The story of the 104sq ft RV that housed our family of four

To live in an RV fulltime with children, you need to spend at least $40,000 on a bunkroom model
that's at least 35 feet long. Right?

WRONG!

Hey, if you can find it and honestly afford it, great! BUT those are not prerequisites to fulltiming! We started out with those beliefs and even bought that RV. It was definitely nice and comfortable with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, full kitchen inside plus an outdoor kitchen, and three slide outs to make it even larger. It was like a condo on wheels. But it was more than we needed and there were disadvantages to our size. 

Our 37ft fifth wheel was difficult to manuever, parks often didn't have large enough campsites, and it always required us to plan ahead when driving so we didn't end up stuck in a place we couldn't get out of. Have you ever seen a fifth wheel do a u-turn? There's a reason. 

We didn't plan on living in a 16ft RV for a year, it just kind of happened.

After living in our spacious 37ft fifth wheel for 3 years, we decided to begin traveling internationally the following winter. Not sure if you realize it, but not many people are shopping for RVs during the winter. We wanted to sell while the market was good and we needed a smaller RV to easily explore the narrow roads and low bridges in the northeast. We intended to only be in it for six months, just until we flew to Spain, so our biggest concerned was resale value instead of the long list of requirements we thought we needed for our last home on wheels.

We purchased this cute little toyhauler for $6000 and I immediately began remodeling. I painted EVERYTHING- the walls, the ceiling, the cabinets. My mom came for a visit and helped me wallpaper the outside of the bathroom. I recovered the couch, made fancy curtains (thanks Pinterest!) and finished it off with touches from our favorite store Hobby Lobby. Then with both RVs parked next to each other, we moved in. Easiest move ever!

[Photos to be added later]

Life in our little RV began in Florida and took us up the east coast into Canada's New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island before heading back to Florida.

After a bit we found the downsides to going smaller- the biggest being a wet bath, basically a toilet inside a shower. It's so small we never used it as a shower. The bunk bed was a nice feature, however the bottom bunk was just a tad smaller than a standard full size bed, so my husband and I cannot comfortably share it. The kids and I ended up sharing the bunk beds while daddy slept on the couch that opens into a bed. It wasn't perfect, but it served our purpose. This was also a great way to decide what we can and can't live without in our next RV.

As I said we intended this to be a 6 month transition, but upon arrival in Florida we realized we needed to be closer to family for awhile. Another benefit of living in a small RV is that when visiting family, you can fit in their driveway or in front of their house without attracting a ton of attention like you would in a big RV.

After spending some time with family, the road was calling to us again. This time we headed west to visit friends in Las Vegas, stopping at national parks and favorite places along the way.

Back in Florida, just before moving to Ecuador for six months, we sold the RV thru Facebook marketplace in ONE DAY for nearly the same price we paid!

During the year we spent in our tiny RV, we attended church with Jimmy Carter, stood in the bedroom of George Washington during his stay at Valley Forge, and learned all about Minutemen in Massachusetts. We witnessed the largest tide change in the world at Hopewell Rocks, went clamming in the Bay of Fundy, counted falcons and helped release tagged butterflies in Cape May, New Jersey. We hiked Clingmans Dome in the Smokies, Cadillac Mountain in Acadia, and White Point in Nova Scotia. We encountered a bear with cubs along a trail in Shenandoah. Asher rode a motorcycle. We visited two zoos, multiple nature centers and museums, LEGOland and Dutch Wonderland. Took factory tours of Cow's Creamery and Hershey. We tried raw oysters, discovered we love clams and mussels and fell in love with hot, butter-dipped lobster.

We explored 37 National Park sites, 7 State Parks, and 5 National Wildlife Refuges!

We visited so many states: Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey,  Delaware, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, plus Washington D.C. and three Canadian provinces- New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

So, don't let the cost of an RV hold you back. Be responsible. Buy something within your budget for cash (and have money set aside for repairs. If you're having trouble with this, I HIGHLY recommend implementing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace methods.) You don't have to spend a lot, and if you find a used RV for a good price, you may just be able to use it for a while and recoup your costs. But the memories you will make are priceless!

Wild Waters and Goodbyes

We spent a day at Wild Waters, a resort situated on an island within the Nile. To get there, we had to take a boat to the island, then walk the raised boardwalk past cute little forest cabins. We were able to step inside one to check it out. I love the outdoor soaking tub with a view of the rapids. Finally we arrived at the lounge overlooking a pool separated from the rapids by a short rock wall.

After settling in, we went for a walk.

An employee took us in search of snakes. We did manage to find one cobra, and while my husband saw it, I didn't. I did however see some cool spiders and Red-Tailed Monkeys with the cutest white heart-shaped noses.

As we were walking to the main road to catch our ride home, we came upon a troupe of Vervet Monkeys along the road.

We attended church at Arise Africa and really enjoyed the worship service and message. I am going to teach my children the songs they sang. They meet outside, under a tent.

As I now write this, I think back to the image my mind had constructed of where our friends live and it was so far from reality. Five years ago they were called to help children whom the culture marginalized. Not only have they made a big impact on the children and those within the nearby communities, they have created such a beautiful life for their family. While they don't have the many conveniences of the US, they do live in a town that offers more Westernized options than most. Their house is a beautiful, peaceful retreat that's more than a home. It's a gathering place for friends and loved ones. Some days a group of friends would show up with their lunch bags to have lunch together along the river. Another day they hosted a baby shower where so many people pitched in to make it a super special day for the expectant couple. This. This is the life. 

We love you Stef and Jared. Thank you for sharing a week of your beautiful life with us!

What I learned from the Maasi

I know some of you have questions about our time in Africa. I figured I'd tell you a bit of the cultural differences we noticed before I get to our conversations with the Maasi.

One of the first things we noticed in Kenya were the men with rifles. At first it's intimidating, but then you come to understand it's mainly a preventative measure. From what I could tell, every business, hotel, restaurant, etc was protected by not only a barbed wire enclosure with metal gate, but also armed security. Speaking of armed security, taking photos of any government buildings (and I'm guessing, persons) is prohibited. Even looking towards non-government buildings with binoculars can throw security into a tizzy. Ask me how I know. It was a tense few minutes spent explaining what binoculars are and reassure them about what they don't do.

This is a residential gate.

There are a wide variety of languages spoken across Africa. The people of Kenya speak English for business and schooling and Kiswahili (also known as Swahili) for everyday situations and then their own tribal language at home and within their community. Uganda is different. They speak English, Luganda and their tribe's language, but historically choose not to speak Swahili, even though there is a push to make it an official language thru more of Africa. Their resistance has much to do with how Swahili was used by soldiers in the past.

The Maasi are a pastoral, nomadic people. They treasure their livestock (mainly cattle) as currency. They are loose, so someone must keep watch over them at all times and keep them safe from not only vehicles, but lions and hyenas. They move quite often to graze them on new land, avoid bad weather or if someone dies. In that case, they bury them the same day and move along. In the past, they'd been able to move freely about, so they didn't really understand land ownership and its value. In the early 1900s treaties began pushing them out of the areas as they became designated national parks. In more recent years, other people knowing the value of the land asked if they could build on their property. When they said yes, they lost their ownership rights. The new people built a fence so the Maasi's cattle can no longer graze on it. Kenya experiences some very difficult droughts. During a recent and particularly horrible drought, in an act of desperation as cattle were dying in huge numbers, some Maasi let their cattle graze on someone elses' property and every single one was shot per the new land owner. What a tragedy for people whose only means of income and survival is based on livestock!

When it's time to move, each family member gathers belongings, which for some is merely a cup, plate, blanket and bedding before moving on to the next place. When they decide to settle down again, the women build a small, circular hut out of sticks with grass roofs and held together with hot, fresh cow dung. The house has just enough room for two beds (cow skins) and one small hole for a window which is necessary since they burn fires inside.

It's common for men to have multiple wives. One of our new friends told us her father had five wives and 29 children. A normal routine for her as a child was to wake at 4am in order to walk 4km to school and arrive by 8am. When school was finished at 4pm, she began her journey home, often barefoot, keeping watch for lions and hyenas along the way. Wow, and in most of the United States it's illegal to merely leave a child under 12 alone safe at home for any amount of time! People walk everywhere here. Alongside paved roads are worn, dirt roads nearly just as wide for pedestrians. Other modes of transportation are boda bodas (motorcycles where you sit behind the driver), tuk tuks (three-wheeled motorized rickshaws) or of course, the automobile.

If someone kills a lion, it's a sign that they are very brave and they wear the skin of it. They will then become an elder of the tribe.

They sometimes drink a fermented concoction of cow blood mixed with milk.

A young Maasi will greet an elder by walking up to them and bending at the waist. The elder will then touch the head of the person with his or her palm.

As I was swatting flies from myself, I was told having flies on you is a sign of wealth as "flies don't come to nothing". Our new friend from South Sudan told us in his country there are tiny flies that go right for the eyes resulting in many people going blind because of this belief that you shouldn't swat them.

While there is a push to educate people in Kenya and Uganda to stop harmful traditional practices, they still occur. Female genital mutilation, using bone setters and the practice of using cow dung to seal a newborn baby's umbilical cord, commonly lead to infections, hydrocephalus and death. It's sad to see a few simple changes could stop so much hurting for those who refuse to let go of those long-held traditions. One thing is certain- change is difficult no matter where you live.

The messiest week in South America

When I hear 'carnaval', instantly parade images of Rio de Janeiro come to mind, but this holiday, leading up to Lent, is celebrated all over South America. As Carnaval was aproaching friends warned us about being in public during the 4 day holiday weekend celebration (Saturday thru Tuesday), as anyone is fair game. Attending a parade, or merely being out in public during those four days, could end with you covered in water, raw eggs, paint, flour based paint, anything really. You do NOT want to wear your favorite clothing and you do want to protect your camera and any electronics!

A couple days later we ended up right smack in the middle of it when we went for lunch at El Jardin in Puyo. We had to walk thru a popular square where a number of people were standing along the street selling cans of colored spray foam, water balloons, and such. As we walked across the bridge, I was taking a photo of the mayhem when a young man reached over and put his paint-covered hand across my face. (You can see him walking towards us in this photo.) It was a shock, but also pretty funny. On the way back to the truck, we were sprayed with water, and witnessed a group tossing buckets of water from the bed of a truck, all in the name of good fun.

Our neighbor's hosted a Carnaval party for their church youth group and invited Asher and Journey to participate. It was a messy, fun party with water balloon fights, buckets of water, raw eggs and a relay race across a soapy tarp.

Another day (remember this is a FOUR day event) our neighbors decided to have us try a few fun challenges. Here the guys were competing against the ladies by passing a handful of flour over their heads from the front to the back of the line. I don't remember who won, but it was fun to watch.

We used black paint flour to mark our faces and arms or smear on each other. We took turns sliding across the soap-covered tarp, then had a water balloon fight that evolved into dumping full buckets on each other. Great memories were made with our new friends, our vecinos!