Travel Status (aka our temporary lives as wanderers/gypsies)

We're back to being gypsies again. A different home every week. Suffice it to say, our lives are not normal right now. I thought I would share a peak at what our week currently looks like while Daniel is on travel status for work (this is so that I can look back and remember how crazy this is as well as for anyone who is interested or has asked for more details).

Sunday 

Morning: Get up and drive 50 minutes southwest to attend church in Huntsville, AL.

Lunch: Grab a bite with friends then head home to pack. Jack typically sleeps on the drive home.

Afternoon: Pack and load the cars – if we're lucky, Jack will continue to nap when we get home. This process seems to take about 1.5 hours and involves a master list that I update weekly. The list includes information like what food items we have on hand that need to be taken with us. We pack one large rubbermaid with pantry stuff and 2 small coolers with anything that needs to be refrigerated. This saves us from having to throw away food on a weekly basis.

Late Afternoon: Drive 60+ minutes northeast to whatever location we are staying at in the Chattanooga, TN area. Unload our cars, unpack as much as we can and then head out for dinner.

Dinner: Eat at a local restaurant or meet up with friends or family as we are too tired from traveling to try to cook.

Monday-Wednesday

Daniel gets up early to drive an hour to Watts Bar for work. Jack and I try to adjust to being on Eastern time (thankfully Jack sleeps in).

Monday is my grocery day and I get any food items we didn't have at home (and anything we might have forgotten).

During the week, Jack and I do various activities in the Chattanooga area (and the occasional playdate) and I also try to squeeze in a couple of workouts at a local YMCA.

At least one evening during the week, we try to do one fun thing as a family (typically a hike/trail run or a last minute to run to Dairy Queen).

Bedtime for Jack is at 8:30 Eastern (we had to move his Central bedtime back to 7:30 because having a toddler staying awake until 9:30 was not working for our family).

Wednesday Night

Daniel and I pack as much as we can after Jack goes to bed.

Thursday

Morning: Daniel leaves early for work and when Jack and I get up, we have breakfast and then I pack up everything that didn't get packed the night before. I let Jack play in the car while I load everything. I do a final walk through in the house (the first week, I forgot a cooler that was in the freezer!). Then we head home.

Afternoon: Jack and I get home around lunch. I unload the car and start doing laundry. If I'm lucky Jack will go down for a nap and I can try to unwind before Daniel gets home. 

Night: If we aren't too exhausted and it is a Life Group week, we try to make it down to Huntsville to spend time with our small group. Otherwise, we eat out and maybe grab groceries for the weekend.

Friday-Saturday

We try to do something fun as a family (typically a bike ride or hike). We also do any chores or house maintenance that need to be done (like mow the yard).

I spend some time planning the menu for the upcoming week and adjusting my master list to include pantry or refrigerated items that we have on hand.

Sunday - REPEAT the above 

This lovely lifestyle is working for us right now. It isn't always fun, but it allows us to be together as a family.