A Sabbath Year

Life can sometimes feel like a constant moving freeway. Rushing here and there, moving busily with the flow and letting the routine determine our lives.  We were a part of this freeway scene and considered ourselves a typical American military family.  We were married in 2007, Mike has been a part of the US Navy Seals since 2000.  We endured deployments and moves but relished the community it brought.  We lived a pretty normal life, with our everyday life feeling pretty routine…

Then in early 2017 we were pulled off that freeway onto an overpass.  Nikki was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35. The life we knew was no more. Our everyday routine, was replaced with appointments, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Slowly over the course of a year with cancer our view from the overpass started to change the way we viewed the freeway.  God started teaching us what was truly important in life…

Once Nikki’s healing began then we had to learn how to navigate the freeway again. We started to notice certain themes that became more important to us.  These five themes or values are the core of the importance of our trip. These values will be the categories that we will blog under.

Intention

We will decide how to use our time, money, talents, and resources with purpose and thought.  We will not make decisions because everyone else is, or because others tell us we should.

Relationships

We will put God first, people second, and things a distant third.  Our priority is time spent in those relationships.

Creation

We want to cherish and relish natural beauty.  We want to experience landscapes, outdoors, animals and art. These things remind us of our place in life and are therapeutic to our souls.

Health

We will incorporate nutrition/food, exercise and good sleep habits into everyday life.  Not as a means to an end, but because this is the best thing for our bodies.  Mastering the health basics puts us in the best position to utilize our talents for God and others.

Somewhere during our time on the overpass we saw the value of taking a pause or Sabbath.  And somewhere along the way we got this idea to take a trip after Mike retired from the Navy.  We started planning a road trip across the United States.  And now that time is here.  We are ready to leave.

Sacrifice

We will choose the narrow path even though it is difficult.  We will choose it because it produces an outcome far greater than the wide gate.

The timing for our trip is interesting because when an event takes us off our freeway we get to decide how we are going to get back on. We get to decide what holds the most value.   COVID-19 has been such an event for millions of people all over the world. Everyone of us has had our “overpass” moment where we get to decide how we are going to navigate our future.  Are we going to go back to normal? Or are we going to allow for something different?

We would never have been going on this trip had it not been for cancer and sometimes life’s journey takes you places you never imagined.

So we want to invite you to come with us on our road trip.  Whether you follow us on social media or we get to see you in person along the way we want you to be a part of it.   Every crazy beautiful moment.

Much aloha,

Loco & Nani