Style and consumerism

Now, just because I don't like buying things or shopping doesn't mean I have no style or taste! My home decorating style is what I like... not necessarily what HGTV or Better Homes and Gardens magazine says is the latest and greatest and it doesn't change that often. I lean towards a practical decorating style. Some of my decor are things I use... some are things that are meaningful to me or to my family and some are just things I like the look of. 

A lot of what I've decorated with in our RV will be used to decorate in our next sticks and bricks home. My style of decor isn't dictated by the house I live in.

My gypsy flags in our RV...

My gypsy flags in our previous home...

As far as my clothing style... it's a mixed bag too! I am not a dress-up kinda gal and my lifestyle doesn't necessitate fancy dresses or heels. I cringe whenever someone says "I couldn't carry that style off" and want to ask them "who says?" Or the fashion gurus say that you can't dress a certain way once you reach a certain age. Granted... I don't have a job that dictates I have to dress a certain way... and I love the freedom my "job" as a homemaker gives me to dress in a manner that is comfortable and to my liking. I do enjoy watching TLC's What Not to Wear every once in a while and sometimes like the way the "victim" dresses BEFORE more than after they are "transformed" into WNTW's fashion beauty. I enjoy dressing in a way that pleases my husband, but also wear some things that he cannot stand! =) And he still loves me and is attracted to me! But you will rarely hear me asking other women if what I'm wearing looks okay!

So what does all this have to do with simple living? For me it's not about changing my decor or clothing on a regular basis... therefore, I am not purchasing new-to-me items often. Even when I do feel a need for a change in my home, it's usually moving furniture and items from room to room. When it comes to buying new household items or furniture it's usually to replace something that has broken or for one reason or another cannot be used any longer or I have a new hobby (like canning supplies). I enjoy being resourceful and trying to use what I already have. My loose rule for clothing is if I buy a new piece of clothing (and most of these are bought at thrift stores), a like piece gets donated. It's very easy in the RV as we have very limited space for our clothing.

I recently came across a blog post that continued my thinking on consumerism and simple living... Contentment and the Zen of Granny. When I think of my grandparents' homes, they were wonderful places to be... not the most fashionable at all but I loved being there. I love this part...

She enjoyed keeping things pretty but didn’t put undue pressure on herself to be fashionable. Most of her decorating was about keeping things clean. Interestingly enough, keeping things clean is referred to as decorating by the Sidetracked Home Executives, if memory serves . This is super easy for us to emulate … we can stop caring about whether our homes look like the ones on tv or in the magazines and think about whether our home is clean instead! Doesn’t sound all that exciting I know, but I think it’s more satisfying, if for no other reason than that it is possible to do! Most of us don’t have the means to have the homes featured in magazines.

 

Simple living vs. consumerism

In Finding Joy, there's a story about a New Yorker cartoon portraying a man running toward the end of the rainbow only to see a pot of baked beans there. The author mentions whenever she thinks of striving for something "more" she reminds herself it's time to stop and remember there's beauty in the ordinary and it's right here!

She goes on to tell of visiting an old dear friend whom she hadn't seen in a while. 

"His sense of graciousness and ritual was as I remembered. I had mentioned that I wanted only fruit and tea for breakfast, and I arrived to a neatly set table with an orange and apple on a plate beside a knife, a mug and a newspaper on the same green tablecloth I had sat at twenty-five years before. I also saw the same bookshelves, the same tables, the same dishes and the same couch as before. In a passing moment, a painful image flashed through my mind of the thousands of dollars I had spent on such items over the years and how little they mattered. How peaceful it was to be with him in this uncluttered home. I hold that image in my mind as I struggle to detach from wanting more things."

She describes me in describing a time in her life where she went through a period of buying lots of new and pretty and useful things in a compulsive way. 

"I would buy something and then after I had enjoyed it for a little while, I would start thinking about the next thing I would buy." 

We had the money (although at one time a lot of it was regretfully bought with credit)... and looking back, the point isn't to be able to save the money and have it to spend later, but to be able to be generous with those in need. What the author did to break this cycle was to intentionally look around her and acknowledge that what she had was beautiful, paid for and whatever other quality it had. 

"Again, and again I need to quell my restless mind and remind myself, This is enough. What I really seek is more love, more peace and more free time."

I still struggle with consumerism.

the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods.  ~Merriam-Webster dictionary

I no longer have a desire to buy a lot of stuff I don't need. I used to shop for entertainment... which led to buying things... things we didn't need. Oh sure, I enjoyed them when I got them home and I did use them but thinking about it now... how many gorgeous coffee cups do I really "need"? I can only use one at a time. And even when I have guests, are they there to enjoy a pretty coffee cup or my company?

Shopping is no longer a favorite pastime for me. I still enjoy thrift shopping and grocery shopping most of the time... but it's a different kind of enjoyment. I enjoy cooking and baking and we live within a budget... so it's a challenge to me to shop for good food within a budget. I love the thrill of finding something in a thrift store or garage sale I've been "needing" and paying few dollars for it. When we sold everything in preparation for our RV lifestyle, we knew we'd most likely buy another house eventually and we knew we'd furnish it with thrift store and garage sale finds that we love. And it's something that both David and I enjoy doing. Scouring thrift stores is a whole lot more fun to us than walking into a furniture store and buying a whole new living room "set". And yes, we've done that before. Although if you know me it wasn't a "matching set". =)

When it comes to buying gifts for others... I'd much rather not give anything if I cannot find something I know they need, would love and/or use. Long ago, we gave up the notion to give something just to give something or out of obligation or guilt. If we cannot find that "something" we try to find other ways to make someone feel special and loved (homemade goodies, a meal out or a donation to a charity that is meaningful to the recipient). But at times I still struggle... I don't want anyone to feel like we don't love them and some people connect value with gift giving and receiving. 

Shopping and buying are in the forefront for me right now because of the season. We haven't done a whole lot of shopping yet. We have bought a few gifts online and I'm making some gifts as I do every year.  It's not that I'm in a "scrooge mood"... God has just been revealing to me over the past few years but a lot this past year about how blessed we are... as is! It all goes along with my "being in the moment" and being grateful for what we do have and we have an abundance! 

to be continued...

Change is in the air...

I've heard (and I'm sure you have too) that the only constant is change. We experience a change in seasons faithfully every year... but not only a change in seasons but changes within seasons. We've been experiencing the changes in nature with the coming of Fall... And we've experienced the newness of it over and over as we've driven south. One of our favorite drives recently was thru South Carolina. I know that SC is not a "known" beautiful Fall place but it was gorgeous! And we are so blessed to be able to experience it!

Change is in the air for David and I too! We are headed back home soon! Actually we are headed that way right now... and will be there before Christmas... Well before Christmas. Our extended stay in Wilmington took the wind out of our sails so to speak. We'd been missing home before our blow out accident and that was just what we needed to put our priorities back in the place they belong. In my last post I talked about being tired of chasing the dream life and stopping to building one... Well, I heard a song on the radio recently during our drive... It's an old Ronnie Milsap song... Smoky Mountain Rain... One line in it is "I've had a change of dreams I'm comin' home".  That pretty much says it!

One thing we've struggled with is feeling somewhat "obligated" to our readers... when you share an adventure with the public, other people who have similar dreams say they are "living vicariously thru you"... so being the people pleasers we are, we don't want to let those people down. But then we start talking about not living our lives for others, but living the life that we are meant to live and what is pleasing to God. We can only hope that our adventure inspires and gives our readers courage to do what it is they dream about.

I started this blog a little late in the game to reflect on how I see this adventure and how it changes me... While the traveling adventure may be coming to a close, I hope and pray that my life is always an adventure. So for the time being, I hope to continue blogging here about our new adventure (whatever that may be). 

Wow! Unintended long blogging break! I must admit, I struggled a lot during our wait for our truck and rig to be fixed and ready to go. People that we came into contact with were friendly enough but not very helpful. Maybe it was my "expectations" of the South... and because I was looking for why God had us in the Wilmington area. But I was never so glad to leave a town! We did our best to be in the moment and enjoy what Wilmington has to offer. We explored downtown Wilmington. We went to the beach. We explored local eateries. So I'm happy to say that we did what we could... 

We are back on the road now... presently in Myrtle Beach! Beaches and the ocean are my favorite places to be and it is really nice here. We are within walking distance to the beach so I can walk out there any time I want. The weather has been sunny... a bit cool but still pleasant. And while I'm enjoying our time near the ocean... things just still don't feel "right". 

One thing God did reveal to both of us while we were stranded in a place where we knew no one, were without the comforts of home and several days lacking transportation, was that we miss "home". And "home" being Texas with our family, a few friends, familiarity, friendly people in general, big open spaces, good Mexican food and BBQ. For me, it has been the realization that I'm weary of "chasing life" and am ready to build one in a place called home. I thought I had a gypsy spirit, but being stranded has made me realize that that is just a small part of me. The bigger part wants to build a life in a community making and keeping friends that aren't just virtual friends. I love my online friendships... I really do. But nothing replaces "face time". The real face time and not on an Iphone! =)

We still have not decided what is our immediate future. We are trusting that God has a plan and we are trying to follow our hearts. Our hearts are telling us to take some time away from Wilmington and feeling forgotten and helpless. Leaving the hotel and moving back into our rig helped a little with that. But it's more. 

It goes back to what we determined we were both missing with this lifestyle. True connections that are consistent... being involved in a community, in something bigger than ourselves. We can continue to try and find that on this adventure or we can build it in a community that we already call home. 

Enough thoughtful thoughts... we've had more heart talks in the past 21 days than we've had in 25 years of marriage! Kinda... 

Being invisible vs. standing out

Recently two blogging friends have written about being invisible and not liking to be the center of attention. This is so me! I love wearing clothes that I love and some of them aren't "fashionable" and a bit eclectic... which causes me to stand out. I'm trying to get more comfortable in my own skin so I've been forcing myself to wear them in public and it hasn't been too bad. I get compliments on my PPP clothes that I wear. I just say thanks and move on. But I must say that I prefer to be invisible. But I do love sharing what Shauna of Poor Pitiful Pearl creates!

I struggle with being noticed though. I want to reach out to people, but being around people I don't know is stressful for me and drains my energy fast... I want to be friendly and social but I also want to be invisible and watch...I want to be my authentic self but I don't want to stand out or be the center of attention... I want to be liked but I want to be left alone too... I don't want to be left out but don't want to be included in everything either...I like observing and the freedom that being invisible brings but I also want to be a part of something.

I'm aware that there are several books out there now about how to live as an introvert in this very social world. I haven't read them yet, but they are on my wish list. I've always thought I could fake my way since that's what the world expects. It has only been in the last few years that I've come to recognize that God made me this way for a reason. I don't want to be something I'm not, but I also don't want to use it as an excuse. So I definitely believe there's a balance. That balance is what I'm seeking!

This way of living...

Love it or leave it? David's post on reflections of the first 6 months has spawned a couple of posts by other bloggers. I do believe that some people who are fulltime travelers have created a Utopic life based on their lives before rv'ing. And while David did poke a bit of fun at people who idealize the lifestyle, that's also the way he writes... finding humor in everything. 

I think for some full time travelers, it is such a 180 degree "flip-flop" from their previous lifestyle that it IS Utopia for them. For us, we loved our previous "lifestyle" of living in a rural area on a couple of acres... we just want to experience other lifestyles and this is one of them! With that said, I'm enjoying living in our small home, traveling, freedom, and many other positives of the full time traveling lifestyle. Yes, I do miss some things, but I'm sure once we live in a sticks and bricks again, I'll miss aspects of the traveling lifestyle. I think just because I miss some things, it doesn't mean I don't like the way we are living now! And this is what I'm working on! Living in the moment... where I am! It is a work in progress!

I admit that I'm fickle and David will be the first one to say amen to that. But it's just because I want to experience it all! One of the blog posts I linked to above listed 5 "darker sides" to RV living... and after I'd read them, I don't think of them as the "darker" side at all! I love "living" in our RV and traveling while living; I love living in the small space; I feel refreshed when we get to a new campground; we continue to live on a budget like we always have and always will; and I enjoy being close to David! All of those are positives to me. Yes, we have trying days but we had those in our sticks and bricks too!
The very last paragraph of Nina's post is spot on!

So is fulltime RVing for everyone? Hell no! If you’re not adaptable, flexible, relaxed about travel & weather, love being around your other half, comfortable in a small space and have a decent sense of humor this lifestyle might well fail you. That’s not to say you can’t be all those things in a stix & brix house, but space and plans are even more likey to be “jello” in an RV, so you gotta be prepared for the unexpected. And the positives? Freedom, adventure and memories to last a lifetime. For me, those three little things totally outdo the negatives. For you? Well, you’ll have to make that decision for yourself.

I think we are still in the "newlywed" phase of fulltime traveling. We are still figuring out what works for us and what doesn't. While David took the humorous approach to the positives and negatives of fulltime traveling, I think that we both think the positives still outweigh the negatives. And the few negatives that are the "big deals" can be solved. So we are working on that in the coming months!

As far as missing our family and Texas, we have the freedom to head back there at any point! Hang out for a while with family and friends and get our Mexican food, Whataburger and barbecue fixes; then head out once again. Who knows! =)

What I'm missing...

While my gypsy soul is in heaven... there are a few things this Texas girl is missing: (besides my entire family and friends)

More working space in the kitchen

An oven that bakes/cooks consistently... some days I bake something and it comes out perfect... then I bake something a few days later and the bottom is burned. Although it keeps getting better and better

Hanging my clothes out on a clothesline

Fresh eggs from our chickens

Regular size closets... even my shirts don't hang and get wrinkled on the bottom

A bed I can walk around

Ha, a bed we can both sleep in.

Lately, cable TV although at this moment we are in a park that has cable.

Fall in Texas; Longhorn orange everywhere

Austin coming over to watch football

All of us going to my parents to watch football (well, my mom and I would usually watch something else in her bedroom!)

Real grocery stores! These local grocers are cute and I still enjoy shopping at them for some things, but LOVE my HEB for everything else... And the option of Sprouts and Whole Foods!

Good Mexican food! On a consistent basis! (like weekly)

Migas (made by someone besides me)

Torchy's Tacos!

Yea... I pretty much miss TEXAS!

Utilitarian or beautiful?

My tastes have changed in the last 5 years or so... I'm more drawn to messy, mismatched rooms in homes than I am neat, orderly and sparse. Hubs and I have a fun "argument" over matchy-matchy stuff and "way out there" with nothing matching. I can appreciate beautiful homes and furniture that compliments a room, but I'm finding very simple utilitarian rooms beautiful! Like a kitchen with open shelving... or art supplies left out to be picked up on a moment's notice.

Since noticing this about myself, I was wondering if I had just gotten lazy (about decorating our home) or if it was truly my "taste" that was changing. Then I read this...

This paragraph stood out to me:

Not wanting can be a pleasure unto itself. After years and decades of constant want, desire, even lust and greed, the freedom from it is exhilarating. Even if you only get to feel a glimpse of it every once in a while, it feels so good that you want to always feel like that. You want to grow in contentment. You recognize true freedom when you feel it!

Now, yes, we are redecorating our home right now... but you know what? We've lived in it for 5 months and have slowly figured out what we want it to look and feel like, what works for us. Not what's "in" or "hot" right now. Nothing fancy. It's not so neat, but everything does have a place (a must in small spaces). One of the best compliments I had on my last home, and blessedly I heard it over and over again, that our home is comfortable and warm and a place that person wanted to be. That's the kind of decorating I want to do.

We aren't quite ready to "reveal" our new home to you just yet...We are hopefully finishing up painting tomorrow and recovering the last two valances. Then it's time to tackle the

 

lovely "designer" factory upholstery! This could get interesting!

5th Month Ponderings...

Just another day on the road... But today is a celebratory day! We've been on this road trip/adventure for 5 months today. The first 4 months seem to fly by. This last month has seemed slow. I'm sure part of that is we were parked in one spot for a month. Although looking back now, that seemed to go by quickly. Not sure what has caused the "slow down".

As mentioned before, some days I can see us doing this beyond a year. Other days... I'm ready to go back to Texas (GTT). And even other days I read about people who have been on the road for multiple years and have been boondocking most of that time. I love that spirit! I *want* to be like that! But in reality, NOT really! If you admire and are intrigued with someone's ability to live in a way that you've never lived does that mean you are meant to live that way? That is the question!

D and I had another discussion yesterday evening about this whole full-time RV lifestyle. Unlike many other full-timers, we went in knowing we were probably going to do it for a specific time, a year or when our budgeted amount was gone, with the open ended option of continuing or moving on to something else. So while it is "living" for us, at the same time it's kinda like a vacation in that we are doing touristy things and seeing new-to-us areas. So I get into the vacation mode of thinking... then I have to make breakfast, lunch and supper. In our previous "vacations", there was someone else doing the cooking and cleaning. So that was a true vacation for me! So I sometimes struggle with vacation-mode vs. living while traveling mode.

Of course, it's a perspective/mind-set thing. Most full-timers go into it with the mind-set of this is our life. We are going to live in an RV and travel freely... when we want to, where we want to. Kim from Creating the Life has said it this way, "We will live this lifestyle as long as we are both happy doing it." I like that attitude. And it helps me! We aren't unhappy living this adventure... I just miss some things about our previous lifestyle. And that's "normal" right?

So today we celebrated with a run... Week 6 Day 2 of the Couch-2-5k program.

My new sneaks...

And we will celebrate with green peanut butter banana smoothies after our run. And then we will rehang the last two valances that we removed in order to paint the living room slide. And then we will get ready to travel again tomorrow! Onward ho! To New York!

Higher learning...

[A synonym of higher education, education provided by universities, vocational universities (community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and technical colleges, etc.) and other collegial institutions that award academic degrees, such as career colleges.]

What is it that draws me to college/university towns and cities? I love being on a "higher learning" campus. I love the memories I have of my college years living on campus. I went to a small private university and loved every minute of my time there! I've also attended some classes at community and smaller colleges. I love learning. I love the community on a campus. I love the opportunities that result from learning.

Today we visited University of Notre Dame. It is a beautiful campus! School started on Monday so the atmosphere was exciting! At first we didn't see very many students but as we got deeper into the campus, there they were. We sat on a bench in the shade for a bit and just watched the students interacting and getting to their next class.

We also talked about going back to school. I've always thought I'd like to go back and finish what I started. At "retirement age" it is so encouraging that I have the opportunity to go back and do it again (or finish up as in my case). And I have a better idea of what interests me. At 18 years old, I had no clue what I wanted to do. I think now I would like to study in nutrition or social work... and eventually work some place like The Sustainable Food Center in Austin. I love the idea of helping people learn how to grow their own food and eat healthfully.

in the moment...

I have issues... I struggle being in the moment or even in the "day". I am often found looking ahead to the next thing. Living in Colorado, I looked ahead to living in Texas. When we moved into an apartment in Texas, I looked forward to having a house in the country. Once we were out in the country, I was looking ahead to when my husband wouldn't be commuting between Colorado and Texas. When he retired and moved to Texas, I started looking forward to the RV lifestyle... we are now living full-time in an RV and I'm looking to live in a sticks and bricks again.

I really am enjoying the RV lifestyle. It seems my mind wanders (the Bible mentions fools minds wander to the ends of the earth)... to other things. When I'm embracing the present wherever I am doing whatever I'm doing, I'm good! It's when I start thinking... that's gets me into trouble!

I don't want to have any regrets about this adventure... however long we do it! Some days I see us doing this for several years or more. Other days, not so much!

Things I love about the fulltime RV lifestyle:

• Living small. I really love living in a small space. I have to be organized and neat. I cannot buy a bunch of stuff. And it forces me outside more!
• Being close to nature. Literally! I can see outside from anywhere inside the RV and I'm outside more. 
• Seeing new places! I have not traveled much before this and most of it was in an airplane. So driving across the United States and spending time in different areas has been exciting and refreshing!
• Forcing myself out of my comfort zone. I'm an introvert and a homebody. David's a homebody too, but loves getting out and chatting with people. Sitting outside invites our neighbors to stop and chat. I'm still not all the way out of my comfort zone and probably still spend too much time inside the RV seeking privacy. But I want to change that!
• New places to walk, bike and run! And new sports activities to try! Still want to do some kayaking and stand up paddle boarding!
• If we don't like the neighbors, we can move on. We have enjoyed most of the campgrounds/RV parks we've stayed at. But it is nice to know that we have the freedom to move on if we feel like it.
• Speaking of freedom, being mobile does feel freeing. Getting rid of most of our belongings is freeing. Being able to go where we want and do what we want is freedom. 
• Being able to see family and friends! I'm finally getting to meet some online friends that I've been wanting to meet! And we got to spend time with our family in Colorado! Our sons enjoy visiting us all over the United States too!
• Sharing this time, small space, adventure with my best friend! We've had some great conversations during our drives, in places without our laptops and TV, by the campfires and over dinners out. We don't have a lot to "do" as far as normal household/yard obligations which in turn frees up time... time for each other.

So I'm getting to travel and see the US and have my home come with me! The best of two worlds!

Ponderings...

Ugh... woke up to a not-working-properly coffee maker. It's quite persnickety with the carafe's position... and if it's not right, it overflows in the filter cup. When I didn't hear it tinkling into the carafe, I jumped out of bed and corrected it... Whew....

There was sunshine coming thru the back window first thing this morning, but from there it's been hiding behind clouds. We had a good rainstorm come thru early this afternoon.

The Olympics and a desire not to gain weight on this adventure has us training for a 5k (or several) again. And today was a running day. So we took off mid-morning and ran thru this canopy. This photo was taken on a bike ride on a previous day. I LOVE running thru this! If we were "planners", we'd have planned to run a 5k in each state or something like that. Since we are 4 months and about 18 states into our adventure, guess that's not gonna happen!

We had scheduled a mobile RV guy to come and do a maintenance check on our fifth wheel today. He never showed up, nor called. So we aren't sure what to think about that...

We had some great conversation this evening at supper. Supper was a sausage (grilled by the hubs) and pesto penne, with green beans and beer bread baked this afternoon. We talked once again about the "purpose" of this whole trip/adventure. We don't want to waste a  year on ourselves (being selfish), nor do we want to not be aware and intentional of this year of simplicity and travel to what God is changing or doing in our lives. Hubs feels "guilty" for not serving somewhere... I'm trying to figure out the purpose of my life during this year. I've read where other travelers say that the time spent traveling changed them. I'm looking for change, but maybe I just need to be and realize the change later?

I know that I'm on a path to authenticity... being the true me that God made me to be, but at the same time I don't want this year to be spent just on me.

To blog or not to blog...

That is the question! I've gone back and forth on this... why blog? Because I feel like I want to... 

Background... I've had a couple of blogs before. Felt pressure to blog often and with content that would be interesting! Ha! I don't have dreams of being a writer... but I enjoy writing. I've journaled for several years and have boo-coos of journals in storage. Mostly I just write down things God impresses on me during my quiet times with Him.

I was sweeping this morning in our RV (which takes about 2 minutes), and have been trying to "be in the moment" with everything I do. And the phrase "the zen of sweeping" came to me. Being in the moment instead of thinking ahead to the next thing. I have problems with this! I'm always moving on to the next thing. I want to be here now. In whatever I'm doing!

My husband and I are on a year-long road trip right now. We are just starting month 5. My dream road trip includes a beach and an ocean. We haven't hit that yet! Well, we did explore Monterrey Bay when we were in California but it was just a day trip. I need more! In the process of wanting a beach location, I don't want to miss where we are... which is presently northern Indiana in Amish country. I've always been intrigued with the Amish lifestyle... and I'm around it right now. Even in the barrenness of New Mexico, I wanted to appreciate it for its own beauty. So this has been a journey for me in many ways... the most important one is being where I am!

Not sure where this blog will go... It's really just for me to remember where I've been.