The Life of a Nomad

I know I'm going to get some strange looks and tilted heads on this post but bear with me. I've always been a homey individual. I love my family and I love to feel comfortable in my surroundings. Moving to a new place far away from the comforts of home and those that I love most has really challenged my thinking.  I'm not really homesick I'm just people-sick. I miss my friends and family dearly. I've picked up and moved yet my heart hasn't always necessarily followed me to Lustre. So I'm this stage in my life where I feel as though I don't really have a "home" at least in the sense that "home is where the heart is." This feeling has led me to a new sense of adventure and desire to be care free. I'm even a little less concerned about money then normal.
Instead of having the desire to be couped up in my apartment and relax, I want to leave my apartment and go experience new places and landscapes. This weekend I traveled North into Canada. I went to the city of Regina (giggle ;-) in Saskatchewan. It was a very remote and enjoyable drive and as I pulled into Regina I couldn't believe the number of people. I made the mistake of starting off at a mall, and was annoyed by the crowds. In the afternoon I ended up in the Cathedral district. Beautiful old homes and quirky boutiques, art galleries, pottery shops, and book stores. I enjoyed the pace and the sights. I also ended up in Victoria Park talking to a native from Poplar who was sharing her life story with me and never asked for money or assistance even though she was homeless. 
My hotel was nice as was the local bar where I had some wonderful pizza. I also enjoyed the large bathtub and was able to soak with some goodies I got from wonderful friends for my birthday! 
On Sunday I went shopping at Canada's Superstore to find bulk bins full of spices and aisles of ethnic cuisine. It was so much fun to walk through and look at everything. On my way back I had to stop in the middle of nowhere to make sure the ice wasn't melting too bad in the cooler. I stopped at a picnic area to find a guy sleeping by his bike. You could tell that this man either didn't have a home, or was far away from his home. 
Lately this lifestyle of living with what you can fit on your back, on a pull behind your bike, or fit into your car has interested me. It probably didn't help that when I was looking for a place for Ben to take showers in Lima I stumbled across a blog about surviving homelessness. If you have an hour or more to kill the blog is very interesting ( http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com). I in no means would ever to be in that situation and feel sorry for those that find themselves homeless, but it made me wonder if I could live a nomadic life. I love the challenge of traveling as cheaply as I can, and still having wonderful experiences. So would anyone like to take a summer with me, my car (if it survives Montana's winter!), my tent, a pillow and blanket, and 500 dollars in my pocket and see how far we can go, how long can we travel? 
Why not experience life to the fullest. What can I fear when I know that God is in control. 
Have your own adventure this fall. Don't be afraid to try new things, and experience roughing it. Sleep in your car (or in your van :-), or take a nap in the afternoon outside or under the stars at night, and take advantage of free samples at grocery stores. Why not?!


Here are some pics from my recent travels.

 

 

sorry this one's not centered well.

 

fall foliage! (tear)

 

I love people who aren't afraid to express who they are!

A few items from my international grocery shopping trip.

Have a great night!