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Don't make me turn this van around!

One family. A difficult diagnosis. An old van. And a new lease on life.

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About this blog

Until late 2015, life was exceedingly normal for the Kile family: work, school, little league, ballet – sweating the small stuff and missing the big picture. Then Jon suffered a ruptured abdominal aneurysm that required life-saving surgery. It would be the first of seven surgeries over the next seven months, including emergency open-heart surgery to save him from an aortic dissection. He was eventually diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Sydrome, in which the most serious symptom is fragile arteries prone to spontaneous rupture. Jon has adjusted to a lifestyle which forbids him from strenuous activities and stress, while finding inner peace and humor against the backdrop of raising two feral children. Jon gave up business proposals and sales presentations for writing, car-line and PTA, while Monica traded committee meetings and budgets to take on the roles of patient advocate, genetics expert, cool mom and goddess of a 17 foot Dodge van. Together they’ve determined to “live in the moment” and fill the empty spaces in the calendar with family travel and adventure.

Featured Post: ‘Live in the moment’ because a moment may be all you have.

Before we got our sweet ride, I was a frequent passenger in another type of van.

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Perfect evening in Pass-a-Grille. #passagrillebeach #florida #weekend #beach

New blog post! Our tale of taking a wrong turn and getting caught in a massive thunderstorm. Link in bio. #lostinthewoods #shenandoahnationalpark #shenandoahvalley #adventure #vanlife #eurovan #familytravel #roadtrip #virginia #visitvirginia #matthewsarmcampground #caughtintherain #appalachia #hiking

It was bound to happen. The battery warning light came on. We were in the middle of nowhere. Things were still running okay, but it couldn’t last. Finally, the gauges started to fade and I knew we were on borrowed time. The Van Gods smiled on us as I abruptly pulled off the highway near Columbia, SC and we were immediately greeted by a Firestone sign. I pulled in the parking lot, only to find us in the neighboring Chick Fil A where it died ... at lunch time. Firestone gave me a battery pack and I coaxed it to the shop where in the amount of time it takes to eat lunch and watch the Lion King, they’d replaced the alternator. #firestone #irmosouthcarolina #vanlife #eurovan #vwwesty #vwwestfalia #westfalia #familytravel #breakdowngoaheadandgiveittome #alternatorproblems #roadtrip

In my mind I’m going to Carolina. #lakekeowee #saludanc #southcarolina #northcarolina #inmymindimgoingtocarolina #familytravel #roadtrip #eurovan #vwwestfalia #westy

A few shots of our stay in the Smokies. We got 4 inches of rain the first night. Clear the rest of the week. #greatsmokymountainsnationalpark #cadescove #bears #greatsmokymountains #roadtrip #camping #hiking #familytravel

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