Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

who? Dale & Kim Ream. Christ followers, Texans, former Marines, parents, grandparents. Dale works from home as a human resources professional for a large bank. Kim quit work in 2019 and loves being home with Dale. This blog is Kim’s idea and is responsible for its content.

what? Moon River. “Moon River wider than a mile, I’m crossin’ you in style someday. Old dream maker you heartbreaker, wherever you’re going I’m going your way. Two drifters off to see the world, there’s such a lot of world to see…” -Johnny Mercer

When I quit work in January 2019, for the first time in my adult life, I had the opportunity to think about each day more deeply and enjoy normal routines in a way not previously possible. Throughout our life together, our days have been filled with tremendous joy (and some trials) as we live in the presence of our Lord, work and raise a family. Our youngest will be getting married in a few months and leaving home. For the first time in our lives, it will only be Dale and I. Even when we were dating I had my daughter (from a previous marriage) with me on almost every date. So truly, it will be a new experience for us. We are calling this phase of life “Moon River”. Very romantic isn’t it? We are re-evaluating life in general and considering what the future may hold. Everything, including the air we breath, is in God’s hands. His purposes will prevail and we plan based on that truth.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21

when? June 1, 2022. In 2019 I may have had too much time to ponder life! Ha! Neither Dale or I have ever bothered with setting life goals. I often listen to podcasts, especially Charles Stanley. He emphasizes the importance of setting goals. It made me start thinking about our future and what we hope it will look like. But, it takes more than hope to make something happen. It takes defining the goal and making a plan. I’m a planner, so this adventure will require me to temper my actions with a lot of listening – to God and our circumstances. I will cover this more in the future. For now, I will say that we have set a goal. God willing, we will sell our home and hit the road on June 1, 2022.

where? Road trip. Where will we be going? All over. Dale works remotely so as long as he has a good internet connection and a comfortable work station he can work. We plan to cover much of the Eastern United States during Fall 2022, staying one month in different locations. More about this later.

why? Because we can. This sounds very humanistic, doesn’t it? It is hard for me to make plans that seem to be mostly for our own enjoyment when throughout our lives we have only moved and done things out of necessity. We have been entirely focused on providing for our family. At 54 years of age we are at a point where God has given us options we’ve never had before. So, do we continue as we are, grow old in Round Rock? Is this where we want to be until death? Sounds dramatic, but it’s true. We have friends who hope to one day set off in their RV for adventures, or move to a small piece of land and enjoy God’s creation. We have the same thoughts, adventure and nature, but we don’t have to wait until Dale retires. Rather than letting our future just happen, we are choosing a path, and God willing, we will travel down it.

how? God’s grace. The fuel for the journey, not just Moon River, but for all of life’s journeys, is God’s goodness.