Thank Goodness for Yoga Pants!

After our AMAZING time getting lost in NYC, we HAD to make our way to the nearest RV shop that could get us in. I mentioned a couple posts back that we talked to Southern RV and the owner's son managed to squeeze us in on Friday so we could get an idea of what's causing the water to collect in the underbelly.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am SURE that we would have been able to look under there ourselves and find out what was wrong but since we don't have the tools to fix it or order parts for replacement, we just figured we would let them look at it and save us the trouble. After all, it's still under warranty.

We were about 6 hours from Southern RV in Richmond, VA so we had a quick overnight in Maryland at a nice resort. Pricy, but some good views.

The kids thought it was a cool place. We didn't explore Maryland since Jonathan needed to get some more hours in for work. 

We got out of there early in the morning and made it to THE FRIENDLIEST of all the RV Resorts/Parks we have been to yet.

Americamps RV Resort in Ashland, VA. Holy Goodness! These are the nicest people we have ever met. I'm not even kidding. ALL the workers had big smiles on their faces. They truely loved thier jobs. They informed us that there was free waffles in the morning and they were even having free hot dogs that evening which was a Thursday. 

A gentleman took us to our overnight spot (we had to get the RV to the shop by 9 am so we weren't staying long) and even made sure we got backed in ok and talked to us for awhile. We got set up, I got laundry washed and we just chilled that night since we knew we had a busy day in the morning.

We were getting pretty good at this set up and take down routine, we even told each other that. Then it happened! We got in a hurry that morning, and as I pulled in the kid's slide I heard a weird sound. Jon was outside and came over to tell me that something wasn't right and the slide wasn't in all the way. No joke! I could tell from inside something was really wrong. I pulled the slide back out and sure enough, we forgot to put up the stupid jack-knife-sofa (which is Ada's bed and has to be in the upright position for travel for the slide to come in). No problem, let's just set it up and be on our way. Well, when I pulled the slide in, it bent the arm of the sofa SO BAD that it wouldn't get in the upright position. It totally jacked-up (see what I did there) the side of the wall. They only solution was to take the whole sofa out - which we had plans to do when we made it back to Knoxville - the only problem was we were trying to make it to our appointment by 9!

We finally got it out but we had no where to put it. I ran to the office nearby to see if they had a dumpster or if someone wanted to come get it. We worked it out for one of the guys to come get it at our site. I quickly said THANK YOU and turned to walk out the door and they lady helping me says, "OH! Your dress...pull it down!!" Of course... this is why I dont wear dresses. The back was tucked into my yoga pants! Sheesh! How many people had I walked by that morning and no one said a thing...not even my husband. Thank goodness for yoga pants!! Good greif! Anyway...

We dropped off the RV with the guys at Southern RV and took Jonathan to a nearby Panera Bread to get some hours in. I took the kids to Target and let them roam around for awhile trying to kill 2 hours before lunch time with Jonathan.

It was so nice to not be in a hurry with them. Usually we make a quick trip in Target for just what we need and don't mess around with 'looking at toys' like the kids always want to do. Not being in a hurry let me say YES to their requests to look at ALL the toys they had to offer.

We had a good time checking everything out. I had a hard time saying NO to all the cute household items, but I was strong. I did not come back with the Nate Burkas silver turtle shell container that I KNEW the kids would LOVE!

We even splurged and got a Venti Valencia Orange Refresher and a tall Java Chip Frappachino from the Starbucks in there. Adali loves the 'coffee drink' and the others like the orange. It was a special treat for sure. 

We picked up Jon and went to a near by Chipotle (our favorite fast food place) and the kids even ate it. Jax and Ada really are the only ones who don't love tacos, but everyone else is kind of obsessed. A quick bite to eat and back to Panera Jon went. I surprised the kids by taking them to an indoor playground near by so they could run and get some energy burned off. The younger kids had fun but Adali used that time to get some typing practice in.

She's really growing up on us. I love it and hate it at the same time :)

Finally it was 4:00 and I could pick up Jon so we could make it back to Southern RV before the shop closed. They confirmed what we thought it was which was indeed a crack at the top of the gray tank, however, that tank was also partially disconnected - they were all baffled at how that could have happened. Anyway, they reattached it and now we know what we need to order. They also had time to readjust 2 of our slides that were messing up our floor, ordered a new motor for our bathroom fan that decided to quit working, and gave us a few tips about our propane tanks that we didn't know about! Thank you Southern RV of Richmond, VA for going above and beyond what we expected. 

Since it will take 2+ weeks to get our parts from Grand Design, they are going to have them shipped to our dealer in Knoxville and we have an appointment to get our tank and fan replaced Oct 7! Shew. What a relief. It's always something.

We had a couple more days to kill before our Sunday reservations in Lynchburg so we went back to Americamps RV Resort becuase they were truly amazing.

We ended up talking to the manager for a long time. I just couldn't get over how nice everyone was. They kids had a blast being closer to the playground this time. However, just because you're in viewing distance of they playground doesn't mean that your 5 year old will remember where his house is. I was inside and Jon was at the picnic table able to hear the kids. The rule is you don't go anywhere alone, well, Jax wanted to come home and since we were close he thought he could come back alone, but he went the wrong way. We had roughly 3 minutes of panic looking for him. It was horrible. Your mind goes to the worst possible sanario. I mean, who wouldn't want him? He's adorable!

After we found him and we ALL had a quick discussion about NEVER going alone, we had a really great stay those 2 more nights. Not long after that Ada went for a ride and got lost. Jax was with her but they got seperated somehow. Time to go inside kids!!

We had just a couple days to get some school work done and smoke some meat for the weekend!!

It was just the relaxing couple of days that we needed.

Sunday morning we decided to take the resort up on their free waffles in the mornings. This wasn't a toaster waffle. I'm talking thick, belgin waffles with different syrups. They even had free water, juice, and chocolate milk! They went above and beyond. We walked in and they said 'have a seat, how many waffles would you like?' They made them right then and delivered them to our table with a smile and conversation. It was truely nice to be treated like people instead of just like one more guest at their campground. Americamps RV Resort, we will be back!

Onward to Lynchburg....

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About the Author

Ashley Longnecker is the fiercely independent tattooed and dreaded half of Tiny Shiny Home. She's a woodworker, photographer and maker of delicious baked goods. She loathes schedules and makes every day an adventure.

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