My Story~

Once upon a time…

A man wearing BDUs knocked at the door of a young woman he’d seen from his house down the street, to inquire if she’d be interested in caring for his daughter for a few hours in the afternoon.

Over the course of time they became friends. Conversations between them deepened as they learned each other’s histories. She was an Army brat, with a love of books. Recently divorced. Three small children. He was active duty Air Force, born and raised in Indiana, well-traveled, in a marriage built on parenting rather than passion.

These two people, among the billions of humans on earth, found themselves and each other and created a life of passion and Love, joy and friendship, that lasted for 24 years, growing through the struggles of blended family, loss, and sobriety. Their Love took them into early retirement and full time travels on the road, calling themselves Happily Homeless. That Love blossomed and grew stronger as they sat a foot across from one another, adventuring through the USA. It took them , four years into their travels, to the sterile halls of Eisenhower Medical Center in southern CA, and to the quiet rooms of Odyssey Hospice, where that strong and handsome man named Chuck D, who’d knocked at the door of her house decades earlier, died of a rare and hyper-aggressive cancer just 3 weeks later.

Once upon a time…

That young woman, older now, who’d answered the knock at the door, gathered up the massive Love left behind for her by this man named Chuck D, bought a tiny trailer, painted it pink to match her car, and set out on the open road, solo, carrying her heartfelt message that Love really is the strongest force in the Universe.

Once upon a time…an Odyssey of Love was borne, and a community was begun~