Connie Sue 🍂

Meet the Regulars!

Here’s a little background on the people, places, and things that show up regularly in my stories…

Auntie M

My aunt lives in northwest Illinois. She has mild dementia.

Growing up, my brother called her Auntie M a time or two and the nickname stuck in my head - so that’s what I call her here.

I promised I’d help her stay at home as long as possible - which is why I spend my summers in northwest Illinois.

When I’m in Illinois, I take her to appointments and help with things I need to be present for.

When I’m traveling, I handle everything remotely.

I’m not doing this all alone! I also have help from a caregiver service, a neighbor, and family.

Bella

Also known as my cozy little home on wheels, Bella is a 2015 Ford Transit cargo van that I self-converted to a simple, cozy camper van.

She was brand-spanking new when I bought her in early 2015. My plan was to build her out, learn the ropes, take early retirement in 3 years, and hit the road full-time.

But my plan crumbled when my job of 30 years was eliminated.

My daughter Nikki was already making plans to leave the nest, so a couple months later, I jumped head first into van life… in a partially converted van, never having camped, traveled, or lived on wheels - ever.

I told Nikki she couldn’t leave home until she named the van. It took her a whole 0.3 seconds to name the van Bella.

Campground shuffle

Because my van is both my home and my vehicle, before leaving my campsite, I have to:

• Put everything away in the van (so it doesn’t fly around when I’m driving)
• Pull in the leveling blocks
• Unplug from the electric pedestal
• Take my window coverings off
• Take down the screens I made to go over the driver and passenger windows
• Make sure everything is secured and ready to roll safely down the road

And when I get back to the campground… I have to do the campground shuffle in reverse!

Over the years, I’ve simplified the shuffle as much as possible but it always has been - and always will be - a big pain in the rump.

Home

Home is wherever my cozy little home on wheels is parked… whether it’s a campground, hotel, or somewhere else.

My hometown area is a different story, though. Northwest Illinois (Freeport, Lena, Stockton, and Warren) is where I lived from the day I was born until the day I hit the road in 2015.

MCS

MCS is short for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Sometimes it’s called Environmental Sensitivities or whatever the naming powers-that-be are calling it these days. As for me, I call it MCS.

It’s a complicated, life-altering condition but the short version is: Everyday products and pollutants can cause mild to severe allergic-type reactions in my body.

It's not a true allergy - it's just the simplest way to describe how my body reacts.

Avoiding triggers and managing reactions has become second nature. Most of the time, they’re only moderately annoying, but they can become incapacitating if I don’t pay attention to what my body is telling me. Thankfully, my worst reaction (anaphylaxis) only happened once.

MCS naturally comes up in my stories because I need to consider it with everything I do... but I refuse to let it become my identity. It's simply the road map I use to navigate a world that wasn't built for me.

Misael

Misael is my daughter Nikki’s partner, my honorary son-in-law, who’s lived his entire life in southeast Florida.

Nikki and Misael met in an online multi-player game. They were friends for a couple years or so and, in late 2011, she told me they were officially a couple.

Watching them date long-distance was new territory for me - yay for modern technology! It was fun watching their relationship blossom.

I felt like a Mother-In-Law the first time he asked me for advice because he wanted to get Nikki just the right gift. That pretty much sealed the deal for me 💕

Nikki

Nikki is my adult daughter. She was 2 years old when I (officially) became a single-parent. We kinda figured life out together.

When I hit the road in 2015, Nikki traveled with me for several months before she left the nest in early 2016.

She moved from northwest Illinois to southeast Florida where she lives today, with Misael.

Nikki is the reason I spend my winter months in Florida.