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Sommer, Raleigh, FacilityDude and Helpful Neighbors

Ashley Longnecker / July 03, 2015

So, now we are on our own. We packed up early Sunday morning May 31 and headed to Raleigh, NC. One of the last things we do before hooking up is pulling in our slides.

“Kids room, coming in!” All is well.

“Our room, coming in!” All is well.

“Kitchen, coming in!”.....Craaaapppp!!

You remember that awesome clock that we installed yesterday? Well, turns out we forgot about the kitchen slide coming in and it just hit the bottom of the clock and knocked that sucker down between the slide and the wall and there was no way to reach it. After a few failed attempts we just decided that we needed to go ahead and pull in the kitchen slide all the way and we would think of how we could get it out on our way to Raleigh.

“Living room, coming in!” All is well.

We arrive in Raleigh and make fools of our selves attempting to pull in to this super long, but super narrow spot in Crosswinds Campground at Jordan Lake Recreational Area. Jon finally figured it out (after he quit listening to me) and pulled it in like a boss.

Way to go, babe!

So, naturally we go to get set up and pull out the slides, only guess what? We can’t pull out the kitchen slide or we would smash that crazy clock, and if we can’t pull out the kitchen slide the kids can’t get to their bedroom. WE HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT!! So, an hour later I give up and walk to our neighbors (whom I scoped out before hand to make sure they wouldn’t murder me) and asked them if they had a long wire that we could use and told them our problem with the clock. This nice gentleman offered to come look at it and see if he could think of a way to get it out. 30 minutes later the other gentleman at the same campsite came to see if he could help (or maybe he came to see if his friend had been murdered). After another 30 minutes or so they came up with the idea of duct tape on a paint stirring stick! GENIUS!! We got the clock out and just as we pulled it out we get a knock at our door. It’s the gentlemen's wives. I think they were coming to make sure we didn’t murder their husbands. (Can you tell that I am super paranoid about being murdered?)

We invited them in and we got to talk to them for a while. They were so nice and asked to look around at our home. We happily showed them around and were so thankful to have good neighbors that day. They even left us their unused fire wood since they left the next morning and they offered to let us have their left over hot dogs since our kids were hungry and we were busy getting the clock figured out. Thank you, random neighbors for your kindness and for a memory we probably won’t forget for a long time.

Camp Hatteras Campground in The Outer Banks of N.C.

Ashley Longnecker / July 03, 2015

How in the world is my boy already turning 8! I remember the day he was born.

Saying our Goodbyes

Jonathan Longnecker / June 19, 2015

After a 3 week whirlwind of transitioning into the RV and selling the house, we were planning on taking a week to relax, say goodbye to our friends & family and take care of some final dental appointments. But wouldn't you know it, the dentist had some openings and we got them done 2 weeks early!

All of a sudden we were faced with a choice - do we start the adventure now or wait another couple of weeks? The "not being tied down" thing quickly became very real. And a little daunting.

But Jett's birthday was coming up, and it pushed us out of the nest. Since we're not really buying "things" for birthdays anymore, he really wanted to go to the beach. As has become my mantra though this whole process (i.e., stop coming up with excuses to not do stuff, Jonathan) I said, "Why not?"We knew we were headed North. So we booked a week on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and gave ourselves a week in-between near Raleigh (more on both of those soon).

Before heading out, we wanted to give friends and family a chance come see our new home and say goodbye so we booked one last day at Vol Park near our old house.

It turned out to be a great day! My parents came and hung out with us, some of the kids friends even camped right next to us. There were campfires, hot dogs, S'mores and laughter. 

Sweetwater, Paying off the RV, and the Lost Sea

Jonathan Longnecker / June 15, 2015

After Anchor Down we mozeyed on over to the KOA in Sweetwater, TN to finalize a few things before leaving K-town. While not quite as swanky as Anchor Down, it had a nice laid back vibe, plenty of trees and shade, and most importantly - room for us on a crowded holiday weekend.

It was here that our lives changed forever again, and we officially used the money we made selling our house and car to pay off the loan we got for the RV. In other words, we literally owe nothing to anyone. No leases, no loans, no mortgages.

Anchor Down, Cleaning Up, Signing Papers

Ashley Longnecker / June 05, 2015

After our fun time at McCormick’s Creek State Park in Indiana, we headed south to Dandridge, TN. When we purchased our trailer at Tennessee RV we received a coupon for this place called Anchor Down RV Resort. Once we looked it up online, we knew that would be a nice, relaxing week we could spend there and it was close enough for us to go to Knoxville to finish cleaning up the house and making sure everything was out of it. 

We got to Anchor Down Monday and got all set up and were really impressed with how nice everyone was and we knew right away that we were at a swanky resort. The grounds were immaculately kept and the view was amazing.