Some thoughts as we prepare to launch!

Things are rapidly becoming real as we head towards our launch date! We are only in our sticks and bricks for another week and a half! Our near-empty place currently looks strikingly similar to a frat-house…we’re living out of cardboard boxes, eating mostly canned/ready-made food (and ordering far too many pizzas) and the living room boasts only a couch and tv (no fuze ball table, unfortunately). In the past month we have sold or donated most of our worldly possessions, bought a sturdy diesel truck:

 and purchased our new home-on-wheels: a 33ft 2006 Keystone Springdale Bunkhouse travel trailer! Isn’t she lovely 🙂

We are slowly moving things in and adding homey touches where we can. I am most proud of Zoe’s bunkhouse space…it really feels quite cozy! 

   She has one of the bottom bunks as a play space with her dress-up basket, books, stuffed animals, puzzles and legos, and the other bottom bunk as her bed. The two top bunks will be for additional storage and probably a diaper changing area (taking a brief brake from potty-training during the transition, but I think it will be a breeze on the tiny trailer toilet). I want to make a curtain for her bed that she can pull closed for extra cozy/cool factor and some added darkness. I will have to adjust to her taking naps just a few feet from the main living area! It will probably be a good excuse to spend time on the “porch” under our awning and get some work done. I just can’t imagine her sleeping while we talk or clatter around the kitchen…but I have been surprised in the past by how adaptable kiddos can be!

As with most things these days, only time will tell…I can plan, organize, and over-analyze until I’m a bossy stress-ball version of myself…but I won’t, because this lifestyle requires a great deal of flexibility and the willingness to go with the flow. That is largely what has been so appealing to us. Most days we will wake up to a completely different view than the morning or week before. That is exciting! But it also shakes you out of your comfort zone, or rather, expands it. If we wanted complete predictability and control, we would be much more likely to find that being stationary in a sticks and bricks, with a 9-5 job, seeing all the same neighbors and coworkers everyday, and venturing out only for a quick weekend escape to “unwind”. I don’t want to have to escape from my life. I want to live a life with my family that is the thing of dreams. Yes, a certain stability is critical, especially for children (and this is where some people get uncomfortable with the idea of full time travel), and we will be providing Zoe with that. She will have consistency in her life…she will have the love of her parents, her doggie Shep, her favorite books and toys, and she will lay her head on the same pillow each night as she falls asleep. I’m sure small routines and rituals will become important to us on the road. Such as a morning walk with daddy while mommy makes breakfast, singing campfire songs or enjoying an episode of Little Bear (the only tv show she will watch…really) as we settle in for the night. I am excited to discover which little parts of the day we find ourselves most looking forward to..and on the flip side there will surely be plenty of tasks to dread (I’m looking at you, dump station!).

For now, though my head is filled with images and dreams of how the nomadic life will be, I must continue to be patient and work hard this next week to complete the ever-growing checklist of things to get done! We round out every day with research, research, and more research! We are learning about our rv (reading the manual cover to cover, which is something I have never done in my life) about campgrounds, route finders, the Passport America program, workcamping, and lurking on the ever-helpful and friendly Fulltime Families FB page! Every day folks much like us post questions, suggestions or inspirational pictures and stories about their experiences. It really is wonderful! Having discovered a community right out of the gate is very encouraging. Many members even meet up so their kids can play! A valuable resource indeed.

Thanks for stopping in! I intend to use this blog to update friends and family on our location, post some really cheese pics, and chronicle our adventures. William will be a contributing writer as well! Hopefully I will be posting again from our first location on the Oregon coast!

~N