Today is the one year anniversary of our life rolling down the road.  It has been a learning experience of gargantuan proportions.  Thankfully, after a few months, I was miraculously granted additional patience to live in this small space with John and our surviving fur baby KatieBug.   There was less of a certainty that I would endure this type of life during those first months.

Pro’s and Con’s are many and vary depending on where we are currently planted.   Generally, on the plus side is the ability to easily travel to far off places without the worry of  accommodations, meeting new and interesting people everywhere we are stopped, making new friends that we will meet up with again further down the road, the ability to leave if we don’t like our neighbors, continuing on through foul weather until we reach sunshine, being rid of property taxes and experiencing the joy of visiting family and friends we have not seen in years whenever the mood strikes.

The negative side involves areas that challenge my patience, i.e., abrupt complications with needed repairs, unhappy surprises at less than acceptable campgrounds, facing illnesses in unfamiliar towns miles from doctors or emergency clinics, work camping positions not entirely as portrayed, daily challenges of living tiny (or as some call it, minimalistic) and constantly making due, regularly adjusting and redistributing space, and being away from longtime friends and family.

And what of our Alaskan adventure?   There is no way out of the dust or smoke unless you climb aboard a cruise line, unpack once and enjoy gliding along the  beautiful Alaskan coast, with daily stops at all the main ports, all meals included, your room cleaned and bed made each day for the entire trip.  Hmmm. What to choose.  Breath dust/smoke/drive horrid roads/pay outrageous fuel cost/clean/cook?  OR…Cruise/unpack/relax/enjoy… well, duh!

So to all of you who did not think we would last out the year, tonight we are doing the “Told You So” dance under a brilliant starlight-against-midnight-black sky in our tranquil campground.  As for tomorrow, it’s back to cleaning toilets.