…thought work-free meant stress-free? That’d be me. Between personal issues, work-related issues, and now RV related issues, I find am dead wrong. Stress has been my middle name for the better part of the last week (or two?). I won’t get into the more personal things I’m facing, but this RV stuff is proving to be a bit more tricky than I previously thought.
We spent our first *official* night in the RV last night. Official = bed sheets, blankets, pillows, bathroom usage. The previous time we stayed in the RV was during our journey from dealer to inspection to parking spot. That time we slept for maybe 3 hours in a Wal-Mart parking lot, using a sleeping bag on top of the mattress. I don’t think that counts, but that is when we decided we have THE most comfortable RV mattress.
Our plan this time had been to head to the RV for an overnight trip, Friday (early afternoon) into Saturday (evening). We made an appointment with the local mechanic for Saturday morning to get all the fluids checked/changed, and possibly have the Propane tank inspected. We wanted to put up the kitchen tiles, change out some of the lights, start unpacking some clothes and organizing the closets, cabinets and drawers, as well as measure out some of the containers we bought for keeping things neat and tidy as we bounce along down highways. We definitely did not accomplish our plans, partly because we didn’t take into account how long certain things can (and will) take. This is what happened instead…
We headed up yesterday afternoon (planned to leave by noon, left by 4) after packing up 75% of the RV items we had ready to go. Once we got there, with traffic, it was nearly sunset. I fixed up the bed and squeezed into the closet to see if the hanging shelves would fit. I did not take into account that without batteries we can’t slide out the wardrobe, therefore we can’t get INTO the wardrobe. Whoops! Luckily, I was able to make it work. Paul worked on some electrical adjustments, and then the daylight left us. We managed to get a few other minor things done and then it was off to bed.
At this point, we were unsure if we would make it to the mechanic in the morning. Heavy rains were beginning, one of our windshield wipers needs replacing, and we forgot the RV specific GPS at home (figures!). Along with the heavy rains came a nice drop in temperature: Accuweather put us at 48 degrees Fahrenheit – feels like 44. As prepared as we were for sleeping arrangements and bed attire, we were not prepared for that (which actually reminds me of our second-ever camping trip when the temperature dropped to the low 40s and we were in a tent, sleeping bag for one with an extra blanket…did not turn out well!). This time around we had two blankets, but no real comforter. Our RV comforter has yet to make it to the cleaners, so we had a very chilly night.
Once we woke up and got moving (not easy in a very cold RV), we decided to postpone the mechanic to next weekend and work on whatever we could as the rain pelted down. In addition to this change in plans, we also had our little Beagle with an upset tummy. That’s always fun. 😦 Our first order of business was to take off the wallpaper border in kitchen area and put up the Peel & Stick tiles we bought. Honestly, I hadn’t thought of how long this might take, but I definitely didn’t think it would take as long as it did. Which was around 7 hours. And we didn’t even finish. I’m not even sure which part of the application took the longest: cleaning the walls, cutting the tiles to fit around window, outlet, and stove top range, or the act of putting the tiles up. Once our frustration levels were met and our bellies were rumbling, we decided to call it quits and finish during the next visit. Enter next problem…
After cleaning up the mess we made, I started to pack up and load our things into the car. When I came back in, Paul had discovered a leak in the bedroom. We think it is coming from the ladder mounts on the roof, but obviously can’t be sure without some investigating. Unfortunately, no investigating can happen during a nice rainstorm, especially when our tolerance levels had already been topped off. He also noticed some water leaking around the back window, and that some of the wood border at windowsill base had been saturated. Very disappointing considering our goal is to leave in a week. We left the RV frustrated and spent.
But our journey didn’t end there! We stopped to grab some food, ate in the car with Pookie…and then my car battery died. Luckily Paul had brought his portable jump starter for the trip, so while we had to jump my car in the rain, it was much more convenient than it could have been. We arrived home by 9pm. It definitely felt like a much longer time than just one overnight.
I needed some time to unwind, but after a shower and some downtime, we agreed on a game plan for moving forward. We’re not going to rush to get things done in a week so we can hop on the road. We’re just going to get things done. One thing at a time, with minimal stress and no rushing. I’ve already begun (in my mind) revamping our travel plans to accommodate a more chill, stress-free route, which will allow us to see less but enjoy more. The whole point of this excursion is to enjoy ourselves, so it’s necessary to make it as simple as possible. And we’ll take care of the big necessities now, and anything less important can be done on the road. Leaks are first priority, along with fluid changes and battery installation. The homemaking and ambiance will be done step by step, and eventually it will become exactly what we’re aiming towards. No stress. No rushing. On second thought, that is top priority.
More to come! As always, thanks for visiting!! ❤
Raising LeBar 