Hi Folks! We are super happy that you have all decided to join us on our journey! Some of you may know what we’re doing and are excited to follow us as we wonder around this country. Others may know what we’re up to and think we’ve actually lost our minds! No matter who you are or what you think about us, we are happy you have decided to follow us as we travel this beautiful country!
Before I go any further, let me introduce ourselves. My name is Theresa and I have worn many hats throughout the years. I am a wife, a mother and grandmother and I have been a business partner to my husband of 43 years. I have also spent many years volunteering for both school and our church. Perhaps there will be more on that later, but for now I will move on.
Andy is my husband of 43 years, as I said above, and he is a hard working man who can do almost anything he puts his mind to. He worked in the landscape maintenance business for years and when he got tired of working in the rain and snow of winter, he changed occupations to Energy Consulting. He spends his time programming surveys for large energy companies so they can determine their best course for energy conservation. Yard care to computer programming. Not an easy transition, but he did it!
So what is this fortyyearitch.com all about? Way back in the “dawn of time”, as far as our marriage is concerned, we lived in Durango Colorado. We met in college and started our family while we lived in Durango. After we both graduated, we decided we wanted to adventure and see the country, so we took our two very young sons, both under the age of three, packed our VW van and set off to circumnavigate the country. This was back in 1981 when the country was in the midst of a recession, but we weren’t worried. We emptied our bank account of all our savings (something under $500) and hit the road.
We actually got a fair distance before we ran out of money! We had gone south into Arizona, across to California and up the Pacific Coast. We stopped in Bellingham, WA when we couldn’t fill our gas tank one more time. Andy was fortunate enough to find work right away and we had relatives living in Bellingham who opened their home to us until Andy got his first paycheck. We found a little house to rent and settled into life in the Northwest.
We have had a fabulous time living in Bellingham and raising our family! We love the area and we have made so many good friends along the way! We have had the pleasure of seeing our son’s get married to wonderful women and they have provided us with five beautiful grandchildren.
I can say with complete honesty that leaving our family and friends is one of the hardest things we have ever done! Let me say that getting rid of forty years of accumulation was no easy task, and we only accomplished that with the help of our family and friends. But saying goodbye was a heart breaker! Our consolation is that we intend on returning home as often as possible. Look for us this coming holiday season! In the meantime, we are getting into the groove of traveling and seeing what this country has to offer. And there is plenty to see!
We know for sure that we are facing many unknowns, but we also know we are doing what many others have done before us. There are many travelers out there who have not only survived, but they have even thrived as they seek new adventures. And we also know that we have the God of the Universe who is with us and guiding us. No matter what we face, we have a lot of people who are cheering us on and a God who is keeping us safe in the journey.
We are super excited to have you join us! If you want to stay in touch with our journey then you will have an opportunity to sign up on our email list for notification of new posts and pictures. That is once I figure out how to link that here! Anyway, thanks for reading this much. Stay tune for more!
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