We included a link to our travel blog on our Christmas card because Josh and I had intended to take a road trip across the US (again) to see my folks for Christmas. We planned to get tested beforehand, camp in National Parks along the way and eat vacuum-sealed pre-cooked meals we would bring in a cooler to limit our exposure to COVID-19. We’d hope to add more road trip entries to this blog along the way, hence the inclusion of the website on the card.
But, the numbers keep climbing and the trip was called off. It’s getting scarier out there. So instead, I’ll give you a little update on our little version of 2020.
We kicked it off with our epic trip to the end of the Earth, detailed earlier in this blog, completing the Alcan5000. We travelled all the way up to Tuk, an Inuit village that has only been accessible by land vehicle since 2018 and completed every “Extreme Control” in order to earn ourselves “The Arctic Award.” We also finished 2nd in our class competing for TSDs (Time-Speed-Distance competitions), where I had to navigate and do a LOT of math and Josh had to drive carefully, maintaining certain speeds in exceptional conditions. Spending 12+ hours in the car everyday in such circumstances showed us we really like hanging out with each other and this thing we have going might actually last. We had the time of our lives and made some great friends. Josh drove the Yankee (his Nissan XTerra) from Georgia to Seattle, through the Canadian Arctic to Alaska and back down to Georgia. His dad Scottie joined him for the first leg, I flew up to Seattle for the Alcan5000 and his friend Konrad met him in Alaska for the trip home. He drove a total of 12,023.8 miles in a month.
Josh had anticipated the Spring 2020 semester to be his toughest yet, because while running his own business, his graduate program would start requiring 16 hours a week of clinical field work in addition to his coursework. He was worried about the stress and I was worried about never seeing my boyfriend. Then, Corona swept in, cancelled everything and made it possible to do a lot more from home. Rather than working long hours away from home, he did case management through video platforms right on the other side of the pocket door separating our his-and-hers home offices. Nico and GG Allin, our maltipom and dauchsund pups, must think they have been the very best boys in the world to have us stay home with them every day.
Both of our jobs have been going extremely well and we feel incredibly blessed to have positions where we can work from home. I still work remotely for my job in California and, although I don’t get to travel home as frequently I had hoped, I am so grateful that I was already set up in a remote position when the pandemic hit. I had expected to be spending a lot of time at home alone this year, and instead, Josh and I pal around all day together.
In May, we built a chicken coop, and in June, we brought home three chickens: two Rhode Island Reds and a Silver-laced Wyandotte. The Silver-laced one is named Jessica Fletcher, after the protagonist of Murder-She-Wrote, the most hen-like character we could think of. The red chickens are named Bellina (after the chicken in Return to Oz) and Rooster, a name courtesy of Olivia, Josh’s 6-year-old niece. They each produced one egg every day while it was still warm, and currently lay one each every three days in the colder weather. We let them run freely around the yard during the day and often visit the backdoor, waiting for treats. I give them bananas, corn on the cob and tortilla chips crumbs. Rooster will even tap on the glass door with her beak, if we don’t respond quick enough.
Over the summer, we had Josh’s family over for lots of swimming parties. It was great to spend time with the kids and Josh has really perfected his BBQ-ing skills. I had been brought up to think of BBQ as grilling but have learned since that it actually involves waking up at 4am to start the smoker and carefully monitor temperatures for 8-12 hours. I made a lot of cilantro-lime coleslaws and potato salads, and my key lime pies and tres leches cakes were a hit.
Since the Alcan5000, Josh and I have wanted to start our own TSD rally and spent hours on the weekends scouting out curvy, empty roads in the North Georgia mountains. We bought a waterfall map and would seek out lesser-known hikes to avoid crowds. I visited Helen, GA for the first time. It is designed to look like a traditional Bavarian town (not unlike Solvang, CA and its Danish design) and even has its own Hofbrauhaus–not a replica, but an actual Hofbrauhaus that imports pretzels from the real one in Munich, Germany. We have already visited it four times this year and enjoyed a real Bavarian pretzel each time.
We started going for long walks together last spring and I have fallen in love with our little town of Acworth. We live less than a mile from the lakeside beach and the picturesque downtown Main Street. We’ve gotten to know the trails and the neighborhoods intimately and it feels more like home now. The best part is that I get to do something healthy everyday with my best friend. Watching the seasons change for a native Californian is certainly a treat. I really appreciate how Acworth decks itself out for each holiday. The scarecrows in the Fall were pretty hilarious, ranging from a Dirty Dancing scene, to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, to a Bob Ross scarecrow.
Josh and I both turned 40 this October (we were born one day apart), and we celebrated with a trip to Savannah and Tybee Island. We stayed at a little bungalow Airbnb right off the beach on Tybee Island and went for long walks on the beach and ate lots of fresh crab. I visited Savannah for the first time and intend to go back sooner than later. I have yet to go on a Savannah ghost tour, but that is certainly a bucket list item for me.
Since we are staying home for the holidays this year, Josh and I got our first full-sized Christmas tree together and it seems symbolic of where we are now. We have collected ornaments on our travels throughout the past two years and already have enough to make the tree look complete. While it’s been ten months since I’ve seen my family, I’m so grateful everyone is healthy and taking precautions. Sometimes love means staying away from each other. We intend to do so, so that we’ll have many more holidays and memories together in the future.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours. Love, Katie and Josh
The Misadventures of Kate & Josh 