We have not ventured more than an hour from where we are staying since September. We are staying with Judy’s dad, who is 71 years old, so we are extremely cautious about going places. This week we took our first road trip back to Atlanta. It is a 5-hour drive, so it was easy.
It is a different experience worrying about where to pee and figuring out the best way to each lunch. We stopped once at a gas station for a bathroom break. It was empty, clean, and the bathroom features all touchless. For lunch, we decided on Chick-fil-a. We ordered on the app before we got off the exit and then pulled into a curbside spot and waited for our food to be brought to us. We ate in the car, but we would have preferred a picnic table.
While we are here in Atlanta we are going through some of the items we have stored. There is nothing that we have missed while we have been traveling, so as we go back through our bins it has been easier to get rid of things that we realize we do not need.
Being back in the U.S., we have had some creep in the amount of stuff we have. We have winter clothes now. Lucas and Henry have more toys than they had while we were in Central America, and they now have a lot of school material. We are trying hard not to accumulate too much. We like our minimalist lifestyle. We will have to pare down our belongings once we hit the road. Our car can only hold so much. Traveling is a good way to help us stay lean with our lives.
This week we are doing some errands and visiting Judy’s sister. It is also Michael’s birthday this week. We are sad not to be able to have a big party for him and meet up with all of our friends. Maybe next year.
