Todd will tell you I’m a very organized person. And that was the crux of my packing frenzy. Or anxiety. We’re not quite sure where the time is going these last couple of days, but I think things are getting checked off faster than they are being added to our checklist. And don’t ask me […]
Author: Alex
At the Center of Our Lives
We recently had our preschool Bon Voyage Party. (Rose City Neighborhood Preschool-we’ve loved this community!!) I was doing really well handling all these “goodbye” emotional steps-until I went to bed that night and started thinking. I started thinking about what our life really revolves around- it’s the emotional well being of our kids- that they […]
Insulated Van Curtains Part II
After 8 years of journeying we decided we could make an improvement on one of the most important comfort features of our van, our curtains/ sun shades. Surprisingly, the original post on how we made them was one of our most popular posts. The snaps have been repaired many, many, multiple times. They get so […]
The Countdown to the “Departure Week”
The details are many. Every two days or so we get overwhelmed with a wave of anxiety about some detail we’ve been putting off. It’s better than 2 weeks ago though- I spent three days panicking about packing the girls sun shirts they would actually wear. And don’t get me started about sizing for little […]
What’s it Like to Pack for Van Life?
You may be wondering what it would be like to pack for a 4 month trip for 2 adults and 2 preschool aged kids. Well, its an adventure in and of itself. We have many advantages in preparing for this trip because we’ve already lived on the road for 2.5 years. We also made sure […]
Time to Dust Off the Wheels!
It’s been 6 years and 24 days since we arrived in Portland. And it’s time. We’ve created two little perfect creatures since we came “home” and we’ve decided it’s time to take them on a longer adventure-to show them more of the beautiful people and places on our planet. We’re departing in February for 4 […]
Time to Ignore the Toys and Dirty Dishes-I’m Going to do Some Typing

Well things have certainly changed around here! I hope you and your family are physically and mentally healthy during this overwhelming time of COVID-19. No doubt this virus has changed our norms, things we depend on for survival, and how we interact with one another. I hope you are lucky enough to stay home and […]
Coffee I LOVE YOU.

After Medellin we drove a couple of kilometers north to get to the central cordillera of Colombia. We (or I) was on the search for some coffee covered hillsides and unspoiled beauty. So our daily plans focused on being off the beaten path, finding donuts, and drinking coffee. We started our city-detox with the quaint […]
Me-de-jean: MetroCables and Murals

Medellin is a huge city. We generally try to stay away from big cities because driving Lola in tight cities is always a struggle, but cities are also the place where we can observe how modern culture and conveniences are incorporated by the country. Medellin is just as hip as NYC, busy as Boston, and […]
So What’s Colombia like?

(Written on 2/8/18, posted on 5/1/18) Well, right now I can tell you what the truck stops in Colombia are like. Dusty, some wifi, some toilet seats, there might be toilet paper in the bathrooms, small snack shops….it’s an interesting place to spend the night. For instance, this morning I witnessed white flabby neck cows […]