How NOT to RV by Jennifer Flower
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Funny account of the things not to do while RV-ing. Although a quick read, I found the author to be funny and witty. Overall, the book is well written, and I found myself wishing it had more chapters that could teach me in a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do fashion.
I’m almost ashamed at how long it’s been since I last posted. Really, I am.
Status Update: We have managed to get rid of our house of nine years, so progress has been made. Aside from that, we haven’t accomplished much else. Moving did force us to pare down our stuff and we got rid of so much of it. Sadly, we still have two storage units full of crap and I’ve added (yet again) to the amount of things I own under the guise of decorating the house we are renting.
See, we unloaded our house and ended up having to move quite quickly. That forced us to find a rental in a hurry… while I love the location and the house itself, my inner-decorator took over and I bought stupid things, like new picture frames and bath mats and barstools.
What the heck is wrong with me? Has the need to accumulate possessions become that ingrained in my sense of self? Am I trying to sabotage my goals? If so, why?
Maybe I just need to focus. Get my head in the game. And my body out on the road.
Image via Wikipedia
So, despite my yucky fall sinus-infection, we manged to make a small (tiny even) dent in the hole house clean out. In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t much, but I just have to remember that this process of getting-around-to-living is a marathon, not a sprint.
First to lose 90-percent of it’s crap with the back porch/ laundry room. Previously a catch-all for home repair junk, unloved toys, lone shoe singles and the like, the laundry room is now a place that I actually don’t mind doing laundry. It is sparse, it is clean. Only the washer/dryer, a laundry sorting unit and a cute decorative bench remain. It’s amazing how clutter can crap all over one’s mood.
Proud of ourselves for that accomplishment we moved to the walk-in pantry. It was gross, cluttered and no place that anyone wanted to be for more than the two-second it took to throw a pop-tart in the toaster. A half-dozen paint cans were stacked against the far wall. Pamper Chef products line half the shelves. ( I kept asking my husband “What is that one used for?” He replied, “You should know, you bought it.” Oy.) The other half is a menagerie of granola bars, canned goods, breakfast goodies, snack, fruit, and toilet paper. You know, the necessities.
On a side note, why do my kids think that a good place for pop-tart wrappers is BEHIND the toaster? Perplexing it is. The trash can is less than 5 feet away. You actually have to pass by it to exit said pantry. I’m assuming some sort of invisibility cloak is the culprit. Why else would it be so unused and unloved?
But I digress. Two rooms down, only 9 more to go!
Once again, I’ve decided to showcase a former excursion of my clan once again. Well, in all fairness it was hardly a jaunt. These pictures were taken on a lazy Saturday right in our own neck of the woods, in the coastal parts of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Image via Wikipedia
Here’s another little gallery of a day trip to Assateague Island, which is right off the coast of the Easter Shore of Virginia and is accessible by bridge from Chincoteague Island (which also has a causeway leading to it. Mostly we just played on the calm inlet stretch of beach. The ocean side has some wave-action, and at the time my youngest wasn’t in the mood. Assateague also has a cool lighthouse that you can walk to via wooded trail, and miles of bike trails and local wildlife to be enjoyed. Wild Ponies included.
Image by Brian G. Wilson via Flickr
Another weekend trip from times past. I’m not sure why it is, but up until planning the “big” trip, most of ours have been of the quick and hurried variety. I’m super-glad that’s about to change.
We arrive later in the evening and found a hotel first before slipping out for some dinner. We had a quick bite while watching a sidewalk performer juggle sharp and on-fire objects. The kids were amazed and I thought that it was all pretty surreal myself.
While in Baltimore we stayed directly on the Inner Harbor, so first thing the next morning we checked out the Baltimore Aquarium and other cool things for the kids. It was extremely hot, so everyone was grouchy by the end of the day. We left late in the afternoon and found a hotel on the way home near St. Micheals, Maryland. All in all it was a memorable trip, but I hope over the coming years to take the good things from this trip and expand on them.
Today I’d like to share some pics from our quick weekend trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina this summer. It was really spur of the moment, and we were only there for two nights, but the kids wasted no time in soaking up the sun and sand. Since it’s only about two hours from our house, it makes a great quick trip even if the hotel prices are a little high. Next time we go, I’ll be on the lookout for a campground for sure!
