Quest for a Simple Life {revisited}

 

A few months ago, when I wrote, “The Quest for a Simple Life” I wasn’t sure if there would be a part two. Both Husby and I felt in our hearts that there was a different path our family was to pursue… a risk to take with greater rewards in the end for our family… but we didn’t have any definitive plans. We knew we just had to trust… and do the “foot work” {as one of my best friends explained}. So, that’s exactly what we did. In the past six months, we’ve taken two long road-trips to Mammoth Lakes and five trips to our local mountains. At last, our path was revealed! I’ve been so eager to share with you our plan… along with the excitement {and uncertainty} that lies ahead for our family of six.  [Read more…]

The Quest for a Simple Life

>>>THE QUEST FOR A SIMPLE LIFE<<< 

You know when something is on your mind

or heavy on your heart and you start noticing signs of it all around you,

{honestly}…

 everywhere you look?

That’s what has been happening to Husby and I lately.

I know I have mentioned throughout various posts my desire for a simpler life…

but recently, it’s really been beckoning.

We are fortunate to live in a beautiful area

and are surrounded by cherished friends and family…

but we know that God is leading us somewhere else.

It’s a feeling we both have had laid on our hearts for some time now…

and it just isn’t going away…

if anything, it’s only getting stronger.

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I guess I should give you some insight as to why I constantly crave this

“simple life.”

{At some point I will write a more thorough post on this…

(and in time, I dream of writing a book, or two)…

but for now I will give you a glimpse into a few years of my childhood}…

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When I was eleven years old,

and my younger brother was four,

our parents sold most of what we owned,

quit their demanding careers,

bought a sailboat…

and we traveled for two years

with the intentions of circumnavigating the world.

During these two years,

we sailed over 14,000 miles.

I was homeschooled during this time,

but the most valuable learning

didn’t come from the books we brought with us…

but rather the life experiences

of traveling to other countries and remote islands,

interacting with the locals,

attempting to speak their languages,

and surrounding ourselves with their beautiful cultures.

My happiest childhood memories are all of this time.

I cherish the experiences,

but also the together time we spent as a family.

This two-year snippet had the most profound impact on my life,

shaping my interests…

values…

and desires as an adult.

We left most material items behind,

{the luxuries of living on land}…

and just sailed.

We were together 24 hours a day.

Life was simple…

fishing for our dinner,

stargazing,

listening to Jimmy Buffet,

reading endless amounts of novels,

swimming and bathing in the ocean,

exploring cities and quaint little villages,

chatting with the locals and other cruisers {as we were called}….

It was a beautiful life…

My courageous parents took an incredible risk…

I can’t imagine the person I would be today, had they not…

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Having had that sort of childhood…

I have always known that I wanted to give our four children a feel of that “simple life”…

hopefully carrying on my parents’ adventurous spirits and instilling it in our kids.

Husby and I both feel strongly that the time is quickly approaching to make a big change.

The kids are growing up so fast,

and we only have one shot at raising them up right…

the way we’ve envisioned in our dreams.

                                                                                {Image Via: Fancy Hands, Tumblr}

Although I would love to sell everything

{and literally},

set sail to far off places…

it isn’t realistic for us.

My parents were avid sailors,

and my brother and I were raised sailing from a very young age,

{not to mention},

 Husby has a secure job as a firefighter working for a department that he loves.

I often joke that we just need to move to Costa Rica and live in a little beach bungalow,

but in all seriousness…

Husby and I know that we need to take a risk, and leave our area of comfort…

s e t t i n g    s a i l    i n    o u r    o w n    w a y.

We aren’t one-hundred percent certain of the details

{like the when, where, and how — perhaps important!},

but we do feel like our family needs more open air…

more room to breathe,

more space to play and explore the outdoors.

A life that is closer to nature and more in tune with God…

where we have more time to focus on our family.

A life that is less demanding,

…less empty…

and less pressured to just “keep up.”

We are praying for God’s guidance,

and His will to be done.

So…

in the meantime,

I will keep you updated with our plans…

as we hopefully carryout some much needed changes in our family…

in the quest for a simple life.

>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<

P.S. Remember how I told you I am seeing signs everywhere?

This was one of them…

a beautiful post

{that I know you’ll enjoy},

eloquently written by fellow blogger & friend,

Jennifer Wolfe {mamawolfe}….

{On the Corner of Dream Ave. and Believe St.: Stepping Out Of Our Comfort Zone}

                                                                                      {Image Via: Designspiration}

 

Click here for an update on this post! 

 

An Inspiring Life of Simplicity & Adventure

We have such an incredible treat to share with you!

One of our dear friends

{who is also our college sorority sister}

moved to Alaska five years ago,

seeking a life of simplicity & adventure for her family.

Although a busy wife,

mommy…

{who is eagerly awaiting the arrival of baby #3!!!},

teacher & blogger…

she graciously made time to answer our interview questions. 

She truly lives a life that most of us only dream about…

We hope that her story inspires you, as it has Nicole & I!

Meet our beautiful friend, Erin:

 

Tell us a little about your life prior to moving to Alaska…

Before we moved to Alaska 5 years ago, Mike and I lived a very average California lifestyle. We met in Long Beach where I was in school and we were neighbors. After a couple years of dating we got married in Santa Barbara, then moved to Tehachapi. We had our first son, Noah. I was a teacher and Mike was working in sales. Our commutes were horrendous. My school district and his job were not where we wanted our lives to be. We would camp every weekend and dream of a life of adventure.

What made you and Mike decide to take that giant leap?

Mike was a SoCal kid like me but went to college at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. He spent his summers in Juneau on fishing boats (i.e. Deadliest Catch) and continued to live there for eight years. Pretty much as soon as we became serious as a couple he would always tell me of his dreams to move back to Alaska. But I literally laughed about it for almost 7 years; thinking I would never leave Southern California. Then our family grew and so did our desire to be closer to nature, to have a simpler life and one that we would never look back on and think ‘what if we moved’? We never wanted to regret not taking the plunge. So once we told our families, we planned our move. I knew that the weather would be VERY different (Juneau is a temperate rain forest) so I tracked the weather and compared it to what I was used to every day for a year. I read daily living blogs and we researched schools, jobs, housing, etc. Next, around April… we literally sold everything we had, packed up our car and drove 3000 miles to Prince Rupert Canada and took a ferry into Juneau {to read the full story of their journey to Alaska, click here}.

 

How has your life been different?

Well, our life is pretty amazing! We both have dream jobs; I teach kindergarten at a fabulous school where our children go and Mike is a supervisor at the Youth Correction Center, JYC. Our commute is literally 5-10 minutes and we are surrounded by huge mountains, more trails than roads, a thriving downtown community and endless water and mountain ranges. I consider us pretty darn lucky!

 

 

 

 

Describe a typical {non-school, non-work} day…

For us, it usually consists of some family adventure. Here the seasons decide what type of adventure we take. In the summer we might go downtown, watch the cruise ships and float planes and end the night with a bonfire on the beach or an evening hike {remember it doesn’t get dark until almost midnight in the summer}. In the winter, we usually go sledding, try to get the boys into a ski lesson at our local resort, go ice skating on a lake or take a winter walk in a meadow. We try to get outside as much as we can, but like any family, some days are inside jammie days with a movie!

 

 

 

 

What do you love most about your life in Alaska?

I love that we literally have nature in our backyard. In the summer we have salmon spawning in our stream behind our house with bear viewings all around town. But what I love most is that I never get tired of the view. We are lucky enough to live in a place that people pay thousands of dollars to visit each year and we couldn’t be more grateful.

 

 

What advice would you give to someone, like me, who craves a simpler life and a change?

Start small, talk it out and do your research. Mike and I visited many cities before we finally decided on Juneau. We were picky and had lots of stipulations. We knew we wanted simpler but didn’t want to do it without knowing for sure. Many nights were spent talking, dreaming, planning and getting things ready to go. But most importantly don’t be afraid of change. We left all our family and friends, with job interviews lined up, but nothing set in stone. So yes… we took a risk. But we knew more than anything that this is where we wanted to be. This is what we needed in our life, and we were willing to take the plunge. Whether it be living on a boat for a year or moving across the country, don’t be afraid to do it. We miss our family… and they miss us, but they are so happy for us when they see how great our life is and they love coming to visit! Not to mention my children will grow up with such amazing stories and pride knowing their parents followed their dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

Tell us about your personal blog {Mike + Erin Alaska Diaries}…

It’s our personal photo journal of our life here in Juneau. One thing I loved the most, about researching for Alaska, was reading lifestyle blogs there. I wanted to know and see what people did everyday; not just on the holidays when they have their picture perfect setup. Most of our readers are people who were just like us, trying to make the plunge to Alaska and figuring out how we made our journey. The biggest perk of all on our blog… is for us to be able to look back and see how we spent each season over the years… with the family that we love.

 

A BIG thanks to Mike & Erin…

for sharing a glimpse of your

adventurous, inspiring & breathtakingly beautiful life with us!

Make sure to check our their amazing blog!

{Mike + Erin Alaska Diaries}