How to Dress for ADVENTURE!

Before corona-time hit, my family had made the BIG decision to buy a camper, rent out our house, and head west for at least a year, maybe three, of serendipitous outdoor-living adventure. After spending two summers traveling/camping across the country, and never feeling like two months was enough, we decided we wanted to give it a go, FULL TIME. I was going to work from the road, and my husband was going to become a road-schooling-daddy. 

Then corona hit. And everything got put on pause. 

Pause didn't mean cancelled. It meant... paused. It meant there was still hope.

My husband had already given notice at his current job, so we had to make a choice. It was either a) hit the road during corona-time or b) he could get a new job.

Well, last week he was offered a new job, and he accepted.

It was official. Our year-long trip was off the table. 

And I was sad. Real sad. This was NOT a disrupt-and-pivot I was prepared for. (If you DON'T know, my WOTY is DISRUPT.)

After sulking around for a bit, I decided to get dressed and put on a real "power outfit". I thought THAT was what my body needed. Turns out, though the outfit was "objectively cute", the feels were all wrong. 

I didn't want to feel gritty and powerful and strong.
I wanted to feel... adventurous. 

I had just "let go" of a mega-big-dream of adventuring around the country with my family. But that didn't mean that my adventurous spirit had to die with that dream. Maybe I COULD disrupt and pivot. 

So I went back to my closet, and started over. 

I decided to wear ONLY THINGS I'd wear camping. Versatile things. Things that would be total workhorses in my mini-camping-closet. 

I started with my favorite sweatshirt, and layered it over a dress that packs up small, is 100% cotton, and could be worn to do just about anything, from sleeping to hiking to sitting by a campfire. I put a bandana in my hair - an accessory that could be worn to keep me warm, keep me cool, or keep the hair out of my eyes, OR could be used, like a napkin or a bandage or a dish towel. I put on sneakers, and a few jewels that I knew would pack up small. 

ADVENTUROUS. There it was! 

It felt SO GOOD, I decided to give myself another #5DayChallenge, and wear the sweatshirt 5 DAYS IN A ROW. Because not only does finding new ways to wear the same old thing feel adventurous, but so does pulling together 5 days worth of camping outfits, with lots of repeat pieces! 

So on Day 2, I went simple. I threw on a pair of jeans I'd pack for a year-long, cross-country camping adventure, and layered the sweatshirt over a tank that would pack up super-tiny, and is super-versatile. I warmed it up with a scarf, and threw on some easy-to-pack accessories. 

On Day 3, I decided I wanted to ALSO feel professional/competent, so I threw a vest OVER the sweatshirt, put on the OTHER pair of jeans I'd bring with me on a year-long, cross-country trip, and donned a different multi-purpose bandana, my Vans, and more pack'em-up-small accessories. 

Another day, another variation of the SAME sweatshirt, jeans, shoes, socks, necklace as the day before! This time, I layered a super-packable dress under the sweatshirt, threw a scarf into my hair (that could double as a neck-scarf), and a pair of earrings. Done and DONE!

On the fifth and final day of this sweatshirt, I woke up to snow. SNOW!! In May! I did NOT want to be cold, so I thought about how I might layer the sweatshirt up, and decided I'd try a sweater UNDER my sweatshirt. It seemed like a risky move that could look super-silly, but I gotta tell ya, I LOVED IT! I put on the same jeans, socks and shoes I'd worn the previous two days, threw a fleece headband in my hair, and called it a day.

After five days of feeling adventurous, a new fire was burning inside of me. Maybe there was a way to BRING ADVENTURE HOME?

So on Saturday morning, we hopped into our Prius, drove north to an RV shop, and BOUGHT OURSELVES A TEAR DROP TRAILER! 

During a pandemic!

Our Little Guy (that's the brand) only sleeps two, but it's got a wet bath, which means we can take hot showers and go pee and poop without having to rely on a bathhouse at a campground. (We're hearing those may very well be closed all summer long, and the only folks that will be allowed to camp are those who are self-sufficient.) It's got a kitchen sink on the inside, and a stove. It's got a HUGE refrigerator/freezer combo, that can hold enough food for a good 4 days, so we won't have to head into convenience stores for ice on the daily. It's got solar panels. Off-roading tires. HUGE windows. A radio/speaker system for corona-dance-parties. And a big table (that converts into a queen sized bed) for late night games of gin rummy with the kids. It's got one itty-bitty closet, but who cares, I'm ok wearing the same thing, over and over and over and over again. 

We'll still have to pitch a tent, but that's ok by me! I love my tent!

Our year long trip might be off the table, but you better believe we're gonna FIND ADVENTURE right here in our backyard. 

I tell you all of this because I had a choice. I could either feel ROBBED of an adventure, or feel INFUSED by adventure.

I chose to feel INFUSED. And I dressed for it everyday. 

And now... we've got a camper. 

I still can't believe it, really. It seems like such a risky move. But wearing a sweater under a sweatshirt felt risky too and THAT worked out so... there ya go! 

xo Stasia