Systems Gone Wrong I was so careful while packing up our house in Alabama. We were about to go full-time on the road again in our fifth wheel. So with the luxury of time, I labeled boxes, took pictures of the contents, and staged long-term storage boxes separately from boxes that would travel with us. I did everything right, I thought. All to no avail. An Ever-Shifting Plan Our end goal, after RVing as long as we want or can, is to live near family in Oklahoma. So it made sen

Hope Springs Eternal (Even When Slightly Unrealistic) You can’t help but hope you’ll be the one to beat the odds. Whether it’s winning the lottery or finding miraculous healing, most of us dream of being the recipient of a miracle. And some of us even buy a lottery ticket or two. So when Roger and I read the sign, “Over 33,623 found by visitors since becoming a state park in 1972,” we couldn’t help hoping we’d be the ones to score a selfie holding up the 33,624 th  diamond fo

...with a Christmas Message from Us “Roger, he’s telling us something is wrong!” “No, no, he just likes my boat,” Roger responded confidently. “No, he’s saying we need to pull over. Take the next exit,” I insisted. And good thing Roger gave in—this time. As we slowed on the off ramp, a wheel from our boat trailer passed us and turned the corner. “Wow, God, look what happened to your boat trailer,” Roger quipped. Our anticipated sailing day was over before it started. Instead

Being hospitable in small spaces is part of the fun in full-time RV life. Sure, we’ve got the whole outdoors to be hospitable in, but when the weather doesn’t cooperate, what can you do to accommodate friends and family comfortably inside a travel trailer? When your friends exclaim, “It’s so cozy!” they usually mean, “It’s smaller than I thought.” Kind of like “bless her heart” doesn’t always mean what it sounds like in the South. More Space than a Cruise Ship Cabin Still, at

How do you make a home when you’re constantly pulling up stakes and moving on, when you have different neighbors, churches, stores, and restaurants every week? What do you do to feel “rooted” and comfortable wherever you are? I remember our first night at a busy campground in Southern California when we set out on our 2022-23 RV journey. I was awake for hours as my mind raced: Are we crazy? Can we really do this?? What did we forget? And most importantly, Are we gonna be able

Decision Fatigue is Real. And Probably Emotional. Maybe you’ve been through it—that deep, wrenching struggle of what to give up and what to keep, what’s worth packing and what you’ll look at later and say, “Why in the world did I keep that? ” And the longer you pack, the higher decision fatigue wall, leading to choices you may regret. Speaking for myself, of course. The Perpetually Unused Glider Some people get sentimental over family heirlooms. Me? Apparently, I get emotiona

Where’d That Island Go? If your husband anchored the sailboat next to an island one night and woke up the next morning wondering,...

When a perfect plan meets an immovable object… We Gave Up: The Campsite We Couldn’t Have After more than an hour of attempts, we sadly...