My Next Chapter Best Chapter Road Trip officially ended 75 days ago, and you are finally seeing this last blog post! Why is that? I’ve told myself a lot of excuses about why I couldn’t complete this article, but it’s simply because I wasn’t ready to close that chapter of my life.  After several years of living a very mediocre and unfulfilling life, I was actually LIVING MY DREAM LIFE. I wasn’t ready for it to end. I struggled when I first got back to Georgia. I had been on the road longer than I had lived in my new home. I had been on the road longer than I had been divorced, up to that point. I believed I had more to learn about myself and heal that could only be done on that road trip. I struggled with a little bit of sorrow and sadness that it was over.

What I am now realizing, 75 days later, is that in order to truly move on to the next part of my life, I must move forward, and close out the last chapter. So, while it’s taken me a while, I do see that God has great things in store for me, if only I would move on, and listen. And that while the actual road trip is over, my dream life is still continuing. It just looks a little bit different. I am still getting up every day, excited for what this new life will bring and what God has in store for me. I am still learning things about myself and healing parts of me that need to be healed. I have even traveled to several places, and I have some exciting trips and events planned in the upcoming months. I have done a good job of maintaining the connections I made on the trip. I am listening to my intuition (or the Holy Spirit) and following through on those nudges.

I am finally ready to close the Next Chapter Best Chapter Road Trip chapter! I hope you enjoyed following along on my road trip. I hope you were inspired in some way by my journey. I hope you made a new decision, connected with an old friend, repaired a broken relationship, traveled someplace new, or added to your bucket list. If my trip did inspire you, I’d love for you to send me a private message and let me know about it!

Here are the final statistics from my trip and the lessons I learned along the way:

11,561 miles, 122 days, and 256 hours = so much time alone, and plenty of time thinking about my life. I learned several lessons along the way:

• I am pretty good company if I do say so myself.
• Mowgli is a great travel buddy and I was so grateful to have him with me!
• Friends and family are truly the most important things in my life. I’m working on being intentional to maintain and cultivate those relationships.
• It’s so important to listen to my intuition or nudges from the Holy Spirit. I worked with an insightful, caring Christian shaman for a month of this trip (yes, I know I’m hippie dippy), and we talked about a lot of things, one of them is listening and looking for signs from the Holy Spirit. I was the queen of shoving those messages aside and listening to myself rather than God. And we all know how that turns out.
• I really love being outside and I especially love hiking!
• When I stay true to my core values and begin to take action (even when it’s sad or hard), God will bless those actions, He will open doors for me, and give me hope.
• I am now a “hat person”!
• My bucket list will never be complete. There will always be more I want to see, do, experience, and most importantly, be!

I LOVED having you along for the ride! Thank you for all the encouraging messages, travel advice, and love! It meant the world to me!  

Stay tuned for the Next Chapter of Susan 2.0.

Highlights from the last 40 days of my Next Chapter Best Chapter Road Trip:

I’m not a chef, but one of the ways I show people I love them is to cook for them and provide sustenance. So, for all the people who let me cook for them, thank you for allowing me to show you I love you!

Please note – I am NOT a food blogger, so these recipes are not technical, and don’t give many instructions. If you try these recipes, I’ll assume you have some knowledge of cooking. If anything is confusing, let me know in the comments and I’ll try to answer it for you!

Also note – the images are stock photos. I am also not a food photographer!

One more thing – scroll to the bottom to find my recipe for the perfect Old Fashioned!

BUFFALO CHICKEN BOWLS

Chicken Breasts (one package – about 2-3) You can also use chicken tenders and it will cook faster!
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Ranch Dressing Packet
1/2 Cup Buffalo Sauce – I like Sweet Baby Rays (you can use as much sauce as you want!)
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
Cooked rice – I like Jasmine Rice or use cauliflower rice on my low carb days.
Diced cucumbers
Diced grape tomatoes
Diced avocado

Put the Chicken Breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker, top with the butter, ranch dressing packet and Buffalo Sauce. Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Pull the chicken out, shred it, and put it back in the slow cooker. Mix in the mayo to make it nice and creamy!

Serve in a bowl with rice. I like to mix the white rice with cauliflower rice to get a veggie serving in. Top with the cukes, toms and avocado. 

Drizzle with more Buffalo Sauce and Ranch Dressing (if you have it).

Enjoy!

ORIGINAL RECIPE

MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST

1 (3-4 pounds) chuck roast – I just get the cheapest roast they have – it will be tender!
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet au jus gravy mix – you can find this where the gravy is – it’s just a little packet. 
1/4 cup butter
4-5 pepperoncini peppers (optional – but the acidity of these help tenderize even the cheapest piece of meat!)
 
Place roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle the top with the ranch dressing mix and the au jus mix.

Place peppers on top of the mixes and add the butter.

Cook over low heat for 8 hours. Serve with noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

ORIGINAL RECIPE

FRIED BRUSSEL SPROUT CAESAR SALAD

Olive Oil
Brussel Sprouts (4-5 per person)
Arugula
Pistachios
Parmesan Cheese
Caesar Salad Dressing (I use Ken’s Lite Caesar Dressing)
Thinly slice about 4-5 Brussels per person.

Fry Brussels in a pan with a splash or two of Olive Oil. Fry to desired tenderness. I like it browned well. 

Meanwhile, add the desired amount of arugula to a salad bowl.

Add a handful of pistachios for the last 30 seconds/1 minute of cooking the Brussels. Lightly cook the pistachios. 

Top the arugula with the Brussels/pistachio mixture.

Top with your desired amount of parm and Caesar dressing and toss. 

LENTIL BRUSCHETTA

The lentils turn this bruschetta into a meal!

3 large tomatoes
3 cloves garlic (or less if you don’t love garlic quite as much as I do )
3 Tablespoons Gourmet Garden Basil Herb Blend Stir-In Paste
6 oz feta cheese
1 Cup cooked green lntils
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut tomatoes into small bite-sized pieces. Mince garlic and add to tomatoes.

Add Basil Herb Blend (or use fresh chopped basil if you would like)

Add Feta Cheese & cooked lentils

Mix well, and add salt & pepper to taste

Serve with pita chips, toasted baguette, or sourdough.

STREET CORN SALAD

I use this as a side dish for burgers, tacos, etc.

4 Cups Corn (best if it’s fresh cut off the cob!)
3 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 Jalapeno, diced
1/3 cup Cotija Cheese
Salt to taste

Dressing

4 Tablespoon Mayo
2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 tsp Tajin

Mix dressing ingredients and store in the fridge until ready.

Add oil and butter to the pan (I like to use my cast iron)

When butter is melted, add corn and saute until corn browns and is roasted. Add garlic for the last minute of cooking.

Put corn in a bowl, and add jalapenos and red onion. Add the dressing to the corn mixture and stir. Add the cheese and stir gently.

Note: the original recipe calls for cilantro, but it’s not for me. But, if you are a weirdo, please feel free to add it if you would like!

ORIGINAL RECIPE

THE PERFECT OLD FASHIONED

Just kidding – you have to invite me over and I’ll make you the PERFECT Old Fashioned!

Here’s what 80 days on the road looks like:

As you can only imagine, 80 days, 5,767 miles and 137 hours of windshield time have given me plenty of time to think! Looking back over this time, here are a few things I have learned along the way:

1. Our country is beautiful, diverse, and unpredictable.

2. I may have a tattoo addiction … time will tell.

3. I’m not bad company if I do say so myself.

4. I love hiking and being outside in general. I never thought of myself as an outdoor girl, so this one was surprising!

5. While I still LOVE a good to-do list and looking ahead at the goals I want to accomplish, I am getting WAY better at spending my time in-the-moment, and being intentional with the people I am with rather than looking forward at the next task.

6. I like living in little downtown areas. Walkability is now important to me!

7. I can make great decisions for myself, and those decisions can be fluid. They don’t have to be written in stone, it’s ok to change my mind and pivot when necessary.

8. I have a lot of passion and love to give to the right person. And I’ll never settle again for anyone less than “the one”.

9. I wouldn’t be against moving somewhere new if my new location had direct flights to Atlanta, Salt Lake City, and San Diego. I’m keeping my head, my heart, and my options open.

10. I have never felt healthier or happier in my life.

11. I have the best friends and family who love and support me, even in the middle of this hair-brained shenanigan I am on. Grateful for these people in my life. Susan 1.0 may have thought I didn’t deserve this love … but Susan 2.0 knows better.

12. I am getting better at trusting and listening to my intuition than I ever have before.

13. The gas budget I put together (pre-Russian invasion of Ukraine) for this trip is a joke and only getting “jokier”. Contributions to my gas fund will be accepted via my Venmo account. Joking, but not really.

14. I am a fan of Crumbl cookies. They are seriously delicious and could impact my road trip bucket list goal of losing 10 pounds while traveling.

15. I will not let time and distance come between relationships that matter anymore. My priorities have changed.

16. I love true crime podcasts and can’t stop listening to them. My better judgment, as a lone traveler, tells me to stop listening. But I can’t. Maybe I actually like living in a state of edginess?

17. I don’t need a TV in my bedroom. None of the rooms I have stayed in had TVs and I haven’t missed it at all! Another shocker.

18. When I don’t have Mowgli to walk, I miss it. Our daily walks have improved my mental and physical health.

19. Eighty days go by way too fast. I can’t believe I have completed two-thirds of my trip. I feel like it’s been a blink of my eyes.

20. I can do hard things. I’ve gone on death marches in the desert. I’m traveling by myself. I learned how to use a firearm. I attempted surfing in rough waters. I made the scary decision that it’s better to be alone rather than be with someone and be lonely. I’m excited about the challenges and hard things that are coming. And maybe a little scared too.

I have 42 days until my Next Chapter Best Chapter road trip will come to end. I’m fairly confident I won’t be ready for it to end… so heads up to my friends and family who live in the 22 states I did not visit. You may be getting a message from me. For right now, the nomad life seems to be working just fine for me. So, I’ll be making the most of these last 6 weeks. For real-time updates, follow my stories on Instagram and Facebook!

If you have been following along, you know I have been riding shotgun with my hooman on her 4-month road trip across the United States. My hooman is a recently divorced empty-nester on a road trip that will take her across the United States, visiting friends and family, and hopefully figure out her next best life. Even though I don’t have opposable thumbs, I’m hi-jacking this blog post because I wanted to take a minute to get a few things straight, for the record.

First, no one asked my opinion on this hair-brained scheme. I’ll never forget the day, Saturday, March 5, 2022. I woke up leisurely, as I always do, and I aggressively ate my boring breakfast of kibble. When I had finished, my hooman came at me with my harness. I hate that thing. So I stubbornly ran under the table. When she finally coerced me out from under the table with some cheese, she snapped that contraption on me and loaded me into her Bronco. She hooked me up to my doggy car seat which I must admit is pure luxury. Before I knew it, we were off. I thought we were headed to the Home Depot, where I am everyone’s favorite and all the workers give me treats. But we just kept going and going and going. I was very perplexed, so I just slept and kept my mom company by snoring loudly. She likes when I do that.

Initially, all this traveling made me out-of-sorts, I wouldn’t eat or drink. If you know me at all, that’s never a problem. I was distraught. What is wrong with this woman? Was she having some sort of mid-life crisis and was I going to pay the price for it? Only time would tell.

I eventually got used to the driving and became the best co-pilot out there. Although my hooman wishes I could navigate and find the best gas prices along the route, I still don’t have opposable thumbs and struggle to make her phone work for me. Besides, your homie doesn’t have time for that…only naps.

We have officially completed the first half of our Next Chapter Best Chapter Road trip. From my point of view, here are the good, the bad, and the ugly things that have happened to me – a Pug on a Road Trip.

The Good:

Meeting my long-lost furry relatives.

My preference is for humans, because they give treats and pets, but I did come to love the relatives I have met along the way:

My cousin Sir Vandiver Brandon of the Great Salt Lake. I like to call him Van, he’s more of a goofball than a fancypants as that name would imply. Van took me to his school where I was called chonky, but also sweet, so I let the body shaming comment go. It was my first time at a school, so I was happy to have Van show me the ropes. We also went on walks around the city, where he showed me his favorite pee spots and when our hoomans went out we guarded the house by sleeping soundly and not moving at all.

Lolly, the Belle of the Esplanade. My hooman loved to take Lolly and me on walks together on the Esplanade overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Lolly had lots of hooman friends she introduced me to, specifically the retiree bunch that gathered early in the mornings. They gave lots of free pets. I liked that. I am a bit concerned that Lolly may have a drug problem. My hooman left my doggy suitcase on the ground and Lolly ate all my pain meds. Our hoomans went straight into panic mode, but thankfully Lolly was a-ok. Just a bit sleepy and constipated after that binge. I’m wondering if we may need an intervention.

Aurora, aka Naughty Kitty. Naughty Kitty was not fond of me at first but did come to tolerate me by the end of our stay in Redondo Beach. Thankfully I am hard of hearing and did not hear all of her hissings at me when I walked by. She may have been reacting to my snorting, but let’s face it, cats are a hard bunch to read.

Hoomans still love me.

I have seen so many hoomans along the way and thankfully I am still the favorite. I’m not sure if it’s my svelt body, my squished face, or my floppy ears that steal the hearts of humans everywhere. My real mom, Zia even hosted a party in my honor in a mansion in La Jolla, CA. I’m pretty much an A-lister now. All the cool kids follow me.

Visiting new places.

I’ve been to so many new places including 10 new states, 3 National Parks, the Pacific Ocean, the Wasatch Mountains, and so many dog-friendly restaurants. I am a world traveler. And, we’ve got 61 days left of our trip!

My hooman is so gullible.

One of the things I have loved the most on this trip is how I have my hooman wrapped around my little toe bean. My favorite example is how I pretend I can’t walk up three flights of stairs at our Salt Lake City Airbnb, and so she carries me up the stairs in her arms.

Like a baby.

I’m no slouch, I know what I’m doing.

The Bad:

Nap, Interrupted.

My hooman keeps me so busy, that I’m not getting my usual level of napping in. So rude. I love when she is so busy working I get some long naps in the books.

Dazed and confused.

We are moving around so much, that I never know where I am going to be when I wake up! We have stayed in eight different places, from my hooman’s friend’s homes to hotels, to family homes and even a glamper!

Capsule wardrobe?

It seems like my hooman only packed 3 outfits. She wears the same things over and over again. She’s weird and lacks imagination.

Being influential against my will.

My hooman is trying to make me an influencer against my will. She’s constantly taking my picture and making videos of me. She loves posting these videos on TikTok, then laughing at me. There has got to be a law about this type of exploitation. If you are a lawyer, please hit me up. I could use some pro-bono work.

The Ugly:

Oh bother, let’s be honest. If traveling the country, seeing exciting things, watching my hooman live out her dream is ugly, then I don’t want to be pretty. We are only halfway finished, I can’t wait to see where we go next!

Thanks for following our journey! Follow me on Instagram @mowglithemanpug and my hooman at @susanskimmel

Holy Guacamole! I’ve been on the road for FIFTY DAYS!!! For those of you who are new to this blog, I am a recently divorced empty-nester and on March 5, 2022, I loaded up my car and my dog and started a 4-month journey. I am touring the United States, visiting family and friends and seeing all the sights. I will be touring 5 of the 6 U.S. states I have never visited. And even more importantly, I am going on an adventure of self-discovery – my own little Eat, Pray, Love journey.

Here are a few updates to the statistics I am tracking:

• 4681 miles driven
• 103 hours in my Bronco
• 11 states I have traveled through (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah)
• $5.70 highest gas price I have paid on 3/18/22 in Banning, California
• 6 hikes – some were death marches (Chelsey)
• 5 Friends and family homes I have stayed in
• 4 National Parks visited (Petrified Forest, Sedona, Joshua Tree, Zion)
• 2 Airbnbs stayed in
• 2 new tattoos

If you have been following along, you know that on my 56th birthday, I created a 56 item Road Trip Bucket list to complete during my travels. I’ve been crossing off items as I go, 16 to be exact! Many of the items are specifically for when I begin visiting states I’ve never been to, which will be mid-May. Check out my list and the current status. NOTE: The one-night stand was a joke, but it’s been a hot minute, and crazily, many of you are in favor of that item being checked off! So, time will tell if that happens!

Here’s a list of my recent check-offs:

1. Go to Disneyland
2. Try surfing
3. Eat something I’ve never eaten – Nilgai cheeseburger
4. Listened to the entire #EnneaSummer2021 podcast series
5. Swim in the Pacific Ocean
6. Exercise at the beach
7. Receive a ticket or violation

Besides working my full-time job and my side hustles, I’ve also done a ton of fun things not on my Bucket List since my last blog post. (Follow along on Instagram and Facebook for real-time updates on my stories)

Highlights over the last 20 days:

• Spent two weeks in Redondo Beach with my brother and his sweet family doing all the things, but mostly just loving being a part of their daily family life!
• Amazing farmer’s markets with exotic products we don’t see in Georgia
• Macrame with my oldest niece
• Dog walking with my youngest niece
• Learning mad video skillz from my nephew
• Early morning chats with my brother over his gourmet coffee
• Daytime chats and walks with my sister-in-law
• Being the 3rd wheel on their weekly date night
• Heartfelt conversation over dinner with Doreen, my sorority sister, who I hadn’t seen since 1988
• Lunch and inspiring and hopeful conversation with Dawn, my childhood best friend, who I hadn’t seen since 1980
• Driving by my childhood home
• Lunch with my older brother and sister-in-law in Las Vegas
• Visited Zion National Park on my way to Salt Lake City
• Cocktails and crafts with Zoe
• Hauling Mowgli up 3 flights of stairs, 4 times a day
• Heather McMahan Farewell Tour in downtown SLC
• Hikes and walks with Zoe, Hutton, Van & Mowgli

I am spending time on this trip reflecting and doing hard inner work. It goes against my nature to look too deep into my emotions and my past. I am the queen of pushing through and shoving things down because that’s safe for me. It’s hard to do on your own, so next week I begin working with a spiritual mentor to help me with some of the things blocking me from living the life God intends for me. So stay tuned friends! It’s about to get REAL!

Now, on to the little series, I am calling:

What would 56-year-old Susan tell “then” Susan?
Chapter 3: What would 56-year-old Susan tell 23-year-old Susan?

(Read the last two posts for advice I would give 13-year-old and 18-year-old Susie.)

Let me set the stage for you: I have just graduated from the University of South Dakota with my MBA. I went straight to graduate school because I had a lot of fun in undergrad. A 3.2 GPA in business administration in 1988 would have landed me an assistant manager job at Foot Locker. That didn’t sound fun. I knew I could do better. I committed to kicking ass. So I did. Upon graduation, I interviewed at companies in South Dakota and Nebraska, but I was ready to get the heck out of dodge. So, I accepted a position that moved me to Detroit, MI. I happily hitched my hunter-green Chevy Citation to the back of a Ryder Truck and moved myself to The Motor City.

Throwback to Detroit, 1989-1990

I look back at this time of my life and I admire this Susan. She was a total badass. She was living her best life.

Here’s what I would tell that young lady:

I’m proud of you for taking that job and making that move. It was bold, courageous, and helped you grow into the woman you are now. You will look back on this time in your life and it will give you courage and boldness you will need to draw on in the future.

You will work hard. You will play harder! That is a good thing. Make sure you do that. You can sleep later.

Work is important, but not more important than relationships. Pay attention to the friends you make during this time and the relationships you are building. If they mean something to you, don’t let them go. You don’t want to look back 30 years and wish you had maintained those relationships.

You didn’t have to change your name from Susie to Susan because you thought it was more “business-like.” Who cares what people think of your name? There were many strong and amazing things you accomplished as Susie. Susie may seem like a little girl’s name, but for you, it was powerful.

What would you tell your 23-year-old self?

Highlights from the last 10 days of my Next Chapter Best Chapter Road Trip

If you have been following along, you know my first 3 weeks were a whirlwind of driving, visiting, hiking, working, touristing (I made that word up!). These last 10 days have been a much-needed time of rest and routine. I have spent the last 16 days at my older brother’s home, where he has graciously allowed my youngest daughter to live while she is in graduate school and working. He and his family do not live here full time, so it has just been me and Zia here. He has a beautiful home, in a beautiful city. We did some fun things like visiting Joshua Tree, Ocean Beach dog beach, the Flower Fields in Carlsbad, and the tide pools at Point Loma. We dressed up and went to a candlelight tribute to Taylor Swift by a string quartet. We have had great meals and enjoyed the amazing views San Diego offers. But what I have loved the most is spending time with my daughter on just “regular” days. It’s so fun to just “be” with your grown children when it’s not a holiday or event, and you get to see them in their normal day-to-day activities. We both worked full-time during my stay, and she has also gone to class. I have been able to experience her life alongside her. I met many of her closest friends, and it gave me comfort knowing that she has people looking out for her in this new life she is building across the country. I also had some quality alone time with myself. I am working on loving my own company, and so far, I haven’t annoyed myself too much yet!

Today, Mowgli and I will be leaving San Diego and heading up to visit with my younger brother, his wife, and their three kids. They also live in a beautiful home, in a beautiful city, with amazing views. I am looking forward to walking Mowgli with an ocean view every morning. But, again, what I am most excited about is getting to know my brother, sister-in-law, and their 3 kiddos on a deeper level. I left for college out of state when my brother was in second grade, and we have never lived in the same state since then. The times we have been together since then have been holidays and busy times where it’s hard to get to know people. So, I’m pumped to help with morning routines, be at their house when the kids get home from school, and hopefully just blend into their lives for the next 12 days. Yep – they are saints for letting me be a guest that long!

Now, on to the little series I am calling:

What would 56-year-old Susan tell “then” Susan?

Chapter 2: What would 56-year-old Susan tell 18-year-old Susie?

NOTE: If you didn’t read about 13-year-old Susie, you may want to jump back to the previous post.

NOTE AGAIN: I am not one to live in regret, and I do understand that every part of my previous life has led me to this part of my life. Let me be clear, I don’t wish for my past to be erased or changed. This is “therapy” for me as I look back on the pivotal moments of my life and try to learn from and lean into my past experiences as I move into my new chapter.

1984 – Let me set the stage for you.
Eighteen-year-old me could not wait to leave Nebraska. My whole high school career was based on that one objective – going to college in a different state. I did apply to the University of Nebraska, for college, but that was my backup, to the backup, to the backup school. It wasn’t that I thought I was too good for Nebraska, I just wanted new adventures. I wanted to meet new people, and do new things. I was raised by parents who left home and moved to new, faraway places. And that is how I was raised. It was expected that we would leave home and go far, far away…and don’t forget to take your lunch. See you at Christmas break.

With those things in mind, here are a few things 56-year-old me would tell 18-year-old Susie:

The next 5 years are going to be full of decision-making. You are good at making fast decisions and making them work. But, there is nothing wrong with taking time when thinking about big decisions. Not all decisions need to be made quickly.

Adventure is good. Running is not good. You will not be a new person just because you move to a new place.

Slow down. You don’t have to always be achieving or checking things off your to-do list.

What do you want? Think about that. Don’t think about what you think other people want. Don’t think about what you “should” do.

Boys are great. Girlfriends are better. Stay in touch with your friends, and don’t let life get in the way. You will have FOMO when you are 50 years old and see your college friends getting together and you aren’t part of that.

The Freshman 15 is legit. But it’s ok. You will lose it. Drink the beer, and eat the pizza. It’s all part of the experience.

What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?

If you don’t already, follow me on Instagram and Facebook. I am posting daily on my stories of all my adventures! Here are a few highlights from the last 10 days!

Let’s first look at my current road trip statistics:

As you can see, these first 20 days have been a whirlwind.

I am grateful that the pace has settled down and I am finding my routine and my rhythm. If you know me, you know I operate best when I have a routine and know what to expect! I’ll be at my current location in San Diego for the next 10 days or so, and it’s given me an opportunity to get settled, focus on work, and some of my intentions for this trip.

When I came up with this hair-brained idea back in the fall, it originated out of a desire to complete my bucket list item of visiting all 50 states. But as my divorce was finalized, I knew I needed it to be more than that. I needed to figure out who I am now, in this phase of my life. In my previous phases of life, I was a student, an employee, a wife, a working mom, a stay-at-home mom, a single mom, a remarried woman with a very dysfunctional blended family, an unhappily married empty nester, and now a happy and single empty nester.

Part of figuring out who I am now, what I want out of my life, is reflecting on those past stages of my life. What caused me joy and led to a healthy relationship with myself and others? What caused me stress and pain and led to an unhealthy relationship with myself and others? 

I’m not one to live a life of regret. I 100% believe that every decision I made in my life was the best decision I could have made based on the information I had and the frame of mind I was in at the time. And, I love my life. Even the sadness, missteps, and tragedies. They have made me who I am today. However, I am grateful that as the years have gone on, I have become so much more self-aware and cognizant of why I react the way I do to situations and people. I am grateful I am growing as a person both in understanding myself and others around me. But I do feel like if I had a little more wisdom I may have made different decisions.

So, I’m starting a little series called,

What would 56-year-old Susan tell “then” Susan.

Maybe some of this will resonate with you as well!

Chapter 1: What would 56-year-old Susan tell 13-year-old Susie.

Before we do, I need to set the stage and tell you a little bit about 13-year-old me. My dad was a Marine Corps pilot and was killed in action in Vietnam in 1968 when I was 2 years old. Sadly, I don’t have any memories of him. My mom married my stepdad, who was a great guy when I was 4 years old. At this stage of my life, we lived in Walnut, CA (Southern CA) and had a beach house in San Clemente, CA where we would spend weekends and holidays. My mom worked full time and my stepdad owned his own business. I wore Vans and Chemin de Fer jeans. We had 5 kids in our family ranging in age from 15 to newborn. My stepdad was ready to sell his business and they decided to move us from Southern California back to the Midwest where both my mom and stepdad were raised. So, they purchased 4 acres and a 1904 farmhouse in rural Nebraska outside a town of about 3500. We were 5 miles from town, and our nearest neighbor was 1/4 mile away. We moved there from southern California. I was 13. And a girl. This did not go over well, people! I may or may have done some destructive and self-sabotaging things at this age.

So here are a few things I would tell 13-year-old Susie.

Other 8^th graders in Nebraska will NOT think you are cool because you are from California. They are not impressed with your Vans and Chemin de Fer jeans. You will cry a lot those first few weeks in Nebraska. Stay humble, be sweet, and I promise, you will make friends.

Speaking of what people think of you… STOP CARING ABOUT THAT. You worry way too much about what others think. What do YOU think of YOU? Love yourself. Love your strengths and talents and love your flaws and imperfections. It’s what makes you, YOU! The sooner you learn that the happier you will be with your life, and you will attract friends and people into your life who love you for all those reasons as well!

Stop being boy crazy. I know a lot of 13-year-old girls are boy crazy, but that look is not good on you.

Those self-destructive things you are going to do, think, say as you get older…they are only hurting YOU. No one else. So, don’t even go there Susie, you are worth so much more.

In 1982, Diet Coke will be invented. DO NOT START DRINKING IT! It will be your worst addiction.

What advice would you give your 13-year-old self?

If you don’t already, follow me on Instagram and Facebook. I am posting daily on my stories of all my adventures! Here are a few highlights from the last 10 days!

Today is day 14 of my 4-month Next Chapter Best Chapter road trip and it’s also my 56^th birthday! Last night, I arrived in La Jolla, CA, where I will spend the next 16 days visiting my daughter. I’ll also be working my full-time job, exploring the area, taking in the beautiful weather, and doing a few unexpected things!

In honor of my 56 years on this spinning rock, I have come up with a list of 56 things I want to experience on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. A bucket list within my bucket list! Keep in mind that this list was created with the help of two friends and one (ok, maybe more) of Uncle Mike’s famous margaritas. And there is one item on this list that I was double-dog dared to add, but will not actually do… a blog post Easter Egg if you will! For fun, put in the comments which experience you think is the Easter Egg!

And, if you have any great ideas I should add, let me know in the comments as well! I’m happy to add more to the list!

Fifty-six bucket list items to experience on my
Next Chapter Best Chapter road trip:

(“New States” are: Idaho, Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin)

1. Hike Devil’s Bridge in Arizona

2. Get a tattoo or two

3. Glamp at Joshua Tree National Park

4. Visit Yellowstone National Park

5. Go on a solo hike

6. Visit Zion National Park

7. Visit Petrified Forest National Park

8. Take a selfie at Imperial Sand Dunes

9. Go to a concert

10 Go to a drive-in movie theater

11. Make a friend while hiking solo

12. Go to a gun range

13. Eat out at a restaurant by myself

14. Eat food I have never eaten before

15. Dance on a bar top

16. Receive a ticket or violation of some kind

17. Go to a strip club

18. Get a photo with a random person in every new state

19. Get a selfie with a celebrity

20. AirDrop a funny photo to a random person

21. See a moose in the wild

22. See a bear in the wild

23. Go to the dog beach in San Diego

24. Go whale watching

25. Giving surfing a try

26. Watch a sunset in every new state

27. Have a one-night stand

28. Watch a sunrise in every new state

29. Stargaze in every new state

30. Eat a potato in Idaho

31. Relax in an Idaho hot spring

32. Go to a brewery in every new state

33. Eat salmon in Alaska

34. See a bald eagle in Alaska

35. Eat a bison burger in Montana

36. Eat chokecherry jam/pie in North Dakota

37. Eat cheese curds in Wisconsin

38. Get a selfie with a cowboy

39. Swim in the Pacific Ocean

40. Swim in the Atlantic Ocean

41. Exercise on the beach

42. Exercise in the mountains

43. Go to a rodeo

44. Go to a professional sports game

45. Go fishing

46. Complete my Random Act of Kindness cards

47. Collect a Christmas ornament in every state I sleep in

48. Listen to the entire Annie F. Downs EnneaSummer Series Podcast

49. Go to Disneyland

50. Learn how to make the perfect Old Fashioned

51. Lose 10 pounds

52. Visit a psychic

53. Go skinny dipping

54. Take a scenic drive without a GPS

55. Zipline

56. Book my flight to Hawaii (my last of the 50 states to visit)

I hope you have enjoyed riding shotgun on my road trip so far! Fourteen days down, 108 to go!

Organization and Travel Items

Safety Items

Portable Air Compressor

I feel much more comfortable knowing I have this portable air compressor in my trunk as well. I’m doing most of the driving portions of my trip by myself and I want to make sure I have as many bases covered as possible when it comes to safety!

I purchased this one at Best Buy: Air Compressor

Clothes and Personal Items

• 35 hours in my car
• 2,110 miles driven
• 8 states traveled through (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona.
• 1 National Park visited – Petrified Forest National Park
• 8 friends visited with 124 years total since I had seen them
• 10 Gas Fill Ups
• $3.39/gallon in Wichita Falls, TX on 3/7/22 – Lowest gas price
• $4.59/gallon in Gilbert, AZ on 3/10/22 – Highest gas price
• 1 Hike at the San Tan Mountain Regional Park
• 3 Instagram Reels, 4 TikTok Videos, and way too many Instagram and Facebook Stories to count!
• 1,000,000 – the number of times I have said “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS MY LIFE!”

Lessons learned in Week 1:

Don’t let friendships get lost in the day-to-day busyness of life: I reconnected with seven friends I hadn’t seen in years and in some cases decades. While we easily and quickly fell back into the step as if we had never been apart, I think of all the wasted years in between. Life gets busy, I know that as much as anyone. But relationships are what life is about. Set aside some time to reach out to a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. Go have coffee or a zoom happy hour and catch up. I promise you won’t regret it.

Don’t stop at gas stations with dog runs: Somewhere in the middle of Mississippi, I stopped at a Love’s Travel Center that had a dog run. I thought it was a good idea. The dog run was small and had 3 large dogs in it, so I decided to just walk Mowgli around the grassy area. Bad decision – there were SO MANY smells, Mowgli got so worked up, it took him an hour back in the car to finally calm down. And people who travel with their dogs and stop at truck stops don’t believe in cleaning up after their dogs. You guys – it was DISGUSTING!

When God closes a door, know he is protecting you or planning on something even better than you could have imagined: I feel like I have always known this, but sometimes it’s hard to remember. Sometimes we get reminded of it when a door we thought was wide open for us gets abruptly and firmly slammed in our face, as it did for me this week. For a hot minute, I was so angry and didn’t understand why this opportunity fell through. But when I took some time to pray and think about it, I know that God ALWAYS has my back. I’m not sure what that will look like, but that slammed door now has me SO EXCITED and on the lookout for what He has planned in my life. That slammed door has given me the freedom to be open to the outrageous and the unexpected. So…stay tuned, and let’s all hope God reveals that plan in the next four months! Wouldn’t that be exciting?

Listen to new music: There is comfort in the known and listening to songs that bring back memories of great times and places. But there is also something amazing about opening yourself up to new songs, new styles of music, and new memories.  Thanks to my son Zach for setting up some great playlists for me, and helping me to create new memories tied to those songs along the way!

Be nice: Being on the road for over 35 hours, it’s so important to be nice. It’s EASY to be snarky and short-tempered, but it’s so much better to be nice. Let the trucker in, even if he is going below the speed limit on a hill while passing another trucker. Move to the right, even when you don’t want to get behind that car that is going way too slow, but the person behind you is obviously in a hurry. Be polite and nice to the gas station attendants, they see weary travelers all day.

Take a detour: You don’t always have to be on a schedule. Some unplanned stops on my trip were some of the best resting and reset points along the way. Mowgli and I hung out in Tupelo, MS at Elvis’s birthplace where Mowgli got a ton of pets from all the tourists, and I got a need stretching of my legs. At the Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo, TX we met a super sweet couple who we chatted with for a while, and Mowgs and I got our first road trip picture together. And I got the best scenery pictures so far at the Petrified National Forest in Arizona. 

It’s ok to feel the feelings: I am an Enneagram 3 and the last thing an Enneagram 3 wants to do is feel our feelings. I am an expert at stuffing down my feelings, and quite frankly wear it like a badge of honor! “I’m fine. I’m good. I’m great. I’m awesome.” But, this trip is designed for me to heal and restore my soul so I can live a life of joy and freedom from guilt, shame, and others’ expectations. So, I forced myself to spent a lot of time on the road just feeling the feelings of the last 12 years of my life. From sadness to joy, heartbreak to happiness. And that was a good thing.

If you don’t already, follow me on Instagram and Facebook. I am posting daily on my stories of all my adventures!