4 months down, 6 to go…

It’s the end of June 2021, which means we’ve been living our “nomad life” as I’m calling it, for about 4 months. We put all of our stuff in storage and gave up our apartment keys at the end of February, heading East to Texas. Honestly, it feels like it’s been way longer than 4 months. I have recently been so mesmerized by the idea of time and how it passes; how it can feel so incredibly different to people, or even to ourselves based on what we’ve experienced. 

Our first stop was Ft. Worth, TX which was a 15-hour drive from Phoenix. We’ve gotten pretty good at road trips over the years, so it wasn’t so bad. We stopped for the night in Midland since we knew we’d be exhausted from getting all our last-minute items into storage and moving out of our apartment. 

Truthfully, that was such an emotionally draining day. The night before, we had to say goodbye to our best friends Lexie & Oliver, a couple we met through Sam’s program and instantly became inseparable with. They were also leaving to start their own journey of exploring programs. Getting up the next morning on our air matress (since our real matress had already been in storage for a week), clearing out the last few items from our apartment and driving away was honestly heartbreaking for me. 

I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but I absolutely loved the life we built in Phoenix. Our apartment was nothing grandiose or impressive, but it was perfect for us and we absolutely loved the location + view of the mountains. In the year and a half of living there, we really made it our own. I enjoyed the amenities and took full advantage of the gym every day. Moving out before I really wanted to and saying goodbye to our life in Phoenix as we knew it was really sad to me. I still get emotional writing about it now. 

But alas, we made it to Texas and tried to settle into a new groove. We established our routine of the Sunday in a new city – finding a nearby grocery AND Costco (essential, obviously), unpacking, getting my WFH setup, etc. It’s a strange feeling to be in a completely new place and feeling so out-of-sorts, but turning around the next day and working a job like normal. It’s kind of like you’re on vacation, but really you’re not – ha! For Sam, it’s a whole new ballgame with starting a new job with new people each month. For me, it’s just adapting to my new hours (if we’ve switched time zones), and a different home office. 

The month in Texas was challenging because it was our first one away. I felt a lot of emotions throughout the month and had a hard time fully understanding them. We made the most of it and explored as much as we could (see our local Ft. Worth guide here ), and even had a special visit from my family! Overall and looking back, it was a good first experience where we both learned a lot. 

Next up was Tucson, so we drove back West and made a stop at White Sands on the way. I had been once but Sam hadn’t, so we were excited to go together. We didn’t stay long, but just enough to stretch our legs, check out the beauty of it all, and have a quick sandwich. 

Our time in Tucson flew by. I think this is because we spent 2 out of the 4 weekends away. Sam’s brother and girlfriend were making a trip out West and beginning in Sedona, so we joined them in camping one weekend. I was really glad to see them and spend time with them, so it was absolutely worth the drive up there. Another weekend was our dear friends Amy & Sean’s wedding back in Louisville!

Since we didn’t have as much time to explore Tucson, I don’t have a full travel guide. However, we did visit Saguaro National Park and absolutely loved it! Tucson was really pretty and offered several great hiking options.

We’ve been back in Phoenix for May and June which has been such a nice reset. Even though we’re still in an AirBnB, it feels so comforting to be in a familiar place where we’re reunited with some friends and family. We have really enjoyed these past few months and soaking up our time here before we leave again for another 6. 

As we prep for our next journey, I’m thankful to be taking the lessons I’ve already learned from these 4 months along with me. While that’s a whole other blog post, I can say that I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I can best approach my own anxiety about this lifestyle. 

Stay tuned for our adventures as we head up to Colorado then over to the East Coast for the rest of the year!