Welcome! In the spring of 2014, I made the decision to change my life. I decided to get rid of 90% of my possessions and move into a travel trailer. I want to see the world. But thought I’d start with the US since I’d seen so little of my own backyard. More importantly, I want to experience it.
I launched this blog on my 50th birthday in July 2016 and the first 15 months’ posts were about preparing for life on the road. It included everything from the downsizing process to making a decision about which RV to purchase.
Now, I travel in a 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II travel trailer (named Quill) towed by a 2017 Chevy Express Van (name Violet). Together they are The Violet Quill. I travel with the road dog, Solstice, and the road cat, Kitty. We have been full-time RVers since October 24, 2017. Since then, the blog has focused on wide-ranging topics relating to RVing, exploration and adventure, and life on the road.
Update: Solstice lived until she was almost 12 but she died on May 2, 2019. Here is her obituary. I know I need to update the photo and the above paragraph, but I’m not quite ready to do that yet.
Another Update: Kitty lived until she was 18.5 but she died on December 6, 2021. Here is her obituary. Yep, still know I need to update two paragraphs above but still not ready.
I grew up in Laramie, Wyoming. I attended college at New York University (NYU), moving from a small town to the largest city in the country. After I graduated with a degree in English, I moved to San Diego where I lived and worked for four years.
In 1993, I moved to Anchorage, Alaska to attend graduate school in Creative Writing. After I graduated in 1996, I stayed in Alaska. In the subsequent 21 years, I held two jobs, both at nonprofit organizations. During the first seven years I worked at a rape crisis center in many capacities, Administrative Assistant to Volunteer Coordinator to Program Manager. The next 15 years, I spent at YWCA Alaska as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Creating a Supersize LIFE
Deciding to buy an RV to live in was a drastic life change. People who knew me were surprised. I am not naturally a risk-taker. I’m not spontaneous. I’m not one for embracing the unknown. I liked the safety and security of my life.
All that changed for me in 2012 when I decided 2012 was going to be the year I wrote a novel. I promised this before. But this time I decided I either was going to do it or I was going to stop talking about wanting to do it. Literally, it had been on my New Year’s Resolutions lists since I was 20 years old. Yep, a lot of years. More than 25!
Something clicked because I started on the first day of that year and finished a first draft of my Alaska mystery novel by November. I spent 2013 revising it and, in 2014, turned my efforts to getting it published. A few agents asked to see it but nothing materialized. I wasn’t nearly as aggressive in trying to get it published as I was in getting it written.
But it taught me two very important things. First, I could do it! I could write a novel, something I’d been saying I wanted to do since I was at NYU. Second, it reminded me how much I love the act of creating. It taught me I needed to find a way to spend more time writing. I didn’t want to get up at 5 a.m. every weekday to squeeze in an hour of writing before heading in to work. I wanted more. So I decided to find a way to make it happen.
After exploring many options, I came up with the idea to live in an RV, to live small and cheap. I had no idea that would turn into a passion for RV living, travel and seeking a life filled with experiences.
Now everyday includes writing, adventure and a good long walk. A Supersize LIFE is about embracing what the day has to offer entirely on my own terms. It’s not always easy but nothing worth having ever is. I love my life. I liked it before–no complaints–but now I truly love it.
By the way, I sold my first novel in 2021. It will be released by Wings ePress Books on February 1, 2022.
New content is posted every Monday. I hope you’ll follow the journey and contribute to the conversation as I work to create a Supersize Life for myself and to encourage you to do the same!
