Hello World

Good morning world. I unfortunately didn't get a chance to see you yesterday. Being sick in an RV is not fun. All I could think of was laying in the tub of our old house with the endless amount of warm water running all over me. Just the thought of curling up in our 'neo-angle' (that's how they promote it) shower with all 6 gallons of hot water the tank holds just upset me. I felt like I would have to sit uncomfortably against a fiberglass wall coated with a thin plastic piece in such an awkward position and it would allow me to get just warm enough to then catch a cold. Goodness. With a belly ache and crazy muscle pains, I laid in bed all day long. Nausea kept me from getting up to do anything. The thought of food made me cringe. The first question my mother asked was the obvious. . . "Are you pregnant?" Well seeing as I am on birth control I have a 0.01% chance that you are correct, but for now I am going to say NO. Not that I don't want to be, but a house with laundry facilities would be nice first. Babies make messes.

Thank goodness my hubby was home. I still haven't thanked him, but he vacuumed, cooked, and even took the dog for a long skateboard run (he rides the skate board while our poor little dog pulls his butt). She ended up pulling him all the way from our site in the back of the park to the gate of the dog park in the very front. She is a smart cookie. I knew it was a far ride when I received a phone call from Jason asking me to get out of bed and pick them up. For Taylor. . . anything :) I was able to find my way to the living room (just 20 fit away) and watched Ellen. I saw Felicity Huffman on her show talking about this new site she created called What the flicka? After further investigation. . . I saw a few contributors (bloggers) that contribute to the site with their opinions and stories. I thought it would be a great way to get our story out there. I submitted my blogs and asked that they consider me for a contributor. Cross your fingers.

I finally was able to keep down rice around 8:00pm that Jason made for me. Up until this point "stuff" was coming out of all ends. Gross! The kind where you're sitting on the toilet with the garbage can in front of you. It was a good day. . . I felt so bad that poor Jason sat in the house with me all day. Once I was finally stable in bed and not running off to the bathroom, I advised him it was okay to take off with some friends. After all, I would just be sleeping. When you give a foot they take a mile. Isn't that the truth? Around 1:40am, I reached my hand over to his pillow and noticed the remote was still there. I typically put the remote on his pillow so it's easy for him to find when he comes to bed. I like to set the television on a timer so it's easier to fall asleep. I text him asking "Not home yet?" 20 minutes later I received "At OJ's. Coming home soon." If he would just come home and get in bed without kissing me so guiltily, I wouldn't wake up. It's not until I receive that guilty kiss that I wake up and notice he is home. My phone said 3:30pm. Goodness gracious. I got the whole. . . we went drinking and then went to his house to play guitars and sober up. Then he had to drive me back to the bar to get my truck. . . Glad you had a good night babe, but I am going back to bed.

A new girlfriend of mine asked to meet for lunch and shopping. A chance to get out of the house? SURE. It was a YES before she could finish her sentence. With her husband and Jason working, it would be a perfect time for a girls day. I met her and her daughter at Sawgrass Mills Target. Her daughter Charlee is adorable. Even the old ladies couldn't keep their hands off of her. Heather needed to get some outfits for Charlee. I had no problem walking the mall and looking at all the baby clothes. We are definitely in trouble when I get pregnant. Lets hope it's a boy for our bank account's sake. Girl clothes are just the cutest. Lunch at Rainforest Cafe because I just love their chicken ceasar salad and figured all the action would keep Charlee occupied. We ended up coming back to the RV so Heather could see our new living quarters. Charlee had no problem running around the RV playing with Taylor's toys and going up and down the stairs. Heather even commented that this is what it would be like with a baby in here. She mentioned that Charlees play area is about the same size as the area we had devoted to her. I didn't seem to think it was bad at all. We could so have a baby in the RV. Well. . . maybe if we had a washer and dryer. Thank goodness I was able to get out of the house and feel like a person again. Sitting in the RV by yourself tends to get very lonesome.

I mentioned an idea I have to Jason about possibly starting to write/illustrate children's books. Any good sites to do this? I found one amazing site, even created a book, then realized you had to be 12 years of age and younger. . . oh goodness.

Kind of in a slump

Pardon the following statements while I vent. . .

Jason and I decided to sell our gorgeous home and purchase an RV with the hopes of traveling all over the state, seeking out potential neighborhoods we would consider moving to. Other trips would be to visit family and explore our great country. After 3 months of living in the RV, we have become stagnant. We basically live at Markham park. . . and I am ready for a change. Do we head towards Naples to start looking or head North to explore the Treasure Coast? Do we plan a trip to the Keys like I have been dying to do?

I find myself sitting in the RV during those days that Jason works. With the recent snowboarding trip and surprise party, he has been picking up additional shifts, thus leaving me sitting bored at home. Most people would die to be in my position. I am aware. Don't take my venting as not being appreciative. I find when I have nothing to consume my time, I fall into a depression. Photo shoots have been limited, but seem to be picking up. I started considering getting a job just to keep my mind sharp.

I read about all these 'full timers' who live in RV's with children. They are always occupied doing something with their time and day. I don't have a child to occupy my day. A child is not what we need right now regardless of its ability to get me out of this slum.

This has happened to be me before. It happened right when we got married and I moved into the 8860 house. I didn't get the teaching job, went from an extremely chaotic home to the exact opposite. When I have things like planning the wedding, fixing the house up, selling the house, packing, finding an RV, etc. I am able to work 'like a machine' as Jason would say. When I don't have things constantly requiring my time, I fall into a slum. I wish I had enough motivation to work out and get in shape. Without a job, I have the luxury of going whenever I want. . . but the problem is I don't want to :( Working out is not fun. . . as much as Jason may disagree.

For now I will concentrate on booking photo shoots and getting back in the game. I actually just had a 14-year-old's birthday party last night. I felt needed again. That was huge! I also am appreciative of a new found friend's interest. Walking the mall and having lunch with a friend should help as well.

Don't take my venting as me wanting sympathy. I am a very lucky girl and have such an incredible husband who has allowed me to stay home and focus on our family. I just need everyone's prayers that I find something to not only occupy my time, but to make me feel important again and get me out of this slump.

Surprises All Around!

February 14, 2013

I spent Valentine's day at my parent's house with Taylor. Jason decided to pick up an overtime shift, thus leaving me to fend for myself. With the RV at work with Jason, my dinner options were order take out or sit by myself at a restaurant. . . take out it is. Jason and I have gone to the same restaurant every Valentine's Day since we've been married (Sushi Sogo). I figured it was only fitting to order from them. When I walked in, they all asked where Jason was and why I didn't order his usual. I love how they remember everything. It's been a while since we've been there too. Not living in the house anymore, we are never this way for dinner.

My parents had left earlier in the day on a cruise. They would be gone the entire weekend, leaving me here 2 nights with the dogs (Taylor of course and their dog Chesney). I had made a photo album on shutterfly of our honeymoon for Jason. he really seemed to like it.

So it's Valentine's Day and I am in my parent's house, eating sushi, watching The Vow ALONE! I felt like such a pathetic teenager.

February 16, 2013

Jason left work this morning with our house in tow and headed to meet me at Markham, our home base. Check out is 1pm and check in is 3pm. Because we arrived around 9am, the people were not out of our spot yet. . . so we parked near a pavilion, put the slides out, and took a much needed nap. After a quick nap, Jason and I took a bike ride over to the other side of the park. It just so happened that it was Boy Scout weekend in the park. It brought thousands of little campers, their tents, and all things that come with boy scouts. It was cute. Our spot finally became available. We moved over and started setting up. As I pushed the extend button to let out the bedroom slide, I noticed a funny noise. Our slide's cable had snapped somehow. Great! Our first major "home repair." We aren't able to get an appointment to fix it until March 8th. . . Thank goodness it wasn't one of the main living slides. With it being the bedroom slide, it still allow us to sleep on the bed like normal. The only thing is in order to access the closet, we have to be sitting or kneeling on the bed. Bummer. 

Jason was under the assumption that we had early dinner plans tonight with my parents. He obviously didn't remember that they were on a cruise. I had spent the past 3 months planning out a 30th surprise birthday party for him including close friends and family. With the broken slide causing me crazy stress on top of the anxiety of the party, I was almost at my breaking point. We finally got everything else set up and Jason tells me he wants to go to the gym. . . NO WAY JOSE! We started getting ready for the party and Jason picks a pair of plaid shorts to wear. OMG. Thank goodness I got him to change his mind to jeans. I walk out of the bathroom and notice he is laying in the recliner. "Are you going to do your hair?" I asked. "I'm just going to lay here for 5 minutes." The time is now 3:45pm. Guests are arriving at 4:00pm and we are suppose to be there by 4:30pm and you want to lay there for 5 minutes? If you know me at all, you know I am freaking out inside.

My anxiety was killing me the entire drive out to the beach. I felt like I was going to throw up. Jason seemed a bit off. I asked what was wrong and he replied with "I'm just tired. I wanted to ask you to stop and get a Monster (energy drink), but I thought you would get mad because we are running late (to dinner with my family. . . so he thought)." With the time now approaching 4:15pm, I decided to stop about half way to the restaurant. As soon as he jumped out of the car I called my sister to update her. With 15 minutes as our ETA, my stomach started spinning. I felt like I was going to slip up and say something. I hate keeping things from him. I'm the girl who buys Christmas gifts in October and gives them out in November. I can never make it to the day.

With Jason back in the car, we headed to the beach. We pull into the parking lot and I start to wonder if he will notice people's cars. I try to distract him with asking questions like "Are the waves? Can you see them?" Stupid! I didn't know what else to say. We get out of the car, pay the meter, and start walking. I know they are all just waiting for us up the stairs and through the door. It's only seconds away now. Jason opens the door for me and. . . SURPRISE! He was SOOOO surprised. His expression was pure confusion. He turned to me and asked "What's this?" I of course couldn't contain myself and started to cry. He cautiously approached everyone, still unsure that this was all for him. I greeted the first 5 people while completely shaking from the whole experience.

The party was fantastic! Good food, great family and friends, and I think Jason truly enjoyed himself. He has never been surprised and I was so happy to be able to pull it off.

The invitation

Centerpieces

A video made for Jason by his friend. . . it played throughout the entire restaurant!

Incredible views in all directions

Thirsty and Thirty shirt with 30 beer bottles to match the invitation :)

Taking a second to ourselves to enjoy the night

 Getting a little tipsy

Oh No

The Big 30

It was such a great night. I was able to let go and relax. I relaxed a little too much and had to eat 16 saltine crackers just to feel better. It was so worth it though.

What A Great Day

What a great day we had. Woke up early and made a great breakfast sandwich. I tend to avoid breakfast all together. It seems to only make me hungrier. If I do eat something, it's always little and unfulfilling. I had such an urge to ride bikes or go to the beach. 2 things I never want to do. Can you believe my hubby (the guy who does those things almost everyday) refused to get up and go with me. . . I didn't realize when you turned 30 you also turned lazy. Hopefully he will get out of this funk soon. I decided to go without him on a bike ride. We needed to return a red box movie to Publix, so I figured a ride up to Publix wouldn't be so bad. It really wasn't at all. I wish I had music to ride along with me. I just sang to myself. It worked fine. It took me 40 minutes to get to and from Publix on the bike. Not too bad considering I don't ride my bike. . . like ever. Check out my bike route!

While riding back I saw a beagle at the dog park. I rushed home to get my little girl. . . and to wake Jason up again and he still didn't want to get out of bed. His loss. Taylor and I spent about 15 minutes at the park. The other beagle just wanted to hump her, so we left. I was surprised to find Jason up and at the table when we returned. Our spot is so shady this time. We were actually able to cook and eat lunch outside without baking in the sun. Thank you huge tree!

Jason and I noticed a Carl's barber shop "walking sign." Those silly guys spinning their cardboard signs  is always great advertisement :) I can't even remember the last time he got a haircut. . . it was much needed. He then found motivation to hit the gym. Considering he doesn't belong to any gym, I am interested to see where he ends up.

I will start packing up our campsite. We are leaving early tomorrow (Jason to go to work and I to my dad's). We will return the 16th to Markham after Jason leaves work. It's so hard to schedule these dates sometimes. I have to make sure our moving date coincides with a date he isn't working so he can move the RV. Problems. . . I know. So tonight we will pack everything up and prepare for our departure tomorrow. After packing up we plan to have a date night to celebrate Jason's 30th birthday and Valentine's Day.

Here are a few photos from the other morning. Taylor is enjoying her new found life. . . maybe even more than us.

I know. . . a little obsessed.

She could just stand there and stare into the water for hours.

Can't help but notice the beautiful things in life.

Came back to find a leaf on my seat.

Hope everyone has a great day!

A garbage bag full of food

Jason and I went to the storage facility where we had been keeping the RV parked for the 9 days we were away, Jason in Colorado and me in Jacksonville. Jason jumps in the RV to check on things before hooking it all up and towing away. He noticed the battery in the RV is dead. . . Great. Plugging it into the truck charges the battery. We are off. We get to the campsite we have this time is incredible. By far my favorite we've ever had. With a check of the fridge and freezer, I notice the food was all hot and spoiled. Fantastic! Everything is the garbage it goes. Not sure what made the battery die, but hopefully we do not need to store the RV again for a week thus having this happen again. I also noticed my olive oil dispenser fell over in the cabinet and spilled all over. Seriously??? Lets just say. . . Jason and I were on "don't even look at me" terms. We were both so overly frustrated it hurt.

Tara and Justin ended coming over in the midst of it all so we could all go bike riding. A few hours later, we made our way up to the front of the park and onto the levy. They seemed to really enjoy it. We rode the levy until we saw our RV across the canal. . . and heard Taylor howling. Time to head back! We made a fire, well everyone tried to but no one succeeded. I decided to take over. . . BOOM! We have fire! Just like magic. Just leave the fire building to someone other than a fire fighter.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

It's been almost 1 whole week since I've seen my hubby. A week since I've slept in my bed. A week since I've taken Taylor to the dog park. The entire time I have been here visiting my mom, I have been extremely lazy. Sleeping in late, just letting the dog out back to pee (no walks), not doing laundry, etc. I find that when you live in a location that experiences a bit of seasons like Orange Park, FL does, it's hard to want to be outside when everything is dead, dreary, and cold. We spent 6 hours outside in 38 degree weather while Dustin played in a baseball tournament. Most fun 6 hours of my life. . . I did get a call from Jason while I was there. That allowed me to break away from the stands and walk the fields. He mentioned buying gloves while at the lodge and being on a coffee break. He seemed to be having fun and loving his time out there. Him happy makes me happy. The best part about the ball field was the food. I was so excited when the guy started cooking. The smell of hamburgers at 10:30am is fabulous. No really, it is! 2 cheeseburgers and an order of fries later, the tournament was over.

I have spoken with Jason a handful of times while we have been apart. He spends most of his days on the slopes. With the 2 hour time difference it seems that when I am able to talk, he would be eating or still out. The pictures posted online are incredibly beautiful. Maybe one day I will make it out there with him. . . minus the 10 other dudes :)

For those of you who re interested in the RV aspect of our lives, I forgot to mention my drive up here and all the RV's on the road. I must have saw 50 class A RV's (that is the bus looking kind), 40 5th wheels (that is like ours and it hooks into the back of the truck bed) mostly pulled by Chevy trucks just like Jason's thank you very much :), about 15 travel trailers (I was so worried about their swaying with all the wind), a few class C's (city shuttle looking things), a few campers that fit in the back of the truck, and even 5 mini trailers being pulled by cars. I couldn't believe it. I did see a truck pulling a 5th wheel which pulled a trailer. ILLEGAL! In the state of Florida, you are not allow to double tow. Please, it's been my only saving grace when it comes to Jason wanting to purchase and drag along with us a scooter or golf cart.

I had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend from school this trip. After years of not seeing one another and neither of us really remembering why we lost touch, we met up. It was just like old times. I wasn't sure how I would react when I first saw her. Would I start tearing up with excitement or be nervous and not myself. . . As soon as she pulled up and I saw her huge smile, I felt like no time at all had passed. She brought along her adorable daughter. Such a happy baby. We walked the park and caught up on everything. What happened after high school? How did you meet your husband? What has become of your family? We spoke about everything. It was weird to see our lives kind of ending up the same way. Went to school for education. Decided not to continue with it but be stay at home moms instead. Married extremely active guys. . . etc. I wish we lived closer.

Today I am packing up things at my mom's and making the 5 hour car ride back south with Taylor. Jason's flight gets in at 11:00pm and I am so excited to see him. We pick up the RV from storage tomorrow and bring it back to Markham. I am super excited for the site we have this time around. A huge grass area further back in the park away from all the traffic. It overlooks the water and all the sunsets, but should be far enough away to not be bothered by the jet skis and boats. I am just excited to get our life back. . . well, started. Jason seems to be extremely excited to start looking for an area to move to and try for a baby. I am excited as well, just a bit more cautious. Worried about the money we are going to have to come up with for the house and all things that come with pregnancy. I guess we should just leave the planning up to the big Guy and go along for the ride.

Packing up

Wednesday, January 30

I have spent the past few days running around like a chicken without a head trying to get all the last minute items for Jason's Colorado trip. First we buy a jacket and pants from Peter Glenn. After multiple friends came forth and allowed Jason to borrow some clothes, we went back to Peter Glenn and returned the gear only to buy a pair of boots. He said they were like walking on pillows. Whatever makes you smile babe.

Quick story that I have to share. . . the other night I was craving ice cream (okay that's every night). Since Jason had never been to a topping bar place, I decided to go there. Yoblendz we went with a frosty paws from home for Taylor :) Can't forget about her. I went first while Jason sat outside with Taylor. Vanilla yogurt, rainbow sprinkles, oreo cookies. . . just the way I like it. Mine came in at a whopping $3.57 which I asked to be added to Jason's total. I tell Jason, "Get a cup from there. Pick your ice cream flavor. Add your toppings. Set the cup on the scale and pay the guy." Jason's response
. . . "I can put anything I want on it?" "Yes babe. Anything you want." "As much as I want?" "Yes babe. As much as you want." His grin was from ear to ear and so priceless. He returns to the table with an overflowing cup of goodness. I see gummy bears, reeses, heath bars, oreros, strawberry yogurt, etc. With a total of $8.00, it means his weighed A LOT. 6 bites later. . . he wasn't as excited, complaining of a stomach ache already. Weak! His inner 4 year old fat kid put way too much for his approaching 30 year old body to handle :)

Thursday, January 31

Today we packed up our site and the house. I really enjoyed this last site, E 6. We had great neighbors (Howard, Ronata, Gigi, and George). A lovely couple and their two doggies. It was nice handing them a 'Keep In Touch Card.' Hopefully we will see them again one day. They mentioned Taylor sounding like a cat when we were gone. They would come outside to see where the cat was and then see Taylor sitting on the dining room chairs staring out the window whining. What a little baby! I loved that our site was double paved. It prevented a lot of dirt from coming inside. A built in fire pit was super nice. We only used it twice during our stay, but it was enjoyable when we did use it. The view from our site was amazing. Over looking the waterway, levy, and every sunset. The sunsets were gorgeous from our spot. It's amazing how we now appreciate the little things like that. In our old house, the trees from the neighbor would block our view thus allowing us to only see the sunset a little. Driving in the city the other day, we noticed a bit of the sunset. . . only to be blocked by concrete, buildings, and homes. We couldn't wait to get back out to Markham to enjoy them again. A few negatives about the spot were we had gnats for some reason in the RV. Justin came up with the idea to sit a cup of vinegar on the counter to attract and kill them. It seemed to work! Our other issue was the constant flow of jet ski and boaters. They would fly right past our spot at all times of the day. It seemed to bother our neighbors a lot. I just thought their should be a 'no wake' zone by the campsites. Every good thing is bound to have a bad.

We loaded the RV and headed south. I had mapped out our route while Jason was working. 84 to Flamingo (center lane). . . until we reached our destination. Jason decided to go a little off track. . . but my constant bothering on the the walkie-talkie made him go right back :) Our spot at the storage facility was a bit tight. Thank goodness there was a RV owner in the parking lot who was able to move a bit so we could fit. We are parked right between a boat and a car. Very little room left to open the door.

We spent the rest of the day running a few more errands. We got stuck in 595 traffic again (horrible waste of our lives). We stopped at TJMaxx before going to dinner. Sometimes they have cool things. I stumbled across the baby section while Jason was looking through a book he found. Oh goodness. My heart just melted looking at these little girl onesies. All the little sayings about "Daddy's girl." I showed Jason and I think his heart melted a little too. 

Friday, January 1

We ended up staying up pretty late packing the rest of Jason's things and then going to bed at dad and Tammie's house. Jason set his alarm for 5:30ish but must have snoozed it. He received a phone call around 6am wondering why he wasn't at the station to meet the rest of the group. Within seconds, he was up, dressed, and gone. We were a little worried about the weight of his luggage, but with a passing 49 1/2 lbs and a 37 lb bag, he just made it. An 8:00am bar tab and a long plane ride later, he made it to Denver safely.

I took off around 10:00am and headed towards my mom's house. The drive was long (5 hours long). Taylor was a bit of a pain. She likes to stand on my arm rest and put her head right in my line of sight. It's really fun while doing 80 down the highway. We finally made it here about 3:45pm and have been hanging out ever since. Missing my husband like crazy already, but glad he gets this time he much deserves.