The dawning of a dream
Virginia Beach, Virginia
This summer, a long-awaited dream is coming true for our family. At the end of June, we are heading out of town on a yearlong RV road trip in celebration of Nick’s retirement from the Navy.
Inspired by Leviticus 25, it is our year of Jubilee (“Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you...”
— Leviticus 25:10)
Traveling the country in an RV may sound like a social media trend born in the covid shut-down days. But for our family, this idea goes way back to 2008/2009.
At the time, we were newly married, kid-less, and stationed in Coronado, CA. Nick was new to his platoon, cycling through seemingly endless deployments to the Global Wars on Terror in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Philippines. We quickly figured out that as a new officer, he was no good to his line of work without training and deployment experience. So, naturally, the Navy sent him on a constant rotation to train and deploy, train and deploy. All of it seemed to happen away from home.
I don’t remember which of those first four deployments he returned from when he said it, but I distinctly remember what he said: “When I retire from the Navy, I want to take a year and travel the country in an RV.”
Part of the reason I remember him saying this is because he hadn’t previously declared he intended to stay active duty the full 20 years. So this was… news. Though, not that surprising of news. Nick had been working toward this goal since middle school, and I truly couldn’t envision him doing anything else.
Nick’s RV idea also stood out to me because, at the time, I was obsessed with international travel. I’d studied abroad for a semester in Spain, visited my sister in London, and spent two weeks in Costa Rica during grad school. I had taken a few trips in my grandparents’ motor home growing up, but otherwise, spent zero time in an RV. Traveling across America… in an RV… sounded… boring.
In that moment, I didn’t say anything to indicate my disinterest because of a few reasons. First, as the introvert, Nick was known to speak aloud ideas he’d been mulling over for some time, so I knew he wasn’t just brainstorming. Like a mission plan, his words carried weight.
Already in our first few years of marriage, I could think of a few other prophetic-sounding lines Nick had spoken that came true, mostly to positive outcomes.
“Let’s get dive certified for our honeymoon.”
“Let’s go rock climbing in Joshua Tree.”
“Let’s skip Texas for Christmas and travel though California instead.”
His idea of recreation didn’t always line up with mine (see: mountain bikes), but I welcomed the travel challenges he proposed. Not only did I find myself enjoying the fun of bringing his ideas to life, but I found myself stepping into an adventure I never saw coming. (Sometimes even on mountain bikes).
Another reason I didn’t dissent is that Nick was the one popping in and out of home between months abroad in less-than-ideal locations and work conditions. He missed every grandparent funeral on my side of the family, my grad school graduation (by 30 minutes… I’m not bitter), countless friends’ weddings, and a barrage of baby/kid milestones we didn’t know about yet. I sensed he needed some tangible reward to be working toward during each missed event, terrible sleep, and mediocre meal.
The third reason was that 2025 was still a loooong way away. And considering how often Nick was gone and the dangerous nature of his job, I was honestly just praying we’d make it to the 20-year mark. A big trip? Sure, that would be a bonus.
So, when Nick mentioned the yearlong RV trip, I nodded along, figuring either his plans or my heart would change by then. After our few years together, I knew it wouldn’t matter where we went, so long as we went together.
We tucked this idea away, holding it loosely through the twists and turns of his career and raising our family.
* * *
Flash forward and somehow we’ve changed calendars enough times to land in 2025.
By God’s grace, all those years of praying and hoping were answered. We’ve made it to the finish line of Nick’s Navy career. In tact and still smiling!
This statement Nick blurted out in an unassuming moment between deploying to war zones has served as our roadmap for how to finish our Navy journey. Especially during the last five years, the trip has been a determining factor when deciding which house to buy, which activities the kids should do, my decision to work full-time. All of it was done thoughtfully, leaving a door open to see this dream come true.
Questions, Answered
Our daughter, Sadie came home from middle school recently and said, “Mom, every time I tell someone about the road trip, they ask the same questions. I need a QR code to something, so I can just say, ‘Here, read this!’” #Sadiespeaks
(Side note: As a communications professional, I was so proud to see my daughter strategizing a more efficient way to share information, via FAQs.)
So yes, here are answers to a few questions we’ve been asked about the trip.
When are you leaving? If all goes as planned, our family leaves Virginia Beach on June 26, 2025. We plan to be gone a full year.
Where are you going first? For our first stop, we’ll head north to Philadelphia to see family. Then on to the New York finger lakes, west through Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, the Badlands, Colorado, Wyoming, etc. We have the first three months very planned out, next three months loosely planned out, and final six months have a concept of a plan ;)
Are you excited? And if you’re wondering, yes, my heart changed, and I am extremely excited to spend the year traveling across America. In 2021, we had a preview 30-day road trip from CA to VA, and it was truly incredible. Several of the first states we are going to are places Nick and I haven’t been. We’re excited to experience new national parks and beautiful spots with the kids, plus visit with family and friends in our path along the way.
What about the kids and school? Sadie and Nate scored a road-school adventure. Sadie will be in 7th grade (pre-algebra here we come). Nate will be in third, and we’ll be keeping up his espanol to send him back to his school’s Spanish Immersion program when we return. Our kids have grown up knowing about this trip and are excited to miss an entire year of in-building school. You may find some of their writing assignments turn into blog posts.
What are you traveling in? We are traveling in a pickup truck towing a 36’ 5th wheel trailer. We upgraded from our original travel trailer about a year ago and have been pleased with the extra features and space. It has two bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. We’ll share more pictures down the road (pun absolutely intended).
Dreamy, isn’t she?
Where will you settle after the trip? Right now our plan is to head back to Virginia Beach. My parents live here, along with our wonderful church family and military communities. We’ve also held on to our house, renting it out furnished for a (hopefully) seamless in and out. Jobs will be an obvious factor in what happens next, but it will have to be a pretty specific opportunity to call us away from where we feel rooted. We’re staying open to where the Lord wants us to be, and right now that feels like VB.
Are you on TikTok? We are not. Most of our stories and reflections will be here on the blog. I may post links on Instagram and Facebook occasionally, but algorithms hate links, so I’ll email a recap about once a month to those who have signed up for the Road Trip email list. We don’t expect you to read all of these. Just sharing in case you’re interested and have time in that moment.
Anything else? Countless friends and family have supported our Navy journey, some in extraordinary ways. As the Lord has instilled this vision for our family and opened doors to make it possible, we want to share this experience with others and document our discoveries to revisit long after our itinerary has settled into memory.
So, welcome to the Roberts Road Trip blog. Yes, I’m fully aware blogs on personal websites fell away a dozen years ago. But we’re going old school as we road school, with the hope of staying connected in a meaningful way as we travel and reflect.
Each of you are part of our journey, and we are so grateful to share this long-awaited milestone as we decompress from 20 years of wartime military service.
After looking forward to this milestone for many years, it’s hard to believe we’re just a few weeks away from hitting the road. Cannot wait. And thanks for joining us.
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