Meet The Bethune's

On their second anniversary, Jenn and Kyle married in Las Vegas, Nevada and then called Dover, Florida home, where they began to build their foundation and raise their first son, Ethan. They would soon welcome their second son, Ben.

As they were building their loving family, tragedy struck just three days before Ethan’s seventh birthday. As the Bethune family was en route to Disney World with baby Ben and Ethan, to celebrate Ethan’s birthday, a fatal car accident killed Ethan, their oldest son. Although the divorce rate for couples that lose a child is over 90 percent, they vowed to take divorce out of the equation and make it work. As one can only begin to imagine, the couple began to place one foot in front of the other and most days their mental health was neglected. Kyle’s deep depression set in for six long years, from 2014-2019, and unhealthy coping mechanisms were not serving Jenn as she attempted to drown out the PTSD that she had developed. Nonetheless, they stuck together, acknowledging that what they had as a couple was both very beautiful and special.

In 2019, the family was residing in Valrico, FL and owned a successful pet grooming business. Over the years, the family had grown as they welcomed two more children, Molly and Eli, and four dogs; Theodore, Eloise, Kevin and Chico. They had all of the toys, the house, the cars, everything that one expects to provide happiness; however, they still felt empty.

As Jenn and Kyle stood in front of their freshly remodeled dreamhouse in Florida, unpacking their camper from a summer trip, Kyle looked at Jenn and said, “let’s sell it all, buy a vintage bus and go travel the country”. They had only discussed a full time nomadic lifestyle in the past. Jenn thought he might be crazy. She spent two weeks back at work as a pet stylist, and while shaving dog’s behinds, she found herself daydreaming about being at Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. She approached Kyle and said, “let’s do it”. This leap of faith would change the trajectory of their lives.

In February of 2020, with no crystal ball that Covid would soon arrive, the Bethunes were ready to hit the road in a 1983 vintage Silver Eagle  bus that they affectionately named, Blue Betty. Due to the restrictions that a pandemic doles out, the family parked Blue Betty on Kyle’s parents property, listed their house in Valrico and began a ‘practice’ run with full time bus life. They learned to live in a bus and immediately appreciated the quality time spent together.

In August of 2020, the family hit the road with plans to boondock in Colorado. They had never been west of Kentucky during previous summer trips. Kyle’s brother Stephen, a skilled nomad, came along in his bus and although the adventure had begun, the problems followed.