The Kids Are Heading to College. We're Heading to Colorado.

Before kids, my husband and I took  many trips together. Just the two of us. No logistics beyond our own, no one else's schedule to work around, no one to pack for but ourselves.

Then life happened — in the best possible way. Two kids. Two full careers. A business I built from the ground up. Renovations, deals, school pickups, tennis matches, cheer competitions, college visits, all of it layered on top of each other in the way that family life does when you're in it and loving it and not really stopping to count the years.

So as the kids prepare to leave for college, we made our way to Colorado.

How This Happened

We didn't plan this trip years in advance. When the opportunity came up to help our friends by driving their camper across the country, we just said yes — which, honestly, is not how I usually operate. I'm a planner. I like a timeline. I like knowing what's next. But there was something about this particular moment — both kids launched, a window opening that hadn't existed in more than two decades — that made the answer obvious before I'd even finished hearing the question.

We flew into Colorado, picked up their RV, and are now driving it back to Jax. Hikes, excursions, scenery, no particular agenda beyond the route in front of us. For two people who have spent the last 22 years coordinating around everyone else's needs, the absence of a packed schedule is the whole point.

What It Means to Be an Empty Nester

I'll be honest: I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this chapter until it started arriving.

The house will be quieter. The calendar will have gaps in it that used to be filled automatically. There's a version of this transition that will feel like loss, and I won't pretend I not looking forward to that. But there's another version of it — the one I'm living right now — that feels like something opening back up. Like remembering that there were two people in this house before there were four, and those two people have things they've been meaning to do.

Travel is one of them.

What This Means If You're My Client

I'm still working. I have satellite internet for the whole trip, which means I'm reachable from a trail in the Rockies the same way I'm reachable from my desk in Jacksonville. Every active client heard from me before I left. If you're in the middle of something with me, you have what you need, and you have a number to call if something urgent comes up.

I built my business to run well even when I'm not at my desk. This trip is proof of that.  Its not a departure from how I operate, but an expression of it.

If you need me, I'm a satellite connection away. Otherwise, I'll see you when we get back, a little sunburned and a lot recharged.

One More Thing

If you're a parent staring down your own empty nest — whether it's coming soon or years away — I want to say something: it's okay to be looking forward to it. It doesn't mean you love your kids any less. It means you've done the job, and now there's space for the other parts of who you are.

My husband and I are going to go find some of those parts in the mountains.

I'll be posting along the way on Instagram if you want to follow the route.

Joy Hicks, MBA, Realtor® SRES® — Seniors Real Estate Specialist | MRP — Military Relocation ProfessionalRE/MAX Specialists | Jacksonville, FL 📞 904.318.8619 | hicks.joy@icloud.com | www.JoyHicksRealtor.com Licensed Florida Real Estate Professional SL3620721. Serving Duval, St. Johns, Clay, and Nassau counties.