Sawyer’s Thoughts

Wow! 

When we first named the trip The Road of Life, I had no idea how much of a once in a lifetime experience that it would be. 

Within these past few months, I have learned things that I could have never learned in school and I have gone to places beyond my wildest dreams. I also learned that I love the beach and I found out a few really awesome places that I might even want to live in when I am old enough. 

My favorite places on the journey were Wrightsville Beach, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Orange Beach, AL. On this trip, we traveled through 22 states and managed to survive the tough and long ones like Texas, Nevada, and Kanas. Within about 3 months we accomplished tons of things that normally are accomplished within a span of a few years.  

I am so lucky that my Mom didn’t give in and that she was able to come on this wonderful trip with me. I am also super thankful to my Dad for working so hard so that we can do things like this. I am also thankful to my friends and to Drew for supporting me throughout the trip and for welcoming me back into their lives so affectionately. I am once again soooooooooo lucky that I have been given this experience and it is something that I will never forget.  

Diane’s Thoughts

Whew! What a ride!  

We’ve settled back into life in Estes Park and the reality our adventure is still the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing at night. I am so proud of Sawyer. She is an amazing young lady and I feel blessed to have had the chance to learn and grow with her on our trip.

I am thankful to Christian for supporting us from home. He held everything together, doing double duty as father and breadwinner; all without complaint. I am proud of Drew for being so strong through this and helping Christian. There were moments when I wanted to turn Rosie around and come home but both Drew and Christian encouraged us to keep on truckin’. I am thankful for all the love that Drew received from our friends and family while I was away to make things easier for her. I am thankful to all of my friends and family that stepped up to help with life at home. You held my family in your arms while mine were at the wheel. I am forever grateful.

Lastly, I am proud of myself. The road was not always easy but Sawyer and I were able to talk about real life situations and work through them together. It truly was life-schooling. I learned so much about America and Sawyer, but mostly, myself. This is an experience that I will never forget. The most memorable part of our journey was all the people we met along the way. People that opened up their lives so that we could get a peek into what it is like to live in different areas of our great country. Thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Would I do this again….YES! I hope to do a similar trip with Drew when she is in the end of her 5th grade year. It’s up to her interests on where we’ll go.

What would I do differently? I would pick a smaller area to cover; perhaps just the West Coast or the East Coast. Moving around almost every night was difficult. Each state has so much to offer and it would have been nice to have a more well-rounded tour of the state instead of just a few highlights.

My favorites included Carlsbad Caverns, Lafayette, LA, the Gulf Shores of Mississippi and Alabama as well as the coastal areas of GA, SC NC and VA.

I was surprised by how much we camped. The country has so many wonderful State Parks. The Roadtrek, Rosie, that we bought for the trip was wonderful. It was the perfect size for the two of us and really was our, “Home Away From Home”. We often opted to camp instead of stay at a hotel. Quite a change if you know our family!

Will we homeschool next year? Sawyer is very excited to get back to her friends and the rhythm of public middle school next year. This trip was based around 5th grade American History but turned into more of a life-lesson trip. It was a good time to try something different before she moves onto the next phase in her education. I have great admiration for the families that homeschool. I realized that I am not the right person to homeschool long-term and I now have a greater appreciation for our area’s school system.