11 Years Nomadic and Still Figuring It Out

01 Oct, 2026

Today marks 11 years since I moved into my cozy little home on wheels and hit the road.

It was such a crazy time. I don't know why life has to be all-or-nothing. All I wanted was the happy medium - but apparently it was too much to ask for.

Eleven years ago, in what felt like the blink of an eye, I bought a new van (even though I already had one), my job of 30 years was eliminated, my little birdie was leaving the nest, and I jumped into van life head first.

The job ending wasn't easy and I kinda looked forward to just being done. The stressful part was being given 90 days to train our overseas replacements knowing the light at the end of the tunnel was the unemployment train.

Nikki was 19 and planning to spread her wings - moving from northwest Illinois to southeast Florida.

Before job loss entered the scene, my plan to go nomadic had been carefully crafted. I’d build out my new van, get some camping experience under my belt, travel a little, and retire early in 2018 when I’d shift to full-time van life.

Apparently, Life didn't get the memo. Job loss wasn’t built into my plan!

My head was spinning. To say I was frazzled would be a serious understatement.

In my frenzied state of mind, I thought the solution was to add another major life change to the mix 🤪

My newest bright-idea was to tell the landlord we were moving out. Then, I’d drive Nikki to Florida and begin my nomadic lifestyle as an empty nester - 3 years earlier than planned, in a half-ways converted van that wasn’t quite ready to be lived in.

On October 1, 2015, Nikki, our little dog Cookie, and I piled into the van and hit the road - never having camped, never having traveled too far on our own, never having lived in a home on wheels.

We decided to take our time and make up for all the vacations we never got to take, packing it all into one grand adventure.

Four months later, Nikki officially left the nest and began her adult life in south Florida. The memories never faded. We still reminisce about the unplanned journey Life tossed our way and all the fun we had together.

Along the way, there were plenty of what-the-hell-was-I-thinking-wanting-to-live-in-a-van moments. But I also surprised myself by doing things I never thought I would do… and accomplishing things I never thought I could do.

Eleven years later, my lifestyle has shifted more than once, but it's always been some version of nomadic. I've gone from Van Life to a lifestyle I call Portable Living.

I’ll never know why Life dumped so much on me at once - and I'm still searching for the elusive happy medium.

Then again, maybe the happy medium is just overrated.

Connie 🌼

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#Family #Portable Living