Month: March 2018

Q&A and Arizonahh

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There is not much to post this week because we have been straight chillin’. Shaun left for a work thingy (yup I have no idea but it was work related lol) the day after we arrived in Arizona. We hit the pool after he left and every afternoon he’s been gone.

One day we went shopping for things we needed because we are in the shopping mecca. We had enough food and all other necessities so we’ve hunkered in and gotten a great tan. So I figured I would take time to answer some questions regarding our trip…

  1. How did Shaun get blessed enough work wise to take this journey? His company, eLend, has dubbed him as the Road Show and even has a cartoon caricature of him. Click the link and you can read all about it! Shaun is a partner in his company and feels a strong bond to it. He is excited to share the greatness of eLend throughout the country and we get more Shaun to ourselves, everybody wins.
  2. How long are we on this journey? 7 months; ETA arrival back to NJ is summer (vague, yes!)
  3. What type, make, model RV are we traveling in? We have a travel trailer. This means we tow it behind the truck but it is not attached to the bed of the truck, those are fifth wheels. Our specific make and modes is Open Range Roamer RT310BHS. My requirements for living in our RV were that we had a residential refrigerator, 1 1/2 baths, the girls bedroom and our bedroom are on opposite sides (some privacy would be nice), and that we didn’t just have the typical dinette and small sofa, so our’s has a full U-shaped sofa so we can all fit and snuggle. My biggest words of wisdom when buying a travel trailer or fifth wheel, make sure your tow vehicle can acurately tow the weight of your rig.
  4. Do I home school? YES! and I’m, and the girls, are loving it! After we moved in early November and were preparing for our journey to start mid-January, I didn’t think it was fair to start the girls in a new school for a little over a month and then leave. It was a great transition to homeschool them at home, still meet up with their friends from our old town, acclimate to their new home and neighborhood a little and thennnnn hit the road. Not everyone thought this was the best plan, but I am their mom and make every decision all day every day for their better good and thought, still think, this was for the best.
  5. Which home school program do I use? We do not use any specific program. We have workbooks, check in with friends who tell us what their doing in school, and learn so much while traveling. They are learning more about our great country, present and past, and I am definitely making sure that when they go back to public school they won’t be behind.
  6. Are the girls getting enough social normalcy? This question makes me giggle every time because I worried about this too. However, my kids have made more friends in the little time we’ve been on the road then the combined friends they have ever had in their whole lives. It has also taught them that it’s ok to make friends with kids who are different (race, age, etc…). It has also taught them to be confident approaching others. Another bonus, if there isn’t anyone they want to play with, which is also ok, they have learned to play so much better together. I have also had more time to stop what I’m doing and play, read, bike, craft, etc.. with them. At home, it was always I need to do this or that or whatever. On the road I just stop to be with them, have a full conversation with Shaun, read a book, write, go for a walk, enjoy God’s beautiful world, and so much more!
  7. How are we possibly living in only 356 sq ft every day? Shaun and I have come to the same realization in this short time…we don’t need so much stuff! I love that the four of us are so happy with all that we have in this “small” space and feel so little need for more than we have. The girls do wish they had more of their American Girl/Doll stuff which they do play with daily, but that’s it. We have actually gotten rid of A LOT of stuff that we originally packed and learned was superfluous.
  8. Where are we going? So far we have until the end of April planned but finalizing the rest is in the works. I do know California is going to take up the better, if not all, of May. So much on the want-to-see list but maybe a second trip will need to be in the works for it all to get covered (wink, wink).
  9. Do you feel safe staying in RV parks? I would say for 98% of the time where we have chosen to stay I totally feel safe. There’s never a time when I let the girls go off on their own but that’s just me being me. I put a significant amount of research into each place we stay to be sure it’s not sketchy.
  10. What is our plan on returning and thereafter? This is the million dollar question. I’m a planner and at home I had three calendars going simultaneously. However, as of right now, I don’t have an answer and it doesn’t make me nervous. It actually makes me really excited!

I say it all the time at the end of my posts but I mean it…you’ll have to wait and see what is happening, going to happen, and happens in the end because I don’t know and will stick around to find out too!

New Mexico Literally Rocks

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Tuesday we arrived in New Mexico and boy were we surprised with the flatness and nothingness. At first it concerned me but as we went over a small hill in the road and saw the only thing in sight, our campground, it excited me a bit. It is serene, the sunsets are breathtaking, and so amazingly different from NJ.

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Ok so I know my last post mentioned that going to Magnolia was what I was most looking forward to and the best part of this journey for me so far. However, Wednesday’s adventure kicked Magnolia’s bum. On Wednesday we went to our very first National Park, Carlsbad Caverns. I can say that Shaun, the girls and I were excited, especially the girls to earn their first Jr Ranger badge, but we had little expectations for it.

After getting our portable radios (you punch the #s on the informational signs in as you go and it gives you detailed information on that location, sight, etc.), getting on line for the elevator, me hesitantly getting on the glass elevator, we plummeted over 750 feet into the caverns.

Most people don’t know this about me but as of late, I have been developing a fear of being in places that I can not get out of when I want to. Not claustrophobia but a form of agoraphobia. Totally laughable example, but I had an episode on The Mine Train in Disney World and my BFF Danielle had to talk me out of climbing off and exiting via the staff ladders (dead serious). Being in the small space of the elevator at Carlsbad Cavern did not bother me but the fact that I couldn’t get out of it when/if I wanted after it started. Then when we got into the cave and were told that the elevator wait was over an hour and half back up or you could make the hike out, I had to do more deep breathing because there was no quick escape option.

A few times during the experience I had to take a moment to breathe and remember how amazing it all is. And AMAZING it was! This place blew our minds, crushed our expectations and kept our mouths agape almost the whole time. The cavern was so massive, breathtaking, intricately detailed, filled with various makeups, and brimming with God’s beauty. Shaun and I took so many pictures and we all learned so much.

As I mentioned, we took the elevator down into the cavern but the line was so extensive to get up and we wanted to hike out and see more along the way. Little did we really process that you have to hike up out of 750+ feet over only one and a quarter miles…wow workout! This is how happy were when we finished climbing out, the girls earning their FIRST Jr Ranger badge, and the view from the exit.

I can’t say enough how I feel that every person that can, visits Carlsbad Caverns!

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Wednesday, we ventured to the Friends of the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Carlsbad. Probably the friendliest staff I have ever met anywhere. We got our map and off we went. Taking the mile plus hike we visited a lot of local animal life. Some were rehabilitating and some lived there. We saw a road runner, lots of desert snakes (I’d rather not see those in real life!), a cute prairie dog village, succulents of the world greenhouse, and so much more. The weather was perfect, we were outdoors in the fresh air, there was lots of learning happening and we all enjoyed our time there.

That night we met some great friends at the campground, had a huge fire, the kids and thier new friend had s’mores, and everyone enjoyed a great desert night! Thursday we ventured on out of the Carlsbad area but are stayed in New Mexico a bit longer.

***Here I was supposed to post but we were having too much fun so one big bout it is***

A quick, 4 hour, which is quick in our books these days, trip to the White Sands National Monument. So my full-timers will probably laugh at this but I thought there was actually a monument at the White Sands since it is a national monument. The learning curve is great! In case you’re wondering, there is not a monument, the place itself is considered a monument. Not quite sure the difference between National Parks, National Monuments, etc…

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The girls were so looking forward to this stop. We stayed at the Algamordo/White Sands KOA whom lent out sleds for free to their campers which was great and on Friday hit the sands. We drove into it more excited for the kids than anything. We peaked over a small hill in the road and saw the bright white dunes at the bottom of a beautiful mountain range, just lovely. We had so much fun playing, sledding, and exhausting ourselves climbing those giant sand dunes over and over again!

After we wiped ourselves out sledding (the sand is like climbing a landslide of quicksand, but totally worth it) we had a picnic lunch at the main building. Shaun then had to take a call in the truck. The girls and I went to work on their Jr Ranger badge workbooks. We watched a movie about the White Sands, toured the outdoor garden area, read all of the signage in the museum, perused the gift shop and more. All I can say here is that I learned more than I ever learned in school about any one place and it was exhilarating watching the girls sponge in the information also! They earned their badges, we purchased our magnet, and back to the campground for some dinner and needed R&R.

Saturday we visited McGins Pistachio Ranch. They have the world’s largest pistachio (love a good fun photo op!), we took a tour of the fields and the driver/tour guide taught us so much about pistachio farming that was way more interesting than you’d think, and we tasted over 20 different flavored pistachios. Early evening we returned to the White Sands for some more super fun sledding. Around 6pm we met with a ranger for a sunset hike. She taught us a lot of what we learned from the video and museum but it was beautiful to see it all in nature and with the gorgeous views.

The sunsets in Texas and New Mexico have astonished me every single night we have been in these states. I try to take pictures but they just don’t do the colors and majesty justice. We are in Phoenix now and road schooled on the way. En route I saw my first Border Patrol and Shaun laughed at how cool I thought it was (picture below). It’s warm, quiet, and there’s a great pool so we are happy! We are hoping to get to a national monument while we are here and are SUPER excited for our next stop…stay tuned!

Never A-Lone Star

Note: This post was supposed to be posted yesterday but bad connection prohibited it.

The title was a pun on last week’s real life talk about never getting “me” time and if you didn’t laugh, you need a nap!

After I posted last week, I told the girls to “go take a hike”. Just kidding, the girls and I went on a hike at the Sam Houston National Forest. After visiting the very helpful Ranger Office, we picked a place to go. We were the only ones at that specific trail head and the girls weren’t sure about that since we are usually hiking where there are some other people at least. Off we went anyway and it was beautiful. However, the whole time I kept thinking about the Cottonmouth snakes that the guide from the Laura Plantation warned us about and said were also in Texas. I pulled up my big girl pants and we enjoyed a great hike! It’s weird hiking in flat land for this NJ girl. I have to say that one of my fav parts of the South are the sunsets. They fill me with awe every night.

Then we went to check out the downtown Conroe area where I read you shouldn’t miss it. Well, we drove around it twice and went home. Besides a few restaurants and some county buildings, there was sadly nothing for us to stop for. We got home, showered our bug spray off because I was not letting anyone contract Zika which is of concern after flooding/hurricanes, and enjoyed a gorgeous walk/play/dinner filled evening. So happy for Shaun’s safe return home, I slept well!

On Saturday we started the day with some fishing, lunch at a crawfish boil place (yum!) and then we met some awesome peeps who are also another first full-time family (that isn’t stationary). It was a pleasure to meet such a nice family with built-in friends for the girls. We were sad to leave our new friends so soon but on Sunday we headed out to the Dallas/Arlington area. The campground was great because we were in the center of a town and surrounded by anything you could ever want very close by.

This week was the top of my non-parks places to go list. We went to Waco to go to MAGNOLIA!!!!!!! We started our day with cupcakes at Silos Bakery Co, then into the Market for some retail therapy, next the Seed & Supply for bookmarks and to check out the garden, after we went out to the food trucks for fresh juice and smoothies, next we walked off site to the Spice Market, also strolled past the Dr Pepper Museum, and then drove to their new restaurant, Magnolia Table. I’m going to sum this up as short and sweet as I can…It did NOT disappoint in any way, was definitely worth the trip, the food lived up to the hype and we all had a GREAT day! (more pics below because of quantity)

We wrapped up Thursday and Friday of homeschooling on Thursday so that we could get to the first IMAX showing of A Wrinkle in Time on Friday morning. I read the book and now, after seeing the movie, we are going to read it as a family. The movie was pretty spectacular and definitely portrayed the importance of all of the main lessons/themes.

Lastly in our Texan fun, we went to the Fort Worth Stockyards. We enjoyed a show of cowboy skills, putzed the shops, watched the live herd down the street, got up close and personal with some bulls, and are some yummy ribs. The pictures show what a fun day it was and if you’re ever in the area, it’s a great place to visit.

img_9720We are in the car now headed to New Mexico!

We literally roadschooled today and are excited for the week ahead and a new state 🌵

 

Everything is Bigger and Better

Continuing on with the real life of full-time RVing as a family. One realization this week is, although my children are really great together and get along very well, their close quarters and togetherness 24/7 has caught up. We have had beautiful weather and have been outside a lot but all of the time side by side in all things has led to a bit more of the petty arguments. Shaun and I have decided to take more one on one time with the girls to A. separate them a bit and B. get some one-on-one quality time with them. Lesson learned!

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The second realization of this life we’ve enveloped is that I hate “packing up” when it’s time to relocate. Actual hate! Now that we have learned to stay in one place for more than a few days, it’s a bit better. However, it still sucks packing the counter items into safe places, putting the bars in the refrigerator so food doesn’t go flying, emptying the “tanks” from the bathrooms, undoing the fresh water hoses and cable lines, cleaning the floors where the slides go in, putting the bikes up on the racks, securing the chairs, taking down the tent and lights, removing the tables in the living room, and all around making sure every…single…thing is stored and stowed away safely.

One of the biggest, and unexpected, highlights of the trip so far happened on Friday. Shaun was working from the RV, it was raining, and it gets teeny tiny feeling on days like that. So, the girls and I jumped in the truck, drove about an hour, and landed ourselves on a real Southern plantation. I decided to pick the Laura Plantation because they still had slaves quarters as part of their tour. I was also told that they informed and educated about slavery but wouldn’t scare the crud out of the girls. Just for informational purposes, Laura, who the plantation was named after, wrote her memoir around the age of 70 called Memories of the Old Plantation Home: A Creole Family Album by Laura Locoul Gore.

While driving not far from the plantation I was really hoping that this mamma and her two little girls didn’t break down in this section of Louisiana. During the tour we were informed that there were projects built outside of the plantation for the emancipated, uneducated, non-English speaking families to go to. Therefor, a generation or two of these families still live there since they had to move off the grounds in 1977 and the area was still not flourishing economically.

img_9130On a lighter note, we parked and the grounds were just breathtaking. To our delight we arrived just as a tour was about to start so there wasn’t too much waiting around in the gift shop for these love-to-shop ladies. We met our amazing tour guide, Camille, and off we went. Camille was so informative, quippy, energetic, historical, and passionate about the history. As soon as she started talking, we were all enveloped in the history and lifestyles of those that lived there. After, we hit the gift shop and bought a book so we could better remember what we learned, learn some more, and relive the tour. The girls couldn’t wait to tell Shaun everything we learned and saw.

 

Our trip from Baton Rouge, LA to the Houston, TX area on Sunday was an anticipated 4 hours 45 minutes, without stops. I downloaded an app called Roadtrippers so we could find cool things along the way. With the apps assistance we made a stop at the World’s Largest (former) Fire Hydrant! In Beaumont, TX right off the highway we saw what is now the second largest fire hydrant in the world.   img_9173

 

About three hours into our house move and we drove right into heavy rains. Now, in New Jersey we get some heavy rains but this was completely different because everything is so flat and therefor was scarier. As I started following the weather and subscribing to the local alerts, my phone started blowing up. Stream flooding, heavy rains, and thunderstorm alerts started flashing red. My heart started beating hard. Shaun drove slow and steady and eventually we arrived to a beautiful and mostly dry campground. To our great surprise, and this doesn’t happen often but when it does it’s a treat, we got to pick our campsite. We found a fairly dry, close to the showers, and quiet spot. It was now dark, pouring, and muddy. We were tired, excited to watch the Celebrity Big Brother finale, and hungry but we still had to do the obligatory set up process. After about an hour we sat down to our show, ate dinner, and were ready for a rest.

As we drove through the Houston area we were surprised by how many people had RVs in their driveways, almost every house. Then it dawned on Shaun and I that these weren’t RVs to vacation in but this is where the disastrous floods happened and most of these people were living in these RVs because they couldn’t live in their sticks and bricks. It was really heart wrenching to see such devastation and for a long distance of our drive. We all said a prayer that these people get their lives, homes, and normalcy back soon.

Monday we recouped from Sunday’s moving fun and Tuesday we had a normal day of Shaun working and us schooling and exploring. Then Tuesday night we went to the first day of the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the rodeo itself because the tickets were combined rodeo and concert tickets and that night Garth Brooks was performing. Not being a country music fan, there was no way I was paying concert prices to see a rodeo and there’s another one to see on our next stop anyway. We did see a lot of livestock and a huuuuuuuge bull! We checked out some cowboy gear, watched a cow/livestock award ceremony, collected cards to learn about the different stations/animals, went to the petting zoo where the animals roamed freely around us, rode some rides, and more. It was a lot to take in and a lot of fun!

Shaun is traveling and will be home today. It makes me uncomfortable when he travels and we aren’t home, actually when we are home too. However, we have the nicest neighbors here which made me feel a lot better. We are excited for him to come home today and looking forward to exploring the Houston are some more! Yeehaw!

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