It started with a dream...

It started with a dream, then we made it happen. 

We bought a little red, 4 wheel drive pickup, with 135,000 miles on it for $4,000. It was dinged up, the upholstry was ripped, it only had a tape deck...it was perfect. Ryan custom built out the back for sleeping and storage, I made curtains and we traveled and camped in the back of our little red truck countless times. To date, the truck has over 200,000 (rough) miles on it and is goin strong.

Somewhere in Baja..

Then we had kids and bought a house. A three-seater truck wasn't working for us anymore and we needed the truck bed for home improvements etc. So we took the camper part apart and now we use it around the house.  

Pretty soon we were having those discussions that almost all my friends with (multiple) kids have...

Tent or Trailer? Van or SUV? 5 seats or 8?

Enter...the CamperVan

They offer the upgraded convience of a trailer and the seats to bring friends.

No, I don't mean this kind. 

Honestly, I'm too prideful to be seen picking my kids up from school in this. Plus, I want my kids to have friends and I don't know if parents would let their kids get in this van.

Actually, I don't know if these vans are even allowed to lurk wait outside schools looking for kids.

Then there's the classic California VW.

As surfers, Ryan and I love the "stlye points" that the VW Campervans have. They have great seat layouts and a ton of cool ammenities. However, they have a terrible reputation for breaking down and being expensive to fix (you can only buy their parts from special dealers). Not ok in our world. We want vacation to stay vacation, and we don't want to worry about our car breaking down.

Then there's this...

 It's the Sportsmobile. Built in the body of a full sized van (your choice of several vehicle types), it's been called the "Ultimate Adventure Vehicle." This would be our car of choice. When outfitted, you can rig it to be a sleeper, have a 4 wheel drive, stove, fridge, sofas, tables, whatever you want. The problem with this? The price tag. Think $30,000 to $110,000+, used.  No Thank You. 

That started the dream.

The Sportsmobile is often built on the Ford E150-350 van body. These vans are full sized, they carry 8 to 15 people, and they get from 12-18 miles per gallon. They are reported to be lasting in the 200,000-300,000 mile range. They're dependable, inexpensive and easy to fix, when necessary. We have dreamed of getting one and outfitting it to be our poor man's version of a Sportsmobile.

Now we're making it happen. 

Yesterday, we bought a Ford E150 8 passenger van in perfect condition with 100,000 miles, racks and a tow package, for a measely $6,000! Here it is.

The goal?

 To create a camping car that will make camping even easier and more fun, and to have a car for special occasions so we can take our kids, friends, and family in it. It's kind of like our family-version  of our little-red-truck dream.

Check out the trunk space with 8 seats in it! Think, two bench seats w storage against the sides and a table that converts down to a bed in the middle...

 Probably one of my favorite parts about this is Ryan and I dreaming together. We are now in the process of dreaming up interior layouts and adventures to have together with our kids and our new van.

It started with a dream, and now we're making it happen...again ; ). 

No Proof

It is Jan 5th. Today I have no proof. I have no proof, no pictures, no texts, no facebook updates...there was no room for these things. 

I laid on the beach and did a devotional alone while listening to the crashing waves. I shielded my eyes from the sun glistening off the baby blue and teal water of the ocean while admiring the seals and pelicans as they looked for food. The kids and Ryan joined me and we jumped in the waves. Ry and I screamed just so that the kids would look up at us and then scream louder, laughing as the frigid water splashed up our bodies.  We made dozens of sandcastles, watched the waves tear them down, jumped on them and we kissed cheeks, hands and heads. 

Ryan and I knee-paddled around and surfed tiny waves with no wetsuits on (briefly, it was cold). We put the kids on the board and told them they were surfing as they held Ryan's hand. The wave moved the board an inch or two off the ground for a few seconds and the kids screamed... "We're surfing!" They believed us.

I have no proof. No texts, no pictures, no instagram, no facebook..there was no room for these things. 

But I was there. We all were there, wholly, completely, 100 percent there.

Country Time

I love living in a place where our kids can romp for hours exploring nature. Sweet Pea is covered in dirt, sticky from pomegranite juice and bathed in sun while J. is herding chickens, playing with trucks in the dirt and leaves, and sword-fighting oak trees and imagary bad-guys. They literaly can play together for hours outside. No park necessary. I love it! I also love how I can see our property growing with their ages. When they are older, they will surely venture up the hillside, make a fort in the oak at the top of the property, hike up the hill and have their own adventures in the brush with the wildlife around.

The other day the cutest thing happened that I have to document. It started off as finger painting. Then the paint got everywhere, all over. Then everyone's clothes came off as they tried to "clean up" and they ended up romping in the yard and on the hill, playing in the hammock, naked as the day they were born. 

Finally, mamma decided it was time to wash off. Not wanting paint all over the house, I decided to fill up a five gallon bucket with hot water from our outdoor shower (best-thing-ever, by the way). 

Little Miss K was first. 

I put her in and she said;

K- "Mommy...it's hot!"

Me-"ok K, Ill put some cold water in and cool it off..."

K thought a second, felt the water and then stopped me.

K-"No, mommy, it's not hot. I like it! Not hot. Not hot."

Me- "Ok, are you sure? It is kinda hot..."

K-" I like it!" 

Before I knew it, she had sunk down to her chin in her baby-hot-tub and she sat there for at least 20 minutes, closing her eyes and soaking in hot water bliss. Clearly, just like her mamma. When I finally pulled her out to make room for the next kid, she held on, kicking and screaming because she wanted to keep soaking. 

Girl after my own heart ; )

New Years Eve 2013

For the first time in years, we actually stayed up till midnight. Usually we love to celebrate New York New Years and call it a night by 9:30. That's what we've done every year, for years. The past few years we've made some friends who are more "night people" than us. So, for the first time in a long time, a babysitter, house party, a rousing game of Taboo, and a Vegetales video at 6:45 am made it possible for us to stay up later.  

New Years Day Ryan watched the Rose Parade, we had a great breakfast then we went to Morro Bay and swapped surfing and playing on the beach. We came back that afternoon and worked in the beautiful weather around the yard, puttin' down roots and enjoying our time around the house.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

The day after Christmas, Aunty T and Uncle G gave our whole family (mom, dad, Aunt A, Uncle J, and us) the gift of a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The kids and adults alike were amazed at all the intriguing sea creatures.

We finished the day off with dinner together in Carmel and then got ice cream.  We loaded up in the car around 6 p.m. and the kids passed out almost immediately. They both slept all the way home, didn't even wake up when we slipped their pjs on at home, then they slept until 7 the next morning. 

Thank you so much T and G for the great Christmas gift, and thank you family for making the time to share the day together.

Christmas 2014

This was the first year we have had Christmas at our house. I loved hosting, decorating and making out home as cozy and welcoming as I could for my entire family.

Some of our most interesting gifts included an incubator full of incubated eggs, a growing, organic mushroom mother/plant, a saurkraut crock, a bike, some neat shoes, hats and books...

I think one of my favorite things was seeing the folded paper airplanes steal the show after it was all said and done. Grandpa Bob and Josiah and Kaila threw those things for hours and the kids couldn't get enough.  Forget the toys, it's always the random paper thing that is the most intrigueing ; )

We went on a few hikes, lounged around and talked, laughed alot and thouroughly enjoyed each other's company. One of the best parts was that after Christmas Day, we knew that we didn't have to say goodbye because Uncle G and Aunt T had another adventure planned for the 26th...

To Be Continued...

Carols

When I was a kid, my Aunty Sharon and Uncle George would host a Sing-A-Long and it was one of my many precious Christmas memories. There were cookies and dozens of kids screaming loudly to songs, it was sooo much fun. 

The past two years Ryan and I have hosted an ugly sweater/cookie exchange sing-along.

I just love singing Christmas carols. They are such a touching way to worship Jesus and engage in thinking about Christ's coming to be born as a human. One of my favorite parts of this night is sitting down with people who are Christian and non-Christian alike, from all different backgrounds, to sing those beautiful songs.  Plus, all the fun ones, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Oh Christmas Tree, Up on the Housetop.. are just that... fun and light hearted! 

Those carols remind me of the joy of being a child at Christmas. The magic and beauty that kids see in the season, literaly around every corner, now reminds me of the unfathomable, unknowable ways of God. Their wonder manifests itself in is such tangible ways, screaming in excitement, jumping up and down, wide eyed staring, the anticipation and waiting for a joy deferred. They are in awe at lights, presents, and all the "fun" Christmas stuff.  I see them and it reminds me of how my heart and lips should, (and some day will)  tremble and cry out, and be as my children are now, as I stand, fall or dance in awe and wonder of God, who presents beauty, love, and gifts in so many ways.