One Year - 30,000 Miles

Today it was 82 degrees here in Nokomis, Florida and I spent most of it poolside thanks to the generosity of my friends Debra & Mark who said “you’re welcome to stay at our house in Florida” Thank you so much my friends.

A year ago this weekend I was packing up my apartment in New Jersey getting ready to move my stuff into storage and start this adventure. The start of this journey was delayed because a major snowstorm hit and the move was postponed two days. That was the first hiccup to my plans and it wouldn’t be the last.

As I was making plans to get on the road everyone was asking if I was nervous and 'are you sure about this?’ One year into this adventure I can honestly say, this has been the one of the best years of my life. There was never a moment when I doubted my choices or missed all ‘the stuff’. It has actually been quite the opposite. This is no longer a year of adventure, it is simply, my life. This is how I live and I love it. I’ve seen so many spectacular places, met some wonderful people, and ate a lot of great BBQ! (I’m a sucker for a good rack of ribs.)

For a few years now I’ve been wearing my Miraculous Medal- I never take it off. I started wearing it to remind myself that “when I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of Wisdom, Let It Be”. In 2022 I did just that, let it be. When I started out, I had a spreadsheet where I detailed everywhere I would go for just about the entire year - when I would start driving, when I would arrive, where I would stop along the way. I threw that practice out the window around March. From then on, I started planning two weeks at a time, if that, actually. There were times when I didn’t have a ‘reservation’ for my next stop. And it was fine. I just let it be. Many times I had to pivot, change plans, cancel or postpone reservations that I made ‘just in case’. I love to plan. When I’m looking at the map for places to go and stop, I get energized and usually have a smile on my face because I’m planning! A week or so ago I started talking about my ‘loose plan’ for the year. Since then I’ve changed my mind three times. I guess old habits die hard.

This year hasn’t been all hotels, Airbnb’s and doing it on my own. I’ve had plenty of help along the way. There have been many times I’ve stayed with friends & family. Even though I am very comfortable on my own, it’s been wonderful spending that extra time with people I love and am so grateful to have in my life. For that, I must give a HUGE THANK YOU to all the people who opened their doors and said, ‘why don’t you stay at my house?” For the most part, whenever I go “home”, I stay with my mother & Mike. Thanks Ma for treating me like a queen when I stay at your house and taking on the role of my personal mail assistant. I’ve also been very fortunate to have stayed with My Godmother Vicky, My cousins Eileen, Jimmy & Katie and some dear friends, Daniel & Coach, Meg & Tom, Danielle & Lance, Eddie, and my KAT sisters - Michelle & Chris and Debra & Mark. Thank you all so much for making me feel welcome and safe. I hope you all know how very much I appreciate it.

This year I put 30,000 miles on my car. On those long drives, through sometimes desolate roads in the middle of nowhere I may have been in the car alone but my BFF/sister-friend, Melissa, always has my back. When I set out to the next destination Melissa gets the Google link to track my drive and make sure I arrive safely at my next destination. Thank you for always looking out for me Melis, I think my mother may be grateful for that as well 😊

Where to next? Well, that won’t be for a bit. I’m staying down in the warm weather for a while!