Hello everyone!
We’re Chantel and Dave and we are….what the hell are we? I stared at the beginning of that sentence for a few hours trying to figure out how to end it and there’s no one phrase that can sum up who we are. I guess that’s why we’re Chasing Abnormal!
What does “Chasing Abnormal” mean anyway? Well, let us tell you how we came up with that name and then we’re hoping that it will make sense.
Dave retired from the US Navy after 20 years of active duty (not necessary for thanking him for his service…Chantel sacrificed a lot more than Dave did) and Chantel dutifully stayed at home raising their 5 kids and living the “American Dream.”
What do we mean by the American Dream? Well, you know..the dream that entails working a 9-to-5 job, having the large house on a small lot crammed with things and items that don’t really mean anything, having the newest tv’s, cars, and of course, the debt that goes along with it. That’s the “normal” life that we’re all supposed to be pursuing, right?
In the process of retiring from the Navy and preparing to move, Chantel began the mission to downsize our lives SIGNIFICANTLY, and get our lives back on track. In 2015, we went on an epic family vacation that sparked our passion for travel and living more simply. We had always went on a vacation each summer, but it was filled with visiting family and doing the same activities each year. We wanted more for ourselves and our kids, and we deserved to see this great country we live in.
In 2016, we began shedding the “things” that weren’t important to us in that mission of simplification. We moved to Iowa to be closer to family and downsized ALOT. In our discoveries in downsizing, we realized that we have a great desire to travel and give ourselves more “experiences” than giving ourselves “things.” The dream to eventually get rid of EVERYTHING and live a nomadic lifestyle was born!
The key word is “eventually.” There is still some real life that we have to deal with first before that dream comes true. The facts are that we have 5 kids that like where they go to school and have new-found friends, we have 4 dogs and 4 cats that we want to be able to enjoy while they’re still around, and we still are paying down quite a bit of debt from the past 20 years of chasing the “normal” life.
We’ve decided to give up trying to chase that “normal” life, and have begun chasing the life that is not normal…free of things, full of experiences, and most importantly much, much happier!
Come along and join us in our adventures and our trials and tribulations in chasing this abnormal life. We know it’s not going to be easy, but it is definitely going to be fun and we want to share it with all of you!