Full Circle and Fresh Start

From Port Angeles to Spokane WA there are two steep grades on I-90 that we would have to drive before making it home. We’d gotten the truck brakes checked at Les Schwab along with getting the trailer brakes checked and the bearings packed before we left Vancouver, WA.

I’ve had such a fear that the brakes would fail us in our last leg of traveling, especially after the smoking brake incident. In my mind those mountains were the only things keeping us from making our travels complete and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. To my surprise they weren’t as bad as I had imagined, especially after some of the previous passes we encountered during our travels.

 

After cresting the last steep hill I started looking through music on my I-tunes and almost every song that I played seemed to be about coming home, the feeling of being home and going home.

There are so many songs that talk about home, if you only listen to the words. In every ounce of my being it felt so right and wonderful.

Finally tears of joy… The elephant that’s been sitting on my chest for the last 5 months was gone and I could finally breath. The smile on my face was no longer forced, the feelings of relief were real, and we were really going home!

 

As happy as I was, to my surprise there wasn’t a parade for us when we arrived into town. Driving through Medical Lake I waved to strangers on the road, imagining they were cheering for us returning home, knowing what a long way we’ve come. I asked the guys, “where’s our welcoming committee? Why wasn’t there a parade for us?” No sooner had I stopped laughing at my own joke and we were back at our house to drop off some clothes and out came our neighbors to say Hello. There was “TLO” The Loud One standing in his usual spot, watching our every move, rocking back and forth, leaning on his cane, sporting a scruffy beard that he must’ve grown over the winter. Our music blaring, story-telling, hitch hiking neighbor (who we’ve befriended) kindly offered his yard for us to park in until our renters moved. Last but not least, the trailer dweller next door, who lacks in hygiene and teeth, and exceeds in foul language, came out to welcome us back. Ugh. We did have a welcoming committee, just not they way we would’ve liked. Oh well. We couldn’t stand it before we left, are able to laugh about it now and will hopefully somehow learn to embrace the differences and live in some kind of harmony… Only time will tell with that one! Once again, life is definitely a trade off.

 

Until our little house comes available, we are snuggled into an RV park called Alderwood RV Resort here in Mead, WA.

I am not joking when I say snuggled. The sites are so narrow; you are either kissing a tree with your RV slides on one side or doing it as you come out the door on the other.

They must not have had slides in RV’s when this place was designed.

They were kind enough to let us double dip (us both staying in the same site) and it is really a cute set up with their landscaping and indoor pool. It’s not too shabby at all.

We also have a couple other perks with staying here, one being that there is a huge empty lot back behind the RV Park where the dogs are able to run once again. The other fated blessing is a Snap fitness right next door. As I had mentioned previously, we’ve put on a few extra pounds.. We are both at our highest weight either of us have ever been. We’ve decided to do something about it. As of Monday March 31, 2014, eating right and exercising will become our new way of living, a new and different lifestyle.

We bought the book Choose to Lose by Chris Powell, who we love watching on Extreme Weight Loss and always feel so inspired by their stories and his passion for others transformations. We are both looking at loosing at least 30 lbs each and are super excited to get started.

 

 

Now that we’ve come full circle, at our last destination I can tell you how I really feel… GRATEFUL! I am so glad to be alive, to be here, to no longer be out on the road. I am finally beginning to feel like myself again, but wiser for the experience. Since October, when we left I’ve felt like I was running cross-country wearing full snorkeling gear, flippers and all.

 

I had visions of myself feeling carefree and soaking up every experience living this RVing lifestyle. I thought I was going to be this bright shining light and flourish in the entire adventure. Truth be told, I totally shut down, experienced feelings of anxiety and had panic attacks. I would cry about the littlest thing, days of travel and planning became the most dreaded feelings. The longer we traveled the less I felt like myself, the more disconnected I became with anyone around me. No matter what I wanted to feel, think and do I couldn’t make myself be how I wanted. It has been a humbling and difficult time for me, and I now completely accept that I am a girl who likes to be in one spot and visit places in a CAR and stay in a HOTEL! The ideals of oneself and the truths are not always joined… definite note to self on that one. After all this let me just say, praise the Lord for this dream!

 

Never will we wonder what full time RVing is like. We wont be planning on this lifestyle when we’re old and grey. We unloaded lots of material things that we didn’t need. After living in this small of a space, moving into the little house will feel huge! No longer is Mitch working at the Prison. We all got to make memories together, and Mitch and Papa have a closer relationship for it. We met such wonderful people. The dogs got to enjoy beaches near and far, something that they never experienced before. For all that and more I will cherish this experience and look back on it with the fondest of memories.