So what happened next? That house with bricks and doors we sold in January of 2020. We had no other home prospects and our “worst case” was to move into our 24 foot camper temporarily. It was 11 months later that we closed on our current home.

In doing design work, I walk into so many different homes. Large and small, organized and cluttered, some with families just getting started and others have empty rooms they’d like to do some thing new with. Every client is looking for the same thing, and although the work I do is visual, what they are really looking for is a feeling. Homes can be that space that makes you breathe easier, settles your shoulder down, its the place you want to be no matter the type of day you have had.

Moving into a camper with less than 120 sqft of living space was an adventure. Four people and a dog with only about 20 or so sqft of walking space takes the phrase “everything has a place and there is a place for everything” to a whole new level. Organization was paramount to our success. This is true in any home. Every inch of our space had function. I also homeschooled that year, so many of our spaces had multiple duties. But this little space became our home, it was the place we all wanted to come back to, our aluminum haven and not many understood.

Everyone has their 2020 stories. Ours has much joy. You can ask my children today how they felt about the camper and they will still answer that it was awesome. It was simple and cozy living. It was our entire family living in a space that is now about the size of my kitchen island and it was good. Our laundry took many quarters to complete, we snuggled our whole family in a full-sized bed, we cooked dinner on an eight inch pan, and huddled together to meet the goal. We were a team with one mission and still are today.

I am still dreaming about how to complete this new home. The projects I have left to make this place all that I want it to be are endless. But I think that’s the take-away, they are all things I want and not necessarily things I need. If there is one thing that that season taught our family it was to be content. I can get lost in the dreaming, the wanting, the hoping for the next phase. And we all know this is true, if we are always wishing for what’s next you can not be present in what is.

We will be hopping back into that camper this week for an annual fall trip we do. Its something we all look forward to, like coming home. Its part of our story, good or bad, nothing in life is ever wasted. I will be challenged to put away my list for a few days, soak in some sweet memories, and probably take some walks and just listen. It will be a good reminder to just be content. And that is always good for me.

Xo – Jess