Search Results for Ca (366)

Sad But Thankful

Ashley Longnecker / April 24, 2018

We’ve been in Texas for awhile now. We left Carlsbad, NM nearly a month ago and have been sucked in by this big lone star state. It’s been a really crazy month for us. We’ve noticed a huge shift in these last few weeks. It’s kind of hard to explain. 

Since coming into Texas I’ve honestly been a pretty down in the dumps. I knew it was coming…our trip heading East for a few months. We had planned last fall to come to Indiana for a specific reason, but then those plans changed and we were left with having to decide if we stay West and explore the area that we love so much, or do we keep the original plan and head East to visit family and friends.

The truth is, there is something special about being out West that just makes us feel alive. The endless hiking opportunities, the dry heat, the dusty roads, the free camping. We’re missing it big time right now. 

Of course we are super excited to see family and friends - but honestly I feel like we’re more ourselves when on a back road in the middle of a dusty field surrounded by the mountains and creosote bushes, hiking among the towering sequoia and dodging the jumping cholla. 

The thought of leaving that is really bringing me down. Our food and campground budget is all out of whack due to the lack of free camping in central Texas and honestly, we’ve gotten lazy. There is no appeal to hiking in suburbia. There are so many people, so many houses, so many businesses and I just feel a little suffocated. 

If you’re on our email list, you may already know that we’re on our second week of not being in our Airstream which is just amplifying all the negative feelings. We’re jumping around from one AirBnB rental to the next and it’s exhausting. We’re currently in a HUGE house and I haven’t seen the kids yet today. They’re somewhere upstairs enjoying the space and the multiple TVs before our day gets started. Some would love that but not me. I miss our home. Our sweet, simple, tiny home. There’s something so special about being so close. Having everything you need inside a 28x8 foot trailer and surrounded by the ones you love so dearly. Fingers crossed we get our shiny home back this weekend.

I’m trying really hard to be thankful. To find joy and beauty where we are right now but it’s hard y’all. Traveling has, in a sense, ruined us. Being able to just hitch up our home and move when we don’t like an area has seriously ruined us. 

We are so used to the simplicity and freedom of our tiny shiny life that every facet of the suburbs grates on every last nerve we have. We miss being able to choose what climate we want to be in and what view we want out our front door. If it’s hot, we head to higher elevation. If we want to spend a week at the beach, no problem. If we want to hang our hammocks among the towering pines, let’s do that! But this being stuck in one busy, VERY BUSY, town has seriously taken a toll on my mental state. 

What do you do when you’re feeling so down about the situation you’re in? 

Today I’m listing things that I am thankful for! Light streaming through windows, quiet moments in this huge house, the smell of honeysuckle bushes near by, a truck that runs, healthy and happy kids, a husband who loves his family and works so hard to make this life possible, a washer and dryer on site, gas in the truck and food in the kitchen. There are so many things to be thankful for and listing just a few can have the power to change the course of the day.

So, while we’re still a little sad that we’re not out exploring Arizona, Utah and Colorado right now…we are looking forward to spending some much needed time with family and friends. Just 30ish more days until we’re parked in Knoxville and I’ve already got some hikes planned! Until then, we’ll keep our list of thankful for’s close by and remember that soon enough we’ll be back in our tiny home, heading west to explore all those canyons and mountain tops once again.

Carlsbad, NM

Ashley Longnecker / April 02, 2018

We weren’t super excited to be leaving that epic boondocking site at the base of the Organ Mountains, but it helped knowing that there will always be something beautiful about the next place we visit. Even if it happens to be in a dusty cow pasture!

We headed east towards Carlsbad, NM, and by the time we found a place to park, we were in the middle of a big wind storm and of course we picked the dustiest plot of land to camp on! The kids stayed in the truck until we had everything set up so they could make a run for it while I tried to hold the door open. That was a crazy set up, but we made it and settled in for the week.

Moment Lens & the Future of Mobile Filmmaking

Jonathan Longnecker / March 28, 2018

If you've followed us for a while you may know that we do all our photography and video work straight on our iPhones. No big fancy DSLR's or compact mirrorless cameras here! We do, however have a few add-ons and our Moment Lenses are near and dear to our hearts.

Recently we entered their Short Film Competition and found that we really enjoyed making videos with our mobile phones, too! 

What's In Our Closet

Ashley Longnecker / March 27, 2018

So, we’ve shown you what’s in our living room and what’s in our kitchen, but now I'm about to show you something incredible.

It has taken us a full year to figure out clothes storage, and now that I’ve found a perfect solution, I want to tell everyone about it! What used to cause heart palpitations, now brings me so much joy I find myself opening the doors just to gaze upon its beauty. Let’s take a look at our closet!

When we left Indiana last year, we thought we had a pretty good solution for our clothes storage. Jonathan and I had our clothes in the bathroom closet while the kids all shared 2 drawers under Adali’s bed. But the drawers were stuffed. 

For the kids, there wasn’t much organization because space was so limited which caused them to quit trying to keep it neat. It was just a lost cause. Imagine tying to organize all your clothes into a shoe box…shared with another person. 

So, a transition occurred. Adali and Jett moved their clothes into the bathroom closet, along with mine and Jonathan’s, giving Ada and Jax their own drawers. That worked for awhile, but I only had containers for my clothes and Jonathan’s clothes in the closet, which left Adali and Jett trying to organize all their stuff on a shelf. Let’s just say, IT WAS A HOT MESS!

I wish I could say that it was their clothes that were the problem, but that would be a lie. I had a bad habit of just throwing my clothes in the box and not taking the time to organize it and keep it neat. It looked like a tornado blew through and I knew there had to be a better way.  

Las Cruces, NM

Ashley Longnecker / March 23, 2018

Oh, Las Cruces. Last time we were here, we were celebrating our 2nd nomadiversary. This time, we were celebrating one year in our Airstream! But let’s be honest...we came here for the hiking and the views.

After we left Oliver Lee Memorial State Park while visiting White Sands, we headed down to Las Cruces. We found a sweet new boondocking spot since the place we stayed last time was OVERRUN with rigs. Seriously, there were so many people there! 

For the first few days, we were able to squeeze into a tiny site at the base of the Organ Mountains.