When you tell people you are from Holland, the first response is often an impressed “Oh really?”.  Then you say “Holland, Michigan” and the level of impressiveness drops a notch.  But often people then remember that there is a large festival in Holland, MI in early May that features parades, dancers, concerts, junk food and (usually anyway) Tulips.

Tulip Time began in 1929 and it celebrates Holland, MI’s Dutch culture.  While the Klompen dancing isn’t necessarily accurate it was originally based on Dutch Folk dancing and all costumes worn by dancers and by parade participants are inspected for authenticity.

The festival is a bit “old hat” for those of us who were born and raised in Holland, but it still makes for an enjoyable event to get out for.  It’s a great way to bump into old school mates and neighbors that we haven’t seen for some time.  We usually do one night of junk food and try to catch a parade or two.

The big joke this year was the lack of tulips.  The few weeks of unseasonably warm weather we had back in March meant the tulips peaked weeks early. The event organizers did what they could, encouraging people to come enjoy them as early as they could.  They also printed up “StemFest” buttons and t-shirts which were a hit locally.

We went down for the Thursday “Kinderparade”  which we had never been to as a family.  This parade is mainly for locals, mostly parents and grandparents coming down to wave at the proper children.  Storybird and I also went back for the main Saturday “Muziekparade” parade which typically features 60+ marching bands and runs > 3hours.  This year it was quite a bit smaller due, we think, to the cold and drizzly weather.

Overall TulipTime is a nice “big yet small” local festival to come enjoy in early May.  If you’re a fellow RVr the local parks are open, and the one we’re currently in has plenty of spaces (but if you can reserve early it’s still best to).  If you also happen to be a photographer you’ll find lots of interesting photo ops.  If you are lucky there will even be Tulips…

Welkom indeed

The organizers sense of humor

Police with state of the art transportation

One of our faves.

Goodies for sale

The scene on 8th street

Places staked out for the parade

Dancers waiting

MsBoyink (rt) visits with neighbor

Storybird watches friend dance

Dutch dancers

Dutch dancers

Marching band

The parade

The parade

The parade

That's what we're here for

What's left of the Tulips

Good spot

Parade

Backflips are a hit with the crowd

The real story this year

This entry also has a video which can be viewed at Boyinks4Adventure.com | Our Travels | Tulip Time 2012 ]]> Michigan 2012-05-12T20:38:42+00:00 http://boyinks4adventure.com/our-travels/we-have-escaped-suburbia/ http://boyinks4adventure.com/our-travels/we-have-escaped-suburbia/#When:16:51:26Z

After weeks spent spinning in circles we have finally achieved escape velocity.

Yesterday morning I loaded up the pile of our belongings not going with us on the road and took them to storage - graciously offered us by our realtor/friend.  I’m quite pleased with what we pared down to, and it will be even less stuff once we get a chance to digitize some scrapbook albums.

Another final of load of donate-ables went to Goodwill, and by the time I got back the buyer’s crew of handymen had descended on the house.  While they worked on replacing the dining room window, upgrading the smoke alarms, and venting the shower through the roof MsBoyink finished moving food into the trailer and got caught up on laundry.  We mounted the bike rack, loaded up bikes, hitched up the fifth wheel and escaped suburbia just before noon.

After a stop for lunch we drove a tiring 5 miles down the road and setup camp at the campground we ended our year at last fall.  We’ll be here a month while Harrison (the boy formerly known as Data) takes Driver’s Ed and we wrap up loose ends and get things organized in the trailer.

We went to bed early and all slept in until 9:00 - it’s been that exhausting of a week.  A rainy morning gave us the excuse to just sit, read, blog, do some online address changing, and let the weight of the transition start to sink in.  Being back in the trailer truly feels like being “home”, and all the effort in getting here is starting to feel worth it.

The check from the sale of the house has cleared the bank, so on Monday we’ll go in to pay off the remaining loan on the trailer. With that processed we will be completely debt-free and working very hard to stay that way from now on.

Back Home!

Another pile of free-bees

Almost empty, taking a break during the move-out process

MsBoyink holds the check that ends our debt

This plus my toolchest and desktop PC amounts to our stored belongings

Contractors readying the house for rent

Busy place!

Can you find the roosting Storybird?

As if we weren’t busy enough.

Finding new insurance. Getting the fifth-wheel serviced. Sorting through possessions. A broken tooth. Client work. New mailing address. Scheduling the shutdown of utilities.  Checking health insurance.

Should I go on?

No, you get the idea. 

As if all that weren’t enough we also decided to have a party.  An open house. A house cooling party (where you take stuff away rather than bring it).  And a “Dream Party”.

Whattzat?

We’re in search of a “family dream”, a higher purpose for our trip, an over-arching mission that would still allow us to travel and sight-see, but also provide a way for us to bring value to the the world while we do so.

As part of that research we wanted to hear what other people dream of, so created a quick form and dedicated a wall in our former dining room for posting dreams.  The hope was that there would be connections and similarities, that people could find collaborators, connections, or supplies to use in achieving their dreams. 

And it happened.  People with business ideas got hints for places to get help.  Tools are exchanging hands.  Cookbooks recommended.  Encouragement given. We’ve scanned in the forms people filled out and posted them to our Facebook account - feel free to continue the party by reading them!

Below are the photos from throughout the day.

Come on in!

Checking out the dreams

More Dreamers

Posting dreams

Dreams on the walll

Dreams on the wall

Dreams on the wall

Our shelves of stuff to get rid of

Getting a future schoolteacher off to a good start

Helping to outfit a new shop

Digging for treasures

A new home for one of our mattresses

More stuff going to a new home

Packing up stuff for transport

Just don't put this on the website. OK, we won't.

Visting with friends

Old friends with similar dreams

Nothing better than a garage party

Kids entertaining kids

A pickup game of hocker soccey

And some baseball

Catching...

A month ago we accepted an offer on our house. A closing date of April 27 was agreed upon. A full six weeks. Plenty of time to get ready for the move.

Then there was that short week in San Antonio that moved us to five weeks. No worries.

A week home followed by another week in Georgia. No problem.

Well, now we are at a little less than two weeks until closing and I’m running into a few problems and maybe doing a little bit of worrying. ;)

Last week Mike made lots of progress in the garage—giving away a lot of things, filling up a “dumpster tarp”, and throwing away a few things in our trash. If you came into the house last week, you’d probably wonder why the house still looks like it has all winter. Pictures are still on the wall, full storage crates still line our basement shelves, and we’re still eating off the china.

I was starting to fret—a good share of our things have been marked for specific people, but I was not feeling like we were making any progress. Upon Mike’s suggestion, I started making lists for each room in the house. I wrote down every item in the room and identified which things had been spoken for (I jotted the name next to the item) and which things were still needing to find a new home. Then I posted the list near each rooms doorway. This helped my mental state immensely.

Next, I continued working through the storage crates in the basement. I enlisted the kids’ help with this one. We’ve discovered that some crates contain items that are easy to put in a “free for the taking” pile, while other things are very emotionally charged.

I had 5 boxes labeled “Memories.” I started pulling those off the shelf at the start of this weekend and found that I was unable to think clearly about the contents. The first crate contained my Mrs. Beasly doll and some of my baby clothes, as well as a hand-made baby quilt that was monogrammed for my son. The lid was returned and I moved onto something a bit easier.

Today I had Mike pull down the remaining crates and lined them up on my workbench. I have to know what’s in these crates and figure out what can go and what I just can’t part with. It’s been an interesting day. I’ve looked through my baby books and a couple of photo albums with my daughter. I read aloud the “notes” that I had saved from elementary school: “Jimmy, do you like me? Write “yes” on the line if you do and “no” on the line if you don’t.” After browsing through jr high and high school photo albums and yearbooks, I packed them in a smaller box that will go to my highschool buddy to enjoy.

I plan to take a look in the open boxes a bit each day this week until I’ve gone through every item, shared some with my kids (when appropriate), and decided what to do with the contents.

The upcoming week is going to be busy with people coming with empty vehicles and trailers and leaving with full ones. We will be moving our things into our “new” home and preparing for Saturday’s Share Your Dream Party. I’m guessing we’ll all have to work through a time of “grieving” (this is the only house my kids’ have ever lived in)—which could potentially hit this week.

Although the next several days will be stressful, I’m looking forward to the next leg of our family’s adventure. And that makes it all worth it.

All my scrap steel loaded up for recycling

Storybird purges

One of many freebee piles

MsBoyinks work

Cleaning out the garage rafters

We used a tarp dumpster for the first time

Room by room checklists in place

During March, Mike and I flew to San Antonio for a few days so Mike could teach a public ExpressionEngine 2 Train-ee Class (the kids hung out with Grandpa & Grandma). Although our days were busy with the training class, our evenings were open for exploring. The trip reminded us why we’re returning to a mobile lifestyle.

The beginning of April, Mike was scheduled to teach a private Train-ee Class near Atlanta. We decided to add a few days to the event and make it a family trip. We drove longer stretches than we’re accustomed to, stayed in hotels rather than our 5th wheel (it was still in storage) and ate out more than normal (which pleased Storybird).

Even with the differences, we enjoyed adventuring together again. On the way to Georgia, we stopped in Knoxville and enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal with the Longneckers. The day before Mike was scheduled to teach, we spent most of the day at Stone Mountain (where we challenged ourselves on the Sky Hike). The days Mike taught, the kids and I enjoyed reading, playing games, getting haircuts, watching baseball’s season opening games on TV, eating, and exploring. On our return trip to MI, we enjoyed lunch at a kitchy little restaurant in Louisville with the Ferrells.

“New” people and “new” places—we love that aspect of traveling and can’t wait until we’re back doing it full-time.

Kids on a Train

One of our hotels teased us by being next to an RV dealer

Five Guys Newbs

Skywalk at Stone Mountain

Happy Storybird completed 2 levels of Skywalk

Stone Mountain

Prepping for the 3D movie

A fun place to eat in Louisville, KY

Our local newspaper caught wind of our intentions and interviewed us for a story.  The print version is pretty impressive - we have 3/4 of the home page and it features photos we provided (interesting to think that an iPhone photo can be front-page worthy).  You can read the online version on the HollandSentinel.com website.

The Sentinel Website

The Holland Sentinel Print Version

So, here’s the deal.

We have a month left in this house.  And still more stuff to get rid of.

There’s a bunch of you that we want to see & talk to before we transition to our nomadic lifestyle.

And?  We need help & inspiration figuring out what our “family dream” is.

So what’s a family to do in this situation?

PARTY!!!

Here’s the plan:

We have an open house. We provide munchies. Maybe some dogs on the grill. 

You come over (bring a chair because we won’t have many left). Oh, and don’t mind the fifth-wheel that will be in the driveway as we transition back into it.

We catch up, having face to face conversations over food and drinks. We’ll fill you in on our plans (as much as we know at that point anyway).

You look over whatever stuff we have left that we need to get rid of. Help us ease our transition by taking it off our hands.

And the price of this event? All free. This isn’t a business event.  There are no hidden costs or secret agendas.

But, there is a catch. Just one.

You have to share your dream. 

That thing you would do if money were no concern and you were guaranteed to not fail.  That business you would start.  That trip you would take.  That non-profit.  That ministry that’s been tugging at your heart.

And you can’t just talk about it.  We’ll provide big post-it notes, paper and markers.  You write your dream down and stick it somewhere on one of our empty walls.  Add what you have done - if anything - towards this dream and what you need.  You’ll be able to walk around and see what others have dreamed of doing. Write notes of encouragement. Maybe you have, sitting under a tarp in the corner of your barn, that lawn mower someone needs to start their dream landscaping business.  Maybe you know someone in the field they want a job in.  Maybe you can donate time or money.

Maybe someone else holds the key to your dream.

What if they did?

Come find out!

The Details

• Where: 407 First Avenue, Holland, MI 49424
• Date: Saturday, April 21st
• Time: Open 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM but come and go as needed.
• Bring: Nothing, we got it covered.
• RSVP: Leave a comment below if you want, but it’s not necessary. Just show up. Bring a friend.

Wanna-be Dreamers

This morning on my meanderings through our palette of Social Media I saw some Facebook updates from the The Redhead Express - a band that is part of the Walker family band.  We met the Walkers while at one of their concerts in South Texas while on our travels last year.  The Walkers are themselves a family who sold everything and live in an RV while they travel the country to both learn as musicians and perform. Our kids bought some of their music and it was often the soundtrack for our travel times on the rest of the trip.

Today I came across their latest - a dream to Go Platinum before signing a major label, essentially using the internet, social media, and crowdsourcing their way to a platinum album. Yea, the odds are against them. And no, it’s never been done. But they have the courage to dream big, the guts to put the dream out there and the perseverance to chase after it.

And I have to respect that.

And not only just respect it, I feel compelled to support it.

And not just support it, but be inspired by it.

We are in the midst of a house sale, of purging/selling/giving away belongings, of re-sourcing insurance, banking, of figuring what to do for a mailing address, but under and behind all of that work to transition to an indefinite mobile lifestyle is the desire to discover our root purpose.  Our family dream.

We have a picture of a busy suburban life. The house. The yard. The church. The homeschooling events. The get togethers with friends. The hobbies. The stuff. None of it evil in and of itself, but all crowding into our picture until there is so much going on in the frame you can’t tell what it’s actually a picture of.

So, we are erasing.

The house? Gone. The yardwork? Not any more. The stuff? Hopefully blessing someone else.

And when we’re done erasing and have shaken the picture of our life off over the trash to get rid of the eraser “crumbs” we hope that God reveals the true, root purpose for our life as a family. The one that’s been lurking back there in the shadows all this time. 

Our family dream.

What will it be?

We really don’t know yet.

But we are praying for the courage to dream big, the guts to put it out there, and the perseverance to chase after it.

Sale Pending - Whoo!

It’s been a whirlwind of a week - but the awesome news is that we already have a verbal agreement on the sale of our house, and the official paperwork & processing should begin today. Our house hit the MLS on Tuesday of this week, was already getting showings on Wednesday morning, and by yesterday (Thursday) afternoon we had received an offer from the Realtor who had first toured it. We made a modest counter-offer around 5:30 and had heard by 8:00 that the two Realtors had talked and there was verbal agreement on our counter offer. 

If all the formal processing goes smoothly - and there’s no reason to think it won’t - we should be closing by the end of April.

Who says the real estate market is horrible? 

While we won’t be clearing the gobs of money that the real estate market promised back when we purchased the house, we sold at roughly 11% higher than what we purchased the house at 16 years ago, higher than our mortgage payoff and with enough margin to also pay off the remaining loan we have on the fifth wheel. 

Which means? We’ll be debt-free. Totally. Completely. Debt. Free.

I know - life is funny.  And good at coming up with unexpected and unplanned events.  Any number of things could happen that would cause us to have to go back into debt.  But we have a chance - a small chance - to bust free and stay there and we’re going to take it and run! 

What does financial freedom + location independence equal?

Heck if we know, but we are going to button up things here in West Michigan and hit the road to find out!

Wish us luck!

Sold already!

In preparing for the next chapter of our life, I needed to face one of my biggest challenges: emptying the schooling cabinet and, in turn, getting the contents out of the house. Today I faced the first part of that challenge: the schooling cabinet is now empty.

Now, I need your help for the second half of the challenge. Below is listed everything that I feel is in good shape and still useful for another family. Everything is FREE! I just want to bless other homeschooling families. I will try to keep the list updated as items find new homes.

If you are relatively local, all you have to do is comment below or email me to set up a time to come over. If you are not local, I’m willing to mail/ship some of the items—all I ask is reimbursement for the shipping costs. I do not intend to “hold” items—it’s first come, first serve.

Okay, here’s the list. Help me meet my challenge!

UPDATE: WOW! It’s all gone! Thank you all for helping me complete my challenge.
PS - I’m sorry to those who follow our RSS feed. I tried to keep the list updated, so you probably feel like you were spammed by our site. It shouldn’t happen again. ;)

School Cabinet

School Cabinet