2022 {Year in Review}

Let's start with the fun stuff:

In 2022 we spent five months traveling by RV to 22 states, including North Dakota and Minnesota! This means we finally hit all 50 states! We started counting states in 2014 when the kids were 3, and now at age 11 they have accomplished something few Americans have experienced. What a blessing to be able to give our children this opportunity. On this trip we explored 20 national park sites, 9 state parks, 7 zoos, and 9 museums. New National Parks this year included, Joshua Tree, Voyageurs, Indiana Dunes, Theodore Roosevelt, Craters of the Moon, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Guadalupe Mountains, Great Basin, Fort Union, Knife River Earth Lodges, Lewis and Clark Historic Trail, Sawtooth NRA, Chiricahua NM, and we finally after two cancelled trips, made it to the spectacular YOSEMITE! New State Parks- Sea Rim, South Llano River, Catalina, Cathedral Gorge, Giant Springs, Itasca, Tettegouche. New National Wildlife Refuges- Benton Lake, Bowdoin, and Chase Lake.

This year we went sledding on sand dunes and snowy mountains, got stuck in a Longhorn traffic jam in North Dakota, where we also had a VERY close encounter with herds of bison battling with young in tow. So close, we could smell them and hear them breathing thru our screened windows! We mined sapphires, and met a man who has actually found a new gold mine. We held a wild desert kingsnake, a friend's pygmy hedgehog, and Journey carefully released a newly-banded hummingbird with a soon-to-be-laid egg inside. We heard Prairie dogs squeak, explored lava fields and caves and saw famous dinosaur bones found near our friend's house in Montana. We spent the night at a sheep farm after getting the tour and sampling the milk and curds. At the Fugate's, we milked the cow, fed the hogs and helped them pack and prep the farm for sale. I added 48 lifers and had the opportunity to witness a couple Birds of Paradise doing their mating displays (at a zoo)! Asher nailed a front flip on the trampoline, and had his first leach. Yuck! They both rode some extreme roller coasters and Journey braved the Slingshot with Lucy! We spent time with so many friends in Vegas, California, Montana and Indiana. Asher fished every state on this trip except Utah,  and learned to fly-fish. Journey did a cartwheel in every state. Daddy published his second book and began working on his third and fourth! A hurricane (Ian) arrived and I became deaf on the same day.

In January 2022, after two years of being very careful to avoid COVID, my mom came to visit, and brought it with her. UGH! Fortunately, it was mild, (the omicron variant) and only Journey caught it. Daddy returned from a week in Colombia the same day and also brought it with him! A perfect storm! Asher and I kept our distance from the other three and managed to avoid it (until November). Journey was very tired, had some freaky, lucid dreams and a couple bouts of breathing problems, but once she healed, we realized, if she could make it thru that, we should not be avoiding our friends and activities anymore. And just like that, my fear of COVID was over. Well, mostly. We still use common sense to avoid it, but we’re no longer watching everyone else carry on while we hole up inside. And with that, we began attending field trips with our local homeschool group. We toured the Board of Elections with our elected Supervisor of Elections as our guide and learned how our county voting process works. We visited Homosassa Springs State Park which is also a wildlife rescue. Afterwards the kids gave a powerpoint presentation on the visit using the photos they took during the tour. Of course they couldn’t wait to pick up rollerskating again. We visited a pawn shop and the owner gave us a lesson on how they work and the cost associated with their loans. This led to more good discussions on proper money management and budgeting. We attended the Overlanding Expo and saw all kinds of new adventure vehicles and gear. There also happened to be a Peruvian Owl Monkey there which we were able to touch and learn about. 

Our friend Helen stayed 5 weeks with us in her overlanding trailer. We didn't know her yet when she called to request a few nights on our RV pad, but it was already booked. I overheard the conversation and asked Daddy to call back and find out the length of her RV. When we learned it was a 10ft overlanding trailer, we invited her to stay in the backyard. As soon as I met her, I knew I liked her. A few days turned into 5 weeks, and she left as part of the family.

When an Israeli family with 13 year old boy/girl twins came to stay for a couple nights, our kids were elated to have kids to play with. We learned about life in Israel, about sirens and bunkers and how some people have less than a minute to escape to safety. We learned some Hebrew, and enjoyed Israeli foods like challa bread. They experienced their first Christmas with us. Mika had been learning arial acrobatics on silk fabric. She hung it on our tree, and soon taught her skills to Journey. Journey in turn taught Mika to play the Ukelele. A really nice friendship blossomed betweeen both families and two days turned into ten and then five weeks! Seeing a trend here? Before they left, we had booked a trip to Yosemite together, and then decided to travel together for a couple months!

Journey began taking gymnastics classes and decided to learn to do the splits, so she found a youtube video and worked on her stretches everyday until she could do it. 

Journey enjoyed a special jam session with some RVers. I introduced them and an hour later they played a song together for me, with Journey on her ukelele, a gift from Aunt Janie. They were impressed with her musical abilities and so was I. She was even given the opportunity to play their fiddle and mandolin. I love the opportunities that arise when hosting travelers! She has also had yoga and drawing sessions with visitors.

Asher caught multiple 24” bass in our backyard, some weighing nearly 6lbs! He looks forward to connecting daily with Zach in Michigan, Jett in Indiana and Brandon, our next-door neighbor thru Xbox. They generally play an hour a day of Minecraft, Rocket League, and Terraria plus Fortnight is allowed on the weekend. Journey often plays with them.

Keith attended training trips to Peru and Colombia with ITEC.

In 2020, I won a photography contest which gave us a membership to our local art museum. Since it was closed, they extended our pass and when we visited, after seeing the exhibits, the kids tried felt cake decorating and drawing self-portraits.  

After serving two years as VP, I became President of my local Audubon chapter. When I joined the club, I was one of the youngest members, maybe even THE youngest member, in a county that was not very active. I saw opportunities to breathe new life into the club starting with a logo, then a new website, social media, in-person promotions and new exclusive activities, all in an effort to draw new, younger people into the club. It was a LOT of work, but I was rewarded with not only a much more active club of all ages, but amazing new friends as a result. At this point I enjoy birding almost weekly with Liz, Alice, Tami, Steven and Darcy, plus many other friends less frequently. 

Birding this year included visits to some of the most iconic places- High Island, Sabine Woods and Bolivar Flats in Texas, Sax Zim Bog in Minnesota, the Chiricahuas and other places in SE Arizona. Plus Florida trips included Lake Okechobee with Nicole plus overnight trips for Spring migration at Fort Desoto and fall migration at St Marks with Alice, Liz and Wendy plus the Village Birders. I added 48 lifers, 46 on our roadtrip, and ended the year with 438 birds, my biggest year in the US. 

Coming in 2023..... the resumption of international travel!