Hi friends; happy Monday! I hope this post is finding you well this morning. It’s the last Monday of January and the daylight is starting to stretch just slightly longer. I’m here for it!
Did you have a nice weekend? Mine was fun! We attended the Charlotte RV show as a family on Thursday. On Friday David and I got in a date night in the city to see the sneak peek of Discovery Place’s new SPY exhibit. Julie and Ryan were there, too and it was great to catch up with them. I always have so much fun when I get to hang out with Julie; she’s as bubbly and warm as she seems through her writing! David and I grabbed dinner at Church and Union afterwards. Saturday the kids collectively had three afternoon and evening basketball games; I really enjoy watching them play! Then it was early to bed for us all.
Soccer kicks (pun intended) back up tonight and I’m getting my mind ready for the shift into full throttle, as we are officially back to all sports and activities! My last Currently post was back in August, so I think it’s time for a catch up!
Currently Reading: Gosh, not much of anything for just me. The girls and I are listening to Mrs. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Funny story there; we started it before I realized it is typically recommended for ages 13+. There is a little language and some somewhat scray parts but both girls are loving it. We just finished The Penderwicks and are starting Tangled in Time. The time travel aspect sounded neat, but I hadn’t heard any real reviews, so I’ll let you know!
Currently Eating: Bread machine hamburger buns! I feel like I just rediscovered this recipe and I’m loving how easy it is and how delicious the results are. I made them for burgers one night and BBQ chicken sandwiches the next. It makes 8-12 buns (depending if you make the sliders or buns) so I have them to use for sandwiches the next day, too.
Currently Drinking: less alcohol. I tracked my alcohol intake for January just to see what it looked like. Out of 30 days, I had drinks on 7 days. The real kicker for me was that on the days I did have a drink, I usually stuck with one or maybe two drinks. At this point I don’t ever see me stopping having social drinks permanently (I love a good glass of wine and occasional martini), but I’m happy to have it feeling less like a habit/mindless routine.
Currently Feeling: warm inside. A woman in church yesterday shared a story that she keeps a little slip of paper near her coffee maker that says “inconvenience yourself for others.” She had a whole story to go with it, but it resonated with me. She pointed out how helping others can often feel inconvenient in today’s world of efficiency and go-go-go.
I’ve had it on my list to make soup for two of my neighbors going through some tough times, and couldn’t “find the time” to do so this past week. This woman’s story moved me into action. I swung by the store and got what I needed to make a double batch of the most delicious chicken noodle soup and chocolate chip cookies to bring over. I caught one of them at just the right time as he was about to open a can of soup for his dinner and it warmed my heart so much that the delivery lined up so perfectly. He gave me a hug and said “I think this was a God thing.” Is there anything better than being able to feel helpful?
Currently in the Market for: dare I say a RV?! We went to the Charlotte RV show on Thursday to get a feel for features and layouts. We’ve talked about an RV adventure for a while; I’m just trying to give David the final nudge. Right now we *think* we are leaning towards class C (this feels more approachable for me to be able to drive) with bunks. We want to stay under 35′ for more accessibility to state and national parks. If you have any insights into this market, please share your tips with me!
Currently Planning: our ski trip! I’m reviewing my own tips for taking kids of a ski trip and pulling out our gear to make sure everything fits. I’ve planned a day for us to go snowmobiling, too, and I’m SO excited about it.
Currently Watching: David and I watched Wednesday, and though it’s nothing I would have ever picked out for us, we watched it on a friend’s recommendation and both really enjoyed it! We just started the second season on Only Murders In The Building (what a cast!), as the first season was fun to watch.
Currently Looking Forward to: seeing my extended family and celebrating my grandmother’s 90th birthday! What a milestone. On a smaller scale, getting my eyebrows micro bladed. I’m nervous because the woman I used to see moved away and I’m with a new one- fingers crossed!
Play along! What something “currently” going on in your world?
Joanna says
The story with your neighbor reminded me of Kathie Lee Gifford talking about God winks – An event or personal experience, often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention, especially when perceived as the answer to a prayer. Thank you for the reminder to see how we can help someone in need. Please share where you’re going snowmobiling! We live in Charlotte and looking into some winter activities!
Brittany Dixon says
God winks – love that!
The snowmobiling is going to be in Wyoming. I wish they had something like that closer to us!
Kit says
Love your “Currentlys” and peeks into normal life! I am here to say GO FOR IT on the RV 🙂 My husband and I had both never been camping before, but we purchased one in early 2021 to try to make some pandemic travel memories with our three young kids. It was one of the BEST things we have ever done! Camping has totally become our family’s happy place – literally things I never thought I would say haha! It opens up an amazing world and opportunities and memories and is just so worth it – beyond words!! We have a 35′ as well. Happy to answer any questions! Have a wonderful week!
Brittany Dixon says
Yes, please, tell me everything! 🙂 What make and model do you have? Did you buy used or new? Do you have a bunks? What are your favorite features and features that you wish you had?
Kelli H says
Those buns look amazing!
Love the story from church. I’ve been meaning to bake a sourdough loaf for me neighbor across the street because he’s plowed our sidewalk for us a few times this winter.
The RV would be so fun! Some day I would love to do that as well.
Tricia says
Buy the RV! We purchased ours in 2017 and haven’t looked back. We had never camped a day in our life. But every person we asked said it was their best memories growing up! I have to agree. We have a travel trailer because not having a car when camping is a real hassle. Seriously think through that choice. You are stuck and can’t explore the area around you. Or heck, go to the local store because you forgot ketchup! We have a 25 and it’s fantastic. Clamping for sure. State parks are amazing but we have also found some private parks that we love too. Last thing, this is not a sport for those that like to be spontaneous. You have to plan way in advance to get a spot. Our state parks has a 5 month window and you have to jump on right at 8am or you or out of luck. At least for holidays and weekends in summer!
Brittany Dixon says
Great input, thank you! We are looking for one that is powerful enough to toe David’s truck for the reasons that you outlined. 🙌🏼 Where is your favorite place you’ve been?
katie says
I am not an RV owner, but used to work for a companies that would finance RV loans. And I know you and David are fairly responsible spenders, but I will caution that the “value” of the RV can be very inflated. I personally would rent one similar to what you are looking to buy prior to making the official purchase. But that would just help me be more comfortable. My husband and I are in the market for a boat this year, and are hoping we can find a good used one to save a little money.
Laura says
Purchasing an RV is certainly exciting! Ultimately, it ended up not being the right purchase for us, but I know many people who love and use theirs. It’s really hard to know what exactly you want in an RV for the first time purchase, so my biggest recommendation it to buy used and pay cash. We were able to sell our literally within 12 hours of posting it and at a significant profit (bought before the big inflation hike which I feel did impact the used market as well). So, other than time invested it was a good way for us to try it out. There are a few reasons we never warmed up to it, but for sure one was safety. Our kids were both in car seats when we purchased and there was no safe way to install car seats in our RV, we had to do side facing which isn’t recommended. Additionally, our seats only had lap belts, which is obviously only an issue for older RVs. Most of the roads we drive in Colorado are 2 lane highways through mountains and with the height/ length of the RV and wind we never pushed it much over 60 mph, which meant cars were continuously having to pass us (with no passing lane), which really felt dangerous at times. Safety might not be an issue for you if looking at forward facing seats, with kids out of car seats and different roads/ terrain.
Another thing was the gas money- I typically had to look the other way when we’d fill up!! Gas got so expensive we elected to tent camp to a return spot even when we still had our RV, because it was going to cost something like $400 in gas round trip in the RV. And then I realized with the nice CO weather I was actually more comfortable in a large tent. Cooking outside felt nicer than cramped in a narrow galley (we had a 22′) and sleeping was more comfortable as well. Our tent cools off much easier at night than the RV (again, we are camping in areas that get downright cold at night in summer) and we had more space for bedding- 2 queen air mattresses versus a 2 full beds. Eating outside- more space and more pleasant. I think a lot of this would be affected by the climate you plan to camp in. We were already big tent campers before our purchase, and will continue to camp in our tent. Sleeping in an RV never felt like camping to me, it kind of lost that outdoors feeling. And agree with everyone saying having a second mode of transportation is important- not being able to jump in and go is a bummer.
Another thing to consider- maintenance. My husband did it all himself but there are a lot of things that could require work. And just the constant battle of making sure mice don’t make a home in your RV and keeping snow cleared from the roof so it doesn’t leak. Again, some of this probably isn’t applicable in SC.
Lastly- time. We try to get out camping a few times each summer, but in reality don’t have much more time than that because we also love our cabin and road trips/ motels/ hotels.
22′ felt way too small for a family of four but at the same time I wouldn’t have wanted to navigate/ maintain something much bigger. Sometimes I think about a mini van and not using it for sleeping, just for some extra space and camping gear. We’re renting one for our next road trip so we’ll get to try it out! Have you considered renting an RV? It’s so expensive and we found it hard to justify the cost (preferring to put the money towards the purchase) so we just jumped right in, and luckily with what we bought were able to jump right back out of the commitment!
Laura says
Also- there is quite a bit of work involved in filling/ emptying water tanks, grey water, black water, etc. And winterizing if that is something you have to do in your climate. Lastly- have you watched “RV” (Robin Williams- HILARIOUS!!)!! I’m at home today for a snow day, hence the long replies 🙂
Dominique says
Love that story you shared from the woman at church, and your own story of bringing dinner to your neighbor. That’s a great reminder for me of how many opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus are “hiding” all around us in everyday life. Thank you for sharing!
Currently listening to David Sinclair’s podcast “Lifespan” (fascinating! Nerding out on longevity and health), watching The Chosen with my husband (on Peacock – highly recommend), and reading all the pregnancy books I can get my hands on…22 weeks pregnant with our first and trying to prepare as best I can!
Brittany Dixon says
I’m so impressed. I have the book Lifespan and have made it through about half of it reading a page or two at a time; it’s a doozie! But he sure seems to know his stuff.
Marie says
I just wrote that note on a post-it and hung in on my work monitor! I’m hoping it will spring me into action at times I would normally just complain.
Reading “Take My Hand” sooo good!
In the market for: All things vacation! We leave for 11 days in Maui at end of March to celebrate my parent’s 50th anniversary (a year late) and my 50th birthday! We’re all so excited!
Buy the RV! It’s cheaper than Maui! haha! Will look forward to some great blog posts once you get that dream rolling!
Brittany Dixon says
Maui!! Oh my goodness, that’s SO exciting! And so many wonderful things to celebrate. Thanks for sharing with me 🙂