The reason for the Blog: The trip around the United States

I want to explain why I even started this blog. Some time ago - I'm not even sure when, I ran across an article about The Ultimate US Road Trip. It was probably on my Google page, I don't know. Anyway, I looked it up, and it looked so amazing, that I decided I wanted to do it. It's a trip through the lower 48 states, with 50 attractions to visit.

I started by charting where to go, and where I might be able to stay, and then realized it wouldn't help if I did it on paper. I had a notebook devoted to ideas that I put it in originally, but this... needed more research. More flexibility. So I started by putting it into Notion. It has a sort of rudimentary database set up, and I was able to connect everything together, which is what I wanted. I started collecting data on some of the costs, like what it would take to visit the attractions. I checked into AAA, and AARP, and a few other things, just to give me a look at how much it would be to do this with the most comfort.

I know there's going to be more to costs because of gas, and groceries, and all of that. But I got as much as I could figure out. I'm currently working through the schedule, to see how long it will take.

This blog is about my journey toward getting prepped for this trip and then going on the trip, I hope. There are a lot of things I have to think about, things I need to change about me in order to make this work better, to make sure I can enjoy it. Some of it will be that I want to rent a couple of different RV/trailers in order to see how it will work, to see what happens.

I'm not only using Notion, but also the Dayzero Project, a site that allows one to make to-do lists. I found it because of something I ran across over 10 years ago, the 101 goals in 1001 days. I can't remember at all where I found it. I wish I could. I haven't done that particular goal list in a long time - the last time I tried, I realized it wasn't something I was interested in doing. I might try again another time, but for now, it's off. Still, I have a couple of lists focused on this trip: one is on the things I think I need to do to get ready for it, and the other is the list of things I want to see around each attraction. Options, anyway. I still have a lot to work on.

All About Me

My name is Jill, I'm a mother to three children and a wife to my husband, S, who I thank Heavenly Father for regularly because I would probably fall apart without him. S and I have been married over 20 years, a fact that still boggles my mind. He works from home and has for almost as long as we've been married. It has made raising our children more of a collaborative effort, and that has made it wonderful. 

My three children are V, non-binary (or possibly gender fluid) with they/she pronouns (they/her?); E, cis woman with she/her pronouns; and T, cis man with he/him pronouns. V came out to us two years ago, and we're still trying to adjust, all of us. We're doing okay. I think V feels safe with us, and that's the most important part of it.  

E just left to start school at Snow College, my first to do that. It's weird, not having her around. It's only been like... two days, and I miss her in a way I don't remember missing V. Mostly because when V left, they were three blocks away and I could (and still do) see them often. E is nearly 7 hours away. T is involved in the theater at the high school, and I don't see him much because of that. Early start, late return, at least I'm not a taxi mom anymore.

Some more about me:

• I read a lot. Not as much as I used to, but I still do a lot of reading.
• I suffer from depression, and while it's mostly under control, it is something I have to deal with.
• I write a lot. I have participated in 18 of the last 20 National Novel Writing Month challenges, and have done a fair share of other challenges as well.
• I love music. Right now, almost everything I listen to is Kpop. The list of groups I like and listen to is long. Very long.
• I am trying to get back into crocheting, learn knitting better, and maybe finish one of the way-too-many counted cross stitch projects I have before my son steals them.
• I'm a huge fan of The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran, and Getting Things Done by David Allen. I have also dipped into Tiny Habits and The Now Habit, all of which have helped me get things done.
• I am planning a long trip, and that's part of the reason I decided to start this blog. I wanted to document the prep I'm currently doing, and probably do a fair amount of reporting when I finally get to go.