It’s been awhile and we’ve covered some serious mileage since my last post, so I figured it’s time for a life update!
We are currently in Winston-Salem for the month of November, which means we’ve been to Colorado, Virginia Beach, Indianpolis, and Louisville since my last update in June. These past 4.5 months have truly flown by and I’ve only had one breakdown, which I consider a big win.
Sam had a few days off at the end of June, so we took advantage of the time and made a trip to Zion National Park and Bryce National Park on our way to Colorado. It was awesome to see a few more National Parks on my list. More on that trip here!
I hopped straight on a plane from our Zion trip to head to Louisville for a few days for work. It’s always fun to go back for a few days but is typically accompanied with exhaustion! Between the time change and slew of social activities, I was ready to relax a bit back in Colorado. The month there was one of my favorites because we spent time with Sam’s sister Melanie (and Mason) as well as my cousin Theresa (and Max). We were so blessed to stay in Lexie’s dad’s house, which was a welcomed change in terms of space to spread out. Plus, Lexie let me drive her car around so I felt like a FREE WOMAN! Lol.
The stretch from Colorado to Virginia was one of the longest drives we will have to make on this journey, but it honestly didn’t feel so bad. We left Thursday after Sam got off work, rolled in to Kansas City with half open eyes late that night, then went on to Louisville the next day. We stopped for dinner with family and stayed the night at my mom’s house. As a bonus, Christian was in town, too!
Settling into our place in Virginia Beach was definitely one of the tougher times for me. It usually takes me a week or two to get adjusted each time we move, but for whatever reason, this adjustment period hit hard. We had been back near the West Coast for several months, so transitioning to the East Coast felt like a hurdle. I missed our home, our friends, and everything that was familiar. It really hit me that we were only a little over halfway through this. But what I’ve learned about myself and this experience is that time makes everything better. After week one, my outlook became brighter, my mood improved, and I was ready to explore everything Virginia Beach has to offer.
We were lucky enough to have our friends Kevin and Priya drive down from the D.C. area on our last weekend to visit us. Spending time with friends always brings me comfort and makes me feel better. Plus, we hadn’t seen them since our wedding, so we had a lot to catch up on!
Heading from Virginia to Indianapolis we once again stopped in Louisville for a night. The Strothmans were also kind enough to let us borrow a car to take up to Indy, which meant I had my own car to drive around town when I needed it. Having a car is a freedom many of us take for granted!
Being so close to Louisville we had several visitors over the course of the month (shout out to Katia, Amy, Sean, Mallory, Rob, and my mom)! After living far away for so long, it’s extra special to spend time with close friends from back home. I also made a few trips of my own this month – a quick trip to Cincinnati to see the Jonas Brothers with Katia (my teenage self was thriving), and another to Phoenix with my mom and Joy. Such a busy and fun month it was!
Spending October in Louisville was kind of a blur, but in the best way. I went into the TXRH Support Center most days, which was a nice change of pace and reminder of how great it is to be there. We packed our schedule by spending time with all our friends and family, so most weekends and even weeknights were busy. And although I’m the type of person who needs my down time, I tried my best to live in the moment and soak up the craziness and time with loved ones while we had it.
Heading in to our month in Winston-Salem I was pumped to be able to explore a city I’d never been to. So far, I’ve loved the beauty of the city and what it has to offer. Guess you’ll have to stay tuned for my Winston-Salem travel guide for a final verdict on this place 😉
We’ve been “nomads” for 8.5 months now, and we’re admittedly getting a little burnt out on all the transition. Looking back, this year really has flown by and I’m amazed with all the places we’ve seen and experiences we’ve had. I’m so thankful to have Sam to keep this journey fun and keep me sane through the process. I’m excited to continue exploring Winston-Salem, enjoy the magic of Orlando next month, then make our move back to Phoenix by the beginning of the year. Until then, find me soaking up the last bit of our adventure!
