Finale

Alright folks, I know we left you hanging…  well, not literally, but figuratively…

Gosh, February was the last time we wrote anything, man.  We suck.  Well, here goes, a blog to catch you all up on what we’ve been up to these past 6 months.  Dang, that’s as long as we were on the road.  Ok, there’s your first clue.  We haven’t been stationary for 6 months, but we were on the road for 6 months.

After Hendersonville… I think we went to Chattanooga again and went climbing, and then we headed up to NH for a few weeks.  In NH we climbed at Rumney (Kevin had been raving about it for so long, I finally got to see it!), we went backpacking in the Belknap range with Kev’s brother and his girlfriend which was super fun!  And Kev and I climbed up Mt. Monadnock, very snowy and icy and muddy.

Our feet in the Atlantic Ocean.

Mt. Monadnock

The climb down was definitely snowy and icy.

The four of us in the Belknap Range

A little after half of our stay in NH was over we had just moved camp from my parent’s house to Kev’s parent’s house when things with my sister’s pregnancy got dicey.  Without going into too much detail, Baby wasn’t going to come out in NH, she wanted to come out in GA, and sooner rather than later.  So, I flew down to GA on a one-way ticket and was there for the extraction of Baby. Kevin drove down from NH soon after and was a HUGE help.  Baby was in the NICU for about a week (a week too long for everyone) and then got to go home with a very relieved mommy and daddy to see a very excited Big Sister. 

Baby!

We stuck around for a little while after that to help out with Big Sister and Baby and then left for Knoxville.  That’s right folks, Kevin got the job!  We stayed with the person he took over from for a few days until we found our amazing house here in Knoxville.  Oh, and I got the job too. 

So, now we live in Knoxville, TN.  Who woulda thunk it?  The summer has been busy for both of us, more for me than Kev, but he’s now revving up and being the busy one.  I taught reading all summer for IRD and decided that I do not want to be a teacher in the traditional sense.  I also decided that I LOVE working with teenagers!  Definitely something I did not think I would like.  Kevin worked at UT and led some trips this summer, went to some meetings, and organized a lot of things at UT.

Our New Home

Now school has started for Kevin, work ended for me (currently unemployed but applying for jobs like a maniac) and we are finally finding things we like about Knoxville.  It was touch and go for a bit, but we’re back on track.  I don’t think Knoxville is the place for us ultimately, but we’ll be here for the next 2 years and we’ll make the most of it.  After that…. Only time can tell.

So, life without a permanent address comes to an end.  We have an address again after a 6 month sabbatical and will probably have one for a long time to come.  If you want to follow us still, I have started a blog myself.  Emily's Escapades.  Kevin’s going to take a break for a while he focuses on school, but I may let him guest blog once in a while.

 I leave you with my final thoughts.

Things I learned while on our journey:

1.     1. Public restrooms vary from state to state.  (the best portapottie was in Bishop, CA)

2.     2. When planning a trip like ours, budget twice the amount of money you think you’ll need.

3.     3. You don’t need as much stuff as you think you do.

4.     4. Sometimes a face wash is as good as a shower.

5.     5. Always check the coolant fluid before going uphill.

6.     6. It’s really hard to apply for jobs when you don’t have an address.

7.     7. Good friends show themselves in times of need. Trust in the balance of the universe.

8.     8. Holiday’s only have meaning if you give them meaning.

9.     9. Living out of a truck with someone else isn’t as easy as you think it is.