Business Card Anyone?

My grandparents have been RVing for years. They created a business card with their information to pass out to people they meet throughout their travels. I don't know why I didn't think of doing this before even buying the RV. That isn't like me to forget such a fun and creative idea. After meeting our second set of neighbors; Randy, Tina, Cocoa, Cinnamon, and Cookie, I thought "Wow. I would really like to keep in touch with these people, but not give them our full information." Laying in bed last night I was reminded of the business card idea. . . So of course I woke up this morning and spent a bit of time creating our very own card to pass out to perspective friends.

I recommend anyone who has been brave enough to try RVing to go a step further and make one of these. I used http://www.vistaprint.com/ and got them fairly cheap. 250 cards for $10. Not too bad!

I have been being very lazy with the trash here at the campsite. You are suppose to leave your bag out front so the camp 'janitor' can drive around in her golf cart and pick it up. Easy enough. Well I like to just sit it outside of our camper door in this make-shift garbage we created using a laundry basket. 

Well. . . the raccoons love that I did that as they feasted all night long on our leftovers and even better decided to string our garbage all over our site. Because Jason had a doctor's appointment this morning, I was left to pick up all of my laziness. 

A little issue I am seeming to have (and only me by the way) is the shower. Whenever I take a shower, I seem to get water up underneath the shower walls, into the pan, thus soaking the whole bathroom floor. I have run in after one of Jason's showers to inspect and nothing. Not one drop of water. Only me. I think we may need to run a line of silicon sealer along the bottom of the shower stall to prohibit it from happening. I didn't think I showered funny. Maybe I do.

We have an anthem to our thus set journey and travels. There is a song by Phillip Phillips called HOME that we just fell in love with. I blogged about it in the past when we heard it driving home from the closing of our house. It has truly become almost like a traveling motto to us. Jason has been trying hard to learn the song on the guitar (he is almost there) and I even had my mom order us something special for Christmas that goes along with the song. Here is a link to the song. . .

http://youtu.be/HoRkntoHkIE

I am obsessed!!! Apparently he was the 2011 American Idol winner and this song was the theme song for the 2012 Olympics (that I also obsessed over). Who knew? I guess I should pay attention more :)

Sound the ALARM

Jason came home today from work and cranked the air conditioner down so cold. He then goes into the shower leaving me in the living room to freeze to death. Thinking I turned the temperature up, I turn the furnace on instead. I started smelling a melting of plastic odor and then was stunned by the fire alarm. Fireplace? Nope. Turned that off. Oven? Nope. Gas was off. Jason screams from the shower and I realized the furnace was on. Even after turning it off, the air on, and telling Jason what I did, the fire alarm sporadically decided to sound. So picture this. . . Jason in the shower screaming at me thinking I have set the entire RV on fire, the stupid alarm screeching, me standing under the fire alarm waving a dish towel in front of it (because that is what you do duh), and the dog is in a complete panic. Just another day in paradise.

We took the couple of hours Jason had off of work to decorate the RV for Christmas. I tried to decorate last night while he was working, but was guilted with "Oh you are decorating the tree without me?" Of course I had to wait for him :) So we have our mini Christmas tree up and decorated. We went with our traditional schmorgesborg of ornaments this year. Jason said we have the prettiest tree. That made me feel good. He hung out stockings over the fireplace which is something we have never done before. They just didn't look good hanging from the rocks of our old fireplace. If we could only get lights out front on the RV awning. . . that would make it feel a lot like Christmas. Only problem is the more you put up, the more you have to take down before moving.

What a Ruckus

We left to run errands for a couple of hours yesterday. We had lunch at Panera (like usual). Jason can't seem to pick a different restaurant. He tells me that we have to run by Honda so he can purchase a new boot for his 4 wheeler. It apparently was the reason the 4 wheeler was pulling while we were camping. While picking up the boot, there just happened to be a Honda Ruckus scooter there for sale and Jason just had to look at it. When he wants something he turns into Taylor. He gives me these puppy eyes and look like 'What do you think?' I think NO. I think you get everything you want. Would you be alright if I spent this much money this often on jewelry? He would not be happy. So a half hour later we are driving in the car. Come to find out he knew they had the scooter in store. He had been looking it up online and mentioned the $2,200 price tag online but $1,800 price in store. "You knew it was there the whole time? That is why we went there?" OMG. I could have killed him.

It happened. . . it was bound to happen and I am surprised it took this long. When returning from running errands, we were greeted by a howling beagle as we approached the RV. I was praying she hadn't been howling the entire time we were out. Our neighbors would hate us. Taylor decided while we were out to mess up almost all the shades in the RV. One shade refuses to stay in the upright position now. Only down! The blinds on the door (which had been fine but not able to rotate) are now completely crooked. This did not happen because of Taylor. No No No. This happened because my husband thought he could take them off, fix them, and put them back on. Great honey. Now both you and Taylor have messed up the window treatments. Perfect.

For today, my to do list is as follows;
1. Check in (we tend to not check in until day 2 for some reason)
2. Clean up the RV a bit. Finish getting the clean clothes away and the closet organized. I probably should wash the rest of the dishes also.
3. Take Taylor to the dog park for a bit (try and get her all nice and tired prior to leaving).

OMG a bird just flew into our front door window. Stupid bird you messed up my list order. Of course Taylor has to bark for 10 minutes now because of it. Thanks.

4. Maybe leave Taylor at the dog park. . . :)
5. Entertain Candice and Michelle for a bit (love guests).
6. Stop by Lowes to pick up a few tiki torches for out site.
7. Run to Sams for a bit of food shopping (love how I buy in bulk even with a mini fridge/freezer).
8. Back to the RV so I can start decorating for Christmas (Jason was too tired last night).
9. Cook our traditional tortellini dinner for Tara and I.
10. The Voice
11. Start writing out our Christmas cards (because I didn't do it yesterday).
12. Do my nails. They are a hot mess (trust me).

I don't know how I ever got any of this crap done when I was working. Oh yeah. . . I was a walking zombie. So attractive.

Parkham' @ Markham

It was a bit bizarre waking up Thanksgiving morning in our RV. Our first official holiday out of the house felt a little unsettling. I usually have the house all decorated for each and every holiday. Without any decorations, it didn't feel like Thanksgiving. Jason and I went over Grammy and Poppy's house for the holiday. I left early so I would be on time. I left Jason (not dressed at 2:40pm and have to be there by 3pm. . .) to drop the dog off at Dad and Tam's. Didn't want to leave her in the RV for that long of a time frame. We have to start her off with short trips. Side note; she was so hoarse from howling while we were gone the first week. Of course I was the first one to Grammy's. She seemed happy with the large pumpkin pie and specialty cupcakes I brought for dessert. Jason's only job was to drop the dog off at dad and Tam's, pick up the whipped cream in the fridge, and come over to the house. 45 minutes after 3pm Jason, dad, Tam, and the kids show up. . . with a new type of whipped cream. Apparently Jason forgot the whipped cream and asked if they could stop at a gas station. The one job he had!!!

Dinner was great. Grammy is such a good cook. Tara and Justin were visiting with his family, so they joined us half way through. There is nothing better than sitting at Thanksgiving dinner and having your stepmother's mom talk to you and your husband about her travels in an RV and how she used to go to bike week. That would be a great conversation. . . until she brings up riding around naked with all the other old people on their bikes. Not something I am wanting to picture right about now, but thanks for the visual and uncomfortableness you have now created.

Catch phrase is always a blast with out family. I don't think you can have a bad time playing that game, no matter who it is played with. I realized we have a few cheaters in the family though, but I won't mention any names.

Jason and I left Grammy's and decided to stop at Target (black 'Friday shopping). I was shocked that Jason even agreed to go with me. It actually wasn't bad according to Jason. We ended up buying a tv for the RV bedroom. I am such a tv person, I needed one in there.

We woke up at 5:30am Friday morning. Jason had to be to work at 7:15am. I could not believe I was awake before the sun. It did make for a gorgeous picture. I am actually glad he woke me up so early because it took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to put everything away, lock, latch, pull the slides in, hook up, and take off. Hopefully we can get better at doing that so our time goes down. I can't get up that early every time we have to move.

Monday, November 26, 2012

We are now back at Markham park after 3 nights/4 days off. Jason worked 72 hours straight while I stayed at my dad and Tammie's. It was a tad difficult staying there. As an adult, you want your own space and your own things. I actually missed the RV bed. It was hard to live out of a bag. Luckily I was able to do 2 loads of laundry there while I visited. It was nice to visit with Dad, Tam, and the kids.

Setting up at Markham was fairly easy. This time we reserved a pull through spot completely asphalted. I was a lot easier to level and stabilize the jacks. Jason and I were a bit cranky. 4 days off from one another is tough. It's hard to get in the swing of things again. Taylor settled right in. She waisted no time claiming her recliner back. Our new spot seems a lot less 'buggy.' Our first spot was full of bugs. They actually made me so mad. They would all come in when we would open the door. I am praying that they do not come in at our new spot. Although we loved the trees, bushes, and shade, Jason and I feel that they were the major reason for all of the bugs. Our new spot has a lot less trees and shrubs.

For now, Jason and Taylor are resting. I am blogging of course. Planning on putting up our mini 4 foot Christmas tree and decorate the RV. Going to start writing our Christmas cards soon and planning out our calendar. A cup of coffee is definitely in my near future.

Excited to see Michelle, Candice, and Tara tomorrow night. They are all planning on making a quick stop out to visit.

Visitors

Day 5 cont'd

What a day we had. It's so funny that we have more visitors out here at Markham than we ever had at our Cooper City house. Justin, Jackie, baby Emma, and their dog Jasper joined us around lunch time for a quick tour and then fun at the dog park. It was great catching up with them. Jackie really seemed to love our RV. She didn't give that generic, "Oh nice" expression. She pointed out almost everything she liked in detail. You can't fake that! It made me feel really good.

Dinner went well. Taco Tuesday is always a hit. We haven't had beef tacos in a while. We usually use fresh fish. Although the beef tacos got the job done, I think we will stick to fish tacos. So yummy. Jason even surprised me and did all of the dishes after dinner. Such a proud wife moment.

We went for a walk after dinner with Taylor. It's a shame that it gets dark now at 6 pm. I feel like the day ends so early. The exciting part for Jason was he got to test out his new flash light on the walk. The best part for me was seeing lightning bugs. Yes lightning bugs in Broward County. So awesome!!!

If our first set of visitors weren't awesome enough, we had a second set later at night. Jason's friend Oj stopped by with his little brother. They too couldn't believe the size of the RV. I think everyone is pleasantly surprised once they come over and see it. We aren't living in a tent. It's not a pop up camper. It's gorgeous and we love it. The consensus is that it is very warm and 'homey.' That it gives off a cabin feel.

I thought about things that I miss from the old house. . . There actually weren't as many things as I thought there would be. I think I mentioned already about missing the ability to open the back door and let Taylor out. This whole walking her for every potty break is horrible. Plus, walking in my pj's in the freezing cold sucks. Trying to cover up so the friendly older men don't see me is always challenging. Second thing I miss is my garbage disposal. I know it's silly, but when only liquids can go down the drain it becomes difficult when doing dishes. Jason said he misses his garage the most. Having all of his tools at his fingertips. We even had his buddy Justin bring a tool out with him because we didn't have it. Of course I miss things like my laundry room and the ability to do laundry anytime of day.

I do not miss the millions of acorns dropping from the trees. I do not miss cleaning a 2,700 sq ft house. I do not miss all of the junk mail. Now my dad and Tammie enjoy that.

I did come across a bit of a problem. I am in charge of desserts for Thanksgiving. When I went to the store to purchase desserts (I am not attempting to bake in my kitchen just yet) I realized that I didn't have enough room in the refrigerator to store them prior to bringing them. Bummer. . .

Today Jason and I will be traveling back to our old stopping ground to pick up a few things we left with the neighbors and to bring some gifts to those we already miss. Then off to Publix for those desserts. Maybe we will leave them in Dad and Tam's fridge.

You bought a mini house

Day 4

It was my first day without Jason here with me. He unfortunately had to work. I wondered how I would feel all by myself here. Would I be nervous, scared, uneasy? Would I leave and go to my parents for the night? I woke up from a great nights sleep. Jason had the air on full blast at a low 68 degrees of course so the fireplace came in handy. It was just enough to get the chill out of the living room air. Taylor is just the cutest thing ever all snuggled up on the couch or recliner with her blanket. Pretty much every spot in the RV is hers. As long as she is comfy she can lay wherever she wants.

 My morning went pretty much as it normally would if we were at the house. I made a bite to eat, blogged a bit, and took Taylor out to pee. The only difference this time was that we walked to the dog park rather than around the block. There weren't very many dogs during the week.

I packed up a few of the expensive items from K & K RV store that we found for much cheaper at Wal Mart. I was able to return the items saving us $55. The people at the store didn't seem too happy about it. I wasn't too happy that they went to Wal Mart and jacked up the prices for their store. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice. . . that won't happen.

I ran a few errands while being in the city. Taylor got into the trash the night before eating burnt cookies and raw chicken. I was a bit nervous about her so I dropped her off at Dad and Tam's while I was out. She seemed excited to be coming back with mommy to our 'house.' Tara came over yet again. This time it was because I needed her to sleepover and take Jason's spot in the bed. Thank goodness one of my 10 channels got the Voice. I hadn't been able to watch it in so long. I can't believe Mackenzie was kicked off and I didn't even get to see it.

I made our usual tortellinis for dinner only I didn't have that many. Grilled cheese sandwiches helped fill our bellies along with another batch of chocolate chip cookies. Dishes are so easy to wash and put away when they are right in your face. There is no avoiding them when your kitchen is in your living room.

With any big purchase you are bound to find a flaw or two. I know when we bought my car we found a few things here and there that weren't perfect. Jason's truck had a foggy headlight that needed replacing. Of course I should expect something as big as an RV to have a few issues here and there. There is just so much you can look at during the demo and walk through. Our blinds on the front door had a few strings clipped which didn't allow the blinds to rotate, a bit of the linoleum seemed to not adhere to the floor, and the shower head holder was cracked. To all the RV owners and future buyers out there. . . our advice (actually Jason's) is to live in the unit for a month. He says write all the flaws down and then call the dealership to get them all repaired at once. If you are like us, your dealership isn't right around the corner. It would be more of a pain than anything to bring it there and back for every problem. I guess he is right. After all, it is under warranty for the next 2 years.

Day 5

I was awoken to Tara saying, "I feel like you bought a mini house." My response of course was, "We did." Everything is to scale, just in tighter quarters. It's not a mansion. I am actually happy we didn't buy a longer unit. Our RV seems to be a perfect fit thus far.

One thing I do miss is just being able to open the back door and let Taylor out. I now have to worry about finding shoes and a jacket and making sure my pajamas aren't too revealing. I wouldn't want any of our close neighbors to see the goods :)

Grandma and Grandpa Suggs stopped by today on their way home from the races at Homestead. They always have good advice when it comes to RVing. They stayed just a few minutes. Enough time to see the 5th wheel, check on the hook ups, etc. I am excited to see them for Christmas.

I'll try again today to get photos uploaded. Every time I plug my camera in I get a Communication Error message. For now I will just wait for Jason to get home. He had to pick up a few things from my dad's after work this morning. The best thing about staying local for the first week or two is all of our belongings are not too far away in case we forgot to bring a certain thing with us.

4 nights here already and not a fire yet. Hopefully tonight we can light one. Plus, it's Taco Tuesday!!!

This box of a thing becoming our HOME

Day 1

The day finally came. We were so excited to pick up our RV and it wasn't a moment too soon. It was hard enough sleeping on a couch for 2 nights let alone 2 months. Jason got off work in the AM and met me at my parent's house before driving to Palm Beach. After signing some paperwork, going through a 2 hour demo of our RV, and Jason's new 5th wheel hitch being installed, it was finally time to hook up and hit the road. My stomach was in knots. I couldn't believe the guy trusted Jason to back up and fit the hitch all by himself. After all, it would be his first time doing this. It actually wasn't as hard as I imagined, but my stomach was still spinning at the thought of Jason driving this huge monstrosity of a thing down the highway for an hours time.

We pulled out and immediately missed our turn. I was more concerned with getting the first photo of our RV on the road than I was reading the signs :) We made our way to the highway and the pictures continued to snap. People seemed to be extremely annoyed with us as we drove the speed limit and they swerved around us. I literally stopped breathing when semi trucks would pass Jason.

Not only were we traveling in rush hour traffic, but God's humor grew in strides with things like rain and missing another turn. Jason drove over to Markham Park where we would be staying for our first week (somewhere local to everything we've ever known but still with full hook ups and the opportunity to learn the ins and outs), slot A 7. With daylight savings taking away our sunshine early, Jason had to park and set up in the dark. All of our 'first times' seem to be fairly extreme on the scale and not at all easy like everyone said it would be.

I rushed over to my parent's house to load the cars with our RV items. 2 car loads full of stuff seemed a bit excessive. It looked like Target exploded in our RV living room when I arrived and unloaded. Jason just had to make a smart ass comment about me bringing way more than we needed. Such a guy thing to say. . . I spent the first night unpacking our belongings and trying to make our RV feel more like HOME. Taylor seemed to be settling in nicely by claiming almost every spot as her own. The stairs seemed to be her only weakness. Jason ran out and grabbed Burger King for dinner. It seemed a bit bizarre sitting in our 'living room' eating dinner when just a few days ago we did the same exact thing only in a home about 2500 sqft larger. Did we really sell everything and do this? It was still hard to believe.

The bed called to us louder and louder with every passing minute. It actually turned out to be softer and bigger than I expected. Coming from a king sized bed, I was worried to go down to the queen.

Day 2

I woke up at 7:30am. . . I haven't done that since my last day of work in July. Maybe I was just excited to start our day. We spent all of that day talking with neighbors, breakfast at Panera, running up to the RV store (K&K off 441 and Stirling Rd. - a bit expensive and large amount of cheap dollar store items for more money), and getting organized a bit more. The hook ups on the RV are mid way down while the site hook ups were in the very front of the spot. Of course the hoses the RV dealership sent us with weren't long enough to reach, so $400 in hoses, locks, and chocks were a must. When we returned from the store with all of our goodies, we couldn't help but get so pissed off when the brand new sewer hose we bought was too short. . . the 20 ft hose only went half the distance. Fan-fricken-tastic. Still no sewer hookup means filling tanks without a release. When they get full. . . what happens? I didn't want to find out.

Tara came out to see the RV for the first time. I think her expectations were extremely low at first, but  seemed to be pleasantly surprised after just a couple of minutes. After all she just like Taylor ran right in and sat down. Jason made cheeseburgers and hot dogs on the George Forman grill for dinner while Tara had a cheese sandwich. We haven't bought a good gas RV grill yet. We may even be able to hold off a bit. The George Forman worked great. It was my first time cooking on a gas stove. I was extremely nervous but I did it. Mac-n-cheese and green beans for sides was a good start.

Justin joined us after dinner for a couple games of scrabble (it was more like shake the dice and make a word). I shouldn't have packed all of my good games and put them in storage. It was a great night of fun and laughs.

I took my first shower in the RV tonight. I do wish we would have found one with a bigger shower stall. The one we have is called a neo-angle shower and it is pretty tiny. Definitely not like our shower was at home. It's only a 'one person' stall. I ran out of hot water half way through. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Jason and I laid in bed talking about how we loved that we could still entertain people. We didn't need that huge house to do it. Our RV bed actually is bigger and more comfortable than I expected. I haven't had a good nights sleep in a while, so it is nice to be able to sleep soundly. The only thing about the bedroom is the second air conditioner we had installed is extremely loud. Bummer.

I ask Jason almost every hour "Are you happy we did this?" He responds every time with "Oh yeah!" I think Taylor likes it and wouldn't trade it either.

Day 3

I am starting to miss watching my TV shows. No more DVR for us. We barely get 3 channels from our satellite that I even care to watch. I guess it gets us outside more. I'll have to try and look my shows up online (Greys, Real Housewives, etc.). We basically wake up in the morning, make a cup of coffee, make a bite for breakfast, and head to the dog park with Taylor. Our spot at Markham is A 7. It was actually the last spot available out of 88. With the Thanksgiving holiday they were all booked up. A 7 is near the road and the very first spot when pulling into the camping area (those are the negatives). Positives about the spot are it's the first spot so it's closest walking distance to the dog park, unrestricted lake view, completely canopied by trees and brush which provides privacy and shade. We will probably request this spot every time. 

I laid outside in the hammock today. Took a mini nap. Taylor joined me for some of it. I heard Jason on the phone with his dad. I am assuming Steve asked how we were doing and Jason's response of "Living the dream" was just so cute. We took Taylor to the dog park. Next time we will bring our own chairs. Seating is limited there. I guess mainly because it is Sunday and everyone in the world brought their dog to the park today. Justin and Tara came over again. The boys went mountain biking while Tara and I went to Target for a few more needed things.

Dad and Tammie, Briana and her girlfriend, along with Chesney came out to see the RV. The kids seemed to like it. 'Camping' is always a fun thing for the kids. Tammie thought it was nice but wouldn't be able to deal with the short lived hot water showers. I can barely take them either. We all walked over to the dog park. We stayed for over an hour as we all sprawled out on the grass and talked. It was a lot of fun. 

Justin and Tara stayed over for dinner again. Chicken on the George Forman grill and rice and green beans on the stove. I was even able to make cookies in our oven. . . I had Jason light to pilot with the lighter and then brought the oven to 350 degrees. I originally put the cookies in when the flames were high and at full power. That batch burned. No I know I have to wait until the oven preheats and then provides an even temperature. The cookies came out great. Justin and Tara took off while Jason and I ran out to Wal Mart to buy more sewer hose. We still were not hooked up and at this point every tank was full. No using water or flushing allowed until we get these tanks hooked up to the sewer! Wal Mart in Sunrise was crazy. Now I remember why I love going to Target instead. With another $150 spent, we headed home. It's so funny to think of our RV as home. Jason asks me all the time if I have the house keys. My response is "No. I don't have any house keys." I then realize he is talking about the RV keys. It will take me a little while to get use to this all.