Dec 31, 2020
I thought it fitting to end the year with another installment of RV memoirs. Because the story goes on and 2020 in the RV wasn’t quite done with us yet.
House still continues to sit waiting for us. We even tried to work renting out the farmhouse into the inspection negotiations, offering full background checks, cutting down repair fees considerably and offering to pay for all utilities. But they held their ground that they would rather the house sit empty than rent to us. Not only that, they were only going to pay for a portion of the major repairs and refused to get any of it done themselves. After a not so pretty negotiation war, we reached something we could work with but we are still stuck in the RV for 4 weeks.
Our original plan was to move back in on december 27th. But when it came to it, it just felt too rushed. The kids had no time to play with their new stuff. There were packages mailed to the hotel we had yet to receive. So we decided to sit out the rest of the year in the hotel. They were nice enough to move things around for us, as they had already booked the room to another family, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.
We’ve spent the past week playing and relaxing and having no clue what day it is. It has been exactly what I need and I think I’m in a better place mentally to get back to the RV. (well, at least there will be less kicking and screaming)
We received word a couple days ago that they were going to turn out the water in our camp site starting January 1st and would be filling tanks once a week. This could possibly be done if we spread out our showers and used a lot of disposable dishes, but it certainly was not ideal. So we called to see if it would be possible to move to one of the spots that has deeper pipes so they keep the water running year round. And we actually landed a spot that is currently being rented out but not used by someone else so we are able to lease it from them for $300 less than we were paying for the other spot. It’s also a bit bigger so that will be nice as well even if we won’t be spending a whole ton of time outside.
That said, 2020 decided to have its last hurrah. Despite emptying all water and keeping our heat running, the toilet pipe was unable to withstand to negative degree temperatures and our toilet exploded. Okay well, maybe it was a bit less visually dramatic, but we definitely burst a pipe. And we will need to take the RV in to get fixed up before we move back in. This will extend our stay at the hotel a few more days and we are now looking at moving in Sunday or Monday, depending on how long repairs take.
On the plus side, the repair guy is also going to seal up our leaky vent and will help give us more pointers to withstanding the winter while living in the RV. Realistically, an RV is fully winterized so that pipes can’t freeze but winterizing means it’s unlivable, so you can either create an insulated skirting around the bottom of your RV, making it stationary for the winter, or you are faced with the possibility of freezing. So we hope to get a few more helpful suggestions so that we can get through the last 25 days until we can get the Happy Glamper sleeping cozily in a warm barn until spring.
And yes, I am more than excited to see the end of 2020. I desperately hope 2021 is a year of repairing everything that broke this year. My word for 2020 was APPRECIATE and I believe I have thoroughly found myself embracing this word. I learned to appreciate my house as a sanctuary I could quarantine easily for months on end. I learned to appreciate the outdoors and what can be accomplished with very little. I learned to appreciate the friends I have that will step up to help when needed and send me encouragement safely from afar. I learned to appreciate a good long hot shower, the things I own that I never thought I would miss, and how good it feels to just laugh.
This has been a crazy year. Most people either thought we were absolutely crazy to go on this adventure or exceptionally brave. Mostly, I think we were both. But everything we have endured this year has taught me that no matter what, the human spirit can endure a lot. The world can fall apart on us over and over and over again, but we can still pick ourselves up and keep moving forward.
So, with that said, my word for this year is build. Build my house, my new life in Vermont, build my spirit, build my career, build a healthier lifestyle mentally and physically, and build off of the debris 2020 left for us. Nothing is ever truly broken.
Happy New Year, ya’ll!