Yesterday marked the 4 month anniversary of us hitting the road, wow how life has changed. It seems crazy to me that it was only 4 months ago that we closed on our house and sold or packed everything we owned. I find it comical when I think back on leaving with the Class A and the Jeep in tow. Goodness gracious we knew nothing! The learning curve has been steep to say the least. But when do you grow and change the most…in times of learning and trial.

I could write an entire post on the things we love about our new home. The 5th wheel has completely changed our lives. I will spare you the exhausting list I could go on and on about, instead I will provide a short list just to give you a glimpse into the major blessing this house change has been.

First and probably the most important is the space. As I sit on the couch typing this and look around at my kitchen/living/dinning room I think back to the hallway that was our last house. And I do mean hallway. Now I have a real hallway that has actual rooms off of it. In the Class A you could see the entire living space from anywhere you stood in it. Now I can hide for at least a couple minutes before anyone can find me. I treasure our couch, which may sound crazy, but what it stands for is what I need the most in my day. It is the time of day when the boys are finally in bed asleep and it is just Luke and I and we can sit on the couch and the decompression can finally start. We did not have this luxury of a separate space to sit other than the bedroom in the Class A and I cannot tell you what a difference it makes. The entire sleeping arrangement is so much better for everyone. The boys all have their own beds and separate space and we have a real door on our bedroom without kids sleeping 12 inches off the foot of our bed. I am not kidding people, game changer.

Looking from the couch/cab to the bedroom. Bathroom on the left, bunk house on the right. We learned we didn’t take very many pictures of the inside of the A. I guess we were trying to block it out the whole time and didn’t even know it.
Standing at the door looking into the living area. The bedrooms and bath are down the hall!
Standing in the master looking down the hallway! Boys rooms are on the right across from the door and the bathroom is across from the window in the hall.

Second is the lack of problems that we have in our new home compared to our last rig. Sure we have little things that have popped up. Our converter died but it has already been replaced, but it died in the Class A too and took FOREVER to get replaced. We are having some issues with our tank sensors not working properly but it is workable and at least we don’t have any mold in our fresh water tank! Our biggest issue right now is our gray tank (the one that holds the dish water, the black tank holds the poop for those who aren’t familiar with the lingo). It seems to have an odor that we are fighting. But we will win, we just have to keep trying new things. Today was a fun experiment of baking soda and vinegar which seemed to help, we will see how long it lasts. Between the smell of the gray tank and my sweet boys feet the world of odors is one not quickly forgotten these days. Mercy, I thought I would have a few more years of sweet little boys instead of stink machines but their feet have another story for me. ? But that has nothing to do with what were are living in.

They look cute, but they sure can be stinkers.

Third is our truck. When you live in what you drive having a new set up has changed our lives. My wise friend Michelle told me in January when we switched that it would probably be great to be able to “go home” when we were done driving instead of having been in the same space all day. My goodness was she right. We can get in the truck and just focus on driving instead of being in the kitchen and the living room all day. The truck has everyone strapped in place, no walking around, no fighting to get out of carseats, no wanting to sit in my seat, no flight attendant getting drinks and snacks out of the fridge all day long. No, now we all sit in a climate controlled environment, which the Class A did not have in the back, and the boys can watch the iPad.We are so thankful to have WiFi in the truck and free Apple TV and Disney+ for a year. Yes the new rig is huge and we have learned not to make unnecessary stops unless we have to, but travel is so much easier. The one thing I miss about driving the Class A was having a bathroom on board, but oh well.

Do you remember how much fun tire swings are? Let Max’s face remind you.

What else has changed in four months? Each one of us. If you have been reading my blog since the beginning I am sure you are starting to think I am a broken record, but we really are changed. I know I talk about myself and the change that I have seen in me the most, but we all have changed. The boys are so great at making friends and talking confidently to adults. They are happy to tell anyone our story, even Zac will tell you we are from Colorado but we are in Florida. He hasn’t completely grasped the change to South Carolina yet but we will get there. Often Max will ask where we are, but I can’t blame him, I get confused too somedays. The boys have learned so much about different animals, especially sea creatures and alligators. They have become incredible swimmers, even Zac. No one uses floaties anymore. We have given several people near heart attacks when we show up to the pool and Zac stands on the edge of the deep end and says “one, two, three, CANNONBALL!” and proceeds to jump in and swim to the edge all by himself. People! He is only two! And he taught himself how to swim out of sheer determination to be like his brothers. They all have so much confidence in the water, which I think changes everything. The fear of drowning vs. knowing to take a breath and keep swimming is a game changer. It might be one of my favorite things to watch. It is so fun to see them adapt to new surroundings and explore whatever is around them. The scenery just keeps on changing but I love that our house is still the same no matter where we park it. I think it helps give all of us the feeling of security each day.

Just hanging with the turtles. There was one inside the hole too.

Luke, I feel like I don’t say enough about him in these blog posts. I should probably let him write one of his own so you get a different perspective sometime. ? I do not know what I would do without his steady, patient, kind and funny soul. He truly is the rock of our family. His knowledge of how to fix anything is amazing, his confidence in driving this monster is staggering, and his love of his boys fills my heart. He is so great at playing with them and pouring into them. One of the biggest reasons for this journey was to have two parents for the boys all day every day, and those boys need their dad. He is such a great role model for them to look up too, and he is an amazing dad. He also is the best husband and friend to me. This would be a very lonely journey if I did not get to do it along side my best friend. What a gift our friendship is. I think the biggest change I see in him is his stress level. Life is stressful in so many different ways but having a different perspective on it and how if affects your life is what makes the change happen.

Don’t worry, Dads got you.

I have already discussed the changes that I have seen happen in me in other posts so I won’t bore you with those details other than one. I feel myself becoming more independent. I don’t think at any point in my life would I have labeled myself, Miss Independent and I still would not say that about myself. But being bolder and more confident in my ability to handle different situations, that has changed in me.

Don’t worry it’s just my two year old truckin’ down to the water to get a closer look at the biggest gator we have seen in the wild so far. ?

We are in South Carolina on Hilton Head Island currently. We went to the Pinckney Wildlife Reserve and saw 6 gators, snakes swimming in the water (no thank you), lots of birds, crabs, and turtles. At least we can still see some exciting things. But I will say the gators creeped me out here more than they did anywhere else on our trip so far. I am not gonna lie, I did a quick scamper past the one laying in the grass in the picture below with Max. I felt like he was eyeing me.

Hurry Max, Smile! We gotta scamper! (Do you see him eyeing me from the grass??)

As life continues to change for everyone with the rise of Covid-19 our future is unclear. We are trying to decide what plans to change and where and when we should go. But at least until March 30th we will be here enjoying Hilton Head Island. They closed all the beaches on the island today and there is talk that the pool will be closing on Monday. So there isn’t much we can do and see. Thankfully we are next to the playground, and we have an incredible campsite with the most beautiful flowering bushes around us. The smell is intoxicating. So at least we are enjoying where we are parked for now.

I pray that as we all navigate the coming days, weeks, and months that we remember one thing. Even though we are told to stay away from each other, we are not alone. God is holding each one of us with a love that never stops and is the same yesterday, today, and even into the crazy future. Be still and know that He is God and He loves you, and so do I ☺️.

Live your Adventure,

Julie

4 Replies to “What a difference 4 months makes…”

  1. Again, such a beautiful testimony of God’s goodness. So happy my brother found the love of his life in you and the two of you get to share your friendship and adventure together, raising 3 more strong boys with a solid foundation of love and faith!

  2. Julie, I can’t thank you enough for bringing us all along on your journey! We are enjoying each installment sharing both the ups and downs.

  3. Enjoying your adventure…and keeping you all in my prayers.
    Safe travels…and stay safe.

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