Somehow Ended Up in Cancun

Did anyone think we would make it this far? Not to Cancun, but like, this far in our journey. I certainly didn't (and I really didn't think we would ever be in Cancun). If I'm being totally honest, the second half of 2024 felt like a fever dream. In particular, December was one of the craziest and most chaotic times of our lives. So, if you still log onto this blog and your immediate thought is, "WTF nothing they do makes sense," then we are doing our job. Stay weird, people.

We left Wisconsin on a cloudy November day, hauling to Des Moines before resting for a night. Another excellent Harvest Host experience. I'm staring to think that Chad books Harvest Host sites solely based on the availability to animals. We enjoyed an incredible Midwest sunset and a cat with the most hilarious resting grump face.

The haul to Kansas was such a breeze. A few posts ago we mentioned how simple it was to tow the Smile Wagon when the lanes are wide and smooth and the terrain is flat--this was no different. We were living our dreams, jamming to Taylor Swift and sitting in gratitude for the workers of the Federal Highway Administration. We were able to stop in Lawrence and have brunch with some of Chad's siblings, as well as his little from Big Brothers Big Sisters (hi Daniel!!) who he still keeps in touch with.

We arrived to a beautiful AirBnB spot: Chad's parent's driveway!!! They just can't seem to get away from us (or from this rig). A 50-amp hookup, unlimited use of the facility showers, free laundry, and a fully stocked refrigerator?! 11/10 experience!!!

I was at the El Dorado Correctional Facility nearby and Chad had time to catch up with old pals, do laundry and teledentistry, and pet the family cat. I'm sure you're seeing a theme here. Not only with Chad always finding a cat to pet, but that we both can find our way to a local correctional facility.

Prison medicine is really interesting, because it's similar to street medicine: you use what you have to treat your patients. For example, we kept up with people's blood pressure medication, treated a collapsed lung, and I stitched up a few hands and chins.

I pretty regularly get the question, "Did you feel safe?" My answer was always, "Absolutely!" I had at least 2 guards with me, and typically I was seeing patients either through their cell door or when they were shackled. I felt safer in the prison than I have in most ERs. There aren't many restrictions on behavior in an ER, so patients can hit, kick, throw things, etc. without much reprimand. Additionally, people can often bring weapons into an ER, whereas there are no weapons in the cell blocks (even guards on the floor aren't armed).

A conversation we regularly have with people is regarding the type of care that people who are incarcerated "deserve". This was strange to us, because we think healthcare is a right. Every person deserves humanism, whether via medical or dental care, living conditions, etc. Some light thinking (or conversation) for the next time you're bored.

Over the weekend, we got to watch my nephew rock his last high school football game (hi Ashton!!!) and celebrate Chad's niece and nephew's birthdays (hi Ren & Rudy!!!). Then it was time for Thanksgiving, which is the crowned jewel of my family's holiday celebrations. It all starts with taco night, then my uncle Dave wakes up at the butt-crack of dawn to start the smoker for the brisket. The reason Chad stays in this partnership? So once a year he can eat burnt ends until his lil tummy hurts.

After Thanksgiving, we drove to our pals Liz & Dillon's (hi Vesteckas!!!) house in Kansas City to repack, since our entire life was now in 3 suitcases and 2 backpacks. Plus, they let us leave our truck in their driveway. Best economy parking ever! We then flew to Boise for a weekend of adventuring before I started a rotation with the family medicine program there. We met up with old friends who gave us a fantastic tour of town (hi M-K and Alex!!!), found a delicious bakery, and met Santa Clause.

Boise was a dream. We were so kindly welcomed into our friend's friend's mom's house (yes, you read that correctly), but sadly we've never met the friend of our friend. Hopefully some day, Morgan! Her mom, though? Total magic. Michelle, thank you for opening your home to a wandering medical student, taking me to the movies, introducing me to Nana, and making me tacos. You are such a lovely human being, and I am so grateful to have lived with you for 2 weeks.

Since I was only in Boise for 2 weeks, Chad didn't get licensed to work there and instead flew back to Maine to work for his previous offices. You know what that meant: 2 weeks of me trying to pack my own lunch and having no one to roast but myself. I realize these are not real problems, but this is our (my) blog, so we can write whatever we want. Chad was even able to make it to the holiday party for his teledentistry company and finally met everyone in person for the first time.

After my 2 weeks in Boise and Chad's 2 weeks in Maine, we both made our way to the beautiful sandy beaches of Cancun to celebrate 30 years of our friend Alex (hi Alex!!!). Y'all probably know this already, but we are not beach people. I don't like feeling like I'm in an armpit and finding sand in my sneakers. I also had a weird time with room service, because why wouldn't I just make my own coffee? And Chad was not a fan of the small amount of rum poured into his piña coladas. Regardless of that, we made some new friends, shared lots of laughs, and ate so many croissants.

A highlight of the trip was when someone was acting like Chad to buy sunglasses and jewelry! We couldn't leave the resort until we could prove that Chad wasn't getting wild at the resort shops, so we cut our scheduled ride to the airport pretty close. Side note: I find it so frustrating that because I identify and present as a woman, people assume I have a shopping addiction or regularly spend Chad's money to buy expensive things. A few minutes of our conversation with the (lovely) resort lady was asking me if I had forgotten about some jewelry I had purchased. What? Croissants in my pockets for sure, but no extra jewelry, thank you very much. Anyway, here's a picture of Chad's alter ego in Cancun:

We celebrated being back home with a trip to urgent care, just in time for Christmas!!! Cheers, y'all!!!

P. S. Because we're bloggers for the people, we plan on writing a post in the near future that answers all your questions about RV life. We've had a few questions we've heard through the grapevine, but let us know your queries in the comments (or via text) and we'll do our best to address them!