May 3, 2019.
Okay, so I don’t write on here as often as I thought I would leading up to this ~announcement~
Ideally, I had planned on building a solid “repertoire”, if you will, of posts to give you, our newest viewer, a better idea of what it is we’re doing and why we’re doing it.
SO, all five (5) of those posts will have to do the trick and I’ll just catch you up along the way.
For those who might not know, I suppose now is as good of a time as any to tell you:
We’re leaving!
About 9 months ago, my boyfriend, Devon, and I really did the unthinkable and bought a teardrop trailer together! and now…drum roll… we’re going cross country!
Well, around-country because we’re going North first, but nonetheless…
After much debate about when to leave, we figured waiting out our lease was our best financial options, though we’ve been eager to leave since the moment we bought it!
SO HERE WE ARE MAY 3 AND THE LEASE ENDS JUNE 31!!! LETS GOOO!!!!
Ok ok ok regroup.
Our first trial run was a one-night stay at the Colonies RV and Travel Park in Fort Monroe, just one exit before the Hampton-Roads Bridge Tunnel.
Y’all.
That one night alone… (referring to both the 48 hours we spent and our own solitude at the park)…
Within 2 hours, we had packed (clothes, kitchen supplies, bathroom supplies, the canopy, everything), hooked the trailer up for the first time, and were out the door. Where we were camping is essentially a long strip. On the strip you’ll find Oozlefinch Brewery, Fort Monroe National Monument, Paradise Ocean Club, and our campground. Most of our day was spent between sampling a number of beers at Oozlefinch and wandering through Fort Monroe. The best part I think though, was being able to take a nap in the middle of the day and NOT feel like I had wasted time.
? ? Did you hear me ? ?
I said we spent the afternoon at a BREWERY and a FORT…..TOOK A NAP, and then went BACK to the brewery!! …and did not regret it one single bit.
We were only 20 minutes away, but as far as we were concerned, we were on the other side of the planet.
For dinner, we picked and split a few dishes from Nosh, a food truck parked at Oozlefinch. You heard it here first:
Do what you have to do to find their truck and try the beet-pickled deviled eggs.
Let’s take a brief intermission now for a moment. Because even in my own head i’m thinking “cha-ching….cha-ching…..cha-ching” with each one of those things I listed that we did.
3 words that can get you out of anything (within reason) one day of the year only:
“It’s my birthday.”
😉
hahaha no but really, it was my birthday so we splurged a little; we are more than fully aware that we cannot have money-spending days like that all the time.
When we woke up 2 mornings later back in our apartment, the first thing we talked about was how the bed in the trailer is definitely comfier than ours.
The second was this:
We were ready.
Absolutely, whole-heartedly, totally and utterly ready to have days like that forever.
Orrrrr maybe just until we run out of money. Which ever comes first.
But in all seriousness…Just you watch… This trip is about to be AMAZING. Life in the wilderness is so much better than I could have imagined. (Me? in the “wilderness”? it’s okay, I audibly laughed, you can too.)
Now don’t get me wrong, we definitely had a few hiccups and still have some things to work through…
The first time, we brought the canopy structure but forgot the canopy top itself…Awesome.
Present day, we still don’t own a portable toilet…perfect.
Solar panels? need.
Have we figured out how we’re packing the car? ehhhh. sure. give or take.
My point is, we had a lot of things to figure out when we started this. Now, we have exponentially less; STILL QUITE A FEW THINGS TO DO but nonetheless, exponentially less.
Anyways, I digress.
Our big adventure, the true test, was taking the trailer to Something in the Water, a 3 day music festival in Virginia Beach.
Okay, now when I say camping in the trailer at Fort Monroe was fun, it was. Definitely top 10 favorite days. But the 3 days camping for Something in the Water? now that….
THAT was craaaaaazy fun.
We were excited to set everything up again, put some of my birthday presents to use for the first time, and relax for 3 days straight. But I’ll tell you, the real excitement comes from that refreshing feeling you get when you open the door to the crisp air for the first time each morning or the familiar “I’m home”- feeling you get when you approach your campsite after a long day out… Those are things you don’t expect to yearn for each day.
We were having such a good time being at our new home that we honestly could have just stayed at the campground all weekend if we didn’t already have tickets for the festival. Friday, for instance, things with the festival were very back and forth because of the severe thunderstorms that were making their way to the coast. The festival was supposed to start at 2pm, but after a number of delays, getting absolutely WRECKED by the storm, Devon and I were standing in line to get in for the third time. (Note: Yes, it was still slightly raining and we did have rain jackets). I don’t remember who said it, but one of us said, “I’d rather be at the campsite.” 10 minutes later we were in an Uber home. The timing was perfect because by time we got home and settled, the rain still drizzling outside, the festival had been cancelled for the night.
In a few words, we were exactly where we wanted to be.
We spent that night enjoying the warm weather with a few beers, the slight drizzle, and a small fire a few feet away.
One week later, nine weeks closer.
The countdown begins.
See you in June, y’all!!
j&d
WE WENT THERE 