What really started this idea of riding across the country?

Our motto is "work hard, play hard" however, in the last year the "work hard" side was taking over my existence.   I still had lots of time for vacation and fun but work was always looming in the back of my mind.  Randy's the same way about work - it's always there.  We're dedicated, and creative business people and our minds just don't easily turn off.

We knew we needed a change and last year, we started talking about downsizing.  What does that really mean?  Clean out a few closets, get rid of some junk, have a garage sale, stop buying stuff.  However, our way of life wasn't changing; we weren't changing.

New Year's Eve brought renewed resolutions; finish projects, take more time for reconnecting with friends, create opportunities for making new friends, focus on our health, take time for each other, figure out how to de-stress.  We never make resolutions and this year with our friends Tanna and Russ, we actually talked about a few of our resolutions.  Be accountable to each other to get them done.   The New Year passed, we went back to our lives and our resolutions tucked in the back of our minds waiting for "someday" to start; after all, we have the whole year ahead of us.

On January 16, 2014, our lives were irrevocably changed. Randy's best friend from college, Kent Parker died of heart attack at age 50.  Kent worked from home and that afternoon used his cell phone to call 911 for help, which never arrived.  In Salt Lake County, when you call 911 from your cell, you can't be sure that your neighborhood fire department will respond.  In Kent's situation, a dispatcher, 15 miles away picked up his call. After waiting 20 minutes, Kent called back and told the dispatcher he was "feeling better" and the dispatched allowed him to cancel his call for help.   A few minutes later, his wife, Lisa found him unresponsive.   He lives 1/2 mile from a fire station and hospital.

Kent left behind a wife, children and a huge circle of heartbroken friends and family. Kent was one of the good guys, a genuinely nice person who loved his family, friends, REAL soccer, darts, travel, motorcycles, his cabin, the outdoors; he loved life.  Everyone who knew him misses him every day.

Lisa, Kent, Cathleen & Randy 

Losing Kent rocked Randy's world and then a few days later, we learned that Randy's company was to be sold and he might be out of a job soon.  January was a tough month.

February was worse.  Randy's company sold, closed and over 150 people laid-off.

Now, Randy's unemployed but I'm not worried.  He's talented, with an entrepreneurial spirit that is unparalleled.  His career has been incredibly successful and I know he'll land in a great job.

He's also the most positive person you'll meet. His beer glass is always 1/2 full even when it's empty while my wine glass is always 1/2 empty even when it's full.  His positivity keeps me going even though it drives me crazy.

I jokingly tell Randy that we should sell everything, buy a RV that holds our bikes and just take off.  He thinks I'm serious and he starts planning our departure.  I ignore him and tell him to get a job.

March rolls around and life gets even tougher.  With everything going on in my personal life and at my job, my stress level is skyrocketing and I'm not handling it well.  I find myself wanting to leave my job, so I do.  In the blink of an eye, my life is dramatically different and I'm unemployed for the first time in my career.

So now, we're both unemployed.  Our new year's resolutions and simplifying our lives suddenly became our priority.  

We're also realizing that this is an opportunity to figure out our dreams and reinvent our lives. 

What is next?   We can do anything.

Randy whispers to me...road trip.