WARNING: Emotional post...
It’s been 2 years today, and I’m just barely able to finally talk publicly about losing our sweet baby boy, Meaty. We are still utterly heartbroken, and nothing will ever be able to fill the Meaty-shaped hole in our hearts. He brought so much joy to our lives and was the absolute sweetest, most well-mannered, pleasant, loving dog. We try to tell ourselves that we were lucky to have him for the nearly 9 years that we did, but it simply wasn't long enough. I'm choked up and crying just typing this, on the verge of the sob-sobs, but I need to get through this to honor his memory. Meaty was our first-born (yes, we're those people who consider their dogs their actual children). Our dogs are our babies, and it all started with Meaty. We were living in my hometown of Vegas when I was driving to work one day and saw a purebred Silky Yorkie running up the street. I pulled over and cautiously approached him. To my surprise, he stopped in his tracks, let me pick him up, and sat in my lap the whole way back to my house. As I was driving, my mom randomly called me and asked what I was up to. "Getting myself into trouble," I responded as I knew Justin wouldn't be thrilled that I had picked up a stray dog. When he found out, Justin said not to plan on keeping him, and I wasn't. I had every intention of finding his owner but had no luck. He had no collar or microchip, there were no "lost dog" flyers where I found him, and no one had called the shelters looking for him. Within a week, he was sleeping in bed with us, and the rest is history. A few years later, we got Meaty a girlfriend (a feisty little Malti Poo) and named her Saucy. They're our whole world and were awesome road pups during our full-time RVing days traveling cross-country. Meaty did great on the road, but in September 2016 (a little over a year after settling down in Denver), Meaty was diagnosed with cancer. The vet gave him 2 months to live, but he valiantly gave us 6. Watching him deteriorate was the hardest thing we've ever had to go through, but we cherished every extra moment we had with him. We miss you immensely and will forever love you, Meaty. Thank you for all you gave us.
So this happened... 😡😩🤦♀️🤦♂️
Earlier this winter, we took a few weeks off during the holidays to head south for warmer weather and much needed outdoor adventures.
It was Christmas Eve. We were packed up, loaded up, and hooked up to our travel trailer when I noticed the break-away wire was out of place. As I bent down to inspect it, I saw that the lid on the battery container was lopsided and the strap to keep it on had been cut.
Realization hit. Some 🤬 stole our battery! And if that wasn’t inconvenient enough, they cut the wires rather than just detaching them. So what could have been a fairly quick battery replacement turned into a wire repair ordeal.
And of course this happened on Christmas Eve, so by the time we were able to get it fixed, we had missed our window of opportunity with the weather. What was supposed to be a long overdue RV road trip ended up being a staycation because someone decided to be greedy and ruin our holiday vacation.
LESSON LEARNED!!! If you store or park your RV for any period of time, we highly recommend that you remove/secure your battery. Learn from our mistake, so this doesn't happen to you! What's a hard lesson you've learned with RVing? Please share below, so we don't feel like such losers! 😜
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#letsgoeverywhere #traveltrailer #homeonwheels #tinyhomeonwheels #nomadlife #nomadiclife #rvtravel #rv #rvers #rving #rvnomads #camperlife #roadlife #lifeontheroad #roadtrip #homeontheroad #homeiswhereyouparkit #rvtrip #rvlife #rvlifestyle #rvliving #goexplore #adventureawaits #roadtrippers #hittheroad #getoutandgo #neverstoptraveling #starttheadventure #adventurebound #nextdestinationunknown
Well, it was about time! Back in July, we officially put down roots in Colorado and are now homeowners after living here for 3 years! This was a huge goal and dream of ours (especially mine as I had never owned a home before and longed to finally have a [full-size] home of our own after renting for years, full-time RVing for over a year, and also moving about a dozen times throughout the years).
We finally made it happen after moving to a new state, starting brand new businesses (real estate for me @briananickas and a mortgage brokerage for Justin @bennettmortgagegroup) not knowing anyone here but managing to grow our successful businesses to the point of being able to buy a home while working for ourselves. We have to say we're mighty proud of those accomplishments and made so many amazing friends along the way, making it even sweeter!
When we left Southern California and set out on our full-time RV adventure back in 2014, RVing was never meant to be long-term for us, nor did we have any idea that it would be a lifestyle. The main reason for our epic cross-country road trip through all 48 lower states (aside from seeing the amazing U.S.) was to find the next place we wanted to live.
We achieved that goal, but we also fell in love with RVing and the freedom it allowed us. We realized it didn't have to be one or the other - RV living or stick-built home. We wanted the best of both worlds - an RV to travel and explore when we get the itch to hit the road, and a home to come home to when we get burned out from road life.
One of these days I'll get around to posting about why we chose to make Denver our home base, so stay tuned! In the meantime though, tell us about your situation. Are you out exploring the country in search of your new residence? Or did you already find your next place to call home? Where did you decide to settle down? Or do you plan to perpetually travel full-time?
LESSON LEARNED! One lesson we learned early on with RVing is to stow EVERYTHING that isn’t bolted or strapped down while we’re in transit! Unfortunately, this was a lesson we learned the hard way. I assumed the coffee maker and knife block were both heavy enough that they wouldn’t move… WRONG! They both ended up on the floor after doing some damage on the way down. Another time, our pantry door popped open while we were on the move, and the olive oil and salt fell out. That wouldn’t have been a big deal, but they both opened up and went EVERYWHERE! That was fun to clean up. We made the mistake of thinking because they were in a cabinet, they’d be contained… WRONG! Now we have everything in cabinets kept in containers, and we store the coffee maker, knives, etc. on moving days. Live and learn, right? What’s a valuable lesson you’ve learned with RVing, and what was your solution?
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#KOACamping #homeonwheels #tinyhomeonwheels #nomadlife #nomadiclife #campvibes #happycamper #rvtravel #traveltrailer #gorving #tinyliving #rv #rvers #rving #rvadventure #rvnomads #camperlife #roadlife #lifeontheroad #roadtripUSA #USAroadtrip #USAtravel #homeiswhereyouparkit #homeontheroad #glamping #rvtrip #rvlife #rvlifestyle #rvliving #nextdestinationunknown
“We love you long swine”, Swig & Swine! We’ve traveled through each of the Lower 48 States and tried a slew of BBQ joints, including ones in Texas, Kansas City, St. Louis, and countless other places around the country. Our all-time favorite though that has us longing to return is Swig & Swine in Charleston, SC! Their white horseradish-based sauce blew our minds and gave us a whole new appreciation for BBQ (especially the meats)! What’s the best BBQ you’ve ever had?
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#bestbbq #bbqlovers #charlestonsc #explorecharleston #letsgoeverywhere #nomadlife #nomadiclife #rvers #rving #rvnomads #roadlife #lifeontheroad #roadtrip #roadtripUSA #USAroadtrip #USAtravel #exploreeverywhere #rvlife #wanderlusting #wanderlustvibes #stayandwander #goexplore #roadtrippers #discoveramerica #hittheroad #explorethestates #getoutandgo #findyourfreedom #findyouraway #nextdestinationunknown
IMO, the best part about the South are all the enchanting Southern live oak trees covered in eery Spanish Moss. I may have mentioned them once or twice. Okay, okay... I’m obsessed with them and have talked about them A LOT. I seriously can’t get over them! So naturally, we had to see the massive Angel Oak Tree, a symbol of Charleston, nearby at Johns Island, SC.
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The impressive tree with never-ending branches you have to step over (the longest one stretches 187 feet in length!) is thought to be one of the oldest living things in the country, and is truly a sight to behold! Measuring over 66 feet tall and 28 feet around, its canopy covers more than 17,000 square feet! The best part… it’s FREE to visit and marvel at this magnificent tree in person! Definitely a must-see if you’re ever in the Charleston, SC area! Swipe 👈🏻 for a glimpse.
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#explorecharleston #charlestonsc #angeloak #letsgoeverywhere #nomadlife #nomadiclife #rving #rvnomads #roadlife #lifeontheroad #roadtrip #ontheroadagain #roadtripUSA #USAroadtrip #USAtravel #exploreeverywhere #rvlife #wanderlusting #wanderlustvibes #stayandwander #goexplore #everydayadventures #roadtrippers #discoveramerica #hittheroad #explorethestates #getoutandgo #findyourfreedom #findyouraway #nextdestinationunknown
We were on a budget for our trip to Savannah and Charleston with my mom and step-dad, so I searched for free things to do in each area. Low and behold, down the street from where we were staying at the KOA in Mt. Pleasant, SC is a free point of interest - Charles Pinckney National Historic Site!
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Charles Pinckney was an author and signer of the United States Constitution. The 28-acre historic site features the remains of Snee Farm, his rice and indigo plantation, along with his 1828 Lowcountry coastal cottage that now serves as a museum and visitor center. There’s also a ½ mile walking trail through gardens featuring exhibits and impressive live oak trees.
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I never used to care much for history, that is, until we started RVing and visiting so many amazing historic places throughout the country. RVing and traveling has given me a newfound appreciation for history, and if it’s free, it doesn’t get much better than that!
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#explorecharleston #charlestonsc #explorethesouth #southernliving #KOACamping #letsgoeverywhere #nomadlife #nomadiclife #rving #rvlife #roadlife #lifeontheroad #roadtrip #ontheroad #ontheroadagain #roadtripUSA #USAroadtrip #USAtravel #exploreeverywhere #wanderlusting #wanderlustvibes #stayandwander #everydayadventures #roadtrippers #discoveramerica #hittheroad #explorethestates #findyourfreedom #findyouraway #nextdestinationunknown
