Our Story
From the time they met, Tim had expressed a desire to visit all national parks. Initially, Beth didn’t quite “get it”. Her idea of an ideal vacation consisted of the beach, a comfy chair, a good book, and grown-up snacks. However, after visiting Arches, she was all in.
In 2019, Tim had the opportunity to leave the corporate world in which he had built a successful career in the field of Information Technology. While thankful for the provision corporate employment has provided for the family, in the fall of 2019, he decided to take a leap, push pause, and truly begin the process of visiting all our national parks.
When our children were young, Tim told me that he wanted us to camp. “Camp” as in a tent? With bugs and stuff? Ok. Maybe I could day-camp, but overnight?
He said we would make memories. He said his family camped and it was fun. (His mother didn’t recall their camping trips being fun – probably because she was cooking, packing, washing, cleaning, entertaining kids.) Nevertheless, I love the guy, so we tried tent camping. Twice. I survived.
Next we tried popup camping – better. Fast forward through years of going to Disney and staying in Disney properties. The kids are grown. It’s just the two of us. Now what?
in 2018, we tried “glamping” in Utah. That is getting closer to an experience that is a fit for both of us. Outdoors for Tim, a comfy bed for me, and great safari-like pictures. We also continued to consider various RV options and one by one ruled out the majority. We decided we weren’t interested in a Class A or C motor home. We decided we weren’t even interested in a Class B. That left travel trailers.
We narrowed our options to two manufacturers when word came that the novel coronavirus has arrived in the United States. As the COVID situation escalated, it only took about two weeks for all our travel plans to be put on hold.
Pop
Growing up in small-town Iowa I learned to love the outdoors. My father taught me to hunt and fish at an early age and since both my parents were public school teachers, we would take extended family trips during the summer. That’s where I learned to love traveling and exploring the great outdoors.
I remember taking an aptitude test in 8th grade. The test results indicated I should pursue becoming a National Park Forest Ranger. At the age of 14, I thought that would be a great profession.
However, that did not come to fruition. Instead, I followed my passion for athletics and played every sport available in school, continuing with Junior College basketball before transferring to the University of Iowa to pursue a degree in Management Information Systems. I landed my first post-grad job as a Software Engineer at NCR Chicago.
Over the next 40 years, I married the love of my life, raised two wonderful children, and was blessed to advance my career to serve as the top technology executive in three different companies in three different cities. When I turned 60, I felt it was time to leave corporate America, hang up my role as a Chief Information Officer (CIO), spend more time with Beth, and pursue the dream of traveling and exploring the great outdoors. So here we are: Tim and Beth (aka Pop and Mimi) stepping out in faith as we navigate the road set before us.
Mimi
When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a cowgirl. Saturday morning television fed this dream as I watched Roy Rogers and Dale Evans ride the range and defeat the bad guys.
Growing up in the Southeast, not only were there no epic ranges to ride, but more grown-up plans soon replaced the little girl dreams. My high school ambition transitioned into a desire to break barriers women were experiencing in the corporate world. Although my dad wanted me to be a legal secretary, I quietly rebelled and majored in accounting and computer programming. Graduating with honors, I was soon employed as a senior software engineer for one of the top three computer vendors in the world – NCR. (see the connection? 😉 )
After Tim and I had our first child, I put my career on hold in order to be a full-time, at-home mom. Before long there was child #2, and I turned all my attention to being a wife, mother, and volunteer with various non-profit organizations.
I have been fortunate to continue with technology in my volunteer roles. AFter 7 years of nearly full-time volunteer work with the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, I too have “retired” and am excited to apply my interest in design and technology to our upcoming travel-life.