Sunday - Day 35 - Getting Hitched

Driving back to Florida from Georgia with our new home in tow was a bit more challenging then anticipated.

We planned to pick up the camper at Camping World's parking lot even though they were closed for Easter Sunday. John was adequately schooled by Al the RV technician at Camping World the day before. Confident, John had no reservations about hitching the camper to the Suburban. We however, do not live in a perfect world, and sometimes things just do not go as planned.

We left the house at 8:20 in the morning, and arrived to get the camper about an hour later. We could have arrived sooner if the cat hadn't decided to pee by my feet unexpectedly forcing us to make an unplanned stop. That was a tell tale sign something was going to go awry.

John and I worked to get the car lined up with the hitch. He hooked everything up, but had problems with one of the sway bars. It kept popping off, viscously snapping forward both before and after we started moving. It appeared to John there was a defect with the length of the bracket holding the sway bar in place. A millimeter longer and we would have been off on our way.

I called the 24/7 roadside assistance that came with our purchase. After I spoke with two women in customer relations, a gentleman from a local service company called us from his Church service. John ultimately spoke with him twice and he was apologetic for the delay, but he let us know his employee, Ben, would be arriving to assist us shortly. John assured him we were appreciative and empathetic considering it was Easter Sunday.

While waiting for Ben to rescue us, we ate lunch in our new home. Both slides were pulled out and we made ourselves at home munching on egg salad sandwiches, made from James' colored Easter eggs, along with turkey and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. In the middle of a deserted parking lot, we were home.

Ben, our RV tech, eventually pulled up in his white stenciled service truck. He worked out a fix with John, but didn't have a suitable part in his truck. He decided to head back to the shop with our bracket and weld on a fix. He was young, but smart and we entrusted him to get us back to Florida safely.

Meanwhile, the kids lounged in the camper, listened to music, napped, read, and engaged in social media, on their phones. The boys laid on their bunk beds. James put on his pajama pants, made up his bed and ate Easter candy.

John and I unpacked clothes that were in the Suburban. We also settled in an patiently waited wondering how late we would finally get back to Florida. We made the best of our idile time. It soon started to rain. We closed both doors. It truly felt homey and safe. The best part, we all agreed, there were no leaks in the new RV.

When Ben arrived back, he had the bracket fixed perfectly. He and John were able to hook everything up 'without a hitch' (not literally). We finally made it on the road at 2:30pm, a mere five hour delay.

It was not the easiest start to our day, but leaving without the camper attached would have been far worse. Instead, we spent our day appreciative of the help we received on Easter Sunday and enjoyed a little family time while we waited on a fix. Deep down we all knew we would reflect on this day well, the day we ate Easter dinner in the parking lot of Camping World.

Even when things don't go as planned, patience and staying calm is all we can manage over the things out of our control.

Saturday - Day 34 - It's simply a Camping World

We finalized all our paperwork today at Camping World in Oakwood, GA. We sincerely had the easiest transition acquiring our new home.

I am sincerely grateful for the incredible staff who were so easy to work with and made our entire experience from start to finish a positive one.

Mark is one of the most sincere salesmen I have ever met, no pressure and very knowledgable. Meeting him first in December and then again yesterday was like seeing an old friend. Jason had us laughing, while we crossed t's and dotted I's in financing, again no pressure, and he simply got the job done. Al was our RV technician, not only is he such a nice guy, but he is also a Florida Gator fan. He and John hit it off instantly. They all took incredibly good care of us and the day just flew by, solidifying that we were in exactly the right place doing what was meant to be.

My favorite part of the day was being introduced to a fantastic couple, with two boys, who are considering being full time RVers like us. We shared our experiences with them. She is already home schooling her boys, which makes their family perfect candidates to be full time traveling RVers.

John and I were enthusiastic to show them our new camper we had just purchased. We shared with them all our favorite features, including ample storage, the laundry chute and the advantages to the unique layout. I look forward to staying in touch with them as they continue on their journey.

Meeting this couple helped reinforce some of the reasons I began this blog. Living full time is still unique to our demographic and sharing all the benefits to those who are interested, is something I am passionate about.

I found one thing really Interesting. John and I compared notes on what we shared with the couple, we each professed there was not one downside we could think of living full time. There are so many unknowns before you make the move. It is hard to articulate the emotions you experience once you cross over, but answering their questions felt very easy and natural.

My best advice to anyone, even considering living full time, is try it out for 30 days. It will change your life.

Friday - Day 33 - Journey To our Home

We left at noon today and spent the entire day looking at travel trailers. Based on what John found on line last night, The Radiance by Cruiser was sure to be the one to best suit our needs.

On the way to the dealer, before we even pulled onto the main road, John gets an email from the Class A, Motor coach broker. He recalculated the deal for us significantly, and was working hard to make the deal come together.
Ultimately our principal would come down and payments were more reasonable. He was also willing to take our current Class C for a substantial trade in value.

It threw a wrench in our new plan, and it laid heavy on our minds as we continued on our journey to discover what else may be out there. "What if we could purchase the dream 'Land Yacht'?" The deal was enticing. I knew it was going to be an interesting day.

We went into the first dealer and looked at half a dozen bunk house campers. We were still uncertain. Back and forth we looked and compared and narrowed our choices down to two. I was concerned about storage, John had his own reservations. Not one camper had everything we were looking for.

Right before leaving John peeked in one more, 'The Kodiak'. It was even nicer than the others, brighter and roomier. It was so close, but a few things stood out for me. Instead of a bunk house, it only had twin bunks without a separate room. My biggest concern was storage for the kids clothes, otherwise it was an excellent fit.

We left even more perplexed, not feeling confident about any one option. John and I were still considering the motor coach bus. We knew it had the most storage, was a much better value, but the lack of sleeping areas and no dinette were still obstacles.

While we took the kids to dinner, I checked out the brochure for The Kodiak. I discovered it had a bunkhouse floor plan. I was sure it would be better suited for us. John was determined to make sure we didn't miss a thing and we reluctantly decided to drag the kids to one more dealer on the way home, Camping World of Oakwood, GA.

We almost didn't stop, but two of the kids had to use the restroom. I told John, "Maybe there's just one more camper we haven't seen and it'll be the perfect fit." He smiled knowingly. We both truly felt as if we'd seen it all. Nothing was going to compare to the Airstream Bus.

I looked at brochures while John talked to Mark, an incredible salesman we had met on an earlier visit one cold and rainy December day. He remembered us fondly, especially Ty. As we walked down the line of campers, I showed Mark the only brochure I grabbed for a 'light weight' camper model. He smiled. He was trying to determine which one to show us first, and that would be the one. He shared with us that the floor plan would be totally different then the ones we had already seen. Most of the bunk houses have all the same layout, however 'The Keystone Premier Bullet' was going to open up our minds to something totally different.

(Keep in mind, we walked into the dealer fifteen minutes before they closed. We really didn't think we'd find anything different.)

The floor plan was refreshingly new. It had a large dinette and comfortable couch, both convertible beds, two arm chairs, a twin over full, slide out, bunk area, a rear master bedroom with a door, tons of storage and a pantry. My favorite feature was the laundry chute. We each knew, including the kids, the minute we walked inside, it was exactly what we needed and what we wanted. The price and weight were consistent with expectations. And the kids were ready to invite their friends over.

We left, satisfied we had made an exceptional deal which included three mounted flat screen televisions. It was ninety minutes after closing and we were all ready to go home.

John and I plan to go back tomorrow to finalize paperwork. By Monday morning I'll have a new camp site and a new camper, all moved in and ready to go. Our journey is only beginning.

When you least expect it, life gives you exactly what you need.

Thursday - Day 32 - happy new home

In the last two day John and I have learned a lot looking at campers on-line. Finding a bunkhouse camper has come down to three key things.

Is there a wraparound dinette?
Does the bunkhouse have a slide?
Is there an outdoor kitchen?

Then the secondary questions are always:

Is the fabric tacky?
Can we pull it with the Surburbn, (is it under 8000 pounds)
Are there doors, not curtains dividing the bedrooms.
Are the counter tops made of corian?
Does the kitchen table have sturdy legs?
What's the layout of the bunkhouse? What size are the beds, twin, full or futons? How much storage is in the bunk house?

We have come to terms with living in a bunkhouse camper and although it's not nearly as sexy as the Airstream Class A that we originally picked out, there are a number of perks I am looking forward to.

• I am happy James will have his own space in the bunkhouse and hopefully his own TV and play area.

• The layout will be different and more consistent to our life both with and without all our kids.

•The master bedroom can be accessed from both sides of the bed.

•We will hopefully have an outdoor kitchen which includes a mini fridge, a grill and a sink.

•The campers with the outdoor kitchens provide additional storage in the bunkhouse instead of an additional bed.

•I'm enthusiastic about moving into a newer camper with nothing breaking down, leaking or malfunctioning.

•Having a larger space and kitchen area to work in will be ideal.

Overall, it will be a step up from what we are currently living in.

I am truly enjoying the lifestyle. I have to admit, while being in our cabin his week I found myself using the bulk of my time cleaning. I've done at least six loads of laundry, washed dishes, emptied the dishwasher, cooked, vacuumed and picked up behind the kids, mainly James. It's a never ending cycle. I am looking forward to my small compact space in the gorgeous campground we call home.

What I clearly have learned overtime is anywhere I am with my family is home. Whether it's in our camper in Florida, a cabin in Georgia, an apartment in Texas or even visiting my mom in NY. The bricks and mortar are irrelevant, home is where we make our happy memories with those we love.


Photos below are new and old memories from all of our homes.

Wednesday - Day 31 - Wants & Needs

Often life sends us signs we deliberately ignore. It is often difficult to distinguish between what we think we want and what we actually need in our life at any given moment in time.

A perfect example is how we ultimately purchased our home in Cleveland, GA. While on vacation in Helen, GA, almost six years ago, John and I took the kids to look at a few homes in the area. We fell in love with a gorgeous little home on top of Pink Mountain with a spectacular view. It was exactly what we wanted. On the way down the mountain we passed a home with a "For Sale By Owner" sign. We took the phone number to call, but never did. We assumed it would be out of our price range.

We made an offer on our perfect little vacation home, with its quaint rustic decor, and learned it was taken off the market, the owners were not ready to part with it yet. We went back to our home in Florida discouraged, but continued to check listings to satisfy our wants.

Two months later, John found our current home on Craigslist, it was all wood inside just like we wanted, it was significantly cheaper then the first home with more square feet. When we went to see it, we realized it was the "For sale by owner" home we had passed while looking at the other home on Pink Mountain. Our home was waiting for us the entire time, the uncalled phone number still sat in our car.

Inspired by the first home, we decorated our new home in the same rustic charm, with log beds, a bear table and hand made rustic patterned curtains. We made it our own and it was exactly what we wanted.

The ironic piece is at the time we purchased this home we had not anticipated living in it full time, however, life circumstances took us to Georgia for three years. This home was exactly what we needed for full time living. We have almost two acres, two drive ways, and a garage. The house we originally wanted was high on the mountain, had a narrow sloped driveway and a dangerous drop down. James was a toddler when we moved in 2009, life on a daily basis would have been difficult on that steep driveway. Our home was not huge, but the other one was smaller with only a loft upstairs for all the kids. The living and kitchen areas were also smaller, and there was not enough room for a dinning table to seat all of us comfortably.

Thinking back, I reflect on how life gave me exactly what I needed, which ultimately became exactly what I wanted. That other house was not what we needed as much as what we thought we wanted. I see that now in hindsight and it gives me faith regarding other life events.

I share all this with purpose. John and I had to reevaluate our dream of owning a 'Land Yacht'. We fell in love with our dream after seeing and feeling the possibilities of what could be; beautiful modern decor, soft leather interior, quality of the design and make of the vehicle and most importantly, the most value for our dollar.

Life threw us a road block, the financing piece came back twice the anticipated interest rate, payments significantly higher. We discussed and weighted all our options. We choose to let this dream linger in the background for a few more years when it would be better suited for all our needs, not only our wants.

We knew going in we were sacrificing sleeping arrangements for all the kids in order to gain living space. For me, my first glimmer of doubt was seeing my 12 year old's face drop when he found this out. It was then I began wondering if this wasn't the best solution for our entire family. I find it funny how life changes things just in time to satisfy all our needs.

Without a motor coach on our horizon, we are still in need of a newer camper. We have restarted the search, revisiting bunk house campers with plenty of sleeping for all five of our children. Even though the oldest will be off to college in a year, we still have plenty of traveling to do and much time together at the campground. Keeping all our children happy and satisfied is an important priority for both John and I. Spending less money will keep us fiscally secure and we will keep our goals in line with other future plans.

I enjoy having options for our future. Who knows if we'll ever decide to buy a house again...... maybe one day, in the meantime its reassuring to know we have the choice when those needs are ready to be fulfilled, but right now I'll manage one dream at a time.

Photos below are of our our cabin (dreams fulfilled) & of the Class A motor coach (dreams of our future)

(Cabin living Room)

(Cabin Kitchen)

(Motorhome Living area)

(Motorhome kitchen)

Tuesday - Day 30 - New Beginnings

We left the campground this morning and are headed to our cabin in Georgia for five days with all our children. It's spring break for the older ones, a perfect excuse to spend quality time together. When we get back we will be moving to our new camping spot.

I can sense once we move our camper on the first, the experience will feel brand new all over again. I also think we will feel more settled, closer to the gate, park, pool and restrooms. I wonder how James' life will change. He will be able to ride his bike to the park and he has already made friends with a little boy on the same road. He seems to enjoy his new life outdoors.

John's walking commute to his 'office' (the common area) will be shorter. I can check on him and bring him lunch. For myself, being close to the showers and laundry will become a minor life luxury. We also plan to pull our bikes from storage, which will make trips to the lake convenient.

Once we're in our new camper I have this crazy notion things will be neater and stored more efficiently. It will feel different, it may not feel like a home, but before long our warmth and care will make it a new home.

Like the wind, we are blowing in the direction we're meant to be in. I have not had one bit of doubt or regret. I continue to look forward, never back. Each day brings a new experience, each experience allows for a new perspective and with each perspective brings new beginnings.

I'm not sure how my life twisted and turned and found its way here, but I find myself being grateful each and every day.

Monday - Day 29 - No Neighbors

The campground is literally clearing out. It's open and spacious now. Lots of holes in the line of RVs as you walk from road to road. The one thing I took for granted are all our neighbors, the ones we said "hello" to everyday are gone. In front, to the right, diagonal, they are all gone for the season. Maybe they will come back in the fall, maybe they won't.

It is a nice feeling not cramped next to all of the surrounding campers in every direction. We have retained two neighbors, who we chat to often and have grown to know well.

In James' world our only neighbors are the ones right behind us. We can see them through the bedroom window. They are his buddies and he really enjoys visiting with them. They enjoy his company just as much and have told me so. I can sometimes hear James chatting with them when I'm in our bedroom, it always brings a smile to my face listening to James carrying on conversations with 'his' neighbors. They soon will leave as well.

The nice older couple next to us will leave tomorrow. They have kept a close eye on me with the boys and the dog. They are kind and considerate and engaging. It will be a bittersweet reality when they all travel to their homes up North.

We are looking forward to our new spot on April 1, but I wonder will we forget these first few weeks? The anticipation, the excitement and wonder of something new? Already so much has changed and we've adapted so well, yet more change is to come and with it will come new neighbors. Some may be permanent while others will come and go. I know we will remember our current, wonderfully sweet neighbors. We will anticipate their arrival come fall.

There's a true sense of community here at this campground, many good people among more good people. We help one another backing in and out of spots. We are open and genuine, we share adventures and maintenance woes. We have a love of camping, the outdoors and the unknown. It's a unique environment, and one I will always cherish.

Sunday - Day 28 - No power at the beach.

We had no power this morning and even our propane had just about run out. I managed to make boiling water for instant coffee and Ty's breakfast before propane was completely out. I also had emergency boxed formula for Ty, no need to use the microwave to warm his milk.

I was hopeful I could take a quick RV shower, but no propane equals no hot water. No power means no TV for James, no microwave, no toaster, no percolated coffee, no computers, Wifi, or vacuum. Such small sacrifices to make.

We do have 12 volt power from the RV battery. This means we can turn on lights and my phone is charging as I type this.

I decided to skip the shower and sweep the floor. James is riding his bike. As I boiled water for the coffee, I couldn't help but think, isn't this how people did it before electricity, Little House on the Prairie days.

It's really not so bad, the weather is perfect, windows are open, we are not suffocating in heat or frozen due to cold. The other inconveniences are minor and will be fixed soon. John knows what needs to be done and I don't doubt his abilities to keep us stabilized for two more days?

Our refrigerator is the most critical, without power it automatically runs on propane, no propane and it will slowly begin to warm up. In order to fill the propane tank we need to unhook and move the entire vehicle. We leave for our home in Georgia in two days, so we can manage without propane. When we get back from Georgia, we should be picking up our new 'Land Yacht' the very next day. It truly is our last days in our sad little withering beast. She is holding up for us well.

John fixed the power plug and the campground fixed their end of the power supply as well. We enjoyed a beautiful windy day at the beach with dear friends and their two boys. They have become family to us. We had the most enjoyable lunch, live music in the background and the kids not only ate all their food, but were very well behaved. I have a good feeling our lives just got back on track.

I truly believe it's not what happens in life, it is how we cope with what happens.

Who needs power, when you have the beach!

Saturday - Day 27 - Angry Universe

Do you ever have one of those days and you begin to think, "What did I do to make the Universe angry?" Everything seems to go haywire and you're not sure why.

Today was one of those days. We felt we were all settled and things were going along smoothly, but life decided to throw us a curve ball.

We woke up early this morning to take James to his T-ball practice at 8am. John was determined to get us there early today, since we'd been late previous Saturdays. It was such a minor little expectation, but it was as if the universe was smiling, saying, "No, we are not going to make this easy for you, not today."

We almost made it in the jeep with time to spare, until John innocently asks "Did we unplug the coffee pot?" I had no idea, so we sent James in to check. The dog bolts out the door and immediately harasses a little white dog from New York. Not a good idea Rabbit! John races to fetch him and manages to get the dog under control, but not before scaring the heck out of both the dog and owner.

We managed to get to T-ball on time, but not as early as we'd planned. As soon as practice was over, John had to deal with the irate New Yorker and have Rabbit's vet papers faxed to the campground from Texas. All worked out fine, but it was a lot of headache because we sent James in to check the coffee pot that was already unplugged.

That was only the beginning of our day. We almost lost James in Target after sorting through the doggy drama. For five entire minutes John and I both were panicked thinking the other one had him.

Quickly after locating James, John finds out his FedEx package was dropped off at a strangers residence, meanwhile we have a PO Box as a mailing address.

We get home and Rabbit escapes a second time, luckily our neighbor was close by to help grab him before he ate the little yappy New York dog again.

We eventually make it to the pool with four of our kids, later in the day it starts lighting and thundering. We barely make it back to the camper before it pours down on us. As soon as the rain comes the RV begins leaking in two different places.

After pots are strategically placed, the power goes out. Too many amps being used and the electrical power hook up to the camper was fried and melted, partially stuck in the outside outlet.

Is this the reason why we found a new camper so soon? Could anything else fall apart? Can the day get any better then this?

John and I reflect on the day and here is my theory. Living full time in an RV was not in our master plan. We impulsively changed course and the universe is catching up to our new life path. It may take a few days to sort things out.

I've also had issues at the post office this week, the ultimate wrong time, wrong place fiasco which changed the course of an entire afternoon. These things don't normally happen. It's like living an alternate reality.

On a positive note with all the craziness and chaos, a few good things did happen today. James learned to ride his bike without training wheels in five minutes. We are all so proud of him. He's quite the speed demon now on two wheels.

We also took the kids to a hilarious, family movie today called 'The Chroods'. It was reminiscent of our own crazy family, but no matter what happens there's always a lot a love and a lot of fun. We each could relate to the characters in it.

I know John and I and even the kids can handle whatever the universe throws at us. Maybe we are changing course, but it'll all smooth itself out and in the meantime, we will enjoy the ride that life is offering.

Friday - Day 26 - Dedication

This week I focused on memorable moments in our current RV, which we fondly nicknamed "The Beast". We have had lots of exciting and happy memories as well as unusual and potentially scary experiences while in it on trips. I would not trade them for anything in the world.

When I recall our very first trip out west it was filled with anticipation, enthusiasm and so much joy. We were explorers on a journey to new lands. Deep down it's what our souls yearn for. I believe as human beings we are happiest when we are feeding our minds and hearts with new experiences.

In honor of our last weeks in "The Beast" I like to share a few more highlights from past trips.

Doggy Day Care: While touring St Louis, MO, we left our fearless dog, Rabbit, in the RV. It was a rainy, cool, 70 degree day and the parking attended was aware we left him in there. No problem, right? When we get back, later that day, we found a ticket on our windshield. What? Why? How?

We discovered a little yappy dog was inside the car parked near and it also had a ticket. The parking attendant filled us in; apparently, the yappy dog caused such a fuss and drew so much attention, an officer tagged the car with a 'doggy neglect ticket'. He took one look at our dog, proudly sitting in the drivers seat and ticketed us as well. Poor Rabbit, who would have thought he was in harms way, when he had his food, his water, and a comfortable place to sleep on our bed, in a perfect 70 degree doggy house.

A New York Moment: We surprised my mom in Port Washington, NY, with all the kids and our dog on our very first RV trip. She was shocked to see our 32ft RV parked in front of her house on her dead end street. We were even more surprised when we discovered we were parked on a slope, and slept at an angle every night. We still joke about those restless mornings waking up with our heads elevated. Although, the biggest achievement that week was maneuvering that thing off the tight dead end street. We had a wonderful stay with mom, but that was "The Beasts" one and only visit to New York.

We did however visit and would recommend the following places:

Missouri: St. Louis Arch
Kansas: Salt Mines, Truckhenge, Little Sweden
Colorodo: Coors Brewery
Wyoming: Devils Tower
South Dakota: Mt. Rushmore, Bad Lands, Fred Flintstone Land, Cosmos, Wall drugs, Corn Palace, Wall Drug
Minnesota: Jolly Green Giant, Mall of America, Taylors Falls
Pennsylvania: Hershey Park
New York: Museum of Natural History
Washington DC
Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg, Bush Gardens Amusement/Water park

Tennessee: Gatlinburg, Dollywood

Alabama: The entire state (Check out my husband's blog  http://www.g8rengineer.com/2011/08/02/vacation-2011-day-4/)
Georgia: Gainesville, Petit Lemans Races, Stone Mountain Chili Festival
Florida: St. Augustine, New Smyrna Beach


(Check out www.roadsideAmerica.com for many more interesting pit stops on your next road trip. Theres even an IPhone App)

St. Louis, Missouri- St. Louis Arch

Hutchinson, Kansas - Underground Salt Mines Museum

Topeka, Kansas - Truckhenge

Devils Tower, Wyoming - Devils Tower National Monument

Mitchell, South Dakota - Corn Palace

Wall, South Dakota - Wall Drugs Store

Blue Earth, Minnesota - Jolly Green Giant

New York, NY - Museum of Natural History

Washington, DC - Lincoln Mounument

 

Thursday - Day 25 - Stuck in 'da hood'

On our summer vacation three years ago enroute to Washington DC and Williamsburg, Virginia we decided to find a nice little neighborhood to boondock for the evening. We were in South Virginia at around 11:30pm and felt a nice church or parking lot would serve us well. .

We jumped off the highway and continued to drive. It was dark, and we soon realized we probably didn't pick be best exit to get off on. We had driven through poorer neighborhoods before, but never spent the night. As John makes his way back to find the highway, he turned up a street with a deep dip, and soon realized we were not going make it. We heard a loud, piercing scrape from beneath the RV and we were stuck, half way in the street and half way in the intersection.

John sternly told us to stay in the camper as he hustled out to assess the damage. I was nervously pondering, "What if there's a drive by shooting?" Or worse, "What if someone tries to hijack 'The Beast'?!"

Well, no, not really, I was actually thinking, "Crap!! How the heck are we going to get out of here at this time of the night!?!" I reluctantly decided to go out and attempt to help. "Stay inside kids, I'm headed out."

"John, do you want me to call someone?" as he crawled halfway under the RV.

"Are you okay under there?" I asked him as I peaked underneath.

Not long after I stepped outside people began to take notice. It's not everyday a huge 32ft RV, with a bunch of kids, is stuck in the middle of the road.

We had quite the cast of characters who volunteered to help us out and help is exactly what they did.

An interesting gentleman with a graying beard was hustling to assist, he crawled under our RV and tried to figure out which direction we should try to move it. A younger man, in camouflage pants, was working his way around the camper to determined how he could help.
Another gentleman sauntered over to see what all the commotion was about.

Traffic begun to slow at the intersection, a police officer soon assisted with the traffic flow and offered to call a tow truck.

John and our new found friends weren't convinced we needed a tow truck just yet. These were men on a mission to get our house moved, forward or backward, it was going to happen.

When the situation was beginning to look dire, an F250 truck with a few guys pulled up. "Need some help?" they called out. After much deliberation it was determined they'd drag us out with their strap. Things started to look promising.

By this time our kids were hanging their heads out the windows talking to the young man in camos, trying to get a glimpse of what's going on. It's quite the interactive scene; passerby's standing around wondering if our massive vehicle was going to spend the entire night blocking the road.

It took at least 30 minutes to determine what was stuck, how it was stuck and how to get it unstuck. Do we move forward or back it up?

Finally after a few failed attempts, the F250 successfully pulled the RV out and freed us from the hungry dip in the road. Everyone cheered. It was a sobering moment. How often does a team of strangers work together toward a common goal? It was an intense start to our summer vacation.

We never forgot the night "The Beast" was stuck and how complete strangers took their time to help us, expecting nothing in return. I have never driven through an unfamiliar neighborhood with fear, but now I will drive through with new found admiration.

I learned an important lesson that evening, we are all common souls on this earth willing to help those in need anywhere at anytime. Who we are is much more meaningful then where we live.

We will always be very grateful for the help we received one late night in Virginia.

Wednesday - Day 24 - Boondocking

Boondock: (noun) an uninhabited area with thick natural vegetation, as a backwoods or marsh; remote ritual area.

Boondocking: (verb) to park RV in the middle of nowhere, without any outside hook up, (no water, electric, or sewer disposal); to stand alone using only a generator to power up.

Our family has spent many nights boondocking on the way to or from a destination in our camper. Often because it's late and my husband needs a break from driving or to save a few dollars in lieu of a campground. Boondocking has always been a memorable experience.

We have boondocked in all sorts of interesting places. Walmart, dark alley ways, church parking lots, the side of the road and rest stops. The challenge is finding a place that won't get us in trouble with the law, won't keep us up at night or draw attention to uninvited guests. Each location has its disadvantages as we would learn along the way.

•Walmart: Bright lights. Big city.
Walmart is known in the RVing community to be a safe and RV friendly place to boondock. We can park in any Walmart around the globe without fear of being booted out. "This is great!" I think, "We will always have a place to park, there are plenty of Walmarts all over and we can run in for supplies if needed." Thinking and doing were very different realities for me. Our first time parking over night at a Walmart, we found a good place to park, far from the entrance. We soon discovered why Walmarts aren't littered with boondockers. It was bright, very bright, even with our window shades down. It was also noisy, 24hours of noisy. Wasn't it the middle of the night? We would not have known, we may as well have been parked in a city center.

•Dark alley ways: Keep your weapon handy and watch for dump trucks.
We decided to try an alley way another late night. For starters creepy doesn't even fit the bill, I've watched too many horror movies. My thoughts wander and I always think someone is going to sneak in and stab us at night on these eerie pit stops. Even John keeps the baseball bat handy on these wicked nights. Once we managed to make it through the fear induced night, the early morning startles us with the 'Beep, Beep, Beep' of a garbage truck; we were blocking a trash disposal, which forced us to move along our way.

•Churches: With and without the cemetery. I always feel a little bad using these small town church parking lots when we stop for lunch or to spend the night. It's as if I'm using Gods land for my own selfish motives. I force myself rationalize, it's okay if we're all Gods children, right? God wouldn't kick us out, but the ghosts on that spooky attached cemetery would. These nights all I can envision are disturbing the dead with the roar of the generator. Where's that baseball bat?
Otherwise, my best advice would be don't park at a church on a Saturday night, kids dressed in their Sunday best will be peering in on you first thing Sunday morning. Now that's creepier then the ghosts!

•Side of the road: During a snow storm, think 'The Walking Dead'. John did this once, on his own, at night. He was leaving Atlanta on his way to Florida. I remember it clearly, not because it was one of our rare snow storms in GA, but because he admitted he was happy Rabbit (our killer dog) was with him on this trip. This is not my most recommend spot, however, during a snow storm, when the roads are closed, it works out quite well. I find this reminiscent of the early episodes of 'The Walking Dead', cars piled up, out of Atlanta, less all the snow and ice. You'd want your dog along too.

•Rest stops- Sharing space with that strange bearded guy and his pit bull. One would think rest stops would be the safest place to boondock. However, every trucker who passes through also uses these same rest stops to overnight. When walking my fierce dog, Rabbit, I note the trucker's dogs could eat mine for lunch. They bark, drool and growl at the cab window. When I walk to the restroom my curiosity gets the best of me. Have you ever peeked inside a truckers cab? Their entire life is packed into it. I've seen the CI channel, there's a true story of a trucker who's a serial killer. He has a seemingly normal life with a family, but he'd sneak into people's homes late at night and stab young woman to death. I will caveat with, I'm not implying all truckers are serial killers, but their are some serial killers who happen to be truckers. Creepiest stop in my book.

We live as Nomads when we boondock. We are living off the grid. No matter where we choose to lay our heads for the night, we must be safe, aware and protected. One just doesn't know what lies beyond those four walls; from creepos to ghosts, zombies to serial killers. It's all a matter of where you choose to boondock.

Note my photos below are all beautiful places we've been, and would also make wonderful places to boondock peacefully!