I’m Kara, a mom of two college-age kids, Kaylin and Ben.
I love to hike. I hate to vacuum.
I’m married to Quent, the most patient man in the universe. Also known as Q.
After 27 years of living in Colorado (“Here”), I’m done with winter. And snow. And cold.
For years, the plan was to get our youngest off to college in August 2020, then Q and I would be footloose and fancy-free. With our semi-retired status and part-time jobs we can do from anywhere (me a freelance travel writer and Q doing the books for his family-owned company), we could take big chunks of time and go live… somewhere else (“There”).
We were thinking the west coast of Mexico for the fall (Sayulita? San Pancho?). Maybe find a cheap rental in Hawaii January through March. (Sense a theme? Warmth and sun.) Maybe Arizona or somewhere else in the U.S. Southwest during Colorado’s mud season. Then return home to our beloved mountains in our favorite season (summer) when the kids might be here, too.
And then the pandemic hit.
So, from March through August 2020, we were mainly staying “safer at home” — with a few weekend getaways that helped me remain sane.
Then, for 7 weeks in the late summer and early fall of 2020, my husband and I hit the road in BB the RV! It was an amazingly wonderful — and safe — road trip to 23 states.
We decided we weren’t going to let the pandemic stop us from traveling. So we followed up that big RV trip with….
- December 2020: A quick getaway to Zion National Park
- February 2021: A 3-week RV trip to California
- April 2021: An all-inclusive vacation in Mexico (YAY vaccinations and open international borders!)
- June 2021: 2 1/2 weeks in the U.S. Southwest (which involved renting an RV after BB broke down)
- Late summer 2021: Another fantastic 7 weeks in a NEW RV (welcome CC!) to the East Coast and back
- November 2021: A dream trip to the South Pacific (hello overwater bungalows)
- Christmas 2021: Long Island with family
- New Year’s 2022: Galapagos Islands with family
- January/February 2022: 3 weeks in Mexico, checking out Sayulita and San Pancho (doing what we’d PLANNED to do in the winter of 2020)
Whew! It’s been a whirlwind. We’ve absolutely made up for the international lockdown we were experiencing when I launched this blog about 18 months ago.
Soon, my wings will be clipped however, as I’m having some ankle surgery in February 2022. I won’t get on a plane again until May 2022, when my oldest graduates from college.
So, until then — while I’m in Mexico and when I’m recuperating at home in Colorado — I intend to find the joy every day.
Thus, the crux of this space. What’s bringing me joy right now? If there’s anything the pandemic has taught me it’s that life can change on a dime. We cannot count on tomorrow. We may not have our health always (hello, upcoming surgery rendering me on crutches for a month), so make the best of what we can enjoy right now!
There’s a ton of unknowns as my empty-nest life evolves — I’m not sure how much time will be spent Here or There — but I welcome you to follow along. I hope you find something that resonates with you, whether it’s parenting young adults, traveling without said kids, working remotely, or, simply, finding joy every day… wherever you are.
xo,
Kara (currently There in Mexico)
P.S. Want to get in touch? Shoot me an email.