Posted by Tagged with Artists, family US roadtrip, familytravel, Georgia, Macon, parenting Posted in Uncategorized

Macon Memories

We spent a whole month in Macon, Georgia. We decided that staying somewhere for a longer period of time would allow us to settle in and live more like locals than tourists.

My husband met Aaron, who works at Visit Macon, through a Minnesota connection. Because of Aaron, we met Paul, who manages Airbnb properties. Paul got us situated in our airbnb when we arrived and made sure we had everything we needed. He brought us some extra household items that one-night guests don’t usually need such as a card table, larger pots and pans, and a crockpot. We settled in and made it “home”. Our favorite TV shows to watch in the evenings were Wheel of Fortune and America’s Got Talent. Living in a small space made for a lot of family bonding time. Since we weren’t busy with homework and regular activities in the evenings, we were able to play scrabble, do puzzles, watch movies, and just talk about life.

Macon is a home to Mercer University. I came to realize while staying here that I love a college town. I saw students everywhere we went. The first weekend we were here was homecoming, and the campus was buzzing with excitement. The pep band played as the football team paraded through the crowds of fans, tailgating before the football game.

There is also a strong arts and music presence in Macon, which you pick up on right away when walking through the downtown. Famous artists who came from Macon include Little Richard, Otis Redding, and the Allman Brothers. You can tour the house where the Allman Brothers lived and the studio where their records were made. Mark dived deep into music history while we were here, taking several tours, and doing a lot of reading.

Here are a few of the places I remember visiting this month in Macon.

The Tubman African American Museum

Amerson Park

Ocmulgee Indian Mounds

Wear Thrift Store

Seussical the Musical performed by Miller Fine Arts Middle School

Reboot Retrocade

Macon Bagels

H&H Cafe (trying grits for the first time)

Fall Line Brewery – great outdoor seating with fire pits

Each weekday started out at the Washington Library where the kids and I spent a couple hours doing our homeschool work. We felt so welcomed by the staff in the children’s department of the library. There were days when the girls were not happy to be on the trip and feeling homesick for their teachers and classmates. I think the routine of going to the library everyday, sitting in the same spot, and seeing the same librarians working was therapeutic (at least for me!)

A few surprises in Macon were finding out Malia could play in a tennis tournament, getting complimentary tickets to a Mercer College girls basketball game, and attending a free Middle Georgia University choir concert. Another great surprise was being invited over to the home of a local family, Joey and Sherry, after visiting New City Church. After our visit, Sherry and her daughter asked me to teach them piano lessons while I was in town.

I didn’t know what to expect of Macon, but I can honestly say that I grew to love it. I know I wasn’t here long enough to learn its downsides (every town has downsides), but I don’t have a lot bad to say (other than the stop lights take a REALLY long time to turn from red to green. Also, I can’t get used to being called “Ma’am” and seeing everyone where jeans and sweaters when it is 80 degrees outside. They all say it’s “because it’s fall!”


Enjoy a few more photos of our time in Macon below.

Posted by Tagged with Family travel, hospitality, travel Posted in Uncategorized

A Warm Southern Welcome

We have stayed in almost a dozen different homes since beginning our trip on November 1st. I’ve been overwhelmed in a good way by the gift of hospitality we have experienced. I don’t know why it has surprised me so much. Maybe because I just assumed that people would feel obligated to host us and were kind of “putting up with us” instead of enjoying it. Thankfully, quite the opposite has been the case. I’ve felt almost every person we’ve stayed with has been genuinely thrilled by our company. Not only that, they have gone to great lengths to make sure we have felt cared for.

Here are some examples that come to mind.

Colored Towels – One of our hosts called ahead and asked specific questions like whether we liked mushrooms and green peppers. This same host was so detailed in her questions that she even asked each of us to pick out the color of bath towel we liked best.

Spontaneous Invitations – On our first Sunday in Macon, GA we were staying at an airbnb and decided to visit a local church. We didn’t know anyone and were surprised when the couple sitting in front of us introduced themselves and asked for our phone number. Later that day, I got a text from them asking us over to their house for dessert. It was such a pure and genuine invitation and so unexpected. We ended up having a great conversation which led to my coming back to their house several times to teach them piano lessons.

Sacrificial Giving – At one house, our hosts gave up their own bedroom while we were there. That meant them sleeping in a smaller, less comfortable bed for 6 nights. I’m sure it was a big sacrifice for them, but they insisted we take the master bedroom while we were there. It really moved me. They also cooked special foods for us and went out of their way to plan activities and show us around their town.

These are just a few examples of the hospitality we have experienced. It has made such an impression on me that I am determined to make hosting others a regular part of what we do when we move back to Minnesota. If someone ever asks for a place to stay overnight, we will jump at the opportunity to host.

When you welcome someone into your days, it is one of the most generous gifts you can give.

How have you experienced hospitality from others?


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Posted by Tagged with family meals, Food, recipes Posted in Uncategorized

Let’s Talk Food

It seems like people in the South like to talk about food as much as Minnesotans like to talk about the weather. Today Mark tried to sign Malia up for tennis lessons and the receptionist got so caught up in explaining the area restaurants when she found out we were new in town that she completely forgot about the tennis lessons and Mark had to bring her back to task several times. Tonight, we went to a small group dinner with a local church and the entire conversation revolved around “burger week” in Macon, how people should cook their grits (a question I brought up) and what constitutes a good sweet tea. That’s just fine by me. Let’s talk about food.

Easy Meals from this week

Chicken Cacciatore

I do love this crockpot meal with simple and easy to find ingredients. It was served to us by Jenna Grigsby in Indiana and I had to get the recipe. I was pleased when it tasted just as good when I made it.

Sushi Bowls

This meal took some time, but was definitely worth it. Malia did all the research and pushed for this one, and I’m glad she persisted.
Everyone topped their rice with the ingredients they liked. We had salmon, shrimp, and crab (but you could just choose one meat or go vegetarian). Veggies were cucumber, avocado, carrots, and dried sea weed. The sauce we used was called YumYum and we found it at Kroger’s. The recipe calls for a mixture of mayo and Siriacha sauce, but we couldn’t find Siriacha, so we opted for a premade sauce and it was perfect.

Eating Out

My favorite restaurant we have eaten at was probably Tony’s, an Italian restaurant in Chattanooga, but since I didn’t get any photos, I’ll share my 2nd favorite – First Watch. I was surprised to find out it was a chain because the food was so fresh and the service seemed more like something you would get in a small, locally owned business. I ordered the breakfast skillet, Mark got the quinoa bowl, Malia had avocado toast with eggs and Ivy got waffles.

Coffee

Last but not least, let’s talk about the most important meal of the day – Coffee!
I do love a good cup of coffee and was happy when my friend Jen Levin thought ahead on this and gifted me an Aeropress coffeemaker for the trip.

Such an easy way to make a single cup of coffee on the go. I’m learning new things everyday.

If you’d like to keep up with my blog posts but don’t want to be on social media, I just send out one single email reminder each month with all the new posts. That’s it.

Posted by Tagged with curiosity, Georgia, Macon, parenting Posted in Uncategorized

Becoming More Curious

What does it mean to live life with curiosity?

Does your curiosity lead you to ask more questions?

We were curious about the life of Harriet Tubman. We asked the children’s librarian for books and then were directed to visit the Tubman Museum to learn more.

Is your curiosity about other people, places and history strong enough for you to approach someone to ask a question or do you resort to asking Google? It’s so easy these days to find a quick answer on the Internet to the questions that pop into our heads. What would it take to go out of your way and ask another person your questions?

Reaching out to a real live person to ask a question is more rewarding because:

#1 – A person provides examples from their life and learned experience.

#2 – We are offered human connection and allow the person answering the question an opportunity to feel needed and knowledgable.

#3 – A conversation may lead to more questions and other rabbit trails that are just as important as the initial question.

Here are some examples of Living Curiously from our trip so far.

We found out that our airbnb host, Paul, also manages the Burke Mansion, a historic bed and breakfast in Macon, GA. Mark asked if he could show us around. Not only did he give us a tour, but also told us about his experiences living in Macon, gave us a list of places we should visit, gave the girls game tokens for the local arcade, and offered to bring us a few things that we were missing in our airbnb. This is an example of how a simple question, “Can you show us around where you work?” led to making a new friend and more.

Playing chess in The Burke Mansion.

Mark was curious about the history behind the band The Allman Brothers who lived and recorded their music in Macon. He was so curious that he took a deep dive into the history of the band, arranged personal tours, and has been talking to people in the area who knew the Allman Brothers. In the last week, Mark has toured the Big House where the band lived and worked and visited Duane Allman’s grave. The grave site led him on a rabbit trail when he noticed the angel statue at the foot of the grave with the name “Galadrielle”. He went to a local bookstore and found the autobiography Please Be With Me by Galadrielle Allman. Finally, he took the kids and I to H&H Restaurant where the Allman Brothers ate and became as close as family with Mama Louise, the owner of the restaurant, who they invited on tour with them as the band cook. Mama Louise just passed away the day we arrived in Macon. The restaurant continues in her memory.

I am particularly curious about the lives of other people. I tend to look to Instagram or Facebook to learn more about people instead of asking them directly to share about their lives. I want to get better at asking questions and have been looking for creative ways to do this and involve the kids. I created a board game called Story Hunt that will encourage the telling of life stories. Players will move around the board, asking each other questions and telling stories.

Examples of some of the questions are:

“Tell me about a time when you were surprised.”

“What was a day in history that stands out in your memory?”

“What makes a good friend?”

“Tell me about a time when you got lost”

I found a fabulous article called 38 Ways to Lead a More Curious Life by Ian Sanders. This article offers some great practical ideas for living curiously.

Here’s the Article

Here are a few more photos from our first week in Macon, Georgia. Thanks following our journey. Feel free to share this blog with others that you think might enjoy it!

Swipe Left to see the photo slide show

Posted by Tagged with family, family memories, Family travel, family US roadtrip, familybonding, parenting Posted in Uncategorized

Daily Life on the Road

In this post I will be answering some commonly asked questions we get about our 6 month road trip.

How can you be gone from home so long without an RV?

The way we get around not having an RV is by staying with people that we know. We sent out a letter to a bunch of people that we hoped would host us about 6 months before the trip started. Based on those who responded, we planned our route. We knew there would be a few places would settle for a longer time in an airbnb, but for the most part, we wanted to stay with people.

This was not only a financial decision, but also because it aligned with the vision of the trip. One of our goals was to step into peoples’ normal lives and to see friends and family we wouldn’t normally see.

How is this trip different than a vacation?

We are staying with people we know instead of in hotels. We keep eating out to a minimum and pack drinks and snacks in a cooler when we are on the road. We have a daily routine that includes school, work, and alone time. Each day, the kids and I do school in the morning while Mark does DJ work. In the afternoon we go exploring. It’s not constant excitement. There are plenty of boring days and quite ordinary days.

What does homeschooling look like?

I would say my homeschooling style is “eclectic”. I draw from a wide range of different resources and educational methods My comfort zone leans more towards unschooling, but my kids have come from traditional school and will return to traditional school after this year, so I’m trying to keep the subject content similar to what they are used to.
I carry all our school books and supplies in this one bag. We started with a larger tote, but then realized it needed to be small enough to carry in and out of a the van, a library, or a coffee shop.

This bag was originally my piano teaching bag, but now has morphed into my homeschool bag.
A normal day of homeschool includes

✍️grammar from a textbook

🟰math from a textbook

🇺🇸 study of the state we are traveling through (the girls love to guess the state bird, state tree, population, year of statehood, famous people, rivers, lakes, and mountain ranges)

📖read aloud

✍️Spanish.

🩻Science – the human body

If we do all these subjects it still only takes about 2 hours, so we have lots of time for exploring or visiting with friends we are staying with. Malia enjoys looking for tennis courts to play on and trying new recipes.

You must really like each other?
This question cracks me up. It IS a lot of time together in tight spaces. By the grace of God, we are getting along so far. We have been bonding as a family in a way that we wouldn’t if we were back home. I’m grateful for this time to get to know my husband and kids in a new way.

What has been hardest so far?
The kids have been complaining about missing their friends and schools (especially the first week). I worry about if we are doing the right thing and whether we will regret any of this year. I have felt like I am letting down my piano students by leaving them this year. Not having a regular community of friends and jumping from place to place can be challenging. Being away from our families and older kids, especially on holidays is hard.

What are you most looking forward to?

🌊Being by the ocean in Florida and California.
🏠Seeing friends we haven’t seen for a long time.
📚✍️Extra time for daily reading and writing

🙏🏽Time to focus on God with fewer distractions.

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Posted by Tagged with Chattanooga, family, family US roadtrip, familytravel, roadtrip Posted in Uncategorized

Chattanooga, TN

We stayed with Nate and Rachel Korhonen and their kids in Signal Mountain, TN for 2 nights. They live on the top of a literal mountain. We were told that if they get heavy rain or even a small amount of snow, they close the road. Thankfully, they rarely get snow. It was in the 70’s and sunny while we were there (in November)

Since we stayed on top of the mountain, we were given the tour of all the great overlooks. We even woke up early enough in the morning to go watch the sunrise.


We had the BEST food while we were with the Korhonen’s. Nate showed us how to make salsa and also the ins and outs of how to make the “perfect cup of coffee”.

We went into downtown Chattanooga, walked across the foot bridge, and ate pasta at Tony’s. It was an evening I will remember for a long time. The weather was perfect and the ravioli with sun dried tomato and artichoke cream sauce was impeccable. The laughter of our children as they enjoyed each others’ company warmed my heart.

I really loved this city and loved the Korhonen family. We will be back.


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Posted by Tagged with cumberlandfalls, danielboonenationalforest, familytravel, kentucky Posted in Uncategorized

Camping and Waterfalls in Appalachia

On day 5 of our road trip across the U.S., we arrived in Kentucky. This state boasts of impressive rock walls, waterfalls, caves, and the Appalachian mountains. We heard that Cumberland Falls was beautiful and found a campsite nearby after a quick search on Hipcamp.com.

Since we haven’t had much experience with camping and weren’t sure what to expect, we chose to stay in a cabin with a bathroom and electricity. The property was owned by a Kentucky native, Patrick. When we arrived, we were greeted enthusiastically by the neighbors, Alan and Linda, staying in the cabin next to us. Their granddaughter, Reagan, instantly grabbed onto Malia and Ivy, taking them down to the river to skip rocks. We learned that Patrick’s Point has 3 cabins as well as tent and hammock sites. In the summer, kayakers start their 14 mile paddle from there, through the Daniel Boone forest, to Cumberland Falls.

This video shows the view of the Cumberland river from our cabin.

We grilled burgers on Patrick’s grill, played ping pong, and visited with our neighbors until it got dark. We were fed sweet potatoes over the fire, introduced to rattler snake green beans, and asked to try fresh milk in a glass jar that was purchased from the Mennonite farmers down the road.

Malia was especially curious about the Mennonite children in their long dresses and head coverings, so we went and bought some strawberry jam and apple butter from their roadside stand.

Our sleep was on and off again in the cabin, since the air mattresses were horribly uncomfortable, and every time someone rolled over, the rubber made a loud squeaking sound. Mark finally decided sleeping in the van might be more comfortable. You’ll have to ask him to expound upon the lack of sleep situation in his own words.
The next morning, Patrick explained to Mark that there was a short cut to Cumberland Falls. The directions were obviously misunderstood because we ended up on a narrow, gravel road on the top of a mountain leading to nowhere.
When I started to panic, Mark finally agreed to turn around and backtrack to where we could get cell reception and follow google maps along a paved and well marked highway.

The Cumberland Falls are located in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The falls’ claim to fame is its moon bow which can be seen on a night of a full moon, when the light is falling just right onto the water.

Here is some video from Cumberland Falls.

And a few more photos of the area around the falls.

Posted by Tagged with Family travel, family US roadtrip, illinois, indiana, kentucky, traveling homeschool family, wisconsin Posted in Uncategorized

Just Getting Started

Here’s a rough run down of our first 4 days of traveling for those who have shown interest in “following along”.

DAY ONE – Wisconsin

We stayed in Madison, Wisconsin at Ben and Ellen’s apartment. Hannah came over for dinner and brought corn bread to go with the delicious chili. We know these friends from their years as students at Macalester College in St Paul. Mark also DJed their wedding.
I loved how these friends took an interest in Malia and Ivy and asked them lots of questions. Hannah played banana-grams with the kids. Ben showed us his bagpipe and we admired Ellen’s needlepoint. It was a pleasant evening of conversation and a great first night.

DAY 2 – Illinois

On our way to our home stay tonight, we stopped in Mendota, Illinois at the farm of Ben and Esther Hagenbuch. This was a fun stop where we saw chickens, rode a go cart, and had some delicious coffee in pretty tea cups. Esther was someone I could see myself being really good friends with, so our time there passed way too quickly. Maybe we will return another time.

We carried on to Normal, Illinois, where my Uncle Larry and Aunt Marianne live. My cousin McLean and his wife Sandra joined us for dinner. We had chicken nachos and berry pie with whipped cream. Larry told some great stories about his childhood that I had never heard before, and we played a classic board game called Uncle Wiggily.

DAY 3 – Indiana

We took our time getting going today. It’s been an experiment of learning a balance between driving time, visiting time, and quiet alone time. We also don’t want to completely neglect the homeschool while we are on the road. Today we did some school work at a Starbucks before driving to Indianapolis where we stayed with my cousin Delci, her husband Chris, and their 3 kids.
We also made a quick stop to have what Mark calls “life changing tacos” with friends and DJ clients, Ryan and Tori.


It was the perfect fall day at Delci’s house and the kids had fun making a huge leaf pile. Chris is a toy and game collector who has invented several board games. We oohed and ahhed over the arcade games and He-Man action figures housed in glass cases. We had fun playing one of Chris’ original board games called “Trick or Treat”.

DAY 4 – Cincinatti

We woke up early and headed out to meet a friend of a friend, Kells, who offered to show us around Cincinatti. We had brunch at a delicious place called Yuka and did some window shopping. The girls wanted to find stickers for their water bottles. Our main destination for the day was a walk across the John Roebling suspension bridge. This beautiful structure crosses over the Ohio River (the Mason-Dixon Line) between Kentucky and Ohio. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we were able to walk around downtown Cincinatti and see some historical markers and make some wishes in an impressive fountain.

After our walk in Cincinatti, the girls were ready for a long rest. They were hot, tired, sick of traveling and there was no hiding it anymore. It was melt down time! I figured it was bound to happen after 4 straight days of being polite and kind to new people in constantly changing surroundings and strange sleeping arrangements.
We drove to our next home stay, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. We didn’t know the family we were staying with and had no idea what we were walking into. Russell and Jenna were friends of friends who formerly lived in South Minneapolis, but are now pastoring a small Lutheran church in Greensdale, Illinois. I have to say, this stay was such a lovely surprise. I don’t know if I have ever felt so welcomed or cared for in someone else’s home. Jenna attended to so many details to make us feel comfortable and when we left the next morning we felt refreshed and ready to carry on to our next few days of camping in Kentucky.


I can’t believe how many lovely people we’ve been able to meet and spend time with in just 4 days. Do you have someone we should meet? Are you following along because you are interested in traveling in a similar way yourself someday? Or maybe you are just curious as to how long we will keep living the traveling life and what might come of it? Whatever the reason, we are happy to share our journey with you.
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Posted by Tagged with Family travel, family US roadtrip, traveling homeschool family Posted in Uncategorized

It’s Time!

The countdown to travel is over. Today is the day of departure. It’s Time!

When I woke up this morning it felt very similar to the day I went into labor with each of my 4 children. When I was pregnant, I read about it, talked about it, and planned for it. I’ve done the same for this trip. I have been preparing for this day for over a year.
Even after months of pregnancy, nothing can fully prepare a mother for the day of birth. The emotions I felt driving to the hospital during early labor were anticipation and uncertainty. As the labor progressed to the transition period, there were moments when I said, ”I can’t do this.”
The word transition means movement, passage, or change from one stage to another. The transition phase during labor is known to be emotional. The woman giving birth may feel scared, overwhelmed, or uncertain.

Leaving our house and packing up all our belongings brought on similar feelings.
This morning, we loaded up what we could fit into the back of our van, knowing we wouldn’t be returning to the comforts of home for 6 months.

Our two kids, Malia and Ivy, were feeling the birth pains. Mark had a videographer come to film or departure and the girls were NOT having it. After a fun night of trick or treating, they were sad to leave their friends and questioning the unknown. The last thing they wanted was to be filmed.

It didn’t take long for them to perk up. We pulled onto 94 on our way to our first stop, Madison, WI. Mark cranked the tunes and we rolled down the windows and felt the seasonably warm October air blowing in our hair. The sun was shining and a peace washed over me.

I’m excited to do a lot of writing on this trip. I was gifted several journals from friends who know me well. I’m taking a break from piano teaching and will be focusing on writing during these travel months.

I, Anna, did all the packing and then Mark arranged everything in the back of the van. We are a good team.

Have you joined our postcard club?

We would love to have you support my writing during this trip in a small way ($6 a month from Nov-May) If you don’t want to contribute, but would still like to receive a postcard, message us your address. (We even have a Patreon supporter from Sweden!)

Here’s the sign up link.
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Posted by Tagged with family memories, Family travel, moving, roadtrip Posted in Uncategorized

The Road is Home

What is ”Home?”

Is it a place? A house? A feeling?

My favorite spot in our last home and in my childhood home is looking out the window, especially when it’s raining or snowing.

As we have moved from our house of 10 years to the carriage house we are renting, I’ve pondered these questions of ”What is home?” What I’ve come to realize is that for me, home revolves more around feeling than place.


I associate home with relaxation, being able to kick my shoes off, say what I’m thinking, and be myself. It’s a place I don’t need to pretend to be anyone but me.

Home feels warm and inviting. It’s a place to rest after a busy day. Home can be a gathering place, but it can also be a place to be alone. It is where I sleep, recharge, and find shelter.

Can I find home on this 6 month roadtrip where our home will change from month to month, and sometimes even from day to day? A few wise friends have suggested having certain things that don’t change like taking a morning walk each day, writing in a journal, an evening reading/prayer time as a family, and set times each week to check in with loved ones.

For those who have moved a lot or travel for work, how do you find ”Home on the road?”

What makes a place feel like ”Home” for you?