote when you were 21 or the one given to you by your parents and teachers when you were 18. Instead it is an ever changing, ever evolving journey. Be open to new experiences, overcoming challenges and bringing about change. What could you accomplish in one year? If you are open to hard work, overcoming challenges and stripping away all that is unnecessary, the possibilities are as endless as your potential and as unique as you.

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is awaiting us.... The old skin has to be shed before the new one is to come.
— Joseph Campbell
Good luck on your journey. Thank you for sharing in our journey!

Life IS Change

2012-08-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” –Jim Rohn

Change is life. Life is change. There is ~~little~~ no sense in fighting to remain stagnant. Yet, making the transition from caterpillar to butterfly isn't easy either. Change requires tasks that are seen(and known), i.e. feasting on leaves, making the cocoon but also has its components that can't be witnessed( and many don't even know take place), i.e. phases of transformation, actual metamorphosis. Change takes courage, endurance, perseverance and patience. All of this has been true for our own life changes. Despite the thoughtful planning, strategic plotting, and careful consideration we gave our transition, we still encountered ~~chaotic instances of chance that made us want to curl up in a ball and cry for mommy~~ hardships and challenges. This was the price we had to pay to achieve great change.

“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” -Deepak Chopra

It began when researching a possible work camp opening in Georgia. The position appeared out of the blue when life canceled our plans of going far West to Utah. The first thing I did after we spoke with the owners was consult my many Rver groups on the web. The community of fulltime RVers is a close knit and supportive one, so who best to give us information on this particular business than those who have worked and/or visited? While the groups have been a valuable resource in many other instances, this was not one of them. The feedback I received was very negative. Some said they had a lot of turn over in staffing, others said the park wasn't a nice place, and others said that they had been warned not to work at the park by many other RVers. We discussed the opportunity and feedback, deciding to pursue our own experience(hoping not to regret it).

“Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.”
― Eckhart Tolle

Oh boy! What an experience life had for us on moving day. Despite my checklists, handy research or any other part of our preparation, moving day was ~~a complete nightmare~~ full of challenges and opportunity for significant growth. To give you a quick glimpse without ~~tramatizing~~ boring you, according to mileage the trip should take two hours or so being generous to allow for my speed racer traveling speed of 60 mph in the camper. The trip was planned to launch at 10 am, it launched at 4 pm. Based on these figures we should have arrived at out destination at 6 pm Central or 7 pm Eastern. We arrived at 4 am. I am proud to say that despite our many reasons to give up, we worked together (with eachother, family and even complete strangers) until we reached our destination.

When we arrived, I immediately put Kaeden in his bed. (He'd been sleeping/traveling in his car seat) Que and I began the process of setting the camper up. As we finally got the camper ready to greet us to a long awaited and deserved night's sleep the sun came up. Instead of rushing to sleep, Que and I watched the glorious sun rise. It's light radiated across the sky and the warmth kissed our face. At that moment the fatigue of the previous day's trials faded away and a new feeling emerged. Happiness? Fulfillment? Freedom? Triumph? I couldn't narrow it down to just one. It was a feeling of triumph for the challenges we'd overcome, a feeling of happiness and fulfillment for having chased our dreams and a feeling of peace for seeing them realized. There was also the flutter of butterflies in my stomach, reminding me that this was only the beginning.

How are you realizing your dreams? What will you turn to when you face those tough challenges that will try to discourage you? How can you grow from these challenges? Here is some inspiration for you while you begin or continue your own journey. Best of luck to you!

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it."
— Mother Teresa

"She had just realized there were two things that prevent us from achieving our dreams: believing them to be impossible or seeing those dreams made possible by some sudden turn of the wheel of fortune, when you least expected it. For at that moment, all our fears suddenly surface: the fear of setting off along a road heading who knows where, the fear of a life full of new challenges, the fear of losing forever everything that is familiar."
— Paulo Coelho (The Devil and Miss Prym)

Absence

2012-07-26T20:45:00.001-05:00

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and the readers grow bored.

I am so sorry for the abrupt absence. Life ~~went to hell in a handbasket~~ got complicated. When we last left off, we were planning to work camp somewhere West of the Mississippi River beginning in July.

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans

Right? Exactly, plans didn't happen, life happened. We had some illness in the family, combined with a kink in our finances, combined with some mechanical and technical difficulties with our camper. Long story short: no one died, we tightened our belts and are still without air. I still consider it a victory because you can never forget that things can always get worse.

Since life demanded we make changes, that is what we did. We postponed the West of the Mississippi part of our work camping job search and adapted it to be closer to family. After much review we chose the position at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Camp in Bremen, GA. Yes, we were told it didn't live up to the website. Yes, we were told Yogi Bear Camps were hard work. But, if you go on what people tell you in life, you won't experience anything for yourself.

We plan to move on Tuesday, July 24th, begin work on Saturday, July 28th and are super excited! It has an adult and kiddie pool, train ride, hay ride, peddle carts, mini golf, playgrounds, mini arcade, indoor activities, animal habitat and is filled with wild ducks and rabbits. We are anxious to see Kaeden's(2) reaction to the park. I will be posting updates and pics soon!

How Did We Get HERE ?

2012-05-22T15:02:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, I lived in a place where each dwelling looked much like the dwelling next door, where green grass was manicured and life was good. All of the people worked somewhere in the city, all of the children went to the local schools and life was good. Each day was just like the one before and life was good. One day I awoke to find I had everything I wanted and life was good. Life was so good in fact that I had trouble finding the source of my great unhappiness. I had reached all my goals and life was good yet I found myself feeling unfulfilled, stifled. I had a family, a good job and a nice house so why wouldn't I be happy?

My first thought was it must be a connection problem between myself and creator. I then set out on a journey to explore my spiritual shortcomings. I began a spiritual blog, The Spiritual Feast, and began to really engage my relationship with my creator. I wrote about how material items diverted much of our attention from the natural world towards the superficial, consumer driven world. I realized that these things were causing traits like greed, desire and envy to exist within me. Despite my ability to understand that this unhealthy attachment to things was keeping me from becoming the me I wanted to be. Understanding the concept was simple. Reinforcing the principles behind the concept was far from simple.

Before I could act on these self discoveries and make appropriate changes in my life, the economy changed. I lost my great job. Two months later, my fiance lost his job too. We got rid of our house and downsized to an apartment while we worked our new jobs. After moving to another state we were able to recover and find comfort again. Yet, I still found myself plagued by the same unhappiness I had experienced before.

We found ourselves at a very tricky crossroads. We could begin to reconstruct our lives as we had before or we could dare to change. After close examination we realized our previous dream had only been a product of the culture in which we were raised, a dream written by others and imposed on us. Many people will ask, "How did someone impose a dream on you?" Simple, both my fiance and I grew up in the inner city (Chicago, Brooklyn respectively) where children are taught there are two paths in life, good and bad. One path is a revolving door and the other an exit. The revolving door spins you around and puts you right back in the life you were trying to escape. The other path, the exit was a chance to leave the life you grew up in for something better.

We had lived our lives according to the myth that there were only these specific two roads in life, good and bad. The first step to creating our new dream was to shatter the myth that there were designated roads to happiness. This transformation of thinking empowered us to create our own dream without worrying about fitting in with norms created by society, our culture or our families. We explored all those dreams that had been on the sitting on the backburner until we had our lives in "order". You know the "if I won the lottery" or "after we pay this off we will ..." dreams. Our most compelling options were travel and home ownership (without debt).

After much research and debate, we decided to achieve both. We decided to become a full time RV family traveling and working our way around the United States. Since then, we have purchased an RV, purged 90% of our worldy possessions, reside in the RV working locally. Our plans to travel and work kamp begin this summer and take us to Utah near the Grand Staircase. Some people don't quite understand our desire to escape conventional life. Others understand and even envy our ability to break free of societal/cultural limitations to embark on an journey where our purpose is ever evolving. On this new road we hope to live our dream of finding adventure, knowledge, connectivity with the earth, friendship and closeness as a family. On this journey of growth and discovery, we hope to gradually leave selfishness, materialism and the obsession with impressions behind in the dust.

I do hope this provides those straddling the fence with some insight of how we came to the decision to leave mainstream and forge ahead a path all our own. For more insight to our process and progress thus far read:The Search, The Plan, The Purge, The Dream and The Myth.

This blog post is part of a blog hop. Continue the journey of searching, discovery and choices with Break out of Bushwick. . My favorite part, one we can all identify with no matter what life we lead:

I felt like I was living someone else’s life. Indeed, I was living someone else’s life. Melissa- at least, the Melissa I recognized- was gone.

This mom decided to Choose Life and I can't wait to read about her adventures abroad.

Pursuit of Happiness

2012-05-16T17:04:00.000-05:00

I was so impressed with this article I had to share it on my blog. Many of us have given up the traditional life to pursue happiness. I am afraid that if these things aren't included in the transformation that we may be disappointed in our quest for fulfillment. I found this on Purpose Fairy Blog.
I hope you enjoy this and find it helpful in becoming the person you want to be.
Stay posted to our life as it unfolds as The Golden Gypsies...

15 Things You Should Give up to be Happy

Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO ALWAYS BE RIGHT

There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?”Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. GIVE UP YOUR NEED FOR CONTROL

Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. GIVE UP ON BLAME

Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. GIVE UP YOUR SELF-DEFEATING SELF-TALK

Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. GIVE UP YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS

about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. GIVE UP COMPLAINING

Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. GIVE UP THE LUXURY OF CRITICISM

Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO IMPRESS OTHERS

Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. GIVE UP YOUR RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. GIVE UP LABELS

Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. GIVE UP ON YOUR FEARS

Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. GIVE UP YOUR EXCUSES

Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. GIVE UP THE PAST

I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. GIVE UP ATTACHMENT

This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another, attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. GIVE UP LIVING YOUR LIFE TO OTHER PEOPLE’S EXPECTATIONS

Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves. You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

Nomadiquette

2012-05-09T20:23:00.002-05:00

Nomadiquette- is a code of behavior that defines expectations for social behavior according to non-contemporary nomadic groups.

Being a newbie to the nomadic lifestyle, I personally have had anxiety about being accepted and welcomed by the nomadic groups that I encounter. It was something about knowing or learning the non-spoken law of the ever changing land. Since the beginning of our transition into full-timers I have learned some rules, but realized that there are others that I (and some others) wish existed. Here is a wish list of nomadiquette. Thank you to all of the FB groups members that helped with input!

Nomadiquette

1. Respect other's right to privacy and personal space.

Just because you have no permanent land doesn't mean you don't want or deserve personal or private space. Majority of full-timers enjoy fellowship but not at the cost of privacy. Entering someones yard or site is similar to entering someones house...don't do it without permission.

2. Respect other's right to be different.

We have our choice to travel in common. However, our reasons, resources, beliefs, customs, habits, hobbies, parenting styles, experiences, outlooks, attitudes, race, religion and whatever else may not be common. Discussing these things as a form of education, understanding and/or reaching out are fine but don't use these differences as opportunity to judge, belittle, preach, talk down or convert people. They have as much right to be different as you do.

3. POLITELY take your problems to the source.

No one likes a tattle tale. No one can solve a problem they don't know exists. If you wish for a problem to have a solution, try talking to the source before any other action. Simply addressing the person(s) and having a non-accusatory conversation can alleviate majority of problems that arise. Most people would have no problem addressing the issue, if only you would politely ask.

4. When it is possible, help others. When you have information/ knowledge, share it.

There are moments when you see people reaching into the universe for information...You know the signs, confused look on their face, looking around with hand(s) on chin or hip, scratching their head.... Sometimes it is a simple answer to a question, suggestion or reference that is needed. We all have and will find ourselves in the position of needing assistance. Five minutes from your day could make the absolute difference in someone else's. Don't information hoard. If you find some great group, site, tutorial, recipe, attraction, service...then share the knowledge! If there is some information or knowledge that could help them or save them a lot of wasted time, energy, money, pain... then share knowledge.

5. Clean after yourself and pet.

No one likes other people's or pets nastiness. Use courtesy when using common areas by cleaning after your self, children and pets. Throw your trash away, clean the lint trap, flush the toilet and pick up pet poop.

6. Leave parenting to the parents.

Unless you see a child engaging in an activity that could cause bodily harm/ danger leave the parenting to the parents.( i.e. running with a butcher knife, near a cliff, near a rattlesnake) If you see something that alarms you, speak with the parent and voice your concern. BUT, understand that your concern may not be a concern to them and respect their right to parent. This goes for pet parents too. We all have different views of pet care. Unless the pet is being abused or tortured, don't judge or impose your pet care beliefs on others. (crates, tethers, inside/outside)

7. Introduce yourself first (not your blog, business, website)

Nomads love to support other nomads' ventures. But more important is the opportunity to meet, learn, and experience someone/thing new. There is more life value in meeting people rather than clients or customers. If during conversation business or blogs come up, fine but don't introduce yourself for the sole purpose of advertisement. We got away from mainstream so we could experience life, not be bombarded with advertisements.

8. Don't ASSUME.

If the Rv's a rockin', ASSUME their are kids inside! (what did you think Stephanie Mulac was going to say?) Things can seem to be something entirely different from what they actually are. People can jump to conclusions, react to misunderstandings and pass judgement on people because they did not see the entire picture or fully understand a situation. If you have a question, ask. If there is a matter that you feel you must address, before taking any action consider: a)whether action is necessary. b) whether it is your place to take action. c)whether the action you take is in violation of nomatiquette rules 1, 2, 3, 6 or campground rules.

9. Don't Gossip.

No one likes to be the subject of gossip. No one likes their business being spread around. Whether you are in person or online, direct or indirect- RESPECT other people's right to privacy. Only share information that you have been asked or given permission to share.

10. If you can't SMILE and enjoy where you are, move.

We all want to enjoy life! As people who travel for a lifestyle, there are always other places to see, visit and experience. If along the journey you find a bad experience leave it behind on the way to the next great experience because there are plenty. Some situations, places or weather just don't suit us or are unpleasant. Don't allow the negativity to ruin your day, week, month, year! The best part of this lifestyle is if you are unhappy with your surroundings unplug and move. There is somewhere out there where you can SMILE.

Thank you to the wonderful groups that help(ed) me when I am(was) lost:

Families on the Road

Family RV Adventures

Fulltime Families

Fulltime Freethinkers

Fulltime Rving

Nomadic Mamas

And thank you again to the people who contributed to this post by commenting in the Facebook groups. Check out their blogs:

The Wandering Workentins

Alice's Restaurant-Dishing up Food for Thought

AlanSills.com

LN Lurie's Blog

Living the RV Dream Blog

2012-05-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

World changers are never seen as the super geniuses they are when they risk deviation from the norm to explore life's possibilities. It is only after the success of their risk that they are taken for what they are, revolutionary. At times, this validation comes much later, after the world has had time to understand and accept life's ~~new~~ different possibilities. Until people are ready to accept change, those that strive to seek change will always be seen as deranged.

Society exists according to the thoughts and beliefs of the people within it, challenging the accepted norm challenges the comfort which stability provides, however false it may be. While some thrive living confined in the box, accepting the reality provided, others seek the possibility of shaping their own reality. If you are one of those people, I have something to share with you. If not, it is never too late in your life to change and become one of those people.

By no means do I claim to have Tesla genius or Ghandi wisdom. I did however learn a valuable lesson from the stories of history's world changers:

Society will always find flaw with the way you conduct your life. People will always question whether your methods, beliefs, choices, values, decisions are best, valid or correct. (Especially if you broadcast it to the world through a blog!) Regardless of the courage in your heart, the logic in your head or the conviction in your soul that the path you chose is right, doubt (in the human form mostly) will inevitably find you and when you are most vulnerable, strike.

Courage is defined as : mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Not the ability to make right decisions, avoid a fall, or inherently escape failure. It is the ability to face challenges, deterrents, and even our mistakes and to survive, to persevere through them. A world changer's most important quality is courage, the courage to break away from the known, the courage to face the unknown and the courage to discover the unknown knowns in life, that is the things we know but don't yet understand the meaning or importance of.

Part of being a world changer is following the drive within you that propels you forward, through trials, missteps and onward toward discovery and truth, in spite of what is popular or accepted. The point I am trying to make is live life according to your own standard. You will, as humans do, make mistakes and stumble. But this will happen whether you "play it safe" and follow the rules or "walk on the wild side" and write your own rules. World changers can't worry about the being accepted by society, instead they worry about accepting less than life has to offer. Don't allow others opinions, limitations or fears to dictate or determine your potential. No discovery, truth or greatness was ever found inside a box or within limits.

I know we all need this reassurance every now and then, you wouldn't be reading this if you liked living in a box. Waking each day ready and open to where life has to lead you takes courage. Take this as the pat of encouragement or the universe sending you a message: Be courageous, be strong, be happy, but most of all...be you. And when you question yourself, answer yourself...but not out loud in public...that's crazy.

I'd love to hear your comments and stories of how you were questioned, shamed, or discouraged from living life according to the change you wish to see. Feel free to share how you overcame, reacted or responded to this negative energy.

Some quotes for you world changers:

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym

"Be the change you wish to see in the world"

-Gandi

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
― Lao Tzu

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
-Apple Inc.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
― Barack Obama

“And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time.”
― Libba Bray, The Sweet Far Thing

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
― Mother Teresa

Escape from the Concrete Prison

2012-04-26T20:49:00.000-05:00

Growing up in Brooklyn, my relationship with nature as a child was quite limited. My knowledge of nature, even more so. In fact, my life in relation to nature was limited to visits to Sunset park, the library and what I saw on tv. My environment served as a concrete prison, keeping me encased in a man made world of greys and blacks, a world of sadness and desperation.The perverted versions of nature in the asphalt and concrete sea that surrounded my world featured small green patches of grass and the occasional tree. There were no bird nests, song birds or squirrels in these trees, instead there were pigeons, my idea of rats with wings. The sounds of the morning were the roar of the bus, the screech of the train and the occasional "shut up" shouted from a third story window.

However, there were a few moments in my life that I was able to engage fully with nature. Summer time meant beach visits to Coney Island, a trip I looked forward to each year. Looking back, a beach filled with littered sand, polluted sea water and plastic bag jellyfish should hardly be considered communing with nature. Yet, it was at these times I was able to run freely along the sand with the salt wind whipping my hair behind me, feel the sun kiss my skin with its radiant energy, submerge into the weightless care free world underwater and enjoy feeling connected to something more, something bigger than myself.

In my teenage years, we moved South to Alabama. I cried as I watched the sun disappear and with it, my known reality as we crossed the Verazano Bridge for the last time. Although we moved to the city of Hoover, which was also more developed than rural, at last nature was around me. My building was surrounded by trees and grass. There were flowers, hills, lakes, rocks, birds and squirrels. I spent my free time outside climbing trees, walking nature paths, and soaking up sun until it set.

When thinking of my childhood and the desire to spend as much time as possible outside engaged in play I am saddened. I know that with this generation, modern childhood play has evolved into virtual relationships with tv, video games, cellphones and computers, in other words sedentary activity. After hours of this zombie play, children are left with their natural energy and no outlet. At school and even when with parents, this energy expresses itself in the inability to focus the mind, still the body and follow directions. There are lots of contributing factors, but mainly nature deficient play is to blame. More accurately, lack of active play outdoors engaged in physical activity is to blame. Let me elaborate.

Children should actively engage in play and exploration outdoors as often as weather will allow. This statement is not a mysterious wonder of the universe, most adults would agree with it, whether they hold a degree in education, health, exercise, forestry or none at all. Yet, our society excludes this message at all costs, on all levels. The message our society does send: Nature is scary and your doom, it is inconvenient, messy, boring and should be avoided at all costs! From the way we construct cities, structure schools, organize activities and the media we consume, we restrict our dealings with nature to a minimum and instead inject an impostor, that is synthetic nature. Yes, synthetic nature, you've seen it, you know the manicured lawn that is dyed green, or the stone, concrete and rubber water feature in your neighborhood park. This need for synthetic nature, the need to control and improve nature is rooted so deep in this culture that is even seen in our scientific motives to control natural rhythmic cycles and force bio-engineering and genetic modification. We as a society are sent a message to detach from natural and rely on man's ingenuity, we should get the latest gadget and be connected with the people of the world but not the actual earth we inhabit. We should eat global food and not participate or even know its origin or development. We should consume resources blindly without understanding their renew-ability or lack thereof. This lack of a connection with nature is hurting our children, our selves and our society.

I am not the only person that has detected that the need for human interaction with nature is becoming increasingly important. I recently read a wonderful book, in fact wanting to read and finish this book delayed my blog post. Sorry to all my regular readers, I had to finish it so I could finish this post. It is worth the read, Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv.He coins the term Nature Deficit Disorder. It is not a medical condition, it describes our lack of a relationship to the environment. It hurts our children, our families, our communities and our environment. He links this to behavior disorders, health problems like obesity and depression, as well as a lack of knowledge and respect for nature. He argues that the implications are:

Children have limited respect for their immediate natural surroundings. Louv says the effects of Nature Deficit Disorder on our children will be an even bigger problem in the future. "An increasing pace in the last three decades, approximately, of a rapid disengagement between children and direct experiences in nature… has profound implications, not only for the health of future generations but for the health of the Earth itself." The effects from Nature Deficit Disorder could lead to the first generation being at risk of having a shorter lifespan then their parents.
Attention disorders and depression may develop. "It's a problem because kids who don't get nature-time seem more prone to anxiety, depression and attention-deficit problems." Louv suggests that going outside and being in the quiet and calm can help greatly. According to t a University of Illinois study, interaction with nature has proven to reduce symptoms of ADD in children. According to research, "Overall, our findings indicate that exposure to ordinary natural settings in the course of common after-school and weekend activities may be widely effective in reducing attention deficit symptoms in children." Attention Restoration Theory develops this idea further, both in short term restoration of one's abilities, and the long term ability to cope with stress and adversity.
Following the development of ADD and mood disorders, lower grades in school also seem to be related to NDD. Louv claims that "studies of students in California and nationwide show that schools that use outdoor classrooms and other forms of experiential education produce significant student gains in social studies, science, language arts, and math".
Childhood obesity has become a growing problem. About 9 million children (ages 6–19) are overweight or obese. The Institute of Medicine claims that over the past 30 years, childhood obesity has more than doubled for adolescents and more than tripled for children aged 6–11.
In an interview on Public School Insight, Louv stated some positive effects of treating Nature Deficit Disorder, "everything from a positive effect on the attention span to stress reduction to creativity, cognitive development, and their sense of wonder and connection to the earth."

We must work to heal this broken bond our society possesses with nature. We must engage in nature, with our children and in our communities. We must find the innate natural bond we all possess with the earth and its life. We must try to allow our children to grow and develop their own bond with nature through family activities and time to explore independently. There are so many opportunities to engage nature! Take a camping trip, in the nearest park or your own back yard. Visit the farmer's market, a farm, or even in an urban setting, the botanical gardens. There are so many opportunities to get your family involved with nature, from the small like camping in your yard to the big like living in a RV and exploring the United States. Whatever your commitment level, big or small, your child, your life, your community can benefit from some quality nature time. So put down the matrix, get motivated, get out and experience real life!

Need more help getting active?
Visit a National Park for FREE during National Park Week April 21-29th
Take a walk in the local park
Go birding
Ride your bike around the neighborhood or park
Plant a garden
Enroll your child in a nature based camp
Go camping
Cant find a group? Start one!

Link up with a local organization:
Children and Nature Network
Boy Scouts
Girl Scouts
Outward Bound
Wildlife Conservation Society
Earth Explore Adventures
National Audubon Society
Into the Outside
Ecological Literacy Program
Geography Action
Sierra Club
The Society for Amateur Scientists
National Environmental Directory

Reading:
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/Publications/VOP_Anna_Golden.pdf

http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/why-kids-need-nature1

http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/childrennature.shtml

http://www.education.com/topic/nature-deficit-disorder/

http://www.education.com/facts/quickfacts-ndd/nature-deficit-disorder-problem-society /

http://www.education.com/facts/quickfacts-ndd/how-prevent-nature-deficit-disorder-kids/

http://www.education.com/facts/quickfacts-ndd/what-environmental-education/

http://www.education.com/facts/quickfacts-ndd/what-no-child-left-inside/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/opinion/02kristof.html?_r=1

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/hitting-the-great-outdoors/?scp=2&sq=slug&st=cse
http://www.playlsi.com/Explore-Products/Nature-Inspired-Playground-Designs/Articles/Nature-Benefits/Pages/Nature-Benefits-Children.aspx

Quotes:
"Along with milk and vegetables, kids need a steady diet of rocks and worms
Rocks need skipping.
Holes need digging.
Water needs splashing.
Bugs and frogs and slimy stuff need finding"
Go Rving

"Nature is just enough; but men and women must comprehend and accept her suggestions."
Antoinette Brown Blackwell

"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
An eternity in an hour.:
William Blake
"Children are born naturalist. They explore the world with all their senses, experiment in the environment, and communicate their discoveries to those around them. "
The Aubudon Nature Preschool

1."A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood."

2."Play, Incorporating Animistic and Magical Thinking Is Important Because It:

Fosters the healthy, creative and emotional growth of a child;
Forms the best foundation for later intellectual growth.
Provides a way in which children get to know the world and creates possibilities for different ways of responding to it.
Fosters empathy and wonder."

"By suggestion and example, I believe children can be helped to hear the many voices about them. Take Time to listen and talk about the voices of the earth and what they mean—the majestic voice of thunder, the winds, the sound of surf or flowing streams."

3. "For the child. . . it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil. Once the emotions have been aroused - a sense of the beautiful, the excitement of the new and the unknown, a feeling of sympathy, pity, admiration or love - then we wish for knowledge about the object of our emotional response . . . It is more important to pave the way for a child to want to know than to put him on a diet of facts that he is not ready to assimilate."

1-3 Rachel Carson

"Children the world over have a right to a childhood filled with beauty, joy, adventure, and companionship. They will grow toward ecological literacy if the soil they are nurtured in is rich with experience, love, and good examples."

Alan Dyer

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature."

Anne Frank

The Wakeup Call

2012-04-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

The transition from ordinary to extraordinary doesn't happen overnight. It is a gradual transition that requires growth and change within yourself in addition to your exterior components. At times, you doubt and question your decisions and your will to follow through with your plans falter temporarily. You ask God for some sign, a confirmation of some sort. I received a bitter sweet confirmation, one that resonated in my mind loud and clear: Life is too short.

It is one thing, to experience a grandparent toddle dangerously towards passing and even more jarring to see death threaten a parent. If those close calls weren't enough with the conclusion of 2011, 2012 brought the reality that at 28 I was not too young to be threatened either. While I am blessed to have my health and that of both my grandmother and mother, my friend and classmate wasn't as fortunate. I received news that a fellow mother of young children who was also a sister and daughter suffered a seizure and her life was ended at 28.

This call came as a reinforcement that any of us at any time could be called from this life. Now this is something I already knew, but the reality of it hit me so hard it knocked the wind from my chest. We spend so much time planning and worrying concerned about tomorrow, next month and the next five years. We waste so much time in these thoughts that we don't enjoy enough of the time we do have. Looking at my young son, I wondered if I had spent enough time being happy rather than planning for and pursuing it.

I must say that this is not the confirmation I asked for, regardless it is the message I needed. Sheding the identity of my old life, one filed with stress and worries, careers and finances, consumerism and commercialism was indeed the right choice. Blinded and preoccupied by so many unimportant distractions like keeping up with the Joneses, was keeping me from experiencing true happiness. The happiness I seek cannot be bought, it can only be lived and experienced.

After a month of living in my own home, albeit a motor home, I have felt a sense of peace like never before. It is so much more that not worring about rent, or about what others think about me. It is a realization that I am headed in the right directions. Now that I am no longer tied to the world with greed and desire, I am free to experience the treasures given to us freely by nature. Now I have the time and sense to appreciate sunsets, the movement of water, the colors of Spring...the list endless and ever changing. Even though I've just begun, I've had more beautiful sunsets in the past month than in the past 10 years, more smiles in the past month than in the past year and for that I'm thankful.

It would be great if nomadic life were for us all, then I wouldn't be as weird. I know that everyone who reads this blog life isn't out there on the open road, but take my wake up call as your own. Don't wait for life to slap you in the face to see that real life is calling you. That is, look past the illusion of your job title, your position in your community, your wealth or debt, or your past and see who you really are inside. Don't wait for some cosmic confirmation from the universe to determine that you should live life to the fullest potential. Tell the people in your life that you love them, take time to smell the flowers, laugh at your child's knock knock joke and don't hesitate to be the you that you dreamed of. Let go and live! Good luck on your journey, I hope our paths cross soon!

I leave you with this inspiration that was shared with me on FB:

"The void. It's that place in our lives where what we've been hanging onto, clinging to for dear life, is stripped away. It's that place in us where we let go of what we know, what we think we know, and what we want and surrender to the unknown. It is the place of saying and meaning, 'I don't know.' It means standing there with our hands empty for a while, sometimes watching everything we wanted disappear; our self image, our definition of who we thought we should be, the clones we've created of ourselves, the people we thought we had to have, the things we thought were so important to collect and surround ourselves with, the job we were certain was ours, the place we thought we'd live in all our lives. Step into the void with courage. Learn to say, I don't know. Allow your spirit to lead you wherever your soul wants and needs to go."

- Melody Beattie

On the Run

2012-04-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

After two weeks in our RV, a dark grey and menacing shadow crept in to steal our sunshine. As every Alabamian should, we keep abreast of weather conditions and the impending possibilities of violent Spring storms. After last years devastating April tornadoes, we knew not to ignore any significant possibility of tornadoes. Hoping for the best, I completed my morning check of the Alabama Weather blog and found troubling news. The forecast was calling for a "significant" threat of tornadoes in 2/3s of Alabama. Great.

After sharing the news with Que, we had to make the decision...stay or flee. Staying meant going to the storm shelter in the city or going to my mom's 3rd floor apartment in the city. Fleeing meant packing up, finding a campsite and hitting the road to South Alabama in two hours to beat the weather. Weighing our options carefully, we decided to be safe rather than sorry and flee. Luckily I found a FHU campsite in Andalusia AL in The Conecuh National Forest for $12 a night.

We hit the road after calling family to inform them of our decision to flee. Our trip started off with sunshine and less wind than I expected to encounter with such strong storms coming. We drove for about an hour and a half before we made our first stop just south of Montgomery, AL. The severe weather had begun and was striking farther South than predicted. We began to weigh the options of continuing South or just riding the Storm out in Montgomery County for the night. We decided to follow through with our plan and jumped back on the road.

Not two exits later, the sky turned Twister blackish purple, the wind picked up and it began to rain, with thunder and lightening. The radio station broadcast was interrupted with a severe weather warning from the EMS. There was a tornado warning issued because of a storm with definite rotation and possible touch down headed towards Lowndes County, South of Montgomery, our exact location! I do not drive our camper above 65 mph, but I can say that like every other vehicle on the interstate that night, I wasn't anywhere near the speed limit of 70mph.

With impending doom on my tail, my terrified family beside me, and God gracefully around me we were able to beat the storm and make it into the next county safely. We exited the highway and began the drive down the backroads to the Forest. Back at ease, I returned to my normal speed of 10 under the limit and hoped I'd be at the campsite soon for a nice hot shower. As if being chased by a deadly storm isn't enough, we were stopped by the police while driving through Andalusia. The police car trailed us first, then pulled aside to glance in the window before signalling the lights. I pulled into the first lot I saw and awaited the reasoning behind being stopped.

Apparently an ethnic couple driving a RV to the forest didn't seem like a believable story to the drug task force officers that pulled us over. After running our tag, drivers licence, insurance, we were separated and questioned about the details of our trip. Seriously, where we were going, how long, why and then we were asked if a search of our RV by K9s would turn up any illegal drugs. We welcomed the officers to search and waste their time(and ours). Thirty minutes later and finally satisfied that we were just a young family that was actually going to go camping in the woods, we were allowed to continue our drive.

Arriving at the camp, I was taken aback by the silent beauty of the lake, the forest and the crystal clear sky. It may have been storming all over Alabama, but Andalusia was amazingly clear and still. The majesty of the forest washed away all the fear we had encountered with the storm and the disgrace of being stopped for driving while ethnic. Slowly the worries of the day faded and were replaced by the same stillness and peace manifested by my surroundings. Filled with a new surge of energy, we explored our campsite and headed for the long awaited showers.

The next morning we hiked to the pond and around some marshlands. We found wildflowers, fish, and a broken turtle shell. We took pictures, allowed Kae to explore everything from the squirrels he chased to the twigs he snapped to the flowers he picked and smelled. You can see the photobucket of our Conecuh National Forest trip here. I highly recommend this site, it is affordable($12/nite), clean with bathrooms and hot showers, level concrete pads with FHU, fire pits and a sewage dump site. It has ponds for fishing, trails for hiking and even some hunting activities.

I am grateful that we were able to take the impromptu camping trip, even if the motivation of tornadoes isn't as pleasant as just wanting family time. Despite the horrid beginnings of the trip like being chased by a tornado and getting racially profiled by a drug task force, the result of the trip is what matters the most. Being able to connect myself and family with nature is an awesome experience that I will treasure for as long as my mental capacity allows me to remember. And when I am grey, old and forget... I will have the pictures to look at and say, "What a wonderfully happy little family".

The Myth

2012-03-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

Black Hiker with Blair Underwood from Blair Underwood

During my research and even among my peers, I came across a myth that presented itself as fact. It was one of the reasons that motivated me to pursue the blog sharing my family's experiences with the world. This myth is so prevalent, that even the popular comedy site funny or die featured it as a topic for a segment. (see video above) The motivation to expose the lie for what it is, shed light on the truth and erase the stereotype. It also inspired our blog's name. The myth? Ethnic, meaning Black and Hispanic, people don't do nature.

While I can admit that during my research, the majority of modern families that blog about going fulltime RVing, returning to nature, or camping are not ethnic. However, that does not mean that these families simply do not exist. Nor does it mean that Ethnic people do not enjoy these activities. It means that exposure of our culture to this part of subculture is limited. It means that our media, our sources of information do not view this topic as important or relevant and consequently our community stays uninformed, or worse misinformed.

This, in my opinion, is a very modern trend. I cannot believe that people whose ancestral cultures have such a rooted, ancient and inherited bond with the earth, through food and its cultivation, through tradition and cultural celebrations, through literary expression and scientific discovery did not foster a passion for nature. Somewhere between our past and modernization, we traded the farms and fields for the grocery store, the books and pens for television and computers, our heritage and cultural ties to the earth for modern American culture of materialism and consumerism. We traded our values of family, God and betterment of ourselves and community for the value of the dollar, betterment of our looks, homes and keeping up with societal demands aka keeping up with the Joneses. In doing this, our connection has been severed, our feelings numbed and the calling of the wild drowned out by the utter chaos of the modernized world. Within the confines of our steel and stone prisons, our once clear and prominent signal broadcasting the voice of God has become white noise. Knowing God is in nature is one thing, having the ability and courage to seek Him in nature is another matter.

Is there some barrier keeping our modern community from embracing or pursuing a more natural lifestyle more often? Absolutely. Speaking first hand, (once upon a time) I had some misconceptions regarding camping, nature and RVing. Pursuing a (full time) lifestyle other than the standard American Dream was viewed in our community as being unmotivated, slacking or knocking the hustle. As far as viewing RVing as a new form of American Dream, I simply had no reference point, or at least none that I could relate to. The majority of people that I saw engaged in these type of activities, in my community, were referred to as "hippies or tree huggers". The activities themselves were refered to much harsher, as things only "white people" do. These are not my words and I mean no offense to any readers, but if you enter an inner city and engage our youth about this topic, that is how they would put it. While I admit this is a position of pure ignorance, the lack of people I found that I could relate to remained a huge barrier.

Also. I think the ignorance of what being in nature consists of that also contributes to the lack of color engaging in nature. I read a wonderful article on Outdoor Afro(linked below) that touched on the topic of comfort. There is a misconception in our community that camping means sleeping on the ground, eating hotdogs on a fire made by rubbing sticks together, using the bathroom behind a tree, forgoing showers, sweating out your hair and being eaten alive by bugs. WRONG! Camping has been modernized too! Most sites offer bath houses with hot water, bathrooms, wifi and some even offer cable. Camping in a tent isn't bad either because now they have comfy cots, large cabin like tents and fire pits or propane cooking stoves. If you still need privacy, then RVing is the way to go. Our RV has three beds, a full kitchen including refrigerator, full bath, air conditioning, flatscreen TV and more. As for your hair, that's what braids or natural hair products are for(if u can't live w/o straight hair, RVs have outlets for blow dryers and flatirons)!

Yet, with these challenges facing our community, ethnic people are pursuing nature. What has changed? There are two answers, the economy and the health of our community. As the economy tanked, people were faced with the decision to continue life as they knew it or make changes. Some made changes for economical reasons like affordability, others made changes because continuously putting dreams on the back burner was a sure way to never achieve them. In this moment of economical crisis the state of security through mortgages changed and so did the face of the RVing and nomadic culture. What once was a lifestyle for retirees, or "hippy tree huggers" was transformed. The economy took every day Americans that had done everything "right" and plunged them into impossible situations that required non-traditional solutions. It shattered the bubble that the traditional American Dream was the only dream you could have if you wanted to be happy and successful. More and more families are turning to RVing and the nomadic lifestyle that would normally never even consider it.

In addition to the economic motivation to restructure our dreams and lifestyle, the outdoors creates an engaging opportunity to keep physically healthy. The health statistics in our community are staggering and we all know them. Many of us have adjusted their diets, but obesity in our children and ourselves is still a problem. What's worse, I hate the gym. There is something about the monotony of going up and down round and round on a machine that just does not thrill me. Aerobics classes don't do much either, I don't like allowing others to set my pace or detail my movements. I like the freedom to slow and increase speed as I see fit. The outdoors provides those freedoms plus the motivation of the awesome views. Imagine doing a mile on the treadmill and right when you think you can't go any further, a slender and graceful deer runs through the row of elliptical machines. Much more motivating than a rerun of Oprah on the Idiot Box. As a family, it allows a place to do all the above with the added benefit of creating memories that last longer than those abs of steel.

The result of opening up to the possibilities of loving outdoors, rving or nomadic lifestyle? Families that once lived stressful lives of desperation where material items and slavery to debt determined every action have found peace and happiness in the last place they thought possible. They traded in the hustle and bustle of the fast lane for a beautiful and scenic drive in the slow lane. They embraced the natural world that God has provided and abandoned the illusion of the commercial world. Some find themselves yearning for the commercial American Dream, while others find that the return to nature is what they really had dreamed about all along. Families that had health problems can use fun and engaging activities found in nature to better their heath. They can use their new found lifestyle to reduce the likelihood of developing health problems.

Don't think that I am saying that every family doesn't has to pursue the RV lifestyle to return to nature. Growing up in the concrete jungle of Brooklyn, I didn't have much experience with natural outdoors and honestly had no desire to learn. I like majority of ethnic women thought that perspective would never be changed under any circumstances. Then, I spent the night in my RV. That night I stared into the clear winter sky, awestruck at the glittering diamonds I saw spread across the navy expanse. I felt the cool touch of wind whip around my face and even in the darkness saw the distinct lines of craggy peaks of mountain in the distance. In those moments I felt closer to my creator that I had felt in any church. I attend the wrong church you say? Maybe. Yet, there is something about staring into the beauty of the world my God created and reaching my spirit out towards infinity that stirs a feeling that has no words. All at the same time you feel connected, a wholeness and a peace that no car, gadget or house will ever compete with.

Again, it is not my motivation to get all of my readers to change their lives in the same exact way that I have. Freeing yourself from societal standards is not about cookie cutting. In fact, it is the opposite. Instead, my goal is to present you with an alternative. Growing up I was sold a myth that there were two roads to travel. The good one, one of education, a home, a career and a family. Then the bad one, one devoid of education, career, goals and full of crime, drugs or some other taboo subject. I am here to shatter this myth. Life is full of roads, each as unique and different as the individual traversing it. With each new perspective, a different twist in the road and a new direction presents itself. I encourage you to challenge the options you have been given to discover new and unique directions. Above all, know that your dream it just that, YOUR dream and should not be limited by societal norms, cultural traditions, other's opinions or commercial trends.

If you were wondering about my earlier comment about inspiration of our blog name, I wanted a name that would play off the diversity of our Hispanic and African American cultures. Wracking my brain for a creative option, I was again inspired in nature. The members in our family are all among different shades of tan skin, so in the sun, we all appear to be golden. In our new lives as travelers, we have no traditional permanent home and would qualify as gypsies.

Help shatter the myth that Blacks and Hispanics don't do nature: Join Outdoor Afro

Here are some resources for encouraging minorities(and everyone in general) to get active, get out and get involved with nature:

Get Active Rap Video from New America Media on Vimeo.

Let's Move Outside: Get ideas of where to go and what to do to get your family OUTDOORS
Outdoor Afro: I HATE Camping Article
Outdoor Afro: 5 Concerns that Keep Black Folks Out of the Woods
National African American RV Association
Article: Black Campers Recruit Against History, Stereotype
Journey Outdoors :African American Outdoors Sport Association
Some multicultural inspirational quotes for you:

"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God." -George Washington Carver

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in."
-George Washington Carver

"I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face."
-Langston Hughes

"At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough. You don't need to photograph, paint or even remember it. It is enough. No record of it needs to be kept and you don't need someone to share it with or tell it to. When that happens -- that letting go -- you let go because you can. The world will always be there -- while you sleep it will be there -- when you wake it will be there as well. So you can sleep and there is reason to wake."
-Toni Morrison

“Human beliefs, like all other natural growths, elude the barrier of systems.”
- Miguel de Unamuno quotes

“Your neighbor's vision is as true for him as your own vision is true for you.”
- Miguel de Unamuno quotes

“To fall into a habit is to begin to cease to be”
- Miguel de Unamuno quotes

"Man's heart away from nature becomes hard." ~Standing Bear

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."-John Muir

"God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. "-Author unknown, commonly attributed to Martin Luther

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright. ~Henry David Thoreau

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are. ~Osho

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. ~John Muir

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu

As you sit on the hillside, or lie prone under the trees of the forest, or sprawl wet-legged by a mountain stream, the great door, that does not look like a door, opens. ~Stephen Graham, The Gentle Art of Tramping

Great things are done when men and mountains meet. This is not done by jostling in the street. ~William Blake

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. ~William Shakespeare

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein

I've always regarded nature as the clothing of God. ~Alan Hovhaness

The Myth (teaser)

2012-03-26T16:21:00.003-05:00

Black Hiker with Blair Underwood from Blair Underwood

The Purge

2012-03-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

In our journey to living our new dream, we chose to abandon much of our old life. Not because we’re super dangerous fugitives on the run who can’t leave behind a trail for the deadly international assassins in pursuit, but because it is this shedding of the unimportant material items that will allow us to focus on the important things in life. Remember how I said that the reaction to our new dream life was somewhere along the lines of, “For real?!?!?!….” This abandoning of "traditional" life filled with things and possessions is the part that baffles the minds of most. As if once upon a time people did not live or survive, let alone thrive without a sticks and stones house(will get to that later) filled to the brim with clothes, toys, shoes, electronics, gadgets, nicknacks and I don’t even know what this little thing with the hook goes to anymore. But it took me a long time, nearly a year, to gather the courage to actually begin the purge.

It began with the spiritual realization that I was way too attached to my belongings. In a series of events that led to me moving back to Alabama, some items were lost in the move. In unpacking my son’s items, I searched for my son’s foam alphabet mats and was distraught when I realized somehow they hadn’t made the trip. At this point my son is walking and running and really in no need of the mats but I was so upset over the loss of $20 mats. He had other items in which to learn the alphabet with and was no longer crawling or tumbling. Yet, I was a hair short of devastated with the loss of them while he hadn’t even noticed.

I had written some blogs about materialism and the need for detachment of ourselves from possessions. Despite my understanding of this, I was unable to do so. I felt pressure from my family, friends, even society to make things a certain way. Each step I took in that direction, the farther I felt from God and the person He intended me to be. It is not the actual stuff that keeps you from Him, it is the worries, anxiety, lust and desire that accompanies the stuff. So rather than feel tied to the stuff, feel anxiety over having the stuff or fear of losing the stuff, we began the process of getting rid of all unnecessary stuff.

So, what is necessary? Well, that depends on the individual. As a family, we decided shelter, food and clothing were the top priorities. As we like to be idealist, we are not trying to return to the stone age and also kept minimal but practical tools and gadgets. We also added a few creature comforts of technology, as blogging is therapeutic for me, Que loves movies and we understand the importance of play to Kaeden’s development. We did however sell everything else and what couldn’t be sold was given away.

If you ever want to discover how attached you are to material items, hold a yard sale where people haggle for a few bucks off your treasures. It will really shock you how difficult it is to part with these "things" that don't add much value to your life other than taking up space in your home even when you think you "prepare" yourself. Despite knowing that letting go and ridding your life of all the unnecessary things, to know and do are two very different things. Giving away what didn't sell, was much easier. Maybe, it was knowing that the people needed the items given that made it easier or maybe it was that I had already undergone the harsh process of selling.

When the purge was over, the feeling of unease had subsided and was replaced by both relief and excitement. It was a great relief to have the weight of our materialism off our shoulders. The promise of adventure and the unknown was thrilling. I no longer felt the impending doom or pressure from previous stressors like landlords, costly obligations, or possible job loss. While I know our life will not be perfect, we will feel more free to pursuit happiness, what ever that may be without the stress and pressure these "things" and obligation bring.

Join us on our journey of the pursuit of our new dream as we discover life, self, nature and beauty.

Below are some quotes we found helpful to keep motivated to break the common mold:

If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success. – John Rockefeller

They will say you are on the wrong road if it is your own. –Antonio Porchia

High-fiving people who share your beliefs is easy. What is hard is allowing others to have a different opinion without attempting to silence them. -Duane Alan Hahn

People would rather be wrong than be different. Henry Jacobsen

Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.- Alan Keightley

Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion. –Charles Kuralt

People should think things out fresh and not just accept conventional terms and the conventional way of doing things.- R. Buckminster Fuller

The man who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The man who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been. –Alan Ashley Pitt

Image credit: Getty Images via http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=i-love-you-shoes

The Dream

2012-03-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

The sun was shining brightly in the clear winter sky. Whether the groundhog, El Nino, or global warming was the culprit, the Spring like temperatures in February was welcomed. My mothers hair danced in the gentle breeze and her skin glistened in the sunlight. I ignored the pit in my stomach, and pushed forward with all the courage I could muster.
"I I I 'm giving up every everything to be be become a gyspy." I stuttered with less eloquence than a frog in a tuxedo.
I could see the shock, pain and horror twist in my mother's face as she moved her dainty hand to her sweat beaded temple. In a moment, she cried and fell to the ground. I ran to her side and bent down to hold her face in my hands as the world began a downward spiral. Her breath was shallow and pulse weak. I held her in my arms as she slipped away and the sirens screamed in the distance.

I awoke from my dream soaked in sweat and breathing like the half ton man after a hour of cardio. My greatest fears of seeking my new life and achieving my dreams, was that it would hurt or disappoint my family in some way. I wanted to detach from pleasing others, but not at the cost of such an important and close relationship.

Finding the dream was easy, achieving it was a different and multi-step process. It involved freeing my mind to new experiences, ridding it of preconceptions and leaping forward into the unknown with my full trust in God. My first post, The Search outlined the process of discovering my dream, and the long process of gathering the courage to pursue it. Then, I had to do the work of making that dream become a reality. At this point in the process, it was time to break the news to my family and close friends.

I had good news and was bursting from the seams to share it. Yet, I knew that because it was non-traditional and different from anything we had ever known or experienced before, the recipients of the news may not share in my joy. Whether it be the inability to think outside of the social norm, the lack of knowledge about the lifestyle or the general concern for our well being, it would be a challenge to accept.

It took about a week to tell the mothers, grandmothers, siblings and close friends. Despite my dreams, no one died, cried or even yelled. The general consensus was disappointment that the "big" news wasn't a new baby, followed by tons of questions about what the lifestyle actually means. Many even misunderstood and a few tried to correct me, "You mean mobile home."

Once explained that we wanted to live in an MOTOR home instead of a traditional home, the concerns arose. The general concerns were: safety, money, storage, tornadoes and our personal belongings. Luckily, I do nothing without thinking, researching, praying, researching more, praying some more and again researching. So when these questions and concerns came about, I had answers. While I could tell some disagreed with our choice and plan, the ability to back the choice with well thought out answers quelled majority of the concerns. I had read many horror stories about the process of sharing the news with family, but luckily, we are blessed with people that love us and trust our decisions as long as they know we are safe, happy and healthy. What a blessing! After telling every one the news, what a relief and sweet dreams!

While the news was accepted, I must admit that relationships changed. Distance began to grow as differences, views, lifestyles, and hobbies evolved. We were never quite on the "same" page as others, but felt that we could relate. After living the lifestyle, I struggled to find "normal" topics of conversation so that I would feel connected to friends and family. For example, many people I know were gossiping about Whitney Houston's death. I was an avid fan growing up, and was saddened to hear of her passing. Yet, I was not as interested as my peers about if it was drug related, why Bobby left the funeral or who spoke at the memorial. I am more interested in good parks, new places and other outdoor adventures.

Some relationships remained strong, those were the ones that would survive a nuclear holocaust. Others, revealed a superficial relationship, ones that were based on areas that are undergoing drastic changes. While I am sad to see some relationships strained or lost, I welcome the growth in my life that creates these losses. Despite my mourning the lost relationships, I also welcome the transition and the change it brings. And with this opportunity and change, I welcome the possibility of experiencing new people, places and adventures.

“I don't paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality.”
― Frida Kahlo

“Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there's little fun to be had in explanations; they're antithetical to the poetry of fear.”
― Stephen King

“A nightmare might force you awakened.
The tough life might force you awakened.”
― Toba Beta

The Plan

2012-03-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

Armed with the courage to pursuit our original American Dream, we set off on the journey to making our dream a reality. So much to do, but where to start? Setting on a new path with only a direction in tow can be intimidating. We needed a plan if we ever wanted to make this happen.

First, we did the research. If you know anything about me, you know all too well that I immerse myself in information. I am a research junkie. Seriously, one hit(or reference) will not satisfy me. When researching or learning about something new, I devour all/any information I can get my hands on, you name it I used it...books, magazines, people, web, video. I found a lot of helpful information some of which I shared at the bottom of this post, for those of you interested in learning more about RVing full time.

After the research, we had to find an RV. It is pretty hard to live in a RV if you don't get one. Making this decision was a bit more difficult as there are a lot of options. RVs come in a few different styles. After much search and test driving, we chose a Class A Winnebago Chieftain. A Class A whattity what what? First let me explain our RV has a truck engine built with living space attached. It features a truck like cabin area(I call the cockpit) with the pilot and co pilot chairs(driver and passenger) and a hideaway bed above that space. Behind the cockpit area is a full kitchen area with dinette set. Our kitchen has a double sink, four burner stove with oven and nice size refrigerator. Behind the kitchen area is the main bedroom with a full size bed and a bathroom with a shower, tub, and sink. Did I mention that like most RV's our dinette folds down into a third bed. Or that I have tons of storage under the beds, in a wardrobe, cabinets and under the RV? Not as bad as you(or I at one time ) thought?

While the "bones" of the RV were great, I personally hated the decor. The wall paper was discolored yellow beige and outdated floral with tacky pink and blue curtains to match. If this was going to feel like home, it needed to look like home. I painted the wallpaper a nice bright happy color, bought coordinating fabric and made curtains. Now our kitchen, bathroom and bedroom look fresh, modern and most of all like home. You can't put a price on comfort, but the redecoration cost less than $50. Next project will be to redo the dinette fabric and get matching comforter/bed linens, but that is another story.

The next phase of the plan was to test living in a motorhome before completely abandoning our sticks and bricks house. To do this safely as we were inexperienced and newbies, we did a test stay in our drive way. I suggest test runs for newbies before hitting the open road, as RV's have many complicated systems that could break or need slight repair if you use them incorrectly or have bad luck. Dealing with these issues, learning the basics close to home rather than in the middle of the woods is safer and smarter.We packed the RV with the essentials for a nights stay and lived in it without the use of the main house.

Even carefully researched and thoughtful plans must yield to a mistake. Our first mistake was not checking the weather forecast before the planned test stay.Our plan of buying, selling, packing, sharing had a very strict time table. Unfortunately, we learned that the night we chose was later put on record for the coldest night in Alabama for the entire 2011-2012 winter. Rather than be discouraged, we forged ahead determined to stay on our planned schedule. If we could survive the cold, new and inexperienced, we could survive anything. At worse if everything went to heck in a handbucket, we could always abandon ship and go inside the house defeated.

We played a couple of games of Monopoly, Scrabble Slam, and watched a movie(Into the Wild). Dinner, despite the evil weather conditions, was grilled and delicious. We drank hot chocolate and snuggled until our modest little heater warmed the RV to a comfy temperature. It should've been horrible, misserable and a complete disaster but it wasn't. It was fun, memorable, and hilarious: if it wasn't me looking like Ralphie's little brother in Christmas Story with my arms spread out while attempting to dress in several warm layers, Que building a fire in the freezing sleeting rain(as if rain isn't enough), it was Kaeden(2) trying to cheat in the games we played! "I not a cheat-wer!"

You know those rare moments in life where everything comes together similar to the perfect balance of nature with individual components independent but in perfect harmony with each piece fitting and working together as if God designed and intended one for the other? That is exactly what our life began to feel like after we began to pursuit our new dream life; as if each piece of the puzzle was being presented to us to put in place so that we could begin the journey to find happiness and peace. Needless to say that despite the circumstances given, the trial was a success. Feeling empowered, we forged onto the task of letting go of materialism by getting rid of the house, furniture and unnecessary gadgets.

If you are still on your own search or haven't begun, I challenge you to be brave enough to be completely honest with yourself regarding your goals and aspirations and how they differ from those life expects or demands of you. Only then will you really see what it is that you really want, without the tainted view of outside influences. Abandoning the impulse to live according to others is both freeing and empowering. If you have completed your search, I encourage you to write a plan of how you will accomplish what you really want in life and wish you the courage to bring the plan into fruition as we have done. Research, research, research! Remember to not only present this plan to your family and friends, but to God and ask Him to guide your journey. Good luck and courage to you all!

Our next step is to break the news to both sides of the family as we get rid of our traditional life, sell 80-90% of our worldly possessions, leave our house and begin life on the open road. Don't forget to check out the links below if you are looking for more information regarding the RV lifestyle. If you are a reader that knows of some helpful links, feel free to add them in the comment sections; I will approve blogs, webpages, books, videos, just about anything but commercials/advertisements.

Families On The Road: For families on the road full time, on extended road trips or are just dreaming about it. http://www.familiesontheroad.com/resources.html

Live. Work. Dream: Working to find the dream life.
http://www.liveworkdream.com/resources/

Your RV lifestyle: What is a RV lifestyle? Choosing your RV
http://www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/

Camp Columbo: Video episodes about a young family living fulltime in a 5th wheel.
http://www.youtube.com/user/CampColombo?feature=watch

Traveling on the outskirts: A cute webisode series that follows a young couple living the fulltime lifestyle.
http://www.youtube.com/user/travelingoutskirts/videos

The Search

2012-02-29T21:27:00.000-06:00

As a little girl, I remember the excitement I felt on the Fourth of July. Unlike most children who would stare awestruck at the bright and loud blazes of light dancing across the night sky I remember the feeling in my chest when I watched the American flag waving in the summer breeze, when I heard the star spangled banner streaming from the radio and my head swirled with the images of freedom, liberty and pursuit of happiness. I was taught that these intangible ideals were a gift, an opportunity for someone like me, a young Puertorican girl in Brooklyn, New York, United States of America. My mother was the first generation of main-lander… in other words all Puertoricans are born US citizens but my mother’s generation was the first actually born here in the States. So, for my family, the ability to go to school and pursue career, home and all the fancy things in life was the way out, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. In the years to follow, I adopted this American dream as my own and set out on a journey to pursue that dream of a college education, career, family with a husband, two children, home and dog… in other words I wanted it all.

It wasn’t long before my dreams and goals began to come into fruition, I attended college, climbed the ladder in my field of choice, found a mate and even contrary to medical knowledge bore a son. Yet, something was wrong. Despite my ability to set goals and achieve, to face adversity and conquer, to work and grow, I felt stifled and unfulfilled. As a spiritual person, I thought maybe I wasn’t spiritually strong enough, or connected enough in my relationship with my creator, or maybe needed work or growth. I found myself battling depression because despite what I did, it seemed the more I achieved my dreams, the more troubled my mind was. Did Biggie really get this one right? No…surely that couldn’t be.

So, in a bit of denial, I set out on a journey, one of spirit, prayer, learning and discovery. I searched for the source of my distress and a solution. I began to read and study, I found myself in prayer and meditating to evaluate myself inward. I was not wholly surprised by what I found, rather surprised that I had strayed so far from where and who I needed to be. While I attained the understanding of where I needed to be, the challenge was how to get there and where to find the courage to begin the journey. In addition to fear, surprise and uncertainty, I also felt the slightest elation, for at least I now had direction. To start working on the solution, I first had to address the problem: my dreams were never my own, at least not truly.

When I began the journey into adulthood, majority of my motivation was to please my family, I wanted more than anything for them to be proud of my accomplishments. But as I aged, instead of adding myself to the list, I added others to that list. By mid-twenties, I wanted to please my mate, amaze my employers, impress friends, be a good citizen, friendly neighbor and be the envy of acquaintances (and after a while even strangers). I found myself engrossed and obsessed with what others thought and felt about me. I found myself sleepless at night, my mind dizzy from dancing endless circles wondering about the things I could have done better and ways to get things I wanted. I worried if the ever mounting pressure continued, my once resilient self would buckle and I’d get a one way ticket to the cuckoos closet. I found that I could hide the disruption of myself only so long, despite my hidden talent of putting on happy face. Soon people began to notice that the once happy, outgoing and fun person I once was had gone missing. I had been replaced with a socially avoidant, stressed shell of a person who was a stranger to the same family and friends whom I had once adored. The next step did not restore any kind of relief either. In fact it was far from relief, it was worry and concern expressed in phrases like, are you for real…no seriously for real for real?

From the reactions, you would think that I hit rock bottom, or was in need of a doctor’s supervision. Quite the contrary, for the first time in my life I found a new dream. A dream all my own, outside of what others wanted or society deemed proper. I dug into my own soul and found the core of what made me happy and discarded anything and everything else. I decided that I wanted to change my life completely… that my life of living for family and myself would begin and my slavery to pleasing the world was over.

This transition was not overnight. In fact it is still in progress now. But at least the search is over. I know what I want for my life, the anxiety of impressions and appearance is over, the importance of objects and materialism no longer imprison me and I am finally free to be happy with myself, my mate and my son, what ever and where ever life brings us. The best part is that I found that the attachment to all of these things actually kept me distracted from real life. Now, I am free to see, experience and live all the beauty created by God without the haze of greed, desire and vanity.

I invite you to begin your own search for what makes you truly happy and to find the courage to pursue it. As for my family and I, we are beginning our own journey. Our next step is to secure our new dream home, a motor home, then begin the purge of our materialism. Follow us as we find our home, liquidate 80-90% of our wordly goods, and strip down to the actual essentials in life before we start out in our new dream life.

Stay posted for the story of our life as The Golden Gypsies as it unfolds...

Below are some quotes I found that were inspiration to us on our Search:

"It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else that prevents us from living freely and nobly." –Henry David Thoreau

"Any so called material thing that you want is not for itself but because it will content your spirit for the moment." -Mark Twain

“Cure yourself of the affliction of caring how you appear to others. Concern yourself only with how you appear before God, concern yourself only with the idea that God may have of you.”
- Miguel de Unamuno quotes

"Much of our activity these days is nothing more than a cheap anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life."–Unknown

"There is something perverse about more than enough. When we have more, it is never enough. It is always somewhere out there, just out of reach. The more we acquire, the more elusive enough becomes." –Unknown

"Lust is all get. Love is all give." –Unknown

"Materialism is the only form of distraction from true bliss." –Doug Horton

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to your community around you and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." -Morrie Schwartz

"Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life and the labors of life reduce themselves."-Edwin Way Teale

"Do not think me mad. It is not to make money that I believe a Christian should live. The noblest thing a man can do is, just humbly to receive and then go amongst others and give." –David Livingstone

The following quotes were taken from Present Day Nomads @ www.presentdaynomads.com---->

“Doing what you want to do is life, and there is no real satisfaction in living if we are compelled to be forever doing something which we do not like to do and can never do what we want to do. And it is certain that you can do what you want to do. The desire to do it is proof that you have within you the power which can do it.”

— Wallace D Wattles, Science of Getting Rich.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” — Oscar Wilde

“A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?” — Albert Einstein

“To find out what you love to do demands a great deal of intelligence; because, if you are afraid of not being able to earn a livelihood, or of not fitting into this rotten society, then you will never find out.

But, if you are not frightened, if you refuse to be pushed into the groove of tradition by your parents, by your teachers, by the superficial demands of society, then there is a possibility of discovering what it is you really love to do. So, to discover, there must be no fear of not surviving.” — Krishnamurti

“In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”— Theodore Roosevelt

“I would rather be a failure at something I love to do than a success at something I hate.” — George Burns

“Live life fully while you’re here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You’re going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes. Find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don’t try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.” — Anthony Robbins

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’”— Erma Bombeck

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs

“The one piece of advice I can give you is, do what turns you on. Do something that if you had all the money in the world, you’d still be doing it. You’ve got to have a reason to jump out of bed in the morning.” — Warren Buffet

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind!” — Dr. Seuss

“Gandhi already did Gandhi, Mother Theresa did Mother Theresa so well, and Martin Luther King, he did Martin great! You be you! You be you! You be you! Who else could do you like you anyway” — Reverend Michael Beckwith