Magnificent Mount Rainier

We have left Oregon behind and are looking forward to Washington adventures. It is time to self-reflect on relationships while traveling.

Two and a half human beings staying 24/7 in a 23 feet long aluminum box with a mission to live, plan, strategize and move from place to place, so the needs of everyone are satisfied, is a challenge.

It is not the first time that me and Lukas distance ourselves from friends and family and live in a new environment. The first time began when we came to San Francisco. We had two suitcases and sat in Union Square until our hotel let us in to start a new life abroad.

Initially, we lived in a tiny studio in San Francisco, then moved to Peninsula (Mountain View) and upgraded our living to two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a gorgeous balcony. Afterwards, we moved again, this time to East Bay (Oakland) and gave ourselves even more space upgrading our living quarters into a huge loft in an industrial area next to a concrete plant. Eventually, we came back to where we had started and squeezed ourselves into this small Airstream trailer, where time and space is challenged by the three of us in it.

Living in this small space has its pros and cons.

Let's start with the pros. After five years of marriage and with Vėjas joining us, it is interesting to observe each other, who we have become, and find a new dynamic within the family. Also, all mothers will understand me here, what a special opportunity it is to share childcare. And what I mean here is not just sharing the individual responsibilities to please all feminists, but share childcare time-wise equally as well. And even when the work divvied up, looking after a baby is still hard.

Cons would be the small instances of domestic moral violence - getting frustrated by not finding things, putting things where they do not belong, lack of time and quiet for work, increased amount of time cooking and cleaning. And of course the only ones to get the blame are each other.

The good thing is that we have nowhere to run from each other and the tension has to be resolved quickly in such a small environment. We are forced to talk and sometimes even have a couple of conversations on one issue until we completely resolve it. And then we arrive at the next issue.

As time went on, we began to develop the blueprints for this lifestyle. But that is still in progress and no doubt will stay in progress till the end of the trip.

Overall, it is our choice. And we are still happy with it.