Leaving Your Comfort Zone and Staying Strong.

When do you know when you’re out of your comfort zone?

For me, it’s when after being independent and living alone, you find yourself back at your parent’s house, in their basement, with your bed next to a double oven.

For Adam, its when after being deployed to Iraq, back safe, living the backpacker life on the Appalachian Trail, and finding himself at his girlfriend’s parents house, in their basement, with his bed next to a double oven.

Seriously.. 

HAVING SAID THAT… we are being tested… and staying strong. Living in a basement may be the definition of being out of your comfort zone…but the light is there.

Two HUGE things to mention in this post:

1. I have left my job
2. Our website is LIVE!!! www.HauserBautz.com

Bye-Bye Work Life.

Bittersweet! I have worked since I was 14 and walking out on my last day I found myself full of emotions. Being walked out by one of my closest friends at Stampede, Felix, I was greeted at the door by Adam with a dozen red roses and a huge hug. I was overwhelmed with what to feel. I sat down in the car and said to Adam, “I’m not sure if I should smile, laugh, or cry…but I guarantee all of these will happen at some point in the night once I realize what is happening!”

I have met some incredible people while at Stampede and I will forever be thankful for the friendships that were made while there. Kimmarie, Karen, Stacy, Jenn & Felix- you guys ROCK and kept me laughing and smiling!  

What? We have a website?

YOU KNOW IT! This took many hours to complete, and two calls from GoDaddy- who has the best support team EVER by the way. Although I still find myself changing things as time goes on, I am incredibly proud of what has been created.

Our website has ALL original photos that myself or Adam have taken, and we plan to keep it this way. What better than to look through the site and know we stood where each one of those photos was taken? There is just so much more meaning to us that way. 

Realizing that with not working, we will need a way to keep up on our gear and food- something we have planned from the start to do on our own. We have set up a pretty strict budget for food and shelter on our journey, in addition to cultural and adventurous activities we find along the way. We are also saving up for the GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition; check out this incredible video here. It’s amazing what the Hero 3+ can do and this is how we will capture and record everything we are experiencing along the way. I have been asked a few times how family member and friends can help along the way. With some research and advice from people, we have set up a Plum Fund- check it out here if you would like to help! We have a few things on our "Wish List" but any contribution helps! 

22 days until departure- we see the end of the tunnel, and it’s gorgeous.