Most mornings, after being let out of her kennel, this is where you will find Kylie. It’s the spot she waits patiently as John makes his coffee and gets ready for the day. One of the last things John does before heading out to a job site is to put his workboots on. And Kylie has trained him well because he carries his boots into the living room and she scoots over.

Before his laces are tied, he takes a few moments to be in this sweet space with his dear dog, stroking her head and back. It’s a special routine ritual between the two.

And as we dreamed of going on vacation later this fall talking about plans recently, John wanted Kylie to go with us this time (and yes, Gidget will be coming along too!). But little did we realize how this would all evolve, and boy-oh-boy, are we excited!

John has two work vans, one of which he only uses as a back up. It will be perfect to make the trip south to a spot in Tennessee where we will stay in a cabin for seven days.  We plan to make it a two day trip down and back, staying one night each way in a campground.

And this is where a whole new world has opened up to us!  John is planning on what we’ve dubbed, “pimping” out the van. He’s going to insulate it, build bunk beds, and build a platform for Gidget’s car seat, plus make space for both dog kennels.

What we didn’t realize is that this is a way of travel for many…taking vans and converting them into a space to sleep, cook, and even work should you choose to. There are endless websites and blogs on this very subject!  Even women are going solo and making treks on their own following their hearts and seeing the states.  One such site I just started following is She-Explores.

And here’s one woman, named Jessie, who lives out on the open road with her little doxie (be still my heart!):

John and I have both been doing research and will start with the basics for our trek to Tennessee later this fall in the van. And then our hope is to go out west next year for a longer trek staying in campgrounds along the way. This will mean adding to the van with more essentials to make it our home on wheels.

It sure has had me thinking much about how much I love routine, but also how it will be fun to escape the routine and set out on an adventure, just the four of us….in a Chevy van….heading down the highway….taking in the views…and grateful for dreams!

oh, and speaking of dreams… my manuscript for  Wisdom Found in the Pause has gone through it’s final stage of editing with my editor which is the proofreading stage – woo hoo!  One last read through for me this week, and then I’ll begin formatting it.  I’ve also received some proof’s for the cover and can’t wait to share the cover with you soon!

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