After six months on the road we are back right where we started in Bellevue, WA. A lot has changed since we sold our house and left back in September.
We quickly setup camp in a downtown apartment that is close to everything. It took us a little while to adjust being in a small space with neighbors close by but now it seems normal. Slowly it started to feel more like home as we got to know the area and our neighbors. Skye has a couple of friends that she plays with after school in the courtyard. Luca has fun playing fortnite online with his school buddies. Ginger loves to chase the ball in the downtown park. Lara and I enjoy the gym in our building and having great Thai food just down the street. It is definitely a different kind of lifestyle and we are looking for a house to buy in a new neighborhood.
My new job at Docker has been a great change. I am back writing code and building websites which is a ton of fun. When I first started I had this immense pressure that was lifted off of me. Managing a team came with a lot of extra stress that I grew used to over the years. There were always things like un-happy team mates or pressure from the business to make things happen that were not possible. During those first couple of weeks literally felt like I had just taken off a 100 pound backpack that I had no idea I was carrying.
Luca and Skye started up school right away which was a big change from Road School. Being back with their friends felt like homecoming for them. Skye started Triangle Swim Team and Luca was back playing soccer for Bellevue United. Their schedules went from free back to structured. It’s funny how much more comfortable they are with structured routine.
Coming back was also a little bitter sweet. I miss the new places and exploring that we got to do everyday on the road. Being on the open road gives me time to think and just observe. That part of the trip was like a breath of fresh air. The excitement of getting to a new place and finding out where everything is was one of the best parts of the trip. Skye would take off to find the game room and vending machines. Luca would check out all of the power connections available while hooking us up and then test all of the available internet connections. Together as a family we also got to spend a lot more time together.
The road trip definitely gave Luca and Skye more of an appreciation for what we have back home. They got to meet all different kinds of people and see what life is like for them. There were times when we were meeting people late at night inside the Walmart before going to bed in the parking lot. Experiencing those kind of things both easy and hard were great for them. Breaking down and staying on the street while staying safe was totally new for them. Overall they learned to live on the road with a lot less than they were used to.
