As the saying goes, bad things come in threes. If that is the case, then we are almost in the clear. In short, it has been an extremely difficult week of vanlife.

Our first week left us in the stratosphere after so many highs, but this week brought us back down to Earth.

While preparing for this trip, we planned a lot.

We talked about what we would do if one of us didn’t like vanlife and wanted to bail, we talked about how we would budget, we even talked about what we would do in case either of us received news of a family emergency.

 All that planning made us feel pretty confident – that is until one evening early last week when I, Coddy, received a call that my stepfather had a heart attack
(Bad thing #1).

Due to COVID-19, nobody was allowed in the hospital with him which meant updates were few and far in between. That night was easily one of the longer nights of my life. We were in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota, and service was hard to come by. As a result, I spent the night wandering around the campsite, chasing service, and praying for good news.

That night was the first time that I have ever regretted traveling. I wanted more than anything to be with my mother. All I could think about was her sitting alone in her home waiting for a call from the hospital.

Around 1:00 am, I received a call that my stepfather was stable and recovering. The immediate danger had passed, and I was encouraged to stay where I was.

Two days later he was released to go home.

Currently, he is on the mend and doing better with each passing day.

Even after things settled, I was still wrestling with wanting to throw in the towel and book a one-way ticket to Washington, DC. Ultimately, I decided to stay because I realized that this tragedy reminded me of why I am doing what I am doing. Life is short and any day could be our last. There is no guarantee that any of us will be around tomorrow. As a result, I want to take advantage of every moment that I can; be it good, bad, or ugly.

My hope is that this blog, the snapshots that we share, and the stories that we tell will help encourage others to also live their lives to the fullest.

Maybe converting a cargo van isn’t for you – and that is okay. There are myriads of ways to rediscover the beauty and excitement in life. Try driving an unfamiliar way to work or grab a coffee with that friend you have been meaning to catch up with. You could dust off your guitar or pick up your camera and go for a walk outside. Maybe it’s time to try that new hairstyle you have been to scared to try.

Life is too SHORT and too GRAND to let it slide by.
Spend some time in community with yourself and others, rediscover your passions and share them with the world.

~Coddy

Other Updates

– Ellie had a heat stroke a few days ago. Luckily, we noticed it right away and got her the emergency medical attention she needed. She is now under strict supervision while she recovers (Bad Thing #2).

-We are establishing a pretty solid routine and are becoming creative with our food options (we have adopted a vegan diet for the trip for health and practical reasons). As we master some recipes, we might post some of those- who knows we might even write a vanlife cookbook!

-We have seen some of the most incredible sunsets and sunrises – hopefully our photography skills will continue to improve so that we can share some stunning photos.

-The vanlife community is a tight-knit group. We have met several vanlifers and as we started talking, we’ve learned that we have mutual friends in the community.

-To avoid intense heat, we have decided to start traveling north. We will skip the Grand Canyon this summer and opt to visit it in a few months when things start to cool down.