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Don't make me turn this van around! RV Edition

One family. A difficult diagnosis. An RV. 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.

Recent Posts

Not gonna lie. Boston was a bit of a disaster.
Hitting our stride: The battlefields of Virginia to the streets of New York
Apparently, this blog doesn’t write itself. Fear not, we’re alive.
Seaside to Selma to Oxford: Contrasts in the Deep South
Vaxxed and ready to roll. But where are we going?

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Not a bad night when #theblackkeys play a club walking distance from our house. No, I didn’t really walk home, but I could’ve. #jannuslive #patrickcarney #danauerbach #stpete #ilovetheburgstpete #ilovetheburg #littleblacksubmarines #blackkeys

Meandering back home. About 15 years ago Monica and I went on a grad school trip to Chinsegut Hill. It is in much better shape today than it was the. #chinseguthill #brooksvillefl #thormotorcoach

Quick RV trip to a friend’s family farm. @maureenmcdole #floralcityflorida #wonderfieldfarm

I don’t think the prevailing winds allow @stpizzaburgh @mothergoosevillager @telwyn to smell this goodness. #smokedribs #electricsmoker

Back to school (finally), Covid tests (negative!), dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria.

Thanks to @keepstpetelit and @maureenmcdole we got to get a preview of the #fairgroundsstpete a #meowwolf inspired experience in St. Pete. #floridarama #stpete #ilovetheburg #thefactorystpete

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