Our Thanksgiving tradition is to create a “Thankful Tree”. Usually this involves a cardboard tree cutout, lots of tape, and the kitchen wall in our home in Lehi. Even though we are not in a normal house this year, we really wanted to keep up this tradition and provide some continuity for our family. So our Airstream became our new tree. We spent a Monday evening together tracing, cutting out, and writing things we are grateful for on our leaves before scattering them all across the walls and ceiling of our little home. I love what my kids came up with for their leaves. Items such as “stove”, “pumpkin muffins”, “seasons”, “world” with their atrocious spelling have graced our home for the last month and reminded us of all the little (and big) things we have to be thankful for.

This year we have much to be thankful for. Our life has taken an interesting (to put it mildly) turn this year and I am in awe every single day of how much our family is blessed and watched over.

We recently stayed at a beautiful state park just outside of Savannah Georgia. This particular campground had come at the recommendation of at least 3 fellow Airstream families so we knew it had to be good. When we first pulled up to the  campground and drove through looking for “the perfect spot” we were also secretly checking for other Airstreams. This time we found not one, but two. When you are traveling full time in such an iconic and recognizable trailer, finding other Airstreams in the same campground almost guarantees you insta-friends. This time was no exception.We played. We rode bikes. We built secret forts among the palm trees and Spanish Moss. We didn’t work enough because we were too busy swapping stories at the playground. We love to hear the background and details behind other traveling families. Everyone has their reasons and goals but almost always you can find similarities.On this holiday of Thanksgiving, we have much to be grateful for. We love our family, our faith, and our friends. We also feel very grateful for this opportunity to restructure and re-prioritize our activities and circumstances in pursuit of a simpler life.

We are grateful to our God, our Father in Heaven, and his son Jesus Christ. We know they love and understand us. They love and understand everybody, but we know they understand us and love us personally. We believe that they have guided our lives, provided opportunities, and provided inspiration for us to embark on this journey. I hope we can do good for our family and the world with what we have been given.

We are grateful for friends and family, for encouraging words, emotional support, and allowing us to visit their lives as we travel.

We are grateful for those who have given us confidence that this is not only possible, but wonderful. Oddly enough, we found many of these wonderful people on Instagram, sharing the ups and downs of their family travel. Malimish, Tinfoil House, Silvertrails, WhereIsKyleNow, Worksology, The Gardella Family. I’m sure there are many more and we can’t wait to meet them as we continue our journey.

We are blessed to be spending the weekend with good friends, eating amazing food, and enjoying lots of togetherness  in Tampa, FL.

So, here’s to Thanksgiving. A day set aside to remind ourselves of everything we have, and of everything we have to hope for in the future. A day to express our gratitude, share our love, and eat yummy stuff.