why are we putting the bare necessities in a camper, along with some tools and books and two cats, and wandering the country for an indefinite period of time?  there are a myriad of reasons, which all melted into a definitive do-it-ASAP pile about a year ago. 

in no particular order, it's because ...

• our boys have never been west of the mississippi in any meaningful way, and they need to see the rest of the country
• we love a good road trip
• we have a lot of friends in a lot of places, many that we haven't seen in eons.  we want to hug and squeeze and catch up with as many of them as possible
• we have the itch to settle down and build somewhere, and know that once we do, it will be much harder to pick up and disappear from home, for several years at least, during which time the boys will have grown to the point that they're not guaranteed to be willing to come along
• our dream of what we hope to settle into once this is over is something that involves more than just us, and we want to find people who share some of that vision.  what is it?  a woodsy home, a gathering center, a place to build and learn and create and share.  more here.
• we need to find out where to start shaping this place into being, and though currently the WV/VA corner of the country feels very right, it's not the only possibility.  we need to sniff out a few more corners first
• michael's always wanted to do this
• bethany wants to learn how to fly by the seat of her pants, as her love for order and predictability has ruled the day for too long
• we're not tied to anything right now, in terms of jobs or schools or organizations.  we're about as free as we're ever likely to be