Jill's Journal: A delayed anniversary babysitting gift from my sister and brother-in-law netted us a few glorious child-free hours on Friday afternoon to spend as we pleased. We turned it into a great fact-finding mission at Northside RVs in Lexington, which claims to be Kentucky’s largest RV dealer. The number one thing we learned? There’s so much to learn and so many options!
We’ve looked at literally hundreds of blueprints online and in catalogues, but it was so incredibly helpful to actually see some in person. The manager of the place seemed to be a straight-shooter, always a welcome thing in a salesman, and spent nearly two hours with us. He took us into about 10 different models, a nice mix of motorhomes and fifth wheels, so we could really get a feel for our different options. We have so much to think about.
At dinner afterward, Rob put it eloquently and perfectly: “A motorhome is the sexy option, but a fifth wheel is the smart option.” And that’s what we’re thinking. As much as we’d love a Class A motorhome with the accompanying bells and whistles, we can get the same square footage in a fifth wheel for a fraction of the price. And these next two years on the road aren’t about living in luxury and comfort. They’re about enjoying life with just the basics and being comfortable enough. A fifth wheel fits the bill just fine (and a fancy fifth wheel gives us a bill of about one-third the price tag of a basic motorhome!).
Showing posts with label RV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RV. Show all posts
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Live from Kentucky…
Jill's Journal: Rob gave me sh*# today about two things. Well, probably about more than that, but just two come to mind regarding the RV trip! One was about not yet reading the “right” RV books, so I’ll delve into those soon. And the other was about not yet combining my “blog” with his, so…without further ado, I’m going to “back-post” my little journal/blog right here. I’ll notate my entries in some way. Here goes…I'm going live!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Back to the Drawing Board
Jill's Journal: After researching what seems to be hundreds of floor plans to find the one that would fit our needs best, Rob thought he’d found our future RV. Until tonight. We want to pull a trailer behind the RV to carry our minivan, but we just learned the model we had our eye on doesn’t have the towing capacity we need. So, it’s back to the drawing board.
Rob had another thought as well. Perhaps a travel trailer might also suit us well. It still gives us 40 feet of living space and the spare vehicle we need, as we’d have to tow it with a truck. That truck could then be unhitched and the trailer left in a park…that way Rob could still work uninterrupted while I’m off exploring with the girls. There’s just no way around it – we need some kind of vehicle and some living space. So maybe this is an option. We shall see.
We really believe we’d prefer a conventional RV instead of a travel trailer, but the latter is far more economical and may be the smarter way to go. Again, we shall see.
We’re also constantly on the lookout for great ideas to help us through that year or two and we found one recently! Space Bags, the kind where you suck the air out of the storage bag with a vacuum. We bought some a week or so ago to see how they might work and it appears they’ll suit our purposes quite nicely. We’re planning to live in quite the minimalistic manner, but with three little kids and two adults, we’re going to need at least a few pieces of clothing! Our big concern is winter clothes vs. summer clothes. We plan to follow the seasons for the majority of the time, but how nice will it be to be able shrink our jackets and blankets when we’re in a hot climate?
Rob had another thought as well. Perhaps a travel trailer might also suit us well. It still gives us 40 feet of living space and the spare vehicle we need, as we’d have to tow it with a truck. That truck could then be unhitched and the trailer left in a park…that way Rob could still work uninterrupted while I’m off exploring with the girls. There’s just no way around it – we need some kind of vehicle and some living space. So maybe this is an option. We shall see.
We really believe we’d prefer a conventional RV instead of a travel trailer, but the latter is far more economical and may be the smarter way to go. Again, we shall see.
We’re also constantly on the lookout for great ideas to help us through that year or two and we found one recently! Space Bags, the kind where you suck the air out of the storage bag with a vacuum. We bought some a week or so ago to see how they might work and it appears they’ll suit our purposes quite nicely. We’re planning to live in quite the minimalistic manner, but with three little kids and two adults, we’re going to need at least a few pieces of clothing! Our big concern is winter clothes vs. summer clothes. We plan to follow the seasons for the majority of the time, but how nice will it be to be able shrink our jackets and blankets when we’re in a hot climate?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
RV FAQ
Jill's Journal: At this point, we’ve shared our RV plans with just a very few people. They all seem to have the same questions. So, without further ado, here is a list of common RV FAQ, complete with answers!
What about Rob’s job?
That one is easy – Rob already telecommutes, so as long as he has a computer and an internet connection, he can literally work from anywhere. We’re envisioning doing most of our driving on the weekends and setting up base camp for a week at a time, giving him an uninterrupted work week. I’ll spend lots of time exploring kid-friendly activities with the girls to give him plenty of peace and quiet for work.
What about school?
I’ll home school the girls. Erika will be in first grade, Madelyn will be in second-year preschool, and Victoria will still be too young for anything at all official. My girls love to learn and we already do little educational sessions here at home for fun. I don’t think this will be a difficult transition for them. We do worry a little bit about a lack of social interaction for them, but it’s only for a year. They have each other and we have lots of friends we plan to visit who have kids their ages. And surely we’ll find other kids to play with at campgrounds and various places. I also have no qualms about hunting down parks and all sorts of fun places in new cities where kids come in spades. In addition, we have many kid-friendly activities already on our developing itinerary (i.e. Crayola Factory, Sesame Place, etc.).
Are you crazy, doing this with little kids?
Maybe! It’s something we’ve always wanted to do and for a long time we entertained the notion of doing it sometime in the future. But when? The kids likely won’t enjoy it when they become teenagers and we don’t want to wait until they’re all out of the house because we’ll be too dang old! We’ve decided there’s no time like the present. They’re young, enjoy adventure and travel, and still like our company right now! What a wonderful life experience and incredible education for them. Plus, we want them to always follow their dreams. This is a pretty good example for them.
Do you realize how tiny an RV is? Especially for five people?
Oh yes, we know. But we’re already in a very small home and Rob also works from home, so we’re all used to spending lots of time together in a small space. Lots of larger families in history lived in a smaller space with a lot more people. It’s only a hardship if you believe it is.
Won’t you get sick of being on the road?
That’s always a possiblity. But we don’t think so. Rob and I have always loved road trips. Loved them with a passion. We really can’t think of any better way to travel right now than in an RV. To be able to move our home and necessary belongings pretty effortlessly, to see the country but still sleep in our own bed every night appeals to us tremendously.
When your trip is over, will you still live in Lexington?
Honestly, we don’t know, but that’s part of the reason for our trip. We had been planning on buying a new, bigger house in 2010 and really had no intention of living anywhere but Kentucky for the rest of our lives. However, lots of things have made us rethink that stance lately. We really do love it here, but since we got out of breeding Thoroughbreds (a whole ‘nother story but primarily because our focus is 100% on our children right now), it’s not as crucial that we live in Thoroughbred “Mecca.”
Moving is something we’ve been thinking about for a while – are we 100% certain we want our children to call this area of the country home forever? We’ve been here for 12 years and it’s a lovely place to raise a family, but is it a perfect fit for us? We’re open to other areas too.
This RV trip is partly to let us “live” temporarily in a few of the places on our list that we’ve been considering and let us “scratch the itch,” so to speak. We hope it will tell us if Kentucky is going to be our “forever home” or if that might be somewhere else. High on our list is the Central Coast of California, a place we fell in love with on a recent trip and, as an added bonus, a place where Kristi and Adam will be moving after school. The four of us have had many conversations about the “compound” we want to build together! Another place that really appeals to us is Montana. Or we may find somewhere else…or we may recommit entirely to Kentucky. We shall see, but we don’t see any point in buying a new house until we know exactly where we’re going to live for the rest of our lives. Enter the RV plan. Perfect timing.
Why?
Think of the adventure! This will be something to remember for a lifetime. We only live once and we’ve always believe in making the most of it.
What about Rob’s job?
That one is easy – Rob already telecommutes, so as long as he has a computer and an internet connection, he can literally work from anywhere. We’re envisioning doing most of our driving on the weekends and setting up base camp for a week at a time, giving him an uninterrupted work week. I’ll spend lots of time exploring kid-friendly activities with the girls to give him plenty of peace and quiet for work.
What about school?
I’ll home school the girls. Erika will be in first grade, Madelyn will be in second-year preschool, and Victoria will still be too young for anything at all official. My girls love to learn and we already do little educational sessions here at home for fun. I don’t think this will be a difficult transition for them. We do worry a little bit about a lack of social interaction for them, but it’s only for a year. They have each other and we have lots of friends we plan to visit who have kids their ages. And surely we’ll find other kids to play with at campgrounds and various places. I also have no qualms about hunting down parks and all sorts of fun places in new cities where kids come in spades. In addition, we have many kid-friendly activities already on our developing itinerary (i.e. Crayola Factory, Sesame Place, etc.).
Are you crazy, doing this with little kids?
Maybe! It’s something we’ve always wanted to do and for a long time we entertained the notion of doing it sometime in the future. But when? The kids likely won’t enjoy it when they become teenagers and we don’t want to wait until they’re all out of the house because we’ll be too dang old! We’ve decided there’s no time like the present. They’re young, enjoy adventure and travel, and still like our company right now! What a wonderful life experience and incredible education for them. Plus, we want them to always follow their dreams. This is a pretty good example for them.
Do you realize how tiny an RV is? Especially for five people?
Oh yes, we know. But we’re already in a very small home and Rob also works from home, so we’re all used to spending lots of time together in a small space. Lots of larger families in history lived in a smaller space with a lot more people. It’s only a hardship if you believe it is.
Won’t you get sick of being on the road?
That’s always a possiblity. But we don’t think so. Rob and I have always loved road trips. Loved them with a passion. We really can’t think of any better way to travel right now than in an RV. To be able to move our home and necessary belongings pretty effortlessly, to see the country but still sleep in our own bed every night appeals to us tremendously.
When your trip is over, will you still live in Lexington?
Honestly, we don’t know, but that’s part of the reason for our trip. We had been planning on buying a new, bigger house in 2010 and really had no intention of living anywhere but Kentucky for the rest of our lives. However, lots of things have made us rethink that stance lately. We really do love it here, but since we got out of breeding Thoroughbreds (a whole ‘nother story but primarily because our focus is 100% on our children right now), it’s not as crucial that we live in Thoroughbred “Mecca.”
Moving is something we’ve been thinking about for a while – are we 100% certain we want our children to call this area of the country home forever? We’ve been here for 12 years and it’s a lovely place to raise a family, but is it a perfect fit for us? We’re open to other areas too.
This RV trip is partly to let us “live” temporarily in a few of the places on our list that we’ve been considering and let us “scratch the itch,” so to speak. We hope it will tell us if Kentucky is going to be our “forever home” or if that might be somewhere else. High on our list is the Central Coast of California, a place we fell in love with on a recent trip and, as an added bonus, a place where Kristi and Adam will be moving after school. The four of us have had many conversations about the “compound” we want to build together! Another place that really appeals to us is Montana. Or we may find somewhere else…or we may recommit entirely to Kentucky. We shall see, but we don’t see any point in buying a new house until we know exactly where we’re going to live for the rest of our lives. Enter the RV plan. Perfect timing.
Why?
Think of the adventure! This will be something to remember for a lifetime. We only live once and we’ve always believe in making the most of it.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Full-Steam Ahead!
Jill's Journal: We’re continuing our preparations and they’re coming at a feverish pace. It’s such a thrill that Rob and I are both so committed and excited about this together. He is being the practical one – studying and learning every possible bit of knowledge that might be necessary to owning and living in an RV. He’s inhaling book after book, website after website. He doesn’t want any surprises, wants to be fully prepared. And this is wonderful because I’m more the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of gal. Like with anything else, I figure we’ll learn as we go, which is most certainly not the smartest way to go when uprooting small children into a tiny, moving home for more than a year. I’m thankful to have Rob! We balance each other well.
Friday, December 19, 2008
The Future’s So Bright!
Jill's Journal: Not a day goes by without thoughts of our future RV adventure! We are constantly mentioning it to each other, constantly making plans, constantly dreaming about it. Even current decisions take it into consideration. From the little things, such as “Will the kitchen mixer fit in the RV?” to big things, like “Should Erika start kindergarten in public school or Christian school next year?”
Everything impacts the future and our future is on the road ahead! Can’t wait.
Everything impacts the future and our future is on the road ahead! Can’t wait.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Patience is a Virtue
Jill's Journal: Patience is not one of my stronger suits. Oh sure, I have an abundance of patience with my girls and my husband, but not so much in just about every other area of my life. I’m very much an “immediate satisfaction” kind of girl. And that is why waiting until 2010 to fulfill this dream is a great challenge for me! I want to do it now. Right now.
So why is 2010 the magic year? Well, we’re not jumping into this lightly. Luckily, even if I didn’t get the patience gene, I did get the logical and responsible gene. The primary reasons we’re waiting another year and a half to “fulltime” it in an RV include:
*A major life change like this with small children attached takes some planning! And plans have begun in earnest. We want to be fully prepared in every way possible. Much research goes into everything from finding the most compatible RV home for our family to little things like dealing with the girls’ well-child doctor appointments from the road.
*A four-letter word called debt. This, to me, is one of the ugliest words in the English language. I despise debt. We’ve been working hard for quite some time to eliminate ours. Earlier this year, we could actually see daylight. We were so close to being debt-free (including student loans!) that we could taste it. And then an evil three-letter word intervened: the IRS. A mistake we made on our taxes some years ago came back to haunt us and we were quickly blindsided with enough penalties and interest to make our knees buckle. The amount rivaled that of a new car. A rather nice new car. So, we had little choice but to push all our financial goals – like buying a new house or now, an RV – back two years so we can focus on our tax debt. We call it the two-year plan! If all goes like we hope it does, by 2010, we’ll have zero debt with the grand exception of our mortgage. That’s what I call an exciting prospect!
*Schooling. Our girls are young and right now only our oldest is in preschool, but we still don’t want to uproot them in the middle of the school year. In the fall of 2010, Erika will be ready for 1st grade, Madelyn will be starting second-year preschool, and Victoria will still be a year away from preschool. Although home schooling has never been something I’ve wanted to do, we can all handle it for a year. We think it’s better to do it for one continuous school year than interrupt a school year already in progress, so summer is our launching goal. I’m already checking into requirements and paperwork and how home schooling works in the state of Kentucky, which will remain our home base.
*Kristi and Adam. My sister and her new husband committed to Kentucky through May, 2010. Kristi arrived here from California nearly a year ago, got married this summer, and will finish nursing school at University of Kentucky in May, 2010. It is such a wonderful treat to have them here and we enjoy their company immensely. Who knows if we’ll ever get to live this close again? We don’t want to leave during their too-short tenure in our town!
So why is 2010 the magic year? Well, we’re not jumping into this lightly. Luckily, even if I didn’t get the patience gene, I did get the logical and responsible gene. The primary reasons we’re waiting another year and a half to “fulltime” it in an RV include:
*A major life change like this with small children attached takes some planning! And plans have begun in earnest. We want to be fully prepared in every way possible. Much research goes into everything from finding the most compatible RV home for our family to little things like dealing with the girls’ well-child doctor appointments from the road.
*A four-letter word called debt. This, to me, is one of the ugliest words in the English language. I despise debt. We’ve been working hard for quite some time to eliminate ours. Earlier this year, we could actually see daylight. We were so close to being debt-free (including student loans!) that we could taste it. And then an evil three-letter word intervened: the IRS. A mistake we made on our taxes some years ago came back to haunt us and we were quickly blindsided with enough penalties and interest to make our knees buckle. The amount rivaled that of a new car. A rather nice new car. So, we had little choice but to push all our financial goals – like buying a new house or now, an RV – back two years so we can focus on our tax debt. We call it the two-year plan! If all goes like we hope it does, by 2010, we’ll have zero debt with the grand exception of our mortgage. That’s what I call an exciting prospect!
*Schooling. Our girls are young and right now only our oldest is in preschool, but we still don’t want to uproot them in the middle of the school year. In the fall of 2010, Erika will be ready for 1st grade, Madelyn will be starting second-year preschool, and Victoria will still be a year away from preschool. Although home schooling has never been something I’ve wanted to do, we can all handle it for a year. We think it’s better to do it for one continuous school year than interrupt a school year already in progress, so summer is our launching goal. I’m already checking into requirements and paperwork and how home schooling works in the state of Kentucky, which will remain our home base.
*Kristi and Adam. My sister and her new husband committed to Kentucky through May, 2010. Kristi arrived here from California nearly a year ago, got married this summer, and will finish nursing school at University of Kentucky in May, 2010. It is such a wonderful treat to have them here and we enjoy their company immensely. Who knows if we’ll ever get to live this close again? We don’t want to leave during their too-short tenure in our town!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
We Have a Dream…
Jill's Journal: We share the same dream. We have lots of dreams together, but some – like Rob earning a berth at the final table in the World Series of Poker or us breeding a starter in the Kentucky Derby – are more clearly defined as his dream or my dream that the other is happy to support and embrace.
But this dream is something different. This is something we’re both equally passionate about. This is something that we’ve been talking about and fantasizing about for a few years. And suddenly, a few weeks ago, we arrived at the same spot simultaneously and separately and we knew: it was time.
And so, it is official. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, in the summer of 2010, we’ll sell our modest home in Lexington, Ky., and move our three little girls, currently ages 4 1/2, 2 1/2, and 14 months, into an RV to embark on a year-long adventure.
But this dream is something different. This is something we’re both equally passionate about. This is something that we’ve been talking about and fantasizing about for a few years. And suddenly, a few weeks ago, we arrived at the same spot simultaneously and separately and we knew: it was time.
And so, it is official. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, in the summer of 2010, we’ll sell our modest home in Lexington, Ky., and move our three little girls, currently ages 4 1/2, 2 1/2, and 14 months, into an RV to embark on a year-long adventure.
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