Initial Thoughts...

Time to get started I guess. Devin and I were just talking about creating a diary of sorts as we journey down the next path of our lives. We are at a crossroads and we have spent the last week or so trying to make a decision: to go to Kilimanjaro or not.

Let me give you some background. At this point in our lives we are both happy at our jobs. Dev is the wildlife manager for Grouse Mountain and I am working in the IT department for the North Vancouver School District.

We are also on the cusp of being entirely debt-free. All that is left is a couple thousand on the credit cards and a few thousand on Dev's Canada student loans. That might still sound like a lot but it should only take us another month or so to pay it off. After already paying off close to $100k in debt, anything less than $10k feels pretty damn close! To matter matters even better, Dev's compensation in his job landed us in a cute little A-frame cabin located on the top of Grouse. Because it is part of his job to live up here, it nearly eliminated our housing costs. No rent, mortgage, hydro, gas, phone or Internet costs. All we pay for up here is our satelite TV.

Getting back on track here so you can see how this all relates to our crossroads...

We have also been casually trying for the past year or so to start a family, that is to say, trying to have kids. Thus far, we have been unsuccessful. There was one point last summer when I was indeed pregnant however after only 7 weeks, I miscarried. From what I have learned since then, this is fairly common in my family.

So this crossroads of ours relates to whether or not to put the chance of children on hold and to assume a bit more debt in order to plan and take a trip to 'the roof of Africa'. It feels strange writing all of this now. Not knowing where we will end up. Not knowing how Devin or I may be changed as people by this time I reach the end of this blog. Should we take this trip? Should we keep trying to start a family? We have only been toying with this idea for two weeks now. We have started talking to friends and family about the potential that we may take this trip. All are encouraging us to go for it. I see so many looking to live vicariously through us. Many have told us of their regrets for not taking similar trips before starting their family, before settling down. The one thing I do know for sure is that I want to live my life fully and I hope I will never have any regrets.