After more than five years of living on the road as “creative nomads,” we made the difficult decision to sell our Airstream, move to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and renovate a house. So, why not document it all?

The process of reviving my beloved boots has reawaken the opportunity to take better care of the items we own. It should also play a vital role in our future purchasing decisions. But most of all, it should start with brands to DESIGN BETTER PRODUCTS.

One of the greatest benefits of getting outside and camping is the relief it provides from our daily routines. Getting away from the day-to-day is one of the biggest reasons why many of us get out and unplug.

We toured the United States three times from 2017-2022 - for a nationwide nonprofit mission, national client work, and a last horay for ourselves. In case you’re curious, here is every single campground (and parking lot) we’ve stayed in.

When we decided to sell everything to live/work on the road from our Airstream, my shoe collection went from 100+ to less than 10 pairs. Here are the 9 pairs of shoes that I apparently couldn’t live without on our creative nomadic life and outdoor adventures.

In 2017, we took a giant leap, sold everything, bought an Airstream, and left our careers in fashion to take our [HAS HEART] nonprofit mission across the country. Towards the end of 2021, we opened a preview exhibit featuring the first 12 state projects.

After meeting with Airstream’s creative agency in Atlanta, we had some free time before we headed towards Columbus to host the State 39: Georgia project, so we found ourselves exploring one of the city’s oldest cemeteries that overlooked its modern skyline.

While on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we visited the powerful National Memorial for Peace and Justice by the Equal Justice Initiative and the Legacy Museum in historic Montgomery, Alabama.

While on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we were originally supposed to conduct our State 24: Hawai'i project while we were on the West Coast, but a rare hurricane hitting the islands had other plans. Little did we know what the circumstances would be by the time we were able to make it to the island well over a year later.

After we were able to spend Christmas and New Year with both sets of our parents in Florida, we received the news that the funding for the [HAS HEART] 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour was quickly drying up. Without any immediate support in sight, we made the difficult decision to pause the tour until we could raise enough to complete the mission.

While on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we spent a few days along the Mississippi River outside of Memphis so that we could visit the Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel, the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. just over 50 years ago.

While on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we really enjoyed visiting museums. Whether they were iconic establishments like the MOMA in New York, prestigious as the Yale University Art Gallery in Connecticut, or niche regional collections like the Desert Museum in Arizona — none were quite like Crystal Bridges in Bentonville.

While on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we always look for those special gems that make each city unique. Knowing hardly anything about Oklahoma City, we immediately felt at home in Midtown with its bookstores, coffee shops, and an incredible Mexican restaurant.

Unlike Dorthy, we were able to bring our home with us while on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour. Even though the RV park in Kansas wasn’t the nicest of campgrounds, there’s still no place like home when you can park it nearly anywhere.

While on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, Noel sunbathed in the front door of the Airstream cheering us on as Kendra and I took to the basketball court at the KOA campground to play a competitive game of h-o-r-s-e. There may be some debate about who won, but that shouldn’t let us from enjoying everything Kansas City had to offer.

While on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, what could more Iowan than harvesting corn? Kendra’s dad grew up in Dyke and his childhood friend is a farmer who let me ride on the combine to pluck a few rows of corn. Meanwhile, Kendra was falling head over paws for a barn cat. Just your typical day. But to our pleasant surprise, Iowa had much more to offer.

Following a beautiful stint in Colorado on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we went from the Rocky Mountains to the plains of Nebraska in a similar fashion as Harry and Lloyd, expect instead of freezing together on a moped, we had a cozy Airstream to keep us warm from an unseasonably wintery Fall.

While on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we drove the Million Dollar Highway through the San Juan Mountains that was full of hairpin turns and switchbacks with pops of yellow Aspen leaves all around us. We were, however, not quite expecting to see a yellow river to match.

After a hurricane canceled our Hawai’i project on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we had some extra time in Utah, so we headed south to Zion, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Arches National Parks. But first, we had to pull over to add our Utah license plate decal.

Due to a tight timeline on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we opted to fly to Anchorage, rent a car, and stay in AirBnB cabins to conduct the [HAS HEART] project and explore a teeny tiny portion of the Alaskan wilderness that kept us wanting to come back for more.