Roving Cooks

June 24: Hazel Green, WI to Madison, WI. 85 miles, 2 hours.

June 24-July 1: Madison, WI

We stopped for a week in Madison, with a few goals for the week – hang with some friends, go to the dentist, get hairs cut, and look for a place to land when Grayson starts kindergarten in mid-August. We stayed at a pretty, centrally located county campground. Oddly, while we were on home turf, it was the “roughest” camping we’ve done. The site didn’t have water or sewer hookups, so we used the campground bathrooms/showers, and limited our cooking and dishes for the week.

It was wonderful week – and a lot. I fell back into “Madison Jackie” mode, booking multiple life activities in a day, and still trying to slip in fun things like playgrounds and splashpads in between. We partied late (one night the kids were out until 9!!) and drank lattes. I took very few pictures, drank more lattes, and enjoyed reconnecting with friends.

Madelyn rocked her dentist and 3-year ped appointments, we found and got an accepted offer on a condo on the near East side of town. Overall a successful and productive week to be sure.

And – it was a lot. We’ve had a steady groove for awhile now, that involves a slower pace and fewer people. We could certainly add another loop through a different US, but neither of us feel compelled to homeschool (more on that another time). So my musing thoughts for the future are how to: reintegrate? readjust to having a schedule? balance the needed life and tempting social activities while holding onto the close family we’ve developed? continue to find adventure together without trying to “pack it all in”?

In the meantime, I’m enjoying the summer, and watching our kids get pretty good at catching frogs.

“Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” – John Lennon

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.” – Oprah Winfrey