I just want you to know that we left! We drove out of our front yard the other day and Old Gal was great! Her springs were squeaking and there was some moaning and groaning going on, but she was awesome! The engine sounds strong and her brakes are tight, and it was so cool to finally get her rolling!
Then we drove around the block and came back, but our maiden voyage was a great success!
The fact that we haven't left yet must be pretty annoying to some of you who just want to hear about how the trip went! Well believe me, it's annoying to me too, because I am tired of going through my things and packing, packing, packing! A number of friends have called or emailed asking, "So where are you right now? Are you on the road? I hope you guys are ok!" I feel bad when I have to burst their bubble and tell them we're still here. I am very concerned about money and finding work as soon as possible, but we need to do this right, and rushing will not help. Add to that the fact that we are both physically and emotionally exhausted, and wrapping everything up here has been more of a challenge than we could have anticipated.
But we're getting there!
Packing an RV with all of your belongings isn't like packing a moving van. There are nooks and crannies in an RV, and in order to find a place for your things, you need to use as many of those as possible. This means looking at a space, estimating its size relative to the things you have, and then actually putting things in there. The first thing you try doesn't fit and then you panic about where you're going to put that thing while you find another thing to fill the space. Then you find something else in the house that you need to bring and you realize that this thing will go better in that space than the other thing, and you keep putting things and taking them out and arranging until hopefully everything fits just so. There are overhead bins throughout the RV, and those are relatively easy to fill. I made sure that things we use regularly would go in the most accessible bins. Music and DVD's? All taken out of their cases and put in albums, which are stashed above the couch in the 'living room'. No problem! But there are also two smallish nooks under the couch that are only accessible by pulling the front off of it. You really have to get down on your stomach to access that space, but I have put at least 20 books in there. Nice! In the 'kitchen' there is a lot of room under the bench seats at the table, but there's a water heater taking up part of the space on one side, and the benches have an aluminum frame that makes it hard to slide things in. If it won't fit in between the frame rungs, it doesn't go there! We also have space underneath the bed frame in the back (which J ingeniously built in 4 pieces that all come out). It's a pain to wrangle the mattress out of the way to put stuff back there, so we have to put things there that we don't need to access very often, like winter clothes and photo albums! She's getting pretty full, and we have to be concerned with weight - Old Gal won't get to New Mexico if we make her too heavy! I'm almost done with the packing, and it can't be finished soon enough for me!
We have to take some "after" pictures today, but very soon I will post before/after pics so you can get an idea of where we're living and how far we've come in making Old Gal a home! It's pretty cool!
We drove down to Wilkes-Barre yesterday to an RV parts store. J. needed a new voltage regulator, which we think is what's causing the fridge and the electrical to go crazy. He'll put that in today, and hopefully it'll take care of a lot of the problems we've been having. I get to do all the packing because J has to take care of all the really important stuff! I love our division of labor...
I fold towels and figure out where to put the Q-tips, and all J has to do is make the 3,000 parts of this rig run! Nice!
We're planning our route, and for those of you interested in the journey, here is our approximate route: we are going to Ohio via route 80, then making a left in Youngstown and heading southwest. We'll be traveling on route 71 to route 70 and then route 44 to route 40 (old route 66) until we pull in to ABQ. Along the way we will be going through Akron, Columbus, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, and then New Mexico. Not the most exciting places in the country, perhaps, but I've never been to MO, OK, or TX (or NM!) so it should still be interesting! We are going to stop in St. Louis and visit the Gateway Arch, and then maybe find the world's largest ball of string or something along the way!
It's a bit of a bummer that I am going to be driving our car separately and following J in Old Gal, because we had hoped to be together on the journey. But towing the car just wasn't feasible, financially or practically, so we'll make the best of it!
My birthday is Saturday and J was hoping to have me in ABQ by that day, but I think we might not make it. Just a hunch I have. We're anticipating that it will take 4 or 5 days for the whole trip so we'll be on the road that day, but we'll celebrate when we get there!
It should only be another day or two, tops, until we leave! I think we should leave tomorrow, because we would be leaving on the 3rd anniversary of the day we met, May 26th, 2007. That would be cool and meaningful in some sort of way, right?
If we're going to do that, I'd better be off to cram some more stuff into those nooks and crannies!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday
It turns out that the fridge is still working, and the electric is blinking on and off, and J doesn't know why - yet! In the mean time, we're off to have work done on the car (I'm driving separately now - we're not going to tow it) and then he'll figure out what is going on, but the good news is that it won't keep us from getting on the road. If the fridge wasn't working, that would be different!
Slept in the RV again last night - boy it's fun and cozy in the bedroom! Don't know why I couldn't sleep before, but now I love it!!! Yay!
We went to an RV store yesterday for some parts we needed and checked out a bunch of new 5th wheels and toy haulers (for those of you who are not RVers, they are the kind you tow behind a truck; ours is a 'motorhome') and they were really nice and all, but I am happy with our slightly more modest and slightly older girl. Or should I say 'gal'. I can't believe it, but I'm falling in love with Old Gal!
I'm feeling a bit rejuvenated this morning and ready for another day of errands, packing and preparations!
Yeehar!
Slept in the RV again last night - boy it's fun and cozy in the bedroom! Don't know why I couldn't sleep before, but now I love it!!! Yay!
We went to an RV store yesterday for some parts we needed and checked out a bunch of new 5th wheels and toy haulers (for those of you who are not RVers, they are the kind you tow behind a truck; ours is a 'motorhome') and they were really nice and all, but I am happy with our slightly more modest and slightly older girl. Or should I say 'gal'. I can't believe it, but I'm falling in love with Old Gal!
I'm feeling a bit rejuvenated this morning and ready for another day of errands, packing and preparations!
Yeehar!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Moving In!
It's Tuesday, May 18th, and we have finally moved into our new home!!!
We wrestled our mattress into the back of the RV on Sunday night, and slept in Old Gal for the first time. It was - not bad! We have a queen-size Tempur-pedic mattress (bought in better economic times) and it is so comfortable that it makes any space you put it in better! Not that the bedroom in Old Gal is bad by any means. When we got her the bedroom had two single beds and a small console in the middle. J. took out the beds and built a frame for a queen-size mattress. He built it tall enough so that we have space underneath the bed for storage and for our pooch Freddie's crate. It's like a cozy little nest back there! Ok, I admit that at first I vacillated between feeling it was "cozy" and feeling it was "claustrophobic", but after only 2 nights, I'm feeling the cozy!
Sunday night I didn't sleep so well. J. was out in no time, but I have legendary insomnia, and it doesn't take much to keep me from sleeping. If I come to your house to stay for a night or a weekend? You can bet I'm up late, probably reading to help ease me into dream land. Well this is no different! Same mattress, sheets, comforter, pillows and husband, but stick them all in the back of an RV and there's no way I'm going to sleep anytime soon. So, by 2 am I was back in the house. Practically the only furniture we have left in the house are two reclining chairs, and I slept in one very happily. I told myself that I was like the kid in the children's book who's too scared to sleep over all night at his friend's house, so when he calls his dad to pick him up, his dad tells him not to feel too badly about it - they had a 5 hour sleepover the first time instead of an all-nighter. I decided that I'm like that kid, and I had a 3-hour sleepover in Old Gal the first night. I wasn't ready for an all-nighter.
Last night was much better! We cooked in Old Gal for the first time (portobello mushroom burgers! Yummy!) and then I was the first one to the bedroom where I could stretch out my sore body. And oh, was it comfy! I was out in mere minutes and slept there all night! And I have to say, I think it's gonna be great!
Packing an RV with all of your things is interesting. I underestimated and overestimated how much space we would have for various items, and there's really no way to know what will fit until you're actually putting things away. It's going well, but we're quickly running out of space, and still have many things that need to be packed. Our house on wheels is 23 years young, so we're concerned about adding too much weight. We only have a few days left here (cross your fingers!) and we can't make her too heavy, so some of what I had my heart set on taking will not make it. But that's okay! I've had to prioritize and re-prioritize our belongings, and things I thought were very important before turn out to be mere trifles in the overall scheme of things. We've taken our time in the packing, because everything needs a place, and certain things have to be more accessible than others. This is such a huge life change - it's not like we're just going on a vacation, so if we do a good job now we won't have to repack, or forget where important things are and turn the place upside-down later.
When we first hatched this wacky plan, I set April 1st as our moving date, more as something to aspire to than as a realistic deadline. That only gave us 2 months to move and do everything we needed to do! I knew it would take us longer to move, but I didn't think it would be this long until we were ready to leave! We couldn't have planned for my surgery or any of the other snags we've run into along the way, and I guess it's good we don't have a deadline so that we don't have to take off in a rush and leave things here in total disarray. I am anxious to get going so we can find jobs and start working again, but every day I have to take a deep breath and focus on what needs to be done now to get us toward our goals and not worry about what I can't control. There's a constant battle going on in my head:
"We have to get outta here!"
"We can't yet. We have to be patient and just focus on today and what we need to do. We'll be fine".
"We have to get outta here!"
I'm driving myself insane.
We have to wait until Thursday to get the car aligned (long story but it's in the category of "things you can't control") and we have to have Old Gal ready to roll tomorrow for inspection. She hasn't been on the road since J. drove her up from Florida, but he's taken this time to make sure all of her systems are working before she went for a PA inspection. Other than that and packing the last of the stuff, we're really close to getting on the road!
We're thinking Friday might be the day - but don't quote me on that.
We wrestled our mattress into the back of the RV on Sunday night, and slept in Old Gal for the first time. It was - not bad! We have a queen-size Tempur-pedic mattress (bought in better economic times) and it is so comfortable that it makes any space you put it in better! Not that the bedroom in Old Gal is bad by any means. When we got her the bedroom had two single beds and a small console in the middle. J. took out the beds and built a frame for a queen-size mattress. He built it tall enough so that we have space underneath the bed for storage and for our pooch Freddie's crate. It's like a cozy little nest back there! Ok, I admit that at first I vacillated between feeling it was "cozy" and feeling it was "claustrophobic", but after only 2 nights, I'm feeling the cozy!
Sunday night I didn't sleep so well. J. was out in no time, but I have legendary insomnia, and it doesn't take much to keep me from sleeping. If I come to your house to stay for a night or a weekend? You can bet I'm up late, probably reading to help ease me into dream land. Well this is no different! Same mattress, sheets, comforter, pillows and husband, but stick them all in the back of an RV and there's no way I'm going to sleep anytime soon. So, by 2 am I was back in the house. Practically the only furniture we have left in the house are two reclining chairs, and I slept in one very happily. I told myself that I was like the kid in the children's book who's too scared to sleep over all night at his friend's house, so when he calls his dad to pick him up, his dad tells him not to feel too badly about it - they had a 5 hour sleepover the first time instead of an all-nighter. I decided that I'm like that kid, and I had a 3-hour sleepover in Old Gal the first night. I wasn't ready for an all-nighter.
Last night was much better! We cooked in Old Gal for the first time (portobello mushroom burgers! Yummy!) and then I was the first one to the bedroom where I could stretch out my sore body. And oh, was it comfy! I was out in mere minutes and slept there all night! And I have to say, I think it's gonna be great!
Packing an RV with all of your things is interesting. I underestimated and overestimated how much space we would have for various items, and there's really no way to know what will fit until you're actually putting things away. It's going well, but we're quickly running out of space, and still have many things that need to be packed. Our house on wheels is 23 years young, so we're concerned about adding too much weight. We only have a few days left here (cross your fingers!) and we can't make her too heavy, so some of what I had my heart set on taking will not make it. But that's okay! I've had to prioritize and re-prioritize our belongings, and things I thought were very important before turn out to be mere trifles in the overall scheme of things. We've taken our time in the packing, because everything needs a place, and certain things have to be more accessible than others. This is such a huge life change - it's not like we're just going on a vacation, so if we do a good job now we won't have to repack, or forget where important things are and turn the place upside-down later.
When we first hatched this wacky plan, I set April 1st as our moving date, more as something to aspire to than as a realistic deadline. That only gave us 2 months to move and do everything we needed to do! I knew it would take us longer to move, but I didn't think it would be this long until we were ready to leave! We couldn't have planned for my surgery or any of the other snags we've run into along the way, and I guess it's good we don't have a deadline so that we don't have to take off in a rush and leave things here in total disarray. I am anxious to get going so we can find jobs and start working again, but every day I have to take a deep breath and focus on what needs to be done now to get us toward our goals and not worry about what I can't control. There's a constant battle going on in my head:
"We have to get outta here!"
"We can't yet. We have to be patient and just focus on today and what we need to do. We'll be fine".
"We have to get outta here!"
I'm driving myself insane.
We have to wait until Thursday to get the car aligned (long story but it's in the category of "things you can't control") and we have to have Old Gal ready to roll tomorrow for inspection. She hasn't been on the road since J. drove her up from Florida, but he's taken this time to make sure all of her systems are working before she went for a PA inspection. Other than that and packing the last of the stuff, we're really close to getting on the road!
We're thinking Friday might be the day - but don't quote me on that.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Tuesday
Yesterday was a busy day!!! We took down the tent garage and gave it to some nice neighbors from the next block. Then we went to register the RV but forgot to bring the papers! Oops! (That was my fault - I'm especially scatter-brained these days!)
Most of our day was taken up with work on the RV fridge. The part came in and it was huge! That 'coil' is a mass of metal tubing the length of the fridge! J. had to take the whole fridge out of its cubby hole, then figure out how to position it so he could work on it! The bench seats at the kitchen table stick out far enough that we couldn't get the fridge past them, but then J. took out the table and the seat cushions, and we lifted the fridge over the back of the rear bench and laid it face down across the wooden seat bases. Perfect! We got the old coil off and put the new one on before it was time to call it a day! Today we will finish attaching the new coil and putting the fridge back where it belongs. Cross your fingers for us that the fridge will work now!
We will try to register the RV once again (with the papers in hand, this time!) and we'll move the leftover furniture from the moving sale into the living room until we know where everything's going. Then it's more packing the RV and that will be a full day!
The hardest part of this last phase of moving is figuring out what to do with all the rest of the stuff we have leftover! We can't just stick it all in some boxes and add it to the moving truck to deal with when we get to our new house! We have to deal with it now, and frankly, it's just a pain in the butt!
I think large garbage bags will help.
Most of our day was taken up with work on the RV fridge. The part came in and it was huge! That 'coil' is a mass of metal tubing the length of the fridge! J. had to take the whole fridge out of its cubby hole, then figure out how to position it so he could work on it! The bench seats at the kitchen table stick out far enough that we couldn't get the fridge past them, but then J. took out the table and the seat cushions, and we lifted the fridge over the back of the rear bench and laid it face down across the wooden seat bases. Perfect! We got the old coil off and put the new one on before it was time to call it a day! Today we will finish attaching the new coil and putting the fridge back where it belongs. Cross your fingers for us that the fridge will work now!
We will try to register the RV once again (with the papers in hand, this time!) and we'll move the leftover furniture from the moving sale into the living room until we know where everything's going. Then it's more packing the RV and that will be a full day!
The hardest part of this last phase of moving is figuring out what to do with all the rest of the stuff we have leftover! We can't just stick it all in some boxes and add it to the moving truck to deal with when we get to our new house! We have to deal with it now, and frankly, it's just a pain in the butt!
I think large garbage bags will help.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday
Ok, it's time to do a countdown to launch, because this is ridiculous already! Let's get outta here!!! But there are so many details to take care of, it's tough! Well, it'll be a count-up to launch, with the hope that we are gone by the end of the week at the latest!
We should be getting the part for the fridge today. If so, we will be installing that asap!
Still packing the RV, trying to make sure every bit of space is being used to the fullest extent!
Need to plan our route to ABQ - we're probably going through St. Louis. Anyone know fun things to do in St. Louis?
We have a million little things to cross off on our To Do list. Here's hoping that we cross off a whole bunch of them today!!!
We should be getting the part for the fridge today. If so, we will be installing that asap!
Still packing the RV, trying to make sure every bit of space is being used to the fullest extent!
Need to plan our route to ABQ - we're probably going through St. Louis. Anyone know fun things to do in St. Louis?
We have a million little things to cross off on our To Do list. Here's hoping that we cross off a whole bunch of them today!!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Moving Sale, Moving On
It's getting to be that time, when we're actually going to get in the RV and live in it. I can't tell if I'm excited or I want to throw up - maybe it's a little bit of both! The other night (maybe last Thursday) J. asked me, "So, do you want to put the mattress in Old Gal now so we can sleep in there?" Without a moment's hesitation I cried, "NO!!!" Feeling panicked but needing an excuse for this I said lamely, "Umm, I mean, I don't want to sleep in there until we get the fridge fixed. It still smells a little like ammonia". J. did not question this, and instead said I had a good point.
Phew. Close one!
While I love the idea of this plan, I am terrified at the actual implementation of the plan. A lot of my friends say that we are so lucky to be able to do something like this and that it will be an adventure, both of which are true. But let's be real: it's close quarters, there's not a lot of space for stuff or moving around, and it's all a little odd. Oh, I think that all my friends are right and it will be an awesome adventure, but until we actually set off, it's anxiety-producing. I try to keep myself calm by just focusing on the tasks I have for each day, without thinking too hard about the next step. We just finished our second week of Moving Sale, and I am so glad it's over! It was such a lot of work!! But overall it was successful. We met a lot of nice people, a few wacky people, and some of our things found new homes. Now we have to figure out what to do with what's leftover (and there's a lot of it), finish packing the RV, finish emptying the house. I'll try to focus on those things and not the fact that we're about to actually walk away from our house and it's foundation, and board a bus in which to live. It's cool, but there's always that little teeny tiny 'but what if...' in my head. 'But what if this happens or that happens? Then what?' is a streaming ticker-tape on the bottom of the screen in my head, like you see on CNN or CNBC. No matter what I'm doing, that endless repetition of doubtful questions buzzes in the back of my brain.
I have let fear make decisions for me before, and I've always regretted it. I admire people who aren't afraid of everything, the way I am. I've had to be brave many times now in my short life, and I've always survived, so I have to trust that I'll deal with whatever comes our way. One of the things I love about J. is that he just isn't as afraid of things as I am. He's not afraid of much. Amazing! He helps me to keep growing as a person, and to keep taking chances. He is just the person I need to temper my fears. I also admire and trust his ability to drive, fix, and maintain an RV, and to keep going even when things are tough. So for now I'll focus on packing the RV and the other priority tasks and try not to focus on fear!
We are planning to leave exactly a week from today! Woohoo! Oh Crap!!!
I packed some of my clothes in the RV, and it's just not a lot of space! I have a little closet about 18 inches wide and an overhead cabinet the size of 2 drawers. I've gotten rid of bags and bags of clothes, and I feel like I have nothing left, but I will have to get rid of more. I knew we weren't going to be able to bring a whole lot with us, but the reality is really starting to hit home. It is hard to let so much go, but I just keep telling myself, "I am not my things! I am not my things!"
In the house we have 2 recliners and a bed left in terms of furniture, and a fridge but no oven or stove, because we sold them. We have a working stove in the RV but no refrigerator (the part is coming Wednesday). It's a little crazy! One of the TVs didn't sell (25 bucks for a perfect 25" TV and no takers!) so we still have some entertainment at least! My poor dog Freddie doesn't know what to do with herself! She knows big changes are coming and she's doing that thing where she's afraid we'll leave her behind or something. Can I blame her for being scared? I know the feeling. Just one more week, and then we're going. The empty house makes it feel real. I am excited! This is going to be so cool! I can't wait to get to New Mexico - oh wait, I'm not feeling so good...
Phew. Close one!
While I love the idea of this plan, I am terrified at the actual implementation of the plan. A lot of my friends say that we are so lucky to be able to do something like this and that it will be an adventure, both of which are true. But let's be real: it's close quarters, there's not a lot of space for stuff or moving around, and it's all a little odd. Oh, I think that all my friends are right and it will be an awesome adventure, but until we actually set off, it's anxiety-producing. I try to keep myself calm by just focusing on the tasks I have for each day, without thinking too hard about the next step. We just finished our second week of Moving Sale, and I am so glad it's over! It was such a lot of work!! But overall it was successful. We met a lot of nice people, a few wacky people, and some of our things found new homes. Now we have to figure out what to do with what's leftover (and there's a lot of it), finish packing the RV, finish emptying the house. I'll try to focus on those things and not the fact that we're about to actually walk away from our house and it's foundation, and board a bus in which to live. It's cool, but there's always that little teeny tiny 'but what if...' in my head. 'But what if this happens or that happens? Then what?' is a streaming ticker-tape on the bottom of the screen in my head, like you see on CNN or CNBC. No matter what I'm doing, that endless repetition of doubtful questions buzzes in the back of my brain.
I have let fear make decisions for me before, and I've always regretted it. I admire people who aren't afraid of everything, the way I am. I've had to be brave many times now in my short life, and I've always survived, so I have to trust that I'll deal with whatever comes our way. One of the things I love about J. is that he just isn't as afraid of things as I am. He's not afraid of much. Amazing! He helps me to keep growing as a person, and to keep taking chances. He is just the person I need to temper my fears. I also admire and trust his ability to drive, fix, and maintain an RV, and to keep going even when things are tough. So for now I'll focus on packing the RV and the other priority tasks and try not to focus on fear!
We are planning to leave exactly a week from today! Woohoo! Oh Crap!!!
I packed some of my clothes in the RV, and it's just not a lot of space! I have a little closet about 18 inches wide and an overhead cabinet the size of 2 drawers. I've gotten rid of bags and bags of clothes, and I feel like I have nothing left, but I will have to get rid of more. I knew we weren't going to be able to bring a whole lot with us, but the reality is really starting to hit home. It is hard to let so much go, but I just keep telling myself, "I am not my things! I am not my things!"
In the house we have 2 recliners and a bed left in terms of furniture, and a fridge but no oven or stove, because we sold them. We have a working stove in the RV but no refrigerator (the part is coming Wednesday). It's a little crazy! One of the TVs didn't sell (25 bucks for a perfect 25" TV and no takers!) so we still have some entertainment at least! My poor dog Freddie doesn't know what to do with herself! She knows big changes are coming and she's doing that thing where she's afraid we'll leave her behind or something. Can I blame her for being scared? I know the feeling. Just one more week, and then we're going. The empty house makes it feel real. I am excited! This is going to be so cool! I can't wait to get to New Mexico - oh wait, I'm not feeling so good...
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