I have been dreaming about traveling to the west coast since I was in high school. I was going to buy an old school bus, convert it into an RV, and set off for Oregon. That was pretty much the full extent of the plan. I'd figure out a way to make money while on the road by selling art or being a shipment carrier. All through college I dreamed of this adventure; the only problem was, I had no one to share it with me.
In the summer before my 5th, and not so final, year of college I met a guy, fell in love, and got married... all within about 5 months. Because I was still in school and his job didn't pay much, his parents let us live in their somewhat finished basement. It wasn't much, but it was perfect for the time being. We had our own bathroom, laundry was nearby, and it was only a short walk up the stairs for food.
As the end of the school year approached, we started to discuss what the next step was. I really didn't want to stay in the area. Although Dan wouldn't have minded staying, there weren't any readily available jobs for him. We are both very good friends with another couple that wanted to get out of Mansfield as well. We had joked around about all moving away together, but it was never very serious, until one day one of us was so fed-up with their job that it became a serious option. We talked about it, and the four of us decided to make it happen. We made a date to get together and make a game plan. The night before that date Dan and I got a BIG surprise. We were now expecting an extra passenger.
We had planned on waiting a few years before having kids so this was a huge curve ball. I wanted to keep it between us for awhile, however, I knew we had to tell Naomi and David. I was afraid that this news would keep us from being able to move away. I knew that relocating as a group would be cheaper than on our own. My fear was that we wouldn't be able to do it by ourselves. The next day we all sat down to discuss a moving plan and Naomi could tell something was up. We told them the big news and they were just as shocked as we were. David laughed and showed us a list he made up with "what if" questions and the first one was, "what if someone gets pregnant". We all talked about it and they said they would still like to move with us. I was so relieved. Thankfully we are blessed with awesome friends who love us enough to go through crazy times with us.
We made a list of places we'd like to live and started to search for jobs. We knew we would need to start near a city to accommodate our array of careers. Together we were a welder, an engineer, a clothing designer, and an artist. We decided to start searching near D.C. Over the course of a few weeks we applied for jobs and searched for places to live. After almost a month we had been turned down for a few jobs, for not already living in D.C., and not replied to by a ton more. We began to lose hope. We got together again to discuss finding a new location. Naomi mentioned she would like to look out west. We asked what state she had in mind and she surprised us with California.
We were all excited about moving out west because we felt that it opened up more job opportunities for us. Dan and David were both tired of working inside and wanted to find jobs outdoors. Naomi and I were excited about being in a state with more artist opportunities than Ohio. One day, Naomi and David came to us with an idea. They had found a website (http://www.wwoofusa.org/) that sponsored organic farms that needed people to work in exchange for food and a place to stay. This was perfect for us. We could look for jobs when we got there and avoid the problem we had with D.C. employers, so we emailed a bunch of farms and waited for replies. We got several responses, chose the one we liked the best, and set a date to move.
To be continued...
In the summer before my 5th, and not so final, year of college I met a guy, fell in love, and got married... all within about 5 months. Because I was still in school and his job didn't pay much, his parents let us live in their somewhat finished basement. It wasn't much, but it was perfect for the time being. We had our own bathroom, laundry was nearby, and it was only a short walk up the stairs for food.
As the end of the school year approached, we started to discuss what the next step was. I really didn't want to stay in the area. Although Dan wouldn't have minded staying, there weren't any readily available jobs for him. We are both very good friends with another couple that wanted to get out of Mansfield as well. We had joked around about all moving away together, but it was never very serious, until one day one of us was so fed-up with their job that it became a serious option. We talked about it, and the four of us decided to make it happen. We made a date to get together and make a game plan. The night before that date Dan and I got a BIG surprise. We were now expecting an extra passenger.
We had planned on waiting a few years before having kids so this was a huge curve ball. I wanted to keep it between us for awhile, however, I knew we had to tell Naomi and David. I was afraid that this news would keep us from being able to move away. I knew that relocating as a group would be cheaper than on our own. My fear was that we wouldn't be able to do it by ourselves. The next day we all sat down to discuss a moving plan and Naomi could tell something was up. We told them the big news and they were just as shocked as we were. David laughed and showed us a list he made up with "what if" questions and the first one was, "what if someone gets pregnant". We all talked about it and they said they would still like to move with us. I was so relieved. Thankfully we are blessed with awesome friends who love us enough to go through crazy times with us.
We made a list of places we'd like to live and started to search for jobs. We knew we would need to start near a city to accommodate our array of careers. Together we were a welder, an engineer, a clothing designer, and an artist. We decided to start searching near D.C. Over the course of a few weeks we applied for jobs and searched for places to live. After almost a month we had been turned down for a few jobs, for not already living in D.C., and not replied to by a ton more. We began to lose hope. We got together again to discuss finding a new location. Naomi mentioned she would like to look out west. We asked what state she had in mind and she surprised us with California.
We were all excited about moving out west because we felt that it opened up more job opportunities for us. Dan and David were both tired of working inside and wanted to find jobs outdoors. Naomi and I were excited about being in a state with more artist opportunities than Ohio. One day, Naomi and David came to us with an idea. They had found a website (http://www.wwoofusa.org/) that sponsored organic farms that needed people to work in exchange for food and a place to stay. This was perfect for us. We could look for jobs when we got there and avoid the problem we had with D.C. employers, so we emailed a bunch of farms and waited for replies. We got several responses, chose the one we liked the best, and set a date to move.
To be continued...
Since we were 12 years old, you have dreamed of moving out west. It always made me a little sad...no, a LOT sad, because I knew that someday our paths would part, and our lives would lead us in different directions. And, even though I still think ya'll are crazy hippies [ ;) xoxo] I know that you were meant to do this. I wish you all the happiness and adventure in the world! I love you all!
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