Rv's and FUN in Novi Michigan!!!

Getting Ready in our New Jayco!!!

2018--- The Big Freeze!!

I hope everyone had a most fabulous Christmas and New Year! Sarge and I after much (a couple weeks) debate in all this prep work for our full -time goals decided to trade in our Jayco 195 RB.  I know that there are alot of mixed reviews on the Jayco's from full timers but we really have become very familiar with them and we are very comfortable with their simplicity in amenities  and how they are laid out.  It was important to us not to go too long as our tow vehicle is already 20 ft long. Our goal was to keep it under 30 ft.  We wanted to have enough room where we can have our own space if we are having a down day due to weather, work, or health.  We liked some of the Freedom Express from Coachmen, we decided that solar ready was a feature we liked on these rigs  also we liked the outdoor kitchen as most of the time they would have a nice wardrobe in the bathrooms.  After a wonderful trad-in offer on our 2017 195 RB  we found our long term unit... a 2018 Jayco 24 RBS.  We got an exceptional deal on the only lot model as these units at the time were back ordered because of the  demand for them.  The units have a taller ceiling so it doesn't feel cramped vertically you can actually stand in the tub shower and use it!!!  The bath is large enough that you can maintain your privacy while showering or changing.  If you dont want to shower inside... there is an outdoor shower!!  The water storage tanks were another plus... you have a secondary fresh water tank.  Each water tank is 38 gallons!  So if you are boon-docking that is a whopping 76 gallons of water!!  Whoo hooo!!! Grey tank is 39 gallons and black tank also 39 gallons.  This unit had a thermal underbelly  which what that means is that you are heating under the floors which is nice especially since it is starting to feel like it is Antartica around here!  Unloaded wt is 5500 and gross wt is 7550!!The exterior length came in at 28.8 ft  I love the storage in this unit!!!  I found out a very valuable lesson in all this.... If you recently purchased a new unit and you found out after one camping season it just wasn't right for you...call your dealership immediately.   It worked in our benefit to trade in before year end and before the new nada came out.  Obviously you are going to pay for your usage but your losses are a lot less if you act quickly. It isn't worth hanging on to a rig you are not happy with because you will not use it or enjoy it as much.  Sometimes we just do not know what we want or need when purchasing our new rig...If you are considering a purchase I would recommend renting one so you can get a feel for your RV style.  I have found the best deals on RV's is between late Nov through end of January... most dealerships are offering show deals around this time.  I don't think you will ever find the "Perfect" rig but you will have the aha moment of yes this is home!  As it is this makes our total rig at 48.8 ft tow vehicle and trailer.. this will exclude us from some National Park Campgrounds in the Rockies. 

The Purge- Getting Ready for Full-Time RVING!

P-word for sure!!! Plan.

So "The Plan" has been shared with many family members.  Ones that we shared our "plan"  with look at us like we are nuts! They cannot believe that hubby, the dog and I are doing this "radical" thing!!
Vicariously through this plan we have I am taken to a time of our past as Americans where ideology such as Faith, Family, Friends and Entrepreneurship were the backbone of society in the United States of America.  People came to America to seek refuge from religious persecution.  Then people in droves packed their suitcases to load on a boat seeking economic opportunities that this new continent provided. People of all skills what we would call white collar and blue collar trades came to America... Land of the "Free" ,  free in thought and free to economically grow and thrive.  Times were brutal back then... If you wanted a home, you had to invest some sweat equity into it.  This means securing the lumber, cutting the lumber and then building the structure.   If you wanted a meal, you had to hunt and kill or pick it and prepare it.  You need something to wear... well you get it!!!

Today it is easy.  Go to work many hours, make lots of money to pay lots of money for everything we desire.  We click,scroll and voila!!!  The items we desire are at our finger tips.  It amazes me how dynamics of Family has changed.  As parents  we communicate  with our children through texts, snap chats and twitter.  Our family gatherings are few and far between due to the fluctuating work schedules and the demands of our home environment for yet more money to provide for more things and gadgets so we can spend quality time with our children and extended family staring at some form of a screen.  Our friendships are forged at the forums on the computer our emotional supports and stresses come from social media. I find that people are not thinking outside of the box when it comes to economic growth because the box does all the thinking for them.  This will leave a society  struggling to figure out how to solve problems on their own. I worry about our future as Americans unless we become more grounded to each other, our environment and society. Few years ago The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints had this to say to the world about society- click on this

Family: A Proclaimation to the World

Hubby and I have worked many years to obtain many things.  These are things that at the moment brought happiness.  Our home is full of things... We continue to dust clean and move all these things that have been obtained through the years. Finally, after discussion with hubby we have both come to the same conclusion.  We have worked many years to obtain all this and yet what is really important to us is Faith, Family, Friends  and Country.  While we are young enough to enjoy we are going to spend a period of time traveling this great United States of America  in an RV!  Yes you are reading this correctly!!! Along this adventure we are going to start on we will be able to spend time with family that live in different states, make friends from different places and just purely upfront enjoy that land that GOD has given us!!!   The Adventure will force us to go back to seeking and enjoying the simple pleasures of life, this is is not going to be the easy route but no matter how long this adventure takes us it will assuredly be fulfilling .... This is going to begin through downsizing the items in our lives that are weighing us down and inhibiting enlightenment and enjoyment.  We both expect that someday when we reflect back on our life we will be able to say "WOW!  That adventure was awesome!"   So as we embark on this, I will share with everyone the process on this adventure .  This is not a hap-hazard decision,  there is a process to all of this so that it is planned, then executed in a way as to not burden the ones we love and so that it is a FUN, enlightening adventure!

So with that  being said.... stop in for the next blog....  on the next P word....

 PURGE!

Self- Awareness

   I remember when I was young I was this skinny 5 foot 6 inch 110 pound Girl.  This for my height was far too skinny. However at that time in my life when I looked into the mirror all that was seen was the big butt. I did not see that the bubble butt I had was inherited was rounded not BIG. The boys and the girls in middle school seemed to always have something to say about my bubble butt,  actually, in reality they didn't talk about it all the time.  I know that the kids who would from time to time pick on me for my bubble butt did not realize how incredibly self- conscious about my butt size, even though in reality I was incredibly skinny.   I remember  observing  people get on the scale weighing  around 150 pounds and quietly thinking to myself I will never weigh that much!  In my mind tipping the scale over 150 pounds seemed morbidly obese.

  I was three months pregnant with my first child and weighed in at 115 pounds that a the OB doctor gave me only weeks to put on 5 pounds or I was facing hospitalization and an insertion of a feed tube. This is the moment that I became aware that I had a body image issue.  I was scared to death to allow my body do what it naturally does when one is growing another human inside of them. The doctor put me on an eating schedule.  Slowly the weight came on and I was able to avoid the hospitalization. This is where  I learned a lot about anorexia, body image perception and the effects on your brain and body.

Many years later, I had thrown in the towel.  My weight continued to climb upwards.  I now have surpassed my definition of morbid obesity by MANY pounds!  My Ideal recommended weight is 130 pounds.  I eat because I am bored, I eat because I am upset, I eat because I need to be doing something to keep my brain on task.  I eat socially. I eat because it is time to eat.  I rarely eat because I am hungry. The hunger center in an anorexic's brain just doesn't function properly it does not tell you to eat because your body needs nourishment due to the fact that the anorexic's brain isn't triggered physiologically normally,  this can lead to over compensating when the person throws in the towel on appearance and starts to "feed" the emotions.  Emotional eating is very dangerous for a person who is struggling with their coping mechanisms.  Emotional eaters easily become addicted to food as it feeds the  pleasure centers in the brain and it feels good and satisfying at the moment.  Then after the let down (within 2 hours) you are looking for the oral and sensory stimulation of food again.
I looked to food to make my brain feel good.  I did not look to food as something my body needed.

Now weighing in at almost 180 I have awakened to the fact that I am over weight.  I don't feel good because I am unhealthy.  I have not been eating the right things to nourish my body. My health issues will continue to progress unless I do something to change the trajectory. My body is filled with toxins from both my environment and from what my body is storing through bad food and fat.  I am going to be documenting my progress  and detailing my steps that I take.  Like anything else in life anything is possible as long as you keep placing one foot in front of the next.  I am making this experience public and coming out of the closet with this so that maybe I can promote understanding and help someone along the way. Most of the time when people think of anorexia we think of a skeleton of a person.. Truth is , it is a dysfunction of your perception and the hunger center of your brain and the weight swing can go both ways it all depends on what supersedes the visual perception or the emotional void.

Step one to over coming anything is life is self- awareness and accountability.  I have an eating disorder. This eating disorder is a problem due to the fact that I am not happy with the effects of it. My eating is a problem because I have refused to acknowledge it. My eating is a problem because I make unhealthy choices of what my body needs at the moment.  My eating is a problem because I eat for the wrong reasons. My eating is a problem due to lack of self-control.  

I hope whoever reads this does so with an open mind. I have made a commitment to be healthy.  I will be following up with posts on my journey and the steps I am taking for a successful life change!

xoxo
Peace and Paint!
Taressa

this is the picture that drove home my weight gain for me....  I look forward to doing another picture with Theresa Caputo next year and having a comparison.... maybe I will actually fit  in a little cute dress!

OK so I am going to try to figure out this blogging ...

.... my hubby is the computer guy and I am trying to figure this out on my own!!!! Like anything else in life if you wanna do it .... YOU CAN!