Dreams Realized
Monday, March 29, 2010 
During the first week of the Live Lightly Tour, we stayed with a sweet little family near Madison, WI. After our first night there, they shared their hearts with us over our morning coffee and cinnamon bun scones. They hadn't slept a wink the night before. They were too busy thinking about how they could sell it all and get on the road with their family! Their house was up for sale at the time...but they hadn't had any solid offers. We joked that if God sold their house the next day, we knew it would be a "sign" that they were supposed to hit the road :)
Well...the next day, their house DID SELL! We were so excited and started making big plans. Dan and Alicia were in the process of adopting their 4th child at that time...and expected the adoption to be finalized shortly after that. But things didn't quite work out exactly how we envisioned.
Fast forward to today. Dan and Alicia are STILL in the process of adopting their daughter...and the adoption process has been drawn out for nearly 3 years due to trials, paperwork, etc. They will be finalizing this Thursday, and we are beyond thrilled for their family. This was the last hurdle they had to go over before realizing their dream of traveling the country.
We were able to go and visit them this past summer in the Minnie Winnie. We had a fabulous time visiting...and didn't want to leave! While were we there, they caught the travel bug again...
Matt and Dan would sit around the living room looking at TONS of different RV's. We were in the process of selling the Minnie Winnie and buying our current coach, and they were having fun dreaming as well. A few months after that...Matt sent them an ad for an RV with a price they just couldn't refuse. They bought it and their journey began!
Their inaugural trip in their RV was to Hill Shade to come and spend time with us...and new friends, the Moers (owners of Hill Shade). We spent 11 days as "insta-neighbors" and enjoyed every minute of it.
Matt and Dan installed new hardwood floors in the RV and also revamped the table into a bar area. Dan and Alicia had already painted, sewed curtains, and taken care of other little fixes before they arrived...and it's so cute in there! Be sure to check out the gallery to see more of it. They have 2 bunks and a queen in the back where the kids sleep, and Dan and Alicia sleep in the front on an IKEA sleeper sofa. It's the perfect layout for their family!
We enjoyed lots of meals together...potlucks are a very good thing.
We hung out in each other's homes.
...and the kids didn't have any fun at all ;-)
It was hard to say goodbye...but we know that we will see them again! We're planning on meeting up this summer in the Midwest and then again on the open road after they leave on their adventure in the fall.
This is a family that we instantly felt a heart connection with...and even though we had only spent a few nights with them that first time around, we stayed in touch through the years and have become dear friends. God had a special plan for them when our lives collided the first time...and it's so fun to see it play out today. It's encouraging to look at their life and remember that God always sees the bigger picture...even as we get bogged down in the details of every day life. He has a plan...and is working it all out for GOOD.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11
Photos from our time at Hill Shade here.
All photos available for comment on Flickr here.
Reader Comments (23)
I have been following Happy Foodie for a while and now I am really enjoying " traveling with you" on your adventure! Love your photos!!
Sweet post! On another note, just finished our first Green Smoothie. Hubby even had it! Can't wait for tomorrow to do it again!
I have been lurking around your site for awhile as we dream of selling our house (in Livingston, MT), buying an RV and hitting the road. Seeing more and more people doing just that is an inspiration. Now we just have to attend to all the little details--like selling our house and buying an RV ;) .
What a nice post today. So wonderful to find special connections with people God puts in our lives. Have a blessed day, Janssens! :)
What an inspriring story! That's so awesome the adoption finally went through and they could hit the road:) Loving the picts...you do awesome work. God bless you and the family on this journey!
HI Sara!!
I am sitting here just wet faced after reading this story.... it breathes such life into dreams that are so alive in my heart, but have to wait until the Father leads.
Thanks so much for sharing about your beautiful friends... such a beautiful story!
my heart just ached when i read that they were still in the process of that adoption all these years later... i'm so glad to hear that things will finally begin for them! awesome!
i remember all too well the heartache of delays during your visit with us... God DOES work it all out for good and i cannot wait for you to meet the sweet girl we waited so long for! worth every minute of the waiting. :)
Aw I love this. Thank you so much for sharing about us and how things have evolved for us. We are so excited for tomorrow and our future. We love you guys.
xxoo
Sara,
Thanks so much for sharing this! I, too, have been following you since the Live Lightly days and am really longing to hit the road with my family, too...ah, it it weren't for those pesky details we would be there with you guys in Texas. It's so cool to read about other families joining your way of life - even your RVs look similar. So cute. :)
Anyway, thanks for continuing to inspire me (you too, Alicia!) to live my dream. Hill Shade looks awesome and hopefully we will be on the road sometime soon, too. :)
Lovelovelove stories like this, when things fall together in their own timing and it's all better than we could do ourselves.
(Also, love those textures! Can you believe I STILL have not had the time to upload PS7? Gah!)
It's awesome how you have inspired so many people to leave it all behind and take up traveling in an RV. You've certainly inspired our family. We are in the process of looking for a diesel pusher with enough room for us (7) and the right price. I know it will happen when the time is right. Thank you to you and your family for your wonderful example!~Christy www.livingonliquidsunshine.blogspot.com
Hi! A friend just told me about your adventures today and I'm in love with your blog instantly! We are both planning on dreading our hair in the next year or two, so she was stoked to find your dread-history. I think we've probably run in the same circles, but I can't remember ever meeting you guys...
My husband and I met and married in N. CA where we lived in a small discipleship community called The Land in Legget, CA. (At Rainbow Gatherings our Kitchen was called Shekina Cafe). Also, Bethany and Asher lived there at the time, so I was super happy to see your lovely pics of her on the flickr site! Her sister was one of my bridesmaids...Ahh, I miss the days of living simply in community!
My husband, Marc, and I have 2 kiddos now and live in Chicago (close to my family). We've recently been dreaming of uprooting and adventuring again, but aren't totally sure what the next thing entails. Our sweet friends just moved to Montana and live on a huge ranch, so we dream of starting up a small farm and living sustainably with them...my husband has recently mentioned how much he would love to sell it all and buy an RV and hit the road! I'm sure he'll love your blog! Anyway, we were much more in the nomadic scene before kids, but we still try to hit the Rainbow Gathering when we can (love the Bread of Life Kitchen, where my hubby met Jesus 5 yrs ago, and the Jesus Loves You crew.)
Ok, I'm done writing a book, but I thought for sure we have many friends in common! Blessings! Thank you for inspiring the rest of us to go for adventure and the crazy things God might have in store for us if we just step out.
Megan Hall
How do you guys coordinate naptime? Or does Bella not do naps now that she's older? We have the chance to be in a 32 ft camper all summer with 1 queen bed behind a door and bunks sort of in the "hallway," similar to your set up. The idea is sooo tempting, but I don't want to set myself up for insanity trying to get an almost 1yr old & almost 3 yr old down for naps each day...
Hi Aimee...
Bella doesn't nap anymore and Lucy will either sleep on our bed or in the Ergo on one of our backs. We are very casual/flexible with sleeping and have no set "rules" as to where and when we sleep, so it's pretty easy for us. It's definitely do-able, but it might not work out perfectly every day. I say go for it! :)
i hop on google reader when i can and today happened to be one of those days (or nights). went to comment about how inspiring this post is -- about dreaming, hoping and believing. then glanced at someone else's comment, which said "alicia". and alicia, who lives in an RV, just won one of my prints (via a recent blog post). i was trying to figure out if i followed this RVer alicia b/c i follow a bunch of RV mommas, hoping to learn and be inspired by all you amazing women -- dreaming of living in an RV or our sailboat (in 8 years). anyways...just find it a crazy coincidence that this might just be the same alicia and i might have just stumbled across it on the very day that she emailed me about the print she wants.
anyways, thank you for your inspiration and amazingness. i know one day our paths will cross and i can't wait for that day.
xo!
Great post beautiful people
Hi!
I have been reading your blog for a few days now and I am enjoying it so much! I even tried the green smoothie today, and blogged about it, so thanks for that great idea. You are inspiring me to branch out of my comfort zone even further, which I always appreciate.
Andrea
Hello,
I am curious about carseats. I have never traveled in an RV before, but we have been talking about lots recently. With 3 little ones still in car seats, what are the rules/suggestions/advice that you could provide us with?
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