The Update

The Big News from Sara Janssen on Vimeo.

Let me just say...you guys are crazy! I don't know how many emails I have gotten lately begging for the details of our new adventure. You've been trying to guess....

"Is it a boat tour?"

"Is it a plane tour?"

"Is it a bicycle tour?"

"Are you going overseas?"

Nope. None of the above. We are just doing what we love...and that is going ON THE ROAD again (you gotta love Willie). After Lucy was born, we knew right away that we wanted to get back out there on the open road. Living life. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Learning. Growing.

We've different now. The road has changed us. Our priorities are different and we've realized that our traveling life just wasn't over yet. When we bought the Minnie Winnie, we truly thought that we would just be using it for weekend getaways and for traveling to see family. But, as soon as we got back out there, it just felt like us. It was good. We missed it.

However, the Winnie was a bit small for full-time livin'. So, we sold the Winnie and went back to a motorhome. This time, it's a 2000 Alpine Coach (40 foot). The same exact one as our last RV, but 2 years newer and 4 feet longer. Just enough extra length for Matt to build bunk beds for the girls. We'll be remodeling it back in Bozeman while we gather our belongings and sell/give away the rest.

Right now, we're still in Des Moines...and will soon be heading to various locations in Nebraska, Colorado, and then back to Bozeman. We'll be back for a few weeks and then will head west to Eugene, OR to convert the RV to veggie oil at Green Eye. After that, our plan is loose, but we're thinking California through January. Then Arizona and Texas throughout the winter, the east coast in the spring, and then back to the Midwest in the summer. We will most likely be offering a "buffet" of services as we travel through different cities.

• Photography
• RV or home remodeling
• Raw food consultation / speaking
• Veggie oil conversion services

We won't be doing any public demos, etc. like we did the first time around...and we will hopefully be traveling at a slower pace!

You may be a bit confused because you know we love Bozeman so much and have a cute little house with great neighbors and great friends, etc. etc. And that is all true. This wasn't an easy decision by any means. There is great comfort in stability and living life in one spot. We went back and forth. But after much prayer, finally decided to take a step of faith and as soon as we did that...all of the pieces started falling into place perfectly. We just kept praying, and God kept answering. It's been a fun ride...it's quite an adventure when God is at the wheel!

What we have realized is that we need to live our life NOW. We don't want to wait until we are retired to travel again. This past year has changed our perspective greatly...we lost my grandma and we nearly lost my brother in his accident. Family is super important to us and by having a home on wheels, we are able to see them more often. We are extremely blessed with jobs that enable us to travel...but that could all change tomorrow if one of us got hurt or sick. We can ALWAYS settle down...but we might not always be able to travel. Life is short!

I think this quote sums it up perfectly:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

So...once again we are sailing away from our "safe harbor"... with the goal of experiencing new things, meeting new people, and encouraging others to take that little step toward their own dream...whatever it may be!

And yes, I will be writing a blog about our new journey...it will take a little while to get it up and running so bear with me during this time of transition. I know this blog has been a bit quiet lately except for RV announcements...but now you know why :) I have a really GREAT giveaway and a blog about yoga coming soon. Have a fabulous weekend!

Sweet Minnie Winnie

Look at this cute little RV! It just happened to find it's way into our driveway.  Yes, can you believe it? We have ANOTHER RV! Woooooo! We just couldn't handle traveling in "normal" vehicles. Matt has been scouring the internet for about 6 months and we finally found the one we wanted. A 1983 - 23 foot Class C Winnebago "Minnie Winnie"...located in Seattle. He flew out a couple of weeks ago and drove it back.

It's currently in our backyard, completely gutted. Matt is gearing up to paint this week, followed by new flooring and all the other stuff we like to do to RV's. The 80's green and orange is lovely, but not quite my style. :) Bella is super excited about the bunk over the cab, and I'm excited to be able to travel comfortably again. And of course, Matt loves a good project.

It's sure a cute little thing...I can't wait to show you all the inside when it's done. Oh, and of course it's diesel! We will be converting it to run on veggie oil later this summer. Our first big trip will be a 2 month adventure back to Minnesota and Iowa this summer...and we're dreaming of a West coast road trip next summer. And no...there  are no plans to go back "on the road"! Just some good old fashioned travel in our fancy recreational vehicle.

Here's to happy trails!

Colorado Sunshine

We're going on our third week in Colorado...and although I love the sunshine, I'm definitely feeling ready to get back to my little house in Montana :) The third trimester nesting urges are here in force. Here are some highlights (and a few anti-highlights):

• The weather has been lovely. Mostly between 50's and mid-70's. Yesterday was so hot in the sun that I got a little pink on the cheeks while sitting at the coffee shop.
• Bella was really sick for a week, and then I got sick for a week...and we're just now coming out of that. I'm pretty sure mine has turned into a sinus infection. I'm perpetually amazed at the color of snot coming out of my body. Keeps the day exciting. We've been laying pretty low and haven't done much around town because of this.
• It's been wonderful spending time with my brother, Dan. Yesterday, he and I spent the entire day together while Matt and Bella went skiing with friends. The project that Matt is helping him with is the renovation of a 22,000 sq. foot fraternity house on the campus of CU. He bought it, is remodeling it, and then leasing it back to the fraternity.  Here are some pics of the progress.
• Time with friends. We had a great time staying with Kris and Natalie the first 2 weeks of our stay...it's always great to connect with friends that truly KNOW you and you can just be yourself with. They are some of our dearest friends and we were thankful for that time with them. There was a lot of laughing, kids playing, coffee, watching American Idol, and House. Good times. Here are some pics for ya.
• Boulder knows how to do food. Our favorite spot is the Brasserie Ten Ten...possibly the most amazing weekend brunch around, on a sun-filled patio. It's just so, so good. I'm still thinking about it and I'm secretly planning on going there again next Sunday. Another fun spot is The Kitchen, which has been dubbed the "greenest restaurant in the West". They really do walk the talk...from running on 100% wind power, to buying local and organic, to the cloth towels in the bathroom. Top that off with crazy delicious food and you'll never want to leave. Know Thai is another fave...right on the Hill, this little place has the best tofu spring rolls in town. Amante Coffee has really yummy stuff...although coffee hasn't been "working" for me this pregnancy, they have some delicious teas. If you are a coffee drinker, they really make the best cup in town.
• On a more scandalous note, our car has been broken into TWICE within 3 days while parked at our rental condo. The little thieves took about $1500 worth of snowboard gear/electronics, broke our window, CD player, and messed up the dash. So, we've been dealing with that for the past week. Luckily, our renter's insurance covers us worldwide and we were able to replace everything. We only had liability on the car, so the bodily damage wasn't covered. However, I have an amazingly resourceful husband who found replacement parts for everything at a junkyard in Denver and replaced everything himself...saving us hundreds of dollars in repair. We've since added comprehensive coverage :)
• All things pregnancy are going well...I am 29 weeks now and the babe is moving around like crazy! I've found a chiropractor in Boulder that I'm going to see this week...along with a good yoga studio. Speaking of yoga...I'm excited because this weekend I'm going to Denver to take a prenatal yoga instructor course. I'm looking forward to teaching other women the benefits of yoga in pregnancy ... it's been a life saver for me!
• I think that's about it. Hope you're having a lovely day...wherever you are!