"You Don't Always Get What You Want"...but Sometimes You Do

What are we going to live in was the BIG question. There are so many options available: buses, diesel pushers, camper vans, fifth wheels, bumper pulls and many more having  multiple options in each sub category.

At first, Brad was sold on getting a diesel pusher while I was okay with staying in what we had for 6 months to a year. My contentedness was short lived. Although, I truly believe I could live in it if it were just me, more than happily. However, it becomes a bit more, shall we say, difficult when you add a spouse and a couple of dogs to the mix. It is even more interesting when you have guests. We have had our crew [2 adults and 2 dogs] plus 3 boys in the CampLite during a stormy weekend. It was so much....fun...haha

Brad and I are often at opposite ends but eventually, with much 'discussion', find each other in the middle. We began our search with 4 categories a) diesel pusher, b) class c, c) fifth wheel and d) bumper pull. We quickly dismissed bumper pull and then further narrowed it down to just fifth wheels. From there, we knew we needed something that would handle all the seasons, not just summer. We looked at true four season rigs and reviews from people actually living in them full time. We landed on the brand Arctic Fox by Northwood Manufacturing in OR. http://northwoodmfg.com/
We looked and looked and looked. We only found one here in Texas but it wasn't long enough and we didn't love the floor plan.

I began to look for used fifth wheels. Finding an Arctic Fox here was next to impossible so I also looked at a couple other brands. We nearly settled on a used Carriage that was in great shape, at a great price but already 8 years old. [Many RV parks have limits on how old an RV can be to stay at the park. Generally, nothing over 20 years.] We were so close! Even planned a trip to Dallas to get it but I just could not get Arctic Fox out of my head. It was what we really wanted. They seemed to fit us and our plans the best. So, I expanded the search to nationwide and found a 32-5M model that was significantly lower priced than anywhere. It was even much less than the one here that was also 6 feet shorter and a year older. The only drawback was the 31 hour road trip to pick it up. Of course, if you know me, you know that really isn't a drawback.

Well, here it is, in all it's glory. Our Arctic Fox 32-5M 

We spent part of last week moving some things from our storage and also our other camper. We decided the easiest way would be to stay at a nearby state park and have both campers there. It would not take long to transfer items from the small one so we only had it at the park for the weekend and invited a couple of friends to stay in it. Our youngest grandson was with us the whole time except while he was at school.  The weather was beautiful and we had a great time enjoying the outdoors while getting some needful things done. 

To give a visual comparison of our before and after RVs.

Still, there is much more to do. It became ever so apparent that we [I] hadn't pared down quite enough when we opened our storage room and looked at it through eyes much more full of understanding. It is a process. For me, much more than for Brad, it really is a process. I was once told by a young man that I was materialistic because something borrowed did not make it back and I wasn't happy about it.. He just didn't understand where I came from. I don't have things just to have them. I have always made it a point to get the best I can with what I have and then take care of it so I don't have to get it again. Few people have money to burn. So, items are acquired over time, taken care of and, hopefully, last as long as possible. With this philosophy, I ended up with a lot of stuff.  Things that didn't have memories or emotions attached were easy to get rid of. Everything else has been a bit more work, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and also freedom. 

First Thing First

The foundation for the beginning of our new chapter was being poured several months ago. At that time, my mother-in-law moved to a nursing home and we decided to live in our 16' CampLite camper until we found a place we wanted to move into. Thankfully, we ended up having much more time to pare down our things before leaving the house. In the process, we learned some things.

1. We had a lot of stuff...well, actually, I had a lot of stuff.
2. A 16' camper actually shrinks when 2 adults, 2 dogs and stuff needed for life are added.
3. It is hard, challenging at best, to eliminate a vast majority of your stuff.
4. Did I mention we had a lot of stuff?
5. Despite the difficult process of reducing one's stuff, it is incredibly freeing to do so.
6. Coming to terms with what is really important and what is not makes for a smoother transition.

A lot of life happened between then and now but to stay on point, I will move on.

Our 2013 Silverado 1500 and our 2015 LivinLite CampLite 16DBS

Our full time RV'ing experience started in the above setup. I hope it would be obvious we did not purchase this camper to live in. We bought it, a) because we wanted to move up from a tent for our weekend excursions/vacations and b) because it was the best and lightest camper we could find that our truck could pull comfortably. On those two marks, it was amazing. Weighing in at just under 3000 pounds, our truck pulled it easily. It was perfect for a weekend adventure with our dogs and grandson. Not so perfect for full time living.

Situated within was a full size queen bed, a couch in the slide out that folded down for additional sleep area, fridge with freezer, small counter top with 3 burners and a sink, large tv (for my husband) and a too small restroom with shower (that we used as a closet). It had all the conveniences needed except space. Due to the lack of space, pretty much everything we had left had to be put in a storage unit. So began our quest for a bigger living space.

Our search for a larger rv gave us a bit of an education. We learned many things about rvs that helped us make our decision, but, first, we dreamed big. We looked at what current full timers were using and then we window shopped... Then, we looked at our wallet...and groaned... There was no way we could go all out but we would get as close as we could.

However, before getting the rv, we would first need to find a truck. The Silverado was going to need to be upgraded. 6400 pounds of pulling power wasn't exactly power. Practicality and a not so thick wallet helped us eliminate the much heavier and larger luxury brands. This, in turn, narrowed our truck search since we knew for certain we would not need a dually. We settled on a 2016 Ram Laramie 2500 Heavy Duty Turbo Diesel. Some deciding factors were:

1. It had the Cummins 6.7 
2. It was already set up for fifth wheel and goose neck hitches.
3. It had the cold weather package. (We may live in Texas, but I am from Michigan. Cold weather is in our future.)
4. It can tow 17,200!
5. It had the all important (all important to me) side steps and the perfect backseat setup for our dogs.

Now that we had our truck, we could get serious about finding our new home on wheels.

And So It Began...

A few months ago, my husband calls me while I am at work and tells me to give my notice.

Wait! What?! You want me to do WHAT??

Ok, so this didn't come entirely from left field but it was still out there. We had previously talked, or, more aptly, speculated on life with me traveling with him full time. Basically, he works every other week and has the weeks in between off. As it was, he would go to work and I would be home without him. He would come home and I would work 8 to 5 Monday through Friday and have evenings and the weekend with him. We would talk of things all couples eventually speak of: getting older, health matters, quality time together, life and death. During these conversations we would dream of a day I would no longer need to work or stay home and be able to be with him 24/7. It is a tough thing to live half your married life without your spouse close. People do it successfully but it isn't what we really wanted.

Previously, we had responsibilities. My dad moved here when we did and needed our help more and more as he aged. After Brad's father passed, we lived with his mother to help her. As will happen to all of us at some point, our parents both passed and our circumstances were changed. It was after all of this that I received the call to give notice because 'we aren't getting any younger'.

With much excitement and sadness, I went to my boss and with a few tears, gave my notice. Even more difficult was telling my team that I was leaving. Not because I didn't want to leave but because I held them as family.

With all that being said, our journey did not begin without a hitch.

My last day at work was a Friday. The very next night I got a call from Brad saying he wasn't feeling well. A couple hours later, I got another call that he was driving himself to the emergency room. He was in a town six hours away. By the time I arrived, he was resting in his own room. We spent four days there. He had a severe kidney infection, kidney stone and diabetes out of control. It was a month before he went back to work. All in all it was a blessing in disguise. I was not working, which allowed my to give him my full attention.

We are now on the road together. We stay in a hotel while he is working and live in a RV on his off days. More on this later.