It seemed like a good idea at the time...

My first job out of law school was with Long & Jaudon, P.C. One of the things that drew me to the firm, other than it was the only firm to offer me a job, was that the firm had a sabbatical program for attorneys who had been there for ten years or more. Unfortunately, the firm ceased providing legal services three years into my career and I never had the opportunity to avail myself of the sabbatical program.

When my current law firm celebrated the tenth anniversary of its founding, in October 2011, I talked with my partner about instituting our own sabbatical program and, to my surprise, she agreed. Since October 2011 it seems like I've been involved in non-stop litigation or recovering from one form of surgery or another and it never seemed like the right time to leave. Then, about six or seven months ago I saw an opening on my calendar and Jll and I decided the time was right. I put a three month hold on my calendar at work, followed up with an e-mail to the firm explaining that it was not a joke, that I would be taking a sabbatical, and that they should not schedule me for anything during the months of June, July, or August.

On the family front, this seems like as good a time as any to spend time together.  Adelaide is ten, Alastair is eight, Dagny is six, and Magnolia just turned five. Adelaide is beginning to show signs of adolescence and I feared that if we waited too much longer to spend the summer together travelling, she would think it was the worst idea ever. None of the kids have cell phones, iPods, iPads, Nintendo DS's, or any other form of technology so we can now spend time with each other instead of in the same vicinity, but in our own worlds.

With the time for a sabbatical set aside, Jll and I next had to figure out what we were going to do with three months free. We considered travelling internationally, but Magnolia being only five years old cannot negotiate airports or train stations carrying her own bags so backpacking through Europe was out. We also thought about getting a long term rental home in some great city, or a few great cities, in the world, but then thought about the fact that there are places in the US we have never seen.

The net result of our discussions and considerations was that we ended up buying an RV and are planning to travel throughout the eastern parts of the US, visiting family, friends,
and places. We will be rolling out of Denver on June 9th, not to return until August 23rd. I assume things will change along the way, but our current itinerary looks like this:

North Platte, NE	June 9-10
Omaha, NE	June 10-11
Indianola, IA	June 11-12
Springfield, IL	June 12-14
Orland Park, IL	June 14-16
Wheeling, IL	June 16-18
Lake Villa, IL	June 18-19
Cedar Point, OH	June 19-21
Buffalo, NY	June 21-23
Herkimer, NY	June 23-24
Montpelier, VT	June 24-28
Portland, ME	June 28-July 2
Boston, MA	July 2-5
Provincetown, MA	July 5-7
Martha's Vineyard, MA	July 7-8
Middletown, CT	July 8-10
Sparta, NJ	July 10-11
New York, NY	July 11-15
East Hampton, NY	July 15-16
Philadelphia, PA	July 16-18
Lancaster, PA	July 18-19
Hershey, PA	July 19-20
Gettysburg, PA	July 20-21
Washington, DC	July 21-26
Charlottesville, VA	July 26-28
Winston Salem, NC	July 28-30
Charleston, SC	July 30-August 1
Orlando, FL	August 1-5
Punta Gorda, FL	August 5-8
Adel, GA	August 8-9
Birmingham, AL	August 9-11
New Orleans, LA	August 11-14
Beaumont, TX	August 14-15
Austin, TX	August 15-17
Dallas, TX	August 17-19
Amarillo, TX	August 19-20
Santa Fe, NM	August 20-22
Taos, NM	August 22-23
Denver, CO	August 23-

So there you have it. We have 17 days until we hit the road and hope to see a lot of you along the way. I truly believe it will be a great adventure and that we won't look back on it and say "it seemed like a good idea at the time..."

- Dave