In the 7 months of planning …and not planning, and procrastinating, and assembling, and researching, and talking with friends, neighbors, relatives, friends and neighbors of relatives, and people we have met in the grocery store check out line…the three questions that people pose to me (note: not Evan) the most are:
1. How many pairs of shoes do you bring in the RV?
2. How are you going to keep from going nuts in the RV?
3. How do you have sex in the RV?
I shall address these in order of importance.
1. How many pairs of shoes do you bring in the RV?
While I have never thought of myself as a materialistic fashion hound (today’s outfit is a 3 year old wrap around dress from Target, a pair of 4 year old Cole Hahn black flip flop sandals, cubic zirconium earrings bought for 20 quid at the school auction, and a silver Tiffanies heart necklace that was a gift from Evan’s last company’s boondoggle) I have a weakness for shoes. Not that I spend much money on each pair of shoes. I am more of a variety and style gal rather than a name brand type.
I blame it on Southwest Junior High School in Minneapolis. 1974. 7th grade. Adidas. I had to have a pair. Anybody who was anybody wore Adidas. If you had money to burn, you had the green striped. Middle of the road, you went for the blue. Strapped for cash meant you had the red. The red ones were 26 dollars at the Footlocker at Southdale Shopping Mall in Edina.
I made 50 cents an hour babysitting. I needed the last 5 bucks to get me over the top so I could buy that red pair of entry level Adidas. New Years Eve was coming up, excellent babysitting potential.
December 31st found me on the couch of the Andersons watching over their 3 kids all under the age of 5. I was 12 years old. I was responsible. My mother was a nurse and she would be home and we lived down the street. I was their gal and they needed me from 6 PM until 3 AM. Score. Got the kids to bed by 7:30, and I settled in with a bowl of ice cream in front of the TV to watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers with the fabulous feeling that I would go home with enough money to put me over the edge so I could afford my red Adidas.
Who cared if it snowed 2 feet the day before school started up again in January. I wore my Adidas through the snow drifts in the bitter cold knowing that my position in the pecking order would be established through my shoes.
Today I dream about my box of shoes in the storage facility in Framingham, Massachusetts. My aubergine boots I bought at La Samaritaine in Paris with my sister in law Bonnie, my black lace up low heeled boots from Rome, the 9 West purple pumps with the fake jewel.
Here is what made it into the black milk crate under the couch in the RV (where the entire family stores its shoes). 1. Aforementioned black Cole Hahn sandals; 2. similar brown Timberland flip flops; 3. rubber-soled really comfortable waterproof Keens: and 4. UK blue running/hiking shoes. I will be adding a pair of brown boots once it gets colder, if the budget allows.
2. How are you going to keep from going nuts in the RV?
Party line: It helps that we all like our own time reading, writing, hiking. While yes, this is an intense amount of family time, we also are trying to respect each others time as individuals.
The truth: We drive each other nuts. Simon is the only one that is consistently in fine form. Josh the pre-adolescent and me the peri menopausal are at odds every other day for a bit. Evan and I are both alpha control types and in our life prior to the RV he had his fiefdom and I had mine. We respect each others strengths and try to complement each others where we can. After almost 14 years of marriage and 16 years together this has worked relatively well.
And then there was yesterday…
We are staying at my cousin’s house for a few nights in the Dogtown section of St. Louis just south of Forest Park. Fabulous location. We can walk to the zoo and the free museums in the park. All is well. The RV is parked out front. We are hoping not to drive it for a few days – stupid to drive it around the city. Evan and I leave the boys in charge of each other while we ride our bicycles to Schnucks Grocery Store. Adorable. We are like college age coed’s with our back packs on and we head out on this 95 degree day in 97% humidity. It is less than a mile. I know the way to go. Evan googlemaps it and finds a better way to go on secondary roads. Fine. Oops, construction. Road is closed. Back to original way. Nope, Evan needs to make his own, new, way. I know where I am. I know where we need to go. But he has his Blackberry with the map. I have my eyes and my sense of direction!
We both got there and we both got home. Albeit we got home our separate but equal ways. We both have trouble following. But we both trust and respect each other enough and have faith in each others abilities to get to the same place – sometimes by different routes.
3. How do you have sex in the RV?
Nope. Enough said. Can’t go there. And please no more jokes about the bumper sticker: If it’s rockin, don’t bother knockin’.
Saturday, 29 August 2009
The Dreaded Question
The worse part about the plane ride to San Diego was when the man sitting next to me asked, “So, where do you call home?”
This is probably one of the easiest, most non threatening questions you can ask a stranger.
But all I can think is:
I wish I was back in the UK where people don’t talk to each other.
I wish I could have an answer that would be brief.
I wish that when he asked me that question it would bring up a mental image of a comfortable house with all our pretty things, linens nicely folded, a fire burning, laughing children, friends gathered around our table.
Instead an image of the storage facility in Framingham comes to mind.
Instead an image of the RV parked on the street in St Louis pops up.
Instead I felt horrible that we don’t have home for our kids
But that is not what we tell Josh and Simon. We tell them that home is wherever the 4 of us are. Walls don’t matter. It is about the feeling we create and the love and strength we provide for each other. We have our own family traditions that follow us around, regardless of where we are.
Whose idea is it that “home” has to be a set place?
I feel amazed when I think of the number of places I have called home.
On my bad days I feel like I am a riff raff. A wonderer. Someone not to be trusted because I am a traveler and just passing through. Shifty.
On my good days I feel like an adventurer, a wonder lust, a person who has places to go, people to meet.
I told the man on the plane, “Vermont” and I smiled nicely and went back to reading my book.
This is probably one of the easiest, most non threatening questions you can ask a stranger.
But all I can think is:
I wish I was back in the UK where people don’t talk to each other.
I wish I could have an answer that would be brief.
I wish that when he asked me that question it would bring up a mental image of a comfortable house with all our pretty things, linens nicely folded, a fire burning, laughing children, friends gathered around our table.
Instead an image of the storage facility in Framingham comes to mind.
Instead an image of the RV parked on the street in St Louis pops up.
Instead I felt horrible that we don’t have home for our kids
But that is not what we tell Josh and Simon. We tell them that home is wherever the 4 of us are. Walls don’t matter. It is about the feeling we create and the love and strength we provide for each other. We have our own family traditions that follow us around, regardless of where we are.
Whose idea is it that “home” has to be a set place?
I feel amazed when I think of the number of places I have called home.
On my bad days I feel like I am a riff raff. A wonderer. Someone not to be trusted because I am a traveler and just passing through. Shifty.
On my good days I feel like an adventurer, a wonder lust, a person who has places to go, people to meet.
I told the man on the plane, “Vermont” and I smiled nicely and went back to reading my book.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
We Interrupt This RV Trip
…to bring you a slice of reality. Mom is moving from San Diego to Phoenix, so I am flying away and leaving Evan in charge of the RV and the boys in St. Louis so I can help my mom pack ‘em up and move ‘em out.
Now that I have these incredible skills on packing boxes I really want to use them as much as possible so I don’t forget.
Tips on moving:
- Sharpie pens. Love them. Use them on each box you are packing to write the contents.
- Details. Write down the details. Not just “Books” but “Wendy’s books from graduate school that are completely obsolete since the advent of the internet and she should have given them to Goodwill years ago but now that she has carted them around for the last 7 moves, why bother.”
- Use clear tape. That way you can read the notes you just wrote on the box
- Pack in small boxes. Easier to move and store. Especially if they are books.
- Moving takes as much time as you give it. If you have to move in a week – you will. If you have 6 months to move you will use all 6 months.
- It all comes down to the last 4 days. And those days suck.
- Sleep somewhere else. Your house will be anything but a haven for relaxation – it will be messy, dirty, chaotic and distressing. Find a friends house – or a hotel – near by so you can be at the house quickly.
- Have a pack last/open first few boxes. Linens for the beds. Coffee maker. Bath towels. Things you need up until the time you leave and will need quickly upon arrival.
I have to say it is weird leaving the RV trip for 5 nights. Does this mean I am abandoning ship? I am quite conflicted. It is a great feeling to finally be close enough to be helpful to my mom. And Evan is there so I don’t need to arrange babysitters and the like. But still…5 nights away…do I get a per diem so I can eat? Do I have to submit my receipt for the cup of coffee I will pick up at the airport to Josh? Do I get reimbursed? By my son? With my own money?
Which reminds me a an esoteric conversation Josh and I got into regarding Simon and his wiggly tooth and the inevitable Tooth Fairy. How do we budget for the Tooth Fairy? A seperate line item called "Magic"? or is it under "Dental"?Mom and I fly back to St. Louis on Wednesday to be met by Ev and the boys in the RV. Mom is coming in the RV! At least for the 1.5 hour drive to but yet another Springfield...Illinois!
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
From Niagara to an Oasis to another Springfield
The first three nights on the road were a bit of a learning experience. Here is what we do when we get into camp:
Back up our 30 foot, 15,000 pounds home into the proper spot.
Set the emergency brake.
Make sure the area is clear for the slide out.
Plug in the shore line to juice up the electric.
Attach the water connection.
Pull out the awning / porch cover.
Unlock and pull off the bicycles.
Put the table cloth on the picnic table.
Find some flowers for the table and set with the fine china…or plastic plates from Tesco.
After Cooperstown we were up at Niagara Falls. Hmmm. After all was said and done – this committee says: Yes! Keep Niagara it on the list of places to go. Just don’t stay at Jellystone RV Park…way too depressing. Why I thought I should trust Yogi Bear – an animated character known for stealing picnic baskets in the 1960’s – over a state park is beyond me
And if you want to go to Niagara, start saving your money now because folks…Niagara Falls is a Disneyland Attraction. But some things you just have to do. I mean, Maid of the Mist. Say no more. Once you see the falls you want to go near them, in them, under them and the boat ride is the closest you can do it without risking your life. Why people want to keep throwing themselves down the falls in boats and barrels I don’t understand – The Maid was enough for me. They do throw in plastic recyclable rain coats with your 14.95 ticket price – which we are now saving to make a re-appearance for Halloween.
But then there was Niagara’s Fury. So get this…we had just been on Maid of the Mist. We had just walked along and then rode a boat through the real Niagara Falls. So why did we then need to pay an additional 14 bucks to go inside and watch a “4D movie “ about what was outside and we had just been in? Humans. I just don’t get us.
Side note: We were in Niagara, Ontario, Canada. We had read the views were better and the schlock not as great. Let me tell you, schlock is alive and well in Ontario. Good news: our kids never asked for anything in the gift shops. This budget thing is working. They know how much we have to spend a day and putting Josh in charge of keeping us to the daily budget was brilliant! Bad News: I have to keep to it as well. No pedicures for me ladies and gentlemen and looks like I am going natural on the hair colour as well. Those pretend natural highlights are no longer pretend, nor particularly highlightable either I might add.
And then we drove to our friend’s house outside Pittsburgh. Wow. An oasis of calm and beauty. I have known Patty for the past 4 years or so and really got to know her when we shared a room in Paris for a couple of nights. Nothing like talking in the dark before you fall asleep and going through nighttime ablutions to bond with another person.
She and her husband and 4 kids moved back to the US about 8 months ago and it was so great to spend time with friends who have been through the same issues around re-entry to the US, coming to grips with the fact we aren’t Faux Europeans anymore and all the rest. Plus, they are so fun and welcoming and gracious and engaging and have a beautiful guest room, bountiful organic garden and washer and dryer and they SHARE! Our kids basically ran out of the RV and disappeared for the next 36 hours.
Patty and I talked about writing. And the importance of when you are a writer, you need to write. Goal: 1000 words a day. This is word 654.
And now we are in Ohio. We were hoping for Indiana but got sucked into Target, the grocery store and then sidelined by an hour of road works outside of Wheeling, West Virginia. Ohio looks good. Hoping all 4 of us will do a bike ride down along the lake today. The weather is holding. Kids are still happy doing chores. Looking forward to fresh tomatos from Patty and Harris’s garden for lunch.
Tomorrow: St. Louis
Back up our 30 foot, 15,000 pounds home into the proper spot.
Set the emergency brake.
Make sure the area is clear for the slide out.
Plug in the shore line to juice up the electric.
Attach the water connection.
Pull out the awning / porch cover.
Unlock and pull off the bicycles.
Put the table cloth on the picnic table.
Find some flowers for the table and set with the fine china…or plastic plates from Tesco.
After Cooperstown we were up at Niagara Falls. Hmmm. After all was said and done – this committee says: Yes! Keep Niagara it on the list of places to go. Just don’t stay at Jellystone RV Park…way too depressing. Why I thought I should trust Yogi Bear – an animated character known for stealing picnic baskets in the 1960’s – over a state park is beyond me
And if you want to go to Niagara, start saving your money now because folks…Niagara Falls is a Disneyland Attraction. But some things you just have to do. I mean, Maid of the Mist. Say no more. Once you see the falls you want to go near them, in them, under them and the boat ride is the closest you can do it without risking your life. Why people want to keep throwing themselves down the falls in boats and barrels I don’t understand – The Maid was enough for me. They do throw in plastic recyclable rain coats with your 14.95 ticket price – which we are now saving to make a re-appearance for Halloween.
But then there was Niagara’s Fury. So get this…we had just been on Maid of the Mist. We had just walked along and then rode a boat through the real Niagara Falls. So why did we then need to pay an additional 14 bucks to go inside and watch a “4D movie “ about what was outside and we had just been in? Humans. I just don’t get us.
Side note: We were in Niagara, Ontario, Canada. We had read the views were better and the schlock not as great. Let me tell you, schlock is alive and well in Ontario. Good news: our kids never asked for anything in the gift shops. This budget thing is working. They know how much we have to spend a day and putting Josh in charge of keeping us to the daily budget was brilliant! Bad News: I have to keep to it as well. No pedicures for me ladies and gentlemen and looks like I am going natural on the hair colour as well. Those pretend natural highlights are no longer pretend, nor particularly highlightable either I might add.
And then we drove to our friend’s house outside Pittsburgh. Wow. An oasis of calm and beauty. I have known Patty for the past 4 years or so and really got to know her when we shared a room in Paris for a couple of nights. Nothing like talking in the dark before you fall asleep and going through nighttime ablutions to bond with another person.
She and her husband and 4 kids moved back to the US about 8 months ago and it was so great to spend time with friends who have been through the same issues around re-entry to the US, coming to grips with the fact we aren’t Faux Europeans anymore and all the rest. Plus, they are so fun and welcoming and gracious and engaging and have a beautiful guest room, bountiful organic garden and washer and dryer and they SHARE! Our kids basically ran out of the RV and disappeared for the next 36 hours.
Patty and I talked about writing. And the importance of when you are a writer, you need to write. Goal: 1000 words a day. This is word 654.
And now we are in Ohio. We were hoping for Indiana but got sucked into Target, the grocery store and then sidelined by an hour of road works outside of Wheeling, West Virginia. Ohio looks good. Hoping all 4 of us will do a bike ride down along the lake today. The weather is holding. Kids are still happy doing chores. Looking forward to fresh tomatos from Patty and Harris’s garden for lunch.
Tomorrow: St. Louis
Campground Etiquette
Dear Gentle Readers,
I am here to tell you there is a certain unspoken etiquette that permeates camp ground life. For example, here I am at Buck Creek State Park in Springfield, Ohio (yes, another Springfield) and I rolled out of bed in the RV, put on a fleece and my sandals and walked to the camp restroom.
I shouldn’t have. Maybe the early morning sunlight that is slowly making its way up over the trees also shown through my nightgown and made it see through I don’t know but I got some strange looks from the folks I ran into.
Got that? No wearing your night gown to the public restroom at 7:23 am.
Yours sincerely,
An M. Bare Asssed Camper
I am here to tell you there is a certain unspoken etiquette that permeates camp ground life. For example, here I am at Buck Creek State Park in Springfield, Ohio (yes, another Springfield) and I rolled out of bed in the RV, put on a fleece and my sandals and walked to the camp restroom.
I shouldn’t have. Maybe the early morning sunlight that is slowly making its way up over the trees also shown through my nightgown and made it see through I don’t know but I got some strange looks from the folks I ran into.
Got that? No wearing your night gown to the public restroom at 7:23 am.
Yours sincerely,
An M. Bare Asssed Camper
Saturday, 22 August 2009
Day 3 - and then...
Some of the things I love about my first born is his creativity and willingness to learn. Yes, he has a sense of justice that just won’t quit and while it is incredibly tiring to be on the other side of the head butting, I admire his persistence. As Evan likes to say about his sales prospects: “It isn’t so much about winning them over as it is about wearing them down.”
So this is what we did: We kind of submitted. Josh did some research and came up with a proposal that would include a 2 hour drive, boondocking (sleeping in a Walmart Parking Lot) and an acceptable drive for the following day. I pitched it to the other family, they couldn’t do it. Hooray! A double win for the parents! Josh learned the importance of research and advanced planning and we kept on track…not that there is that much of a track to keep to.
What turned me around from my position of “not driving out of our way a single iota” to splitting the difference was that on Wednesday night he and his friend had an hour long phone conversation. Afterwards Josh and I had a chat. Another thing I love about Josh is that he is a chatter. I am trying to instill in my boys that chatting is good and to keep doing it. Cool guys chat. Chatty boys get the girls. Chatty boys have more fun.
Josh mentioned how hard it is for guys to stay in touch. He is worried that he will drift away from his friends. So am I. Friends and family are key to a persons happiness. That sense of belonging to a community. Josh is getting older. He is putting together a community of his own that I need to respect and encourage. Get over yourself Wendy….it isn’t about your schedule. And another brilliant point made by My Personal Help Desk (aka Evan) was that this trip is also about showing the kids that we can be flexible and spontaneous.
I am trying to keep up my hour a day of exercise and an hour of writing. Today I took a beautiful bike ride along County Road 31 in East Springfield, NY. Lots of farms. I biked to a state park – Glimmersglass. It was 7:30 when I biked in. Nobody was around. Who would have thought that the oldest covered bridge in the US would be there? 1867. That use to sound old to me, but now that I am an International Snob that sounds like recent history. Give me something from the roman age – now that is old.
We live in an RV. I still don’t believe it. We drive with all our stuff with us, all the time. Simon and I danced in the Big Pig this morning. There was room to do a couple of spins
We had lunch today in a rest area off the highway. Pizza bagels. Noodles. We have a budget of 130 bucks a day. Goes fast. I look at money very differently now that there is nothing coming in. Invite us to dinner and we might steal stuff out of your pantry– this is your warning.
I am now typing away as we are barreling down the New York Turnpike (or is it Thoroughfare? Or thrufare?) on our way to Buffalo and then up we go into Canada to see Niagara Falls. Bruce Springsteen is singing “Keep your eye on the prize, roll on” from his Live in Dublin album, the boys are plugged into an I Touch watching The Simpson’s Movie. Don’t worry, Evan is driving.
So this is what we did: We kind of submitted. Josh did some research and came up with a proposal that would include a 2 hour drive, boondocking (sleeping in a Walmart Parking Lot) and an acceptable drive for the following day. I pitched it to the other family, they couldn’t do it. Hooray! A double win for the parents! Josh learned the importance of research and advanced planning and we kept on track…not that there is that much of a track to keep to.
What turned me around from my position of “not driving out of our way a single iota” to splitting the difference was that on Wednesday night he and his friend had an hour long phone conversation. Afterwards Josh and I had a chat. Another thing I love about Josh is that he is a chatter. I am trying to instill in my boys that chatting is good and to keep doing it. Cool guys chat. Chatty boys get the girls. Chatty boys have more fun.
Josh mentioned how hard it is for guys to stay in touch. He is worried that he will drift away from his friends. So am I. Friends and family are key to a persons happiness. That sense of belonging to a community. Josh is getting older. He is putting together a community of his own that I need to respect and encourage. Get over yourself Wendy….it isn’t about your schedule. And another brilliant point made by My Personal Help Desk (aka Evan) was that this trip is also about showing the kids that we can be flexible and spontaneous.
I am trying to keep up my hour a day of exercise and an hour of writing. Today I took a beautiful bike ride along County Road 31 in East Springfield, NY. Lots of farms. I biked to a state park – Glimmersglass. It was 7:30 when I biked in. Nobody was around. Who would have thought that the oldest covered bridge in the US would be there? 1867. That use to sound old to me, but now that I am an International Snob that sounds like recent history. Give me something from the roman age – now that is old.
We live in an RV. I still don’t believe it. We drive with all our stuff with us, all the time. Simon and I danced in the Big Pig this morning. There was room to do a couple of spins
We had lunch today in a rest area off the highway. Pizza bagels. Noodles. We have a budget of 130 bucks a day. Goes fast. I look at money very differently now that there is nothing coming in. Invite us to dinner and we might steal stuff out of your pantry– this is your warning.
I am now typing away as we are barreling down the New York Turnpike (or is it Thoroughfare? Or thrufare?) on our way to Buffalo and then up we go into Canada to see Niagara Falls. Bruce Springsteen is singing “Keep your eye on the prize, roll on” from his Live in Dublin album, the boys are plugged into an I Touch watching The Simpson’s Movie. Don’t worry, Evan is driving.
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
DAY 1 - So far so good?
It is 9:50 pm. We made it a little more than 150 miles today to East Springfield, NY. Just a quick drive from Cooperstown. We are parked in a level spot. We plugged in our new home on wheels to the water and electricity at the RV park. We went for a swim, had dinner, a walk and now bed.
In truth? Up at 6 am wallowing in the details to get out of the rental house. Loading up the RV, bringing suitcases, boxes, a suitcase filled with suitcases, and books to Evan’s parents place in VT to store. Yes, all this is in addition to the 534 boxes in the official storage facility. Does that number keep getting larger and larger the more I tell it? “Did you hear about Wendy and all her boxes in storage? I heard she was up to 4328 boxes! And more than half are filled with useless plastic objects!” My version of hell? A house filled with miniature toy poodles, Chihuahuas, lima beans and useless plastic objects.
And then…the 12 hour chant by an unnamed older son telling Evan and me what useless parents we are. How we just don’t understand and that we are violating his rights and have no respect for him. Why? Because we aren’t going to drive 6 hours out of our way to see his good friend. Just because we are in New York and so is his friend, doesn’t mean he is close by. 10 months in an RV being told that I am an uncompassionate human being. We were thinking this would be a sans alcohol RV. I am beginning to reconsider that policy on the first day.
But it really is all quite cozy. Our little bedroom is comfortable. Everything works. Oh no, delete that line, don’t want to jinx anything. And if all goes well I will get up at 6 am and take that 10 hour long bike ride through the beautiful NY state countryside - yes, I will ride back to the RV.
In truth? Up at 6 am wallowing in the details to get out of the rental house. Loading up the RV, bringing suitcases, boxes, a suitcase filled with suitcases, and books to Evan’s parents place in VT to store. Yes, all this is in addition to the 534 boxes in the official storage facility. Does that number keep getting larger and larger the more I tell it? “Did you hear about Wendy and all her boxes in storage? I heard she was up to 4328 boxes! And more than half are filled with useless plastic objects!” My version of hell? A house filled with miniature toy poodles, Chihuahuas, lima beans and useless plastic objects.
And then…the 12 hour chant by an unnamed older son telling Evan and me what useless parents we are. How we just don’t understand and that we are violating his rights and have no respect for him. Why? Because we aren’t going to drive 6 hours out of our way to see his good friend. Just because we are in New York and so is his friend, doesn’t mean he is close by. 10 months in an RV being told that I am an uncompassionate human being. We were thinking this would be a sans alcohol RV. I am beginning to reconsider that policy on the first day.
But it really is all quite cozy. Our little bedroom is comfortable. Everything works. Oh no, delete that line, don’t want to jinx anything. And if all goes well I will get up at 6 am and take that 10 hour long bike ride through the beautiful NY state countryside - yes, I will ride back to the RV.
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
12 Hours and Counting...not that I am counting...
Is this the calm before the storm? Will there be a storm? There just was a storm - with a ton of thunder thrown in - an hour ago. Tomorrow night in the RV park. Oh god, another anxiety nightmare – we are in a tin box in a lightening storm. Cue the visual of the lightening bolt hitting the RV Toaster. 4 pieces of bread that look suspiciously like Evan, the boys and I are popping out slots at the top and we all have permed hair...
Simon was better today. During the day he decided to pitch the idea of making a cardboard box into a replica of our old house in London because he was feeling better. He drew a bundle of pictures to put up in the RV, even a picture of a Dream Eater that eats the bad dreams and puffs out beautiful dreams. I think I might need that picture above my head tonight to keep away the thoughts of lightening frying the RV.
But then this evening before dinner I found him in our bed quietly sobbing to himself saying he just couldn’t go on the trip at all. Evan overheard us chatting about his worries and suggested that after a dinner of pizza we could spend some time in the RV looking at all the cool storage boxes (always a crowd pleaser!) and then have a family meeting to discuss Simon’s feelings and to check in in general about the trip.
Simon perked right up – unsure if it was the pizza, the storage boxes, or the chance to be highlighted on the agenda. We have been holding Family Meetings pretty regularly for the past 5 years and Simon is very familiar with the format and to have your item first – with your name right on it – makes you feel special and that you are being heard. Isn’t that what we all want? To be heard? To be first on the agenda? Having your needs addressed?
Family Meeting Agenda
I. Simon’s Worries
II. Pace of the next couple of weeks
III. What we need to do before we leave tomorrow
IV. Thanksgiving Plans (Evan’s parents were over and we wanted to be sure we talked about when we would see them next, with them and the kids)
During Simon’s Worries we all discussed how overwhelming the trip is and to think about living in an RV for a year is just too long and makes us want to scream. Starting anything new can be scary and could make you want to scream. Simon and I went out on the balcony and screamed a really good long scream and felt better.
Talk calmly. Go outside and scream. Come back in and continue conversation. This is normal yes?
We then came inside and we all discussed how we were excited about the first couple of weeks.
Tomorrow we head out to Cooperstown to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Simon got all excited about seeing Babe Ruth’s bat and Grandpa told us all some stories about The Babe and Lou Gehrig.
So, we all decided that we would leave tomorrow as discussed but we will check in once we are in St. Louis next week and see how we are feeling. But then we remembered my mom, Mama Jo, is coming to meet us in Springfield and then there is the family reunion and we get to stay at Aunt Jackie and Uncle Paul’s house and they have a sneaky club house with a trap door and everything. So, we decided to just think about the trip up until then.
Phew. I like this idea too. 10 months in an RV is too long to think about. What is that old line? How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I have to say, I prefer a year in an RV to eating an elephant…
Simon was better today. During the day he decided to pitch the idea of making a cardboard box into a replica of our old house in London because he was feeling better. He drew a bundle of pictures to put up in the RV, even a picture of a Dream Eater that eats the bad dreams and puffs out beautiful dreams. I think I might need that picture above my head tonight to keep away the thoughts of lightening frying the RV.
But then this evening before dinner I found him in our bed quietly sobbing to himself saying he just couldn’t go on the trip at all. Evan overheard us chatting about his worries and suggested that after a dinner of pizza we could spend some time in the RV looking at all the cool storage boxes (always a crowd pleaser!) and then have a family meeting to discuss Simon’s feelings and to check in in general about the trip.
Simon perked right up – unsure if it was the pizza, the storage boxes, or the chance to be highlighted on the agenda. We have been holding Family Meetings pretty regularly for the past 5 years and Simon is very familiar with the format and to have your item first – with your name right on it – makes you feel special and that you are being heard. Isn’t that what we all want? To be heard? To be first on the agenda? Having your needs addressed?
Family Meeting Agenda
I. Simon’s Worries
II. Pace of the next couple of weeks
III. What we need to do before we leave tomorrow
IV. Thanksgiving Plans (Evan’s parents were over and we wanted to be sure we talked about when we would see them next, with them and the kids)
During Simon’s Worries we all discussed how overwhelming the trip is and to think about living in an RV for a year is just too long and makes us want to scream. Starting anything new can be scary and could make you want to scream. Simon and I went out on the balcony and screamed a really good long scream and felt better.
Talk calmly. Go outside and scream. Come back in and continue conversation. This is normal yes?
We then came inside and we all discussed how we were excited about the first couple of weeks.
Tomorrow we head out to Cooperstown to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Simon got all excited about seeing Babe Ruth’s bat and Grandpa told us all some stories about The Babe and Lou Gehrig.
So, we all decided that we would leave tomorrow as discussed but we will check in once we are in St. Louis next week and see how we are feeling. But then we remembered my mom, Mama Jo, is coming to meet us in Springfield and then there is the family reunion and we get to stay at Aunt Jackie and Uncle Paul’s house and they have a sneaky club house with a trap door and everything. So, we decided to just think about the trip up until then.
Phew. I like this idea too. 10 months in an RV is too long to think about. What is that old line? How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. I have to say, I prefer a year in an RV to eating an elephant…
Monday, 17 August 2009
36 hours until departure
Simon is so sad. He misses London so much. "Mommy, London is the only home I know. I miss our house. I am excited about the big adventure, but right now I am so sad."
Me too. I know this is the right thing to do and all the other intellectual self growth, chance of a life time blah blah blah along with it, but mostly I am tired of moving and we haven't even begun.
Simon took an empty cardboard box and excitedly suggested we could make a replica of our old house in the box. "That way we can take it with us all the time." Josh suggested we have a special Anniversary Day for the house so we can all tell each other things we remember.
We will do both suggestions. And look at pictures. And write letters to our friends on the street. But it still makes us sad.
I have always maintained that the kids would take their cues from Evan and me and that if we put on a brave face and make whatever trouble or trying time we are going through in to an adventure - they would rise us and all would be well.
But that leaves little room for lying in your seven year olds bed crying together.
Oops. I think I dropped my brave face.
But he is asleep now and tomorrow is another day.
My suggestion was that we need to make the RV more of a home...starting tomorrow. I can't call it the Big Pig anymore and expect that will make my kids feel like it is a nice place to call home. While it isn't really a "home" it will be the one thing that will remain constant in our lives over the upcoming 10 months.
Time to paint the walls, put up the art work, organize our blankets and stuffed animals and start thinking of the RV as our respite rather than a joke.
I guess this really is our life...for now.
Me too. I know this is the right thing to do and all the other intellectual self growth, chance of a life time blah blah blah along with it, but mostly I am tired of moving and we haven't even begun.
Simon took an empty cardboard box and excitedly suggested we could make a replica of our old house in the box. "That way we can take it with us all the time." Josh suggested we have a special Anniversary Day for the house so we can all tell each other things we remember.
We will do both suggestions. And look at pictures. And write letters to our friends on the street. But it still makes us sad.
I have always maintained that the kids would take their cues from Evan and me and that if we put on a brave face and make whatever trouble or trying time we are going through in to an adventure - they would rise us and all would be well.
But that leaves little room for lying in your seven year olds bed crying together.
Oops. I think I dropped my brave face.
But he is asleep now and tomorrow is another day.
My suggestion was that we need to make the RV more of a home...starting tomorrow. I can't call it the Big Pig anymore and expect that will make my kids feel like it is a nice place to call home. While it isn't really a "home" it will be the one thing that will remain constant in our lives over the upcoming 10 months.
Time to paint the walls, put up the art work, organize our blankets and stuffed animals and start thinking of the RV as our respite rather than a joke.
I guess this really is our life...for now.
Heading out letter
Dear Friends and Family!
It is Saturday afternoon the 15th of August. I am writing you from the green mountains of Vermont where we are now official residents, wear tie dye everyday and flash the peace sign as we drive past folks on the dirt roads. Evan and the boys are making blueberry jam from the buckets of blueberries we picked yesterday and we are listening to an interesting combination of Green Day, Weird Al and the Simpson’s Sing the Blues. I am sorting through lists, freaking out and eating chocolate.
We have had an action packed summer cleaning out our storage facility in Roswell, Georgia, road tripping up the East Coast, playing in Vermont at the Holiday House with a ton of fabulous friends who have helped up keep our sanity and taking care of the details for our Adventure Year! We are registered to vote, have new driver’s licenses, and the home schooling curriculum we put together is all approved by the VT Dept of Education. All our stuff (over 500 boxes from both the UK and Georgia) is in a storage facility in Framingham, Massachusetts. Don’t get me started on the stuff conversation.
We are getting into the RV this Wednesday the 19th of August – 4 days behind schedule. But wait a minute! Whose schedule are we on? We just revised the schedule. Never mind.
Our new home is a 30 foot Winnebago Itasca Impulse. We will be holding a Name the RV Contest on our website with the winner receiving a jar of the previously mentioned home made jam! Right now I keep calling it the Big Pig. Simon calls it Chuck. It clearly needs some help!
If you haven’t checked out our website and all our blogs lately – do so! www.familyadventureyear.com. At this point, the Web site also has a Calendar that is reasonably up-to-date with our itinerary through the end of 2009. We plan to update the 2010 itinerary in October. Evan still has not finished the integration with Flickr (for photo sharing) or the button that lets you see where we’ve been on a map. The Web site also shows where we are at any given point in time (Evan can update it from his Blackberry, but we’re not planning to update it more than once a day).
Our hope is to send out monthly updates to our Google Group email list (you can sign up on the left-hand side of our Web site). If you know someone else who wants to sign up, go to the left side of our Web site and enter the email address and then click the “Subscribe” button. If you're having trouble, send Evan an email at evan@familyadventureyear.com and he'll sign you up for it
Here are some blog highlights:
Homeless No More and RSVP Evan’s blog about the American South and the RV –with photos!
Notes Upon Reentry and 4 New Things Wendy’s Blog about coming back to the US with too many self absorptions.
Bromley Mountain and Turkeys – Simon’s blogs about life as a 7 year old
Penguins, Summer Camp and Poet William Cowper – Josh’s blogs about life as a 12 year old.
Peace, love, admiration, adoration and clean laundry to you all!
It is Saturday afternoon the 15th of August. I am writing you from the green mountains of Vermont where we are now official residents, wear tie dye everyday and flash the peace sign as we drive past folks on the dirt roads. Evan and the boys are making blueberry jam from the buckets of blueberries we picked yesterday and we are listening to an interesting combination of Green Day, Weird Al and the Simpson’s Sing the Blues. I am sorting through lists, freaking out and eating chocolate.
We have had an action packed summer cleaning out our storage facility in Roswell, Georgia, road tripping up the East Coast, playing in Vermont at the Holiday House with a ton of fabulous friends who have helped up keep our sanity and taking care of the details for our Adventure Year! We are registered to vote, have new driver’s licenses, and the home schooling curriculum we put together is all approved by the VT Dept of Education. All our stuff (over 500 boxes from both the UK and Georgia) is in a storage facility in Framingham, Massachusetts. Don’t get me started on the stuff conversation.
We are getting into the RV this Wednesday the 19th of August – 4 days behind schedule. But wait a minute! Whose schedule are we on? We just revised the schedule. Never mind.
Our new home is a 30 foot Winnebago Itasca Impulse. We will be holding a Name the RV Contest on our website with the winner receiving a jar of the previously mentioned home made jam! Right now I keep calling it the Big Pig. Simon calls it Chuck. It clearly needs some help!
If you haven’t checked out our website and all our blogs lately – do so! www.familyadventureyear.com. At this point, the Web site also has a Calendar that is reasonably up-to-date with our itinerary through the end of 2009. We plan to update the 2010 itinerary in October. Evan still has not finished the integration with Flickr (for photo sharing) or the button that lets you see where we’ve been on a map. The Web site also shows where we are at any given point in time (Evan can update it from his Blackberry, but we’re not planning to update it more than once a day).
Our hope is to send out monthly updates to our Google Group email list (you can sign up on the left-hand side of our Web site). If you know someone else who wants to sign up, go to the left side of our Web site and enter the email address and then click the “Subscribe” button. If you're having trouble, send Evan an email at evan@familyadventureyear.com and he'll sign you up for it
Here are some blog highlights:
Homeless No More and RSVP Evan’s blog about the American South and the RV –with photos!
Notes Upon Reentry and 4 New Things Wendy’s Blog about coming back to the US with too many self absorptions.
Bromley Mountain and Turkeys – Simon’s blogs about life as a 7 year old
Penguins, Summer Camp and Poet William Cowper – Josh’s blogs about life as a 12 year old.
Peace, love, admiration, adoration and clean laundry to you all!
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Major League Freak Out - Update
We are well on our way to solving a lot of the issues. Alright, Evan has solved a lot of the issues.
Our kids are registered as Home Schoolers for the State of Vermont. I have the official piece of paper! Why does an Official Piece of Paper make me feel so much better? Validation!
We both have VT drivers Licenses. Again, another piece of validation.
The RV is registered in VT.
We have a Vermont PO Box.
We are registered voters in VT.
I made the bed in the RV in the Target parking lot in Milbury, MA. And then took a nap…in the RV. In the Target parking lot. Strangely surreal and peaceful.
We have doctors appointments scheduled for Monday.
I have driven the Big Pig for over 200 miles. And I didn’t hit anything. Ran over a few curbs but that is to be expected. Backed it up down a long drive way. note to future self: look into changing careers to truck driver.
I have turned on the generator.
All of our guests are gone and we have 4 days to pack up and move out on to the road.
First stop: Middlesex, Vermont.
Our kids are registered as Home Schoolers for the State of Vermont. I have the official piece of paper! Why does an Official Piece of Paper make me feel so much better? Validation!
We both have VT drivers Licenses. Again, another piece of validation.
The RV is registered in VT.
We have a Vermont PO Box.
We are registered voters in VT.
I made the bed in the RV in the Target parking lot in Milbury, MA. And then took a nap…in the RV. In the Target parking lot. Strangely surreal and peaceful.
We have doctors appointments scheduled for Monday.
I have driven the Big Pig for over 200 miles. And I didn’t hit anything. Ran over a few curbs but that is to be expected. Backed it up down a long drive way. note to future self: look into changing careers to truck driver.
I have turned on the generator.
All of our guests are gone and we have 4 days to pack up and move out on to the road.
First stop: Middlesex, Vermont.
4 New Things - In One Day!
At 46 years old sometimes I am reluctant to try new things.
Quite frankly, at 46 years old there are not that many new things that present themselves in the course of a day to try.
At 46 years old I know the consequences of trying new things and, while I hate to admit it, I know that my body doesn’t bounce back as quickly in case the new thing I try doesn’t turn out as expected.
An incident involving a push scooter, a bottle of wine, an unexpected pothole, and a heroic save of a certain son on a promenade in Paris that ended badly still haunts me.
But then there was Thursday.
We were at Bromley Mountain in Southern Vermont. In the winter it is a lovely place to go skiing. In the summer for the past 30 years they have put up an Alpine Slide where you take the chairlift up the mountain and then throw yourself into a small cart on wheels to plummet your way down the mountain in a graphite chute to the tune of 30 miles per hour. But I have done the Alpine Slide for years –nothing new there.
Over the past 10 years or so they keep adding new, better, faster, more exciting things to do to entice the ADD crowd.
So here is what I did:
1. Space bike. I strapped myself in, with my trusty husband at my side, to a bicycle and got whipped around upside down on a circular track. Ride time – about 3 minutes. Recovery time – about 2 hours.
2. Rock wall. Sure I have seen these all over town. My kids have been to birthday parties where this was the activity. But for me? The harnesses alone are enough to turn me off. And the answer is, yes, your butt looks enormous in the rock climbing gear. But one of the benefits of 46 is is that I don’t care anymore. I climbed the wall! There were 4 options ranging in difficulty. I started at 1. Mastered on the first go. I continued up 2. Check. I thought about 3 but no! Saved by the bell. It was time to head up to the 3rd NEW THING of the day.
3. Sun Mountain Flyer
“It cost $1,000,000 to build. It soars as high as a five-story building. It approaches speeds of 50 MPH. At one-half-mile long, it’s the longest thrill ride of its kind in New England, one of only three on the east coast, and one of only ten in the world. It’s the Sun Mountain Flyer, the Sun Mountain Adventure Park’s new double-line ZipRider®, and it’s like no ride you’ve experienced, anywhere. Prepare to meet thy zoom!” – taken from the Web Site.
What this means is that you take the chair lift up. Climb a fire tower. Strap yourself into a diaper/chair thing with lots of hooks with the help of a mostly together, however slightly disinterested, 18 year old with assorted tattoos. And then they push you out the flap of a door so you can zip down the mountain, building up speeds to 50 miles an hour. It is fast, it is beautiful overlooking the Vermont valley, and not too scary. I felt like I was flying…until the end when the swing catches on a stopper, you get whipped up and flung back and poured out onto a platform. Ride Time - about 30 seconds. Recovery time - an hour.
And then…and then…
4. The Red Fox Inn. www.redfoxinn.com This old road house has been a steady friend over the past 15 years or so. It is a beautiful 1.2 mile walk from our Holiday House and in the summer is very casual. The bar serves food and kids are welcomed and on Thursdays it is Open Mic Night.
Do you see where this is going?
Honest, we didn’t know it was Open Mic Night until we got there. We sit up next to the stage, we talk with Mike the guitarist for the house band. The drummer Adam let the kids have a go on his drum kit. My husband, friend Mary from London, and the 4 kids encouraged me, rallied me. I couldn’t ignore the growing drum beat any longer. Mike gladly relinquished his guitar. Adam gave me a back up beat and I PLAYED PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON ON THE STAGE AT THE RED FOX INN! And the best part was that Simon did his interpretive dance as I played. Playing time – 5 minutes tops. Recovery time – 3 days and counting.
Phew. What a day.
Quite frankly, at 46 years old there are not that many new things that present themselves in the course of a day to try.
At 46 years old I know the consequences of trying new things and, while I hate to admit it, I know that my body doesn’t bounce back as quickly in case the new thing I try doesn’t turn out as expected.
An incident involving a push scooter, a bottle of wine, an unexpected pothole, and a heroic save of a certain son on a promenade in Paris that ended badly still haunts me.
But then there was Thursday.
We were at Bromley Mountain in Southern Vermont. In the winter it is a lovely place to go skiing. In the summer for the past 30 years they have put up an Alpine Slide where you take the chairlift up the mountain and then throw yourself into a small cart on wheels to plummet your way down the mountain in a graphite chute to the tune of 30 miles per hour. But I have done the Alpine Slide for years –nothing new there.
Over the past 10 years or so they keep adding new, better, faster, more exciting things to do to entice the ADD crowd.
So here is what I did:
1. Space bike. I strapped myself in, with my trusty husband at my side, to a bicycle and got whipped around upside down on a circular track. Ride time – about 3 minutes. Recovery time – about 2 hours.
2. Rock wall. Sure I have seen these all over town. My kids have been to birthday parties where this was the activity. But for me? The harnesses alone are enough to turn me off. And the answer is, yes, your butt looks enormous in the rock climbing gear. But one of the benefits of 46 is is that I don’t care anymore. I climbed the wall! There were 4 options ranging in difficulty. I started at 1. Mastered on the first go. I continued up 2. Check. I thought about 3 but no! Saved by the bell. It was time to head up to the 3rd NEW THING of the day.
3. Sun Mountain Flyer
“It cost $1,000,000 to build. It soars as high as a five-story building. It approaches speeds of 50 MPH. At one-half-mile long, it’s the longest thrill ride of its kind in New England, one of only three on the east coast, and one of only ten in the world. It’s the Sun Mountain Flyer, the Sun Mountain Adventure Park’s new double-line ZipRider®, and it’s like no ride you’ve experienced, anywhere. Prepare to meet thy zoom!” – taken from the Web Site.
What this means is that you take the chair lift up. Climb a fire tower. Strap yourself into a diaper/chair thing with lots of hooks with the help of a mostly together, however slightly disinterested, 18 year old with assorted tattoos. And then they push you out the flap of a door so you can zip down the mountain, building up speeds to 50 miles an hour. It is fast, it is beautiful overlooking the Vermont valley, and not too scary. I felt like I was flying…until the end when the swing catches on a stopper, you get whipped up and flung back and poured out onto a platform. Ride Time - about 30 seconds. Recovery time - an hour.
And then…and then…
4. The Red Fox Inn. www.redfoxinn.com This old road house has been a steady friend over the past 15 years or so. It is a beautiful 1.2 mile walk from our Holiday House and in the summer is very casual. The bar serves food and kids are welcomed and on Thursdays it is Open Mic Night.
Do you see where this is going?
Honest, we didn’t know it was Open Mic Night until we got there. We sit up next to the stage, we talk with Mike the guitarist for the house band. The drummer Adam let the kids have a go on his drum kit. My husband, friend Mary from London, and the 4 kids encouraged me, rallied me. I couldn’t ignore the growing drum beat any longer. Mike gladly relinquished his guitar. Adam gave me a back up beat and I PLAYED PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON ON THE STAGE AT THE RED FOX INN! And the best part was that Simon did his interpretive dance as I played. Playing time – 5 minutes tops. Recovery time – 3 days and counting.
Phew. What a day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)