We're wrapping up what proved to be a very busy weekend here at home, and one that was well worth the sacrifice of a camping weekend. So, yeah for us.
Boris took advantage of two beautiful days and went for a couple of long bike rides in preparation of a bike outing planned for later this week. I took advantage of a Saturday at home to bake 10 dozen dinner rolls and freeze them for two upcoming holiday RV trips. And, if that's not domestic enough, today I made some significant progress on a queen-size quilt top that's been nearly four years in the making. (Completing it is one of my pre-fulltiming to-dos.) We caught up on laundry, which Boris pointed out could've been done in a campground laundry in 90-minutes or so. That has us longing for our fulltime journey! While dreaming of fulltiming, we also purged the closet in our den of a trash can full of stuff and purchased Quicken, which we haven't used for years, to help us get a handle on budgeting for life on the road.
We're getting there.
Micro Escape
It's not yet happy hour on Friday and we're already back from our weekend outing with Bullwinkle.
Camping is playing second choice to purging and stuff around home this weekend. But, our moose is in need of an oil change before we head south for the Thanksgiving holiday. So, we took care of that today.
Our dealership closed recently. (So glad we incorporated their great service reputation into our buying decision.) And, the nearest Winnie dealership is an hour or so away. So, we went looking for alternatives and found Camping World. We called them up and booked an appointment for our first oil change this afternoon.
We called it a half of a day at work around noon and headed out to meet the moose and drive the 30 minutes or so to CW. While Bullwinkle was getting drained and refilled, we grabbed lunch nearby then picked up a few odds and ends at CW we couldn't live without. With our business done, we headed home from this micro escape.
We felt like salmon swimming upstream. On the other side of the highway we saw motorhomes, fivers and travel trailers heading out for a weekend of fun. And, us? We were going home. As sad as it is to pull into our storage spot on a Sunday, it's almost a tragedy to park it there on a sunny Friday afternoon.
We'd better get a lot done this weekend! That'll make it worth the sacrifice.
Happy Friday!
Camping is playing second choice to purging and stuff around home this weekend. But, our moose is in need of an oil change before we head south for the Thanksgiving holiday. So, we took care of that today.
Our dealership closed recently. (So glad we incorporated their great service reputation into our buying decision.) And, the nearest Winnie dealership is an hour or so away. So, we went looking for alternatives and found Camping World. We called them up and booked an appointment for our first oil change this afternoon.
We called it a half of a day at work around noon and headed out to meet the moose and drive the 30 minutes or so to CW. While Bullwinkle was getting drained and refilled, we grabbed lunch nearby then picked up a few odds and ends at CW we couldn't live without. With our business done, we headed home from this micro escape.
We felt like salmon swimming upstream. On the other side of the highway we saw motorhomes, fivers and travel trailers heading out for a weekend of fun. And, us? We were going home. As sad as it is to pull into our storage spot on a Sunday, it's almost a tragedy to park it there on a sunny Friday afternoon.
We'd better get a lot done this weekend! That'll make it worth the sacrifice.
Happy Friday!
We've Got It...Bad
It's time for true confessions about our obsession. When it comes to thinking, planning, reading and learning about fulltiming, we've got it bad. Real bad.
We read blogs and forums before we leave for work, and we check in on a forum or two while we're there. (For some unknown reason we've made blogs off-limits for ourselves at work.) And, as I've mentioned before, we continue to play Spot the RV from our respective offices. Once we're home, we check back in with our blogging friends, peek in on a forum or two and at last call it a day.
Earlier this week, Natasha raised a question: "What is it that we're looking for as we peruse volumes of data about this lifestyle we're moving toward?" The answer, it seems, remains a mystery. If we're looking for permission to go now instead of later, we've certainly found that. Everywhere we look fulltimers say their only regret, even in these stressful economic times, is that they didn't hit the road sooner. If we're looking for support, we've found that, too - in spades. We think it's the connection we need. It's encouraging and energizing to connect with our soon-to-be clan. Even though the connection is virtual, it's very powerful.
Another question we've been asking ourselves is "Are we TOO obsessed?" We've joked about checking in with a mental health professional to see if we have some kind of shared disorder. But, we nixed that idea.
Instead, we want to ask you.
We know we have a few current and future fulltimers who pass by these parts. Most of you are the shy, quiet type. But, we'd love to hear from you on this one.
Here's your question: On a scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being the highest - how obsessed were/are you about the lifestyle with months to go before you reach(ed) your goal?
Of course, any additional light you'd like to shed on this subject will be most appreciated.
Right now, we're at a 10. How about you?
We read blogs and forums before we leave for work, and we check in on a forum or two while we're there. (For some unknown reason we've made blogs off-limits for ourselves at work.) And, as I've mentioned before, we continue to play Spot the RV from our respective offices. Once we're home, we check back in with our blogging friends, peek in on a forum or two and at last call it a day.
Earlier this week, Natasha raised a question: "What is it that we're looking for as we peruse volumes of data about this lifestyle we're moving toward?" The answer, it seems, remains a mystery. If we're looking for permission to go now instead of later, we've certainly found that. Everywhere we look fulltimers say their only regret, even in these stressful economic times, is that they didn't hit the road sooner. If we're looking for support, we've found that, too - in spades. We think it's the connection we need. It's encouraging and energizing to connect with our soon-to-be clan. Even though the connection is virtual, it's very powerful.
Another question we've been asking ourselves is "Are we TOO obsessed?" We've joked about checking in with a mental health professional to see if we have some kind of shared disorder. But, we nixed that idea.
Instead, we want to ask you.
We know we have a few current and future fulltimers who pass by these parts. Most of you are the shy, quiet type. But, we'd love to hear from you on this one.
Here's your question: On a scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being the highest - how obsessed were/are you about the lifestyle with months to go before you reach(ed) your goal?
Of course, any additional light you'd like to shed on this subject will be most appreciated.
Right now, we're at a 10. How about you?
Meandering
We recently happened across a couple of new fulltimers who are up to what we are planning. Suzanne and Brad are passing through our state on a one-year break from the working world as they travel the country in their travel trailer.
Sounds like big time fun to us.
In an email exchange, they explained that they are meandering in the general direction of south through the state, with no particular place to go until Dec. 1.
Now, that sounds like bigger fun!
Meandering. What a great word.
We looked it up. It means: To follow a winding and turning course; or To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction.
It dawned on us. We've never meandered. And, that's sad. We've almost always had to be in a certain place at a certain time and spent most of our energy getting from here to there. We've had neither the time or space to meander. But, we absolutely LOVE the idea.
Meandering. We can't wait to give that a try!
(Meanwhile, best wishes for safe and happy meandering for Suzanne and Brad and all of the happy fulltimers out there.)
Sounds like big time fun to us.
In an email exchange, they explained that they are meandering in the general direction of south through the state, with no particular place to go until Dec. 1.
Now, that sounds like bigger fun!
Meandering. What a great word.
We looked it up. It means: To follow a winding and turning course; or To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction.
It dawned on us. We've never meandered. And, that's sad. We've almost always had to be in a certain place at a certain time and spent most of our energy getting from here to there. We've had neither the time or space to meander. But, we absolutely LOVE the idea.
Meandering. We can't wait to give that a try!
(Meanwhile, best wishes for safe and happy meandering for Suzanne and Brad and all of the happy fulltimers out there.)
Torn
What to do this weekend? That is the question.
Natasha had plans to head out of town this weekend. So, that meant no camping for us and our cats. But, the plans have fallen through and we're asking ourselves if we want to go to head out with Bullwinkle this weekend.
We're mulling it over.
The forecast calls for sunny skies and warm temps during the day with cool nights. Yep. That's one of the reasons we live in Northern California. We live for weekends like this. That said, we've both been dealing with cold bugs and it might do us well to spend a weekend at home to rest up and purge away.
Oh! We don't know.
We're sure to work things out by Friday. Meanwhile, we remain torn.
What a great problem to have!
Natasha had plans to head out of town this weekend. So, that meant no camping for us and our cats. But, the plans have fallen through and we're asking ourselves if we want to go to head out with Bullwinkle this weekend.
We're mulling it over.
The forecast calls for sunny skies and warm temps during the day with cool nights. Yep. That's one of the reasons we live in Northern California. We live for weekends like this. That said, we've both been dealing with cold bugs and it might do us well to spend a weekend at home to rest up and purge away.
Oh! We don't know.
We're sure to work things out by Friday. Meanwhile, we remain torn.
What a great problem to have!
We Love It!
Memory Foam, that is.
With all the kitty hubbub this weekend, we didn't have a chance to mention how well we slept on our new memory foam topper. Aaaaah!
Our biggest concern was heat. Reports we've read are that while memory foam can make it feel like you're sleeping on a cloud, you're likely to roast and toast in the process. We sleep warm enough as it is, thank you very much. This particular topper claimed to be of the "cool" variety. And, turns out, it was. We detected a temp increase of a degree or two, but it wasn't anything to get heated about. The heat pump was set on 65 degrees. We had a sheet, blanket, flannel quilt and a couple of furry cats and we were cozy as could be.
The topper makes the bed 3 inches taller, so we have a new problem. Our queen size flat sheet we use on the bottom (or between us and the mattress pad) is now so narrow we can't tuck the ends in. It's well worth the sacrifice, though.
The taller bed is firmer to the touch. But, once you lay (or lie?) down, you sink into a sumptuous sea of magic stuff that conforms to your body and lulls you to sleep. On night number two, Natasha was catching serious zz's within three minutes, and literally didn't move for almost seven hours!
The downside of this wonderous addition is that it adds more pounds than we thought. It shouldn't have a big impact on our cargo capacity, but when you pull the bed up to reveal the storage underneath, it now needs an extra hand to stay lifted. Again, well worth the sacrifice!
All in all, a good choice and a welcome addition indeed.
With all the kitty hubbub this weekend, we didn't have a chance to mention how well we slept on our new memory foam topper. Aaaaah!
Our biggest concern was heat. Reports we've read are that while memory foam can make it feel like you're sleeping on a cloud, you're likely to roast and toast in the process. We sleep warm enough as it is, thank you very much. This particular topper claimed to be of the "cool" variety. And, turns out, it was. We detected a temp increase of a degree or two, but it wasn't anything to get heated about. The heat pump was set on 65 degrees. We had a sheet, blanket, flannel quilt and a couple of furry cats and we were cozy as could be.
The topper makes the bed 3 inches taller, so we have a new problem. Our queen size flat sheet we use on the bottom (or between us and the mattress pad) is now so narrow we can't tuck the ends in. It's well worth the sacrifice, though.
The taller bed is firmer to the touch. But, once you lay (or lie?) down, you sink into a sumptuous sea of magic stuff that conforms to your body and lulls you to sleep. On night number two, Natasha was catching serious zz's within three minutes, and literally didn't move for almost seven hours!
The downside of this wonderous addition is that it adds more pounds than we thought. It shouldn't have a big impact on our cargo capacity, but when you pull the bed up to reveal the storage underneath, it now needs an extra hand to stay lifted. Again, well worth the sacrifice!
All in all, a good choice and a welcome addition indeed.
Pivotal Trip
After that last post, we feel a real need to let you know that we - and both of our cats - all made it home safely.
On our road to fulltiming, this was indeed a pivotal trip. Taking our cats along was a true test of the reality of our fulltiming dream.
So, how'd they do? Great!
With the exception of the Friday night hide-n-freak incident, the cats' maiden voyage actually went much better than we could have ever expected. They rode just fine in their carriers to the campground. (One was more vocal than the other, but they were both safe and secure.) Once we were settled and they were released, they sniffed and poked around until they felt comfortable. On Saturday, our girl kitty was obviously more at home in this home away from home than her brother. Just as we were convinced that fulltiming might not be for him, he snapped to life on Saturday night (just after he FINALLY decided to use the litterbox). With that, he became the delightful kitty we know and love. Saturday night we slept with everything in its proper spot and the bedroom door wide open with the kitties free to roam our motorhome.
Sunday morning, these two actually acted like they do at home. One peered out the window and the other lazed in bed as long as possible. It was then we both realized our fulltiming dream can become a reality. After all, the "kids" are on board.
Now, there's absolutely nothing stopping us.
On our road to fulltiming, this was indeed a pivotal trip. Taking our cats along was a true test of the reality of our fulltiming dream.
So, how'd they do? Great!
With the exception of the Friday night hide-n-freak incident, the cats' maiden voyage actually went much better than we could have ever expected. They rode just fine in their carriers to the campground. (One was more vocal than the other, but they were both safe and secure.) Once we were settled and they were released, they sniffed and poked around until they felt comfortable. On Saturday, our girl kitty was obviously more at home in this home away from home than her brother. Just as we were convinced that fulltiming might not be for him, he snapped to life on Saturday night (just after he FINALLY decided to use the litterbox). With that, he became the delightful kitty we know and love. Saturday night we slept with everything in its proper spot and the bedroom door wide open with the kitties free to roam our motorhome.
Sunday morning, these two actually acted like they do at home. One peered out the window and the other lazed in bed as long as possible. It was then we both realized our fulltiming dream can become a reality. After all, the "kids" are on board.
Now, there's absolutely nothing stopping us.
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