Let's look at the map....we want to go....there....

We are so very thankful that Andy has so much work in New York. He went from very little work in CO, to no work in OR to balancing 3-4 projects in NY. It is hard work - back breaking at times but he really is the expert. It is allowing me the time to get our business - Hero Events, Productions, PR and Business Solutions off the ground. I am loving not having to job search for another 8-5 office career. More importantly, we get to live wherever we are in our house car.

With the work he has now he can be busy here in NY until the end of October. There are a few other potential jobs that he can and will pursue for later. The plan is at the end of October is to head west. Where we are financially will determine how long we stay away from NY and where we go. I can continue to work no matter where we are as long as I have my computer and wi-fi. Side note: We invested in a Sprint Wi-Fi Card that you can access 5-6 different computers, smartphones, printers, etc at the same time. As long as there is Sprint service it works. It can be set-up as a secure line so if I am in a coffee shop no one else can use it without the password. While Andy is driving I can be on the Internet - loving it. 

If you know Andy and I you know that our plans can change at any moment, second, half-second - nothing is ever for sure for sure. We try very hard not to break any major commitments or disappoint the nieces/nephew.  Things change, plans change, projects come up, money runs low - things happen.  That being said...our plan is to leave at the end of October....

We have not determine which way we will go on the way there or the way back to NY or even when that will be (money, time, projects, etc will determine). Where we WANT to go....

Westminster, MD to see Marc, Cheryl, Hunter and Madison. We want to go at a time where we can watch Madison play in the band and Hunter conduct.

Pittsburgh, PA  - Joel and Christina are living there for the next two years or so. They are having a baby very soon and I want to go make sure he knows that I am an aunt too. :)

Chicago, IL - Mel, Chris and Catlyn Wong. I miss them so much and it has been a year since I have seen them :(

Akron, OH - Mike, Heather, Kadeen, Emily and meet Tash. I want Andy to meet this amazing family.

Colorado - We may have a very hard time leaving this state. This time of year is one of my favorites to be in the mountains. I remember always trying to cram in one more mountain bike ride, hike, climb, camping trip before getting the skis tuned. I can smell the morning air there and long for it! There is so much I want to do there and so many people I want to see: Calley&Aaron, An, Bridget, Jen, Kimmi, Diane, Kelly and Dave's baby, Carm all prego, the Hed's, Elizabeth/Tim and baby Grace, I cannot even name everyone - I miss it there so much. I also want to eat at Snooze (of course!), have coffee at Rocky Mountain Roasters, ride my bike, run to Rainbow Lake, sleep outside. Jeri/Jamie - this is a trip you may want to come with me on.

Indiana - When I was 18 all I could do was think about getting out of there and I did. Now..I miss it. Shhhh don't tell my Mom or Andy. Lots of people to see here - family and friends. It will always be home to me. I am so glad we are close while living in NY. Parents, Grandparents, LeeDA, Cari's family, Jeri, Jamie, Crystal, Melanie (if I ever get to see her), Olives Martini Bar. We are also hoping to do an event to raise money for Run For the Health of It. Proceeds will go to support the Down Syndrome Foundation in honor my baby girl Morgan Grace Mathis.

Portland, OR - We must deal with the POD. I won't start on that again! I am also missing Jacks - so much! So, we got see her, Scott and of course Vinnie :) We want to hang with Joe and Thea (also very prego) to catch-up on what they are doing. Eat at all my favorite breakfast places. And maybe the band can do a gig at Al Forno - hmmm pizza.

Seattle, WA - Work with Frontier Group to make some things happen in the world of online retail.

Napa Valley/Sonoma County i.e. Wine Country - Wine tasting, have friends meet us there, relax, pretend we are on a honeymoon.

Baja Peninsula - Some beach some where. Andy mentioned Baja  and I can't stop thinking about it! This is should be the reason we have an RV - go anywhere anytime :)

Natchez, MS - We want to head south for the Winter! Marcus,Kyndee and Morgan said we were welcome anytime. We promised we would not park in their drive-way! Andy and I had such a great time the weekend we went down that we would like to spend a month of our winter there - maybe December or January?

New Orleans - I have never been and would love to go! Maybe Andy can help re-build down there.

Athens, GA - Andrew "Dirty Bird" Spatz is going back to school and we want to come visit.

 Florida - Andy has never been to Florida. My parents have a condo down there and we are considering this if Marcus kindly asks us to leave :) I am not really sure where their condo is but I have always loved Fort Myers. Lisa and Blaine live near there too and hanging out with Lisa is always fun. Andy said if we drive down there we are going to the Keys.

Yosemite - I have never been and it is a bucket list place for me. A must-see.

Grand Tetons - Carm and I discussed going there forever ago and we only made it to Laramie, WY. Andy said skiing would be better but we are not taking the RV to any snowy mountains.

Of course...we can't do this all right now but over the course of the next 12 months....life is good

Living the dream....almost :)

Brewer's Marina in Long Island

Marina at night

Our "slip" in Marina

 When Andy and I first talked about spending the rest of lives together we talked about selling the condo and buying a boat. We both love the water and the idea of living on it seemed perfect. Andy grew up around sail boats. His dad threatened to sail around the world (Nina had other ideas). My parents have had boats for the past 20 years - house boat and deck boats - on a small lake. Neither of us knows how to sail but we decided we could learn - how hard could it REALLY be?  When we moved to Portland we looked at floating homes to rent. We thought it would be good practice to live in small quarters on the water. We never find the perfect one for us but the dream of a house on water has never died. 


Often when we would be looking for furniture, moving, driving and moving, looking for apartments, etc we would remind ourselves that we do not need anymore "STUFF" because one day we will live on a boat. When we left CO we had 3 garage sales, 5 trips to the Thrift Store and 2 trips to the dump. When we moved into our apartment in Portland we sold a ton of stuff on Craig's list, through consignment and several trips to the Mission. Leaving Portland we did 3 more trips to the Mission and sold a few more things via Craig's list. We now have a 16 foot POD in Portland of "stuff", a trailer of tools, a Pathfinder and an RV. It is still too much!

On the trip from OR to NY I started getting anxious that we had left so much stuff in Portland. What was in there that we HAD to have? Are we really paying $185 a month to store stuff? When are we ever going to go back and get that stuff? Will it be cheaper to buy new verses paying for storage and a trip to get it all back? Andy of course agreed - we just didn't plan very well. Outside of the art work and some of his custom furniture it is ALL replaceable or useless. We can get new skis, a new snowboard, new drum set, new dishes. We cannot replace Grandma's paintings - the only priceless things.


Moving into the RV has been eye-opening. There is very little that we NEED. There are some things that we WANT but don't NEED (new couch, new curtains, no floors, solar panels, bigger bed, TV,). We do not need 8 winter coats a piece; tables (we had so many end tables, desk tables, etc); nick-knacks, books we have read; extra dishes; sheets for twin size beds, blankets (so many fleece blankets!); extra tents, shoes, shoes and more shoes...stuff. We NEED a coffee maker which we got today - it is essential for my well-being :) We NEED our computers, tools, bikes, running shoes, toaster oven, fridge, wine glasses/wine opener, a place to shower, do laundry and a very good mattress. We NEED God, Jesus, our family, our friends and each other.

We are ready to make the trip back across the country hopefully sometime in late October and deal with the POD in OR. I am ready to get rid of what we don't need and stop paying the $185 a month to store stuff. Hopefully we can sell some of it via Craig's List, Garage Sale or Consignment but even if we can't donating will save us money in storage. 


The last week we have been very grateful to be staying at Brewer's Marina in Long Island. Friends of ours have a boat here and asked the manager if we could park here. It is AWESOME! We sleep to the sound of the halliard's clanging on the masts and the breeze against the water. I get up in the morning and run on the boardwalk, through a nice neighborhood and then more water-front views. It is not quite living on a boat....but it is darn close.

The shitter is EMPTY, Clark!

Most people do not get excited about flushing their toilet - after potty training the excitement is pretty much over. Some crazy cleaning fanatics may get excited about a clean toilet - I am just not one of them. Dumping the Black Tank with someone else's pooh in it  - I feel like like a weight has been lifted. A bit gross, I know, but it is done and it was painless. 

Since the weather was not the best for working outside on the garage and we were exhausted from the 100th B-day Bash- we decideed to do some things around the housecar that needed to be done - like dump the tanks! There is really only one place in LI to do this and thanks to Marc we knew where - Bethpage. I had some errands to run near Hicksville (great name for an RV dumping place - but that is where the mall is!) and Andy said it was the same direction so off we went. Andy paid the man $5 and drove to the dump area. It was pretty clean and not too smelly - I have been to the City dump - smelly and not clean. Andy easily hooked up the houses - opened the valves and the waste started flowing. If hooked up properly - no sight or smell of what is coming out! I stayed inside and dumped water down the camode. I checked the gauges - Grey and Black Tanks empty. Andy cleaned and put everything down below away. I threw in a disinfected and some more water and we were done. Ahhhh it was good to dump!

We had some other firsts this past weekend! Sammy (one of our nieces) spent the night on Saturday night while we were in Nyack. Leah let us park outside her house so we were plugged in which was great! A few issues...
The air conditioner is not working yet - we need to replace the fan. Unfortunately, it was hot and humid all weekend. I put a fan right on Sam so she wouldn't get too hot on the bed up top. Instead, she got wet! It started to rain in the middle of the night and the roof vent above her was open. She and her blanket were wet. She put a sweatshirt on and suffered silently through the night. Lucky for me - Andy shut the one above us I would have been drenched as well. Sam did say she would stay again once the A/C worked and no rain in the forecast!

It was nice to the have our home up there with the family. Marc and Cheryl gave us some good insights and ideas on organizing and such. We figured out a color scheme as we slowly redecorate. It was a good extension to the house with so many people up to celebrate Grandma's birthday. Oh and Leah has no microwave but we do - so re-heating dinner was done at our house :)

The bad part...it had been pouring rain all day on Sunday. Raining and windy - just gross really. We had maybe an hour where it was just misty when we walked around Nyack but that was the only real break. I changed clothes 3 times because I was wet, cold and/or sticky.

As we were pulling out of Leah's we had to drive up the hill and I was getting wet  - in the RV! "Andy, water is dripping on me! Pull over I am getting wet. Pull over I am getting soaked." Andy - "Is your window closed. I will - just wait a second. Oh, I felt a little water too. Oh crap!" Water is now GUSHING from the top bunk onto us. I grab our phones from the dashboard - away from the waterfall. We are both soaked, shocked and a bit scared. What just happened? Our home is leaking or flooding or something. We get all the towels and dirty clothes and start mopping up everything. Andy is convinced it from the windows up top being left open all day. I thought it was a leak from the crease in the very front. We go back and forth with what it could be or couldn't be and finally everything is pretty try. Andy takes off again - I am sitting on the couch now since my seat is soaked and I gave Andy the last dry towel to sit on. He starts back up the hill and another waterfall :( We grab the second set of sheets, take the cushions off the top and dry everything again. Andy is now in a 3rd set of clothes since we left Leah's!

No more water came out and we made it back to Glen Cove in the regular hour time - miracle. There was so much flooding on the LIE and when we got to Glen Cove we had to take some back roads because the main one was flooded. So much water!

We left the heat on all day in the RV to dry up the water inside and after some checking we are 98% sure it was from the windows being open. We did drive in some heavy rains from OR to NY and had NO problems so that makes sense. A very hard lesson learned - check everything 2 or 3 times. We were not ready for such rain but we will be next time!

I still need to write about Sushi, Pizza and Nyack. Busy week ahead!

The Calm Before the Storm...

We were getting into the swing of things sleeping, working and eating in our new home. A couple of things that we have not actually accomplished yet
1. We have not had dinner in our home (we have had dinner with family or friends every night since we have been back to NY).
2. We have not dumped the waste tanks.
3. We have not washed dishes in our home. We clean our lunch plates at the Held's
4. We have not spent an evening in our home - just the two of us - no plans, etc.
5. We have not organized our clothes - they are still in our suitcases that we took to/from IN.

We have slept in a few different places though. After sleeping on the road out in front of the Held's we moved to the lot behind them. Much quieter and safer but we parked about 2am and ended up very cricked - no self leveling on our RV so that was not very comfortable :) We stayed at the Mannings which was awesome! We had a nice dinner in their house and then walked out to their driveway to our own home. Woke up the next morning got to go for a nice run in Locust Valley and Andy went to work! Sweet!!

Last night I was feeling very sick. I was too chicken to sleep in the RV in case I had to get sick. I felt very defeated as Andy set-up a bed at the Held's. Once we are fully set-up to use our bathroom I will feel more comfortable - promise!

This weekend will be a good trial. We are heading up to Nyack for Grandma Ruth's 100th Birthday Bash. Our plan is to stake out a place for the weekend that we can use when we go back up in a couple of weeks. Andy is doing some remodeling on his Grandma's house in Nyack starting 8/30 and we will probably be there 3-4 weeks depending on the scope of the job. We will need to find a place to settle in. Of course we can also shower, do laundry or whatever at Leah's/Grandma's. But, it will be a good first time on the road practice. After that we head up the Afton LakeHouse where we will have less amentities. We are easing into this fulltimer thing and LOVING IT!!!

Tonight we are taking Victoria out for Sushi. Sunday was her 17th Birthday and she loves Sushi (so do we!). I will blog about Sushi places that we have visited accross the country tomorrow when I can add this one into the mix :)

Tomorrow night is Zumba - more on that later too.

Thursday night may be our first night in our new home together. I already know what we are having for dinner. I will blog on that too...it is the big debate!

Big Steps Today!

The picture is our home/office :) This is where Andy is working for the next week and that means I am also working from here :)

8.14.10 (I forgot to hit post on this yesterday!)
We slept in the RV last night outside the Held's house - we will NOT do that again! We were parked on the street and every time a truck or train came through our entire home shook. I felt like I was living in a war zone (and thankful I am not).

At this point the RV is just another room in the Held's house :) We came inside for coffee, breakfast, work-out and shower this morning! Ha!

We have been blessed and surprised at how many people have offered and want us to come stay in their drive-way! We LOVE it! When I told my Dad we were buying an RV he said - "Don't think you are parking that thing in my drive-way" Of course he was kidding and they do have the PERFECT drive-way to park in ;) It has always been a joke in our family that each of kids were going to by a double-wide and park in my parents front yard! Now...it is true - we just may do that now and again :) Thanks Mom and Dad!!

Andy is working at the Manning's today and drove the house over this morning. I followed a few hours later in the Pathfinder so I could help him on the garage remodel. It is beautiful day and so working outside is nice!

I am really enjoying this summer and getting to do so much different kind of work with Andy. He has 3 major projects he is working on. I am a novice but Andy is an amazing teacher - even with his wife as a student! I painted for my first time ever this summer and he taught me all the short-cuts and how to decrease the amount of paint on my clothes and body with perfect technique. I have done a lot of shopping for materials. One major thing I have learned is that you must start out with good raw materials - a bad piece of wood - rough, splintered, crooked or knotted can lead to a mediocre finished project. Andy is a perfectionist that is unacceptable. It is fun to do some work with my hands and then still put some hours in for Hero Events and Productions. I hoping we can maintain through the winter - I am LOVING it!!

Tonight we are having dinner with Tommy and Rebecca which is a rare opportunity to spend time with just them. We are looking forward to that. Tomorrow night we are parking at the Dunn's and having them and the Manning's over to the RV! Can't wait :)

OH!! I almost forgot the Big Steps! Joe found the adverter or cord or whatever that we use to plug-in to the house! We didn't even know we had one on board already. So, we are powered up as we speak. Now, we can do the same at the Held's tonight. Woo-Hoo! Small steps for most RVers Big Steps for the Rookie RVers :)

The Big Apple

This picture is what our place looks like right now - a mess! I am hidden behind the curtain. I guess I need to make the bed a little better in the morning :) We have some remodeling and organizing to do - once we figure out what we want. :)

Andy and I made it to NY last night around 11pm. I drove much more yesterday. Andy was exhausted and after filling up the gas tank he walked in the side door, walked to the bed and fell asleep. I had no clue where we were, how far away from NY or the next road we needed to take but I got behind the wheel. I figured out we were still on 80 and knew we needed to head East. Of course as soon as I took over the driving it started pouring down rain! Andy was out cold! About an hour or so later he got up and took over. Whew!

After that I got my first night time, rain and construction turn at driving - I actually do feel much more comfortable now. We saw a lot of BAD accidents. I was doing a lot praying for us and them. The rain was intense. I drove another hour or so - just until we were outside of NY. I had no desire to try navigating my way to Cedarhurst or negotiating the streets of NY in a 27' RV! I fell asleep and didn't wake up and Andy had expertly backed up Bec and Tommy (his sister/brother in-law) driveway. I was impressed (and glad I wasn't awake to watch)!!

After a visit from Bec and Tori we went to sleep - finally! It was a long journey and we know more about what we need to know; things we need and some research we need to do. This was learning trip for sure.

It was nice to go inside to brush our teeth, use the bathroom and take a shower. Although, I am getting anxious to have everything completely set-up in our home. Not to say that we will not continue to use our family and friends facilities when we are staying with them or nearby but I want us to be self-contained soon. I keep thinking how we need to dump the black and gray tanks and replenish the fresh water tank. Right now we are literally carrying around other people's sh**. Funny sounding but totally gross!!

After getting ourselves cleaned up and doing some visiting we headed out. I drove the Pathfinder and Andy drove the RV. As I was following him I kept cringing - I was convinced he was going to hit a pole or street sign or another car. This thing is a beast and the side roads seem so small in comparison!

We got to Trader Joes and luckily we found parking for both trucks. It was funny - we were able to buy whatever we wanted in regards to cold and frozen foods. Normally we would have to think about that we had other errands to run and how would we keep everything cool in this heat, etc. But, we just unpacked everything into the fridge, freezer and cabinets. Then we had empty reusable grocery bags for our next stop!

After unloading Andy was starving - it was about 2pm and he had not had breakfast or lunch. We had left the front door open and we had our first random visitor come knocking - in the Trader Joes parking lot! A young man named Andrew was curious as to what "these things" looked like on the inside. We gave him the grand tour as he stood on the front steps :)

We went to Target to return the mattress and replace it with some other stuff we felt we needed. I wanted something between the driver and passenger seats. We found a stool that had a lid so there is room for storage - perfect. I also needed a step stool - I cannot reach anything in here! I have to climb on the bed to turn on the generator and I cannot see inside any of the cabinets. I guess most RVers are tall (or at least 5'2). We finally figured out the perfect bed situation for us - our previous futon mattress with a memory foam topper. Aww comfy.

Tonight, we are parked in front of Nina and Stu's. We visited with some wine and homemade spanikopita (thanks to Sylvia Nina's friend) and then decided we better stay in for dinner. The guys went to pick up Sushi from Sushi Takara in Glen Cove. We ordered the Ultimate Sushi Dinner for 3 and it was way too much for the 4 of us. It was nice to eat outside and have sushi. I was full and ready for bed at about 7pm!

Tomorrow it is back to work! Andy is working on a friends garage - putting up siding and building some french doors. I am going to help him do some of that and work on the computer when he can't use me. We will be driving the house over there tomorrow - it is close by. This way Andy can eat lunch at home and I can go home in between him needing me.

I am looking forward to finding a good place to dock most nights while in NY but I am loving the flexibility of staying at so many different places too :)


I am loving our home on wheels.

Still Driving

“So we live out in our old van. Travel all across this land. Me and you. We'll end up hand in hand somewhere down on the sand. Just me and you. Just as free. Free as we'll ever be” Zac Brown

This was the first verse of the song I wrote about from the CD Dad made. I love it! We keep hearing it on the radio. I am a big Zac Brown Band fan. My favorite wedding song was Chicken Fried. My poor rock n roll husband listens to a lot of country :)

This once 12-13 hour trip from IN to NY is turning into a 36 journey! Since I could not drive last night we were off the road for about 7 hours. There has been a lot of rain, construction and accidents delaying our progress as well. Then there is the fact that we are not driving 80MPH - more like 60MPH. When we stop for gas or whatever else we take more time - we eat at the table, talk (it is a bit loud on the road to hold a real conversation from the front to the back) or just trying to figure out something! On our last stop we purchased an inverter (?) to plug my computer in via the 12Volt plug. We messed with it awhile and concluded it was not powerful enough to handle the laptop so we had to return that. Time suck!

The nice thing is that we can see how we will really enjoy living like this and that is going to be great when vacationing without a time schedule! We were originally suppose to fly back on 8/10 and Andy was going to start on a job on the 11th. Now he is really behind and won't get to start until Saturday the 13th. Not a big deal in the big scheme of things but he is fortunate to have a lot of work right now back to back so every day counts!

First Night....

Our original thought was to leave Mooresville around noon and then we made a list of what we needed to do before leaving -we left about 8pm last night.

Some of things we had to do was get a new battery, mattress (we threw the one out that it came with - gross!), laundry, pack clothes and food, wash the rv, pay the mechanic in beer and get some cash. The problem is....there were other things we should have done but didn't know that we should....

We were and still are trying to figure out what runs on what - the car battery, the second battery and the generator. The refrigerator didn't seem to be working so we were turning on and off the generator, re-charging the brand new marine battery, filling up the gas tank and a lot of screaming (from me!) Finally, after we realized we were going to be at Mom/Dad's for dinner we walked away (inside the house!). Dad made the best pork roast and though I am pretty much a vegetarian - I had to have some! When we went back outside the freezer was cool but the not the fridge. I got so frustrated! "What are we doing? We just bought this thing and we have NO IDEA how it works, etc" My very calm husband says "That is part of the fun of it" Oh boy, it is going to be an adventure for sure!

So, Dad was talking to a friend who is an avid RVer and he reminded us that we have a propane tank that runs all the appliances! Of course - another thing to factor in to my all ready very confused brain! Well by this time it is 7pm and there is no one around to service the propane tank. We think it is 3/4 full but we are not sure it is running. If the freezer is getting cold is it using propane or the battery or both? Still this is somewhat of a mystery to us (even if Andy says he knows..I am not convinced!)

The things we know for sure we need to get fixed or maintenced or do in NY: A/C fan is jammed so we have no central A/C (the truck one in the front it great though), service the propane tank, figure out all the hoses and READ THE OWNER'S MANUAL (Danny (Dad's friend) said tell them to read the owners manual - from beginning to end - first rule of a true RVer he said. Oh boy!)

Okay....Andy had went to Wal-Mart to get us a mattres pad - we both HATE Wal-Mart. We rarely go there but we needed a mattress of some sort for the trip out and Wal-Mart was closer than Target. I open it up and it is NOT what we wanted - it was mushy and yellow and just not right.

Now, we are packed up and have put the cold food in the freezer (the freezer was not freezing - just cool enough for keep things good). We decided to leave Mooresville, go to Plainfield return the pad to Wal-Mart and get the one we thought we wanted from Target. After doing all that it was about 9pm! We put the new Target set-up - memory foam pad, feather alternative topper and the cheap cotton protector down on the plywood bed in the back - it doesn't fit! It is hot, we are tired and the $180 "bed" isn't working. Target was closed and we were done. Like Scarlett O'Hara - I won't think it about it now, I will think about it tomorrow!

Dad had made us a CD for the trip - he is a music guru and was actually our DJ for the wedding. He is really good at it! The first song made me bawl - it was about living in van and traveling the country and even though we don't have much money it just the two of us. I need to figure out the name and artist. After I exhausted my tear ducts I went to take my sleeping shift. It was a bit bumpy in the back and I started getting very nervous about driving...

We stopped for gas (no idea what time) around Dayton, OH and Andy said I was not driving at night until I drove some during the day. He said it is heavy and catches the wind. I felt defeated. Now, I can't even drive our new home! (that sounded funny). But, I trust him and agreed we would just pull over and sleep until morning. So, about 2:30am he parked and I made him get out a take a picture. I was cracking up - we are parked in a big parking lot with a bunch of other truckers. Life on the road.

Good news!! We were expecting about 6miles to the gallon. Andy got gas twice and the first time was 9 miles per gallon and the second 10.5 miles per gallon.

When I got up this morning I was ready for my morning ritual - brush my teeth, go the bathroom, check my email and workout. I used bottle water but I did turn on the sink to rinse it down. I started to go to the bathroom and Andy suggested I not :) He said he wants to check all that out before we start using it. He said we were parked near a Bob Evan's. I had no idea where we where - city, state or place! I was like - Oh - I am going to the bathroom, get coffee and get on the computer - come over when you are done! :)

It was NOT Bob Evan's but Dutch Heritage - Amish style cooking. I still had no idea where we were and my phone was dead so no GPS to tell me. I looked up the restaurant and figured out we are in Bellville, OH - about 9.5 hours from Glen Cove, NY.

I have been stressing a bit about working out and living in the RV. I can run anywhere but I lift weights and do circuit training too. For now I will do it outside at a park or something I guess. But, I was not working out today anyway. That is something to think about though.

I am going to send some other pictures and do some more blogging today - since I will be awake! Hopefully, I can figure out how to get the outlets to work without the generator. Yes...this is an adventure.

First Trip....

Andy just washed the RV inside and out while I packed up our things. We are getting ready to embark on our first trip in our new home! After being in IN almost a month (Andy has only be here about 2 weeks) we are heading back to NY. Andy still has quite a bit of carpentry work up there and we need to replenish our savings account :)

Yesterday we took the RV to the shop to get a trip check - oil change, fluids, etc. I got VERY overwhelmed and started questioning what we got ourselves into! I was getting frustrated because I could not figure out the whole generator, battery, gas guzzling engine, charging the generator, turning on the lights and A/C - all of that electrical/mechanical stuff! I want know and understand so I feel more comfortable. Andy has a lot of patience and he was losing it very quickly with me. :) But...I think I finally figured it out and have determined our next major purchase will be Solar Panels.

We already knew that this was an option and the direction we wanted to go from the beginning. Andy is very eco-conscious and we had really wanted a diesel. However, after discussing the different options with his mechanic friend we quickly realized at our price range the best option was gas. And this 27' Coachmen LOVES to suck on the gas. So...we want to do everything we can do reduce our carbon footprint other ways. Some of the research I have done says that instead of buying a second generator we should install solar panels.

After getting everything running properly and purchasing a new battery for the generate...I attempted to drive the massive beast for the first time. It was a bit indimitating! It is big, heavy and the only thing I can see in my rear-view mirror is our bed! That is not helping me back up :) I am going to keep practicing so I feel comfortable. For now I will stick to driving on the highway and getting on and off the exits. But, will practice backing up and turning in a parking lot. It is nothing like driving my Pathfinder!

It is only a 12 hour drive from Mooresville, IN to Glen Cove, NY but it will be a good test drive :)

House Car

Andy and I bought an RV today! A 2004 with only 16,000 miles - a Coachman 27' Freedom - very basic but inexpensive!

I will post some more pictures tomorrow. We need to clean it first! :) Andy is going to take out the carpet in put in some wood floors. There is a few more things we will do in the next 30 days - fix a blemish on the outside, remove the decals (so bad!), slip covers, new mattress and new curtains.

One of the great things about RV living is getting rid of all our stuff. When we left Portland we narrowed our belongs to whatever would fit into our Pathfinder, 4x8 U-Haul(mostly tools, sewing machine and our bikes) and the 16' POD we left in Portland. Now... we need to drive out to OR to empty the POD. Some things we MUST keep - Grandma Ruth's paintings, Skis, Snowboard, Drums and some of our winter cloths. Everything else....will be left - sold, donated or put into consignment. Reducing our "stuff" is greatly reducing my stress level!

The next 2 months we will be in....NY, PA, MD, IN, MS, OR, CO...and those are just the ones we know for sure!

"That there, Clark, is an RV" or House Car as Josi says

Natchez, MS

Last week I drove from IN to MS with my parents to go see my brother, sister in-law and most precious baby girl ever - Morgan Grace (my niece!). Andy flew down from NY and Marcus picked him up in Baton Rouge.

This was my second trip to Natchez. It is cute little down in the South and the South is alive and well! During my first trip Marcus and I ran a 10K Race. That was a great way to see some history and the old antebellum homes. We were excited to show Andy around.

Marcus and Kyndee just moved from their very cool loft condo in downtown above the coffee shop to a beautiful spacious home just outside of town. Morgan is mobile and she demanded more room to crawl and very soon walk about! Frodo also appreciates the space so he run away from Baby Morgan's grabby hands! Andy and I were very comfortable in the spare room with a King Bed and Mom/Dad stayed their favorite room on the waterfront across the river.

Okay...the food in Natchez is all about being fried - catfish, biscuits, mushrooms, chicken - if it is edible it can be fried. Since my parents are on a life-style change and trying to eat healthy we didn't go crazy with the local fair!

Biscuit and Blues is a local restaurant that does serve the best biscuits. We all had to have at least a half of one with the Apricot Butter - yummers! B&B of course has fried chicken and catfish as favorites but we steered toward the just as good but not fried Po Boys - the chicken Po Boy is fantastic. There are several sides to choose from - the sweetest and most southern choice is the Sweet Potato casserole - brown sugar on top. With that for a side we passed on the bread pudding.
315 Main Street
Natchez, MS 39120-3461
(601) 446-9922

The Natchez Food and Wine Festival was the weekend we were down there. It is an annual event and since there is not a lot to do in Natchez during the very hot summer days we decided to attend one of the events. Kyndee and I love wine and we chose to do the Cheese and Wine tasting. It was $45 a person - so $90 per couple. It sounded a bit steep but since it was at the Dunleith Plantation we thought we would get a tour of the house, taste a bunch of wines, have a little bit of food and then spend some time in the bar downstairs. Well....that is not what Southern Wine and Spirits had in mind. We came in to the restaurant area sat down and while they passed out four very small pieces of cheese with four grapes we listened to a life info commercial. A man showed us how to use a knife we could purchase online (not there) to cut fruit into edible displays. We were not served any fruit (outside of the 4 grapes) nor could we purchase the knife - only a CD of his commercial. Then we were served four wine tastings. It was long time to sit through each weak description of the wine and cheese. At the end we wanted to buy a bottle or even a glass of the wine we liked the best - not an option! So...for $45 we got an info commercial, for pieces of cheese the size of a nickel and less than a glass of wine. VERY DISAPPOINTING!!!

After that we left Dunleith Plantation and headed to a Monmouth Plantation for a real glass of wine! The garden area is beautiful - despite the heat - we had to walk around some. The boys smoked a cigar outside. The waiter was so great and negotiated a piece of bread pudding from the chef (we were two hours too early for dinner). Monmouth has the best bread pudding in Natchez, MS. Not disappointing at all!
36 Melrose Avenue, Natchez, MS 39120.

Andy and I are looking forward to driving down to Natchez again in October. We will bring some Trader Joes and Whole Food goodies for Kyndee to cook up (the finer things in life!).