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Big development this weekend: our home of almost 16 years (the one Amy and I got as practically newlyweds and the house we’ve brought home 3 babies to) is officially for rent. I’ll update with more/better photos as weather and cleanliness permits. Check it out at rentindy.net (cool domain, eh?). PLEASE pass this on to anyone who might be looking for a nice house to rent and not trash.

I’m not going to lie: I’ve been suffering from some real head trash lately regarding our RV trip. With less than 4 months before our departure date, the reality and risks of this drastic change in lifestyle are sinking in. Here are my top three topics of internal dialog.

1) The cost of gasoline
Last summer we took our first “big” RV trip: a 3-week trip around Lake Superior. It was pretty painful filling up the tank at $2.65/gallon, and now that gas is over $3/gallon and expected to keep rising (thanks, Middle East!) I’ll be looking at about $150+ per fill-up. Ouch!

Yep, we did a lot of driving during those 3 weeks…almost non-stop, in fact, so of course we burned through a lot of gas! Part of the benefit of taking a year is to take it slow. Travel on the weekends, chill for a week, take side trips in the car.  If gas prices double, we’ll just go half the pace. Jon, gas will always be “too expensive”; get over it.

2) Business uncertainties
I just landed a sweet new client that I know would not have hired my company had I not been able to meet with them face to face. If I were out on the road, this would unfortunately have been a big fish that got away.

First of all, you don’t know that; you’re assuming that. But for the sake of argument, let’s say you’re right and you would not have gotten this project.  Would you go hungry? Could you not make payroll? Did your future hinge on landing this client? Has your future ever hinged on one client? Of course not. And remember all the other clients? Yes, that’s right: the majority that don’t care where in the world you are. Accept the fact that you might lose a couple local business opportunities. You should be casting your net wider than that anyway.

3) Phone and internet uncertainties
I live and die by my internet and phone connection. What if I’m some place where I can’t get internet or cell reception?

(Sigh)…we’ve been over this. Look, you have just 2, mayyybe 3 days a week where you need to have cell and 3G internet service. The rest of the week you can get by with pretty spotty coverage. But you’re missing the bigger point: simply plan your destinations around locations that have the connectivity you need when you need it. Save the remote destinations for the weekend trips when you shouldn’t be working anyway. It may be hard to imagine, but 3G and cellular coverage actually do exist outside of Indianapolis.  

So there it is, the conversation that plays over and over in my head. But now it’s out of my head. I’m done worrying about this!

Playing Red Dead Redemption on the PS3, and this scenery makes me excited about going out West.

Dear friends, family, colleagues, and random internet visitors,

As some of you already know, my family and I are planning a bit of a lifestyle change later this year by taking life on the road for a year in an RV. Even though we’ve been thinking this through for well over a year now, there remains no shortage of hurdles that could derail our plans at any moment. Some of these hurdles, like renting the house, are so big they become ironically easier to face. It’s the seemingly smaller but more sinister hurdles like fear or complacency that I believe pose the greatest threats.

Which brings me to the purpose of this first post here. I’m not creating this blog because I assume anyone will be interested in the escapades of our family life, but rather, I’m pushing this out to world believing that “going public” with our intentions creates some sense of accountability to carry out what has thus far been mere crazy talk. Knowing that a few folks might be watching our progress will be a source of motivation and inspiration.

So let’s start with some questions, shall we?

Who?

The whole fam: Jon (38), Amy (38), Carrie (11), Emily (9), and Natalie (7).

What?

Take family life on the road full time in an RV.

When?

We’ll wait until this school year ends, and then hit the road early June 2011.

Where?

Not sure yet, but right now we’re thinking of starting in St. Louis and heading West, loosely following the Louis and Clark trail for the summer. After that, who knows.

How long?

That will depend on a number of things, such as how long we can rent our house, but we’re planning on traveling full time for one year.

What about work?

We need to eat, and gas ain’t cheap, so I’ll be working full time as I normally would. But most of the work I do for my user interface design company doesn’t depend on any particular location, just an internet connection. Assuming this internet fad holds up for the 12 months we will be gone, it should be business as usual.

What about school?

We’ll do some combination of home school and online school and plan our travel destinations to be one big field trip.

Why?

This can be answered in a number of different ways. There’s the pragmatic “to see the country,” the ambiguous “it’s just something we gotta do,” and the reckless “why not?”. In truth, it’s a little bit of all of those.

Why now?

We’re in a parenting sweet spot right now: our oldest is not yet consumed by the complexities that the teen years will bring, and our youngest is old enough to benefit from a trip like this. But this window is closing (especially with Carrie, our oldest). It’s now or never.

I feel like there are 1000 steps between now and actually departing, but getting this blog up was step 1. Feel free to check back here for updates, follow our tweets, or subscribe to the RSS if that’s your fancy. Thanks for reading…there will be plenty more to come!