. . . aaand . . . THEY'RE OFF!

Of course, we are a day (or two) behind with our "blogging". Sorry. This is to get everyone up to speed! Here we go...

First we must tell you why we chose to do what we are doing. Not everyone will understand, not everyone will agree, but this blog is our truth as we know it. In a nutshell, we both came to the realization that we were playing a game we could never win, within a system that was designed to prevent us from winning. So we changed the game. BAM! We were living in a house with a pool and a big fat mortgage, thus requiring us to work more and swim never. Our lives were full of lots of stuff, but no substance. We would by most standards be called "successful", but what does that mean and who defines success? We were miserable.

Amy: In the summer of 2009 Erik resigned from his job in corporate aviation with the intent to pursue his lifelong dream of art (www.galleryofthesoul.com). I was completely in support of this decision as I was watching him literally die trying to convince people to practice common sense business principles. My husband's life was not worth the "stuff" that simply kept us anchored down and trapped in the hamster wheel. There had to be more to life. Were we truly living the "American Dream" I wondered?? Because from my perspective, it was a nightmare. Our marriage was falling apart before my very eyes, our children were hurting because of it. I was becoming more and more depressed and isolated, and basically slept and cried. A lot. I've always had a sarcastic streak, but my sarcasm and cynicism reached the point where even I was disturbed to hear what was coming out of my mouth. Everything was negative. I felt hopeless and basically withdrew from everyone and everything (which, of course, only made things worse). In October 2009, life as I knew it exploded before my very eyes and circumstances required that I closely examine every aspect of myself and the life I was living. It was fight or flight and I chose to fight for my marriage, my family and my sanity. I decided that success for me personally was living a life of peace and happiness. How much "stuff" was required to accomplish this? How big of a house did we really need? How many outfits did we really need? How many cars did we need? Why not live a life where we could realistically walk or ride our bikes to most places? How much money did we really need each month to live? Could we make this money doing things that we both enjoyed--that allowed us to create and not have to abide by policies and procedures determined by committees upon committees? The world around us is in total chaos and everything is based on fear, fear and more fear...that's how you control the masses. But it's completely made up and I refused to be a part of it any longer. Erik was excelling in his painting and it was something that he could do anywhere...and sell anywhere, or even trade services which is becoming increasingly popular as people are running out of $$ to exchange. I view this as a good thing as it gives power back to the people, but I digress. As a dietitian, I figured everyone eats so surely I would be able to find work out there in these United States. We made a joint decision to empty out our 401-K's (because quite frankly that money is not going to be around when it is my time to retire), purchase an RV, home-school our children, and go out and explore this country of ours.

Erik: That was a mouthful! Let me see if I can add my two cents... Those of you reading this who worked with me will agree with this statement: I WAS CRAZY or well on my way! I was questioning my sanity and everything I thought to be real and true. The reality that I was living in was dark, cold, and bleak. Until one day, I looked at the girls and Amy and asked myself one question--Who am I living for? It wasn't me and it wasn't them. I began to question everything verbally and was shocked at the answers I was given. I was asking the questions that we all are afraid to ask for fear of the answers. I got the answers and it caused me to completely change everything about myself that I hated. I started to fix Erik. I stepped back and took a long, hard look at my life and my choices and saw someone who I did not know. I felt a bit like "Earl" where I needed to fix the wrongs I had done in my life. 99% of the "wrongs" were against those closest to me, with Amy taking the brunt. So we started fixing us and I realized a love that I have never experienced.

Amy: Me too, baby. Indescribable. Long road but TOTALLY worth it. Once we made the RV decision, we broke the news. Luckily, we were prepared for the reactions to come so we were able to take them in stride. People were excited by the "concept" but most thought we had lost it. Completely. And we did...but in a GOOD way :) It became very real to me when I gave my notice at work. It was this rush of fear and excitement combined, and it can make you feel like you're going crazy. Half of me thought, "You have made a terrible mistake", while the other half screamed, "Fly, free bird, fly with the wind!!". There really is no word to describe the emotion.

Erik: Since we knew absolutely nothing about RVs we actually did some research prior to purchase. For the first time ever. Initially we planned on buying a motorhome and towing a car, but once we started looking at floor plans (this was going to be our home, so layout was important), we realized quickly that a 5th-Wheel or pull-behind was going to give us more options. It was very important that Amy and I had our own space and the girls had theirs ;) However, either of those options would require a truck. We weighed the pros and cons and decided on a 5th-Wheel. We traded in our Expedition for a 1997 F350 dually. Definitely old school.

Amy: My last day of work was April 30 and the week following was strange to say the least. After all these years of getting up to go to work on Monday, it was weird not to have a job. We purchased the RV on May 21 and spent our first night in the Ft. Myers Camping World parking lot. It was the best night of my life. It was surreal. The night pretty much consisted of Erik and I sitting in lounge chairs under the stars, staring at the RV with a conversation that went a little something like this..."Thank you, baby", "No, thank you", "No, thank YOU!" The excitement was overwhelming.

Erik: I felt free. It was the most exciting night. We knew this was the beginning of a new life.

Amy: The following morning we headed to Red Coconut RV resort in Fort Myers Beach, FL. I have always wanted a beach house. I am at home on the beach. All I really need is a chair, a book, the ocean and I am set for the day. This RV resort sat directly on the beach and I wanted it to be the first place we went. It was a truly fun week. Lots of visits from friends and family. The tide was very far out during the day and huge sandbars were exposed. We saw all kinds of sea life...dolphins swimming by in the morning, starfish, sand dollars, fighting conchs, schools of sting ray. We played a lot of Frisbee and spent a lot of time in the water. There was a full moon during the week we were there and night time on the beach was beautiful under the moon light. It was a wonderful first week in the RV, but I was ready to go to the next place. It's impossible to prevent tracking in tons of sand at the beach. Also, our RV backed directly up to the street, so that the only thing between our bedroom and the main street running thru Ft. Myers Beach was some shrubbery. When semi-trucks were whizzing by our window at 50 mph, I got a little nervous.

Erik: A fact that became immediately apparent was driving and parking a "rig" is no joke! The 5th wheel weighs in at a dry 8,800 lbs. It is about 11,000 lbs. packed. I don't care who you are... pulling it is scary and parking it is like having a drill instructor in your ear during your wedding! You all feeling me? I was put to the test immediately. We were able to get the last available spot at the beach, directly next to the brick shower house. I had to back the beast up tight to it and did on the first try. It took me a week to stop walking on my tip toes if you know what I mean. The guy who helped me back it in was awesome. If Amy tried to be my eyes on this one we would be telling a completely different story, one of much pain and sorrow. LOL! Seriously though, she doesn't quite know her left from right and when she "helps?" me back up and connect to the 5th-wheel it goes like this:

Erik: How do I look? (Backing up the 7.3 Diesel easy as possible, it wants to bark and jump...) Amy: ............. (sound of crickets chirping)

Erik: Hey! Corky! Am I close? Corky, uh, I mean

Amy: ........... (Faint sound of popping and cracking like a circuit board on fire)

Erik: Hey...

Amy: STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I get out of the truck to see how close we are and she says: You have to come over to the right (she meant left) alot! (she meant six inches). Erik: How bout a count down or something? You know, 2 feet, 12 inches, 6..... Amy: I'm not a good judge of distance!

True story.

Amy: (laughing) I don't argue a word he says. I've never been good when it comes to right and left, especially under pressure. We all have our learning disabilities. I give Erik full props for driving us around because I couldn't do it.

We withdrew the girls from school the day we left Fort Myers Beach and headed to Riverside Campground in Arcadia, FL for Memorial Day weekend. This campground was referred by a friend and it was beautiful. I can't tell you the last time I was outside truly interacting with nature. It's amazing what you see if you slow down and observe. All those days rushing to get to work "on-time", driving home after the sun went down, weekends spent cleaning house and doing laundry and getting caught-up, but never really. I missed everything going on around me. The sun rays, the moon light, the clouds, the star filled skies, playing in the rain, riding bikes (I forgot how much I love to ride bikes), hiking trails. Just being, feeling, breathing, taking in everything around you and the energy it provides. Your head is clear, your soul at peace. We wake up around 8, have our morning coffee and go. We are active the entire day, yet it feels like fun not exercise. We are getting into shape just by living. It truly feels like we are kids again and it's summertime and we don't have a care in the world. At night we sleep like babies. People wonder how we can live full-time in such a small space, but here's the thing...we're only in it to sleep at night and watch the occassional movie. We're outside all day. The RV has a stove and sink on the outside of it, so even cooking and eating is outside. The campground sits on Peace River which was appropriately named. Completely serene. It's a very large campground and very family friendly. Because of the holiday weekend it was packed. Tons of kids everywhere, playing, riding bikes and scooters and skateboards, fishing, swimming, playing basketball and volleyball, horse shoes and shuffle board. Everybody, ages 1-100, was outside talking and interacting with each other. It was a total inside out world and it was my heaven. Everything about our decision felt right and continues to every day. We're a different family. My dad came to visit and taught Zoe how to ride a 2-wheeler (thanks, Pop-Paw!) and the girls were off. For the first time in my life I felt comfortable letting them run and play without having to see them every second. There was a true communal feeling, everybody looking out for each other.

Erik: Riverside was exactly what we needed. It allowed us to become kids again. We all got new bikes and we also got a bike for David for an early Father's Day gift. We watched the clouds during the day and the stars at night. Like Amy said, I felt at peace. People were friendly because they were friendly and we felt at home. The first evening we were there, a 12 year old boy saw me riding my skateboard and said, "I've never seen a guy your age riding a skateboard." I said, "I've never thought of having an age. So, where is the

river?" He said, "Go down this road, take a right, then a left, go down the hill and then..." I said, "And then what?" He said, "And then you'll find THE RIVER." He said it in a way that only a 12 year old boy could. It was awesome! The day we left for Jekyll Island via Waycross, GA we had to pack up and I had to pick up my Mom. She would be traveling with us and it would give me an opportunity to mend some of "Earl's" fences.

Amy: Our plans were to head from FL to GA to visit Erik's sister and family (St. Simon's Island). There were only a few campgrounds in this area to choose from and Erik reserved a spot at Laura S. Walker State Park in Waycross, GA. I suggested we stay at a park closer, on Jekyll Island, GA. But he insisted on Waycross and I went along for the ride. This was a very long drive, ~400 miles, which we have since decided is our daily limit (close to 8 hrs in the truck). Our goal was to leave Arcadia around 10 a.m.--which for the Carroll family means 1 p.m. cause we do no preparation the night before. So we arrived in Waycross after dark and then it started to rain. The park sits on Hwy 82 in GA between Brunswick and Waycross and there is nothing on this road. Nothing. Pitch black. We pull into the park and there are no lights anywhere and very little signage. We could not see anything. Luckily we had been there before and were somewhat familiar with the park layout (but not much). Finally, after finding a spot we realized that it's a 30 amp hook-up, as are all spots in the park. We needed a 50 amp hook-up and did not have the pigtail adaptor required. Tension built. Angers flared. Let's just say we spent the night at a Hampton Inn.

Erik: Wrong, wrong, wrong... I tried to get us on Jekyll, but because we didn't attempt to book until the night before and the website would only book 2 weeks in advance, Waycross was the best bet to keep my butt out of trouble. Instead, it got me in trouble. But we recovered and my awesome sissy made some calls and got us into the Jekyll campground. Jekyll Island was cool because we saw a side of the Island that we didn't see while living in the area. It is very, very dark at night and nighttime walks or bike rides are for the fearless. No kidding. That place is scary at night. Lots of history there. It was the playground of the Rich and Infamous. You can actually feel it around you. I can't put into words, you just have to feel it. We named our truck Billy Jack after my Dad. Same nasty temper. Had to replace the starter after a couple rounds of starting or not starting whenever he decided. What was surprising was the timing of when the truck wouldn't start. Can you guess? Yep. When we needed it to start, it wouldn't. If we were just running to the store... click, switch, v.v.v.v.v.vroom cough cough.... Just like BJ! What an ass! When we had to be somewhere..... click... crickets, click... crickets...

So I had the starter and the two front tires replaced for the low, low price of $600. Thanks Barnes Tire and Service at 3663 Community Road, Brunswick, GA! $$$ We had great visit with my sister Heather, her husband John, and their kids Noah, Grace, Jayden, and Eve. I can eat me up some Evie! She is so cute and kissable!!! John took Amy and I on a once in a lifetime excursion....

Amy: It was definitely once in a lifetime. Erik and I were treated to a personal VIP tour of Cannon's Point (a cotton plantation from the 18th century). A piece of land on the tip of St. Simon's Island that I never even knew existed, and I lived on the island and in the surrounding area for 10 years! Cannon's Point is virtually unaccessible, untouched land and many tabby ruins from the era still stand. Amazing to see and touch. The land is sacred and you could feel it all around you. Like you were transported back in time. There were fiddler crabs running everywhere and bugs I had never seen before in my life. Of course I had on shorts, a tank top and flip-flops but I couldn't help walk (hop) around and explore. I have never been anywhere like it. And thank you John for Mr. Toad's wild ride. It was a rush!

Jekyll Island RV Park was the ideal setting. The campground sat across the street from the beach and was completely canopied by large oak trees covered in moss. Every square inch of the campground was shaded. It was the best of both worlds. However, we had absolutely no internet connection or cell phone reception which made it a pain trying to keep up with my online classes. The island has a bike trail that runs the entire perimeter and we spent a lot of time on it and in the water. We had a wonderful visit with Heather and family. The girls love spending time with their cousins.

We met an amazing family during our stay at Jekyll. They are here in the United States from Australia. They have 3 children that they home school and they are traveling the country in an old church shuttle bus that they transformed into their living space. Very cool! In a nutshell, he basically heals horses and their riders. Check out his website, great story. www.joeguylongrider.com It was nice to meet another family out there doing what we are. Living it and loving it.

The plan was to leave our RV on Jekyll Island and return to Ft. Myers for a going away party some friends were throwing for us. The day we needed to leave, the truck would not start. I remained very calm and told myself that I would get back to Ft. Myers come hell or high water. Planes, Greyhounds, hitch-hiking, there's always an alternative. We had the truck towed to a body shop, rented a car and headed back to Ft. Myers. We stayed at our house, which surprisingly still had electricity and running water. My party was a blast, I got to say good-bye to all my friends who I miss terribly, and gained a collection of plastic dishes (thank you, Sharon, we use them daily).

Erik: After the weekend, we were back off to Jekyll Island for the second time in a week. We had to return the rental car and pick up the truck. Turns out we would have to return to Fort Myers one more time to tie up loose ends and pick up the remaining stuff from the house that we were not able to squeeze into the rental car.

Amy: I felt like we were in that movie "Trapped in Paradise" with Dana Carvey, where they're trapped in the snowglobe. We could not escape the state of Florida. We returned to Riverside Campground in Arcadia, FL. where we stayed for a week. We visited the house a couple times to finish getting what we needed for our journey (not much). But of course I took too much. My fear took hold...what if we need this, what if we need that, what if... Erik finally dragged me out of there. We're still thinning things out as we go. But we have plenty of scissors! Funny thing...we could never, ever find a pair of scissors in our house when needed, but so far I have unpacked atleast 5 pairs on this RV.

Erik: The drive to The Parks at Chehaw in Albany, GA was SMOOTH. You could tell we had done it before at this point. We were all more comfortable. Very little stress or arguing, just the way I like it. We arrived at the campground and the first thing we see is a competition BMX track. Both mine and Emily's eyes lit up like kids on Christmas morning. There was also the largest playground in SW Georgia which made happy little campers out of Emily and Zoe. I started painting again as this was the first time since we started on our journey that we were all alone as a family. It took a bit for the creative juices to start flowing and I'm not completely back up to speed, but I'm on my way. We all had a great time and it was nice for the 4 of us to reconnect. You wouldn't believe how long it takes to readjust.

Unfortunately, there was a serious injury... to an armadillo. Amy was riding her bike and I was skateboarding beside her. It was very dark and hard to see. We were moving along and out of the corner of my eye I saw the little tank heading straight for Amy's front tire. I yelled, "Watch out for...!!!!" and before I could even finish it was too late. She'd made contact. The armadillo jumped up and hit her right foot and pedal, which knocked him under the bike. Her left foot and pedal caught him on the rebound and knocked him into my shins...while riding the skateboard. I jumped off the board running. Amy hurdled her bike and was stride for stride with me. It was hilarious yet traumatizing at the same time. We both feel his phantom little claws on our legs to this day. Weeks later, Amy would say that she looked deep into Armi's eyes and saw sheer horror. As if he knew it was HIS time. Imagine what the armadillo saw in her eyes! LOL!

Oh yeah, Billy Jack (truck) had another temper tantrum and decided not to start. Again. So, for the second time in a month, we had him towed to a place recommended to us and they fixed him up. Thanks Evans Auto! Come to find out, 2 of the 3 mounting bolts on our newly installed starter were missing and the third was hanging by a few threads. Could have been very nasty. Thanks Barnes Auto and Tire in Brunswick, GA!

Amy: Initially we had discussed heading up thru the Carolinas to the New England states, back down thru Ohio, KY, TN and kind of zig-zagging the US. But I decided I wanted to visit my Aunt Kathie in Kansas, and plans changed. Our new route would be up through Georgia, Alabama, TN, KY, IL, Missouri to Kansas. Since we're that far west, we plan to visit my sister in OK, then head up thru Wyoming, Montana and over to northern California, the Redding/Mt. Shasta area. We'd always talked about this particular area as being our final destination, but I can't wait to travel the whole United States until I see it. The redwood forests, the mountains, the air, just the energy in that area is beyond words, I'm sure. But don't quote me on any of this. The Carroll family has a tough time sticking to plans...and therein lies the fun of the

adventure :)

We found a cool state park in Albany, GA (oh yeah, to continue to great Carroll tradition of ultra-procrastination, we don't actually ever know where we're staying until we're about 100 miles away). There were lots of bike trails and the playground was AWESOME (which is rare anymore, they're usually so completely boring even the kids are yawning while they "play"). Emmy was fearless on the BMX track which surprised me because she's always been a cautious child. We stayed for a week and were the only ones at the campground. We had all this land to ourselves and kind of just made it our own. There was a huge screened in shelter with a refrigerator, sink, range, tables and chairs where we set up shop. Erik spent most of the week painting, the girls and I did a lot of arts and crafts as well. I bought the girls each a latch hook rug kit which took me straight back to my childhood. I made many. Emily loved it. Zoe had zero interest. Ever since learning to ride her bike, she's pretty much on it dawn till dusk. Our stay in Albany was extended a few days longer than expected due to the problem with the truck, but it actually turned out to be a great time. There was no wifi again at this campground which meant I had to go to Starbucks to work on my classes. That was the last way I wanted to spend my day, so I only did the bare minimum. When the truck broke down I was completely out of luck. Erik and I celebrated our wedding anniversary (17 years!) on June 26, which was also the day of the lunar eclipse. We laughed a lot and played a lot of games (my goal is to beat Erik at Spades one time before I die). He introduced me to the Aerobie and now I'm addicted. The girls were able to freely run and play and have some independence. Erik and I made multiple 3-mile round trip bike rides to the closest convenient store for food, drinks and ice which we loaded into backpacks. That was basically our only option without a vehicle, and there was nothing else around for miles besides Carroll's Sausage. Erik whined. I looked at it as an opportunity to tone those quads and glutes!

One thing I am finding somewhat disturbing is that we are eating way too many hotdogs. Way too many. We need to get some menus into rotation ASAP. Our goal is to eat healthier.

We did experience our first thunderstorm in the RV and it was a doozie! We were surrounded by very tall pine trees and they were swaying in the wind dropping pine cones everywhere. It was cool to watch for a minute, but then it got very scary. The lightning was fierce. There were tree branches falling all over the place, and I prayed one would not come crashing thru the roof of the RV. Surely that was not the way this story would end.

Erik: In our quest for Kansas, we made our way to Hoover, AL. We happened across a RV park that was run by the city. Basically, it was a huge parking lot converted into a RV park. No staff, no host, no restrooms or picnic tables or anything like that, but full hookups, cable, wifi. There was a drop box where you leave your money. All honor system. The park sat overlooking Regions Park Stadium where the Birmingham Barons Baseball Club plays. It also serves as the football stadium for Hoover High. You might remember them from MTV's Two-A-Days show. We were only there for two nights but it was very relaxing and we looked forward to making our way back to Nashville, TN after 14 years!

Amy: We had been steady on the go for 6 weeks and I was tired. The drive from Albany, GA to Hoover, AL was the best so far. We took a completely rural route and it was continuous rolling hills. We had the windows down and the music blaring (mostly Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird on repeat). There's not a better feeling. We spent one full day in Hoover and it was a movie marathon day (I recommend the Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey, Jr.). Every once in a while we walked outside to get a drink from the cooler. I was finally able to get caught up on my online classes and decided that this would be my last semester teaching. I do not want to have to choose campgrounds based on internet availability. I will just have to find other new and exciting ways to make money. The girls got Razor scooters and spent the day on those. The parking lot setting was perfect for scooting (is that what it's called?). The RV park was a very cool concept...beats rest stops or Wal-Mart parking lots! Not much else to say about our short stay in Hoover. We frequented the local Target. Off to Nashville, TN! Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park or bust!