Posted by Tagged with Corpus Chrisite, Family travel, family US roadtrip, Houston, San Antonio, Texas, traveling homeschool family Posted in Uncategorized

The Road is Long

We have been traveling now for almost 3 months. Our travels have brought us into 12 different family’s homes to spend the night and many others for a meal or short visit. We’ve also stayed in a cabin, a tiny house, a beach house, several airbnbs, and a handful of hotels.

Our shortest stay has been for one night and our longest stay for one month. The trip itself has not been physically exhausting. We have had very few responsibilities other than homeschooling, scheduling upcoming stays, and phone calls for Mark’s business.
What HAS been exhausting is the emotional toll of packing and unpacking so many times, battling our own doubts about the trip, and talking through all of the constant changes and unknowns as a family.

When you don’t have a familiar HOME to come back to, then wherever we are becomes home. I’ve even caught myself saying “let’s go home now” on nights we are staying in a hotel. Home has been the resting place at the end of the day, wherever we find ourselves.

Three months has felt like a marathon as we continue to trust that this is the best path for us. It has been incredible to see how the road has risen up to meet us. As we have asked people to host us or simply prayed and asked God to lead us, the next steps have literally appeared.


Just last week I was feeling discouraged about being alone for a weekend while Mark flew back to Minnesota to DJ multiple events. I got a text from my friend Ami in San Antonio saying her family was gifted a beach house in Corpus Christi for the weekend and with only one days notice, she asked if I wanted to join them. Her family and friends’ company was refreshing, and I came back to pick Mark up from the airport at the end of the weekend feeling refreshed and ready to move forward.

We are spending most of January in the BIG state of TEXAS. From the freeways with more lanes than I’m used to, to the vehicles with waist high wheels, to the gas station, Buc-ees, with 200 gas pumps – everything’s bigger in Texas.


Tex Mex is everywhere. Tacos, burritos, fajitas, oh my! It would be hard to be vegetarian or vegan here….or a Democrat!

I don’t think I could live here year around simply because of the heat. We are fortunate to be here in January. We went into downtown San Antonio yesterday wearing shorts and someone asked where we were from. Apparently people from Texas don’t wear shorts this time of year because this is winter for them.


The highlight for me in Texas has been seeing new and old friends. We don’t have to stay in any hotels in this state. We have friends and family willing to host us.
Here are some of the people we have stayed with or spent time with so far.


Houston, TX.
Carson and Alicia Clark and family Wes and Lesley Patterson and family

San Antonio – Week One
Eric and Autumn Lundquist

Corpus Christi Beach House Weekend – Van and Ami Teodosio and family

San Antonio – Week 2 is off to a great start. Teodosio and Chouravong Family


Thanks to all of our past, present, and future hosts for welcoming us! Let me know if you are interested in seeing us as we head West to Arizona and California in February and March.

It’s been quite a ride, and it’s not over yet!

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.
Join our Postcard Club!

https://www.patreon.com/midlifecreative?fan_landing=true&view_as=public

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.
https://www.patreon.com/midlifecreative?fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Posted by Tagged with Family travel, family US roadtrip, Midlifecreative, parenting, traveling homeschool family Posted in Uncategorized

3 Week Countdown to Travel!

I wanted to give you a quick update on our trip. It’s really happening, and after a year of this being an idea, it’s coming up in just 3 weeks! We leave November 1st.

Here are some of your most asked questions answered:

Did you buy an RV? Nope. Our vehicle is a Honda Pilot. We are traveling light.

Where will you go first?

We plan to take about 9 days to get to Macon, Georgia where we will stay in an airbnb for a month. On the way to Macon, we intend to stay in
🏠Madison, WI
🏠Normal, IL
🏠Indianapolis, IN
🏠Cincinatti, OH
🏕Cumberland Falls State Park and
🏠Chatanooga, TN

We have planned the trip intentionally so we only drive about 4 hours in a day. (This is a marathon, not a sprint 😁) If you want to know if we are coming through your state in the next 6 months, send me a personal message.

I’m not going to list the whole trip’s itinerary in this one post. You’ll have to follow this blog (or personal emails and texts are always welcome) if you want to keep up with us. You can also sign up for our Postcard Club. It’s a simple way to support our adventure in a small way with $6 a month and we will send you postcards from the road.

Learn about the postcard club

https://www.patreon.com/midlifecreative

(If you can’t swing the $6, but still want to get postcards, just send me a message with your mailing address)

What do the kids think about the trip?

“I feel more and more everyday that this is the best decision for our family, but what if I can’t get the kids to see it?”

Both girls have struggled with switching to homeschooling this year and all of the life changes we’ve made (including having both older siblings move away to college). We have had some great days and some really hard days. I have seen our relationships grow closer these last few months and we have made so many memories together through simplifying our life and routine. Its amazing how much time was spent doing homework, packing lunches, and rushing to get to school in the mornings. Now, our days feel unhurried and more restful.
Our older two kids, Elliot and Tabby, are practicing their ”adulting skills” at college in Massachusetts and NYC. They just spent their fall break together which made me very happy.

Will Mark be DJing on the trip? Will you be teaching piano lessons?

Mark will be booking weddings and events for summer of 2023 and 2024 and overseeing his other DJs from the road. He will be flying home for 3 weddings during the trip. I will be taking a complete break from teaching, but hope to connect with some piano teachers in other states during the trip.

What are you most looking forward to?

ANNA –

  • I’m looking forward to seeing new parts of the country, especially National Parks. I look forward to being near the ocean in December and missing out on the MN winter.
  • I’m also really excited to meet new people and bring attention to seemingly “ordinary faces” who don’t get noticed, but are really quite extraordinary. I want to inspire others to become Story Hunters looking for great stories from people in their everyday lives who have been overlooked.

MARK –

  • I’m looking forward to walking about the United States to discover fresh purpose for the 2nd half of my life.
  • Making memories with Anna and the kids.

MALIA – I’m not looking forward to the trip much at all, but if I had to say something –

  • the dogs and
  • the ocean.

(if we could send her home with a dog (or a bunny), it would all be worth it 😂)

Ivy is the one who is always saying, ”Take a picture of me!!”

IVY –

  • I’m looking forward to eating Asian food.
  • I’m excited to play in the ocean, see dolphins and dogs, ride horses, see cactus, and hike in mountains.

What are you hoping to gain personally from this trip?

I want this trip to stretch and challenge me (Anna) to grow in several areas.

#1. My willingness to ask for help.

#2. Boldness and confidence in speaking to people I am meeting for the first time.

#3. Courage to speak up about things I care about that may be controversial.

A few more thoughts

Do you have a dream of trying something out of the traditional box that scares you? Do you hold back because you are afraid of what people will think?
Maybe its not travel, but a business idea or a new life direction, a parenting idea, or even something that seems small to most people, but is really a big change for you.

Encourage your Midlife Creative self today to see how far you’ve come and ask yourself, ”What small changes can I make to become more fully myself”