Hi, I’m Jessica, welcome to my blog! I originally started this site in October of 2012 when I was working full time and taking college courses online, and needed a creative outlet. I had started several blogs before, but always eventually deleted them because the thought of people reading those posts full of my thoughts embarrassed me. After a few months and some big life changes, this site kind of slipped my mind and didn’t receive any attention through most of 2013.
A year later, I found myself in a completely different place: 1600 miles away from my home state of Iowa, figuring out life in Arizona with my new husband (but long-time best friend) Curtis. We were loving married life and making a habit of going out each week and exploring our new home. On one particular sunset hike, Curtis mentioned how fun it’d be to have a way to record our adventures and share pictures so that friends and family back home could see what we were doing. “Do you know anything about blogging?” he asked, and I remembered this neglected site. It even had the perfect name: Saving Time in a Bottle, a song by Jim Croce which we had claimed as ours back in high school. I logged back in, gave it a face lift, and began writing about our life — and this time, I stuck to it!
Since then, Curtis graduated college and commissioned as an officer in the US Navy, we adopted a puppy, hiked thousands of miles, moved across the country nine times, made a home in 6 different states, and visited all 50 US states and 9 CA provinces. After nearly 10 years in the military, Curtis got out and began a new career as a nuclear engineer, working remotely and traveling to power plants to perform maintenance. Given this exciting opportunity, we became nomadic, traveling wherever his job takes us. We managed to go the first 7 months of being nomads living out of our Subaru Outback, but when we decided we wanted to continue this lifestyle, we bought a van and converted it into our own tiny home. We’ve strived to live each day to the fullest, to make the most of wherever we are, and find the good in every situation. All of that and more has been recorded on the pages of this website.
Here’s some other things you should know about us…
We both grew up in Christian homes, but as we have grown older we have been able to learn and grow in our faith and have each made it our own. I love reflecting on the fact that there is a God who loves me so much that He paid the ultimate price so that I can spend eternity with Him. He gave His life for me, and I am striving to live mine for Him. We see our purpose on this earth as being to glorify and honor God through our words and actions, and to share His love, compassion, and acceptance to all people.
We like to take every opportunity we have to go out and make the most of wherever Curtis’ job sends us. Throughout our time in the Navy, we made our home in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, the swamps of the Low Country in South Carolina, the rolling hills and mountains in the Adirondacks in New York, the beaches and volcanoes of Hawaii, and the great plains of the Midwest. The United States of America never ceases to amaze us with its unique natural beauty and differences in culture. We’re grateful to have this opportunity to live and enjoy life in so many places!
Jessica:
-Is the oldest of 6 kids
-Was homeschooled all the way through High School
-Played piano & cello
-Attended Carlson College of Massage Therapy
-Has a passion for making delicious food
-Always wanted to be a writer, and love the opportunities this site has given me to do so!
Curtis:
-Second oldest of 4 kids
-Played piano, trumpet, and has the voice of an angel
-Graduated from University of Arizona with a double major in Physics & Astronomy and a math minor
-Enjoys woodworking, metal detecting, coin collecting, and letterboxing
-Has built the majority of our furniture: a table & benches, bed frame, coffee table, 2 bookshelves, and an adirondack chair set
-Loves reading about history and has a general wealth of knowledge about so many topics
Together:
-Known each other since we were 10, and best friends since we were 16
-Jess knew in 5th grade that we’d get married
-Obsessed with maps
-Would rather walk than drive most anywhere; would rather drive cross-country than fly
Charlotte:
-Born on 7/14/14, adopted 9/21/14
-Most adorable basset hound ever
-Extremely motivated by food, will also accept belly rubs
-Is happiest when she’s doing whatever we’re doing
-Technically a hunting dog but the only things she hunts are things she can eat
-Is a total champ at adjusting to wherever we go, but especially loves playing in snow
-Looks adorable in her life jacket and is an excellent navigator when we’re kayaking
Charlotte lost her vision to glaucoma at the age of 8 ½, but after having her eyes removed she bounced back and still loves doing everything with us — including hiking mountains! Most of the time, people can’t even tell that she’s blind.
Our Longterm Goals:
-Hike to the highest point in every state in the USA
-Visit every county in the USA & Canada
-Backpack as many long distance trails as possible
-Live anywhere West of the Rockies
-Use our talents, trades, & hobbies to make the world a better place & to bring God glory