Our RV Journey

You Can't Always Judge A Book By Its Cover

2008-11-01T10:04:00.003-06:00

We struggled with our RV Park choices when we moved back to the Springs.

Most RV parks here are very nice but also very pricey. They cater more to tourists in this area and are not affordably priced for long term RVers like us.

We looked at several other parks but none seemed to fit our needs. The location of one park was not conveniently located to my new job. So we finally decided on a mobile home park where my parents stayed a few years ago when they were RVing.

Steve was not impressed with this park. He really didn't want to live here. But it is centrally located; convenient to commute to work and my visit my family; and very affordable. We moved in on June 9th and agreed to a one month trial.

It is now November 1st and we are still here. We've met some of our neighbors and are feeling settled. God has blessed and protected us here.

I was thinking the other day that many times we don't want to choose something because of its looks.

But you can't always judge a book by it's cover.

One Year Anniversary

2008-07-05T07:39:00.004-06:00

Next week will be our one year anniversary in the RV. How time flies!

It was such a blessing to already be living in the RV when we moved back to Colorado in May. The whole move was certainly simplied! :)

For the most part this past year has been a good journey and we are no worse for the wear.

Will we still be living in the RV this time next year? God only knows!

The Trip to Colorado

2008-06-21T13:39:00.002-06:00

Our trip from Fenton, MO to Colorado Springs was quite an adventure!

After a stop at MidWest RV for some quick repairs on the RV, we left Fenton on Thursday morning, May 1st. The trip was uneventful. My biggest challenge was driving though Kansas City. (I was following Steve in the car.) I sang most of the way and was hoarse by the time we reached the KOA campground in Lawrence, KS that evening! :)

We went to bed and woke up to the sound of thunder and a strong wind rocking the 5th wheel. Steve and I clung to each other in bed and prayed for about 15 minutes until the storm moved over us. The next day we heard that Lawrence had been under a tornado warning with 60-70 mi hr winds! We thanked God for His protection.

On Friday, May 2nd we left Lawrence and headed for the KOA in WaKeeney, KS about 275 miles away. The last few hours of our trip we battled 35-40 mi hour winds with gusts much higher. I prayed continually as I followed Steve in the car and watched 18 wheelers being blown all over the road as they tried to pass him. From my vantage point it seemed there were several near misses between the tractor trailers and our RV. Again, I thanked God over and over for His mercy and protection. At the KOA in WaKeeney that night, the wind continued to howl and we were rocked to sleep by the swaying of the RV.

On Saturday, May 3rd we took off for Colorado Springs. After a few hours the winds decreased and the trip was much more enjoyable. I did have to smile when I noticed snow on the ground in Goodland, KS and in eastern Colorado. After all it was already May!! :) We arrived at Mom and Dad's in good spirits in the early afternoon. I was so happy to finally be there and know we wouldn't have to make the trip across Kansas again any time soon!

Loving it in Colorado

2008-06-18T19:45:00.000-06:00

After much prayer, we made the move to Colorado Springs last month. It was definitely a God thing.

This was the easiest move we've ever made. We've been living in the RV since last summer when the house sold. We always said we would "hook up" and go someday and that's exactly what happened! :)

The RV park here is not quite as nice as the one in Fenton. But it is quiet and we are doing fine.

Celebrating the Holidays

2007-12-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

Living in a 5th wheel presents its challenges but with it comes the simplicity of the RV lifestyle.

Obviously we won't retrieve the 6' Christmas tree or 7 totes of decorations from storage. However, we will decorate. Just on a much smaller scale.

Our 24" optic tree will fit perfect on a small table between the recliners. Garland and a few lights will adorn the windows. We might hang a few lights outside. And there is even a place for our stockings above the electric fireplace.

We'll cook a turkey or ham in our RV size oven on Christmas Day. And bake a few other goodies to go with it.

I will be estatic on January 1st when I don't have totes of decorations to repack and a tree to take down. It will be a breeze!

A Fireplace in an RV?

2007-11-10T18:52:00.001-07:00

People laugh and give me a funny look when I mention we have a fireplace. One person even asked if we had a chimney! Now that would be a sight! :)

I have to admit, a fireplace did seem strange to us at first. And to be honest, if we had ordered this RV we probably would have chosen the cabinet for storage rather than the fireplace.

With dropping temperatures, we've used the electirc fireplace several times this week. A flip of a switch lights up the logs, creates flames and makes the embers glow. Another switch turns on the electric heater.

Not bad....puts out pretty good heat.

We Moved Again!

2007-11-03T17:23:00.000-06:00

That's the great thing about living in an RV....it's fairly easy to move.

Steve wanted to move to higher ground in case of flooding. (I wondered about his reasoning since we're in a drought but decided against it. A few years ago he insisted on moving for the same reason and later I was so glad he did. A wind storm hit soon after our move and the canopy of the RV in our old spot was destroyed by a tree limb that was blown down.)

So we moved up on the hill. I started thinking we'd made a mistake. It was a small pad and we were cramped for space.

Two days later we noticed the motor home two spaces up from us pull out. Steve immediatly called the park manager to see if that space was available. It was and we moved again several days later.

We love our new spot. We were told this pad was poured for a 16x80 trailer. (The park was for mobile homes before the flood in 1993.) We have plenty of room for our fifth wheel, one ton dually truck, and car. There is even an extra concrete space behind the fifth wheel for a storage shed.

We feel so blessed!

Organization

2007-10-03T18:17:00.000-06:00

Organization is a key element when living in an RV.

Small baskets work wonderfully in the large, deep drawers. Plastic containers keep CDs, VCR tapes, and smaller misc items in place in the larger storage areas.

When the shower is not in use, it is a perfect place to store the laundry basket!

And when travelling, the shower works well for computers, plants and other items that need to be secured.

Content

2007-09-29T17:37:00.000-06:00

It's been two months since we became fulltime RVers.

I wondered if I would miss our house. To be honest, I haven't really. Except for the basement and garage, we have everything in this RV we had in the house, just in a smaller space.

We've learned to make some adjustments. Since the TV/entertainment center is next to the computer, hubby and I have worked out a schedule.

If I am working on the computer, he watches TV in the bedroom. Or I work on the laptop in the bedroom if he wants to be in the living area.

All in all, I am happy here.

Such a busy month

2007-09-27T19:39:00.000-06:00

I thought life would slow down when we moved into the RV. Less to clean, less to maintain, less to do. But wow, has this month been a whirlwind.

I hope October slows down and I can get some serious writing done.

Trip to Wisconsin

2007-09-10T21:00:00.000-06:00

We took our first trip last week with the new fifth wheel.

We were so impressed with the "MorRyde" shock aborber on the hitch. Wow, it made a world of difference. We had such a smooth ride I was actually able to write in my journal. And the amazing thing was I could then read what I wrote! LOL

We Survived the Storm

2007-08-25T13:56:00.000-06:00

We had a powerful storm yesterday with 60-70 mph winds. We were still at work but wondered how things had fared here at home.

It took a while to find out because our normal 10 minute commute turned into 45 minutes. Three traffic lights were out because of a power outage. What a mess. As I crept along I kept thanking God that I don't drive in that kind of traffic every day!

When we arrived home things seemed to be okay. The canopied swing looked like it had survived (I had imagined it would be blown to the next county LOL). We found out later it had blown over and our park manager set it and the sattelite dish back up for us. (He is such a good guy!) My plants were blown clear under the RV. I rescued three of them and still trying to reach the fourth.

Little Bit seemed okay and wasn't too upset. I always pray for protection and thank God that He was watching over us!

It's a Frog!

2007-08-21T18:03:00.000-06:00

Another story to add to our RV blog....

At 3:30 this morning my husband yells "there's a frog in here!"

I thought I was dreaming until he turned on the light and jumped from the bed.

Seems there was a shadow on the window blind above our bed. When he reached out to put his finger on the blind, a small frog jumped on his pillow. Thank goodness he scooped it up, ran for the door and threw it out in the yard.

We are still trying to figure out how it got in here. And hoping it didn't bring any friends!

Our New Home

2007-08-18T18:30:00.001-06:00

Last month we sold our home and became full time RVers (for the second time around).

After several years of looking, researching, dreaming and praying we purchased a 2008 Carriage Carri-Lite 5th wheel and we are loving it! With 5 slides it is amazing how much room we have!

In two weeks we are leaving on our first trip....we're going to Wisconsin. We don't even have to pack, we just take our house with us! LOL

You Did What??

2007-08-18T18:24:00.000-06:00

Many people don't understand our way of thinking. They can't believe we sold our house, live in an RV and actually plan to live this way indefinitely! They smile at us politely but I'm sure they roll their eyes as they turn away and think "you did what"???

Steve and I love the simplicity of the RV lifestyle. No grass to cut, no upkeep of a house and best of all the entire RV can be cleaned in an hour. LOL We have all the comforts of home including sattelite TV, fireplace, full size kitchen, queen bed, nice shower, washer/dryer combo and so much more.

My desk is my favorite place. I have a place for my laptop, books, writing materials, etc. What more do I need?