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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.

Recent Posts

Spring Break Professionals
Dissecting anniversaries
Spring Training
What happens in Utah, stays in Utah
Happy Van-iversary

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We forgot to drive home. One kid has a cold, so only one was going to make it to school tomorrow anyway. #floridakeys #curryhammockstatepark #westy #vwwestfalia #westfalia #eurovan #dontmakemeturnthisvanaround #camping #floridastateparks #vanlife

The maiden voyage in our ‘95 Westfalia. #westfalia #vwwestfalia #boydscampground #keywest #westy #eurovan #mallorysquare #dontmakemeturnthisvanaround #floridatravel #fortzacharytaylor

So we found this on the side of the road with a For Sale sign on it. #dontmakemeturnthisvanaround #westfalia #westy #volkswagen #eurovan #roadtrip #toolatetotalkmeoutofit #familytravel #vanlife

Don’t make me turn this Eurovan around?

A beautiful morning in #stpete. Honored to be invited to represent @keepstpetelit for the @preservetheburg Mirror Lake walking tour with a literary twist. Check out other SunLit Festival collaborations happening all over town for the next two weeks. keepstpetelit.org #preservetheburg #keepstpetelit #sunlitfestival #dtsp #downtownstpete #walkingtour

Awfully serious for a “fun run.” #boosterthon #northshoreelementary #pinellascountyschools #northshoreknights #funrun

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