Memories...

Jill wrote in her last post:
"More tomorrow on the great fun we had on the coast…"

And we did - we had an amazing time. And today was also fantastic. You all, those who read this, know those stories will come - we needed a little downtime today after a longer day than expected, with a lot to do. The rest in Portland is welcomed, and everyone here will get to catch their collective breath a little. WE love Oregon so far, and will decide from here, Portland, what direction we go... it's a mystery right now. :)

Jill will blog away in the days to come, but I just wanted to leave everyone with a little memory - one that may not have been seen by our blog's readers. It is not often I (yes, I'm invoking the I) look back at stuff, but I was looking for something and ran across this gem. Taken April of 'beforewewereontheroad', it was amazing to see the changes in all my girls... What a fun thing to be able to look back on, before the journey - and being able to compare it with where we are now...

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Jill said... (26 June, 2011 10:45)

Look at those itty-bitty, little kiddos!! Erika was barely 5, Madelyn 3, and Victoria 19 months. Madelyn has changed the most of all. She used to be short and stocky, just a little tank. Now she's tall and lanky and so skinny that the ethnic Mom in me wants to stuff her full of food 24 hours a day!

I remember that day so well -- Kite Festival, Georgetown KY, April 2009. We were about six months into considering the journey we're on now and I remember thinking, "This is the sort of thing we'll do all the time if we go 'on the road.'" And I also remember thinking that if days like that close to home could go well with such little kids, that we really could make this journey a reality... :)

Clear Our Schedule!

Jill's Journal: Clear our schedule tomorrow, girls…we’ve got laundry to do!! Cautious optimism about circuit board #3 has given way to great celebration in the land, or at least in the fifth wheel. Currently, our second test load with the new circuit board is humming along smoothly, with no sign of any problems. I’ve never been so excited to do laundry!

And this means bigger things for us…Rob installed the washing machine, which meant the dryer could move out of our “living room” and be installed on top of the washing machine. The living room freed up means Rob can install the desk he built for his work. His desk being installed means the office equipment he has randomly interspersed throughout the fifth wheel can be properly contained and installed on top on the desk. And this means our launch (hopefully in the next 48-72 hours) can really, truly happen!!

Oh yes, there is great celebrating tonight, right after I go change the laundry.

A Good Day…and Tourist Practice!

Jill's Journal: It was a good day. Rob is benefitting from me keeping the girls out of his hair and is making huge progress on his long list of projects. I’m thinking our “launch day” will be soon! Well, maybe – the circuit board for the washing machine finally arrived, two days behind schedule, and it has a whole different set of problems than the first. Perhaps if we married the two circuit boards, we might have one good washing machine? I’ve told Rob he’s been too nice in his calls to this maker-of-washing-machines-for-RVs-and-yachts…I’m ready to pounce of them. I’m a mother with three young children (translation: LOTS of laundry) who bought a way-too-expensive, especially-for-an-RV washing machine because no matter how hard I could try, I’m just not a Laundromat kind of gal. And I’m taking the inconvenience they’re causing very, very personally. Rob thinks it’s better he deal with them because one can catch more bees with honey than anger. I know he’s right, but here's my confession of the day: I am having a hard time restraining myself!

(As my dear Dad pointed out today on the phone, this delay in our plans is minor in the scheme of things. Better to have everything fixed and all the kinks worked out here rather than in some crazy little town where we can’t find a hardware store. I know, I know...)

So, while we’re still in Lexington, I decided to practice being a tourist right here at home today. I’ve always heard about a little side-of-the-road diner in Midway, Kentucky, called Wallace Station, but had never eaten there. Unsuspectingly, the girls and I headed there for lunch. Holy crap. Un-be-live-able. I had some chipotle/avacado/turkey/pepper jack creation and no other sandwich will ever measure up. Why have I never eaten there before? It’s so good that apparently Wallace Station will be featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on the Food Network next Monday, the 28th. We have a t.v. but no television service, so I’m hoping to re-live the sandwich by catching the episode somewhere online. And I just may have to drag Rob to Wallace Station on our way out of town. Yum.

While still in a delicious food-induced euphoria, the girls and I then headed to Frankfort to take in some of the sights of the capitol. We went first to the quaint historic district and enjoyed the grounds of the Old Capitol building, in use since 1830 and now a museum. We happened to walk across the spot where Governor-elect William Goebel was shot on the way to his inauguration in 1900. Erika was fascinated because it happened on her birthday (albeit a little more than a century earlier) and I was fascinated because one of the first books I ever helped edit was strangely not about horses, but about Goebel’s assassination.

We then took a short jaunt over to the current Capitol with the intent of taking a tour, but either the heat or Father’s Day got the best of them and they had closed early. Beautiful grounds, however, and the girls especially enjoyed a giant floral clock with a surrounding fountain (shown in the top picture).

They were eager to get home and spend what was left of Father's Day with their Daddy, so we did just that. The happy little girl squeals from an impromptu running-thru-sprinklers session capped a super day. I think we're cut out for this tourist thing!

I did learn something very, very valuable today: when it’s 94 degrees Fahrenheit and so humid you can cut it with a knife, you can never have too much water along. The jug of water I brought wasn’t nearly enough and we stopped on the way back to Lexington to buy a couple more litters, which were quickly inhaled. These little girls play hard and one in particular definitely subscribes to the theory of “Why walk when you can run?”, so overheating could easily be an issue. I’ll be more careful to have a plentiful water supply in the future.

The Guilt Factor

Jill's Journal: I feel guilty. My poor husband is overwhelmed by everything still on his plate before we leave town. And yet, there’s not a whole lot I can do to help him right now except keep the kids out of his hair.

So the girls and I have been having a lovely time (hence the guilt). We’ve done everything from the pool with the wonderful Heather to pony rides with the lovely Katy and crew. We’ve played in the great outdoors with the fantastic Colby and her girls before heat and hunger drove us all indoors for a nice lunch instead. We’ve spent a marvelous day in the country with the incredibly hospitable Mary and family. (Is there any town in Kentucky more charming than Wilmore? Seriously, even the utility poles, each one of them for 1 1/2 miles, have hanging flower baskets.) We even attended a fitness day at the Bluegrass Airport, where a brand new runway was opened to the public to walk, bike, skate, etc. for an afternoon and the girls got to enjoy sitting in a police helicopter and on a police motorcycle. We’ve tried the bumper cars at GattiTown, we’ve had a bonfire, we’ve had water fights with a hose. And the list goes on.

I’m trying to make the best of it because, trust me, we are all so stinkin’ eager to get on the road. To be so close and yet still be sitting here, 10 days or more after we thought we’d be gone, is frustrating. And while the girls are having a great time, I think even they are getting restless. Erika, our 6-year-old, said to me yesterday, “Mommy, it’s a house on wheels. Aren’t we supposed to go somewhere?”


Yes, dear girl, yes. We are indeed. We’re going to go on the ride of your young life, I promise. Be patient just a little while longer.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Jill's Journal: Sometimes you’ve just got to have a sense of humor. We haven’t gotten very far in our journey and are still stuck in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Our brand-spanking-new fifth wheel has now had nearly every major system replaced. One thing after another has broken, malfunctioned, or has simply had an attitude. We’ve flooded the plumbing and the girls’ rooms and bathroom not once, but twice today (compliments of the new, but non-working washing machine), we’ve cooked all the electronics due to a wiring error, we’ve had a leak in the roof, etc., etc., etc. Those are the big things. The little things include a broken shelf in the refrigerator and a screen door that’s already ripped. Cosmetically, somehow the girls have already managed to color on the floor and stain the couch with a marker. We figure all we need to do is blow a tire and the challenges will be complete!

Yes, we’ve been frustrated and yes, we’re itching to get on the road, but at least we’re still laughing...or have reached the punchy laughing point after a few tears and possibly a few curse words. Our new circuit board for the washing machine is supposed to arrive by the end of the week. Our insurance has promised to reimburse us for the few thousand dollars in repairs. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise (again!), we’ll finally be on our way this weekend!

Settling In

Jill's Journal: Happily, we are settling into the fifth wheel nicely. The girls are enjoying their new space and love their bunk beds. The place is sparkling clean thanks to an insane amount of bleach and elbow grease. Everything is unpacked and in its place. And life is good!

Of course, we haven’t moved an inch yet since we have several things to wrap up this week in Lexington. But, with two very smooth nights and days of “camping” under our belts, we’re feeling pretty good about the future. And I must confess: we’re not really camping. Sure, space inside is at a premium. But with 1 1/2 bathrooms, a separate master bedroom, a four-bunk bedroom for the girls on the complete other end of the trailer, a decent-sized kitchen, a living room bigger than a New York studio, and even a washer and dryer ready to be installed, we could definitely have it a lot worse. It really is a “house on wheels,” as the girls call it.

The 36 hours before we officially moved in were filled with drama. The closing date on our house got pushed back for the fourth (or was it fifth?) time. We underestimated how much we had yet to do to finish moving out (doesn’t that always happen?). And some improper wiring leading to the RV blew out everything that was plugged in: our new refrigerator, microwave/convection oven, entertainment system, etc. Even little things like an alarm clock and drill were completely decimated.

But that was then and this is now. The good news is that we really did close on our house on Friday morning and managed to finish our move-out with minutes to spare! It was bittersweet to hand those keys over. It’s the only home all three of our little girls have ever known. Victoria was even born there, literally, so it will always hold a special place in our hearts.

More good news: although we do have to replace all those expensive appliances without ever having gotten a chance to use them, at least they can be replaced. It’s just time and money (and a few gray hairs). And if that’s the biggest hiccup we have on our journey, we’re doing just fine.

And one more blessing I have to mention: good friends. One of the hardest decisions we had to make was what to do with our cat, who has been a part of our family for 15 years and has seen other pets come and go. But my dear friend Roberta ended up making it easy for us. She willingly opened up her home and welcomed our old gray kitty on Friday. Roberta’s home is an earthly version of cat heaven…once our cat acclimates, I have a feeling she’ll wonder what kind of purgatory she was in with us for the last 15 years!

Welcome!

Jill's Journal: If only I had a penny for each time someone asked if we had a blog! We finally decided it was time to go public. I’ve been keeping an occasional journal of our preparations to travel with the intention of sharing it with our girls someday. (Because surely someday they’ll wonder what possessed us to pack them into an RV and hit the road). Since my typing skills are stronger than my handwriting skills, it seemed a natural to make it a blog and that way my parents could track our travels as well. And now it’s morphed into something a little bigger…we’ve decided to also share it with our friends and family.

If you’re just joining us, the brief version is this: we’ve sold our house (closing in a matter of hours!), have bought a fifth wheel, and plan to travel North America for the next three years. We have a loose itinerary that includes 49 states and parts of Canada. Rob telecommutes already and can work from anywhere, so we realize this makes us incredibly blessed and very, very lucky. Our three girls are young with our oldest just finishing kindergarten tomorrow, so I’m going to try my hand at homeschooling for a few years. We can’t think of a better education for them (and for us!) than seeing the country firsthand.

As people have learned about the adventure that awaits us, we realized how many either long for this type of opportunity or think we’re completely off our rocker. Either way, it’s clear many people are very curious. We thought this blog would be a way we could take everyone along for the ride.

Both Rob and I will post. His entries (like the one immediately below) are labeled with an “R.” Mine will always begin with “Jill’s Journal.”

It will take another week or so for us to completely wrap up things here in Lexington, Kentucky, and then we’ll be on our way. So, stay turned and join us on our journey if you’d like. And welcome!

For Sale

Jill's Journal: The time has come for us to sell our house! This is the mother of all preparations to leave our stable lives and full-time it on the road.

We officially went on the market last Friday. I’ve quickly learned selling a house ranks up there with my least favorite things to do in this world. I do believe I’d rather have a root canal. Without anesthetic. Seriously.

I thought I was a strong woman – I can give birth to 13 pound, 11 ounce babies at home, thank you very much – but I’ve found my breaking point. Strangers tromping through our personal sanctuary with their shoes on is more than I can handle. Hopefully someone buys our clean, cozy little home soon and puts me out of my misery!

“Adventuring With Children”

Jill's Journal: I skimmed another book with our journey in mind. Nan Jeffrey’s “Adventuring With Children: An Inspirational Guide to World Travel & the Outdoors” is a little outdated and not necessarily suited to the RV traveler, but there were some great tidbits nonetheless. Mostly it provided plenty of fodder for our belief that what we’re planning isn’t crazy and will enrich our children’s lives.

Some of my favorite passages include:

(Regarding meeting other adventuring families)
“…We spoke a common language—that of homeschooling and one-burner meals, of family cohesion and a sense of achievement, of sleeping in strange places and absorbing alien cultures, of raising our children in a neighborhood that encompassed the world. It was the language of an adventuring family.”

(Regarding the joy of traveling as a family unit)
“…It doesn’t take long to grasp that family adventuring is much more than taking a highly stimulating trip. It’s time apart, a chance to discover and reflect, to explore and grow…Regardless of destination or mode of travel, the benefits of this temporary lifestyle are many: living simply, becoming self-sufficient, experiencing new cultures and ideas, challenging your mind and body, being in harmony with the natural world, learning to have patience and tolerance and be content, and developing an unassailable joie de vivre. Best of all it fosters an interdependence within the family, one that encompasses all ages as you work toward a common goal.”

(And finally, encouragement to travel the world, not just the country)
“The presence of children will do much toward bridging the cultural gap, for children represent the ultimate peace offering the world over. Most of the world dotes on their young and will welcome yours with open arms. Your children will elicit a hospitality and generate a warmth denied most tourists, resulting in a more meaningful, enjoyable experience.”

Launch Date in Five Months

Jill's Journal: Our preparation continues as we start wrapping up the year. We are a mere five months, give or take a few days, from launch date. There is still so much to do. It seems so far away in that we cannot wait to get on the road, but so close in what needs to be done before we can leave. I’m still purging like crazy – selling items on Craig’s List, eBay, etc. until I’m blue in the face. The more I get rid of, the more I want to get rid of – it’s kind of addicting!

Rob is completely moved out of his office now, which includes the massive storage room that held many truckloads worth of stuff. Our garage is packed to the gills as Rob sorts through the last of what was there. And we still have some farm equipment in outbuildings at Rob’s mother’s place that needs to be dealt with and sold. However, the inside of our house is truly down to pretty much what we use on a regular basis and that feels pretty awesome.

Obviously, much, much more will go when the house does. We plan to put the house on the market in February or March since spring is the supposedly the best time to sell out here. That date is speedily approaching!

Rob is in the midst of finishing up his massive fifth wheel projects – building bed rails and ladders for the girls’ bunks, modifying a closest to hold a washer/dryer, and building a permanent desk for his workspace.

I’m in the throes of my biggest project to date…I’ve always been the family photographer (for extended family too) and have literally thousands upon thousands of photographs from over the years. They’re extremely important to me and are my most precious possessions. I’m scanning each and every one of them in so I can eliminate the hard copy and have it all digitally instead. We must travel light, you know! It’s such a monumental task that I honestly don’t know if I can physically have it done before we leave, but I’m giving it my best shot and will possibly outsource some of it soon.

Whew! The beat goes on.

Huge Strides

Jill's Journal: Ridiculous strides have been made and at lightning speed lately. Rob has been the driving force behind it all. He promises to fill in the blanks, but for now, a quick synopsis...

*We pulled the trigger and bought a fifth wheel! It's absolutely everything we had been looking for, with the grand exception that it's currently located about 2200 miles away in Poway, California. We absolutely cannot wait to get our hands on it.

*We bought a truck. A big truck. A really big truck meant to pull said fifth wheel. A Ford 550. See photo.

*Rob literally just left a few minutes ago in said truck to pick up said fifth wheel. Long journey for him and although I know he is more than completely capable, I still worry about him. Erika started kindergarten this week (another big step in our lives!), which means the girls and I are tied down here and couldn't go with him. I nearly pulled her out and started homeschooling a year early!

*And in other news, Rob told his mother and sister our plans. It did not go well, as we expected. It's the only negative blip in what so far has been (and will be!) an incredibly positive life experience for our whole little family.

They Know!

Jill's Journal: My parents came from California to Kentucky to visit us last week and other than enjoying their visit, my focus was in telling them about our RV plans. Truth be told, I was terrified! Here I am a responsible, grown woman with kids of my own, and I was afraid to tell my parents for fear of their disapproval. Crazy, right?

Turns out I needn’t have worried. To my great and wonderful surprise, they took the news FABULOUSLY. Astoundingly well. Kristi thought my presentation helped: I told them how we never dreamed we’d leave Kentucky, but we’ve learned the only way to be competitive in the Thoroughbred industry here as breeders is to have far deeper pockets than we do. I told them we want a farm again someday, but we can see the benefits of a regional market as opposed to the top Kentucky market. I told them how our trip to the Central Coast of California last year opened our eyes to the realization that we could possibly live somewhere else. I reminded them how Rob already telecommutes and can work from anywhere. And I told them how places like Montana were considerations as a future home, but we very well might still stick with Kentucky – we honestly don’t know what the future holds. They’ve been hoping we’d move back West since we headed East 12 years ago and got very excited at all the above…

And then I told them that we had thought it would be so neat to “live” in various places for a few weeks at a time, kind of as a trial or test of future hometowns for us. I said that idea had morphed even farther and melded with our desire to travel the country. And then I broke the big news: we’d finally arrived at a plan of buying an RV and spending the next few years traveling before settling down again.

I waited for any sign of disapproval, but there was none. NONE! They took it amazingly well. In fact, to my great surprise, they were extremely positive about it! They were surprised at the plan as it is out of the conventional world they’re accustomed to, but they almost thought it was kind of neat and said it’s the kind of thing we need to do now while we can. You could have knocked me over with a feather at their reaction! It made me very, very happy and I don’t think I will ever underestimate them again. :-)

My parents' fabulous response surprised me so pleasantly that the next morning I worried if perhaps the margaritas and bourbon consumed during our “talk” had impacted their judgment. I asked them about it again just to make sure and the reaction stayed the same. It was like Christmas in July for me! As a few days passed, they thought of new questions to ask and had fun little realizations like wondering what would happen to my marvelous Dyson vacuum during our downsizing. (Side note: My Mom wants to volunteer to babysit it!!)

They took it so great!! I love my parents.

Next hurdles: telling Rob’s Mom and his employers. Yikes.

Continuing Research

Jill's Journal: We went to an RV show at the Horse Park a couple of weeks ago. Tomorrow we're heading to car lots to see some of the possibilities for trucks to pull our future fifth wheel. Our research marches on!

"Living Aboard Your RV"

Jill's Journal: As much as I love to read, actually enjoying a book rarely happens with little ones about. But this time I was persistent, which meant sometimes half a page every three days and sometimes 20 pages in one day. The end result was reading from start to finish “Living Aboard Your RV” by Janet and Gordon Groene.

It’s touted as “The Complete Guide to a Life on Wheels.” At times it was overly simplistic, but they tried to cover everything, which I do appreciate. It was a wonderful surprise to realize we had actually already thought of just about everything they brought up – everything from dental care on the road to mail forwarding to generators. And that in itself was very rewarding – just knowing that we’re going about this the right way, with our eyes open and our bases covered.

However, the best thing about the book was three realizations it gave me. First, it never occurred to me to sell most of our belongings. I just assumed we’d put everything in storage until we returned to a stationary home. But many things don’t weather storage well and why pay storage fees for stuff we barely use now or for furniture that may not fit into a future home anyway? The thought of purging everything unnecessary – none of it which is valuable – is quite appealing to me. We’ll obviously keep the sentimental things, but most everything else can go. For instance, this desk at which I’m currently sitting…why keep it?

Second, I always thought Rob would handle all the maintenance of the RV. And by that I mean not only the vehicle-type of maintenance, but also all the RV systems -- hooking up when we arrive at a new location, handling gray water, black water, etc. But this book made me realize it is vitally important for me to know all these things too.

And third, we’re going to get our whole family passports before we go (our adult ones have expired and the kids have not yet needed them). Not only is a passport the best form of identification around, but it would certainly enable any impromptu visits to Canada when we’re near the border. (No driving the RV into Mexico, thank you very much. I’ve been to several cities and beaches in Mexico and love it, but the thought of driving our entire life (especially young children) over the border into a sometimes-lawless place that preys on tourists…well, we’re brave but not stupid!)

On the Same Page…

Jill's Journal: Rob and I have shared many long conversations this week – some stretching into the wee hours of the night – about our RV future. We’ve learned so much together and are quickly formulating a game plan for the multiple layers this entails. But the most exciting thing is surely this: we are completely, totally, 100% on the same page in every aspect imaginable. I’m pretty certain that’s the only way we could even consider undertaking this major life change with little kids in tow.

Here’s another exciting thing…we’re coming to realize a year might not be enough. I had been balking at much longer because I didn’t want to hold the girls out of the social interaction regular school provides any longer than a year. But it has dawned on me that they have the rest of their lives to be in “normal” social situations. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will also give them a wealth of first-hand knowledge. And that’s why I’ve stopped balking.

This week Rob and I have both acknowledged that a two-year road trip is a little more realistic to be able to do the traveling and spend the time in each place that we hope. Two years! That’s 2010 to 2012. WOW!

I’m reminded of one of my favorite quotes as a teenager:

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
– Saint Augustine, 354-430 A.D.

Parent Considerations

Jill's Journal: By this point, some of our closest friends know of our RV plans. Some undoubtedly think we’re crazy and some think we’re cool, but we’re not ready to spill the beans to the world just yet, or more accurately, to our parents. Here we are, in our mid-30s, adults in every sense of the word, and we’re afraid to tell our parents! We don’t know how they’ll react, but we suspect they’re going to meet the news with skepticism and concern. Our suspicion is that Rob’s Mom will most likely worry about how it affects her, as she moved here to Kentucky nearly nine years ago to be near us, and my Mom and Dad will most likely worry about how it will affect the well-being of their grandkids.

Regardless, this is a little more complex than a move to a new state and we don’t think either of the parental units are going to be pleased with us. Maybe they’ll surprise us. We hope they do.

Either way, it’s a conversation we’re not looking forward to having. We’ve thought long and hard about the best time to tell them and we’ve sort of given ourselves a deadline of Christmas. The trip is still a year and a half away at this point – no sense in telling them too soon and letting them stew over it for an extra year. Christmastime is plenty of time in advance and will give them six months to adjust to the news. I’d really like to just wait and spring it on them about a week before we leave so we don’t have to hear about it any longer than we have to!! Too bad that’s probably not the best course of action.

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.