Rices on the road- September

Randy & I both work remotely, so we are now living in our camper & working remotely from wherever. I say it’s not a “forever” decision, but a “for right now” decision. All of our chicks have left the nest & it just felt right to us! We know there will be ups & downs, but we are feeling incredibly grateful to be able to travel & explore during this season of life. I will be sharing monthly about where we’ve been & what we are up to.

In September of 2025, my husband Randy turned 50!!

& that same month we gave away or sold the majority of belongings & sold our large home to the most darling little family.

A great big new adventure awaits for us!

Life is short... Home is where the heart is!

We purchased a 2026 Brinkley 3610. We chose this model because it has several work station options & we knew with both of working, we would need the flexibility!

I bragged to my friends & family that I didn’t cry at all as we sold/gave away our home & belongings. If I’m being completely honest, it felt very freeing!!

I truly didn’t realize just how much stuff we had!!

But then, my dear friend, showed up with a “camper warming” gift that she made me. That definitely made me cry. I love cuddling up with quilt, a chai latte & a good book, all those things make me think of her!

From one great home to the next!

I walked through 213 Unruh St one last time, thanking God for the many memories made in this home & asking Him to show the same love & blessings to the new family as they move in & raise their boys here.

Those few weeks were full of life lessons I don’t want to forget:

things are just things & my, did we have a lot!
giving generously to others makes letting go much easier. (& being the answer to someone else’s prayers is amazing! You can’t out give God!)
having friends & family that celebrate with you & cheer you on as you pursue your dreams is huge (even if they think you’re a little crazy!) That’s the kind of friend I want to be!

“May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold in the palm of His hand.”

— an Irish blessing

(In full transparency, as we drove away that day, I cried for the first hour of our drive. I’m not talking just a few tears, I am taking full on ugly cry sobbing! My heart physically hurt).

Our first stop was to Milford Lake & we stayed in the Hickory Hollow Campground.

A few thoughts from our first little adventure:

I told Randy we looked like dumb & dumber getting set up for the first time & he said that might be giving us too much credit.
here is so much to learn!! Just to put it in perspective, it took Randy over an hour to figure out the sound on the tv. Watching silent football wasn’t quite what he was hoping for lol.
I find it curious that when picturing this life, bugs never entered my mind. Literally not once.

Things we enjoyed most:

seeing our daughter, Bethany several days in a row

& spending time with her on her birthday! (One-on-one time with middle children is harder to come by). She chose Taco Lucha for lunch which is one of our favorites! We all love a Nancy!

having my niece & her little family come visit. She brought apple crisp she made from their apple tree!
attending Brew at the Zoo with long time friends.

not having to drive as far for K-State gameday! Yay for a Wildcat win!

fresh air, walks down to the lake & this view! One morning, Bethany said the view reminded her a bit of what it looked like when we first bought our house on Unruh St. That felt like a little wink from God!

And just to keep it real, a few things we (I) didn’t love… the biggest daddy longleg spiders I’ve ever seen in my life (their bodies were red)! Hearing coyotes as we went from the camper to the pickup in the dark to go tailgate & the smell of the black tank dumping.

We spent the next week at Marion Reservoir.

& the Kansas sunsets were absolutely incredible!

We got to see Alli & Piper a lot!

In fact, Piper even hung out with us while Alli took her StuCo kids to a conference! She could not decide if it was better to be inside or outside & she even hung out with Randy while he took a work call outside!

Our daughter, Avery came for dinner.

& to make sure we are getting our steps in for the Stride with Revive challenge!

I’m sure no matter how far we travel, my favorite places will be near our kids!

From there, we had a quick overnight in St Joseph, MO to watch our nephew play football! They won big & Nick had a great catch! We were so glad we got to catch one of his games since he is a senior!

They have a 30 amp plug at their house so we were able to stay right there & spend a little extra time with them!

The next morning before we headed out, my sister-in-law, Peggy spoiled us with a delicious breakfast & my brother-in-law, Mark gave Randy lots of good advice!

Feeling super thankful for all the extra time with family this new lifestyle has brough us so far!

We are trying to be intentional about slowing down & enjoying the moments wherever we are.