Category: Sabbatical Planning

19 Pop Up Camping Essential Nonessentials: a Little Less Like Camping, a Little More Like Home

April 4, 2017

Pop up camping, while maybe slightly less primitive than tent camping, is still basically living outside with only a piece of heavy duty canvas between you and the wilderness. Let’s face it, our Freedom Machine is just a glorified tent on wheels with a door, a battery, and a propane tank. Yes, we have lights, … More 19 Pop Up Camping Essential Nonessentials: a Little Less Like Camping, a Little More Like Home

We took a 24 hour vow of silence and this is what happened…

March 20, 2017

The other night Trent and I had a “spat.” It was brought on by some work stress coupled with subpar communication. Sound familiar? After some huffing and puffing and a lot of talking and a lot of not talking, I was still pretty hurt and angry, and so was he. Relationships are sometimes so much harder … More We took a 24 hour vow of silence and this is what happened…

Garage Sale Season is Upon Us, and We are Lightening Our Load!

March 19, 2017

I love garage sales. Or yard sales. Whichever you prefer. I’ve never understood the difference (because when I was growing up our garage sales were always held in the yard since we didn’t have a garage), but I’ve always suspected a classist distinction. Regardless, I love going to them. I love having them. I love … More Garage Sale Season is Upon Us, and We are Lightening Our Load!

Practice Makes Perfect: Pop Up Camping “Test Camp” at Cheyenne Mountain

March 12, 2017

Trent has been wanting to take the camper out for a “test camp” since we bought it in January. I have been nervous about getting too far ahead of the warm weather. But March in Colorado is here, and we are doing this! No snow for us, thankfully (March is the snowiest month), and the high … More Practice Makes Perfect: Pop Up Camping “Test Camp” at Cheyenne Mountain

Life (and sabbatical) is all about priorities, and the fewer the better

March 5, 2017

My husband, Trent, and I are taking a year-long sabbatical, and like good planners we have each defined our personal priorities for that year. I suppose this could have gone badly, but we actually came up with the same three priorities, in the same order. Us Body Mind Perhaps it is not groundbreaking, but it … More Life (and sabbatical) is all about priorities, and the fewer the better

Sabbatical prep in four lists: from Popup camping to Thailand

February 28, 2017

As with anything, preparation is key, and preparing for sabbatical is serious business. We will be on the road for much of the first six months, camping and/or visiting friends and family all around the country. And then we will leave the U.S. for six months to live in Thailand. Check out our itinerary as … More Sabbatical prep in four lists: from Popup camping to Thailand

Sabbatical Test Drive: 5 Small steps to get you (and your wallet) ready for an adventure of your own!

February 27, 2017

Taking a year off is going to be life changing, and at some point we both realized that we needed to do more than save money and make lists to prepare for it.  We needed to PRACTICE for our sabbatical, our Found Year. What does that mean exactly?  Well, it started with a realization that … More Sabbatical Test Drive: 5 Small steps to get you (and your wallet) ready for an adventure of your own!

Sabbatical essential: Meet the Freedom Machine, our home away from home

February 18, 2017

A few weeks ago, we fully committed to our sabbatical in yet another tangible way.  We bought a used popup camper.  After doing the math, we figured out it would be cheaper to invest in this little beauty rather than in hotel stays as we spend six months traveling around to the National Parks (Sabbatical … More Sabbatical essential: Meet the Freedom Machine, our home away from home