VALERIE & JESSICA – Everywhere, USA
Valerie Lemke, Blogger at Happy Camper Wives
Jessica Reel, Graphic web designer and blogger at Happy Camper Wives
Valerie and Jessica’s wedding day came with an added bonus. “Gay marriage became legal in all 50 states the day before,” they said. “That morning we woke up to a beautiful rainbow, and all the lesbians gathered around and cried because we were all so happy.”
But Valerie and Jessica say they found their first year of marriage surprisingly trying, despite having been together for three years prior. “All of a sudden little things became more important to argue about,” they said. “It felt like there was a hidden pressure to be with each other ‘for the rest of our lives,’ so therefore things needed to be perfect.”
Eventually, they realized that things didn’t have be—and couldn’t be—perfect all the time. “At the time, stress and debt put a strain on our relationship, which inspired a big lifestyle change to re-prioritize our lives and values,” they said.
Valerie and Jessica moved into a 15-foot T@B camper, a venture that has them saying, “We couldn’t be happier.”
The couple now describes themselves as “adventurous, courageous, dorky and madly in love” and regularly blog about their experiences on the road on their site, Happy Camper Wives.
“We dream a lot—so much, in fact, we call it ‘dreaming and scheming’ because we can get lost in conversation for hours talking about future plans, which change every day,” they said. “We dream about owning a tiny house in a village one day, sailing around the world, traveling in our camper to different continents, and possibly having children.”
