Before you go fultime.

 Things to know before going full-time

We've lived and traveled in our RV for almost a year and absolutely wouldn't trade it for the world.  Our lifestyle is incredibly amazing.  We've been told how lucky we are and “I could never do that”.  While we liked our previous sticks and bricks home, we love the tiny-house simplicity, and freedom to go when we want and where.  We are blessed with so many people who come into our lives through our travels and have remained friends.  But that doesn't say there aren't things we miss that we had living in our former home.  We're being honest here.  In this lifestyle, you trade one for another.

This lifestyle brings a whole new set of challenges but it's what makes us stronger to enjoy the reason why we are doing this whole nomadic lifestyle.  We consider ourselves lucky to be doing this but that doesn't erase some disappointments or things we'd wished to keep.  This is a brutally honest, hearts-on-our-sleeves blog piece.  Don't think for a minute that we're complaining but, if you're ever contemplating a nomadic lifestyle like RVing, here are just a few things you may want to think about. 

Long soaks… we miss the long hot showers and soaks in the tub. It used to be a shower or soak every other day. Now it depends on the water or power supply. We got caught in a snow storm in Cheyenne WY and had to stay at a motel. Let me tell you, we both had a long hot shower each day that we were there. 

Endless Hot Water - It goes with the shower soaks.  Admit it, long showers rock...  using the entire water heater tank in our former sticks and bricks, that we could stand in the shower for a good 30 minutes of pulsating hot water.  Now, our showers are limited to about 10 minutes  and do just what needs to get done. 

Down The Drain - Doing dishes back then was so much simpler with one less step.  Now, we scrape our dishes well or wipe them with a napkin before washing them.  We need watch everything we put down our plumbing and tanks.  If not, we're in big trouble...perhaps bigger and more costly than when we had our S&B.  On the same note, if we're not hooked up to sewer, we then are very conscious of how much we put in our gray tanks.  So, even that 10 minute shower gets cut to about two or a sponge bath.

Friends and Family - This is probably the biggest 'low point' but we try not to dwell or think about it.  Our families are in Minnesota and when we go that far north we will visit. Emails and phone calls are an ever present easy source of connection.

Girlfriend Dates - nothing like having a nice lunch or gab session with friends. And I do miss my friends back in MN.  But on a good note, I’ve met some fabulous lady friends whom I've gotten to know to do 'girlfriend things' with on the road.  Some of us have grown quite close because of what we have in common.   Again phone calls, emails and private messages keep me in contact with my treasured Minnesota friends.

Things

Parting with furniture that gives you the security of knowing you still have something to fall back on is a very difficult thing to do. But giving up things that you have treasured for years is even harder. But they are just that, things, and things can not take the place of new experiences and seeing the world that God created. Things can be replaced. And as I am writing this I’m trying to convince myself that after this coming year I to will get rid of my extra stuff too. Many “things” were sold before we started out on this venture and it was very difficult to see some things go. But I have to say I’ve not missed any of them. So I’m hoping that the last of our “things” will not be missed for long. Of course some of our things are with us, but only so much can come along for the ride.

Home for the Holidays - Most look at this as a heartbreaker but we made the most of it. I am still working on getting used to not having my family with us during the holidays. But doing holiday baking and spending time with new friends in the same boat, makes it easier. And with time it will become a norm for us too. 

 As you see even the coolness of our travels has it's challenges, but we have two choices.  We can quit and go backwards or we can stand tall, suck in our guts, however hard that may be, and point our hearts to true north and enjoy the opportunities God has provided us with. So it’s forward on to new adventures.