Category: On the Road

2 min read

Family Preparation

Is there a forest around these trees?

Jenn

2 min read

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2 min read

Life may be a tad bit on the busy side right now but I still want to document it. This week we’ve been painting, sanding, painting, sanding. From how much…

Life may be a tad bit on the busy side right now but I still want to document it.

This week we’ve been painting, sanding, painting, sanding.

From how much ~~we’ve~~ I’ve been painting you would think that we are moving into a 3000 square foot house not a 300 square foot trailer.

I may or may not have had a breakdown in the bathroom last night over….

LINT.

Yes, there was lint in the polyeurathane and it nearly sent me over the edge. Good times. Good times.

I’ll just let you imagine how I felt today when Brent told me today after driving home from the LA fabric district that the polyurethane (I spent an entire day applying to the cabinets) didn’t dry clear and everything has to be re-sanded and re-painted. I thought I was done with the kitchen cabinets and now I’m almost back at square one. I basically wasted an entire weekend.

Except I didn’t because…

…I spent precious time with this guy. His hard work blows me away.

I’m really trying to see the forest through the trees and remember what this trip is really about.

Family.
Adventure.
Memories.
Love.

Who cares about a little lint.

We are hoping to leave October 9th, our 12 year anniversary. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.

But…there’s the to-do list.

RV
Finish paint and Hang Cabinet Doors (we took them off to paint)
Paint Living Room Walls
Install Wood Floor
Build Brent’s Desk
Sew Curtains
Find Upholster for Cushions
Upholster Couch Frame – We were going to take it somewhere but it won’t fit out the door!
Install Closet Organizer
Install hardware
Paint Fan
Paint (or Find New) Light Fixtures
Re-upholster headboard
Buy storage bins
Install and plumb new bathroom sink
Purchase various small items

House
Sell, giveaway, ~~or burn~~ stuff we are not taking. (This is a mile long list in and of itself.)
Sell Car
Pack RV
Clean and repair current house. (Another list as long as this list.)
Trim bushes at current house
Fix stuff at the rental house. (Our tenant just let us know there is an opossum living under it. Awesome.)
Order a few more school books

Misc
See friends
Keep up with laundry

Oh and that video we shot in July? The deadline is fast approaching. When I think I’m working hard, I remember how hard Brent is working.

How many days to October 9th?

Don’t remind me.

But I’m not complaining because it’s all going to be worth it.

I think.

I hope.

with love,
jenn

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1 min read

Family Preparation

Making a “house” a “home”.

Jenn

1 min read

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1 min read

Today was our first official work day on the trailer. It’s a family affair. Almost. Thing 2 pops in and out offering encouragement. Sort of. However, Thing 1 is more…

Today was our first official work day on the trailer.

It’s a family affair. Almost. Thing 2 pops in and out offering encouragement. Sort of.

However, Thing 1 is more than happy ~~to get to use tools~~ help as long as we don’t paint the kitchen cabinets green. We won’t talk about the breakdown in Lowes when he and I mentioned Brent and I were “thinking” about a green kitchen. You would have thought I told him we thinking about giving up electricity.

We started in the bunk room.

Putting new handles on the cabinets. Thing 1 doesn’t mess around. He scoffed at me when I suggested a screwdriver

Off comes the border.

Prepping the wall for paint.

We also brought Meow Cow over so he can begin to adjust. Seeing that he’s not hiding under the bed, I’ll assume he is adjusting rather nicely. Oh wait, he can’t hide out under the bed. Hmmmm…..

You may be wondering what was I doing? I was sitting on the couch texting while my child worked. Isn’t that why we have them? Kidding, I was ~~killing brain cells~~ painting primer on the walls and at the rate I’m going that is all I’m going to be doing this week.

with love,
Jenn

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2 min read

On the Road

The Birthday Beast

Jenn

2 min read

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2 min read

When I was a little girl I used to tell my mom that someday I wanted to drive across the country in an “old junky convertible”. She always asked me…

When I was a little girl I used to tell my mom that someday I wanted to drive across the country in an “old junky convertible”.

She always asked me “Why does it need to be junky?” That still makes me giggle. At 10 years old, I already dreamed of being on the road.

Everyday that childhood dream gets a little bit closer.

Sunday was my birthday and I got a BEAST of a present. It’s not junky. It’s not a convertible. It’s not really even all that old.

Our new to us 2007 Chevy Silverado diesel, long bed, crew cab truck. (That’s a mouthful.)

I can’t believe I own a truck.
(It really belongs to Brent and I but since we got it on my birthday we are calling it “my birthday present”.)

Confession, it doesn’t feel like “me” and I’m terrified to drive this beast.

I have no clue why I decided to sit on it.

I’m trying to “own it” but it feels like playing make-believe. Let’s see…I’ll pretend I’m a cowgirl working on a ranch.

I drove it once yesterday and ended up parking far far away so I had plenty of room to swing this bad boy around into a space. Then it took me 10 minutes to back this beast out. I’m going to have to take xanax every time I drive it. Wait. That would bad. Very bad.

Now we are trying to decide if we should do a veggie oil conversion. Brent’s all for it. I’m on the fence. It sounds fantastic but I’m wondering if the reality would be more trouble than it’s worth. If anyone has any experience with “going veg” we are all ears!

love and laughter,
jenn

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4 min read

On the Road

In Search of Our Nomadic Home – We found her!!!!

Jenn

4 min read

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4 min read

Our trip suddenly seems very real. Even Panada Express thinks so. We got most of our homeschooling books. We got our black belts. (One of the reasons we’ve been putting…

Our trip suddenly seems very real.

Even Panada Express thinks so.

We got most of our homeschooling books.

We got our black belts. (One of the reasons we’ve been putting off our trip.)

And…

…after months of dreaming

…and looking at RVs.

We found her, The Millennium Cedar!

Here she is being delivered.

Thing 1 was just a little excited. He has been carrying the brochure around everywhere since it was delivered on Sunday. It’s almost odd.

Old and new owners.

Here is a quick tour. I can’t wait to look for fabrics and paint. This “hotel look” is going down, baby.

Living room

Kitchen

Since we got our black belts that weekend both sets of grandparents were able to join us in ~~welcoming~~ exploring our new home. That’s my dad. He’s awesome. Thing 2 is back in his bedroom on top of the ~~3rd bunk~~ Meow Cow’s bed.

Boys’ bunks

Master bedroom

Huge closet in the master bedroom (Praise God. I’m not going to have to get rid of everything.)

Opposite of bed in master bedroom which will become the office

The WC

We are beyond the moon excited! (Not about the WC…that would be weird.) We’ve been searching for months. In the beginning, we were “CERTAIN” we were going to get a diesel pusher. I wanted a vintage bus conversion. For a few weeks, we seriously considered an Airstream but the bunk model we wanted was $35k+ and it was very small. At one point I said, “To hell with it, let’s just get a VW bus and go.” That idea lasted all of 30 seconds. We went back and forth. After reading about other families on the road and looking at our finances we decided the 5th wheel was the best choice for us financially and space wise. Besides, after years of driving a little Honda, Brent is going to look hot behind the wheel of a big ole’ diesel truck. I may just have to get him a cowboy hat.

This month has been crazy and things feel like they are suddenly happening fast. Reminds me of waiting at the beach to watch the sunset. You wait and wait and just as soon as it starts to dip behind the ocean’s edge, it’s over.

We actually had put a deposit down on one at a dealer a week and a half ago but left the dealership feeling a little unsure. It was used and in good but not great shape. The bunk room was a little small but we thought it would work. The boys were “meh” about their room. It was on a Sunday evening so the banks were closed and we weren’t sure if we were going to be approved for a loan. (Oringinally we were going to finance the RV and pay for the truck and now we doing the opposite.) When we got home I looked on Craigslist and saw a “2006 Cedar Creek with bunks and 3 slide outs”. I had not seen this listing despite checking almost daily. It was priced well below blue book so I emailed them assuming it had been sold. It hadn’t. The next morning, we called the other dealership and told them we had changed our mind. Then I drove down to LA to look at the Cedar Creek with Thing 1. With just Thing 1. (Good thing, I took Thing 1 he asked all the technical questions while I checked out the cosmetics.) Brent was so busy with work, he couldn’t afford to get away which I meant I had to make the decision if we would spend every available penny we had for an rv by myself. Ummm…pressure? I knew instantly that this was “the one”. I’m good at that. 😉 Thankfully, when it was delivered to our house he loved it!

Now all we need to do is get a truck. I guess we put the cart before the horse.

with love,
Jenn

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3 min read

On the Road

In Search of Our Nomadic Home – Part 2

Jenn

3 min read

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3 min read

Last week, Thing 1 and I went on two all day dates while Thing 2 was at Cubscout Camp. Our dates were “his choice” and he chose to go look…

Last week, Thing 1 and I went on two all day dates while Thing 2 was at Cubscout Camp. Our dates were “his choice” and he chose to go look at RVs.

Awwww…the youngest old man.

Since the birth of our on-the-road-dream, we’ve always imagined living life in a motorhome. In my dreams, it’s a vintage bus conversion. So far, we haven’t found anything that suits ours needs and is in our price range.

This week I thought we had found an almost perfect RV. It was a low mileage diesel pusher in our price range with many of our desired options.

A large bedroom with lots of closet space.

A perfect place to build an “office” for Brent in the bedroom.

A decent sized kitchen for me to ~~experiment~~ cook.

A living area just waiting for new fabric and paint.

A blank slate just makes me giddy.

But then….

….we saw the space where we wanted to build bunk beds is about 6 inches too short.

Boo.

With much trepidation, I agreed to look at some 5th wheels and I was surprised by how much I liked them.

A crazy amount of space for a girl who likes her clothes. Not that I know that girl…

A separate bedroom for the boys. A year on the road makes this option very appealing.

More counter space than the diesel pusher.

This particular model even had an “office”. Unfortunately, it was in the back bedroom so we would probably still end up building one in the front bedroom but still it’s a possibility.

So now I’m making lists. I love making lists.

Advantages of a Class A Diesel Pusher
– Comfortable moving down the road
– I’ll have my little CR-V to drive around.
– Basement storage
– We already own a perfect tow vehicle.
– If it breaks down we have an extra vehicle.

Disadvantages of Class A Diesel Pusher
– Bunks next to the one bedroom
– More difficult to get serviced
– Higher maintenance expenses
– Length: Could be too long for many places.
– Two drive trains to maintain

Benefits of 5th Wheel
– More living space
– Better floor plan, i.e., two separate bedrooms
– One drive train to maintain
– Lower cost
– Length: Easier to get spaces to stay
– Diesel trucks are easier and less expensive to repair.

Disadvantages of 5th Wheel
– Confined to truck cab while traveling
– I’ll have to drive a big ole’ truck around when the boys and I go on excursions without Brent.
– If the truck breaks down we are out of luck.
– Just doesn’t seem “like us”. Interpret that how you will.

We are torn. Thing 2 and I are all about the class A. Brent and Thing 2 are all about the 5th wheel.

It’s an important decision but really it’s not. At the end of the day, all of us just really want to get on the road to have some adventures and makes some memories.

Advice? Experience? We are all ears!!!

with love,
Jenn

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1 min read

On the Road

Back to Baltimore.

Jenn

1 min read

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1 min read

Cobblestone Row houses Dragon Boats Fire Jugglers Ships Shark Submarines A Lonely Carousel Food (Crab cakes? Yes, please.) Museums History Welcome to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor I love being with my…

Cobblestone
Row houses
Dragon Boats
Fire Jugglers
Ships
Shark Submarines
A Lonely Carousel
Food
(Crab cakes? Yes, please.)
Museums
History

Welcome to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

I love being with my family. Nothing comes close to joy of exploring with Brent or the joy of seeing our boys delight in the world around us.

But…

Every once in a while, it’s good to be alone. It’s good to find solitude among a crowd of strangers. It’s good to soak up unfiltered sights and sounds. It’s also good to remind myself that I can fly by myself, arrange transportation by myself, and read a map by myself. Yes, I’m a big girl.

This week was rough. It was the boys last week of school, I’m helping Brent with a big project, and I was just down. Not sure why but it happens. Tonight, I dreamed of taking a mini vacation…alone. I decided to “go back to” Baltimore.

I felt the wind of an approaching storm as I stood on Federal Hill. I tasted greasy crab cakes. I slipped through the fence of a vacant carousel. I got lost with myself.

Now, I’m back and ready to tackle the week ahead but I’m looking forward to going back to Baltimore next year with the ones I love. I want to visit the National Aquarium, hold Brent’s hand on Federal Hill, and ride in a dragon boat with two boys while they still think dragons are cool.

With Love,
Jenn

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1 min read

Family on the Road On the Road

Land Sailing in Primm, Nevada

Jenn

1 min read

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1 min read

Unplanned discoveries are usually the most memorable of all. Last weekend, Brent and set off on yet another road trip to Vegas. Before this year, the last time I had…

Unplanned discoveries are usually the most memorable of all.

Last weekend, Brent and set off on yet another road trip to Vegas. Before this year, the last time I had been to there was when I turned 21. My grandparents and I drove across the desert and celebrated with room service at the MGM Grand. (I party hard yo’.) In the past 6 months, I’ve been to Vegas four times. Four times. In those four visits, I’ve gambled exactly $5 and “Kitty Glitter” ate that up in less than 5 minutes. Hiss. I’ve also kicked a few heads, hence, the regular trips to Vegas.

On this particular trip, we decided to stop at Primm. There is something about Primm that intrigues and amuses me. We wandered around the dreary outlet mall for a bit before we deciding to follow the dirt road to the Ivanpah dry lake bed. Unbeknownst to us, there was a land sailing competition or festival of some sort taking place.

Out on the lake it was warm and breezy.