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The Escaper’s retired from The Hardest Year duty and just in time by the weather reports I’ve seen lately from Colorado! The camper served us well, carrying us from Virginia to Seattle, WA and back again. Of course, there were some speed bumps along the way: gas caps kept getting left behind, the air conditioner never worked quite right, endless anti-freeze and oil refills, some thingamajig on the transmission stopped us in our tracks in Oregon and we blew a tire the day before we made it home. But the point is we made it back safely and I can’t really ask for more than that.

You may have noticed there’s no more map of where we are; that’s because John and I have returned to our own lives and responsibilities. That doesn’t mean the project is over – it is The Hardest Year and according to my calendar that still adds up to twelve months. More importantly, I believe there are still stories that need to be told. Officials may quote numbers that show the economy is turning around but the reality is a lot of folks are struggling and will continue to do so for awhile, especially with the holidays and winter coming. There is no time limit on rebuilding one’s life.

So thank you for following along and sticking with us during our journey. There are stories from the road trip that will be edited in the coming weeks and observations that will likely make their way into this blog space. Then you’ll see some stories that are closer to home base, here on the east coast.

It’s both wonderful and strange to be back in the old routine: wonderful to reconnect with family and friends, but strange to leave new friends and experiences behind. Although I know they’re never very far away since I carry them all with me. It was an amazing four months on the road and a summer I will never forget. Thank you again for being a part of it and sticking around for the next phase!

Off to see the Wizard

I dare you not to hum the song. Absolutely NO humming about how we’re going to see the guy who can give us a heart/brain/courage/way home. Can’t do it? Neither can I. Why…? I’ll get to that later. Read more…

Homeward Bound: Leaving the big city behind for a better life

Detroit was the only home Stacy Marcell Harper had ever known, so leaving all that was familiar should have been difficult. But making the decision to leave was easy. It was everything that led up to that decision that was hard. As a divorced, single parent she wanted the best for her son Justin, 12, and her daughter, Ta’sia, 11.

Stacy said leaving Detroit was a “survival call.” Read more…