One of the unique things about traveling full-time in an RV is that the seasons matter. Winter travel requires a bit more strategy because there are only so many places you can go where you don’t have to worry about freezing temperatures overnight. This year, we decided to do something a little different. We stayed in the same campground, the San Diego KOA, for the entire winter.
Back in November, the boys completely fell in love with this campground and immediately started asking if we could stay longer. It’s fairly quiet during the week, but the weekends come alive. Families roll in, bikes fill the roads, and the campground kids club staff organizes activities for the kids, such as kickball and basketball games, bingo, board games, and even create-and-launch-your-own rockets. The boys have absolutely thrived here.
Another reason we chose to stay in San Diego was that Ken knew he would have some work travel in California. In many ways, the timing worked out perfectly. As we’ve been here, we’ve also been coordinating the next round of repairs for our RV, which will need to go back to the factory. Having a stable place to land while working through these logistics has been a huge blessing.
And truly, these past two months have been so full of sweet moments.
Tate turned three years old, which seems impossible. It has been such a joy watching him grow up in the middle of this adventure.
We purchased a membership to the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, and I can confidently say it is the most incredible zoo we have ever visited. We’ve gone at least once a week, sometimes just for a couple of hours. Every visit feels different.
Outside of the zoo, we’ve explored nearby beaches and piers, discovered some fantastic playgrounds, completed a few hikes, and wandered through different coastal towns. The weather here has been beautiful, with blue skies, sunshine-filled days, and cool evenings.
One of the greatest gifts of staying in one place for a little while has been the chance to plug into a local church. We found a church here, and Charlie has really enjoyed getting involved in the high school youth group.
For a family that is usually on the move, this season has felt different. Slower. Quieter. And in many ways, really good. It has given us time to process everything we have learned and experienced over the past year and a half of traveling. It has also given us space to begin reflecting on what the next season for our family might look like.
If I’m being honest, this slower pace hasn’t always come naturally to me.
I love a good plan. Truthfully, I love to be in control. A plan gives me a sense, a false sense, of being in control.
When Ken first suggested we stay in San Diego for a month, I was completely on board. But then one month turned into two… and now it has turned into three. I’d like to say I embraced it easily, but somewhere around month two I started getting a little antsy. I wanted to be moving again. I wanted the next adventure. But every time we sat down to plan, it just didn’t quite make sense.
Things with Brinkley and the RV repairs weren’t set in stone yet. Ken still had more travel ahead. The boys really wanted to be here for Easter. And honestly, the Lord felt quiet about what we were supposed to do next. For someone who loves a plan, that was a strange place to be. I didn’t have clarity, and every attempt to create a plan felt like trying to force pieces together that didn’t quite fit.
So I waited. (Not always with grace.) And then one day it hit me. We weren’t supposed to figure out the next big step right now.
We were simply supposed to be.
To sit for a little while.
To process.
To learn.
To listen.
And for me, that meant letting go of the need to plan every step.
When I finally released that grip, something shifted. I began to experience peace and joy in exactly where we are in this season.
We do have some campgrounds mapped out for the next couple of months, but there are still plenty of unknowns, and that’s okay. We still don’t have all the answers from Brinkley about timing for the RV repairs.
We are also approaching two years since we sold our home. When we started this journey, we said we would give it two years and then reevaluate. And here we are at that mark. But we don’t feel done yet. So for now, we will simply keep putting one foot in front of the other and trust the One who already has the whole plan mapped out.
And really, that is the very best place to be.
We’ll stay in San Diego until after Easter, and then we will begin making our way east again. Our first stop will be Phoenix, followed by Texas. After that we’ll head toward Louisiana and Mississippi, two of the four remaining states we still haven’t visited.
From there, we’ll see where the road leads next.
And as always, we’re grateful for the journey.