Oh The Things We're Learning...

We've found an RV.  J has been looking on Craigslist for a small BH Travel Trailer.  Right now, we're starting with something that is small enough to tow with an F-150.  Until we find a tow vehicle, we can borrow a truck from family or friends.  If absolutely necessary, we can rent one.

What we ended up with is a small travel trailer with bunkbeds in the back.  The two toddlers will easily fit on the bottom bunk together.  There is no slide on this one, so it will be a little tight when more than one person is trying to get around.  Our plan is to use this trailer as our trial run.  We'll use this one for a year or two and then evaluate whether or not we need to upgrade.

So, let's get back to the things we've learned so far:

• Colorado hail and those goofy plastic domes over the ceiling vents are NOT a good match.  J went to put some things in the trailer and noticed that there was water on the bed and in the bathroom.  The little dome had become brittle in the sun and all it took was one storm with hail.  Thank goodness we're in a dry climate, so we didn't have to worry about mildew.

• There is a time to try to find a long-term RV park, and May is not that time.  The weather here is absolutely gorgeous this time of year.  It's nice and cool in the evenings and warm during the day. Many full time RVers go south for the winter and return in May.  Most of the parks we really liked are already full and offering to place us on a waiting list 

• Even though we thought about this and researched it for weeks, there are still things we did not consider. We got a bunkhouse to accommodate the toddlers, but where is the infant going to sleep.  We thought we would have room for a pack n play next to our bed, but it's too narrow.  What about all the other gear that our little man needs? Right now, he can not sit up on his own.  He often rotates between a high chair, the floor, a jumperoo, and a swing for his play time.  There's no room for the jumperoo for sure, and there's not much room on the floor for even a blanket.  Then, there's the dogs.  J has a plan for where they will stay and building a small pen so they can run outside.  Meanwhile, I had totally forgotten that those little guys existed.  (I know, I'm a terrible dog owner).  

I'm sure there will be more to learn over the next few weeks.  Hopefully, we get it together and in working order before our lease is up at the rental home.

"Thanks for being crazy with me"

There was nothing unusual about that Saturday.  It had started as most do, with coffee and getting the kids ready for the day.  J and I had been looking for houses and I was fully prepared for him to suggest driving by one of the houses he'd found on Zillow or Trulia the night before.

He looked over at me nervously.  "Hey, so you want to indulge one of my crazy ideas?"
I assumed it was to seek out a house way out in the country.  "Sure, where are we headed?"
"Camping World...just to see if it's even practical."
"To see if what is practical?"
"Living in an RV.  I've been thinking about it for a week or so.  You know me, I have to see all the options and then start filtering out the ones that don't work.  I can't filter this one out yet."

After a few minutes of silence, I think he started to get worried that I was upset or panicked. "I questioned whether or not I should even mention it to you.  At one point, I considered coming down here on my own and looking at them and then bringing you and the kids to get your input."  

What he didn't know was that I wasn't immediately thinking that it was impossible, but I was trying to get rid of my immediate hesitation so I could approach the idea with an open mind.  Finally, I responded "We can go look and then talk about concerns later."

We walked through about 8 or 10 RVs and realized that the larger ones were actually quite practical.  I was still worried about space and privacy.  "The only real concern I have is that I will be home with the kids ALL day and once you get home, I won't have a place to be alone and decompress."

"If that's the only concern you have, we're doing way better than I expected.  So, why don't we go home and do some research.  Maybe mull it over for a week and then decide."  I agreed and most of the drive home was spent talking about various pros and cons.

Google the phrase "full-time RV" and you'll find that there are hundreds of websites dedicated to it.  There are forums full of  people sharing their experiences and tips.  Although they all decide to take on this lifestyle for different reasons (recreation, jobs that require a lot of travel, simplification and downsizing, etc...) the process and obstacles are, generally, the same.

Did you know that there is a term for kids who homeschool on the road?  It's called Roadschooling. There's a website for Families on the Road (FOTR) too.  There, I got to see the experiences of families who have chosen this path. I saw a family of 8 that lived full-time in an RV so that the father can travel to teach classes about personal finance.  I saw a family of 3 that travel with the circus.  Families of different backgrounds, choosing the same unconventional lifestyle.

I spent the next 2 days looking through blogs, youtube, and forums for all the reasons we shouldn't do this.  All I found were the concerns I already had, privacy and space.  Instead of finding reasons not to, I found even more reasons that we should take on this endeavor. The motivation to downsize your household to just essentials, the flexibility to try out places that you might want to live before committing, the ability to move with respect to weather, and a low cost of living were all enticing reasons to consider full-time RV living.

Beyond all that, there was the ability to travel without having to make arrangements for pets or find hotels willing to accommodate them.  We could afford to travel more often, since we could often find RV parks that charged the cost of a single night's hotel stay for the whole week. This would give us the ability to take our kids to the places they were learning about.  The opportunities seemed endless.

We know there will be challenges and obstacles, in addition to all the positives we've found.  It won't be rainbows and kittens all the time, but we couldn't expect that living in a house either.  As J and I discussed the things we had found on the internet, we began to get really excited about the idea.

So what do our friends and family think?  Undoubtedly, there are some who think we've lost our minds. The prospect of living with 3 children under the age of 4 in a very small space would be intimidating for just about anyone. There are others who have expressed excitement and support.  A few even said they wished they had the flexibility to do it now, instead of waiting for retirement to live this kind of life.

When I finally told J that we should pursue this idea, I heard the line that I hear whenever I agree to go along with one of his unconventional plans: "Thanks for being crazy with me.  It wouldn't be the same without you."

How did we get here?

My family has decided to get rid of most of what we own, pack up the sentimental items and put them in storage, and start living in an RV full-time.  If you had asked me 10 years ago where I thought I'd be, this would not have even been a remote possibility.  So how did I get here?

Humans are interesting creatures who never seem to be content with the present.  As a result, we often spend a lot of time reflecting on the past and planning for the future.  I don't know that anyone would ever tell you that learning from your past or having expectations for the future is a bad thing, but we've built a culture that teaches us to worry about everything except our present moment.

Growing up in this culture, I have planned for my future since I was about 6 or 7.  The plan started out simple enough: I'd get through grade school, go to college, become President of the United States, and maybe get married somewhere along the way.

By the time I got to high school, I knew that college was still part of the plan, but getting married and having children had become more important to me.  Now the plan was to figure out what I wanted to do for a living and find a husband.  We would have 2 kids, a couple dogs, maybe some horses and settle down in a house with some property where my kids could raise their 4-H animals.  Simple enough, right?

In 2006, I graduated with a degree in education, got married to a young man I'd met while working at Target, and moved to Georgia.  My husband had been accepted to a program that would provide us more opportunities than we could have expected right out of college.  In my 4th year of teaching, we had our first child and suddenly everything changed.

I decided to stop teaching and stay home with our daughter.  Our five year plan adapted to the addition of a second daughter the next year.  Suddenly, we were looking for a place that we would want to live for a while.  When we went to visit my in-laws, we realized that the climate and landscape of Colorado were perfect for us.

The job hunt began. When I was 6 months pregnant with our third child, there was a job offer and suddenly we had 6 weeks to pack up and move. We packed up our house, drove the 26 hours with 2 dogs and 2 toddlers, lived with family, and found a rental house. After our son was born, we began to look for houses again. The plan was to find a house on at least 2 acres.  I still wanted horses, a place to raise chickens and other small livestock.

We soon found out that most of the houses being built were either $180,000 townhouses or large houses starting around $220,000.  We've always said that we didn't want to work for the rest of our lives or drastically change our lifestyle to pay off a house, so we began looking at all the options.  We could buy an older house that we could pay off quickly, but most of them would require a lot of work. Perhaps, we could find some land and put a trailer on it while we build our dream home.  Modular homes are pretty popular out here and fairly economical, so that was an option.  Ultimately, none of the ideas were all that exciting for us.

As an engineer, my husband tends to look at all the options, even the ones that no one else would consider.  I'm used to hearing his crazy schemes, as he works out the practicality of each idea.  Most of his extreme ideas get a resounding no from me, but every once in a while, I decide to trust him.  That's what happened here.  He suggested we live in an RV full-time and although I was hesitant at first, I eventually agreed.  So, here we are preparing to move our family of 5, along with 2 dogs, into an RV.  Let the adventures begin!