It's happening!!

My new journey has just begun. I don't know how far, how long, or how well it will go, but it has begun. Yesterday was my last day working for STV Inc and my first real goodbyes. :( I worked there for five years. I learned a lot about highway designing, worked hard beside some great people, and acquired my Professional Engineering License. Now I'm taking a break from that career to spend time seeing many friends and connections, visit parks and forests around the states, do some organic farming, have more time alone pondering how amazing God is, learn and teach various skills with people, and have a blast as i go through all the excitements and challenges that await me as i embark on a kind of journey that so many people only get to dream about.

Last Monday I bought a blue 2001 Pontiac Montana minivan. I hope it serves me well on my trip. Other than servicing the anti lock break system, greasing the power windows, and replacing a high-beam bulb (and I'm sure there's more i don't know about yet :) it's ready to go. As for the interior, there are a bunch of things I would like to do to customize it for my trip. A lot of that will happen in the next two weeks before I'm officially homeless, and I'm sure that will be an ongoing hobby as my needs and habits change along the way.

While it could change at any time, the general trip itinerary I came up with is as follows: spend now through mid November visiting many friends and family in the greater Philadelphia area. The last two weeks of November I'll travel west, making many stops (which MAY include Harrisburg PA, Pittsburgh PA, Covington VA, Lexington KY, Columbia Missouri, Kansas City Missouri, Lincoln Nebraska, Denver Colorado, places in between...) and finally arrive near Sacramento, California by Thanksgiving weekend. Then my idea is to spend December in California, maybe working on a farm in Southern California. In January, drive the southern states back to Florida and spend a few months on a farm in Southern Florida. Travel up the coast and slow the pace through the Philly area in the spring. Spend summer driving the northern states and parts of Canada from Maine to Washington state. That's the general scheme, but so much could happen between now and then to change that. Time and circumstances will tell. To start off, I have a pretty large list of people I want to see before heading west four weeks from now, and not a small to-do list. So here I go!

I'm so grateful for all of you, my friends and family, who have encouraged me with your love while I make this big change. Without your support, this whole endeavor would likely collapse. Much love to you all!