Oh the Places You’ll Go!

Oh the places you’ll go!

One year ago, Nikki and I did a drill at a remarkable couples event in Bozeman, MT (www.thestationfoundation.org) in which we depicted three ‘stories’ for our lives over the next 5 years. The point was to create possible scenarios for our future and help us determine the next steps in life. All three stories had one common element, an RV trip. We weren’t sure exactly what it would entail, but we knew it had to be part of our story. Two weeks ago, we had the privilege of returning to that very sight, and walking the same trail which helped to inspire us—- only this time, we had our children with us, sharing our story as they write their own.

One of the major elements of this journey has been relationships, and last week we were blessed to be able to spend some quality time with our parents in the Black Hills of SD. The kids were shocked to arrive at the RV camp and see Grammy and Grandpa T waiting for them (funny: Allie later commented that she thought the guy at the front looked a lot like Grandpa T). Together we visited Mt Rushmore (if you haven’t been to Mt Rushmore, do go there, especially at night), Wind Cave NP, Custer State park (watch out for the burrows that come into your car window looking for food). Two games of monopoly and two trips to Texas Roadhouse, our time was over but those memories are forever etched in our mind, the time with our family was priceless.

Another element we talked about was sacrifice, that the journey would not only be different, but also difficult. Nothing good comes without sacrifice. Well, sometimes that sacrifice manifests itself in the form of tiny 4 legged creatures. Yup, a little field mouse had snuck his way somewhere into the RV. Now, mind you, I’ve been a few places and seen a lot of things, a mouse really didn’t bother me, but not everyone felt the same way. Suffice to say, it was now me versus the mouse. I got some traps, set my bait, and the next morning caught my insurgent. (NOTE: no animals were hurt in the making of this story—- hit me up separately and I will explain my technique). As funny as this story is, well at least now, these type of events have ways of testing your resolve and I’m grateful for them, especially when they are over

While there was a lot of planning involved in this trip, we also wanted some spontaneity. So we ended up in North Dakota. Medora, ND to be specific. Actually, to be honest, the main reason we went north was to get the ND sticker for our map of the USA, it would look odd if not filled in. At any rate, Theodore Roosevelt NP, the place where TR went to get away from it all is where we ended up- a beautiful, serene park. But the real find was Jim and Bob, a retired Navy veteran and retired firefighter. What characters. We were hiking on the same trail and struck up a conversation along the way which turned into 30 minutes of the most enjoyable laughs. They let the kids climb up on their Harleys, told countless eye-roll jokes, and even took the time to make the kids rings from folded one dollar bills. I can’t tell you how much fun it was to joke with these guys as if we had known each other for years. These seemingly random meetings with folks are what make this trip even more memorable.

Get off the normal path (as if we aren’t already) and try something new. Oh the places you’ll go, and oh the people you’ll meet!

Much Aloha,

Loco