CHRISTMAS!

So... Christmas in a camper is definitely a challenge! Where to put the tree, how many decorations to put up, where to hide the presents...and how to keep a very curious toddler out of it all. The other challenge that has come up, is having overnight guests (i.e. sleepovers). With a 9yr old girl, sleepovers are very important (especially when in town). We have found some solutions, such as having day "outings", or borrowing gramma's place, but not the same. Once we have a bunkhouse, it will be alot easier to have guests! I have to admit that I dream about the bunkhouse almost daily! But we are still pretty happy and look forward to hopefully being on the road again soon!

Ready to go again

So we are "stuck" here in our hometown til January. I agreed to stay on at my job for a while longer to help them out. Not sure if they really appreciate that or not. The fam is happy that we are here for the holidays, and I get to see my new niece (she is making her debut TODAY)! So those are good things. I can't wait until we are at the point where we will have a little more freedom. But until then I will be grateful that I have a job that allows me to travel!!

update

Things that I have learned in the last 6 months:

1. Blogging is not my strong suit.
2. You can accumulate ALOT of stuff in only 3 months!!
3. Geocaching in the Sierra-Nevada mountains is very very cool.
4. Lake Tahoe is amazing!
5. People you really love can really hurt your feelings.
6. You can still love people who hurt your feelings :)
7. Downsizing does (eventually) get easier.
8. Living in a camper is awesome!
9. Living in a camper is not always awesome, lol!
10. A family of 4 does not need 12 bath towels.
11. I really, really want a travel trailer with a bunkhouse.
12. Potty training is going to be a challenge in a camper on the road.
13. The family really does get "closer" in smaller spaces!

Things I expect to learn in the next few months:

1. OTR potty training techniques.
2. Creative Christmas tree solutions.
3. Just how "child friendly" the RV park REALLY is.
4. Which friends & family actually read our Christmas lists. heehee!

I am sure there will be more to add to the lists...

Northern California

Well, we made it! I'm finishing up my first work "week". I work Friday-Sunday. That leaves me with 4 days of exploring, and educating! The road trip was a bit taxing, but all-in-all went well. It is spectacularly beautiful here. The kids have been able to play in the snow, and our vacation home rental is amazing. I will post pics at some point, just not sure how!

OMGosh! We are on the road in a few hours!!

Alot has happened! An opportunity came up that I couldn't pass up.  I was offered a 13week assignment in Northern California. The money is good and I have worked there before. Really nice people, and I know the equipment. The girls are coming with, along with my mom. She will only be staying until mid-june, though. I'm going to miss the hubby! He will come to visit in June. This assignment will really help us to our ultimate goal. And besides, spending the summer in the Sierra Nevada mountains can't be all bad!? Stay tuned for pics! Gotta get some sleep, we are leaving in about 5 hours!

The Floor... a work in progress!

 

Putting in the new wood. And we sealed it this time!

Coming right along!! I think it looks really good!

Downsizing, con't

The 1st of many yard sales. We weren't quite ready, but thought "why not?" Only made a few hundred $'s, but we still have lots of stuff to go! I'm blown away that Lee is selling much of his beloved NASCAR collection. I never thought I'd see the day! Of course, we haven't successfully sold much of it yet.

THE FLOOR- a not so solid foundation! :(

I so wish this was an April Fool's Joke! :(

 

So we started taking the couch and stuff apart to repair our little soft spot! We knew it would be difficult because it was on the portion of floor under the slide-out.

Ugh... this is my bedroom!! I guess he had to put the pieces somewhere! We had NO IDEA all this damage was going on! Note to self: Once this is repaired, check frequently for "sneaky leaks"! Also, you bet we will be examining any campers we buy in the future with a fine tooth comb! We contemplated selling our camper, had I not found the "little" soft spot... someone else could've ended up feeling like they got ripped off! Lesson learned.

More pics showing the extensive damage done by the leak we knew nothing about. We still don't know where the water came from! Of course, we must solve the mystery b4 we do all the repairs. I wanted to take a picture with George examining the damage, but he was just too upset to pose!

Consolidation- a lesson

Today's lesson: How to consolidate (def: to join or combine) 4 boxes into 1. You know you are serious about your plans when you decide to consolidate boxes on date night! We had an all night baby sitter for the FIRST time since Heather joined our family, and we go thru boxes! LOL! It was meant to be, the next morning the city offered FREE shredding!

This is the 1 box left for storage!

Approved by George!

Another beautiful day

Ok, so I don't have anything witty to say today. I'm not sure why. It is a beautiful day, and there is nothing really wrong. I guess I feel kind of "stuck". We are soooo excited about starting this new phase of our lives. I guess that I just want to leave YESTERDAY! I'm sure the fact that we found some significant soft spots on the floor of our camper, is not helping my mood any...or my general lack of patience!  There is no shortage of things to do. The monumental task of downsizing is looming over our heads, and many other tasks that should be completed b4 our epic adventure (EA) begins. I just need to put my head down and push forward. I get overwhelmed but never really discouraged. All of this just feels right!

Meet George (of the curious type)

Hello! This is George (he's quite curious), posing with his magic 8-ball. George is going to help us with all of our preparations for our epic adventure and he will be traveling with us as well.

Here are the girls with George. Look out George! Lima Bean (Heather's nickname, don't know how I forgot that!)is going for your ear!

George helping me downsize in the closet! Hang on George! Having George around will be a big help, not to mention a bit of comic relief! Thanks George

Downsizing

Whoa... Downsizing is kinda like plastic surgery. You take a look at what you've got, then decide how much you are going to "cut-out". There is also a bit of pain involved. I suspect also a bit of pleasure once you've purged yourself of all the xtra stuff. I'll let you know, as I have just started "cutting"! Pics will be posted soon... and stay tuned.. I have someone interesting for you to meet! :)

Making the Decision

We are a family of 4... Me, (Sheila- the mom), Lee, (aka dad), Megan (8), (aka meg, or magpie), and Baby Heather (1), (Lima Bean). We also have a giant golden retriever named Striker. I've always been a bit of a wanna be gypsy, nomad, restless, a wandering spirit...whatever you want to call it. Growing up, we always took road trips. Long, short, it didn't matter. My husband, Lee, he didn't grow up that way. So, for the last 10 years we have been living the traditional suburban life in a house of sticks-and-bricks... with a mortgage and an SUV and all that responsibility (i think that's a song). Anyway, after a series of unfortunate events, we found ourselves houseless (not homeless), and just generally unsettled. Lee was unhappy at work, etc... I half jokingly mentioned selling the rest of everything and hitting the road... to my surprise Lee said why not? And here we are in phase 1 (downsizing & debt reduction).. It is important to mention that my adult daughter Amanda (20), (aka Amanda panda pickle poo), and her boyfriend, Andrew (22), (aka Drew or the boy), will be joining us on our epic adventure.. Departure date... ASAP! So stay tuned as we prepare for our journey....