Back in Business.

October 15, 2015October 15, 2015 / erin / Leave a comment

So I’ve been gone for a while.

My family had to say goodbye to my Grandmother so I drove “home” for a little over a week. With all the change going on, I felt the need to have some familiarity back in my life, so it was a very nice trip spent with family and my nieces and nephews I don’t get to see on a regular basis. Prior to heading to Illinois I was with Ben on a job out-of-town for about a week… He was able to fly to Chicago for the service and drive back to Colorado with me. The drive wasn’t all that bad, especially since we have some friends who live exactly halfway so it’s always a good excuse to stop in and stay awhile 🙂 (The drive there all by myself was all that bad. It really was.)

Needless to say not a whole lot of work went into the trailer while we were gone.

HOWEVER.

The best part is that it actually felt like coming home when we got back. That familiar feeling of coziness, and I am so happy. When change is constant it seems easy for me to get down because there is nothing really familiar for me, but having even a tiny space, and my items filling that space, is familiar enough for me. 🙂

Until we get the walls done, we are limited to what we can really do for storage. We have several options we’re looking into that I am very excited about. BUT in the meantime we NEED something that has a little more organization. It KILLS me that we may get something only to not use it after a short time because the permanent structures will be put in and our temporary set ups will no longer be needed. But what we have now (a tall shelf and an end table that holds storage in the inside) was already around us for a few years (and bought second-hand) and anything else we may get will be useful for our storage locker so it’s not all a waste. I don’t like being wasteful so everything we have or will get I try to use and re-use if possible.

This is our current storage situation. This shelf was bought from a thrift store for $5 when we first moved to Washington 2 years ago. I’ve tried to get rid of it because it’s not the cutest, but it’s proved to be very practical and has paid for itself over and over again so I don’t even fight it anymore. I then bought the cloth storage boxes from Target on clearance so things have a place, and it doesn’t look put together so haphazardly. (If it doesn’t already)

The two black buckets (if you can see them on the shelf) are my “sinks” for washing dishes. So far it’s proving to be a decent system. Of course it’s more of a chore and not as quick as it normally can be, but we do the best we can with our current set up. I’ve gotten so used to the convenience of having everything right at hand, it has become a challenge to see what other ways I can get things done. 🙂

Where washing dishes are concerned, I just boil some water so its hot, wash in one bucket, and rinse in the other!

This is what we are thinking for a permanent structure for shelving. Something that is customize-able and is forgiving with change. I like the idea of everything having an open shelving concept which is great for when we’re parked, but when it comes to hauling the trailer around I don’t know how but something will have to be tweaked.

The next order of business for better living is something for our clothes. I am officially tired of living out of a suitcase. I’ll keep doing it IF I have to, but this weekend I am headed out to buy some simple stack-able drawers I found at Target on clearance. I’ve searched some thrift stores, but those are always hit or miss, and I’ve been missing lately.

When I got back from my trip I spent the whole next day getting everything in (better) order, and bringing out some of our things that have been packed away. This monkey I got for Ben when he was in the hospital. We don’t have any babies so he gets to come along with us and just hangs around. 🙂

I also love to have paintings or signs up around the house, so I was able to hang this very fitting sign (it was a wedding gift) up in the trailer by some bungee chords, and my dream catcher that I got from a farmers market in central Washington. (Notice my breakfast cooking on my “counter”)

I am looking forward to being back in Colorado and picking up where we left off!

The adventure continues!

Tid bits —

September 28, 2015September 28, 2015 / erin / Leave a comment

SO: Here are some tid bits of how we are operating. EVERYTHING you see is open for interpretation and can be subject to change 🙂 it already has changed a few times… I’m thinking we are very quickly going to realize what we like above the rest, and what we deem a priority, and what we just plain can’t live without.

We purchased our first stove! #yay! LOL I’ve only used it once and that was to boil some water to make coffee in our french press we got from our wedding! BUT it worked like a charm AND it heated the water up faster than any conventional stove I’ve used. I found it at Target on clearance (another win)! The nice thing is, it is small and flat, compact enough to not be in the way.

For an oven we have a convection toaster oven / broiler, and it’s the kind that has the vent on the side. I found that beauty at a Goodwill a few years ago and those things are hard to find at a good deal, (the specific kind that we wanted). Okay the “we” on that one really means Ben — he was the one who had very very specific wants for a convection oven. BUT I found one hardly used at Goodwill for $14.00 and we’ve been winning ever since. That one is too valuable to let go and we now know why 🙂 And really it’s not all that big.

We also have a Black and Decker griddle that is used and abused, also slim enough to store away without being an issue. Once the kitchen is in design and production I’m imagining their own permanent homes, but for now they fit where they must!

My first time with the french press. I did have to YouTube how to make it, and I will get better with time (I hope!)

This shot was taken before we foamed the interior but look how cozy it is! That particular night it was rather windy but the sun was really hot, so we opened the ramp (my future patio deck) and clamped the bed sheet to the wires. I have OH so many ideas for the deck. But it all kind of depends on how we set up the sleeping area to know which direction we will take for the patio.

The bed is a queen and fits in there with about 4 inches on each side. We definitely will be needing to get a better sized bed as ours is not good with conserving space. But that is something we will have to work towards, eventually the bed will most likely be put up on a platform or an adjustable cable system (gotta love them DIYers and their ideas), or we could go with a more modern futon/fold out couch style set up. Multi-purpose… but for now our set up works just fine!

I mean honestly… This is like full time camping with some more style / conveniences … but just not all of the conveniences.

For now. 🙂

The move.

September 19, 2015September 19, 2015 / erin / Leave a comment

It took us 4 days to make it from Washington to Colorado. Day 1 and day 4 consisted of about 3 1/2 hours each, the middle two days were a healthy day of driving. Everything we owned managed to fit into my Honda Crosstour, his eighty something Nissan Pickup truck, and the trailer that we had packed with only the things we were keeping in it. (I still feel like it’s entirely to much stuff but I’ll give myself some time and an adjustment period.)

The truck made it. Took the weight of the load like a champ — We were prepared to rent a truck halfway down but we were pleasantly surprised! 🙂 I would say average speed for us was about 60 mph… Low as 35 uphill/over a mountain pass.

Really tho — Ben was the real MVP. He drove 4 days in that thing with vinyl seating, no A/C, heat on so it wouldn’t overheat, and it was 90 degrees the whole way. I don’t think I would’ve volunteered to drive it, but I don’t really have a manual down to a smooth process, so I didn’t have to put that question to the test!

So day one (a Thursday), we drove to my in-laws and stayed the night there. We slept for the first time in the thing and let me tell you, it was not too shabby my friends… If you look at face value it seems very shabby, but look at the potential and it’s a whole new ball game. It’s like a grown up fort.

What I discovered immediately was it wasn’t stuffy without a window like I thought it would be. The vent on the top almost serves as a cool fan. (Almost) The wind funnels down the vent and the trailer is constantly fed with new fresh air. Not to say that it doesn’t get pretty warm in here cause it sure does! We purchased a fan to help with that issue and are trying this one out. We plan to get a little A/C unit, but since summer is coming to a close we can give that decision more time and thought… and now with insulation it might do just fine. 🙂 We also found a little floor heater fan from a yard sale that will do the job on the colder nights, of course paired with some insulation — I digress. So it’s okay to sleep in and be in without a window… For now, but there will be windows put in… I’ll get into that more later.

The one thing I’m not liking so much anymore is the rush, and the need to be somewhere right away etc. So Friday morning we took our time getting up (as we did each morning) saying goodbye, and just left as the time came. We didn’t really pull out of Spokane until 1 PM PT. We had some last ends to tie up (break lights) and cool gadgets to buy for the adventure 🙂 We drove until about Butte, MT. and stopped at an OHV recreation area out in the middle of nowhere and tested out night number two in the trailer. (We are still in the process of naming it).

Where we stayed night 2.

It was so silent and in the middle of what seemed nowhere, probably was, and the stars were beyond stunning. I feel like I’ve never seen the Milky Way so big and bright before… or at least it’s been a VERY long time. We have a converter plug, and an extension cord so we were able to run the lights and electric in the trailer, so it really was quite the set up.

Saturday morning silently came without any issues or surprises and we slowly got going yet again. We pulled up to this park in Wyoming called Natural Bridge, a public campground, that night when it was time to call it. We had been driving since about 9AM or so that day and it was about 7:30PM when we pulled in, and we picked the wrong night and time to come apparently. We had wanted to stay at this camp the last time we drove through, however it was booked full (there’s only about 5 campsites). It’s supposed to be a cool historic natural landmark and we wanted to check it out! When we got there this time there was no one there to hog the campsites — but there was quite the drama between the one other set of campers and the managers. “Sick of dealing with people” and not wanting to hear that we didn’t know the others (case of bad timing I guess) they rudely kicked us out of the campground. SO as exhausted and hungry as we were, we packed up again in the middle of nowhere headed to find SOMEWHERE to stay the night. THANKFULLY KOA has overnight check in so we were able to find a place and bed down for a few hours, and have a fresh shower.

Somewhere on the drive…

Oh the 3rd night was in Douglas, WY… so we only had about 4 hours to drive on Sunday. So when morning came, we slid out of there like molasses and arrived Sunday afternoon and didn’t do a damn thing when we got to our destination.

And it never felt so good.

Ben during one of our many stops along the way

Dynomadic

September 15, 2015September 15, 2015 / erin / Leave a comment

My entire adult life has had one constant… Change. The thing I hate the most, yet the thing most comforting. Change is inevitable, its guaranteed to happen on every level, and I’ve gotten used to it. But I still haven’t figured out how to make it a seamless transition (getting closer I think) .

Anyhow, I’m a mover. Since I was out of school I was gone – moved 2 states away to the north, and then down south, back up to the north west, and zig zag back again. Each move had been the best decision of my life. It is hard constantly having to uproot and meet new people, but it’s also allowed me to open up and put myself out there… It’s enabled me to make relationships with people all over the states. Maybe moving has been my way of being able to travel and see the country, I’ve loved every place I have been and it makes me want to see more! I love the excitement a new place brings, moving isn’t for everyone and some are completely content to stay where they have always lived, but I highly recommend that everyone live someplace new at least once and at least for a year. Or at the very minimum travel! But the more I see the more I realize how much I don’t know, and have yet to see.

Growing up in a town about 45 minutes or so north of Chicago, and spending most of my time in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota I was used to flat lands, corn and cows.

I spent about 2 1/2 years in Minnesota – enjoyed living in an area that was closer to the cities/metro area. Sure Illinois was that way, but Minnesota had extra charm to me. (Forever and always GO HAWKS!) Living in the Midwest always had green trees and fresh water nearby… Always in abundance, and I’ve learned to appreciate that. I moved to Texas in 2011 (I think) and I discovered two more things. I LOVE the heat, and yet I missed the diversity of the seasons, but I knew I could never go back to a Midwest winter if I could help it! (Okay that’d make it three things then)

I met Ben in 2013… we met online in 2011 — someone brought me up to him and we emailed for a short time. But we finally met in person a couple years later and he decided to move to Texas to be closer. Ben also happens to be rather nomadic as well if not more than me. He has been around a few states and even into Canada a few times to live… So we are both used to that lifestyle. We both knew that Texas wasn’t our end point and knowing we wanted to adventure together, we shortly moved up to the Pacific Northwest. And that’s where I fell in love yet again. I love that area, the pines, the mountains, the smells, the hills, the water, the heat and the four seasons!

I didn’t know I would love the mountains, coming from the flatlands… I never did the outdoors hiking, backpacking, camping thing, and never gave it any thought. Sure camping — but always and only in a campground. Ben has definitely been one to get out into nature, and in going out on trips with him, I found something I didn’t know I was missing.

There is something very humbling being in the mountains and nature. My first real backpacking trip was up a mountain, the trail was about 4 1/2 miles and had pretty steep sleek rock at the top. It was the 4th of July and instead of a beautiful mountain top lake (that was promised), we were greeted with snow and frozen ice that was just starting to melt. I was exhausted, freshly quit smoking (the day before), out of breath, pissed off (don’t remember why – probably a nic fit) and threatened violence (with no follow thru of course). I don’t remember how many hours it took but the packs were loaded down to stay for the night. Instead we ate lunch at the top and headed back down the mountain, and it was still amazing. The whole way home (saw my first Moose BTW) I was exhausted and ecstatic that I did it — Sore down to my toenails but worth every ache!

I’d say I’m more of a city girl simply because that’s what and where I’ve usually lived, so it still can be a bit of an adjustment, but I am adjustable… And perfectly capable. It’s not that I want to keep moving and not settle in one place, it’s just the way my life has gone so far, so I may as well embrace and enjoy it. Colorado seems to have a nice mixture of what my ideals are in a place to live so I’m excited for the possibilities! Keeping an open mind to whatever may come my way– Because something else always comes, as it has to with change. 🙂 My soul will know when it’s found it’s place to set up camp, and will keep looking until its found it.

Micro

September 14, 2015September 14, 2015 / erin / 1 Comment

Live the life you imagine.

Right?

So often we are paralyzed in life and stay confined to all of our comforts because anything else is terrifying. And it is, with good reason too… the world can be a bitch. BUT imagine finally letting yourself rise above the fear and do what you always dreamed of. The fear is there, it always is, and will be… but you do have a say in how much of a voice your fear will have.

My dreams? To live small.

I’ve always had this longing in my soul to travel. Travel the world, travel North America, get in a van and go. Stay in one place and work, and travel in my down time, or take my belongings and go. In whatever way I could make it work, I’ve wanted to. Several things have deterred me from making the leap over the years… Lack of knowledge of how to make it work, fear (yet again), debt < the BIG one, and that inner voice that keeps telling me that I’m crazy.

Thankfully I have found an amazing partner who happens to share my crazy dreams.

After having all our friends and family over to celebrate our marriage up in Washington, we found ourselves at the end of the chapter we were currently in. Not knowing what is (and still don’t know) in the next chapter, we found ourselves leaving one job and home in Washington to move to Colorado to start the next. This is where it gets interesting and the magic starts to happen….

While driving back home from visiting the family one weekend a month or so ago, my husband Ben and I got to talking about what we would do if something happened to the other. (Disclosure: We don’t have any kids, and we have no pets – YET ) It came up that if something did happen, we both planned to sell everything and travel the world like we always wanted to. While that is all fine and dandy, it upset me to my core. Why does the WORST have to happen to motivate us to live the life we always wanted? So for the rest of that 3 hour car trip (and the next 3 weeks) we talked scenario after scenario, possibility over possibility and what if’ed every thought that came to mind.

Could we make this work? Is this doable? Are we NUTS?! Yes we are.

The chain of events that happened after that led us to where we are now… Or rather where I am currently. In a Starbucks in a town north of Denver typing away at my keyboard looking for land to rent to put our 16×6 foot enclosed trailer that we are living in – and will be fixing up to make it permanently livable. Not so much a tiny home rather micro living, going from about 1700 square feet to 94 square feet.

We sold what we could, donated the rest and downsized like you wouldn’t believe. We kept our queen size mattress that fits perfectly in the trailer, one tall shelving unit and a hutch that was made by my dad. We also kept a small bedside table that has a nice storage area under the lid, and an area rug. What we couldn’t fit is going in storage for now until I can either find a place for it in the trailer or I can let go of the emotional ties. My clothing is going to be a big one, but I’ve heard of Project 333 (http://theproject333.com/getting-started/ ) and I am ready to give it a try!
The thought of big spacious rooms and areas never appealed to me much. I always saw tree houses or tiny rooms and imagined a little space that could be just mine. Cozy. Now with the tiny house movement in full swing I have resources and ideas from other crazy DIYers that can help make and shape my dreams into a reality… Now I just need to figure out how to use power tools.

This is just a blog of my life, and how we are going to give tiny living a try, and how it works for us!

Who knows, maybe we will be back in a one bedroom apartment in a month.. but I hope not, I just found a possible plot of land to rent! 🙂

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The before

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The after

dynomadic life

Dynamic Design. Nomadic Nature.

travel