Haven’t updated ya’ll in a minute on where I am with my planning and scheming for my Mom’s Gap Year! It’s sort of like Eat, Pray, Love but with no foreign lovers because I am madly devoted to my sweet husband. Also that’s not really my style. It’s a sabbatical, of sorts, because I’m using the time to enjoy, yes, but also to figure out what I want to do with the second half of this amazing life!

Here’s the big news for this week: I’VE TURNED IN MY NOTICE AT WORK

HOLY. CRAP.

The last time I was unemployed and not either actively seeking employment or staying home caring for 3 young children was the summer after my senior year of HIGH SCHOOL. I seriously do not know what to do with my bad self. Scratch that, I totally do know, I’m just still in a little bit of shock that it’s all happening.

In the words of the afore-mentioned amazing husband in our counseling session on Saturday: “She’s worked hard for a lot of years and there’s a lot she didn’t get to do. She can take as much time as she wants and if she never wants to work again that’s OK, too, but I think she’ll get bored eventually.” (ETA: financially, it really would be prudent for me to get at least another decade of work in before actual retirement. So he’s sweet to say this but I question how practical it is as I don’t want to be eating cat food when we retire;)

And then there was this from my mom yesterday: “I mean you’ve been working FOREVER. It’s time.”

It’s true. Scott traveled the world as a pilot and got to see lots of neat things while I stayed here and worked and cooked things and drove people to urgent care. And now I’m going to see the things. Squeal. It is not lost on me how fortunate I am to be able to do this and I am grateful beyond measure.

So the first few months will all be trips fairly close to home starting with a wonderful weekend with a dear friend in just 3 weeks to Asheville, NC. We are both completely stoked. She sent me her flight info yesterday and I just stared at it because IT’S HAPPENING.

My international trips won’t start until September because as anyone who has tried to fly space available in the summer can tell you, it’s stressful, and I also want to soak up as much time with my kids this summer as I can. Rumor has it they’re all leaving soon to go do their life. Whatever.

My goal is that every day, whether traveling or home, will include the following:

• Exercise
• Writing
• Connection with people I love

It’s as simple as that. I’ve gone back and forth about the YouTube thing and my biggest hesitation is if constantly filming will take away from the adventure. So I may try it some, may not do it at all. I will definitely be taking tons of pictures, and I hope you’ll subscribe and follow along (please go find me on instagram!)  – I have followed the journeys of so many travel writers when I couldn’t be the one traveling! And now it’s my turn. And I’m going to share it all with you.

So glad you’re along for the ride.