Our Story
Market Square, Bruges, Belgium
San Francisco Bay, California, USA
Get to Know Us
We've both called North Dakota home for most of our lives. We love most everything about our home state and encourage you to visit! The winters? Well, you need to experience a few to understand why we're not in a hurry to get back for another.
We started downsizing our lives in 2018. We embraced the process of selling, donating, or giving away most of our possessions. We sold our house, moved to a townhouse, and eventually an apartment. We embraced a minimalist lifestyle, discovered how freeing it is and focused on what was really important to us. We knew travel would be a priority. We learned there are a great number of people who live an alternative lifestyle by being nomadic. This certainly appealed to us since we typically had at least two or three trips planned at any given time (it's a healthy addiction, right?). After getting two thumbs up from our adult kids, we decided to give it try and left the USA in November 2022.
We are slow travelers who appreciate things off the beaten path but will also wander through the iconic landmarks and landscapes. One of our favorite things to do is get lost! Seriously, epic travel stories start with being lost and the best things happen when you're not planning. We've met the most interesting people and had EPIC nights out (I'm looking at you Frank & Carolyn and Rob & Doreen!) These things would have been less likely to happen if we had planned every part of our day/lives. We've learned to savor every moment and be open to new experiences. We love getting to know a place through its people, food and culture.
Traveling forces us to step outside our comfort zone (almost daily) and into totally new surroundings. Navigating public transportation & signs in a different language has been perplexing yet entertaining. I am a lifelong "learner" and I think travel feeds this like nothing else can.
For now, we don't have a definitive end date for our nomadic life. We're going to wait and see what happens - a bit like our travel style. We can't wait to share our stories!
mrs.
aka
brad, bradley, step-dad, b-rad, linda, lindy, lindermann, uncle, bro, hubby and friend
jenn, jennifer, mom, auntie jenn jenn, sis, the jennmeister, jennstress, jenn-nay, peter pan, wifey and friend
mr.
will admit to
likes being bald, still owns every cell phone he's ever had, history buff and technology geek, actually set an alarm to watch the excel Olympics (yes, this is a real thing if you like spreadsheets!), spent 4+ weeks researching a $60 travel flashlight, and loves anything sweet (especially his wife!)
loves old movies & jigsaw puzzles, reads at least 50 books a year, swears too much (IS that a thing?), aspires to be a better photographer, fond of eating & cooking healthy meals and is addicted to all things salty (especially my husband! kidding!)
we agree on
strong coffee, loving animals, valuing experiences vs. stuff, spreading kindness, 64F degrees or colder is perfect sleeping temp & 75-80F is perfect outside temp, hiking - yes, running - no, dry wines, new experiences, lifelong learning, lgbtq+ allies, toilet paper roll goes over, travel is addicting, and american politics are horseshit
we debate
who has a better sense of direction (j-natural & b-google)
onions (j-tiny bits for flavor & b-giant slices)
tv on for background noise (j-no & b-yes)
die hard as a christmas movie (j-hell no & b-hell yes)
buffalo wild wings restaurant (j-gross, puke & b-fave wings ever)
secretly...
can solve a rubics cube in under two minutes, not a huge fan of social media, owned a 1984 red pontiac fiero and a 2003 yellow mazda 6 in high school (jenn thinks this is funny for some reason), close to tears when his new travel flashlight was almost lost in a cab (yes, the one he spent 4 weeks researching - the driver met him the next day with it intact - whew!)
could live without a tv, recovering perfectionist, twirled a baton in high school, gets a high from organizing & cleaning, loves inspirational quotes, thinks Michael Buble is my boyfriend but just hasn't met me yet
Travel Stats
Miles Flown
84212
Baggage Lost or Delayed
0
No. of Countries
25
Wines Sampled
∞
No. of US States
19
Cups of Coffee Consumed
2968
Flights Boarded
42
Jigsaw Puzzles Completed
7
Flights Missed or Canceled
2
No. of Books Read