​Happy Monday, family, friends, and fellow campers! I am writing to you from a small town outside beautiful Virginia Beach, Virginia following a fun, family-filled weekend. I'm reflecting on the weekend we had with a bit of angst about the time we took away from work. I'm trying to put in perspective the work-life balance we've created through this lifestyle for our readers. I think it's easy for people to see all of the amazing places we've traveled and things we've done over the past year and think that all we're doing is having fun. That couldn't be farther from the truth so let me try to explain.

We took a small detour from our strategic, race track-focused travel schedule last week as we made our way from Summit Point Motorsports Park in Summit Point, West Virginia to Virginia Beach, Virginia. This is the first time we've moved our Thor Outlaw motorhome without heading in the direction of another race track since we left Dallas at the beginning of June. Since we decided not to take the RV to The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington this coming weekend, we found ourselves with a three-week gap between events. Because we were on the east coast and all of Rob's family (on his dad's side) lives on the east coast, we decided this was the perfect opportunity to have some family time.

​This past weekend was the first weekend since my birthday on May 29th that we did not find ourselves at a race track all weekend. We met up with Rob's sister, Erica, and her family to slow down for a bit and enjoy time away from the track. We hadn't seen Erica and her family for two and a half years, since she and her husband moved from Fort Worth, Texas to Virginia Beach on assignment from the Navy. The last time we saw them was at Carter's eleventh birthday party at Elevation Trampoline Park. Erica, her husband, Donald, and their son, Jason, had driven from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City for Carter's party shortly before they packed up and headed back to the east coast.

​On Friday night we reconnected at Donald and Erica's house for pizza and to meet our newest niece, Kira, for the first time. She recently celebrated her first birthday and we hadn't had the opportunity to meet her yet.

On Saturday we visited the Norfolk Naval Station and saw many incredible ships. We can't tell you about them, though, because then we'd have to kill you! LOL. According to military.com, "Naval Station Norfolk is the world's largest naval station, supporting 75 ships and 134 aircraft alongside 14 piers and 11 aircraft hangars. The base houses the largest concentration of U.S. Navy forces. Air Operations conducts an average of 275 flights per day or one every six minutes. It is the hub for Navy logistics going to the European and Central Command theaters of operations, and to the Caribbean." Following our visit to the Norfolk Naval Station, we drove to Virginia Beach and went on a driving tour of the boardwalk. The weather wasn't ideal for a beach day so we opted to just tour the area by car instead.

Saturday night, Donald and Erica offered to watch the kids so Rob and I could have a date night for the first time in months. Since game three of the Oklahoma City Thunder/Houston Rockets NBA playoff series was on TV and we've barely been able to see the first two games because of our less than stellar internet connection, we opted to visit a local restaurant called Jose Tequilas Mexican Grill and Bar to grab a couple of margaritas, some chips, and queso and watch the game at the bar. If you ever visit a Jose Tequilas Mexican Grill and Bar, I highly recommend their avocado margarita and cowboy queso with steak, applewood smoked bacon, and fresh hot peppers. It was very good but also very hot! To top off the evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled out the win in overtime to avoid being swept in the first round of the playoffs. (Here's to hoping they can even the series up tonight!)

Sunday morning we met Erica, Erica's mom, and the kids for a morning at the beach. Since they are beach regulars, they came prepared with beach chairs, umbrellas, and boogie boards. It was a beautiful, relaxing day of beach fun topped off by seeing several dolphins just off the shore! Following the beach, we headed to Donald's parent's house for burgers, hot dogs, and pool time. Carter enjoyed playing basketball with Jason while Edith enjoyed pushing Kira around the pool in the baby pool float. Rob and Donald joined the two teenage boys for a rowdy game of basketball in the pool. If you would have seen this game, you would have thought they were all teenagers - except the men eventually came to terms with their ages and ran out of energy.

The weekend was great! We really enjoyed family time - but it also felt a bit weird being away from the track and work. We feel a bit guilty taking time for ourselves, away from our business. I think that's the part that people don't see through our social media. Rob and I typically spend seven days per week fighting as hard as possible to build our business as fast as we can. We work all kinds of crazy hours, including well into the morning most nights as we communicate with suppliers in other time zones. It's what we have to do to build the life we want and we're both willing to put in the hard work to make it happen. The beautiful part of this full-time RV lifestyle is that we can be so close to our children even when we're putting in those hours to build our business. (Don't forget the fact that we're trying to build multiple businesses simultaneously.) But it's not like we spend a ton of quality time together every day. Rob and I are usually both working while the kids are doing school work and playing video games or watching YouTube. That's the part you don't see on social media. Just like any family, we have to make a conscious effort to have uninterrupted family time. And it doesn't happen as often as we would like! We just find ourselves somewhere cool and different when it does happen!

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

Living full-time in an RV has a lot of perks.

We get to see a lot of different, beautiful places. Places we may or may not have considered traveling otherwise. For example, this week we are visiting Madison, Wisconsin. I cannot imagine a scenario where we would have traveled to Madison without living this lifestyle, but it is amazing. Today (July 16th) had a high of 81 degrees. There was no wind and no bugs. It was the perfect day to be outdoors

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

We get to spend a lot of quality time together. Some days that quality time is in the RV while we are working and some days, we take a break and explore the area. Today Rob took the kids to the amusement park that is within walking distance of our RV park while I finished up some work at the RV. We all spent the afternoon in the RV park's pond soaking up some rays. The kids played in the water with Rob on the inflatables and I laid on the beach drinking a tequila and soda. After we got cleaned up from the pond, Edith and I took a walk around the RV park. Tonight, Edith and I are watching a movie (while I type up this blog) and Rob and Carter are playing video games.

Road America

We get to meet a lot of new people. Last weekend we spent the weekend at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit, Illinois. We hung out with what has become our northern racetrack family. We focused on the racing during the day and then turned to social time in the evenings. We grilled out, had a few drinks and even took an evening track walk together. This weekend we're headed back to Road America near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin to meet back up with the track family and network for our business.

Marshall, Wisconsin

While I enjoy all of the perks of full-time RV living, my favorite has been getting to know my husband and my children better. Tonight, while Edith and I were hanging out outside of the RV drying off from our time at the pond, I told her that we should take a walk and see if we could meet new friends. If you know me, you know that I am an extreme extrovert. I love connecting with new people. When I said this to her, her face lit up! She jumped up and said, "Let's go meet new friends!" I quickly realized in that moment that she truly is my mini me. She craves human interaction just like I do. In fact, when were over at the bouncy bubble, she practically begged two little boys to come visit us at our RV so they could be friends. It reminded me of all the times I have done something equally as desperate to find friends. I felt like I was watching myself through her eyes.

I genuinely enjoy visiting all the beautiful places, meeting all the new people and spending quality time with my family but experiencing specific moments like tonight with my loved ones has been my favorite part. Those are the moments I will remember as I take my last breath. No amount of time together or experiencing new places will replace the moments you truly connect with another human being. Human connection is not quantifiable by the number of miles we drive or the places we see. Those moments are truly priceless.