A long awaited project….

There are a few who know about my ‘clean carpet obsession’. The excessive carpet shampooing, the strict rules about shoes coming off, yup I could very well be a carpet nazi! So it was no surprise how excited I was when we decided to rip out the carpet and replace it with vinyl tiles….specifically TrafficMasters Allure vinyl tiles from Home Depot! I have been waiting for this day forever! No more stinky carpets, and all carpets to me are stinky. I don’t know why RV companies insist on putting a carpet in an RV, it’s just ridiculous, especially with the moisture issue.

I’ve got a few ideas on how to do the slideout, which is presenting a bit of a challenge but I don’t mind too much. Anyway, here are some pictures….I will update as we go!And yes, I still owe a backdated entry and wedding pictures. Not quite caught up yet;-)

Javex was the cure. No black mold left!

HOORAY! Well, it’s not even half done, but I took a picture cutting off the unfinished part. I leave the Swiffer there for a reason….YES that is all I have to use now to clean the floor, and I cleaned the area before putting the chairs back….and had WAY too much fun doing it. It was more exciting than I’d like to admit….

Overall this particular flooring system was easy and fast. The hardest part of it was ripping all the stuff out and getting rid of all the staples. Only a few challenges left until our new floor. I think it looks pretty good!

We chose this type of flooring over the others for certain reasons. Laminate while very nice and easy to install like vinyl, can swell and buckle if liquid is spilled and left for a bit. Not good for the RV….and not good when you have a kitten that likes to play in his fountain and dish….! We didn’t go for real tile/real wood because of the weight issue. I have enough clothes and boots pushing us to the limit as is:-P We didn’t do the one sheet of vinyl as it would be hard to get down and cut.

With the TrafficMaster adhesive strips, th ere is no floor prepping and it can pretty much go on top of anything. Very cool!
More pictures soon as we finish!

The contrast theory….

Yes, we still owe everyone a backdated entry from leaving Florida and heading up the east coast! I haven’t bothered to get any pictures uploaded of our trek until now….

We are settled in PEI, Canada after leaving Florida and stopping in Phily (LOVED IT!) and Boston (HATED IT! The campground was lovely though!). I have many pictures from our trip up and I promise to get those posted soon. Then again, that’s what I said about the wedding photos. Go me!

We left our last stop, Boston, in 85 degree weather and drove straight through until we hit a blizzard. I shit you not, it was a full fledged blizzard in PEI. I can’t say I was surprised….as this island seems to know when I’m coming, and naturally, it prepares its seemingly endless torture on my poor soul. Ok dramatic much! ?

And sad I was. No, wait, DEVASTATED would be the word. That chest pressure, heart sinking, lump in throat, hazy cloud over your head type of feeling. To add to it, we had to drop our RV off for repairs on the way to Bryans parents place….some last minute fixes before the warranty is up. I failed to get most of the items I needed for a month, as the freezing cold near took the breath right out of us and the slush ravaged our poor sandeled toes. Prepared, we were not….but we didn’t expect this kind of weather. Well, I had a hint, but, you know. At least everyone is convinced it’s me. Two days earlier people were out in tank tops getting tans. As our friend Kelly put it: “I didn’t know when you guys we’re going to arrive, but when I saw the weather change like that, I knew Cat was on the island”. Lovely huh!

The only consolation are Bryans wonderful parents, friends in Charlottetown on weekends, and of course, yummy lobster. Yet, my sanity still seems to escape me at times. I take the two month downer as an opportunity to catch up on work, but sometimes the depression from the DROP gets to me, and I find myself staring at the ceiling, listening to music that reminds me of happier times on warm sunny beaches….

I can’t go outside….it’s too cold. It snows in May here. And if it isn’t snowing, it’s raining. And raining, and raining. Did I mention the raining? I know it will be warm soon, maybe at the end of June it will start, but that’s when the blackflies come out….they love me and feel no remorse about making me ill for a week or two with blackfly fever. I feel I am a hostage in a room upstairs, too tired to get up, too mesmerized by the five (yes five!) computer screens before me, desperately trying to find the drive to FINISH things.

Yet at least I am surrounded by those who care about me, and those I care about. The animals don’t mind it here at all! Mittens has other cats to terrorize, Miphy is settling in, and the birds have free reign of the place, as I have let their wings grow in and they soar about the large bedroom….all are oblivious of the gray un-parting skies.

Furthermore, the satellite internet isn’t so great in the rain. I won’t even get into our frustration surrounding that issue! I REALLY need to find out if we are still on contract with them. If not, there may be better options now! Thank goodness Telus came out with the same kind of ‘unlimited wireless internet’ deal as in the US, even if it IS $75. Canada may have hope yet. MAY being the keyword….

And so I am typing here, it is 2:30am. This seems to be dinner time for me. I go to sleep when Bryan rises for fishing at 5am. I wake up when he comes home at noon. I work nights, slowly giving way to the nocturnal insanity that some people experience when they do night shifts. But I know better times are coming, I just have to hold on a bit longer and then it’s time to stay in South Port RV Park in Charlottetown. The nearest convenience store is a walk across the road instead of an hour away, and everything is a one minute drive across the bridge. I’m looking forward to the Canada Day festivities and civilization around me. But I am especially looking forward to getting back on the road afterwards, where nothing is permanent or planned too far in advance.

When I think about it, I really have nothing to complain about. I’m one of the lucky ones, and sometimes I lose sight of this fact. Both of us do. It is so true though, you couldn’t appreciate the light if there was no darkness.

Like the sun and the grey skies….

A new traveling buddy….

Our stay in Florida is coming to an end. *POUT*

I’m still working on the backdated entries for the last while, from the wedding until now. Slowly but surely getting caught up….
Our time in Florida has been wonderful, and we had good friends to spend it with this time….! While they’ve been heading up back to eastern Canada, we’ve spent our time catching our breath and trying to slow time down as much as possible. However, it seems the slower you want it, the faster it goes, and vice versa. Such is life….

For our last few days we arranged to stay in Jetty Park….one of our favorites as most know;-) It was also a great opportunity to trek into Orlando and pick up our *new friend*. That being Miphy, our bearded dragon! I don’t know how this came about, but I decided I wanted one. As most know, when I decide on something, well….that’s it! Anyway, when adults, dragons are known to be cuddly and interactive….as well as appreciative of human companionship. This little guy LOVES to stand up on his back legs and lean his front ones on the window, and just stare outside. He also loves to curl up and snuggle into a little blanket I gave him on the first night to sleep. Oh, and they are ADORABLE…..some may not agree with this however!

But….just look at this face!

In the car on the way home….

Check out the color….and his being *special*.

Cute!

Oh boy!

Getting him used to my shoulder….he already loves sitting there!

I met a lovely girl online who had a few babies for sale….one of them was nipped by a sibling and lost his hand. Of course, I fell in love with him right away. But of course, I wanted one who I felt I had a connection with, like in the case of Cocoa! (Who for some reason, never got an intro on here, so I’ll have to backdate one!) We saw them all in the tank, and while I knew which one I truly wanted, I felt like it was such a DECISION. I could have taken them all….so cute! But Bryan handed me Miphy one more time, and I knew it was quite clear….

He has been a wonderful addition to our *traveling zoo*. Mittens loves him….watches the tank all day. Endless hours of entertainment! The birds are also pleased as the *big white monsters* attention has been (temporarily) shifted. This new friend has also given me a project….as he will need a bigger enclosure as he grows. Thus, we will be building a sort of stackable enclosure for the dragon, the hermit crabs, and the birds, who I wanted to build an acrylic cage for anyway. It will give me more to do in PEI I suppose!

So we all lived happily ever after….

….and then the dreaded *Thursday* came along….the day we were supposed to leave and head back up north. Oh, but we (the Jetty Park staff and I, and to some degree Bryan) knew that this would not come about! We extended our stay for another week….an early B-Day present for me! Bryan will have to suffer the long drives for me, but that’s what marriage is about….men suffering. Am I right or am I right?

And so, I will be at the beach until I have to be dragged away, kicking, screaming and crying!
Until then, happy travels, I will write to you from the road on the way up….
However, if you don’t hear from me again, I will most likely have frozen to death and suffered horribly beforehand. </end dramatics>

That, or I just procrastinated….!

Happy Easter!

Hey hey,

 I haven’t written a post in ages, thanks to Cat for keeping things going.  I like the wordpress platform back on, I had been doing my own journal but I said screw it for awhile, after the server was hacked and I lost my content. 

Spring is here and it is getting to the turning point on the compass, we’re leaving our current campground west of Miami tomorrow morning.  From here on out we will be heading progressively North.  Cat dreads when we start heading “up” but I enjoy something different.  We can take a few days here or there, we’ll be stopping in Ft. Lauderdale next, then West Palm and back to Cocoa Beach for a bit, although for less than a week in each spot. 

It was a nice rainy Easter weekend, with a little thunder, and lots of food.  It sure beats the snow, I did the “home-cooking” ham and sweet potatoes.  Anyone else think RV ovens are useless?  Ours doesn’t even light anymore but no matter, the only thing it ever cooked decently was the turkey last Christmas.  It would burn the bottoms of any dish and leave the top raw, so you have to flip it.  Well, we use ours as a wine rack and beverage holder.  The best thing I bought was a big toaster /countertop oven, one that fits 12″ pizzas.  Everything cooks perfectly.  http://www.proctorsilex.com/cgi-bin/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/1688/sesent/00/6-Slice-Toaster-Oven

Plus it sure beats burning through propane, that built-in oven would take forever to cook anything.  Cat really wishes it was possible to swap it out for a dishwasher.  No affordable option, and we have absolutely zero room for a countertop model.  So it looks like I’ll be stuck with the duties for the unforeseeable future.  I don’t mind, anyways, more later. 

Maybe even throw in some wedding stuff at some point, we’re just completely done with it for awhile.  Definitely glad to have all that behind us, it was no small task. 

A little update….

Well I figure I owe everyone a little update….after all, it HAS been a month since the last post! We are on the verge of getting everything in our life on track, organized and ‘updated’. Right now we’re staying near Fort Lauderdale after a 9 day stay at John Pennekamp in the Florida Keys, and previously Jon Dickenson SP in Hobe Sound as well as Long Point Park (again!) in Melbourne Beach. I promise I’ll write a post highlighting our stay at each place soon. For now, I’m still tweaking the blog as well as a couple of other sites that have been on the back burner since the planning of the wedding….

Oh yes, I promise wedding pictures shortly too….can’t forget that! I don’t think people believe the wedding existed, but it did….I swear! Ha-ha!

Stay tuned for more to come. And while you’re at it, sign the new guestbook, located on the right sidebar:-)

Blast Off!

I had my camera pointed in the wrong direction when I heard everyone exclaim ‘Ohhhh there it is!’ Thankfully I was able to recover quickly and catch the shots that I did! Kristy, Will, Bryan and myself walked out to the fishing dock at Manatee Hammock in Titusville, where we were staying with the rigs for the week. We accidently booked the time when the launch was set to go….bonus!

The weather was looking bad, or at least it was on the radar….there was a 60% chance that the launch was going to be scrubbed….but I had a feeling the entire day that everything was going to be ok! The sun stayed out, the Thunderstorms never showed, and up went the shuttle in a blaze of fire into the deep blue sky while everyone watched in awe. I was shaking so badly, I could barely hold the camera. I think I must have felt the nervousness of those men being shot into the sky. It was quite miraculous….see for yourself….

Camera #1

Camera #2

Awwwwesome!

Journeys….

It’s been great getting back to the east coast of Florida. I write to you from Wickham Park in Melbourne having come recently from Long Point Park in Melbourne Beach. Long Point was pretty cool, and we both hope to go back soon. It’s situated beside Sebastian Inlet State Park nestled between the Atlantic and the Indian River. We again scored an awesome site right on the end with the windows facing out to no one just as I like it;-) While it wasn’t a waterfront site, we were at the end of a large field which pretty much lent a view of the entire water surrounding the park, which was very nice. I’ll post some pictures of Wickham Park in the next entry….here’s a bit of Long Point….

It sure got chilly during the cold front that came through at the beginning of our stay….as you can tell by our postures!

Yup, the birds were chilly too!

The cold front came in for about two days and then left quite abruptly. Back to the warm sunny Florida we know and love! On the first day of the cold front, my Trikke arrived. I braved the chill for about two minutes until I wimped out….just long enough to test ‘er out! Notice the wind in the palms? Brrrr!

A couple more pictures of both units together (notice the sun, PHEW!), the black one is a T8 and the sparkly copper orange one is a T12:

Before we knew it we were off to Wickham Park on January 8th, and the place is just *massive*. Lots to do, and in a stones throw of pretty much everything. I called for weeks and weeks trying to find an open spot, and persistence paid off nicely. We’re close to everything we need to get to for the wedding preparations, inlcluding the dress shop, Merediths Bridal.

Today was my fitting, and it went quite well. It was also very encouraging as Mavis (the lovely lady there who I have been keeping in touch with since I visited last year) exclaimed at how much weight I have lost! *insert sigh of relief* It’s all the Trikking, I TELL YA! Anyhoo! We are very excited for next weekend, as it is when our friends Will and Kristy (groomsman and bridesmaid) will arrive in Florida with the best man Trevor and Wills brother. Oh but that’s not it….they are arriving in their brand new RV! Proof that this lifestyle is contagious;-)

Will and Kristy just landed a 29 foot Outback Sydney edition, with beautiful white and tropical decor. Yum! Finally a company that is straying from old granny fabrics….! ….and so, congrats to them for selling their house and bursting out of the typical life of boredom and residing in one place forever when there is a large world to see! They are so excited, which is understandable, and I feel like I’m going through the entire thing again. The nostalgia makes me giddy as I hear about all their ‘to do lists’ and the entire process in general. It’s amazing what the beginning memories of the jump into it feel like down the road, I wish I could replicate them again, and perhaps I am through Will and Kristy!

So for those who are reading this and are currently setting out on the journey, please please document it….take pictures, and really just enjoy the entire process. While it seems stressful and overwhelming, you will always think back to the moments where the change is taking over and the adventure down the road has just begun….!

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe year two of RVing has gone by. Well, our first year was only half a year really, but the process started near the beginning of 2006 anyway:-) Time really DOES fly when you’re having fun! When we look back to how much has changed, it’s quite unbelievable. From the lifestyle to our mindset, everything is so very different. We’re wiser, and we know what we want and don’t want out of life.
Both of us hope to continue this way of living for many years, if not the rest of our life. Many of our friends have settled down, some have bought a house, some have had children. Good for them I say, but it’s clear to us that what we want in life is very different from everyone else. We want to travel, learn, and grow in ways that aren’t exactly understood by everyone we know. Yet we have been blessed to find others with the same goals, hopes and dreams, and we hope to continue meeting these types down the road:-) I say all of us are very lucky to have stumbled upon this way of life, and to imagine it any other way is impossible now….
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and best of luck for the new year! I’ll leave you with some crazy New Years pictures…. Kevin and Angie from Chillaxnet.com came over to Fort Myers Beach with their friends: the lovely Michelle and rad Damian! All of them young Rvers and super fun. Thanks to all of you for making this one of the best New Years ever! Good company is everything….

I don’t look as cute at the end of this post!

The following pic is the nights award winner. I tell Bryan to pose, and he cops a feel?! HA! Either he’s a ladies man or he’s just got really bad timing….or I do;-) Or is that good timing? I’m confused!?

Yup, I’m done!

Make that TWO down!

The middle one reads: No more pictures grrr!

Then there was me, running and jumping in the ocean like a child. And no, there was no one joining me. I was in my own world! Except for that guy in the back….no idea what he was doing….hehe….

My new years resolution….make more of this stuff!

The kindness of strangers….

We went out tonight with AJ and his new friend from Fort Lauderdale. Fort Myers Beach was a little more busy than usual which was good. Had some drinks and excellent food at Junkanoo and then for more drinks and an appetizer at The Pierside Grill. A great night, it’s always fun to see friend on the road. They both traveled two and a half hours to get here….we have them our radar detector for the ride back;-) Ha-ha!
It’s also great to MEET friends on the road. Like the people we’ve met while staying at Gulf Waters RV Resort. Just when I thought this place couldn’t get any cooler (and the people any nicer!), I was taken for a surprise! When we returned from our night out, we found a present on our picnic bench: All the letters were actually engraved into the glass….and the picture hand painted! Beautiful!

How SWEET is this?! It has put me in a wonderful mood. Someone went to all this trouble. I thought maybe we were kinda looked down upon because we were young and out of the age range here, but I was very wrong….very very wrong! A big thank you to whoever did this, we were very very touched:-)

Those that Trikke together, stay together!

I have a new toy! It’s a Trikke. Apparently a big fad in Florida and Cali it seems….because of the warm weather all year around. Of course it’s traveled further north as well…. Unlike a bike, it gives a full body work out, rather than just the lower half. I’m looking forward to being more toned for the wedding in January;-) I recommend this to all folks of all ages! From my extensive research on it online, it has helped everyone from the overweight, to car accident victims, to those with heart problems, to those who just find other exercise too boring. You can do jumps and tricks with them too….but that will take me a while to figure out, haha!

The birds love it too!

I know Bryan wants one, although he does not admit it. I go outside, and realize he’s on it all the way down the street. Ya can’t fool me! LOL!

Merry Christmas!

It’s still strange, the palm trees at Christmas time. Last year it was ‘weird’. This year, it makes me happy….but that could also be the complaints I’ve heard of others in colder places influencing this opinion;-) My parents made it down through the snow to be here for Christmas. We all went to the club house here at Gulf Waters RV Resort….it was awesome! They had a big potluck, and well over 100 people came out, which was more than expected. It was awesome and I’m so glad we came here for this particular holiday! This was on the table, and was also sung right before dinner, it sure cracked me up….

Some Christmas pictures….and pressie show offs, just because I love sparklies and I’m way too excited to keep these to myself!

Early Christmas/Wedding Gifts (Ebay fun and additions to my ’sparkly collection’): Diamond and sapphire art deco ring in platinum, circa 1920 Ruby and diamond eternity ring with hand engraving Aquamarine and stirling silver earrings Citrine and rose cut diamond earrings in yellow gold.

Bryan is the bestest!!!!