Sustainable & Creative Living
Hello everyone! It has been a while since I’ve checked in from Van life. If you’re new here, let me tell you, I’ve been living in a van with my husband and our dog for the past few months. We started in Florida (home) and journeyed up the east coast visiting many friends and family. In July we came home for a month because it was so darn hot and we had some concerts to see in Tampa and West Palm Beach. Then in August, we started our journey out west with purpose.
For the past, almost 3 months, my husband and I and our dog have been traveling in a van around the United States. We built out a conversion van to suit long-term traveling and that’s what we’ve been doing.
One of the most common questions we get is “Where was your favorite?” It’s so hard to answer because we’ve been so many places! But there are definitely a few stand out destinations. They’re all places I’d love to come back to and highly recommend a visit.
We’re currently safe and sound in Florida but by no means finished with our trip. The plan was always to come home in July to visit and see some concerts. Thank goodness this was our plan because we needed to regroup and charge the batteries. Then, after some modifications and lots of rest, we’re getting back in the van and heading out west and we will have more favorites for you!
This weekend I am seeing the Dave Matthews Band for the first time in 2 years. That may not seem like a long time but for me, it feels like an eternity.
I started seeing the Dave Matthews Band in concert in the summer of 2010. My first concert was in West Palm Beach, Florida and I’ll admit, before the show, I wasn’t the biggest DMB fan. My boyfriend, now husband, was obsessed and I liked them well enough so I thought it’d be fun.
It’s been almost a month since my husband and I started our van life adventure. It’s definitely been a whirlwind of change. Our whole world has been turned upside down and all the comforts of home have just been completely changed. We now find comfort in simpler things. Like a quiet place to sleep or a private place to shower.
Just over a week ago my husband and I started our adventure as Van lifers. We’ve spent the last 4 months renovating a 2002 Dodge Ram Conversion Van into a space we can live in full time as we travel the country.
After many months of planning, things are finally happening! A little less than a year ago, before we were married, my significant other, Nate and I decided that we were going to travel the country.
We’ve always been travelers, from the very first year of dating. So it kind of feels like everything we’ve done together has been in preparation for this trip. It started out as a small idea inspired in part by our first trip to Colorado. Another bit of inspiration came from when two of our best friends went to New Zealand for a year.
Last week, I cut my hair for the first time since August 2015. My stylist cut 12 inches off and I do not miss that hair for a second. I don’t cut my hair very often and it grows pretty fast so I’m not very attached to it. Which is odd for me because I am usually attached to everything.
My big problem with letting things go is that I tend to assign a sentimental value to a lot of things. Or I feel like I’m going to need it and can find a way to use it. On top of not letting stuff go easily, I also really love shopping.
I was born with a wayward heart. My entire life I have loved to travel. Some of my first memories as a child are those of a family vacation. I truly believe that traveling is not only good for the soul but necessary to have a full life.
As a kid, my parents always took vacations and trips. When I was a teenager I was fortunate to be able to take a trip to Europe. Since the beginning of my adult life, I have always made it a point to find a way to travel at least once a year whether with my family or my now husband. We’ve been up and down the east coast and bits of the west.
