It's Been Awhile

 WARNING: This blog contains my thoughts and opinions, nothing more. It is a blog that I decided to write because writing about my experiences sounded like fun, and it is good to write. :) I do not claim to be an expert or to have everything exactly correct. These are just my experiences and what I think, as I said. On that note, my grammar won't always be perfect either. Have fun reading! 

Wow, guys! I got busy and sad with life. I mean, things with glamping are good and fine, but I miss my friends and family back in AL and FL. That is the hardest part of being a military spouse so far. The fact that my husband can deploy for whenever for however long, with me hearing or not hearing from him for however many days, and me being away from everyone that would comfort me or distract me. More on that later.

I wanted to tell you one of my favorite purchases made living in a small camper. It is a collapsable ottoman that stores all of my usable electronics and serves as a coffee table, footrest, and desk. It has served me better than anything else I have purchased when adapting to camper life. I bought it on Amazon (TM). When I eventually get a larger camper to help when my family is extended, it will continue to be in use somewhere. Another fantastic purchase for camper living is the shed my husband and I got off of Amazon (TM) as well. The shed has helped with taking away the stress from where things can fit and my husband and I fighting over where things can fit. It is another must. We put it together, which was fun and helped bring us closer as well. It’s important that you make sure it is okay to have a shed at your campsite and what kind of shed is allowed before purchasing. Not every campground has the same rules. 

So, I promised a talk of how my husband and I went from Panama City, FL to San Diego, CA. I also said I would speak of the campgrounds and areas we stayed in. Well, I will. However, for this blog, I will simply mention all of the areas we stayed without rating or naming campgrounds yet. We stayed in New Orleans, LA, Glen Rose, Tx, Amarillo, TX, Santa Fe, NM, Grand Canyon, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, and finally, San Diego, CA. Now, we have stayed at a few places in San Diego since my last blog, and I’ll get to them as well. 

So sorry this post is short, but I started late…and well, 

Until the next glamp post! It’s quiet hours.  🤫

Playing Tetris (TM)

WARNING: This blog contains my thoughts and opinions, nothing more. It is a blog that I decided to write because writing about my experiences sounded like fun, and it is good to write. :) I do not claim to be an expert or to have everything exactly correct. These are just my experiences and what I think, as I said. On that note, my grammar won't always be perfect either. Have fun reading! 

 

Goodness, we moved again yesterday. After being stationary for a month, we were not as good at the pack-up and move thing. It took us a bit longer, and we were somewhat sloppy. However, we got here safe and sound. I do really love this campground too. It’s pretty, and there is plenty to do while the husband is off at work and I’m biding my time until my next work session. I only work part-time, and the hours can be scattered. 

Anywho, back to how I organized. I’ll tell you about where we stopped and my thoughts on the campgrounds later in the blog. So, I did go on Pinterest (TM) to find some organizing ideas, and I also used Google (TM) to find different suggestions on how to organize a camper. I will say they had some great suggestions, but my husband and I decided not to mount anything to the walls. He nor I want to put holes in anything since we are already planning our next camper. 

“What?! I thought you just got this camper!” We did. However, when we start having children, this 22.5-foot camper will not be enough. There is no room for a child and all of us. Some of you are probably like, “What if you didn’t have the dog?” Well, getting rid of the pup is never going to happen - she is my first baby. Plus, that still wouldn’t work...now, if I got rid of the husband...lol JK! 🤣 I would never! Plus, who will help kill the spiders when I am too freaked out, and who will help with the packing and moving of the camper? A baby can’t do that! Goodness. And, yes, I also love him too much. So, everyone stays, which means a new camper will be necessary. 

I did think it was funny when the hubby was like, “We can keep this camper while the kid is still young.” I’m like, “And, where do you suggest we put a crib? In the middle of the living room? We’d have to climb on the couch to get around. Plus, when we cook, the baby might get splashed with grease. Outside? Yeah, because I’m sure it’s a good idea to leave the baby outside all day.” Everyone else said, “You can get a bassinet!” Let me clarify, I do not have an issue with a bassinet. I just want a crib as well that turns into a bed for when the kid gets older...okay. I may sound a little snooty, but that’s what I want. 

Back on track. Many of the ideas for organizing on Pinterest (TM) and Google (TM) involved mounting. So, I only found a few things I could really incorporate. I bought those tension rods because they showed people using them to separate their pots and pans for better organizing. Well, I kinda used it like them, but honestly, they got in the way more than anything because of the way our camper is. My husband would get frustrated and always knock it down. I got tired of putting it back up. Then, I thought I could use it to keep the cups from falling off the racks I bought. However, it would fall down or get in the way as well. Needless to say, I bought one pack of tension rods, and currently, I am not using any of them. So, I cannot recommend them, but then again, you may have better luck. Instead, I’m just careful with my cups (all nonbreakable anyways), and I use the pot protector things and just stack up the pots in the cabinet. 

Some other organizing things I bought are the racks that you can get at Walmart (TM). I do recommend these. I got a set of three, and I am using all three. One goes in the bathroom linen closet. I have the towel on top of it and the wash rags/kitchen rags below it. One is in the cabinet above the sink. The bowls go on top of it, my plates go under it, and my cups fit beside it. The other is in the cabinet under the sink. I put some cleaning tools and extra cookware under it while sitting a small, plastic, three-drawer container from my classroom on top of it. I also love the plastic because I put more small kitchen stuff in there, and I have one plastic in the linen closet in the bathroom, too, that I put small extra bathroom stuff in. All of these are very useful. Not only did I get the set of three, but I also bought a set of two that I use as well. And, guess what, I got a pull-drawer, double tier spice rack as well. Again, a great purchase because I can easily pull the drawers toward me and reach the spices I put in the back. I do suggest getting the gripping drawer liner stuff and using it in all your cabinets and drawers because I feel it helps stop things from sliding around. I even set it on top of the racks too! 

Anywho, those are just a couple of things I got that helped me organize my camper, but I will tell you more! No worries.       

Until the next glamp post! It’s quiet hours.  🤫

Let the Awesomeness Slide-Out <--haha

WARNING: This blog contains my thoughts and opinions, nothing more. It is a blog that I decided to write because writing about my experiences sounded like fun, and it is good to write. :) I do not claim to be an expert or to have everything exactly correct. These are just my experiences and what I think, as I said. On that note, my grammar won't always be perfect either. Have fun reading! 

Hey again! So, yah. In the last post, you saw a picture of what the inside of the camper looked like at one of our first stops from FL to CA. If you've used an RV with a slide-out before, you definitely understand the reason it was as messy and piled as it was. If you haven't had a camper with a slide-out, then I'll tell you why it looked that way. 

So, slide-outs are a beautiful thing. They give you so much more space inside of your camper...like tons! That's how it feels anyway. The issue is that the space doesn't stay there when you need to move the camper. It would be pretty dangerous to drive down the road with a slide-out...out. I mean, if you were going to attempt it, you'll probably need a wide load sign and one of those lead vehicles to warn people. Also, I don't know if you'll be well balanced...so yah. Anywho, before you move, you must slide the slide-out back in. There goes that "extra" space. This is why everything was crammed on the one side in the photo and why the couch, as well as the bed, were piled.

Did you drive with your dog in the camper?!!! No. She rode in the truck...and no not the back back of the truck! Remember, this pup is spoiled. She rode in the back seat, but not on the seat. Oh no. She rode in her bed in the back seat. She was plenty comfy. And man, her bed is huge. 

Anyways, even though the slide-out can't stay out...I still love it. You just want to pack with the slide-out completely in so you don't overestimate the room you have. Oh, and you know how I said we had to keep dwindling down our stuff. That really hasn't stopped. I mean, when organizing the camper, you find things that work, don't work, and things you want to help make it work better. You also just end up getting new things you want. So, we add and subtract...math! Though, we really add more...which is a problem. Get it? Hahaha...okay.

Guess where our stuff goes when we run out of room in the camper? We start keeping things in our vehicles. Though, when we started the trip, we already had quite a bit of vehicle-designated items, but now we have more! Yay! 🥳

Seriously, I wish we would've/can get rid of more because the less we have, the easier it would be. However, I don't want to give up anything else. He doesn't want to either...we're still a little too materialistic. We both have a suitcase of clothes we couldn't fit in the camper in each of our vehicles. 

Time for a con: our camper does not have a legit closet, and I didn't realize how much I'd want one. Most campers (like ours) come with a shirt closet. And guess what, that's all that actually fits! Jackets are too big unless you're cool with only having like two items in your closet. Dresses are too long and some shirts are too long. Anything too long bunches up at the bottom of the closet. What also doesn't make sense is how deep the closet is, but you can't get to anything in the back because your shirts are in the way! I did stuff my games in the back, but only because we don't really play them. My husband isn't as into board and card games as I am. We haven't even taken them out once.

Back to it, so yah, the closets are tiny and thin. If you look back at that photo, they are the little cabinets on each side of the bed. If the closet just went all of the way down instead of having all that bedside space, then it would be a bit better because I could hang my dresses. Also, my husband cannot fit his uniforms in there...so that's awful. But goodness, isn't the design pretty? I love it - pro. 

So, next time, I'll give you some more pros and cons probably as well as some ways I tried to organize that do and do not work 😅. 

Until the next glamp post, it's quiet hours. 🤫

Reducing and Deducing

WARNING: This blog contains my thoughts and opinions, nothing more. It is a blog that I decided to write because writing about my experiences sounded like fun, and it is good to write. :) I do not claim to be an expert or to have everything exactly correct. These are just my experiences and what I think, as I said. On that note, my grammar won't always be perfect either. Have fun reading!

Try not to judge the picture above too harshly. The place is a mess in the photo because we were driving cross country and constantly moving every other day. We couldn't really settle. However, it is a small space too, so it isn't usually neat even when we have been settled, haha.  

“Excuse me, but you were being too loud during quiet hours and so I’m going to have to ask you to read quietly,” said the teacher, maybe? If you read loudly, I hope you include differing voices and put on a show! I wonder what you think I sound like? Hmmmmm. 

Anyways, I told you that I’d get into how much my husband and I didn’t argue when we were deciding what goes in the camper, what goes in the storage unit, what gets donated, and what gets thrown away. I hope you know I am being sarcastic. Arguments definitely ensued. I mean, we don’t have a large storage unit, nor do we have a large camper. Things had to go. My husband was convinced that those things were my things…(emoji). Honestly, we both did pretty well and the arguments were never that bad. I would say they were more passionate disagreements with backing evidence. 

Originally, I had already been narrowing down the things I owned because we didn’t have enough room for it all in our condo either. Then, we thought we were going to be staying in a hotel room for a while, so I got rid of even more things. My husband got rid of 1 bag to my 10. I felt like I was doing a good job, but he’d always say I still had too many clothes or shoes or piles of old packets from each year of teaching that I continuously think I am going to use again, but most the time never do. So, needless to say, with our 1:10 ratio, I was getting upset. 

When we got the 22.5 foot camper, we both knew that we had to figure out more so of what stays and what goes. In the beginning, we planned to keep the TV along with others things and have them shipped to our new location once we figured out where to live. Well, why have a TV sit in storage for however many years gathering dust and moisture? That didn’t make sense, and it was too big to fit in our camper. Basically, it was the TV or the dog, and the dog won. 

No worries! The dog was always coming. I’m a good dog mom! 

So, the TV became part of the sell pile. Many other things that neither of us planned to get rid of ended up being part of that pile. We’d both look at something and be like, “Why don’t you sell it?” He was much better at letting go than I. 

Finding things to relocate was much easier in the beginning than it was as time progressed. It’s when you filled up storage and the camper, but there are still things left that you want is when it gets tricky. Let me just say, the storage unit was already full of junk that I would’ve gotten rid of if I had more time to go through it all and reorganize, but I did not. So, we had to choose between things we still had out. I say we, but my husband got to keep nearly everything he wanted. Mainly because there wasn’t a lot, but they were all BIG items!!! I mean, a longboard, a surfboard, a kiteboard, a grill, and a large rolling tool chest took up lots of room in there already! Not that I didn’t want those items, but they are his, not mine. This means, I had less room for my stuff. 

As it got closer to our move date and we were out of room, I began regoing through things to decide what I really wanted and needed. At this point, my husband claimed to have nothing left to go through or toss. Well, I pulled out all of the things he hadn’t gone through, and he soon realized there was a bit. On top of that, he wanted to add more to the camper. After he told me many times that I had too many things and needed to get rid of more, he soon realized the same was for him. Aha! Justice!

We eventually got everything narrowed down and in, but it wasn’t without me having some crying or silent and angry moments. I mean, 1:10 people, and yet he had the audacity to say I need to get rid of more and didn’t even say how well I was doing on how much I did narrow down. It was never enough. I let him know that he needed to also let me know how well I’ve done in getting rid of what I had instead of just telling me that it wasn’t enough all of the time because I already moved into his place and had to get rid of so many of my things in doing so. Yes, I went back to the beginning of our relationship to remind him of how much I have done. Apparently, we women are good at bringing up the past to make points and stings. Well, this wasn’t to sting, but it was to make a point. 

My hubby is a great hubby, though. He apologized and acknowledged my hard work. Then, he was smart and didn’t say anything more that day about me needing to find more things to lose. 

Phew! That was quite a lot about nothing. Don’t worry, it’ll get more interesting. I’ll talk about the pros and cons of the camper, our travels, and etc. as this blog continues. 

 Until the next glamp post, it’s quiet hours. 🤫

The Mallard (TM)

WARNING: This blog contains my thoughts and opinions, nothing more. It is a blog that I decided to write because writing about my experiences sounded like fun, and it is good to write. :) I do not claim to be an expert or to have everything exactly correct. These are just my experiences and what I think, as I said. On that note, my grammar won't always be perfect either. Have fun reading!

Welcome back to my blog. So, when I ended my post yesterday, you may have been wondering, “What does she mean quiet hours? I’m a grown adult. I can make all the noise I want until the cops tell me to quiet down.” Well, if you want to stay at a campground, there are rules which include following the quiet hours. Campgrounds vary on their quiet hours, so you better pay attention. Also, having courtesy is nice because these RV spots aren’t exactly that far from each other. You don’t want to end up being “those neighbors,” am I right? 

Don’t I just seem like a pro acting all knowledgeable about this glamping stuff? Oh, did you think I was? Yes! The ruse has worked! 

I am by no means a pro. I am learning. I just started looking into this stuff in June of this year! If you’re hoping for some fantastic high-knowledge pointers on the best brands and instructions on everything to do as if I were the Camp Host of all glamping, this blog isn’t really going to help you. However, if you’re looking for some entertainment with things I find out about glamping along the way, well, this is perfect!   

I do want to give you a little 411 on the camp host thing as I did on the quiet hours because I did find out some awesome information. So, quickly, a camp host lives on the grounds and works 15-30 hours a week (this varies on the campground). They are in charge of showing people around, keeping the peace, and usually, keep things clean (like the bathroom). That’s all I really know because I have never done it. What is cool, though, and why I really want to do it, is that they LIVE on the grounds for free and for however long and only work 15-30 hours a week!  

Did you say free? Yes. Yes, I did. At least, many places offer this - not every place. How great is that, though? It covers the stay and electricity without a constant move-out date. 

If you didn’t know, many RV parks have a limit as to how long you can stay with them. You might only be able to stay 14 days, or you might be able to stay for 6 months (they vary). Then, you have to leave for however long before you can come back. There are some parks that actually allow you to live there however long, but they are few. As the person in my relationship who does not drive the tow vehicle and has never towed anything in their life, moving becomes very complicated since my husband can be deployed whenever for however long. This is why I would like to be a camp host and why I think they are so cool! Plus, I just love being sociable and helping others, and I don’t mind cleaning. 

Wow, this post feels ultra educational. I guess the teacher in me is still making it out in this blog, haha. 

Okay, so back to it. We decided to look at campers in person officially. We took that next step. First, we were thinking of buying used because we could save money. Well, after viewing some, we decided that a used camper might not be what we want...plus, there is this whole thing where many RV parks will not allow you to stay there if your trailer is over 10 years old. Crazy, right? It’s true. So, we decided on new and went to our local RV store. Sometimes you gotta spend more, in the beginning, to save more in the long run. We did the math before jumping in; no worries. 

Man, we looked at quite a few amazing campers, but many were for fun because we weren’t ready to tow anything over 25 feet as newbies! No way! Plus, the hubby always reminds me that the truck is only a 1500. Apparently, that’s not big enough to pull something large, but the truck sure looks big! I just went with what he said, though. He is definitely more knowledgeable on all that. 

Well, a camper under 25ft definitely narrowed the search. We had a choice of like 5, but we knew the one we wanted almost immediately. It was so aesthetically beautiful and had a layout that I really liked, and the husband liked the bathroom! Win! So, we thought about it for a day and decided to get it. Honestly, it’s a good camper, but we probably should have done some more homework because there are things that drive me crazy and do not make any sense, but mostly, it is perfect for right now. 

Our camper is a 2021 Mallard (TM) that’s 22.5 feet long. Perfect for a couple, but it can be rough with the dog and our somewhat materialistic tendencies.  We’ll get into how the narrowing down of everything we own went and the beautiful time it was….hahahaha.... 

Until the next glamp post, it’s quiet hours. 🤫

The Spoiled Dog

WARNING: This blog contains my thoughts and opinions, nothing more. It is a blog that I decided to write because writing about my experiences sounded like fun, and it is good to write. :) I do not claim to be an expert or to have everything exactly correct. These are just my experiences and what I think, as I said. On that note, my grammar won't always be perfect either. Have fun reading! 

A crazy couple of years, am I right? Well, I added to some of the crazy even more so by deciding to live for a while in a camper with my husband and our dog. Okay, maybe it's not that crazy, but the rent prices in CA are, and that's why we thought RVing would be a better option. And you know what? I've really been enjoying it.

Let's start from the beginning. I'm Cherry.  

"Wow! Is that your real name?" said all of the people I meet when I introduce myself as such. 

No. It's a nickname. Anywho, my husband is in the military, and we found out it was time to pack up and move. Well, this year has been especially hard for doing that with the lack of workers (mover shortage) and housing prices/shortages. However, we still always intended to just find an apartment or stay on base, but then we got to thinking about the drive from the far East to the far West. I mean, that's a long drive, especially with a Husky. 

Now, the dog is who we should thank for camping to be more fiscally responsible. We all know how the train of thought can get complicated. That is especially true for me. 

Train of Thought:  

"Choo! Choo! All aboard!"

We have a dog. Is the lodge dog-friendly? No. Okay, we need to find somewhere else to stay that's Husky friendly, close to the base, safe, and affordable. Many hours of searching with hardly any options because property owners don't like dogs - more specifically, Huskies for some reason. What is up with that? They aren't aggressive! I mean, yeah, I know there are other factors, but still. 

Okay, some good options, but hubby says to find something cheaper if I can…@(#($+&+#!!! Not many options. So, hubby says to stop looking at places for now. Okay 😢. 

Instead! Let's focus on how to get to the next location. We have to drive both vehicles if we want to keep them. Yes, we wanted to keep them. And, we still have a dog that is my baby. Let's look for pet-friendly hotels! 

Wow, if you haven't looked, there aren't many options. I mean, you have some 2-star hotels that got bad ratings due to not being sanitary or 4-star hotels that charge 50+ a night for a dog. I don't know how you'd feel about those options, but we weren't ecstatic. 

So, let's cut back some costs with camping along the way! It seemed like an amazing and fun idea. However, the more we thought about it, the more we realized it was not. Think about it, a Husky without A/C camping in mostly deserts during the summer. We realized it would be evil of us and chose to think of something else.

In passing, my husband said, "What about getting a camper? It would make the drive easier for Artemis [our dog - she's named after the goddess of the hunt], and we could stay in it temporarily." However, he said this with amusement in his voice, so I didn't take him seriously.

For the next few nights, he began watching many camper videos. I didn't notice that was what he was watching at first until one night when I watched a little with him. Then, he asked if I wanted to seriously look at campers. So, I did 😁. All thanks to Artemis being our spoiled baby and our desire to be financially responsible. Gooooo us!!! I wish I had a pom-pom emoji, haha. 

*\(..)/* <-my pom-pom attempt

*End train of thought* 

So, yah. Now we're in a camper, and I plan to tell you all about it. Until the next glamp post, it's quiet hours.  😶