Three Down - One To Go!

After closing on the house we moved into the RV and to the Lakeview RV Resort in Houston.  Living in the RV while still working has been easier than expected.  Our schedules are nearly the same as they were in the sticks and bricks.  I take the dogs out near bedtime while Kathy sets up the coffee pot for morning.  We all make our way into the bedroom to sleep.  Frances on one side of the bed and Keila at the foot.  You must remember this during bathroom trips in the middle of night (the bedroom's about 8 x 8 and mostly filled by a queen sized bed!)

In the morning, Kathy takes the girls for a quick potty break after plugging in the coffee pot.  I lay in bed awaiting my first cup....yes I am a spoiled princess by my lovely woman and I know it.  After the first cup, Kathy heads to the resort shower for two reasons.  First, they are nice and clean and second, our work clothes are currently hanging in the RV shower stall.  I dress, feed pooches, and take them for their poopy walk and a game of ball for Keila.  Besides being tethered to our pets and poop duty, not much has changed.

Kathy and Joy

The most important thing to any small space is organization and cleanliness.  We wash dishes almost every meal and put the away when they are dry.  If you take something out you put it away when you done using it - seems like something my mom would have said.  Be courteous about your personal hygiene and personal space.  It's easier than expected and I am way more diligent then I thought I'd be.  Even the dogs have fallen into their new patterns.  One thing Frances needs to work on is her being outspoken toward other dogs while on leash.  We don't know exactly what it but think she's trying to be protective.  Keila just wants walks and ball games, same old same old.


The resort offers us a chance to swim, use the hot tub, play tabletop shuffleboard and ping pong.  Usually we just sit in the big swing by the lake and watch the birds dive and swim.  We've seen some pretty big fish that we swear are actually lochness monsters (or alligators.)  Often joggers dart by but we haven't met many folks here yet.

I think the pups missed Kathy!

The laundry room has been a pretty good conversation place and I met a couple from Minnesota who are heading north again soon.  They are staying longer than expected because the weld on the toad (vehicle they tow behind their RV) broke on their way here and nearly took out another car on a Houston frontage road. Sounded completely frightening!

We also discussed RV storage issues and I offered space planning suggestions but since they live halftime in and RV and halftime on a boat, they probably have more experience than I have ideas!  But if given the opportunity, I would like to help someone with my storage ideas and research.  

I have one more week of school and then we hit the road.  Kathy's last day was today and she couldn't be more relieved.  She said that today was the first day in over 3 years that she hadn't awakened with a knot in her stomach and jokes that maybe her hair will start turning back to brown! She celebrated her 47th birthday last week and her gift was new Jeep front fenders and fender extenders.  Jeri the Jeep is going to be pretty!

We are getting better about tackling RV maintenance issues.  We installed the new mudflaps on the RV, aired up the tires, and bought a battery charger to tackle our dead truck battery. We are still seeking a rock guard for the Jeep and need to install an inside the cabinet door waste basket for the kitchen.  Minor stuff that will make life better.  Life is good right now and we're ready for greatness.

Nap time!

Popcorn, Shuffleboard and Cancer

Day 5 of our stay at the Lakeview RV Resort  in Houston.  We closed on the house last Thursday without too much of an incident.  There was some discussion about who was supposed to pay for the survey but the realtors got it worked out and it’s not costing us anything.

Packing was a pain! If we were moving into another house, we would’ve purged and then hired movers to pack/move us.  But downsizing from a 2,000 sq ft house to a 300 sq ft RV proved to be quite the task.  Towards the end we had become eBay and Craigslist junkies and everything not packed and shipped in any box we could find was placed in the driveway for pickup by Purple Heart donations.  Of course, they didn’t pick it up when scheduled so the new owners arrived at their newly purchased house to find a pile of donations in their driveway.  Several phone calls later the pile was finally picked up.

I don’t feel too attached to the house.  It was completely remodeled when we purchased it so we didn’t do much to make it our own other than furnish it and add a doggie door.  I always blame my detachment on being a military brat - moving every 3-4 years means learning not to get too attached to people, places or things.  In my career I’ve made a change every 3-4 years – changed jobs, changed units, changed rank.  Same with moving – changed cities, changed neighborhoods, changed houses.  This might just be my racket but it makes sense to me.

Anyway, May 10 marked my 4^th year at UH and I can’t wait to get the hell out!  Was actually ready over 2 years ago but kept hoping I’d feel better about the place.  Nope – didn’t happen.  I’m ready for the next adventure which is why I think this lifestyle will be perfect for me. 

The resort is much nicer than I expected.  Very tropical feeling even though our site backs up to the access road to 90/Main Street.  Took us about a week to figure out things were a lot quieter over night when we used ear plugs so that’s what we do and it’s much better. 

View from pool area

The resort has a nice club house which includes a ping pong table, a pool table, shuffleboard, a big screen TV, a popcorn maker, puzzles, games, books and a computer room.  There’s also a state of the art laundry room (separate post) and beautiful pond with a walking trail around it.  The managers are super nice and we’re really enjoying our stay.  Now we’d much rather have trees and pine needles over concrete and traffic but for the next couple of weeks this will work perfectly.

The resort is about 7 miles south of the largest medical center in the world, the Texas Medical Center, home to MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital and St. Luke’s.  There’s actually a shuttle that runs between the resort and TMC so it’s a very popular home to patients undergoing treatment.  We’ve seen several and have met a few.  You can tell who they are – visible chemo stints, heads balding from chemo/radiation and the tell-tell masks that protect them from the rest of us.  I met a woman last night who had just set up after driving from Kerrville.  Her 63 year old husband is fighting leukemia and, after several months of chemo, he will spend the next 4 months undergoing a bone marrow transplant.  One of those months will be spent entirely in the hospital. 

We also met Debbi and Don, two FB RV page acquaintances, who ended up here after Don’s heart attack in February while RV-ing at South Padre.  Don received a new heart in March and they will be here quite a while as the wonderful cardiologists at St. Luke’s ensure his body doesn’t reject the new heart.

Our Site

We visited with Debbi and Don last night in their 42’ ft Monaco and really enjoyed ourselves.  He is 70 – she is 64 and they’ve been full-timing for years.  What a wonderful couple and two hellacious survivors!  They were so happy for us!

As we complete week two of our new lifestyle, we both agree that the four of us have adapted well and that our routines are working. We haven’t missed the house much and feel that our little RV is just perfect for us.  Let the adventure continue…….