We Sold Everything We Own…Again!
“Oh Darling, Let’s Be Adventurers.”
In 2007 we made the decision to quit our lifestyle and sold everything that we owned; 3500 sq ft house, 3 cars, motorcycles, go carts, furniture, paintings…everything went. Our self-imposed downsizing resulted in 4 carry-on suitcases and a couple of backpacks as our only possessions. I left a six-figure salary as an executive and we set out to change our life.
For the next two years we traveled (backpacked) with our 2 school-aged children.
We lived and traveled for a year in South America, our passports stamped by immigration in 8 new countries, and another year in the Southeastern United States, visiting more than 20 states.
Yes our life changed.
From the time we made the decision to when we set off was less than 6 months…closer to 5 actually. The short time frame did not give us much time to plan or get cold feet and back away from the idea.
The catalysts for this radical restructuring of our lives were a stale job, and a horrible auto accident involving my wife and our 5 year old daughter. These were the type of events that change the answers to the questions that each of us ask ourselves every day, events that give you opportunities to open up to possibilities that we may not have considered previously.
What this meant specifically or how it would happen, we hadn’t a clue!
At the start of 2010 we found ourselves in Bend Oregon, with the 2008 economic collapse still readily apparent, with no job prospects and business owners over-valuing their ‘for-sale business’ basing asking price on pre-crash numbers.
Our answer at the time was to start our own business, and now with the benefit of hindsight, we spent 10 years starting and growing our cookie bakery business, creating a lifestyle that met our financial needs and provided the free time and flexibility to be present and spend time with our children and enjoy the outdoors that Bend has to offer.
In 2019 we sold Bend Cookie Company to a sweet mother/daughter partnership that was looking for a their own change and a chance to build a life around their newborn, we were able to show them how we had structured the business and our lives to achieve something approaching balance and integrated into or kids lives.
And now for the 2nd time in our life we have sold almost everything we own and will set off in a direction basically unknown.
There are differences this time around, BIG distinctions from a decade ago that make the experience this time both thrilling and bittersweet.
This time around we are empty nesters, our son having graduated from O.S.U. last year and now living and working in Portland and or daughter is now all grown up and heading to Corvallis in the fall – our 3rd beaver in the family.
This time around we have less responsibility and fewer obligations, which is often both a blessing and a curse, and will need to figure out how to construct some sort of life, without structure or direction, and absent of many tethers that bind. This also can be seen as a double edge sword.
Last time around I wrote a travel blog of our family experiences, this time around Gina and I hope to share our adventures through video, posting a weekly vlog of where we are and what we are doing.
We hope that by sharing our story and adventures and sharing what we have learned along the way we can in some small way help others find what they need to make similar changes in their lives.
Safe travels and happy adventures.
That was 3.5 years ago now, boy how time flies. And these years represented some of the most difficult for travelling & personally, we are sure you can relate, we have a global bond forged through the trials & tribulations of a "pandemic".
Though difficult, we take inspiration from the challenges we faced and used these events to spark change in our lives & a greater zest for each moment. We never stopped travelling, visited 3 countries & a couple dozen states all without a hiccup.
...except for the mandates & restrictions imposed by governments, institutions, businesses, potential employers, friends & family.
We are excited for many new changes, challenges, and opportunities we have in our personal lives - and are eager for the new direction we have taken with sandgadventures.com and the creation of SAGA Small Group Tours. It is our chance to share some of our travels with a select group of like-minded souls, and to connect through the experiences of travel with an open mind.