I got a notification from 'Facebook memories' this morning and apparently this day last year was my first blog post about visiting an RV dealership to get an idea about what we like and what would be realistic for us. Now we have been full-time RV'ing for nearly three months! It's so neat to look back on this process for us, how nervous we were, all the what ifs, and see that we actually did it despite those things and we absolutely love it! 

If you are considering this lifestyle I think the hardest part is downsizing. It was a lot harder for me than my husband because as a woman I think we tend to be a lot more sentimental about things. We sold most of the bigger items we had and bagged up and donated the rest and we did this in about a month and a half, so maybe that added to the process seeming so stressful. Now that we have been living in our RV for a while, I realize that even as much stuff as we got rid of, we still brought just a little too much for our tiny space haha!

Here's some of what we learned: 

1. Realize that stuff is just STUFF

     2. Organize!!! Separate things into categories i.e. (keep, sell, donate, store)

     3. Focus on items that you use everyday 

     4. Photograph it- We came across this idea from another RV'er and it's such a good idea. If there's something you love so much but HAVE to part with snap a photo of it and keep it for a scrapbook or your photo albums.

     5. You don't need as many clothes as you think you do (I'm still working on this)

     6. A place for everything- Once you're in your RV make sure everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, has a place. If things are left out of place in such a tiny space it quickly starts to look and feel really cluttered. (I'm working on this as well, haha)

     7. In and out- Be mindful of what you bring into your space after you are settled in. If you come across something you want to purchase, by all means get it, but maybe find one item to purge as well. Trust me, there will be something. I'm making it a goal to only bring in items that we love and that will enrich our lives in some way. 

   

     8. Enjoy the freedom- There's something so freeing about knowing that you aren't 'tied down' by so many things!

Every year around the time of our wedding anniversary I get nostalgic and look through our photos and dream about the beauty of this place. We got married at Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we then bought a house right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway so it will always have a special place in our hearts. 

BUT THIS PLACE..for our honeymoon we spent a week primitive camping in Hot Springs, North Carolina. It is the cutest little town!! (For anyone who watches Bringing Up Bates, it was actually featured on an episode when Chad and Erin visited, if you haven’t seen it, go watch!!) While we were there we hiked Max Patch Mountain and fell in love!! Seriously it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

 A quick little fun fact: Hot Springs is located in Madison county, so we joked and said “let’s name our first daughter that” but apparently we didn’t get the joke memo 🤣 I can’t wait to take Maddy to see this place one day!

Last weekend we took Maddison on her first camping trip. It had been so long since we had been camping! We weren't sure how a small child would do, so we were hesitant when Maddy was smaller. 

We started off the trip by having a picnic out in front of the lake. Maddy had so much fun running around in the open field overlooking the lake. Her and her daddy raced back and forth to see who could make it to mommy first and Maddy won 99 percent of the time ;)

We picked out our camping spot and while Shane was setting everything up me and Maddy played with her chalk that we bought her from the cute little camping store. 

(Daddy drew this for us)

After everything was setup, we put Maddy in her stroller to go for a walk. By the time we got back she had fallen asleep but woke back up when we tried to move her to the tent to nap. 

We knew we wanted to roast marshmallows so when it started to get dark, we started a fire in the fire pit. 

Maddy was so intrigued by the fire. When we started roasting the marshmallows obviously she just had to hold the stick herself (daddy was right beside her).

Has roasting marshmallows ever been SO CUTE!!!? We had such a fun time but it got really cold, windy, and rainy overnight and although we were all wrapped up snug in blankets and sleeping bags, I just couldn't hang haha!!! We ended up leaving early that morning, but we can't wait to do it again!

I have had a few people ask for updates on our RV journey. Back in December, we started some work on the RV. 

We started by just re-caulking everything. The lights, windows, doors, everything.

We knew there was a leak and some water damage in the ceiling so the next step we took was putting new layers of sealant on the roof. When they say it's all about learning as you go, guys, I can tell you we definitely have seen that. The weekend that we put the sealant on, the weather was really warm to be December. We knew that the forecast was calling for rain at the beginning of the week, but still, we applied it and prayed that there would be enough time for it to dry. Long story short, it didn't. It was a mess. I can't tell you how thankful we were when it finally dried. It was a loooooooong wet week, haha. 

Since then, it has just been sitting. Not that we haven't wanted to work on it, just that life has gotten really busy and we just finished a move. We just aren't going to have time to put work in on it right now so we decided to sell it. 

We love the RV (so does Maddy) but when the time comes, it will be nice to get one with a little more room!

2018 has been a year full of  trials but also full of joy!! We started off the year by moving into our new apartment in Ohio. It was so nice to be in a bigger place, after staying in a hotel for the first few weeks of Shane's new job back in December. 

 

This girl has kept us laughing all year long!!! Looking back at these photos it's still so hard to believe that our girl was so tiny this time last year. She has grown so much and looks like such a big girl. 

We got a membership to the local YMCA so Shane and I took Maddy swimming for the first time. She loved it!! 

We had started our membership with the intentions of being healthier. 

I had a lot of weight to lose and lost about 20 pounds before going back to awful eating habits and now I have even more to lose on top of the 20 pounds that I have gained back. That is one of my biggest goals in the coming year. 

We spent February cheering on our teams but only mommy's went to the Superbowl!!

We spent Easter with just the three of us.

We celebrated Maddison's 1st birthday in April and did this adorable doughnut smash! It was perfect for her because she is doughnut obsessed.

 Look at these photos from National Doughnut day just a few months later. 

We became brand reps for two amazing companies! 

Maddy got sick for the first time this year and ended up having a febrile seizure. It was the scariest moment I didn't know what was happening to my baby and I pray that it was just a fluke and the only one she ever has. It's so important to pray for protection and health over our babies because they are our biggest blessings from God!!

We got a puppy named Blu and him and Maddy became best friends. 

 

 

We spent our summer outside playing!! Here are some of my favorite photos.

 

We took Maddy to a Bengals game and now she is their biggest fan!

This fall we had so much fun! We took Maddy to a sunflower field and the pumpkin patch.

We finally bought our RV and can't wait to get it finished!! Maddy already loves it.

This month we were finally able to go back home to visit our family in Virginia. I didn't take many photos but here are a few from this month.

 

We celebrated our third year of marriage this year as well. We have learned a lot and still have a whole lot to learn. We fuss and fight but God gave me the best man in the world to do life with. All in all we have been very blessed this year and pray that all of you have a blessed new year!