Questions & Answers With a Side of Lagniappe

     When we began informing our family and friends about our new adventure, we were asked a few questions about this unexpected announcement.  We would like to share a few of them with you, along with our answers.

    The most asked question was:  "Where will y'all be going to first?"

     Answer:  First, we will stay in town, Abbeville, LA, for a few weeks to get acclimated to RV living (done).  Second, we will head to Alabama to visit our son, Dustin, and his family (we are currently here), but to tell you what you really want to know, the first big adventure is not planned yet due to the current fuel prices; however, we do have quite a few areas in mind, with the first place being anywhere that has a much cooler climate!  

    Someone asked a very interesting follow-up question in response to our aforementioned answer, "So, are y'all just going to go where the wind blows you?"  David's quick reply to that was, "Yes!  When the wind blows from the south, we will go north, and when it blows from the north, we will head back south!" 😀

    We're hoping to begin our first big road trip by mid-July; however, we can't go until we purchase a used vehicle that can be flat-towed and then get it rigged for towing. 

    The second most asked question is: "How will y'all afford to live full-time in an RV?"

    Answer:  In addition to our retirement income, we are still selling items on eBay, just not as much as we used to.  We have researched affordable ways to live on the road, so we will take advantage of every senior discount, free and discounted RV parks, and boondocking here and there.  We are also very open to other money-making opportunities and believe that they will present themselves to us at the right time.    

    Our favorite question to be asked is: "What areas of the country are you most excited to see?"

    Answer:  Naturally, we really want to visit all the major National Parks: Yellowstone, Zion, Yosemite, Glacier, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Bryce, Arches, and the list goes on.  However, we also hope to discover some off-the-beaten-path places and the "Wow, we didn't know this place existed!" during our explorations. 

    To us, the pleasantly surprising and unexpected finds just add decadence to the adventure, like icing does to a cake. The Cajun word that is equivalent to that metaphor is "lagniappe," which means getting "something extra" than what you anticipated or even paid for! 

    For a visual reference of the states we'd love to see during our travels, we've attached a photograph of a scratch-off map of the U.S. that our daughter, Amber, gave us a few years ago.  

    To date, we've revealed over half of the map's beautiful background.  However, there are still quite a few states that are solid gray, representing the ones we haven't visited yet as a couple.  Those states have now become our "to-do" list, which has led us to where we are today!  The map is pinned to a wall in our RV, and we sure are itching to scratch it!

    Now that we've actually taken the leap, given up a whole lot of things to do this, here's the most recent question we've been asked: "Any regrets?"

    Short answer: No!

    The truth is, we can't allow ourselves to even ponder for a second on that thought.  

    We did it, we walked away from the brick-and-mortar way of living, and we can't effectively go forward while looking back. 

    This is our way of life now, and we are both very happy that we made it happen and that the Lord gave us the grace to do it.  

    Now, here are a few questions that we have for you:  

    1.  "Where have you been in the lower 48 that you would recommend as 'must-see' places to visit?"

    2.  "Have you gone somewhere that may not be well-known, but you would highly recommend it and give it a 5-star rating?"

    3.  "Where would you love to go to, in the continental U.S., if you could?"

    4.  "What experiences have you had while on a vacation that you would recommend for two venturesome Aging Cajuns?"  (Please exclude bungee jumping, skydiving, and anything that involves heights!  Being a well-"grounded" couple has contributed to our longevity, and we're happy to keep it that way! 😉)

    We don't want to just see stuff ... we also want to do stuff (except for the above-referenced audacious activities!).   

    We want to wake up somewhere different as often as we can and collect as many memories and experiences as we can. We welcome your suggestions to help us obtain them. 

    While we're extremely anxious to see the whole country, just know that we will be doing it at our own pace ... you know, like old folks do!

    Please feel free to give us your recommendations ... be our guide, so to speak ... and help steer us to places that will make our journey even more enjoyable than it already is.  And, if you have any more questions for us, we'd be happy to answer them.

Until next time, blessings from our neck of the woods to yours!

Proverbs 3:5-6

Our goal is to scratch off as
many gray states as we can!