Indoors and Outdoors

After reading, 10 Confessions of an Full Time RVer, http://www.doityourselfrv.com/full-time-rving-secrets/, I considered how many of these confessions were true of my family. One that surprised me was how much time we've been spending indoors. However, to contradict that, we are also spending so much more time outdoors.

Before we began, I thought for sure that we would spend all waking hours outside. That has just not been the case. For one thing, it is SO hot in the afternoon. We have a kiddie pool that we fill and wade in from time to time, but 99 and above temps start to drain you after awhile. Scott and I enjoy some cool evening air after the kids go to bed, but relaxing usually involves a DVD before bed. I can no longer send the kids outside in the morning when I clean up after breakfast. Not having a gate has created more problems than I anticipated. I am looking forward to the Fall for cooler temps and the Summer crowds to cut down on the traffic. I believe that will allow for more comfortable outdoor time.

While I am surprised that we are not outside as much as I had originally planned, we also do many more outdoor activities than when we were living in a house. We are still "camping" in the middle of the city, so outdoor activities involve a drive. Efforts to create quality family time is getting us out much more. We have been enjoying hikes and parks more in the last few months than we have living in Utah for several years. We also have the next move looming in the near future. I think we are feeling the "pressure" to experience the Salt Lake Valley and all that it offers before we leave.

It has been a interesting and surreal experience so far. There are many unexpected pros and cons to the lifestyle. Heber will offer new possibilities to explore the outdoors and to get to know the area.  I am excited about the first real move. I am sure the trial and error from that event will involve many learning opportunities as well as plenty to document.

All Kinds of Neighbors

    Ironically, the moment I set up a blog, I found myself too busy to write. Good news, the busyness has been all fun. We have new neighbors for a bit. They have 3 boys, and our little area has become the "happening" spot with 6 kids running around constantly. It was not too much of a surprise when management stopped by to ask for some clean up of our area. I saw that coming when it was just our family. We have been having a really good time.

    We know this is a rare moment. A moment to savor with our kids. While there are many families out there "living the dream," I don't anticipate having them as neighbors very often. 

    Shortly before we received the gift of a kid family as neighbors, there was a couple that pulled up next to us with a dog that was not kid friendly. We were warned immediately about the dog. Coincidentally, I had just read a post in a popular RV group about how inconsiderate it was for parents to let their children throw tantrums around other "campers." I was now faced with the problem of sharing a space with a couple that was obviously going to find my children annoying. I would be lying if the post on the RV group did not already have me hypersensitive to my kids and their behavior.

    While I  believe that neighbors in any situation (RV park or neighborhood) are going to have to compromise and figure out how to keep the harmony regardless of differences, I knew that if given the opportunity to move that I would have. However, moving was not an option. Therefore, I decided for the safety of my children and to allow a few days of vacation for the couple, the kids and I would just find things to do outside of the campground.  We had enjoyed our spot with little incident for many weeks, and this couple should be allowed a few days to enjoy it themselves (they were just as guarded and uncomfortable when the kids and the dog were outside at the same time). 

    The unfriendly dog situation gave me a bit of understanding of how I am affecting someone else's time, whether they have a brief vacation or making a stop on their full time RV adventure. Having to limit when and where my children could play outside certainly caused me some anxiety. It was no one's fault, just an unlikely and uncomfortable match. 

After my second long outing the next day, the neighbors did decide to cut their vacation short and head home early. Perfect timing to make room for our current family friendly neighbors. 

Making the best of a situation that I could not control or change worked out for the best. Really, better than I could have ever imagined.

Living Out of Bounds...

Romans 7:6

But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

This is the theme for our journey. We hope to have it added to our rig one day. 

I reached a few goals for the group that I set up on Facebook. Therefore, I am finally setting up a blog to continue sharing information and building relationships outside of Facebook. Although FB will still be used to communicate blog updates.

I hope to use this blog to share our journey with those that are desiring to live Out of Bounds themselves and share the highs and lows of the nomadic lifestyle. As well as keep family and friends updated with all that is going on with us. I also hope to improve my writing and story telling skills, so please feel free to critique and offer any helpful criticism. 

In the few weeks that we have been in our RV, building relationships became a goal that we did not expect to become a priority right away. However, this lifestyle proves to have a hint of communal living in it. I am excited for the relationships we have already built in a short time among our physical RV community as well as those in the cyber world that have helped us along the way. I hope that blogging will serve as another tool for growing those relationships as we all travel our personal journeys.