Our Mission
05/06/2006
Sometimes big ideas and big plans come from little conversations.
In late winter of 2004, we had one of those "little conversations."
It started with the question, "What would you do if you won the lottery?" There was another question asked,
"What do you envision us doing after retirement?"
Both of those questions were answered with, "I'd buy an RV and travel the country."
At some point, in what was actually a very brief conversation, a look of complete clarity drew across Kay's face.
I don't know if she saw it as a epiphany at the time, but it was one of those moments (you'll pardon the
cliché) where
time stood still...a moment that will forever be one of the timeless snapshots in my memory...a moment that set in motion
the changing of the path of our lives.
All she said was, "We don't have to wait for retirement or a winning
lottery ticket to do that. We can do that now."
In minutes, she painted the financial and logistical picture for me as quickly as it crossed her mind. The time was right.
Our daughters, Christianne and Sara, would both be graduating high school soon.
Our son, Bryan, would have another year until
he had to start high school. She could take a year-long leave from her teaching job and home-school him on the road. It would
be the learning opportunity of a lifetime for him and a chance for us to realize a dream while we were still young enough and
healthy enough and financially able. What if tomorrow never came? What if we didn't take this opportunity now and weren't
offered a chance later?
I don't mean to sound overly dramatic, but it is hard not to. At the time of this writing, we are exactly 5 weeks away
from departing on our "Albrecht Adventure." When I look back at the year and a half since we decided to do this, I see how
things have happened--both expected and unexpected. I also see how our decision to take this trip has impacted our conversations, relationships, dreams and lives.
- Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We have
numerous friends and family there
whose lives were powerfully affected and who suffered immeasurable loss. We have since decided that we need to be closer
to those about whom we so deeply care.
- Kay's father, Dr. Jerry Breazeale, passed away due to complications of Parkinson's Disease and the challenges of evacuation
due to Hurricane Katrina. He is one of those people who had so many plans for his retirement years...plans that his illness robbed from him.
- Christianne and Sara got their Driver's Licenses and cars!
- Christianne graduated from high school and attended her first year of college at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She is the first of our
children to move away. She is growing up to be a fine young woman, and we are so proud of her.
- Sara is weeks away from graduating from high school and is college-bound as well (South Eastern Louisiana University).
- We found out that our son, Chris, and his wife, Angela, are going to have a baby
girl--Ava--in October. We're going to be Grandparents!
While this is certainly a lot for one couple (or family) to experience in one year, through it all we've been planning and becoming
more and more committed to our trip.
Somewhere in this reflecting and story-telling and rambling is supposed to be "Our Mission"...so, here it is:
- To gain a greater appreciation of The United States of America--After
September 11, 2001, I believe many of us
became aware of the fact that we take too much for granted. We get caught up in the rat race of our daily lives, our routines, our "things"
and look at this great country of ours (and the world for that matter) with far too myopic a perspective. We hope to have an
experience that strengthens our understanding of where we are in the world and how great our nation is in every definition of the word "great."
- To offer our son, Bryan, an educational experience that can't be offered within the confines of the four walls of a classroom--
Geography, History, Art, Literature, Economics, Math, Science, Foods, Cultures, National Parks, Landmarks, and the kooky stuff like "The World's Largest Ball of Twine"; they're all "out there," and we'll experience them first-hand and in person. I'm
not belittling the education offered by formal schooling, but we all firmly believe that his life will be enriched immeasurably by this
adventure.
- To connect with each other--We have been parents since the day we met. We have
endeavored to live the American Dream and have dedicated ourselves
to working and providing for our ever-growing family. As our older children are leaving home, this trip will afford us
the opportunity to slow down (in a manner of speaking) and re-calibrate
and focus on our relationship as a couple and our relationship with our youngest child. I'm certain that we will also focus on deciding what direction
our lives will head when our trip is complete.
- To escape and abandon the suburbs--While
we are grateful for the neighborhoods in
which we have lived and are even more
grateful for the neighbors, we have
determined that we are no longer
desirous of life in a cookie-cutter home amid the freeways and the strip-mall-on-every-corner
mentality. We long for the spirit of a legitimate downtown or the tranquility of secluded country living. While those two lifestyles may appear to be at odds,
they each offer a richness and authenticity not available in suburban America.
- To photograph and document everything--I have a suspicion that we have underestimated the true value of this trip.
While we have high hopes and expectations and a palpable sense of the greatness of it all, I believe that when we are done (if we ever are truly done)
we will find a purpose and/or usefulness for the pictures and stories we accumulate along the way. Bryan is showing signs of being a skilled photographer, and we
hope to encourage that gift.
- Rock-'n'-Roll, Baseball, and Apple Pie--what more needs to be said about these three things?
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