Be aware of when an opportunity arises
and don't be afraid to jump.

Wendy Swart Grossman

Our house (RV) may be small
but the world is our garden.

Simon Grossman

Although we ended our home-schooling, family on the road, 7-month adventure on March 4, 2010, we are leaving the Web site up for all who are interested.  We are now based fulltime in Brookline, MA and enjoying having that doesn't move around and has real doors.

Here's what we wrote before setting out...

The stars are aligning...and we are channeling our inner adventure spirit.  With Evan leaving his job the end of June and Wendy's consulting gigs in the nonprofit world just not profitable enough, combined with the boys growing up faster than we would like,  it is one of these rare opportunities to regroup, realign, and recharge.

We have loved living in London the past 6 years but our accents and loud voices can't deny we are Americans. Our kids don't remember living in the US.  In some ways, neither do we.  It is time to move home to the land of drive-through banks, Fourth of July parades, Trader Joe's, and smiling faces of friends and family.

But we aren't ready to settle down just yet.

We are pulling the kids out of school for the 2009/2010 school year and hitting the road.  When else will we have this chance?  The boys are at fabulous ages where they will remember the adventures, can read their own chapter books, write their own journals, and Josh is strong enough to carry a full size suitcase...with wheels of course!  Yet they aren't old enough to be too embarrassed to be seen with their parents.

Most sailors know that sometimes it's better to ride out a storm at sea, and rather than trying to settle down in the midst of the greatest financial crisis in 80 years, why not put the cash in the bank, resist taking on any new debt and have some adventures in the process?

We have to move anyway, all our stuff will be in storage and we won't own a house.  Is this irresponsible or is this just taking advantage of an opportunity?  Party on Garth! 

Enough with the justifications!

This is an adventure on many fronts:

(1) Explore the US - Washington DC, Philadelphia, Lewis and Clark, National Parks, Compare the Largest Balls of Twine in Cawker Kansas with the one in Darwin, Minnesota, baseball stadiums and laundromats;

(2) Physical well being - biking and hiking;

(3) Spiritual - as Unitarians we are hoping to check out various UU congregations on days when they serve the free lunch;

(4) Community Service - we are looking into various charities to do projects with;

(5) Family history and genealogy - hoping to spend time collecting stories and video taping family lore;

(6) Our own family-of-four dynamics - Are we a democracy or  benevolent dictatorship.

An RV is in our future for the US portion and then backpacks for the international pieces.  Needless to say we will be blogging, facebooking, journaling, parking in your driveway and mooching off your hospitality.