As long as I can remember my wife, Muffin, and I have dreamed about freedom and taking a year off to rest, rejoice, relax, play, and travel while spending time with each other, family, and friends. My dad and grandfather never lived to the age of 60 so I have never been keen on waiting too long. So we planned years in advance and used the code name Project Jubilee to be able to talk about it, but also keep our plans a secret.
In Old Testament times, a Year of Jubilee was a sabbatical year in the 50th year to be used as a time of celebration, rejoicing, and rest. The prisoners and captives were set free, slaves were released from their bondage, work was to cease, and the people were to live off the harvest that God had provided.
What would you do if you were released for a year (or 2) to celebrate, rejoice, and rest??
We chose to spend time with family and friends while traveling around the country and the world. In Phase 1 of Project Jubilee we traveled almost 240 days over the year+ including 117 days in the Airstream, 74 days in Europe and Asia, 44 days with kids and family, and 8 days in Mexico. Phase 2 is a story for another day and an additional 150 days of travel.
We only started documenting our wanderings in January on Instagram and haven’t shared the 8 months prior to that. Perhaps we might share more later.
We believe in investing in experiences, have learned how traveling opens your mind to new worlds and cultures, and have come to realize that the highlights of each trip are the people. It’s always about the people. People amaze us and we love making new friends. RV people are super interesting. Camino people are fascinating!
Here is a summary of our wanderings:
- Celebrated our retirement at La Cantera
- Rode bikes 3 days with friends across a lot of Texas (Austin to Lake Livingston)
- Joined our Rockport Airstream rally and fished with an old friend
- Loved on kids in Washington DC
- Experienced New York City again
- Spent time with family in Cold Spring, NY
- Learned a lot at a Laity Lodge retreat
- Celebrated a friend’s 50th birthday in Mexico
- Visited friends in Waco
- Soaked in the river at Kerrville
- Experienced the US Open in New York with our son
- Joined friends at a Canyon Lake Airstream rally
- Took in the grandeur of Guadalupe Mountain National Park
- Explored Hueco Tanks State Park
- Had dinner with friends in El Paso
- Climbed the dunes in White Sands National Park
- Made new friends at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Airstream rally
- Hiked and biked in Angel Fire
- Spent time with with friends in Pagosa Springs
- Biked in Moab
- Explored Arches National Park
- Watched the sunset at Dead Horse State Park
- Took photos at Monument Valley where Forest Gump stopped running
- Starred in wonder for days at the Grand Canyon
- Hiked in Sedona
- Walked the steep city of Jerome
- Visited Tucson and biked Mt Lemmon
- Experienced Marfa
- Celebrated Thanksgiving with family in Port Aransas
- Took in the Christmas Parade in Fredericksburg with friends
- Showed Muffin Big Bend and Terlingua with my favorite 13 mile hike (South Rim Loop)
- Explored Santa Monica, Malibu, LA, and Southern California with our daughter
- Enjoyed Disney Land with our daughter
- Stayed with friends in San Diego with our daughter
- Rode bikes and watched the CX World Championships in Bentonville with family and friends
- Soaked in Hot Springs Arkansas
- Stayed and moochdocked with friends in Jackson, MS
- Swam in the Devil’s Den Prehistoric Springs in Florida
- Scared ourselves at a sketch RV park in Citra, FL
- Played at Disney World
- Walked on the beach in St Augustine
- Visited friends and played in Jacksonville
- Explored Savannah, Bluffton, and Hilton Head and caught up with new and old friends
- Skied with buddies in Park City
- Beach combed and kayaked on Tybee Island
- Toured Israel with BSF friends
- Hiked the 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago over 35 days (31 walking days) with a cousin and our son joining in
- Saw a bullfight in Madrid
- Followed the journeys of Paul through Turkey and Greece with BSF friends
- Sailed on a clipper ship from Istanbul to Athens criss-crossing the Aegean Sea
- Relaxed, sunned, swam and explored a few Greek Islands
- Tried to camp in Kerrville in the Texas heat, baked, and came home early to celebrate our 30 year wedding anniversary with our daughter
You and Muffin have shown a great example of a Jubilee year walking together in the arms of our Lord.
I’d like to learn more how you did this to share with many others as part of their transition to Living Your Legacy Now!!!
God bless you both for the next 49 years. Onward and Upward.🕊