Don't judge a book by it's cover

You hear it said over and over. And people still do it. Is it a bad thing? Or is there a balance we can find that allows us to live the life we strive for, as well as live harmoniously with those we pass by.

I desire things to look beautiful. I enjoy looking at how people build, organize, and decorate their lives... as long as it fits my criteria of beauty. And while I don't think I'm necessarily wrong being slightly selective with my home or personal appearance, I think I needed to relearn that not everyone looks, thinks, or acts like me.

We met some people on our travels. And when I first met them, I didn't like them very much. I didn't see them as "wholesome," and it bothered me that Brandon kept connecting with them.

It's been a week now, and I realize how wrong I was. They have been incredibly friendly and generous to us. They have been helping us with our truck problems. Offering us rides, food, and companionship. We have been able to talk about a multitude of topics that are interesting over the nightly fire. And since we are hopefully on our way soon, I realized tonight that I would reach out to them if we come back to the area.

So you see, my snap judgements aren't always correct. And it's humbling to relearn that. 😊

Puppy adventures

I'm Kodiak! Well, my full name is Kodiak Underfoot Stark (betcha can't guess how I got that name. 😂 ) I also go by Kodi and Kodes, because my Mom likes nicknames. I am 5 months old, and I am very mischievous and hyper!

I am the camper adventure puppy! I LOVE being outside!

 Doesn't matter where we are, I can stay outside all day! (Although I prefer snow.)

 I will sit by the door and beg to go out anytime someone reaches for their coat or shoes. I already know what it means when I hear the word "walk". (Also a bit of realness here... I make the camper rug a complete mess.)

 If my parents let me, I will lay outside vs. coming in to lay down.

I don't really like car rides yet, but our truck allows me to get up close and personal to Mom!

Mom and Dad say I'm a ton of work, have a lot of energy, and can be naughty. But I try to make up for it by being SO CUTE. I don't think I've met someone who can resist me yet! (Or me them, I love people!)

*Note: I want my blog to be a space of beauty and inspiration, so I can be a little selective of the pictures I post. However, sometimes I want to be real with you guys, and you'll see our life isn't shiny and pretty all the time. 😊

Finally on the move

Well Brandon and I got the truck and camper in shape to MOVE!
The road to get here was LONG and HARD. And the hardships are clearly not over yet.

The day we left was a flurry of activity. We had to do laundry, take a shower (because we don't know the next time we'll be able to take a full blown shower vs. washing up in our camper sink), get a few parts and pieces, propane, water.... I think that was about it... but then we actually had to go.

Starting out was actually pretty good. But the day didn't continue to go smoothly. The truck has so many things that need fixed. Like... there are wires sticking out all over the dash... the lights and gauges don't all work... Tip of the iceberg, haha.

To be fair, Brandon can be a little bit of a worrier... so while we were going up Monarch Pass, he worked himself up, and we had to stop really quickly because he got sick. After that, I tried to drive the rest of the way up the pass, but then our truck overheated, so we had to stop again.... the coolant was boiling... clearly a very bad sign. And of course we are nowhere near civilization.

There were tears on my part, haha.

After we had stopped for about 45 minutes, we started up again. And we made it to some BLM land just outside of Gunnison. Brandon was supposed to ski the next day, but we knew until we checked over the truck we weren't going to make it.

Anyway, we saw a mechanic, got some new batteries, and headed on our way again. We made it to Ouray, and we are currently in an RV park. Ouray is a super cute town, and I have been enjoying the two days we've been here. 😊 We haven't quite figured out where we are going next, but I guess we don't have to, ha.