Home // Introducing WILDlife Sessions

What happens when you get the house and the picket fence and the kids in private school and the husband with a swanky desk job, and then all of the sudden you admit, out loud, that none of it fits into what you ever really dreamed of? What happens when you finally declare that your dream, since you were tiny enough to need training wheels, has nothing to do with society's version of success?

I mean, who THE HECK dreams of living in a trailer?

Me. I do. And it turns out my husband does too.

And together, this past year, behind the scenes, we have been slowly peeling away the layers of our fake life, and stepping into our luminous (and CRAZY) authentic truth.

The life we dream of is simple: live simply in a small space, work together at home, homeschool our babies, photograph people in Nature, help others.

And the fact that it's all happening, and it's all starting to take shape is kind of amazing and also kind of horrifying.

The broken record in my brain goes something like this these days, "What will people think of us? Are we official trailer trash? Will we really be able to live in under 300 square feet? Will I freak out and move back to a house in a week? Will my children get eaten by a bear?"

But none of those fears matter because once we looked one another in the eyes and blurted out our dreams, there was no turning back.

“After you get stung, you can't get unstung."

― Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees

We aren't the first ones to step out of the box, and we have no intention of romanticizing this as some heroic act.  For us, this is about snuggling next to sleepy little children who smell like campfire, and fingertips sticky from marshmallows. It's about cannonballs in the lakes, and flashlight tag in the fields; fishing off the docks and slow-cooking soup over the grill. It's about keeping it simple, devoting our energy to what really matters, and letting go of what we've been told we should be doing.

 

EXHALE.

We already bought our new home!! Her name is Lloyd (Living the Life of Your Dreams), and she's a 25 foot Airstream Flying Cloud. We have sold 90% of our belongings, booked our campsite stays, and we move in, fulltime, next Monday! AH!!

And fear not. We aren't staging our Airstream with a dozen props and making our children dress like paper dolls. This isn't that.  This is our real life and the magic is in the imperfections that make this off-the-beaten-path-living so completely fantastic.

We debated rebranding and having everything all tidy and wrapped in a bow and then POW launching it Ta-Da! style. But with this, there isn't a bold finish line. It's our organic and honest path to truth.

It's home.

And we are SO excited to finally be here.

Psssst: Part of this new adventure involves offering soul-filled WILDlife family sessions in forests! We believe that it is crucial for our children to have cherished memories of time spent outdoors, getting dirty and exploring.  Here's a little sneak peek...

 

Indian Island County Park

This weekend we went camping. First time with the new Airstream. It was a total disaster.

36 degrees. Pouring rain. Annnnnnnd the stomach bug. In 25 feet.

These are the only two images I took the entire time. BUT, I am so happy I have these. They are not perfect at all, and I love them so, so, so much.

Yes, I wanted to cry the entire three days (no. for real.), but, when these images are printed and part of our travel album, and ten years from now we are all cuddled on the couch and flipping through the pages, I know the stories that are behind these two captures will be completely PRICELESS.

Thomas running out in the middle of the night to find a 24 hour pharmacy to buy ginger ale, and The Lorax DVD (which we watched 5,243 times). Marge, the sweet lady a few campers over, who rode her bike through the sand, in the rain, with the biggest smile on her face. Learning that yes, we do in fact need stabilizer jack pads because without them if someone rolls over in bed the entire camper shakes like a giant earthquake. The moment we realized, no, we did not pack extra sheets, and, yes, you can wash a baby blanket outside at 3:00am with hand soap and a hose...

Yes, this weekend was kind of a hot mess in many ways. But I promise you, the worst days spent with my little family, are far better than my best days without them.

 

Our Creative Truth \\ Week 3

“Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke . . . She will need her sisterhood.”― Gloria Steinem

This began as a quick thought: What if women stopped being exclusive and competitive and instead focused on what we have in common.

This whole experience has completely blown me away. So many different voices, all from completely different corners of our planet, weaving together such a gorgeous tapestry of truth and togetherness.

 

Rose Hewartson, Australia 

Michelle Gardella, NY

Raini Kirra Castro, Hawaii

TCN, Dubai

Penny Burns, MN

Kristin Hallak, Seattle

Jane Ammon, PA

Krista Resnick, WI

Lori Allen, VA

Becki Martin, MA

Victoria Schaefer, CT

Rachael Schirano, IL

Ashley DaCruz, NYC

Sidney Morgan, CA

(Visit the last two weeks here and here.  If you are called to share your creative truth, please reach out. One week left to go.)