Home Sweet Rolling Home

Matt took a little flight up to Montana last weekend and picked up our new home. It's a rig that we've had our eye on for months...and right at the last minute, all the pieces fell into place. We sold the Safari to the amazing and brilliant Makenna Johnston during a serendipitous late night FaceTime chat. Matt was on his way north a few days later!

Why a different RV? Well...let's just say that after owning so many (this is #11) we have refined exactly what we are looking for in a rig. Especially in an RV that we will be traveling in full-time with 3 kiddos and 2 dogs. If you're still trying to catch up with our life plans...we rented out our mountain getaway for the next 9 months while we travel and spread the love of essential oils! Our renters are fantastic...a couple of park rangers. One that happens to be a bear tracker, which is perfect since Mr. Friendly Neighborhood Bear is very fond of our house.

This is a 2003 Alpine Coach. Yep! Our third Alpine. We absolutely LOVE these coaches. This one is barely broken in with an odometer reading of 24,000! The key selling points were the full-size washer/dryer, full-size residential fridge, and the huge family bedroom area. The closet that we will turn into bunks is super wide and long. Perfect for 3 growing girls. Speaking of 3, it has 3 slides as well. Two in the bedroom and one up front. We will make it cozy for now...but won't be doing the full remodel until this spring when we park in Texas for a spell. 

So there ya go! We've been a bit busy around here. So many details take care of before we head down the road. We have 72 hrs before our renters move in and we still aren't fully packed up. But we do work well under pressure. If you need us this weekend, we'll be taping boxes, drinking coffee, and playing in the snow (yep! it's snowing up here as I type!). 

Let the fun begin!

Sweet Sweet Safari

This is our RV. She likes to wear hula hoops as jewelry.

She shades us from the bright morning sun as we enjoy breakfast together as a family. Hi Nana and Papa!

She pulls our van behind her with ease...kind of a show off. ;-)

It feels good to be back in a motorhome. We haven't had one since 2011...it's been all fifth wheels and Airstreams and such. But a motorhome just feels GOOOOOOOD. We've missed it. There is definitely an ease of traveling with kiddos in a motorhome. 

This little one travels like a champ! Of course, it does help that she can watch the RV right from her cushy throne. This RV came with an in-motion satellite system. And since we already have DISH, it only cost $7 to add service to the RV. Yes please!

And because I know many of you will ask the question...let's talk car seats. Emma is always in a car seat. The other two girls have to be seated when the RV is moving. But they can be in their bed or on the couch. Each state has different rules regarding car seats...so do your research if you're interested in abiding by said rules :-)

One of the best things about the RV life is the ever-changing view out the door! This was taken somewhere in the middle of Iowa.

We had initially considered removing this couch to have more space for dogs and kiddos to run/play (especially because there are no slides). But I'm SO glad we kept it in. It's crazy soft and comfortable. Plus, the dogs have claimed an entire couch for themselves when they aren't riding in the front window. Spoiled I tell ya.

Do you spot the legs hanging off the top bunk?! This view makes me happy! It doesn't take much to make your RV snazzy. Just a little paint, curtains and textiles. Feels like a new rig!

We took the washer/dryer combo out and added this bunk area. We will be adding privacy curtains and changing out the floor as well. We added a king size bed to the bedroom and lots of hooks for storage. 

Where the magic happens! Love all the storage!

This table can seat all of us...it does pull out and has a leaf. We took out the stock chairs and added smaller IKEA chairs to accommodate seating 5.

So there it is folks! Not perfectly "staged" for pics...but I rarely shoot for perfect anymore. LOL! We're so excited to go on our west coast tour and get back into the rig for a few months. Every time we drive by it at Matt's shop, Emma yells "HOME!!".

Home is where your family is...so yes little one...it's home indeed! 

Photos of our previous RV remodels here: http://www.nestinggypsy.com/rv-remodel-gallery/

The RV Remodel Begins

You might think it would get tedious remodeling SO many RVs. But it never does. We love it! Each one is different from the last, unique in it's own way. We have learned so much since that very first rig in 2007!

This particular RV is a 40 foot, 1994 Safari Ivory. There are a lot of things we look for when we purchase an RV...and this one had a lot of the things on our "list". 

• Lower miles for the year (only 44K)
• Huge windows
• Space to add bunks
• Decent-sized fridge
• Big engine (8.3 Diesel Cummins / 300 HP)
• Good storage in the underbody
• Fairly neutral decor
• Super comfy couches (these are so soft and amazing!)
• An automatic wind-sensor awning (trust me, this is awesome)
• A sweet airbrushed tiger on the back. Try not to be jealous.

And lastly...my absolute favorite thing in motorhomes as opposed to any other type of RV...THE HUGE DASH! I love sitting on the dash (thanks for the dash portrait Bella!). After we park somewhere, I love putting plants and books and dogs and food and all kinds of goodies up there. I have so many happy memories from our past travels of sitting up on the front dash, gazing out to whatever amazingness we were parked in front of at the time. Ocean? Yes. Redwoods? Yes. Dolphins? Yes. Walmart parking lot? Yes. All good things. Not to mention how incredible the open road looks through those giant windows!

This rig has an abundance of cupboards. Oh so many. And a double door fridge/freezer. Always a bonus. The cabinets are real wood as well...which we have come to find out was typical for Safaris. Same with the real wood floors. 

As soon as we saw this, we knew we could bunk it out. Not all large RVs are conducive to bunking...and if you have teenagers, it's certainly harder to find space for wider bunks. But Bella and Lucy will fit in here just fine!

Matt got busy right away on that project and I pick up the custom cut foam for the beds today. Yay! The girls adore their little private hideaways...we'll add curtains on each one as well. They will each have a drawer for clothes below and shoes will be in a basket in the middle. Little Emma sleeps with us in the king bed, although she will try desperately to claim a bunk for her own.

We removed the old model all-in-one Splendid washer and dryer. We will take it to Resource in Boulder for someone else to love. Bunk space was definitely more important than laundry...especially because we won't be living in the RV full time.

It's a mid-entry...which I love for many reasons. Mostly because I don't have to move all the stuff by my seat in the front for people to walk in and out. The table is small, but pulls out to add a leaf. We'll take out these chairs and add four small chairs or stools. And yes, that's an ice maker by the door. For my margarita dance par-tays. You know it. 

Matt takes his RVs very seriously...reading all the manuals, checking every system thoroughly and fixing all of the little "things" that come up with an older RV. We'll be upgrading and fixing the following:

• New hot water heater (tankless baby!)
• New windshield washing tank/mechanism
• Awning strap repair
• Replacing locks on underbody doors (many missing)
• New TV in front
• King bed frame and mattress
• Flooring 
• Curtains
• Flat tow for minivan
• General Janssification

That's about it! We probably won't get everything done before we head out for the Midwest, but hopefully before the West coast tour!

Yesterday I found a bunch of curtains at the thrift store and today I'm looking through our paint stash to see what calls to me. Love having a new project. We needed a little break from the house remodel madness!