Thursday - Day 11 - Crystal Clear

I have found a morning 'No John home' routine.
Ty is always the first to rise and James sneaks into my bed soon after. They are snuggly and sweet, lots of giggling and smiles. We chill out in bed until the dog's whining becomes unbearable.

Without even my first cup of morning coffee I am walking my eager dog in the chill of the morning air. He pulls aggressively. I can tell by his whine if it'll be a short or long walk. Today it was a long one, lucky me. But we are both satisfied as we make it back to the camper. Boys are behaving, and ready to eat.

I clean the few lone dishes in the sink while I warm milk for Ty and whip up some strong Joe for myself. The little man is feed, a few sips of coffee later, and both my email and FB have been quickly checked.

Cat is meowing loudly at this point so he gets feed and both four legged friends are watered. I consider getting dressed and pulling clothes out for the boys. My final task before we head out to begin our day.

Not showering is a huge time saver and something I am still adapting to. I will admit I tried showing in the RV after boys went to bed the other night. It was a less than stellar experience. Low water pressure, hot/cold variations. So my choices when John is out of town are no shower, use the one in the RV or wait until Ty is napping. I'm not keen leaving the boys alone soooo....I bet I'm not smelling too pretty at this point. If we move closer to the faculties, I may reconsider the latter

I vacuumed today. We have faux wood floors and a mini rug in the living area. It looks great when it's clean. So I lugged our vacuum, the one sitting outside, into the RV. (that's as close to white trash this little lady will ever admit to). And I vaccummed in all of five minutes. It made a huge difference. I was glad I'd made the effort.

Maintaining a clean RV is important. You want to feel comfortable and not cluttered. One benefit to living here is it doesn't take long to clean up. Vacuuming is a perfect example. Putting dishes away is a breeze considering everything goes in one cabinet or one draw. Even putting laundry away is speedy. One space for each kid and myself alike. A few draws too, but whose counting, they are mini drawers at best. It's still faster then what I am use to.

I can't help but think many people can't imagine living in a small space, especially with small kids. But, I honestly feel anyone can do it at any stage of their lives and they should. Maybe to gain a new perspective, enjoy simple means, or lavish in an appreciation for nature. A sense of freedom in physical, spiritual and financial sense.
I find myself adapting a little more each day. I am becoming more open minded, more deliberate in my thinking and unusually calm. I think it's the environment created when other like minded individuals are gathered together. Once I leave the gates there's a shift and stress soon finds me. It's an interesting reality. I am not sure what is all means, but I know if I keep writing it'll all become crystal clear.

Wednesday - Day 10 - Runaway Rabbit

My dog, Rabbit, ran away at the tail end of a very important phone interview. I felt rushed off the phone and any opportunity to make one last good impression was squashed.

Feeling defeated from the interview and lost, due to my nut job dog; I fiercely walked, mission driven to find him.

He literally jumped through the screen door of the RV breaking the plastic, sliding piece so he could fit through and escape.
'What was that mutt thinking?' I'm dizzy with questions regarding the dog, and the interview. 'Why wasn't I as confident on my interview as I was about finding this dog?'

As I walk with my empty dog leash, people approach me and inquire about my dog. One couple has actually seen my freedom driven dog and they knew exactly where he was roaming. Grateful and relieved I head in that direction. Damn that dog!

Everyone who stops to chat with me, about my missing dog, is understanding, helpful and sensitive to my loss. No one seems concerned or worried that my dog might eat them. He may actually lick them to death, but they don't know that.

My experience during my phone interview pulled me into an uncertain, outside world, the one with rules and judgements. My experience immediately following was looking for my dog, a quest in which I could control the outcome.

Both were stressful events for me; however the interview was in solitude down a black energy depleting hole. While looking for my dog I was far from alone and very empowered to find a way to bring him home.

My loyal dog, who always sleeps by MY side of the bed, is home. Thank you Rabbit for putting things in perspective for me.

Tuesday - Day 9 - Time Stands Still

I sat in the park today watching the boys play while reading a book. I glanced at my watch and thought, 'wow it's only 1:30, I still have time to take to the boys to the library.'

I wondered why time seems to stand still in this place. Is it all the retires in no hurry to live their day? I'm not on vacation and normally time flies fast on our normal camping trips. It think I've found a worm hole where time has slowed down.

I pack the boys up and venture out of my hole into the fast paced world of reality. It's sill New Smyrna Beach, certainly not NYC, but people are hustling to get their lives in order. It is obvious I have left my little sanctuary.

I arrived at the library with no specific plan. The boys played for a bit and James found a few books and a DVD to check out. This is when my day gets complicated. The reality of having no physical address, and basically being homeless has strongly set in. I use to have a library card for this library, but the lady politely informs me it's expired and I owe seven dollars in late fees. Wow, not what I wanted to hear at this moment in time.

I have nothing to prove I actually live here, no utility bill, not a license in sight, not even a credit card or phone bill statement and I am left wondering what to do. I haven't even checked my PO Box for new mail yet. The lady hands me a huge list of documents I can use to reactive my card, I seriously have nothing. I graciously hand over the items we were about to check out and leave.

James was upset, but considering he was not behaving well I used his behavior as an excuse as to why we could not check out his books. Life throws us road blocks, I may as well use this one to teach my son a lesson.

I try hard not to feel as if I wasted my precision time, but as I enter the campground I see a luxury class A motorhome on a tow truck stuck at the exit. A sight I may never see again.

I consider the owner of the class A for a moment, reluctantly pulled out of our time forgiving sanctuary, not knowing if he'll ever return.

As I slowly drive down the narrow sandy road, fellow natives wave as I pass them by. Our secret is safe and secure, our smiles say it all.

Monday - Day 8 - It takes a Village

“It takes a village.”  This is one of my favorite sayings.  Once society lived in small villages, with our extended family all around.  We’d have our grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins as part of our everyday lives.  In addition we had our neighbors and all of their families   We all raised the children.  Children were protected and cared for and extremely well adjusted as they learned to grow and were influenced by many.   Parents had time to do their chores and take care of one another’s needs.  No concerns over where the children were or who they were with. 

I had the luxury of having extended family on my father’s side living both behind me and next door to me growing up.  I could come and go as I please and I was always being looked after.  Even my mother’s family kept me close, to this day I consider my aunt’s home as my own.  Growing up, my cousins would whisk me away to the beach or on errands.  There was always someone who wanted to steal me away.  I was fortunate in this respect as I am who I am today due to all the wonderful family who helped raise me.

In a similar respect, my sons seem to draw people to them.  I had a unique experience this evening as I worked to get an employment assessment done in the campground common area.  Due to Wi-Fi issues at this campground, I found myself spending a few hours in a room full of strangers.  A funny thing happens when you put a bunch of campers together, some full timers, some snow birds and others on vacation.  There is this unspoken sense of respect and care that one would not find in an outside public gathering. 

Although the room I was using had only one person using his laptop when I began, by the time I completed my task it was full of retirees playing a serious game of pool.  As cute as I’m sure those men thought Ty was, when he peered over the pool table I’m sure he stopped at least one pace maker for fear he’d grab one of their balls.

As I pushed to get my lengthy assessment completed my boys were growing hungry and impatient.  Considering this, on the whole my kids were fairly well behave, thankfully no screaming or whining.  Due to their temperaments a lovely woman offered to play connect four with James as she picks Ty up to sit on her lap.  She easily entertains my children while I finish what I needed to get done.  As a parent I know when it’s okay to allow someone else to help in those times of need.  Tonight was a perfect example. 

In this environment, I have found many people are more than happy to help, and share and smile when they see my boys.  I find their thoughts often drift to memories of their own children.  People are open and kind.  It’s a beautiful thing to see and be a part of.  Once again I feel fortunate for the circumstances in my life.    

Sunday – Day 7 - Moving The Fort

I remember as a kidmaking forts with my day bed bolsters. Remember those? – very 1970s.  Iwould get a blanket and drape it over my two bolsters laying side by side onthe floor.  Leaving just enough of a gap inbetween for me to crawl inside. I always grabbed a few snacks and laid in front of the boob tube all cozy and safe.  Not one care in the world.

Ironically, John mentioned setting up a fort today once we get to the new campground.  However his fort was outside.  The awning, a few chairs, a plastic storage unit and his grill. Everything a man needs for his man cave. 

Why is it we make these forts as kids and seem to seek them out in adulthood?  Whether it's in the safety of our bedrooms or even in our camper. Is this part of the attraction to RV living?  Everything we need safely packed away in our own small space.  Maybe we are bringing back memories in the womb feeling protective and warm; free from all worldly harm.


In America we tend to believe bigger is better, and I can vouch for this especially after residing in Texas.  However, the rest of the world lives in smaller spaces, own smaller cars and certainly own less stuff.  Maybe Americans haven’t reached that point of evolution yet. 

And here we are.  I like our new fort - it's perfect. 

 As we enter our campground.

Today we are settlers like our ancestors. We are getting acquainted to our land, our neighbors and our new surroundings. It is back to the basics.  I have an entire new understanding for the saying, "home is where the heart is.”  My heart is everywhere and we are home. 

Saturday – Day 6 - The RV show

What better way to spend the weekend away from our RV then to take all the boys, including my step-son, to the RV show. Only 10 minutes away, I see this as more then just a coincidence.  I've been hinting to John maybe we should consider trading our Class C for a trailer RV, but so far he hasn't been truly receptive to this idea.  I'd like to maximize our space, specifically if we are planning to live full time longer than three months.
As we began looking at the small pop ups, and slowly worked our way up to the larger and much more expensive models, each one sheds light onto the possibilities of what we could have on our wheels we call home.  All that space we currently lacked.  Could we tow it with our Suburban?  Is a 5th wheel (something we never consider) the way to go?  How do we see ourselves in one to five years? 

A king size bed!? How do they do it?  Dishwashers and washing machines hidden away. It would be the ultimate camping experience.  We could live full-time forever! But could we?  

A full-size fridge, an island in the kitchen, and tables and chairs, oh my.  A mini apartment to travel anywhere we choose.  Outdoor kitchens with televisions.  It keeps getting better and better. Even a bathtub for Ty?  But the boys favorite campers were the ones with bunk beds including personal TVs for each of them.    

Who knows maybe camping life is the way to go.  One year seems like a lofty goal, but I don't feel in such a hurry to move on anymore.  I look forward to what tomorrow will bring and time feels as if it slowed down some.  Sitting here this evening, watching movies with my family, I know we don't need more than what we currently have.  It's familiar and homey.  I like it all just as it is.  I don't care for a mini washer, I enjoy doing laundry outdoors.  I like my mini fridge, and custom mattress.  I'm okay with it all. 

More importantly, today is a very significant day, it is the day I breathe life into my idea to start a blog.  I will publish for the world to take a glimpse into this lifestyle.  One that many do not consider nor get the privilege of living.  It's an extremely peaceful lifestyle.  It’s like living out doors, but in the safety of your own personal space.  We really don't need much, and that is the one thing I think we all take for granted. 

The moment I shared I was a full time RVer today was the moment I realized I am part of a small society of people, an entire culture, who understand freedom from a traditional lifestyle.  They shake our hands and nod in agreement because they too have experienced another way of life.  It not only frees you physically, but it frees your mind and your soul.  It's life in a whole new way. 

Friday – Day 5 - Hot Showers

Taking a shower is such a good feeling.  But for some reason when you wait to take one every other day and have to walk to a separate building to take it in a community shared facility, it seems to feel even better.  

A few things I thought about today as I showered. I have showered in worse places. I took a trip to Haiti in my early twenties. I stayed at the nicest hotel available and still only had one stream of cool water to shower under and a sheet to dry off with. At that time I adjusted, but  still thought how do people live like this? No showers? Minimal water. Life can be hard, but we adapt. what choice do we have? 

Entering the bathroom I look around.  I see wood paneling, all wood enclosed bathroom stalls and old fashioned salmon colored curtains.  But, it's clean. And that's the most important thing.  I happen to look up after setting all my stuff out.  I choose the shower with no working light bulb.  Mental note; next shower pick the shower with the working light.  

As I wash my hair, in dim lighting, I am happy.  I need not worry about how much hair gets clogged in the drain.  It's those small things that truly count. I reach over to grab a razor out of my bag, I move the curtain just a little and see two little girls standing there peering over at me, giggling. I am sure they caught a glimpse of my wet naked body.  I pretend not to see them and continue enjoying my long hot shower.  The water pressure and temperature are perfect and the additional perks include no crying baby in the background and no one coming in to ask me questions.  Only me and the warmth of the water flowing over my previously chilled body.

I leave in the same clothes, a little wet but refreshed and clean. It can't get any better than this. I walk back to my camper, it's a gorgeous day and I take it all in.  I feel very fulfilled. 

View of the Ducks near the bathrooms