We are hoping and praying that all goes well. So far, it seems we qualified for much more house than we need or want to finance, so we are going to take the middle road and do a tad more than we might need, yet still far below the amount the bank WISHES we would use.
There is always so much to do and I have been not feeling so great...will need surgery soon...that will be an issue, but I don't plan on letting it hold me back. I might be confined to bed rest for a couple of weeks, but that won't stop me from taking care of things I can tackle from bed.
Anyway, I wish the house would have been finished before I have the surgery, but this might work out perfect since I should be healed by the time I need to start painting, staining and polyurethaning! It is best for me to feel great so that I can be mobile and have fun making our dreams come true.
So, I thought I would make a list of all the things I will NOT miss with this year-plus of RV living! I will NOT MISS:
1) The small frost-filled refrigerator/freezer that is NOT conducive to living approximately 25 miles round-trip to the nearest grocery store.
2) The lack of a bathtub to soak sore muscles and aching bones or to ward off the Texas chill.
3) The three-burner stove-top dependent upon propane and without much room to use normal sized pots and pans. Why have three burners when you can hardly place the pots next to one another?
4) Not having a "bed-side" that I can WALK UP TO and actually SIT on the side of my bed without kissing the wall. Not having a "bed-side" that gives plenty of room for a side table to hold a lamp, books, my drink and such.
5) Not having privacy. I love my husband, but the closing of an RV pocket door still does not offer much privacy. When our kids come visit, we have the "courtesy" television noise that must be running as we take turns in the rest-room.
6) Not having a full-sized oven. I have not used a regular-sized lasagna pan or cookie sheet in over a year. Everything is mini-sized and this means that even making a batch of cookies will take numerous extra baking rounds instead of it being easier with large cookie sheets.
7) The air-conditioning in our RV has one main, powerful unit located in the ceiling of the living room area, yet the cool air goes to each room and area through ducted vents. However, the living room area has enormous air-conditioning racket that interferes with simple things, such as watching a movie.
8) I miss having all the extra counter space for food prep and cabinetry storage space for food and dishes, even though our RV has much more room than most RV's.
9) The closet space in our RV is much better than usual, but it still can't compare to a walk-in closet and my side of the closet is the most inaccessible. I think that each time I try to get something out of my closet, I take on the vocabulary of a sailor. It will also be wonderful to again have full-sized bed-side zones.
10) I hate carpet. It's a personal thing for me. There are areas of the RV that have carpet and it is simply stupid to have carpeting in an RV for people with our lifestyle, but it is difficult to find an RV without some carpeting. After the house is built, we will likely pull up all the carpet in this RV to either replace it for selling the RV or put down more linoleum "tiles." No matter...I can't stand carpeting for all the dirt, dog hair and grime it traps...no matter how much you vacuum, it's like throwing down a sweater and walking on it. Doesn't make sense to me. If I need a carpeted area...I will use a rug. Once we move out of the RV, I will be FREE from carpet!
11) BREAKER BOX keeps tripping because the electrical loads for RV's are not adequate for full-time living. I would LOVE to run the blow-dryer and the microwave at the same time. Because it creates so much trouble, I have literally gone over one year with rarely doing my hair beyond the "let it dry naturally curly" phase. One day, I will again have my bathroom zone with my blow dryer, my curling iron and my make-up ready for easy daily use. For now, I LOOK 100% country.
12) Oh how I miss having my washing machine and dryer inside the house instead of having to walk a good distance to an outdoor shed that may or may not have snakes or other critters inside. I won't miss having to carry baskets of clothes or walking with hung clothes as I try to dodge free-ranging chickens. Lately, Sgt. Dave has taken on the bulk of laundry-duty so keep me from carrying heavy loads or from doing too much as I await my surgery. Yet, this has been a LONG year of frustrating laundry duty. During the hot months, I step into the shed and the 130 degree temperature inside creates immediate sweating and the cold months or rainy weather make doing laundry extra unpleasant. I realize how spoiled we are in our organized lives that keep us from having to be outside for extended periods of time to wash our laundry.
13) I actually miss the activity that a full household requires and the space that a house offers with the cleaning chores being easier to handle because of the space. I have learned that the more crammed you are, the more difficult it is to maneuver around things. It is also confirmed that I am rather claustrophobic and there are times when I feel very thankful that I have all this acreage to explore and to enjoy. Since we still have an active life and a good-sized family, the extra-small space is not always practical, except for this limited time.
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| Stefanie, our youngest daughter visiting. |
14) It doesn't feel right to have to wash my "house" like a vehicle. Well, it is a vehicle, so it does have tires and it CAN go through an RV sized car wash, as soon as it is not being used as a full-time residence.
15) I can't wait to have guest bedrooms!
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| My niece Shaye staying for a visit. |
16) Soon, I will have an art room. Living in an RV means you must be creative with utilizing space for doing any kind of project.
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| Teaching my oldest daughter, Heather, to sew with the machine we gave to her for a birthday present. |
I do like these aspects of our RV for this phase of our lives:
1) Love the foot pedal toilet method of flushing --- hands free and brilliant!
2) The cocoon feeling that comes with being tucked into a comfortable space that is designed nicely.
3) I love the freedom that came with living in an RV so that we were not forced to rush into building our permanent residence on the acreage until we had been living on the land for a year and able to witness the changing seasons and the impact upon the land with heavy rains, etc. --- this is one positive aspect of living in an RV that carries great weight. I have indeed enjoyed this phase of our construction process.
4) I love that an RV can be as TEMPORARY AS YOU WANT IT TO BE!
Regardless, I still think that a manageable RV is fantastic for traveling and to be free from hotel rooms, especially if you enjoy being outdoors. However, I am very excited about finishing the process to get closed so that construction begins...then, the real fun begins!
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