After my kids left home, I put everything in storage and became a full-time house-sitter

The author said that booking a variety of pet-sitting and housesitting gigs has allowed her to live a nomadic life she never dreamed of. Courtesy of Amber Campbell. As an empty nester, I knew I wanted more from my life. I put my belongings in storage and spend my time pet-sitting and house-sitting in beautiful places. This isn't the life I expected, but I'm enjoying every minute of this new adventure. Three years ago, I sat in my dark, 1,250-square-foot apartment cleaning out my inbox and missing my kids. As a single mom and new empty nester , I was still trying to figure out who I was separate from mom and caregiver. The quiet stillness that I dreamed of when my children were little now felt like sad emptiness.