Welcome to the Navigate By Heart Adventure Blog!! You are one of the first to see our newly created blog š Its taken me a bit to get it up and running. Now as I write this weāve already visited 14 states. Been taking a ton of pics and video along the way so as I sort through and feel inspired I will be posting up photos we take and wisdom discovered along the way.
Destination unknown
The plan was loose. We went UP when it was hot [hit the PNW- oregon, Washington, Idaho, Colorado during summer] and DOWN when itās not [ hit the south- Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida in winter] This allows us to get the best weather and see the sites at the BEST possible times.
Since leaving in July, we’ve been from the Redwoods to the Evergladesā¦ seen too many sites to count and when someone asks me where weāve been?? Well… I donāt even know where to start. We were on the move every 2 or 3 days and it was a very frantic pace in the beginning!! Looking back we’ve done so much in such a short period of time it can almost seem like a blur. Fortunately with Jess n I being professional storytellers for the past 10 or so years, we have all the gear to with it!! digital + film, go pros, osmos and drones. We have been living in the moment totally inspired snapping thousands of pictures and videos to help remind us of all the wonderful and new places we visited.
Navigate by heart is our motto on this one and I elaborate more detail on EXACTLY what means later … so for now I’ll just say we let the universe guide us. We avoided major cities for the most part since we are looking for places we want to move to. Small town charm is what appeals most, Iād tell ya what those places are but I donāt want our secrets out just yet š
As we made our way across on this first leg of the “Navigate By Heart – USA Tour” hereās list of some of the landmarks and touristy spots we visited:
- Grand Canyon
- Redwoods
- Zion
- White Sands
- Horseshoe bend
- Garden of the gods
- The Everglades
- Mesa Verde
- Sedona
- The French Quarter New Orleans
- Monument Valley
- Red Rock amphitheater
- Shoshone falls
- Boise capital building
- San Antonioās river walk
- Took the kids to see the lights of the
- Vegas strip. Made sure it was at night for their first time. Bellagio water show blew their minds.
- Picked up tickets in Williams Arizona for the Polar Express train adventure during Christmas. Everyone dresses up in jammies and drink hot chocolate and sings along before Santa boards the train and hands out a little special something to the kids.
When did you make the decision to take on this one-year adventure?
Iām not exactly sure when the seed was planted but I know its been in our head for a while. āOur headā cause at times if feels like Jess n I share the same brain. lol. We have have been married 10 years, we work together, play together, eat sleep and dream together. [itād be easier to name the few things we do apart than list the ones we do together] We are on the same page, A LOT. So the seed was planted a year or so ago but came to life New Years day 2018.
The first week of 2018 we were deciding what we wanted to put energy into. Professionally. Personally. [as you do in the new year] It was then when we were talking about goals I made the suggestion we rent out our home, hit the road and try to do something new for a year. Get re-inspired, open ourselves up to new possibilities. We were going into our 10th year photographing and weddings were becoming all too routine. Which I’m sure happens to everyone in most every career. Its tough when its art and something you initially loved to do. It really was time for a change and although this seemed radicalā¦ it was exactly what needed to happen.
“There is nothing more exciting than jumping into the unknown.”
We KNEW what would happen if we stayed put in Temecula for another year. But we didnāt know what would happen if he hit the road. There is nothing more exciting than jumping into the unknown. It becomes even more appealing when you have been in one place for too long. Jess and I had lived in Southern California a whileā¦ we both graduated from TVHS. Actually I shouldnāt say a while.. Iāve lived in Temecula almost my whole life. My family moved to Temecula in 1989, I was going into 3rd grade. This was before it was even called Temecula.. I think it was Rancho California back then. Or rancho Temecula?
Get outta town
We came to the decision that it was time for us to get out of Temecula. Not to knock Temecula at all cause its great. In fact it could be argued that its a perfect place to raise a family. Centrally located an hour from everything: the beach, the desert, the mountains.. its a SAFE place with little to no crime and great schools. not only that but the houses are ridiculously affordable compared to the rest of California around it [SD/OC/LA]
The secret is out
Iāve seen my small little town go from 25K to over 100K.. and thats just Temecula, lump in Murrieta [100K] Menifee [80K] Lake Elsinore [60K] Hemet [80K] Canyon Lake [20K] and you are looking at close to half a million people in the valley now. Its poppin, its crowded. come 5pm you donāt want to try to go out anywhere cause it’ll take ya an hour to get across the fishbowl. It felt like time to check out what else was out there, try to find our Temecula from 20 years ago in another state.
Now or never
It was almost a now or never situation with our kids. They were growing up and if we waited too much longer to do this they wouldnāt want to leave their city and friends. You know how that goes.. I was mad initially when my parents moved me. Looking back now Im glad they did cause my growing up in Temecula was an amazing experience and I canāt imagine things any other wayā¦ so I’m hoping now that wherever we land my kids will feel the same. At the very least I know I will.
Our kids were getting to the age that they were starting to have familiar friends, we didnāt want to move them much later. Avalon at the time was 7 and Honor was 5 [they have since had Bdays and are 6 & 8 years].
They have been having sooo much fun and are at the perfect age to travel and enjoy the things we are doing. Self-sufficient enough to adventure and explore they have imaginations the wonāt quit. Even the simplest setups like a campsite in the middle of a forest offers hours of entertainment to their little creative minds. They play for hours and each place offers a new world for them to explore.
This country is so infinite cool and knowing we could potentially settle down in any area is such a wild feeling. Liberating, overwhelming. all the feelings you can imagine sometimes at once.
“Im not going to candy coat this and say its the best thing ever and that everyone should do itā¦ cause thats a lie.”
Its not for everyone and with that overwhelming bliss comes the opposite end as well. You cant appreciate one experience without the other. Life is so frustratingly amazing like that.
This lifestyle can be extremely difficult and trying laced with moments that are frightening and exhausting. There are days you might just need to go for a run.. and just keep running. Moments that push you to scream at the top of your lungs while chopping down a tree. Fortunately, growth comes from the stuff that pushes us outside of our comfort zone [weāve been uncomfortable a lot] and when you come out the other side you are better for it.
200 sq ft is a tiny space for a family of 4 to be in day in and day out. BUT I know families doing this that have twice the people we do.. so I remind myself of that. If they can do it.. I can. And that unsettled feeling is nothing a 1 mile jog through the forest canāt fix. I swear sometimes we just all need our space, so we do our best to take it and be in tune with each other. Not rub off every last nerve.
At the end of the day a family campfire or game night sets even the most challenging home school days straight.
