After escaping the chill of eastern Oregon in winter (Feb 1st) I headed south and spent the majority of the winter somewhere in the state of California. Honestly, in retrospect, I think I spent a lot more time in that state then I had previously envisioned. That being said, I have no regrets about my decisions to follow the paths made available and to saying yes to whatever the world was sending my way.
Fast forward to now – Portland Oregon, the place I lived for the past 10 or so years before moving to Terrebonne. I have been back in the city for about 3 months now and still quite enjoying the simplicity of vanlife. I will admit though, I have been living a pretty posh Vanlife here – a driveway with shower, laundry, and kitchen access (glamping.) As my wedding season starts to come to an end I am faced with the big question of “what now.”
When I set out on this adventure I thought I would leave for a bit, come back for wedding season, and then go back out for some months. As is often the case with life, things change, new elements get involved, and before you know it your plans don’t seem all that applicable anymore and you are left with only part of a next step.
This summer I decided to fully commit to my wedding photography business. It has been good to me over the years, but had always been a partial income, requiring some other work to keep things moving. This year I decided that I would really work on making that business a reality, a company that could support me, and hopefully one that I could grow and make into something larger than just myself. But this brings about questions about life on the road. For one, people like to meet before hiring, and I prefer this as well – but it is hard to do when you are half a country away and not coming back for months.
This is not me leaving the vanlife, I honestly really enjoy the simplicity, excitement, freedom, and price. Let’s be honest, who really loves paying rent? Somewhere in all this is a middle ground, a happy medium. Maybe shorter trips, or shorter period long distance trips, and then returning to a home base (parking spot) when in town. My mind lately has been occupied with the idea of buying a small plot of land somewhere in the Gorge or out towards Mt. Hood; a few acres to call my own. Eventually build a little cabin out there, another tiny home.
Not sure there was an end point to this post, rather a bit of rambling and thinking out load. Thank you for listening to my inner monologue!