Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. —John Lennon
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June’s Blueprint: Best Laid Plans
Where The Plan lead us. Montrose, CO. Photo by Wendy Stieg
The Roadmap and Reality
20/20 hindsight. I definitely have that. It’s a funny idea, because, duh, if you already experienced it, then you know how it ended. It also implies we just don’t know what could happen. And life is filled with what could happen. Therein lies the idea behind planning. You plan for the things you know about that are common for travel, for moving, for anything in life, really. But planning is a fine art. Overplan, and you waste time. Underplan, and you could waste money, time, resources, and more. Leaving room for spontaneity also matters because if every second of a trip is planned, where do you experience life? Every traveler begins with a roadmap. The challenge is that maps are often incomplete. Roads close. Weather changes. Politics gets in the way. Opportunities appear. Sometimes the route you planned so carefully just turns out to be wrong. Keeping this in mind, the goal is not to predict every turn. The goal is simply to know which direction you are traveling. I have learned this the hard way. This month’s Blueprint discusses What I Thought Would Happen, What Actually Happened, and What Travel Has Taught Me About Plans, as we put The Plan into motion.
Earlier this quarter, I introduced what Paul and I call "The Plan.” Our roadmap for creating a life that includes Colorado, travel, financial independence, and eventually living part of the year abroad. If that phrase sounds unfamiliar, scroll down and revisit April's Blueprint: A Plan for The Plan.
Mt. Sneffels, San Juan Range. Photo by Paul Lampe
The view was there all along. Near Ridgway, CO Photo by Paul Lampe
What We Got Right
I think back to where we were in January. Things were completely unsettled: Paul did not have a job, my job was already showing signs of being unsustainable, and fear tended to dominate most of my conversations with Paul about how unstable things felt. I demanded we change things because it just was not working. Moving to Cortez seemed like a good idea, but in hindsight, the major issue was the lack of jobs. It never resolved. That did not mean we were giving up. I always say people never
fail; plans fail. This meant we refused to give up. We were making a huge transition from fully employed, living in Eagle County, working for The Man, generally feeling like a rat on a hamster wheel. We knew life could be better than the ongoing grind, and that we would have to bust a serious move for that to happen. But the move did not pan out. So what was I left with? I did have a decision to make, and that was to keep writing. It was also to stay flexible, and to sell before buying this time. And to have at least one of us employed before moving to our new home. Back in January, we were all over the place: Grand Junction? Paonia? Delta? Montrose? Ouray? Ridgway? We found Montrose to be more than just a bedroom community, and found our true dream home. That was part of the beginning of nailing down the long-term vision.
Planning a move isn't all that different from planning a trip. If you're feeling overwhelmed by too many possibilities, you might also enjoy How to Plan a Trip When You Don't Know Where to Start.
What Did We Miss?
Trying to figure out a place to live that was less expensive was not wrong. But forgetting to check on all of the other must-have’s was. When you move somewhere, especially if you want to retire, but you aren’t quite there, having a job is still pretty important. We learned that jobs are more stable in a way, but what is most stable is relying on ourselves. We do rely on ourselves, and are somewhat distrustful of jobs because mostly they are run by businesses. Businesses have one major goal: Make money. You do this by bringing in as much as you can and by spending as little as you can. Your goal as a business owner is not to be a charity, which I understand. But my goal as a human is to live a functional, happy, independent life filled with all of the things I love to do. For us, jobs now serve as a functional bridge, not a career path. I also missed that my desire to buy property in Portugal was rooted in my desire to not be in Cortez all the time. I think I already knew it was not the place for me. I know Paul loved it, loved being a mile away from Phil’s World. But we did not have everything we needed for Cortez to work. Another miss was waiting too long for things to improve. It took us almost two years to realize Cortez was not the place for us. Portugal not working out brought all of this into sharp focus.
Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Paul Lampe
What Happened that We Never Saw Coming?
Back in January, we had no idea that Paul would find a job in Montrose, that Paul would meet our realtor Tate, and that we would find a home that wasn’t even on the market. We also had no idea if our house would even sell. Read any headline from that time and everyone was saying how bad things were getting in the economy. It felt like an impossible situation. I told Paul I was giving us six months to sell, move and get this show on the road. The Cortez years weren’t a mistake, they weren’t lost time, but it did eat up time we would rather have spent saving money. But perhaps the Universe had other plans for us and felt we had some learning to do. OK. Learning happened. And so did real estate sales and purchases.
Tate showed us something like 15 houses one weekend and got to see which homes we really loved. We wanted to find an older home, we love the character, and find that they are built better. They also come with a higher price tag if you need to renovate. Renovation was not on the list for me, and had done that for the previous two houses and was not interested in doing that again. Tate knew of a house that the owner wanted to sell but that was not on the market yet. He artfully brokered the deal between us and the seller, and we ended up with a great little 1948 bungalow that was completely redone, top to bottom. Not only did Tate help us find this beauty, but he also worked tirelessly to ensure that the sale went through. We had a few nail-biting moments with closing, but Tate made it happen. It is amazing how quickly things shifted once the course changed. How did we even find Tate? Paul. Paul met him while eating tacos at Tacos del Gnar in Ridgway. Paul found Tate, and Tate saved the day.
Best Laid Plans
What fun would it be if we already knew the future? Here we are back to the 20/20 hindsight idea. We definitely got some pretty important details wrong when we tried to execute the first part of the plan. But the larger plan, as in The Plan, still had the right big idea. The Plan gave us direction. It stayed true to what we really want in this next book. We haven't reached the destination. We've simply arrived at the next stop on the journey. The Plan helped us make decisions even when life was unclear. It also kept the momentum when things felt uncertain. Cortez wasn't the answer. Portugal wasn't the immediate answer. Some assumptions were wrong. Some opportunities appeared out of nowhere. The route changed repeatedly, but the larger goal remained intact. Travelers know that maps are useful, but they aren't reality. Roads close. Weather changes. Detours happen. The skill isn't following the map perfectly. The skill is adjusting without losing sight of where you're trying to go. The best laid plans aren't the ones that unfold perfectly. They're the ones that are flexible enough to survive reality.
Choosing a place to live taught me many of the same lessons I've learned while choosing places to stay while traveling. For more on narrowing down options and making decisions, see Finding Lodging: Part 1 and Part 2.
What We Found Instead. Near Ridgway, CO Photo by Paul Lampe
May’s Blueprint:
Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible!’ —Audrey Hepburn
The Architecture of Independence
Lizard Head Pass, San Juans, CO. Photo by Paul Lampe
The Antithesis of Curation
I like to think of myself as the antithesis of the perfect Instagram post. My life is messy, not curated, and also definitely intentional. I am no better or worse than anyone else, but I am definitely happy that I see the world differently than most. As I enter my sixth decade, I find myself much more comfortable with my process, my way of seeing the world, and what I am good at. I think recognizing not just what you love but also what things come easily to you can help you take your life in a far better direction than following the rest of the sheep. There is nothing wrong with being a sheep, but I prefer to find a way to fly.
So how do you fly? What does it feel like when you can really soar in your life? I think you have to be unapologetic about how you see your life and stop compromising. There are hard "nos" in your life, and you have to be able to set those boundaries and stick to them. After spending 18 months in an area that has no jobs, and after more rejections than I ever thought possible, the slow realization that Cortez is not home base finally sank in. We put our house on the market, Paul found a job in Montrose, and we found a home in Montrose off-market. I await May 22 with bated breath. I soar in my heart as I think about these new horizons because it is just the beginning of a life well lived.
This article, May’s Blueprint, is part of the Life Notes series at Best of Both Worlds Blog. Read May’s Muse here for inspiration.
Perpignan, France
San Juans outside of Montrose, CO. Photo by Paul Lampe
The Launchpad
I might have mentioned that Paul and I have moved a few times. Well, collectively, more than a few. Definitely more than four. But none of that matters. The road right in front of us is what matters, not life events in the rearview mirror. We have repaired and renovated two homes before the one we found in Montrose. Moving into a completely renovated home feels like the most incredible gift. I remind myself that I get to do this. I get to sell a home and buy a new one. I get to live in Colorado. I get to be in a life that is aligned with who I am. We will be tweaking some of our interiors, but we will also use many of my upcycled pieces and things we have collected. My life is not necessarily curated, but some of the furniture we own is. This is another thing I get to do, and I am grateful for it. Part of what I feel I am creating with this new home is a command center, from which I can eventually create a life where I am my own boss. That is the one-day dream.
The Double Pivot
I enjoy my current job and have no plans to leave it right now. However, I am building this blog alongside a physical planner project and a library of digital printables. My goal is to break into this type of business to eventually become completely self-sufficient. I am moving toward a life of vitality rather than a traditional retirement where you simply stop living. I plan to do the exact opposite.
The original goal of moving to Cortez was to stabilize a base camp, but that never happened. We are now pivoting to Montrose, which is already proving to be a much better fit for our needs. I am ready to see these closings through, as we officially move into the Montrose home on May 23.
Initially, it did feel like a bit of a double whammy, not finding jobs over 18 months. That, coupled with realizing that we could not buy the cottage in Portugal, hit hard at first. But there was an opportunity for a pivot there, too. Rather than seeing that as a failure, we see it as a stepping stone. I went to Portugal by myself to try to secure that cottage, and that trip was a transformational trip for me as my first solo journey to a foreign country. Read about my adventures here, in my Solo Mission article.
The Scouting Roadmap
Our plan to soar through this next phase includes a 3-to-5-year horizon. We intend to scout the Girona to Perpignan corridor in Spain and France to see which area we prefer. We envision a Mediterranean lifestyle and diet, eventually purchasing a small cottage or beach apartment. I can hardly believe this is in our sights, as financially, it can feel like an impossible dream. But as Audrey Hepburn said, “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible!’”
The best part is that we don’t have to leave Colorado. We are exploring ways to fund these travel dreams, potentially through an accessory dwelling unit in our backyard in Montrose. The idea has been swirling in our heads for some time, and it would allow us to solidify the Best of Both Worlds. This strategy would finally let us bridge the Rockies to the Mediterranean. This is the very soul of our plan. Colorado is special, and we get to live here. The ski area we are closest to is Telluride, and I am excited about that. Read more here about Telluride experiences.
Telluride, CO Photo by Paul Lampe
Ready to Take Flight
We are now less than three weeks away from the double-closing that changes everything. This isn’t just about moving boxes from one zip code to another; it is about finally aligning my physical environment with my professional and personal trajectory. By choosing Montrose as our new base camp, we are positioning ourselves to be closer to the mountain culture we love while building the financial engine that will eventually carry us across the Atlantic.
We are now in the final sprint toward May 22, and while I have a few more stories to share from this desk, my focus is already shifting toward the new horizon. The Command Center will be commissioned, the MacBook Air M1 will be plugged in, and the work of bridging the Rockies to the Mediterranean will begin in earnest. It has taken 18 months of "hard nos" to get to this "yes," but as I look toward May 23, I realize the runway was exactly as long as it needed to be. It’s time to stop taxiing and finally take flight.
Girona, Spain, Photo by Lucas Chizzali
April’s Blueprint
A Plan for THE Plan
It is never too late to be what you might have been. —George Eliot
Town of Telluride from a Skier’s Perspective. Photo by Wendy Stieg
When the Life You Built No Longer Fits
There was a moment when Paul and I realized that we weren’t going to be able to sustain how we were living. Not only that, but that way of living no longer seemed to fit where we wanted to head. We had moved from Leadville, Colorado, to Eagle County, where we built what many would recognize as a version of the American Dream. We had a beautiful home in Gypsum, wonderful friends, and decent jobs. On the surface, everything looked right. But Eagle County is a place of extremes. At the intersection near Cooley Mesa Drive, on my way to work via Highway 6, you could watch a line of private jets arriving through the Eagle County Regional Airport, a steady stream of wealth moving through the valley. This is in stark contrast to the many others working very hard just to stay afloat. We found ourselves somewhere in the middle, aware of what we had and grateful for it, but increasingly aware that something wasn’t sitting right.
Somewhere in Andalusia, Spain Photo by Wendy Stieg
Mid-Stream
April’s Blueprint begins here. Taking something from Paul’s bucket list, exploring a new area in Europe, and beginning to shape what it might look like to spend time in the Barcelona region. The house is not sold. The timeline is not fixed. Nothing is fully resolved. But we are starting anyway. This piece is about that beginning, sitting down to plan, working through what we can, leaving what we can’t, and allowing the process to take shape without forcing it into something it isn’t yet. It is what it looks like when a life shift starts to become a plan.
This began in a different place, one that I wrote about more fully in April’s Muse: Inspiration for a Fresh Start.
The Question That Stayed
After the years following COVID, we were picking up the pieces and working hard without any particular plan. One morning Paul asked, “What are we doing? Are we just going to keep working like this? Until when?” It was a simple question, but it stayed with us. We realized we were working constantly, mostly to sustain a system that didn’t seem to move us forward. We had already traveled throughout the United States, spent time in Europe, and gone to Mexico for music that mattered deeply to us. Those experiences showed us that something else was possible. We were ready to try something different. We knew we wanted a different life, one that allowed us to be more intentional about how we lived, where we focused our energy, and what we were actually building toward.
Version One: Cortez and Portugal
The plan was simple: find stable jobs, lower our cost of living, and begin building toward a future that included buying a home in Portugal and work that was our own. We bought a home in Cortez and committed to making it work, but over time another reality set in. The jobs we needed weren’t there, not in Montezuma County and not in La Plata County, and by the beginning of 2026, the plan itself was beginning to unravel. We now find ourselves in a familiar place again, not at the beginning, but not settled either. Mid-stream. Not looking back on it, but living in it. This is not a story told from the other side, once everything has worked out. It is the middle, where things are still uncertain, still shifting, and still unresolved. It is from here that we are choosing to move forward.
I’ve seen this before, when plans meet reality in ways you don’t expect, something I wrote about in The Chateau Fights Back.
Andalusia Archway. Photo by Wendy Stieg
What This Plan Is
Paul has dreamed of seeing the triple crown of cycling in Europe: La Vuelta, Le Giro d’Italia, and Le Tour de France. We are both dreaming of eventually retiring in Spain, after much research, one failed attempt in Portugal, and the decision to live somewhere where digital nomads can thrive. Thanks to my new job, I can eventually look at living in other parts of the world and take my job with me. The idea of Europe means we have a home base from which to explore. It suits how we like to travel, which is not a series of Instagram-ready photos but real, lived experiences, becoming a part of a new community. Our shared desire to continue traveling is part of what is fueling this dream.
Andalusia Square. Photo by Wendy Stieg
Starting Anyway
We actually find ourselves in the middle of a transition, and some may say we are crazy to think this way, but you don’t get anywhere in life waiting for the perfect moment. In my experience the perfect moment never arrives. You are always only faced with what decisions you are going to make. Being in an unsettled state makes it harder to feel like you are on stable ground, So right now, the house is on the market, Paul is working at a new job in Montrose with a temporary housing situation, and we have a movable flexible timeline because we don’t have control over when all of this will come together. The important thing is that regardless of where we are in life right now, we start planning anyway. Planning our trip in September, and continuing to stay on the path toward financial stability and a better life.
Sometimes the path shifts in ways you can’t control, something I’ve reflected on before in Force Majeure.
Where Planning Begins
So what now? This is the exact moment where I open the planner I have built to help me in this process, and start with the inspiration. What I have just described IS the inspiration and the impetus for our upcoming Barcelona trip. We have walked through the phase of allowing inspiration to wash over us, and feel that the Barcelona area is the place to start. It is near France, in Spain, has an international airport, and I already speak Spanish. So that is a huge plus. But even perhaps more important: the soul of Spain is its culture, and that culture values human relationships. Connectedness. Good food, good wine. Living an active lifestyle. We also want to live near the Mediterranean, so we have that ocean connection and the Mediterranean lifestyle.
In Real Time
I invite you to join me on this journey, in the planning of this trip in real time. In real life. I hope to connect where we have been with where we are going, and to seize the day and live life intentionally. Our desire to live a better life and create the life of our dreams fuels this entire plan, as it is part of the life we want to live. Our goal is to move to Spain completely in five years, but over the next five years we plan to build a way to create our own income. We plan to keep the Colorado house so that we can continue to keep that investment. Join us on this journey, maybe this will inspire you to create your own travel dream.