Camping life is so much bigger than it seems. Usually when we think about camping… Especially in a smaller camper… or Tent… We think about roughing it in the woods, or at a campground with little to no amenities.
This is not always true, nor do I pretend it is… Nowadays camping is so much more.There’s so many beautiful campgrounds, some have the amenities of a three and four star hotel. Beautiful pools, gift shops , tennis courts etc. etc.
A couple of years ago we were given a camper by Marcus Lemonis, the owner of camping world. We were super excited because what we plan to do with our camper was to travel around the United States.
We wanted to meet with families in rural/ small towns etc.. America about helping them with their life skills, social skills, as well as starting a small business. We basically just wanted to unite different families around the country so that they didn’t feel like they were alone.
My husband and I, and Peyton planned to do this… However; with Covid being what it was, an so many states being under so many restrictions, we realized it just wasn’t feasible. Also, many autism families were afraid to be around others. We respected that, and decided to go a different direction with it.
This is part of the reason why I decided to do the Team Awesomism Virtual Academy! I was adamant on finding a way to help autistic families especially after Covid. So many different families were really suffering in ways that others did not even understand.
The virtual Academy came about because of this… But I have to admit I was quite sad that we didn’t start it with our camper. I have a vision of driving all over the place with Team Awesomism Virtual Academy, across the back of the camper… With stickers of those who supported us. It became very important to me.
You know how they say God has a sense of humor, and if you don’t learn to play along life isn’t anywhere near as much fun? There we were with this camper and what were we going to do? I thought about turning it into a podcast studio, and just doing podcast from different areas.
Well guess what? My oldest son got a job in Orlando, but housing was scarce and outrageously expensive, and he wasn’t sure how long he would be there. So he took our camper and he camped on a friends piece of land, and turn the camper into his home. It truly was a lifesaver .
Things in his life have turned around dramatically lately…yet he actually enjoyed the camper. Had a little fireplace in it, a kitchen, a bathroom, a shower etc. it was his home. Almost like tiny house living.
While I envisioned the camper to be a “lifesaver/support” for so many autism families… It has turned out to be a lifesaver for my family . We pivoted and decided to do the virtual Academy totally online! Do I still want to go out and travel after the Academy is up? To get all kinds of content, and meeting all these amazing autism families along the way… Yes of course!
As you see… Camping life is so much bigger then it seems. I hope the next time you see someone towing a camper… You smile and think I wonder what their story is, and I wonder who they’re helping. It may just be helping themselves by going a vacation, getting that break from life… Being close to nature and just enjoying themselves… Or may be so much bigger, like our story!
If you are interested in hearing more or learning more about our Team Awesomism virtual Academy, or would like to support us in anyway, here are some links.
Here is also my son’s website where he has created some absolutely adorable camping items… Please take a look at them and share this blog with your friends and family. Proceeds from all sales go to help Virtual Academy stay free for all autistic adults!
Thanks so much for all your support!
Lynne aka AwesomismMom