50 Days... the good. the bad. the random.

Today marks 50 days of living in a camper.

It is amazing how quickly the time flies by. It definitely has not been what we expected – but then again how do you really prepare yourself for living full time in a camper?

Here is a quick recap of the good, the bad and the random things we have experienced in the last 50 days...

The Good:

• After 5 months of living apart, we have enjoyed living in the same place again.
• Cleaning isn't too hard when you only have 177 square feet of living space.
• You only need about 10% of the stuff you own {we don't even use all of the 10% that we kept out of storage}.
• We are enjoying cable television {that we don't have to pay for}.
• Owning two laptops {I think we could live anywhere, in any situation if we had laptops and internet}.
• Falling asleep to night sounds.
• Starry skies. 
• Tennessee sunsets.
• The fact that Daniel works 4-days a week {which gives us plenty of time for doing things we love}.
• No visits to the ER this year {knock on wood}.

The Bad:

• Having to walk Sophie at all hours {night or day} since we can't open a door and let her run outside alone.
• Feeling like we are in college again when we haul our laundry to family members houses or laundromats.
• Washing dishes in a kitchen sink that is barely bigger than a dinner plate.
• Figuring out all things camper related... like how to keep your black water tank from smelling like black water :(
• The heat and humidity of August in Tennessee... makes you want to hide inside.
• The campground filling up with tents of loud kids/teenagers on the weekends.
• Mosquitoes, tics and chiggers.

The Random:

• My addiction to the Food Network.
• Being informed that I needed a marriage license to get my driver's license.
• Feeling motion sick due to a broken wheel chock.
• Realizing that we are both out of shape and working on remedying that.
• Spending a significant amount of time joking about our upcoming move to rural Alabama... I guess it is our way of staying grounded. Laughing about life is better than crying about it, right?

the good. the bad. the random. (Camper Living, August 2010)

The Good.

We had a busy weekend that ended with a beautiful sunset on Sunday night {in my unbiased opinion, Tennessee has some of the best sunsets ever}.

The Bad.

One of the campers next to us had come up from Mississippi for the week hoping to get away from the heat. Too bad for them, the mountains are no cooler than anywhere else in the US.

The Random.

The weather in the mountains is amazing. From our mountain {Raccoon}, we watch the storms roll in on Lookout Mountain {about 4 miles away} and it can be completely clear on Raccoon.

The Good.

We discovered the world's largest drive-in movie screen {more about this in tomorrow's post}.

The Bad.

It doesn't get dark until late, so the double feature starts at 9:15 PM.

The Random.

Random thing about downtown Chattanooga: in some places you back into the street parking. I have never seen this before. It makes it possible for more cars to fit on the street and it is much easier to pull out into traffic when you are ready to leave. I kind of like it.

The Good.

I landed my first freelance gig in Chattanooga. I really didn't think I was going to find work in this area, so big relief. In addition, I get to work from home {err, my camper}.

The Bad.

Earlier this year, my laptop crashed and I lost all of my software {which I didn't have discs for}. So I will be getting new software shortly {thank goodness I can get by on Adobe trials for now}. The work will pay for the software and the good part about this is I think I am going to make the leap to CS5!!!!

The Random.

I know you will be disappointed, but the freelance job is not as a tattoo artist.

The Good.

Two weeks into our camper experiment and we have discovered that living in a camper is really not that difficult. And saving money makes it an even sweeter deal.

The Bad.

I know I wrote earlier about how we missed having a big bathroom and being able to take a nice shower, but that part really isn't that bad. Showering in a big bathroom is a luxury, but I can live without it. The HARDEST thing BY FAR is not having a dishwasher. Dishes don't go away. Plus the lack of countertop space makes doing the dishes even harder. I can handle a lot of things, but the dishes are driving me a little crazy {especially considering that I try to cook at least 5 times per week}.

The Random.

Out of curiosity, Daniel and I went to Camping World on Friday to peruse the various RVs. We looked at pull behinds {under $20K}, we looked at 5th wheels {mid $20's} and we even checked out a toy hauler {$50+K}. There are some seriously nice campers out there. And the interiors are HUGE. Not a single one of them had a dishwasher...

the good. the bad. the random. (Camper Living: First Week, August 2010)

The Good.

We have survived our first week at the camper.

The Bad.

When it storms and there are 60mph winds, it is scarier than if you are in a house. Daniel says if there are ever tornado warnings, we can go hide in the caverns that are a part of Raccoon Mountain.

The Random.

There are a lot of stray cats at the campground. Sophie thinks it is her job to chase them. The cats are not fond of this. I am not fond of chasing Sophie. 

The Good.

My brother-in-law landed a job in Nashville.

The Bad.

My brother is still job hunting, but he actually has an interview on Monday with the same company that hired our brother-in-law.

The Random.

I am considering some alternate options for jobs: opening a bakery {or at least finding one to work at}, opening our dream bed-and-breakfast {huge commitment}, becoming a tattoo artist {there appears to be more of a need for these than for graphic artists}. 

The Good.

My Grandpa is starting chemo treatments for his cancer.

The Bad.

My brother told me that the month of July was the most stressful and anxiety-ridden month of his life. For a variety of reasons {some the same, some different}, I can echo my brother's sentiments {as can many in my family}.

The Random.

Daniel and I are picking up our bikes this weekend - I can't wait to start hitting the mountain biking trails in the Chattanooga area {this will be a great way to relieve stress}. 

First up: Raccoon Mountain.

the good. the bad. the random. (Selling the Morganford House, July 2010)

The Good.
Offer for the house is signed and in hand. Escrow money has been submitted from the buyer. Inspection is scheduled for Friday.
The Bad.

We need to have our porch fixed {which we knew up front}, yesterday Daniel called to schedule the work and the contractor flaked out on us. This means we have to go with a more expensive contractor OR try to find another person to do the work. We have 3 weeks to complete this!!! ALSO we are waiting for the check from the insurance company {for our roof/siding job}. Daniel called the insurance company AND the roofers - turns out both companies were waiting on the other for info!!! So we are going to be cutting it close to get this stuff wrapped up before July 26. The roofers say that it will not affect our closing if they don't finish before July 26. However, they are confidant that they will finish and all of this will be a non issue. All of this makes for increased stress on our part.
The Random.

My mom says it was 55F in Canada last night - all of us southerners are going to freeze! Though it will be a nice break from the heat of the south.

The Good.

We leave for Canada tomorrow night. Hopefully this trip will give us a break from worrying/thinking about the house.
The Bad. 

I can't begin to tell you the number of times I have spent Canadian Independence Day (July 1) in the USA and then spent American Independence Day (July 4) in Canada. This year is one of those years.
The Random.
I have also spent these holidays in various other countries: Canada Day in Rome {Italy}. American Independence in Edinburgh {Scotland}. I am confidant that I have spent both of these holidays in PNG at some point in my life.

The Good.
I went to see Macbeth with a friend last night. It is always interesting to see a Shakespearean play where the actors wear fairly modern attire but speak in the language of Shakespeare.
The Bad.

I skipped out on an invite to see Eclipse with Friends on Tuesday night. I have a full-time job so didn't feel like I should go to a midnight showing. I also didn't feel like spending $10. Or watch a movie based on books I haven't read. I just have no desire to read/watch anything about vampires. I know that I am a minority.
The Random. 

I don't care for Harry Potter EITHER.

the good. the bad. the random. (On My Own in Charlotte, June 2010)

The Good.
We had a house showing last week {the first one in 1.5 months}.
The Bad.
They have not come back for a second showing.
The Random. 
Thanks to a storm back in March, we are getting our roof and siding replaced. Friday we get to look at samples and decide on colors. I am so excited.

The Good.
My sister and her husband and daughter are moving to Nashville this weekend - that means they will be CLOSER to me :)
The Bad.
My Brother-in-Law needs to find a job. So does my brother for that matter. Both in counseling. Both looking in the Nashville area.
The Random. 
My Sister-in-Law quit her job as a school counselor and moved to Boston this past Friday to fulfill her dreams.

The Good.
Daniel said I should fulfill my dream of having being a guide for an outdoor company by becoming a white water rafting guide on the Ocoee River.
The Bad. 
I think it is a requirement that you smoke pot to become a river rat. Plus I am still in Charlotte and summer will be over before we know it...
The Random.
I am the 158th person to request the book, Little Bee, from the public library in Charlotte. How ridiculous is that. It had better be a good book.

The Good.
My parents are heading to Canada next week {after they help move my sister's family to Nashville}. We will be driving up for the week of July 4th. I can't wait. I think it has been over 4 years since we have gone up for a visit :(
The Bad.
My grandpa finally received his pathology report. Cancer has indeed spread to his lymph nodes. He will be starting a weekly round of chemo soon. It is to last 6 months. I am glad we are going to Canada, I hope that we are able to have a good visit with him even though he will be experiencing chemo.
The Random.
I went to Ru Sans for sushi tonight with a friend. I tried their Gone With The Wind - it was superb. It was nice to have some girl time and the opportunity to eat sushi {especially since Daniel refuses}. He will give in to PF Changs, but is not crazy about Asian food. ESPECIALLY sushi. Once when we had an unexpected layover in Japan for a day, he ate ICE CREAM the entire time!

the good. the bad. the random. (On My Own in Charlotte, May 2010)

The Good. It's almost the weekend.

The Bad. I am driving 7 hours to Nashville tomorrow after work.

The Random. Driving an automatic after almost a decade of driving a stick really messes with your brain... I had a rental car for 2 days while our Subaru was in the shop.

The Good. My sister received a job offer in Nashville.

The Bad. My brother and brother-in-law seriously need jobs {in Nashville}.

The Random. We dropped the price on the house again. 4+ weeks with zero showings is beyond depressing {well, we did have an engaged couple show up at the last open house, so I guess that is an improvement.}

The Good. Daniel's cousin is getting married on Saturday.

The Bad. We found out that some friends of ours are getting a divorce.

The Random. The season finale of Parenthood made me seriously miss living close to my family. If I could pack up and live in the same city as them this moment, I would.

The Good. We have plans for breakfast on Sunday morning with friends at the PFunky Griddle in Nashville. I am so excited.

The Bad. Summer time = tics. I think Sophie is getting tired of me searching her after every trip outdoors.

The Random. Is it crazy to consider living in an RV {short term}???

the good. the bad. the random. (On My Own in Charlotte, May 2010)

The Good. Had an amazing time catching up with friends and family this past weekend.

The Bad. I am still recovering from the craziness.

The Random. It has been 3 weeks with ZERO showings for the house. I am trying not to let it get me down.

The Good. My brother is now Master Mark - he graduated from grad school on Saturday.

The Bad. I missed his actual graduation, but got to spend 6 hours with him in the car, hanging out, catching up.

The Random. I have the cutest, sweetest niece in the whole world {I'm not biased}. We saw her {and my sister and brother-in-law} for lunch last Friday. Then again on Sunday. The best part is that she came to me immediately. We hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving. I would like to think she remembered me. But it is more likely the fact that she is a super happy baby and seems to love everyone.

The Good. Daniel will be home in two days.

The Bad. This weekend he is actually taking a course he's been really wanting to take... I guess this means I can get caught up on my reading.

The Random. I needed to give Sophie a bath on Monday after I got home. I was having trouble hooking the hose up to the sink {don't ask}, so I put on a swimsuit and had her stand in the master bathroom shower with me. She was not a fan. But I managed to get her clean.

The Good. I started a new exercize program last night – The 30-Day Shred with Jillian Michaels.

The Bad. Sophie thought we were "playing" while I worked out. Having a 30-pound dog jump on you while you do butt kicks or jumping jacks is not conducive to a good workout. Even better was when she decided to sit on my head while I did crunches. I tried to hold her off with one arm... Eventually I told her to get on the couch and STAY. This worked for the next round of cardio, but she still wanted to sit on my head every time I laid down :(

The Random. It turns out that my Grandpa has colon cancer. Since I don't live in Canada, it is kind of hard to process. We are making plans for a trip to Ontario some time this summer. It has been several years since I have been up there. And I had to send off to renew my passport. He has lived a long, full life. But I am not ready for him to be done on this earth. It is in God's hands.

the good. the bad. and the random. (Selling the Morganford House, April 2010)

The Good. Yesterday we received an offer on our house.

The Bad. It was for $150,000 {in cash} and they wanted to close in two weeks.

The Random. After discussing with our realtor and pulling comparables, we countered with $173,000 and they said they would keep looking. No negotiations. Nothing. We are OK with them walking away because their offer was not a reasonable one and closing in two weeks would be stressful. We would rather wait for the right offer.

The Good. This week, we have had five showings in three days - 25 viewings total over the course of four weeks on the market.

The Bad. The hardest part about selling your house is that you are not in control. You can't control buyers. You can't force anything to happen.

The Random. Sleep has been eluding me this week :(

The Good. Thanks to the spring storms, roofing companies are fixing roofs like crazy. We are getting an estimate tomorrow on having our roof and possibly siding and gutters fixed {under our home owner's insurance}.

The Bad. We are having a structural engineer out tomorrow morning to take a look at a crack in the foundation of our porch. The crack has been there since we moved in. We are hoping the enginee will write a letter that will clear up concerns potential buyers have had about the crack.

The Random. I received some great advice from a friend today. "You have to make the best decision with the information that you have at the time. Stick with what you believe to be the right choice. You can't second guess yourself. You can't have regrets about the decisions you make."

the good. the bad. and the random. (Selling the Morganford house, April 2010)

The Good. We had a two-hour showing this morning. The potential buyer is a young woman that moved here from Seattle and fell in love with our home. This also meant that Sophie got a two-hour walk {by our friend, Benjy... this may fall into the bad category for B, but he was a trooper.}

The Bad. Still no offers.

The Random. I fell on my butt today while mowing the hill at the back of our yard. Nothing hurt but my pride.

The Good. Made these homemade quarter pound cookies last night.

The Bad. Didn't feel like cooking dinner tonight, so I ate two quarter pound cookies for dinner.

The Random. We may get our roof replaced – a roofing company is coming by Friday to access potential storm damage from this spring and to see if we qualify to have our insurance company to replace the roof. 

The Good. We are starting to consider houses to buy.

The Bad. We are having a difficult time deciding 1) what area to live in; 2) whether to buy or rent ; 3) whether should we renovate or get a nice house that is move-in ready.

The Random. My cousin had her first child today. So exciting to have a new baby in the family.

the good. the bad. and the random. (Selling the Morganford House, April 2010)

The Good. Last Saturday, we saw some great possibilities for houses in Chattanooga.
The Bad. We saw one that had some nice features, but it was a reno with shoddy work that was visible, which makes you wonder about the invisible stuff.
The Random. I would be in a world of trouble without the help of our friend Benjy. He has been amazing about coming to walk Sophie whenever there is a weekday showing of the house.

The Good. We have had 11 showings in the past 2.5 weeks.
The Bad. There have been no offers and we are anxious to sell. After much thought, discussion and prayer, we decided to go ahead and drop the price.
The Random. We also decided to go ahead and install new garage doors {the current ones are rotting} and we have spent the day cleaning the garage up so it will show better... will we ever be done with house projects???

The Good. Daniel was able to drive home through the mountains instead of Atlanta.
The Bad. The main highways through the mountains are closed in places due to rock slides... Daniel took a forest service road for part of the way to get around the rock slide. He wouldn't have been able to make it without the all-wheel drive Subaru.
The Random. Daniel is driving so much, he currently has to change the oil in the Subaru EVERY couple of weeks. Yikes!

the good. the bad. and the random. (First Month Living Apart, April 2010)

The Good. It's officially been one month since Daniel started at TVA.
The Bad. I am still living in Charlotte until further notice {or our house sells}.
The Random. Sophie freaked me out the other night when she heard something outside. I was concerned about prowlers, so I investigated. Turned out there was a dog wandering around the neighborhood. This made Sophie terribly angry. I guess she wanted to wander around the neighborhood at midnight too.

The Good. Had a lovely weekend in Atlanta with Daniel and Sophie and some of my extended family.
The Bad. A tornado chased me home.
The Random. Del Tacos have ridiculously big burritos AND you get fries with the combo meal.

The Good. We have had 7 showings of our house.
The Bad. No offers yet.
The Random. I think I have cleaned my floors EVERY OTHER DAY for the past 7 days.

The Good. I actually cooked for myself for the first time in a month... take THAT fast food.
The Bad. I had a migraine yesterday and gave in to Chik-Fil-A for dinner :(
The Random. I am a week behind on my reading. I just finished a WW2 book {The Book Thief} and I started a new WW2 book {The Zookeeper's Wife}.

The Good. I get to go to Chattanooga for the weekend to hang out with Daniel {and do some house hunting}.
The Bad. I have to drive to Chattanooga. I am opting to leave EARLY Friday morning instead of Thursday night because driving to Atlanta last Thursday night really wore me out. Plus I have to mow our yard before I head out of town.
The Random. My brother called today asking how to get from Henderson, TN to Memphis... I think I need to buy my brother a road atlas for his car. What is he going to do if I am not near a computer to be his personal GPS or when it becomes ILLEGAL to talk on the phone and drive?

the good. the bad. and the random. (Selling the Morganford House, March 2010)

The Good. 

The stager that came by our house said we shouldn't hire her and proceeded to give us some great tips.
The Bad. 

She did say that we should hire a professional landscaper to do some cleanup in our yard. 

The Random. 
I found these rather large, fake palm tree plants at IKEA for $12.99 {I purchased two}. Daniel thought they were real when I brought them home. He was excited about the price tag, but less excited that it cost an additional $14.99 for the pot to hold the plant.

The Good.
Several houses in the area went under contract last week. This strengthens the value of our house.
The Bad.
We decided to wait until Saturday to finalize paperwork with the realtor. Daniel had too many questions about the contract to go ahead and move forward without having the opportunity to talk in person to the realtor.
The Random.
I gave Sophie a bath last night and managed to spray water all over the bathroom while I was busy focusing on lathering the pup... thank goodness for tile floors. OOPS!!!

The Good.
 After a major shopping trip including stops at IKEA (twice) Target and Walmart, we have everything we need to finalize staging our home.
The Bad.
The consensus is that we need to install closet doors in the bedrooms. In theory, this would be an easy fix. In actuality, when we framed in the closet we managed to make them 3 inches too wide for standard closet doors. Unfortunately we don't have the time and don't want to spend a lot of money on specialty doors. After some intense brainstorming {and trips to Lowe's and Home Depot as a part of the mega shopping trip on Saturday}, we have finally figured out a work around that we can live with {that is relatively inexpensive}.
The Random.
Daniel misses my cooking, but I haven't had the energy to cook when he is home {I haven't cooked for myself since he left 2 weeks ago}.

The Good.
My Life in France {Julia Child's memoir} is waiting for me at the library.
The Bad. 
I haven't had time to go to the library to pick it up.
The Random.
I have watched very little television in the last two weeks. I don't watch much to begin with, but projects have taken over my life. Also, The Style Network has disappeared - it used be a part of our cheap cable package... I wonder what happened? I miss Clean House. It was the one decorating-type program I could enjoy since we don't get HGTV!!!

the good. the bad. and the random. (First Week Living Apart, March 2010)

The Good: 

I have managed to get up and run {just under} 2 miles every day this week.
The Bad: 

Sophie sometimes gets distracted and yanks on her leash. This is leading to some minor knee pain.
And The Random: 

I am much more likely to drink enough water when I have a 32 oz. Nalgene bottle on my desk {please don't lecture me on BPA}. Drinking all of this water requires extra trips to the bathroom.

The Good: 

I am getting a lot done on the house.
The Bad: 

I don't have time to cook, so I am eating a lot of fast food.
And The Random: 

I have never been to a Jack In The Box before... when you are eating fast food regularly, you gotta mix it up.

Note: I'll be glad when the house is listed and I don't have to work on house projects. This will give me more time to cook and it will be better for my health and {more importantly} my waistline. I might be in trouble if it weren't for the daily running thing.

The Good: 
Daniel gets off at noon tomorrow {instead of 5} and should be home around dinner time.
The Bad: 
We are having a realtor come over first thing Saturday morning, so we are going to have to kick it into high gear and spend our Friday together cleaning.
And The Random: 
The freak March snow storm in Charlotte this week made our yard MUDDY. Sophie had fun running in the mud and then came in and sat on my new, gray chaise. Thank goodness I got the stain out with a can of carpet cleaner that I happened to have laying around {we don't have carpets, so no idea why we have carpet cleaner}.

The Good: 
I have 6 new books to read {requested from the library}.
The Bad: 
They all became available at the SAME time and I have had no time to read this week.
And The Random: 
I went to the dentist this week and still have ZERO cavities. That's right. I am almost 30 and have lived my life cavity FREE.

The Good: 
My family has been awesome at calling and checking on me during this first week flying solo.
The Bad: 
All of these phone calls take away from my time to work on the house {PLEASE KEEP CALLING}.
And The Random:  
Daniel had to go ahead and decide on all of his benefits this week. So he elected to get the family plan since we have to plan long term. This means I am currently double insured {is that possible?} and I am going to have to tell my HR to cancel my insurance. I guess I am going to have to tell them sooner or later...

The Good: 
I have been able to read lots of blogs because we are slow at work.
The Bad: 
We are slow at work.
And The Random: 
Daniel came down with a fluke sickness as soon as he started work. This could be from staying with friends who have 2 little ones or the fact that he dropped his toothbrush on the floor and adhered to the 10 second rule {did I really just tell you that?}.