Yep, we’re doing it again. BareNakedFamily 3.0. Let’s sell all our crap and hit the road. At least that part gets easier. It’s the fucking changing of emotions and kids growing up that gets harder. Realizing that we won’t ever play tag in the rest area like we used to at 3:00 am, the pain inserts itself like a kind of slap in the face making you feel like you hoped you made the best of all those years. Because you’ll never have that intimate moment of late night talks, cuddling under blankets in the cold desert of New Mexico, sliding down dune hills on skateboards, running through the valleys of California, picking cotton on the side of the road, sitting with the Indians, and the countless secret gazes at the faces of three beautiful kids.
There was nothing better than that time that the five of us just seemed to rule the earth in our minds. Hand in hand. On Dad’s back. And in the RV, usually pointing west. The five of us piled high in the front seats with our music, our way, and our conversations. The five of us just doing our thing.
We’re finishing packing the last of the boxes of the stuff we choose to keep like kids artwork, pictures, and videos and sell everything else. Never really decide to keep furniture and had to sell our beloved Family car, our VW Thing. The car we towed around with us packing three kids and two dogs into as we toured across the country for the last ten years. When the kids could all fit in the back throwing their hands up with the top down and the wind blowing in their hair. Went from three car seats in that car to three teenagers who no longer fit in the backseat. With the sell of everything we own, we add to our handmade savings bucket the last of the cash for our trip to Seattle.
So, we finish packing and leave for the next chapter. Adulthood, tourist traps, and Seattle.
I came across your story while researching about traveling homeschool. I think it is so wonderful and great to see that there are actual people doing it. I am planning to do “sell my crap and hit the road” with my family in the beginning of March and I’m very excited, but I don’t know the ins and outs with the legality of homeschooling on the road. Do you have any information on that? Hope all the best!
Hey Richelle,
Thanks for commenting and good luck to your adventure. Our home schooling experience comes from pulling the kids out in Washington state in ’01 and having residency in Texas during our home schooling time. At the time we pulled the kids out of school in WA, there were no requirements and Texas remains the same. There’s a great RV full timers support group in Texas called the Escapees that you can get a mailing address from (Livingston, TX) which could also make you Texas residents?!?
The laws vary from state to state and there are many resources online available for home schooling. We’re far from experts here (-:
We hope all the best for you and your family on the road. Great to hear from you!
bnf
Hey,
I’m from the Tavon Center. I just read your story and looked at pictures, it’s awesome what you did for your kids, I would love to do that.We don’t need crap in our lives, we only need Jesus and you tell the world that. It takes courage to drop everything and go on the ride, I admire that, great job! Kesley is amazing, she is an awesome volunteer, we just adore her! Family is so important and that shows in her. Austin is a wonderful photographer, I looked at his pictures and was in awe, I would love him to come up and take pictures at Tavon, maybe he can give me a few pointers. I’m the photographer at Tavon so I would love tips 🙂
Thanks!
Hey Tara- we’re so blessed to know you and the Tavon Center. Thanks for visiting our site and your kind comments. We look forward to getting to know you better. See ya soon!
-bnf