For almost 6 years, all I have thought about is RV's. I dream of the full-time RVing life that will provide a life where I will be freed from debt and worries about maintaining this house, free from the boxes and boxes of junk that had taken over my house, and from all the other materialistic things that have been restraining me. A life where the simple things are the most beautiful and where having "just enough" is just what I need. This blog is going to be a chronicle of my quest to find that life. I'm going to share my thoughts about this dream of mine and take you on this adventure with me.
Six years ago, I was freshly divorced. I had, and still have, the huge house that my ex-husband saddled me with. At nearly 4000 sq. ft., it is entirely too big for just two people, and for several months after he moved out, it was just me here in this great big money pit that craves constant attention. I knew long ago that I was not cut out for housework. However, now, I spend almost every spare minute cleaning this monstrous house, a prisoner and slave to the objects that clutter my house and my life, and my energy levels just aren't sufficient to clean any more of the house than the 4 rooms that I use.
Those 4 rooms make up the necessary creature comforts that I enjoy. I have a need for a place to prepare food. So, I have a kitchen. I need a place to sleep. So, I have a bed. I need a place to bathe and take care of other business (Dumping of waste tanks will be discussed in a future post...YIKES!). Finally, I need a place to relax. Those rooms that are basic to us all and something that most of us have in some shape, form, or fashion. Now that my list of needs have been defined, how can I mold my life to meet those needs, and just how important are my "wants"?
"Wants" and "needs" are vastly different. I "need" to drink water to survive, but I "want" it be served chilled. While a glass of room temperature water would satisfy my physical requirements, my palate, quite literally, prefers a tall glass of water poured over crushed ice. Could I get along without the icy cold water? Certainly, I could, but why would I "want" to if it were not a necessity? That was when the idea hit me. An RV would provide a comfortable solution to both my "wants" and "needs" and would require me to only make minimal sacrifices in the "want" category. I knew, then, that I both "needed" and "wanted" to sell my house and live in an RV for the foreseeable future.
Then, my research into RV's began in earnest. I was fortunate that my brother already owned an RV, and I was able to glean considerable knowledge about RV's from his experience. However, my brother's RV was a very high end, luxury, RV, and would never fit my budget and would place me back in exactly the kind of debt and materialism that I was trying to escape. So, I began my research. I looked at every class, every make, every model. I had the NADA guide memorized. I scoured every internet article concerning RV's. I joined multiple RV forums. I was only able to participate in the cooking section for a long time, but I learned so much about how an RV operates by reading the posts on those forums. And then, one day, it happened....my "wants" and my BUDGET met and fell in love with a 2002 Jayco 3100SS Class C motorhome.
Now that we have the motorhome, who we affectionately call "The Hilton", we are trying out this lifestyle by slowly dipping our toes in the water. Presently, I am trying to get the house presentable enough for a realtor to show to prospective buyers, and we are planning short weekend trips to see what we think of our next home. I am so very fortunate to have an adventuresome boyfriend that likes the idea of having a home on wheels. Bella, "The Beautiful Bulldog", wasn't such a fan at first, but it grew on her after she realized that the great big car took her to fantastic places!
You can visit those fantastic places along with us through the stories that I'll tell of our adventures, and I'll share the lessons we learn, both the easy and the hard way, while exploring our new life. We'd love to have you join us. Pull up a chair around the campfire, grab a stick and roast a marshmallow, or maybe you'd prefer something cool to drink after a hard day fishing for saltwater fish that just wouldn't stop biting? That's my idea of a little slice of heaven. What's yours?
Tracy, Brett, and Bella
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