The Journey of a Thousand Miles

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" ~ Confucius

I have lived in Minnesota my entire life.  Not once have I put down roots anywhere more than 60 miles from the spot in which I find myself this very second.  I live about three miles (5K) from the house I grew up in (ages five to about twenty four).  This should tell you a great deal about me.

My wife, Erika, is a different story. At the ripe old age of 23 she packed up everything she owned in her car and, without a job, an apartment or a friend, she drove 700+ miles to Minneapolis to start her life.

I have always been insanely jealous of, and simultaneously insanely proud of, her courage and spirit.

There is nothing wrong with living in Minnesota.  We have seven spectacular children.  We have wonderful family that we love dearly.  We have profound changes in the seasons.  We really like our house.  I enjoy my job, church, neighbors, friends, hobbies, parks, etc.  But staying this long (15 years) in one place is not in Erika's heart nor in mine.

So we're moving.

Yeah, we could have decided to pick up and move to Florida, Texas, Iowa, Oregon, etc.  But, we're a family of great adventure.  We're moving to Australia.

The downside of this move is that we're leaving behind many people that we love dearly.  Topmost on this list is my oldest son, Josef.  Joe is eighteen and has joined the US Air Force.  So, he will be moving away anyway as part of his new life.  Also are my parents - who live just three miles (5k) down the road.  Their health is not the best and they may not be around the next time we can all afford to come back to this state.

In the spirit of ALL of my ancestors, we are striking out to a new contient, a new life, despite all of the joys and comforts of home.  I have a great grandfather who stowed away on a ship from Poland to come to this country.  Maybe I'm channeling him.  Who knows.

Anyway, this blog is my/our journal of packing up your life and moving it to the most antipodal spot on the planet.  Mayhap you'll be encouraged by our story and be inspired to do the same.  Mayhap you'll learn a valuable lesson here and decide to stay home.  We don't know where and how our story ends right now, but you're welcome to read along with our story and we can find out together.

Step 1: Credentials


We filled out the passport paperwork for our kids last night and we contacted several Australian visa agents living in the United States.  I'm sure that we'll have a ton to say about each of those steps in furutre posts.  But this was out 1st step of a thousand mile journey (or more like a 14,000 mile journey).

Life is a grand adventure.