The truth about adventures... and the beginning of a strange one...

Within many of us there is a deep longing for some sort of adventure.  We want to be on the journey with our favorite characters, but we forget a very important reality... adventures are difficult and perilous sojourns that a hero embarks on without knowing what will happen or how things will end.  Usually the protagonists are forced into the story by difficult circumstances.

And so a crazy adventure is getting ready to begin...

First, a little back story:

The past year and a half have been the most harrowing of my life.  It involved moving, losing a job, fighting for a job that didn't work out, pregnancy, being hospitalized, having a baby, getting a serious concussion, poverty, depression, bankruptcy, leaving friends, trying to make new friends, and a diagnosis of chronic illness.  

The diagnosis was not mine, but was my husband's. 

He is currently working closely with his doctor to find the correct medicine(s) to manage his illness.  Unfortunately the process of finding the right medicine is at times worse than the original illness. We have had a very difficult few months as we ride a roller coaster of hope, disappointment, side affects, behavioral and mood changes, insomnia, discouragement, and hope again.  Needless to say both my husband and I are exhausted and broken by all that has happened.  We are both in need of some healing and have decided on a somewhat unconventional way of finding it.

Some people find healing by traveling, leaving everything behind, eating delicious foods, discovering new prayer and meditative practices, and finding love in strange places.  Haven't you always wondered what the stories of self discovery and adventure would be like if the main character traveled with two small children?  Let's say a one year-old and a two and a half year-old?

The girls and I began our adventure by traveling to Arizona, where my in-laws live during the winter.  We spent some time with my husband and some with just Nana and Papa.  We have worked on our base tans, gone to the pool, and eaten delicious foods.  Then we headed to the East Coast to spend time with my family.

My parents' house in MD is occupied by one of my sisters, her husband, and their 3 small children (1, 3, and 4 years old).  My youngest sister and her husband are also staying there.  Normally they live in Africa, but are in the US for the birth of her first child.  Also, my parents will be there for the birth and several other events.  And, as of last Tuesday, the girls and I are also in the house.  That's seven adults, a new born baby, two one-year-olds, a two-year-old, a three-year old, and a four-year-old all under one roof.  My mother said it will probably be "a little zooy".  That may be an understatement.

After a few weeks there, my kids and I will fly with my parents to Africa, where we will be for several months.  

My husband and I decided on this course of action together.  We want to insulate the girls from the side effects of finding the right medicine and we want my husband to not worry about me and the girls while that is going on. 

So, I am beginning a journey of healing, family, self-rediscovery, travel, adventure, diapers, and the unknown.  For those interested in this journey, I will try to regularly update my blog.  

One mom, two daughters, three bags, and several stuffed animals... what could possibly happen in four months?