However 4 turned into 12 because…

You can’t pass up climbing a tree that looks like it’s from Endor.

Nor could we pass up a quick stop at the Hoh Rain Forest, a part of Olympic National Park and one of the largest temperate rainforests in North America. To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know there were any rain forests North America.

Or  a stop at Ruby Beach where we stacked rocks and had dinner.

Finally around 10 pm the real adventure began when we arrived at our campground. We try really hard to not get into places after dark because once the sun sets there seems to be holes, poles, fences, guard rails, zombies, you name it, appearing out of nowhere.

We took a turn too tight and the wheels of the trailer got stuck in a ditch that appeared out of nowhere. Thankfully there wasn’t any major damage to the trailer, just a small crack, and a dent on the bed of the truck. However, to prevent further damage we decided to call a tow truck to pull us out backwards.  It was 2 am before the trailer was out and we got to bed.

As if that wasn’t adventure enough. The next day we needed to decide if we were going to buy our season passes to go back to Breckenridge for the upcoming winter. We had mixed feelings. On one hand we really wanted to go but on the other we weren’t sure if we should spend the money.

As it turned out the decision was made for us when I decided to take a pregnancy test that afternoon “just in case” because I was a few days late.

And…

=

Two pink lines.

Guess we wouldn’t going back to Breck. I’m adventurous but snowboarding while pregnant? No thanks.

To say we were surprised would be an understatement but as the news soaked in we got excited. We weren’t the only ones excited. My dad sent me this super sweet text.

And here I am 9 months later on his due date and still waiting for this little guy to arrive!

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Future of Flight & Boeing Factory Tour

Okay so the Boeing Factory tour isn’t exactly in Seattle. It’s about 25 miles north but it’s is SO WORTH the drive and the price of admission. Two years ago we visited Kitty Hawk, the site of the Wright brothers first flight, and seeing the progression of flight from the Wright Flyer (original is located at the National Air and Space Museum ) to the 787 plane at the Boeing Factory was almost overwhelming. So cool.

Experience Music Project Museum

At the Experience Music Project Museum the boys were schooled in grunge music while Brent and I took a trip down memory lane. (A few days later, we drove through Aberdeen, Kurt Cobain’s hometown, listening to Nirvana and the boys recalled some of what they learned in the museum.) Despite what it may seem like there are actually a lot of thought provoking exhibits pertaining to pop culture.

Woodland Park Zoo

We always feel torn about going to zoos. On one hand, we love to see the animals and always have a great time. On the other hand, it can be hard to see animals in cages. I suppose that’s how most people feel. Ultimately, we hope that by seeing animals in real life our boys learn to appreciate and love wildlife and value the resources on our planet. Anyway, Woodland Park Zoo was lovely.

Fremont Troll

It’s a gigantic cement troll under a bridge and totally worth the stop. If you can find parking.

Gas Works Park

Gas Works park is located where the Seattle Gas Light Company used to be. There are remnants of the old plant and gorgeous views of Seattle.

Just Explore

In every city we make time to just wander, try new restaurants, and meet up with friends who might live in the area. It often turns out that these days become some of our favorites.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Our first day started off late at the public market and Brent, being a righteous coffee lover, insisted we made a pilgrimage to the first Starbucks. As we explored the market we came across Beechers Handmade Cheese and couldn’t resist a sampling of the “world’s best macaroni and cheese”. Yes, it was divine. You would think that would be enough decadence for a day but then we passed Cupcake Royale where they serve homemade cupcakes and ice cream?

Ummm…yes, please.

Clearly, we were running low on will power that day.

Good thing we like to explore by foot so we hoofed it down to the Seattle Center because a trip to Seattle wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Space Needle. What better time to to visit Seattle’s most famous landmark than at sunset. The views were incredible. Mount Rainier loomed in the distance, a beautiful contrast to the Seattle skyline and a perfect ending to our first day in Seattle.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Vancouver

Despite the weather being perfect and an endless array of possibilities, we only have four decent pictures to show for the day.

Three of the city.

And a one of an angry Sphynx cat outfit.

Why so few pictures when there is so much to do in Vancouver, you ask?

So the morning started off well enough if you don’t mind being questioned like a criminal at the border crossing because your husband forgot about the time he was 21 years old and deported. At the time, he was in a band. They were playing a show in Canada but didn’t realize they weren’t allowed to bring merchandise into the country without a work visa. Anyway, they had to drive out and drive back in with proper documentation. It wasn’t a big deal until 20 years later and someone asks at the border crossing if he had ever been asked to leave Canada and, forgetting,  he said no. Oooops.

After a few extra questions we were cleared and on our way. Sort of.

We knew we wouldn’t have data on our cells phones in Canada but we didn’t realize exactly how much we use our phones for travel until we turned them off. I’m surprised we could still breath without an app. Regardless, we made it to the city without too much confusion.

However, things were about to get interesting.

A few minutes after arriving downtown a man ran a stop sign and hit the front of our truck.

Crash.

After nearly two years of travel and 40,000 miles, we were in our first accident. In another country.

Welcome to Canada.

The man was extremely nice. He was very apologetic and asked if he could just pay cash for the damage. We were feeling overwhelmed in the moment and agreed that would be fine. It didn’t even occur to us to get an accident report.

After the accident, I was ready to turn around head back to the US.  The crash and metric system were making me feel incompetent. Brent insisted we enjoy our day.

I did my best. We explored Stanley Park, walked along the harbor to Gastown (which was very cool), and waited almost an hour in line for steamed buns at New Town Bakery and Restaurant.

But into the afternoon, I just wasn’t feeling it. I was consumed with worry about the accident. What if the guy said we ran the stop sign. Why oh why didn’t we just get an accident report?  We also realized we should have brought our bikes. It would have been a perfect day to explore the city by bike and I was too shaken up from the accident to drive around so we explored by foot. A lot. By the time we got back to the truck we were exhausted and headed back to the US without incident.

(As it turned out the man who hit us kept his word and paid for the minor damage. People can be so awesome!!!)

Point Roberts

Point Roberts is part of the mainland of the United States but, oddly, not connected to it. It lies at the tip of a peninsula accessible by driving through Canada or taking a boat. A woman at the campground we were staying at told us it was “kinda neat” so we decided to find out for ourselves one evening.

We left a few hours later that we should have because by the time we reached the border crossing there was a long line presumably on their way home for the evening. Reaching the entrance, we were questioned but this time we just got a strange look when we said we were going to Point Roberts for “dessert”.

Little did we know that there wasn’t a place to have dessert or anything to eat that we could find. Had we done our research we probably could have guessed that a place that doesn’t even have a dentists might not have a large assortment of dessert places. We drove around looking at nothing and ended up at the beach to watch the sunset.

I’m thinking we need to head to Canada one more time because you know third time’s a charm and I hear those Canadian Rockies are breathtaking.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Canada, Crash, and Cats: Crossing the Border appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

But simple “backyard” moments built from driftwood, salty air, laughter, and the smell of bbq are the moments that send my soul soaring. I wouldn’t trade these sort of days for a trip to see the Taj Mahal.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Our Backyard: Driftwood Cabana BBQ in La Connor, WA appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

July was a perfect month to spend in Washington. The skies were blue, the weather mild, and the foliage lush.  And what better way to take advantage of the spectacular weather than by spending a day exploring North Cascades National Park.

North Cascades is home to over 300 glaciers, approximately 1/3 of all the glaciers in the contiguous 48 states. We were surprised to learn that there are more glaciers in North Cascades National Park than in Glacier National Park. Although many of the glaciers can’t be seen from the parts of the park that are easily accessible.

We spent our day driving the North Cascades Highway with stops at the visitor’s center for a ranger talk, Diablo Lake Overlook to take in the sweeping vistas and to hike Thunder Knob Trail.

It was a beautiful day and to put the cherry, or rather the blueberry, on top, we passed Cascadian Farm on the way home where we picked over 8 pounds of organic blueberries and raspberries as the sun set around us.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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Then Saturday we had stopped for propane on our way out of Austin when I checked my email. In my inbox was a message from a couple who really wanted to see our RV which I had listed on Craigslist a few days before not really thinking I’d get a response. Posting the ad was kinda of a “let’s just see what happens” sort of thing.

Undecided if we should just keep on driving, we sat in the parking lot of the propane place discussing whether I should call the number in the email. My first response was no let’s just keep going. Afterall, we just had 10 wonderful days at our friend’s house and had spent the morning packing, cleaning, and saying our goodbyes. We were ready to move on and get to our next destination, New Orleans. Then Brent said I could call the number and just explain our situation and they could meet us on our way out of town, assuming, of course, they wouldn’t want to do that.

I called the number and the person who answered told me it was the wrong number. I sent an email explaining I tried calling but the number was wrong and we were headed out of Austin. I mentioned if they got the email soon they could call me back. Then we headed on our way.

A few minutes later my phone rang and a woman explained she and her husband were really interested and they could meet us right away. Thirty minutes later, after a mad cleaning spree, we were showing the RV. Thirty minutes later they made an offer.

What?!?!?!

That was Saturday and they couldn’t get a check until Monday or Tuesday so we went back to my best friend’s house. Sunday morning the buyers sent over a deposit. Today, we spent the day trying to pack up all of our stuff into a much too small U-Haul trailer.

Now here we are still in Austin waiting and wondering….what have we done?!?!?!  Yes, we wanted to sell this RV. It’s been on our radar since we found out we were having another baby and deciding to stay on the road. The back bedroom is a little cramped for Thing One and Thing Two. We want a double slide out in their room so they can have their own space to study, create, and play. We’d also love a little more counter space and a second bathroom. If budget wasn’t a limiting factor, we’d also have a washer and dryer, bathtub, and kitchen island. A girl can dream! Right now our priorities are a bigger back bedroom and a space where Brent can work.

BUT…

What’s next? Unless we find a new rig here in Texas in the next few days we are going to head to Florida with our stuff in a U-Haul. We’ll stay at my parent’s place until we find a new home.

AND…

Even though we have wanted a new RV for a few months, I’m still sad. Really sad actually. This RV is our home where created incredible memories and tomorrow we will say goodbye.

I realized this weekend as I was cleaning the RV up getting her ready to go I never shared pictures of our RV redecorating makeover project.

Like most RVs, ours was lacking in decor. If we were going to use our RV for the occasional weekend trip we would have kept our RV interior design as it was but this was our home. Brent and I wanted to feel like we were in our home and not staying at a hotel. So we spent the next month and a half sanding, painting, sewing, and doing some minor remodeling. It was a lot of work but I don’t regret a minute of it.

This was our home and how we brought it to life.

Living/Dining/Kitchen

You know you have good friends when they spend 12 hours at your house helping you reupholster your RV couch. I got the fabric for the couch, dinette, and most of the curtain fabric in the LA Garment district, one of the most fun places in LA!

Since we have a small fridge I try to buy lots of fruits that will keep at room temperature.

LEFT: The chandelier was the the last thing to be hung. It was another Ikea purchase from years ago that I had been planning to hang in our house bedroom. I hung it at midnight the night before our “open house“. RIGHT: Small details

TOP LEFT: Glass bowl from Target that has since cracked. BOTTOM LEFT: School books and a basket to store dish towels. RIGHT: Small vintage globe on loan from my mom.

LEFT: Apron hooks from World Market. MIDDLE: Map garland was a gift from a friend who I met for the first time in person when we hit the road. RIGHT: Bird curtains and wall sconce. We painted the metal of the sconce and glued a little trim around the bottom of the shade to give it character.

LEFT: This is the moulding around the slide. It was covered in the same fabric as the couch. Instead of taking all the fabric off, I took of the wood trim and stapled burlap over the fabric and painted the wood. TOP RIGHT: Key holder from Urban Outfitters. BOTTOM RIGHT: Glass knobs on all the kitchen cabinets. I really liked these because I had the same knobs in a different color in my sticks and bricks kitchen so they felt “homey”.

Bedroom/Office

In place of the headboard we painted with help from another friend a silhouette of the London Bridge. We were engaged in London and that morning after I said “yes” we walked along the Thames River where we took this picture. The quilt was made by my grandmother using an Amy Butler pattern and fabric.

Across from the bed is our dresser, office, and shower. When we bought the RV there was a sink where the desk is now. We bought an small Ikea sink and put it in the water closet (toilet room).

My friend, the same one who helped with the couch, helped me sew (Okay…she did most of the sewing.) new curtains for every window in the RV but these turned out to be my favorite.

LEFT: I didn’t keep many things from our old house but couldn’t part with this metal cat that I found at a thrift shop. It opens up and I store jewelry in it. RIGHT: The knobs and drawer pulls were on sale at Anthropologie and I love having impressions of nature inside since a big part of this trip is about exploring the outdoors.

LEFT: When Brent and I met he said, “we fit together like Legos”. For our first Valentine’s Day I made him the “I <3 U” out of Legos because we were too broke to buy each other real gifts. We eventually decided to quite celebrating Valentine’s Day altogether but he still kept my Lego message.  TOP RIGHT: I painted an old mirror white and bought some organizers from Ikea to make a little makeup vanity. RIGHT: It’s true.

Bathroom

We didn’t do much to this room except paint and add the the Ikea sink. Changing the sink plumbing was much easier than you would think!

The photo frames are a mixture of Ikea purchases and painted thrift shop finds.

Bunk Room

Thing One wanted to keep all the cabinetry its original color but we painted the room and made new curtains.

Two years and 48 states later, I never got tired of nor regretted our RV makeover. It made it home.

Now it’s time to say goodbye and move on to a new chapter and another blank canvas.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Sold Our RV!!!!! And RV Makeover Pictures. (Better late than never!) appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

Each of us has a different answer but there is no question (Except for maybe Thing One who at this point of teenagedom tends dislike everything we like. Don’t tell him that Brent and I actually like New York City or New Orleans or else he’ll change his mind.) that Glacier National Park is in our top ten favorite places. Or maybe even our top 5.

I imagine a visit to Glacier is perhaps the closest thing you can get to wilds of Alaska without leaving the boundaries of the lower 48. We stayed in Glacier for a week and could have easily stayed another week. The first few days were spent outside the park at a RV resort with other full time families, families we had met in Yellowstone.  A few days later we moved to Apgar Campground within the park boundaries. Our “backyard” was the kind that makes the RV life so appealing. A large private site under a canopy of trees with a path leading straight to the shores of Lake McDonald where we watched the most glorious sunsets and even one sunrise.

We spent the afternoons in Glacier exploring the park. We drove the Going to the Sun road for stunning vistas and wildlife sightings. We hiked to Avalanche Lake for a picnic lunch. We rode bikes through the forest on roads still closed for the season. We spent an afternoon wishing we had a 4×4 truck when we took a dirt road to Bowman Lake. We went back in time at the Polebridge (a “town” of less than 500) Mercantile where we ate delicious homemade pastries. We the boys swam in the cool clear water of Lake McDonald.

Like all places of beauty and magic the week passed too soon and we found ourselves on the road again heading west. Thankfully, we have pictures to remember these days of serenity and adventure.

Glacier we will return!

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Glacier National Park: So Worth the Drive! appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

It’s every bit as magical and mysterious as I expected. And more.

We are in Yellowstone National Park.

It is the first, most famous, and most visited national park in America.

A giant caldera is responsible for the dynamic geothermal shows. Deer, bear, bison, elk, and many other animals make this natural wonderland their home.

And for 10 days we made it our home too.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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