Revisiting the Past and Change

Posted on by sabbaticalspace

I recently visited my undergraduate alma mater, Abilene Christian University. You might not be surprised to learn that it is located in Abilene, Texas, the beginning of West Texas. 

I treasure the four years (plus a fifth working at a printing company in Abilene after graduating) I spent there. I made great friends, some of whom I’ve been able to visit on this trip. I learned who I was and what I wanted out of life. In Abilene I really learned the craft of writing thanks to excellent journalism professors and red-edited student newspapers posted for all to see our mistakes. I still value external feedback to this day.

But I can’t visit the past without seeing it with eyes that are – gulp! – about 30 years older. Besides being much more near-sighted (can I blame that on looking at the laptop for so many hours a day?), they have seen more of the world. My optimism has tempered some, but I’m still hopeful. I’ve seen and experienced more pain, with the benefit that I am much wiser now and slower to speak my opinions, though I certainly still have them.

Kids with the Grinch sculpture

Abilene seemed more tired. Perhaps it was that I didn’t notice it as an emerging adult or maybe it is because I now live in Nashville, which is growing faster than it can handle. That made me a little sad, since I wish that others could appreciate the city that formed much of who I became, the snapshot of the city in the half-decade I lived there. 

What hasn’t changed is the friendly people. It’s a warm city, and not just when the temperature climbs. That still remains Abilene’s best asset. The arts scene is another asset, and it’s worth coming to Abilene just to see the children’s book inspired sculptures scattered around downtown.

Jacob’s Ladder created by Jack Maxwell

Campus has physically grown. I saw the new buildings, the moved street, and a glorious piece of art, Jacob’s Ladder, that offers the viewer many opportunities for reflection. It was created by one of ACU’s own art professors, and I was honored to meet the artist in Sunday school class. 

As my college roommate and I talked about the past, including antics with a 6-foot inflatable Gumby, and talked about our present careers as college professors, it seemed like a surreal meeting of the past and present. I am so fortunate and blessed.

I am leaving Abilene with a tremendous amount of gratitude. I am grateful for a kind roommate who stuck with me for three and a half years without meeting me first. I am grateful for supportive, intellectual friends who nurtured my curiosity and personal development. I tap my keyboard in recognition of Doc Marler and Dr. Merlin Mann, who taught me that post-graduation no one would care about my GPA, but how well I could write mattered. I credit you with my writing successes. I am grateful for a friend’s parents who “adopted” me into their family. And, Abilene, I am grateful to you for embracing me for a time, then releasing me to fly when it was time. 

A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.
–

Sidney Sheldon

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Guadalupe River State Park

Posted on by sabbaticalspace
Guadalupe River

We’ve been in the same place for most of this week. We’re camping at Guadalupe River State Park, and we haven’t left the park since we got here five days ago.

We arrived Sunday night right at the time the park office closed, and the ranger said the campground was full, but they had a primitive site available. It was perfect – except we needed baths – no one around us, the sound of the coyotes, and stars stretching over the silhouette of our RV.

My one fault with Texas state parks (and I hear other state parks, too) is the clunky system for reservations. By clunky I mean frustrating, inaccurate and difficult to use. Maybe this back to nature mindset causes them to shun technology, but those of us who are planners have much more peace of mind when we have a reservation. Regardless, they seem to like the first come, first served philosophy.

So, while the online reservation system reported they were full all week, when we showed up to pay for our primitive camp site on Monday, they had a spot available for as long as we liked. We stayed all week. 

Monday, we went to the river and explored our new digs. We grilled steak (you know, when in Rome and all… Texans love their beef) and made s’mores. Huh, I just realized that referred to Texans as them, not us. I guess I’ve fully claimed Tennessee as home, even though I grew up in the Lone Star state. Maybe it’s because I don’t like meat much. 

Tuesday, with chili simmering in the crockpot, the kids played in the shimmering river and got their first sunburn of the year. But skipping stones, catching minnows with a strainer, and slipping into the cool water made it worth it. I even got some birdwatching in.

They gave us GPS units to find the hidden geocache.

Wednesday, we learned about the “secret society” of geocaching. Combining technology and nature grabbed A’s interest, and Z couldn’t stop talking about the swag. Did you know that swag stands for “stuff we all get”? I didn’t.

Thursday, we went on a guided night hike under the big, almost-full moon. Park Ranger Holly walked us through a protected natural area to see and hear wildlife like ducks, bats, and a scorpion. She pointed out the centuries-old oak, juniper and bald cypress trees. She taught us how to find Polaris and Sirius in the night sky with other constellations. I think Z might want to grow up to be a park ranger like her now. 

Friday was leaving day, and it is about the only thing that could bring a frown to our faces. But, it’s time to discover new places and things, leave the hill country and head west, and do some laundry. We’re heading to my alma mater next. (One of them. I have a collection.)

A person susceptible to “wanderlust” is not so much addicted to movement as committed to transformation.

Pico Iyer

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Traveler’s Sight

Posted on by sabbaticalspace
The Guadalupe River

This week as we have paused our travels to camp, I have done a lot of looking. I’ve looked for those pesky racoons that ransack campsites while we sleep. (Tim is a seasoned camper, so he makes sure we have everything put away, but others near us haven’t tucked food away to their messy frustration the next morning.) I’ve looked for the live armadillos that Tim and the kids spotted walking back from the river. I’ve looked for the spotted deer brought here as exotic animals from India, the golden cheeked warbler, and the seven sisters constellation. My near-sighted eyes haven’t yet seen these things that are all around me. 

Wildlife I have seen. Deer.
  • Ants hauling leaves to their nest.
  • Squirrels

I’ve also spent a lot of time looking at my laptop, typing words into a manuscript and editing it into the format that my publisher requires. Between thoughts, I glance out the window of our motorhome as the giggling kids run or scooter past with their new friends. Here, staring at the computer screen, I see what isn’t fully developed yet. I see possibilities. This is my strength because it doesn’t rely on weak eyesight. Maybe I developed this skill as my young child eyes squinted in vain to see what the eagle eyes in our family saw easily. I developed vision to compensate for sight.

We have been traveling for eight weeks now, and it strikes me that we see differently depending on our speed of travel. Sometimes, we rush from one thing to the next as if we have a list of things, and we want to check the box as viewed. Tourists. Or, we only see the destination on the map, and we miss the blur of things passing our vehicle windows.

Other times, we slow down and notice the edges of flower petals, the white bluebonnets, the horseshoe tracks on the trail, or the bald cypress roots tangled near the water. In those moments, we breathe deeper, sigh with contentment and savor moments of holding hands. 

ZA: Mom, I want to hold your hand.

Me: Oh, that makes my whole day!

ZA: I knew you were going to say that.

Me: I hope so. I want you to always have the memory that I like being near you.

ZA: That’s getting old.

Me: That will never get old, even when you do.

ZA: (smiles) Well… I love you, Mom.

It seems that when we look at things up close, we can’t help but dream of possibilities. The little things make life bigger. 

I’ve spent the last decade rushing around to check boxes. I love goals, so I love checking boxes. Finish another degree. Check. Have babies. Check. Find a great job. Check. Get a book contract. Check. Wear myself out rushing to get it all done. Check.

Sunny

The last eight weeks, I have had a chance to slow down, squeeze our family and pets into a small space, and really see our big backyard. I think that the best life isn’t either-or, it’s both-and. It’s not about giving up my lists to live simply, it’s about simply listing what matters. It’s not about moving at a snail’s pace and only scrutinizing what is right in front of me, it’s about slowing down for a season so I can enjoy the speed again. Is there much more glorious than a horse racing across a field for the joy of racing, beauty in motion? 

Right before our night hike.

It’s both sight and vision.

It’s that balance that I have been seeking, and I’m finding it. Productivity and rest… and family fun. This is my sabbatical space.

“Speed can be fun, productive and powerful, and we would be poorer without it. What the world needs, and what the slow movement offers, is a middle path, a recipe for marrying la dolce vita with the dynamism of the information age. The secret is balance: instead of doing everything faster, do everything at the right speed. Sometimes fast. Sometimes slow. Sometimes in between.” 

Carl Honoré, In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed

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Spiders, Cities and a Super Cool Library

Posted on by sabbaticalspace

Last week was a busy one with lots of stops as Joshua (our RV) drove around the hill country of Texas. We began the week at church in Burnet (rhymes with durn it). Each week we attend a different church with a different flavor, sometimes with friends and sometimes with people we don’t know yet. These folks were friendly and kind. 

The evening before we did a nighttime spider hike at Inks Lake state park, which has been one of the coolest things we’ve done. I know, looking for spiders doesn’t sound very cool, especially black widows and brown recluses, but we learned how to hold a flashlight to see their glittering eyes, and the kids can now spot spiders all over the place. We didn’t see any of those super venomous scary arachnids, but the ranger pulled out a black light to find scorpions, probably the creature I dislike the most. Their glowing bodies are really a sight to behold, which we did with a delighted cringe.

What makes scorpions glow in the dark under black lights?

Next, we drove up to Longhorn Caverns and witnessed a sinkhole that looked like an enchanted underground garden and a compass built into the stone roof.

We decided to head back into the city, so we met my friend Wendy again in the Austin area. She brought dozens of bread heels she and her family had been saving, and the kids fed the ducks at Twin Lakes Park while we had more of that valuable female talk time. Inspired by the one who taught me to crochet and her talented work, I decided to buy some yarn and a hook, and I can now say I have a hobby again! The best kind of friends make you better.

  • Landa Library…
  • …And children’s playground

Then, we went back to San Antonio, and I’m so glad we did. As we often do, we found a library with internet and a plug to charge my laptop. It’s cheaper than a cup of coffee at Five Bucks. We discovered the Landa library and children’s playground. This library was a mansion that was donated by a couple, and it’s the first library I have entered where my jaw dropped as I stepped inside. The ceiling mural was spectacular, the Spanish architecture was tall and spacious, and I just had to tour the entire building before settling down to work. And that’s just the inside. The grounds are lovely gardens with subtle statues of books with famous titles and the donors tucked throughout and a well-kept playground. What a gem in the San Antonio library system! 

The reason we went back to San Antonio was to hear Max Lucado preach. We missed him a few weeks back when we visited, and he did not disappoint with his message on grace. In addition to his admirable speaking skills, he’s an incredibly prolific author. It made me wonder if I could have a writing career that produced that quantity books to encourage and give others hope. I’d like to do that.

Max Lucado — Yes, I took a photo during church!

After all this driving around, we’re tired and need some stability, so the plan for next week is to find a state park and land for a few days. That might be a challenge during spring break season, but we’ve really enjoyed the state parks as spring reaches out and renews. It’s renewing me, too.

  • A
  • Z
  • ZA

Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, ‘I can clean that if you want.’ And from the basin of his grace, he scoops a palm full of mercy and washes our sin.

Max Lucado

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Simple Living, Planet Fitness, and Being Asked to Leave Buc-ee’s

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Now that we are camping full time, we are much more in tune with the resources we use. No one drives by our house like in Nashville on Wednesdays to pick up our trash. We carry our water with us, both bottles for drinking and a tank of fresh water for washing, brushing teeth, and dishes. Even our electricity is a finite resource. 

A

Though we love to boondock, especially on vineyards and farms (with permission, of course) we need to plug in once or twice a week to recharge our batteries. We feel the power drain the most with our devices. They have a finite amount of power until they need charging since our generator is loud and needs a tune up.

We have to think about how we use these resources in ways that we never have before. Everywhere I have lived, I just flipped a switch or turned a tap and I magically had power and water. Now we need to plan ahead to have hot water, since we don’t leave the hot water heater running all the time. A small tank heats quickly, but it also runs out quickly. And when the fresh water runs out, we don’t have any more until we fill up. 

Even how often and how much we fill are considerations. Water (and sewage) are heavy and decrease our gas mileage, so we don’t want to drive around with full tanks. It’s also much harder to stop quickly when we are loaded down with that liquid weight, which is dangerous in traffic. 

A & Z where lots of heavy water isn’t a problem.

This brings me to Planet Fitness. For a little more than $20 a month, I can work out AND get a shower! Every day, if I want. Getting a shower that doesn’t use the RV’s precious fresh water or fill our gray tanks (used water) is a win, and that motivates me to exercise more than most things. Since we bought the black membership plan, we can use it at any Planet Fitness anywhere and I can bring a friend (Tim or anyone else who wants to go with me). They even have massage chairs, a Tootsie Roll to celebrate post workout, and TVs. Since we don’t have the TV hooked up, that’s another bonus. The only downside is they don’t let little ones hang out.

Who knew that my first gym membership would be on a sabbatical to rest? 

Z getting exercise the old-fashioned way.

My favorite podcast is The RV Entrepreneurbecause it inspired me to not wait until retirement to enjoy life on the road. They recommended Planet Fitness for travelors, and I agree. We calculated that once a month of being able to boondock and still have a shower paid for the membership. I guess we’ve gotten our money’s worth for the entire six months by now.

Sadly, Planet Fitness isn’t in the rural areas that we most enjoy, but the state parks are. We’ve been enjoying Texas State Parks, and plan to visit more before leaving the state. They are a great, economical camping option, and they have showers, too.

Not everyone appreciates the RV lifestyle, however. While places like Wal-Mart, groceries stores, and camping stores are almost always friendly to boondockers – especially those who support their businesses – some places just aren’t as kind. That was our experience this week at the New Braunfels Buc-ee’s.

Z and Buc-ee. I guess now this is a farewell embrace.

For those of you outside of Texas, and now Alabama, Buc-ee’s is a mega convenience store with what looks like hundreds of gas pumps and an enormous, Texas-size, store with a bakery, rows of jerky, clothes, and lots of food options. It’s a phenomenon to be experienced. At least we thought so. We first saw the new one in Alabama, and we were dazzled. We’ve stopped at a few new, including the one in New Braunfels several times. 

Buc-ee’s in New Braunfel’s, TX, is not RV friendly. Most of the rest of Texas is, though.

Yesterday, we paused at the back of the parking lot while we decided what we were going to do next. We got some snacks and drinks – they have flavored teas.

Then, they came and asked us to leave. Apparently, we stayed too long. Despite lots of open parking spaces, the fact that we had spent quite a bit (just filling the tank is about $70), and with Tim sitting in the driver’s seat, the shift manager, Tammy, said that we couldn’t stay. Well, she sent someone else to tell us, but when Tim went inside to talk with her, she said that sometimes people park and leave their cars for the waterpark nearby. (It’s off-season and the park isn’t even open.) I guess she knew that our business just visiting the state didn’t matter that much to theirs.

Super disappointing. 

  • Spectacular sunset
  • Cattle calling to say hello.

So, we shook the dust off our tires and headed out of town. There’s always a silver lining, though, and this time it was another gorgeous Texas sunset in the hill country. Even the cattle came to say hello. We pulled over to enjoy the spectacular beauty, and that made it all worthwhile. 

If you are brave enough to say goodbye life will reward you with a new hello. 

Paulo Coelho

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Remember the Alamo!

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Alamo Mission Church on the line drawn by Lt. Colonel Travis.

We aren’t likely to forget it any time soon. It was a piece of history that I expected to be boring for the kids, but they really enjoyed. Tornadoes, tragedy, and Travis – I should have known it would be a good story.

After attending services at the church where Max Lucado preaches (with a huge children’s wing and a bookstore!), we spent Sunday afternoon exploring downtown San Antonio. We thought it would be easier to maneuver a motorhome on the weekend than with work traffic.

First, the kids reviewed each of the bronze relief maps of what the Alamo mission compound looked like during its various phases of history. A, our future meteorologist,  especially liked the one showing the destruction from a tornado. Then, we went inside the park area. They had a fiddler country music concert, which we thought was very nice of them to schedule for us.

We looked at the boards describing the history, with gory battle scenes to delight the boys, we walked the grounds, and then the kids patiently waited in line to see inside the church. Yes, you read that correctly. They wantedto wait in line to see inside. Once inside, they read the plaques and the states of the men who died. It was a fun, educational day, but we had more walking to do.

Across the street, we walked along the famous River Walk, which we did without anyone falling into the water. A San Antonio Parks ranger let the kids sit in his motorboat while he showed them how the propellers worked. I guess he figured that prevention was as much a part of the job description as fishing kids out of the river. ZA was super excited because she reached out and touched a baby duck. That was her high point of the day, maybe the week.

  • River Walk in San Antonio
  • ZA touched the black duckling

From there we went north to New Braunfels to take care of some needed tasks like laundry, grocery shopping and cleaning. At the public library there, we watched from the RV as 10 deer stepped out of the woods, so beautiful.

Next, we went to Pedernales State Park to camp for a couple of days. Down by the river, the rocks have potholes, some shaped like footprints and hearts. It was heavenly, with lots of space around us so it felt like we were the only ones there, but comfy beds, running water and our own potty. That’s my kind of camping. Tim and Z hiked a 5.5-mile loop, wading through a cold river twice. Z was so excited about it that he woke up smiling and made himself two peanut butter sandwiches and a snack of raisins to take along with a few bottles of water. My distance hiker came home and declared, “I’m going to take a nap now.”

  • Z’s 5.5 mile hike with Daddy
  • Our happy dog, Sunny
  • The Twin Falls hike (and sister)

One of the more interesting things that happened was seeing a scorpion on the rock Tim was moving near the river. No stings, though, so all was well. Tim wanted me to say that he’s been pleasantly surprised by Texas State Parks, and he’s enjoying it here in the spring time in the hill country.

We had a night of silly stories around the campfire (see the last post), and then did a short hike to Twin Falls the next day. This has been my favorite place to camp so far. 

Today, we are wrapping up the week in Marble Falls, which the guy at the visitor’s center said was named by the founders who mistook the granite for marble. There’s actually no marble here. However, there are lots of bluebonnets, and that’s why we came. We finally got our photos of ZA in a patch of the iconic Texas state flower, and we celebrated with breakfast at the famous Bluebonnet Café, which was opened the same year as our sticks and bricks house was built back in Nashville, 1929. Best of all, our picky eater, A, deemed it his new favorite restaurant and the pancakes the best he has eaten in his life, soft and super fluffy. That is high praise indeed.

Next week, we may end our adventure in the Texas Hill Country region. Or, we may stay a little longer for a more splashy bluebonnet show. There’s more to see in the Lone Star State, and our eyes are lookin’. Yes, we’ll remember the Alamo and much more.

Give me victory or give me death!

Lt. Colonel William B. Travis, Commander of the Alamo

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The First Few Weeks Are a Vacation

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We often describe the first phase of anything as a honeymoon period. That’s how our trip started. Honeymoons aren’t without surprises, but generally everyone is on good behavior and swept up in the excitement of this new thing.

Snuggling Siblings

The first few weeks of this epic RV adventure felt like a nice vacation. We rested more, played more, and generally enjoyed some time away from the real world. But, it was like a holiday escape. Yet, the longer we are gone, the less like a vacation this feels and the more like a new way of life. (Note to my colleagues: Don’t worry. I am still planning to be back to teach in the fall.)

We have our flexible daily schedule and a rhythm to our weeks now. We know where to seek out free wifi and places to boondock. We’re cooking in the RV more consistently. We’re home with a moving yard. I’m still blinking in disbelief that we get to live like this, and I really like it. 

Swimming in Pedernales River

Some moments feel surreal. We were telling “scary” stories by a campfire under a cloudy Texas sky last night punctuated with lots of belly laughing. Now, three 7- and 8-year-olds telling stories is anything but frightening. Silly stories might be a more accurate term. Still, it was fun family time with crackling wood, giggling, and just a few stars peeking through the clouds. 

We’ve had some homeschool victories, too, and they reinforced that this crazy traveling idea really is a good idea. The kids love the I Survived series of stories. One of their favorites is about hurricane Katrina. As we drove across Louisiana and through New Orleans, the kids saw the infamous Superdome. They looked at the bridge as we drove down the interstate. They saw the low lying, boarded up homes, and the events from more than a decade ago became more than a story from a book. It became living history. At the Alamo, they stood inside the mission and saw the lines from where the walls had been rebuilt, and the devastation from the battle became more than a description. They read the names of the brave fighters from our home state of Tennessee, and they became more than bronze names. As we review states and capitals, Austin is now the place where the bats fly out from under the bridge in the evenings like plumes of smoke. As we visit libraries across the state for that free wifi, our kids have new adjectives (and a new appreciation) to describe the art thanks to Sister Wendy art videos. 

Our 85 pound chocolate lab, Sunny

It’s not all great, though. Last week, I noticed that we were all grumpy and tired. The kids fought with each more, and the irritations built into thunderclouds. Tim was more grumpy with the dog, the very big dog in our small motorhome. I got more frustrated about the shoes that were left out. If I had a dollar for every time I asked the kids to put away their shoes, we’d have enough to recoup the cost of the RV…now I sound like my mother! We slept in later because we all felt the exhaustion setting in from being constantly on the move in the RV and outside hiking.

But I’ll take every irritating minute from last week for just a few minutes around a crackling campfire telling silly stories because we’ve only got about 10 more years with these kids. Then, they’ll be heading off to college and their own adult lives. That’s what successful parenting does, launches the kids prepared for the world outside their safe nest. I hope they settle down next door, but they are our kids after all, with wanderlust running through their veins.

Reading together in the attic loft.

When they think back to this trip, they aren’t going to remember yelling, “She’s touching me!” or “He’s on my side!” They are going to remember laughing by the light of fire at a state park in Texas… as a family.

That’s the real epic adventure.

“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.

–Anthony Brandt

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Texas Independence Day

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March 1stwas Texas Independence Day. The library in Fredericksburg was closed to celebrate, so we thought we should, too. Texas is the only state in the union that was formerly its own nation, the Republic of Texas, so it makes it an excellent day to drive out in the country, view longhorn herds and eat authentic Tex-Mex food, my all-time favorite.

Fun Fact: Texas is the only one of the 50 states that can fly the state flag at the same level as the American flag because it was once a sovereign nation.

I’ve been reminded of that rugged Texas spirit while visiting again. It’s the only place I’ve been where people decorate indoors and outdoors with the state emblems and colors. Lone stars, cowboy boots and bluebonnets are all fodder for décor.

The view from the top of Enchanted Rock was incredible.

To celebrate Texas, we hiked up Enchanted Rock, a challenging hike climbing a granite hill with an incredible view of the hill country. We met up with a homeschool group, so the kids raced up to the top. It was pretty grueling at times, with lots of warnings about rattlesnakes, porcupines, and other critters. We didn’t see any, though. I took the kids while Tim stayed with the pets, but when he wanted to hike it, Z and ZA wanted to do it again… and they did.

After the hiking, we were tired, but happy. Notice the early bluebonnets!

I was tired and sore after only one trip to the top, so I’m amazed that the little ones made it up twice, but that is how amazing the climb and rewarding the view. After a delicious Tex Mex meal, we returned to the vineyard where we boondocked for a couple of nights. It was lights out on another adventurous day by 7:30.

Happy Independence Day, Texas. 

Texas is a state of mind.  Texas is an obsession.  Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word.  

John Steinbeck

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Roam School

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A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a Wild + Free conference in Frisco, Texas. It was an amazing group of about 1,600 homeschooling mamas. The moms follow different philosophies – the Charlotte Mason method, classical, unschooling, Montessori and more – but we are united in a commitment to educate our own children with all the rewards and challenges.

We decided to homeschool our kids for Kindergarten and see how it went. We chose this for several reasons, but one of the strongest was that we weren’t ready to give up parenting for the bulk of their day. We have three children with very different temperaments, so it was an experiment to see how it worked. From the beginning, we said that when it doesn’t work for us, we would look at other options.

Homeschooling is hard.

We value education a lot in our home. I am a college professor, after all. We can turn anything into a homeschool lesson, a trip to the grocery store, a field trip to a botanical garden, or a nature walk. In our rainbow-colored world, that’s how homeschool would work: intentional, preplanned lessons supplemented by real-world application.

In the real world, I have a full-time job. During the four years we have been doing this, all three of my parents have had serious health conditions, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Some weeks, Tim and I are an awesome education team. Some weeks, we don’t have a plan at all. 

  • This is how we’d like homeschool to look. Nice and orderly.
  • This is how it really looks. Wild and crazy, but fun.

This has not been the experience that I envisioned when we started.

Two of the biggest challenges for parents in homeschooling are high expectations and self-doubt. We want our kids to be high-achieving, often to point back to what a good job we are doing. We want to have pristine lesson plans with just the right blend of enrichment activities so the kids are wowed by fun learning. When that doesn’t happen, we wonder if our kids are really behind, if we are doing them a disservice, if they won’t get into college, if we are ruining their lives. We fear that their short comings are all our fault.

That’s why I love Wild + Free. I learned about it through the podcast. It is the only podcast that I have listened to that makes me take a deep breath and know this really is best for our kids at this time. It helps me relax into how we uniquely homeschool. It’s a large dose of encouragement, normalizing, and hope. Best of all, since I found Wild + Free, I enjoy homeschooling more. 

I still have weeks of amazing education and weeks that are really scattered. (I’m learning to predict those better, since they are often related to when my job gets busy.) My kids are not learning like public school kids, but they also aren’t experiencing some of the drawbacks. We don’t have them shrug their shoulders and say, “Nothin’” when we ask what they learned at school. We really like our children, and we get to spend a lot of time with them. In our family, we don’t rush in the mornings to get kids out the door, and we don’t cram our evenings with activities and homework.

It has been so worth it. 

If we weren’t homeschooling, we couldn’t do this epic trip right now, and it’s a vivid, living education lesson. They are naturally learning geography as we plot our trip on maps from state to state. We love stopping at libraries for wifi, and oh, the books! We’re staying a places with flowers and fauna and lots of nature to explore. We read and listen to books daily. Yes, homeschool happens all the time, even Saturdays and Sundays.

We aren’t the only ones who educate on the move. It’s a thing called Roam School. Thanks, Wild + Free community for reminding us why we do this and how rewarding it is. It’s not for everyone. We might not do this until they graduate. But’s it’s been a great choice for our family.

At the boyhood home of President Lyndon B. Johnson

When I asked the kids about their experience being homeschooled, here’s what they said:

ZA: I like homeschooling because you get to do crafts and you get to learn about Jesus.

Z: It’s good to expand your mind. My favorite thing about homeschooling is math. Mailbox math is when you count the numbers on the boxes to see what the number adds up to. 

A: My favorite thing about homeschool is mommy. 

Aw, that last one makes all the challenges worth it.

For me, books have been a life-long resource-to learning,

laughter, solace, excitement, inspiration.

At your library, the world awaits you, free for the asking.

— Lady Bird Johnson

Texas Hill Country and Political Beginnings

Posted on by sabbaticalspace

We’re chasing the bluebonnets, but in our eagerness to see these iconic spring flowers, we’ve landed in the Texas Hill country just a little too early. Since this is an area of Texas that is new to me, too, we just might land for a week or two.

We started this week at church to visit with another close college friend, Wendy, in Austin (or a suburb) and her children. Tim took our kids for the afternoon, and I had a whole day of visiting and catching up with her. What fun! It just does my soul good to have good reconnecting time with friends. I think we could have spent a week catching up. We capped off the day with a local spot to watch the famous Austin bats fly out from under the Round Rock bridge at dusk to feed. It’s still early in the season, but what a sight to see!

  • Wendy’s daughter & ZA
  • Bats
  • Selfie Time

Tim was antsy to see the bluebonnets, and even more antsy to get out of city traffic with a 29 foot motorhome, so we drove east to the small Texan town of Johnson City and the boyhood home and ranch of President Lyndon B. Johnson.There we learned about life on a farm a hundred years ago, Lady Bird Johnson’s impact on conservation and wildflowers, and why his plane was called Air Force “One-Half” — it was smaller than Air Force One to be able to land on the ranch. A couple of the kids also learned why that painful, pesky insect is called a fire ant. Thankfully, we haven’t learned from experience in nature how the rattlesnake got his name.

Since expanding national parks was such a part of his administration, LBJ’s boyhood home is a national park. The kids were able to complete their books and be sworn in as junior rangers.

Tree climbing a massive oak in the park

From there, we went to Fredericksburg, a German settlement city. The first day was hot. We went to sleep with the windows open and a fan for a breeze. Overnight it dropped to the ’40’s and started to rain. However, the library in town is a gorgeous building filled with great entertainment for a rainy, cold day. Next week, maybe we’ll have more bluebonnet photos.

“Encourage and support your kids

because children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.”

— Lady Bird Johnson