Two Months Left Before Christmas (And Texas)

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After a full week in New York City, Heath and I are working job #32 in New Jersey today at a White Castle. It will be our first fast food + drive thru experience and the email explicitly stated “get plenty of rest” because this will be exhausting.

Today is also a special day because it marks five months in our marriage. Suddenly, October has passed and we are a mere two months away from Christmas and home. One short month ago, Heath and I sat looking a calendar, our mouths agape wondering how on earth we could continue on our adventure for three more months. It felt like a lifetime had passed already!

This morning, I’m a tad dismayed to find that only two months remain on our travel calendar. Five months have flown past us. However, we have some of my favorite always-wanted-to-visit spots still coming up! Philly, Washington DC, the Carolinas, and Disney World at Thanksgiving! Only two months left!

As some of you may know from following our Facebook page, Heath and I received many opportunities to share our story with the world while we’ve been in New York. We’ve been on live television a few times and even mentioned on Heath’s favorite radio show. We’ve received mountains of support, and of course plenty of naysayers.

People continue to wonder how we can bear to spend seven months in the same vehicle together. After our trip, I’ll probably write a blog series on this because there are so many reasons why I, and anyone else, could conquer such a feat. But for now I do have one simple reason: our fuel pump.

Ten days into our trip, our fuel pump died in the middle of the Arizona desert. We should’ve been celebrating two weeks of marriage at the Grand Canyon that day, but instead we were sitting in a mechanic shop parking lot calling hotels hoping to find a home.

Heath and I are together all the time, yes. But because of that, we are forced to work through every problem in life together. When water comes pouring through the ceiling, Heath grabs a bowl and I grab a towel. When problems arise, we tackle them as a team. We experience every part of the day together, the good and the bad.

Living in the rickety RV, driving over 15,000 miles already, these things have helped our marriage in a way that living in an apartment or a house never could. I can’t imagine working 9-5 as newlyweds, only seeing my husband in the mornings and at night. I would miss the best parts of the day with him. We wouldn’t have nearly enough time to be together!

Heath and I are creating a rock foundation for the rest of our marriage. We want to be a couple that work through the peaks and valleys of life as a team. This trip is one way we have groomed ourselves, since there are no doors to slam, no rooms to lock yourself in, and no place to escape from our problems. This is why we plan to live in Franklin for a time after our travels are complete. We want to continue to challenge our marriage to grow. As individuals and as a couple, we always want to be growing.

As I’ve said, we received a handful of media attention this past week, but here are a few highlights. Perhaps one of my all-time favorite posts about our trip was written by CNN, who came out to our RV (which is definitely NOT parked in NYC!) to interview us.

50 States, 50 Jobs, One Honeymoon by Sarah LeTrent, CNN

Man sets out to work 50 jobs in 50 states by Fox and Friends

New Documentary Shares Incredible Life Stories of Hourly Workers by Huff Post Live – I had NO idea I would be on this show. It was supposed to be only Heath, hence why I’m wearing a sweater, my hair is in a messy bun, and I have no make up on. Surprise!

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Thank you for following along with my story. It’s always humbling and petrifying to share our RV tales with the world, but your support has made it all worth while.

Love,

Alyssa