While sitting here in the desert in Utah, I am thinking back on how our Rhodes Rules family got to where we are today. It has been quite the unexpected, life-changing journey.
Let me take you back to the moment when the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic turned the whole world upside-down.
Our family just happened to be enjoying our Spring Break outside of the US of A, in Costa Rica, when we received the notification that Louisiana schools were shutting down indefinitely. Little did we know then, our boys would not be returning to finish out the 2020 school year.
With all the uncertainties of this widespread disease, once we returned home, our family quarantined for the recommended 14 days. Jeff was immediately bombarded with business decisions that could impact our financial livelihood. Together, we reluctantly determined it would be best to cancel our RV order we made the month before, since we had no idea how the pandemic would affect our business, which would ultimately affect our personal finances.
Fast forward through the next two months…While we self-isolated, played countless games, cooked many homemade meals, enjoyed lots of outdoor activities, learned how to deal with this crazy new lifestyle, and returned to a place of financial stability, the travel bug began biting again. Finally, in May, Jeff and I decided it was time to figure out a way to go; and the answer came to us in the form of a heck of a good deal on a new Class C RV almost identical to the one we had ordered earlier but had to cancel, only way less expensive! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity. What better way to explore all the places we want without exposing ourselves to the disease that was rocking the world around us!
So off we go to pick up our new Jayco Greyhawk 29MV Class C RV in California. We spent our summer getting to know our new home on wheels, traveling from California, to San Antonio, TX, then on to Broken Bow, OK. We hadn’t had enough, so we parked right outside of our hometown in the Beaver Dam Campground in Caney Lake Recreation Area of Kisatchie National Forest. We headed to St. George Island, FL, next to spend a week in a beach house with some family, and another week down the road in our RV in Carrabelle, FL. Soon after, we met up with some friends to camp just outside of Hot Springs, AR.
We were HOOKED! The RV life fit our family like a glove! We wanted more, but so many decisions needed to be made, the main one being school. Caleb, a senior, and Levi, a 7th grader, were both very active in our local high school and junior high school football programs. Once our local school board announced the virtual option for school, Jeff and I presented both boys with a choice to either:
a) attend physical school, continue to play football, and visit nearby locations on weekends and school breaks, or
b) attend virtual school through our local parish, and go on an epic 3-month road trip.
Let me be clear. We knew this would not be an easy decision, especially for Caleb, a high school Senior athlete. We would support him 100%, no matter his decision. After a week of weighing the pros and cons of each choice, Caleb realized the road trip would be the trip of a lifetime, and made up his mind to sacrifice his senior year of football. For the Fall semester, he would do virtual school, and then return to physical school to finish out his Senior year with his friends. Levi was on board to do the same, so all systems were a go for an epic family road trip!
We began preparations, sketched out a rough 3-month itinerary, set our departure date, and said our final goodbyes to our family and our 2 older sons, who stayed behind for college and work. We were finally ready to hit the road, and on August 7, 2020, we watched our hometown of Minden, LA, disappear in our rear-view mirror as the road in front of us opened up a whole new world of so many new and exciting adventures for our family.
I look back on that day and remember how thrilled, and nervous, we all were to be setting out on the journey before us. Sure, we have had some awesomely amazing vacations over the years, but nothing like this! This was a new lifestyle we were trying out. Yes, we were traveling the country, but this was more than a vacation. We were still working, and schooling, and keeping up with household chores; but we were doing all these things while exploring places we’ve never been!
Our family’s passion and mantra has become “Dream. Explore. Inspire.” Instead of letting the fear of the unknown hold us back, we decided to do everything within our power to grab a hold of an opportunity, roll with the punches, and make the best of the situation at hand. We have adapted our lives and decided to use this global pandemic, not as an excuse, but rather as an opportunity to grow and to travel to places we have dreamed of visiting.
We have discovered, and you’ll hear it over and over, that “Life is a journey. You hold your map.” We hope that by sharing our adventures through this blog, our YouTube channel, and various social media outlets, we will inspire you to dream big and explore the world around you, however that may look to you.
Join Jeff as he explains how the Rhodes Rules Family has worked for years to build a life free to roam and how we have learned how to turn obstacles into opportunities. It is our hope to inspire others with our travel lifestyle.
