September 29, 2010 – 5:00 am
When I sunk into the mud and started spinning my wheels in David’s back yard, I was grateful to the nice neighbor-man who was able to pull me back onto the grass. He couldn’t pull me any farther, and I (quite mistakenly) believed that when the ground dried out, I’d be able to drive off, [...]
September 27, 2010 – 5:00 am
When I wasn’t doing very well, I got really, really OCD. I would keep my food, my dishes, and my clothing obsessively organized.
My cabinets and house would get so orderly that it freaked my husband out. He finally angrily protested, “It’s like a f*cking Stephen King novel in here!”
But anyone who has ever lived in [...]
September 23, 2010 – 5:00 am
Speaking of where I am, I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned one of the unexpected challenges of my solitary, nomadic lifestyle.
Whenever I am in a daily driving mode (which is much of the time), I almost always wake up in the middle of the night in extreme confusion. I am alone, in a completely familiar [...]
September 22, 2010 – 5:00 am
Taking a long and new route back to Texas.
I did a lot of work on my RV in Michigan, so hopefully I can post some new interior photos when I get to David’s house.
I just want to let you know where I am!
Take care,
Jennifer
September 15, 2010 – 5:00 am
This is the post I’d written for Monday, but I had an unexpected this-feels-too-personal reaction and didn’t want to publish it. Maybe it is because it came from a journal entry, since it isn’t that much more personal than stuff I’ve written before. I don’t know. It just feels really personal! (And is kind of [...]
September 13, 2010 – 5:00 am
And sometimes I feel way too overexposed.
I feel that way now!
I’ll be back soon.
Take care,
Jennifer
***
If you are also trying to find your courage, go read this post by Tara!
That girl amazes me.
*
September 6, 2010 – 5:00 am
This post is an overview of the maintenance issues I’ve had since I started my trip. It is probably only of interest to those of you who are worried/curious about this aspect of RVing (or just are really into RVs)!
***
Walking out of a fast food restaurant in Anchorage, Alaska:
What is that pool of fluid under [...]
September 2, 2010 – 5:00 am
Before I started blogging, I had about $51,000 in credit card debt that broke down, roughly, as:
American Express: $32,000
Bank of America: $14,000
Bank of America: $5,000
By October of 2009, I had decreased my debt to almost $45,000 that broke down as:
American Express: $31,011
Bank of America: $13,588
Bank of America: $0
When I bought my Mini in March of [...]
August 31, 2010 – 5:00 am
It was too hot in Texas, so I made a last minute trip to Northern Michigan.
It is beautiful here.
I’ll write more soon!
Take care,
Jennifer
August 23, 2010 – 5:00 am
What do I love about it?
material simplicity – the psychological freedom this provides cannot be exaggerated
breaking out of the consumer culture
escaping the suburbia trap
a sense of endless adventure and frequent immersion in beautiful natural spaces
flexibility to visit loved ones
always having my private space with me
What do I not like about it?
loneliness
lack of community, or the [...]
August 18, 2010 – 5:00 am
I’m bored.
As I’ve made my way back to the Texas Gulf Coast, I’ve had this nagging feeling of… So now what?
And another nagging feeling of…I really missed David. I don’t want to feel that emptiness for a while.
And another… So this is it? An indulgent, pleasure seeking life that is all-about-me?
I wish I could drive [...]
August 16, 2010 – 5:00 am
*
As I started to get well last year, the first realization that something had fundamentally changed in my life was clear as I spent the summer rehabbing a run down mobile home that my family used when I was a child.
(That healing experience was also the first post that prompted me to start this blog.)
My [...]
August 10, 2010 – 5:00 am
As I’ve made the effort to be still and immerse myself in the beauty of Alaska, I’ve neglected my efforts to record and/or write about it. Part of that change was not unexpected, as I had a sense after reaching the Arctic Ocean that I may go into a more quiet and reflective mode.
I have [...]
“Did the entire building just shake back and forth?”
The woman on the other end of the phone line speaks to me with emphatic calmness, “Yes, we just had a little earthquake, but everything is fine.”
Alaska keeps your ego in check. Up here, you never forget that Mother Nature has the upper hand.
Still, I’ve had a [...]
“Do you have my chocolate?” the half naked man queries me.
I’ve stopped my Mini on the Dempster Highway, alarmed by the site of this bedraggled bicyclist in the arctic wilderness.
“Your what? Are you okay?”
He slumps down on his bike, “Oh, I thought you were my chocolate. I gave $10 to a passing car, asking them [...]
