Christmas presents this year included lots of great items for camping including warm clothes, RV décor, and this most awesome sign that Nikki had made for us.  So cool!  Check out the new k-cup holder from Gracie, teapot from Natasha, and pillows and throw from Emily and Garrison. We are so blessed!!

Bringing in the New Year with our BFF’s Jeff and Donna in Paso Robles, California.

2015 was a great year for the Thompsons and also the year we began our RV lifestyle.  This is the biggest trip for us so far.  A 3 hour drive, up and over the Grapevine in our rig had me a little nervous but Gary put the pedal to the metal and this RV soared without so much as a hiccup. We both are very comfortable behind the wheel now, making longer trips a soon-to-be reality rather than just a dream.

Donna and Jeff brought walkie-talkies so we could communicate between rigs on the way up but a small navigation mishap put them about 10 miles behind us after we passed through the grapevine. Our call signs are Top Shelf, Fixed Wing, Bald Eagle, Whisky Rider, and Stud Muffin.  You can guess who’s who.

We rolled in to the resort on Wednesday at 1:45 and got all checked-in, found our spots and set up camp. Jeff made an amazing dinner then we went off on foot exploring.  Ben came along, and livened up the crew quite a bit!  After Gary beat him at a spirited game of ping-pong we found an adult fire-pit, hot tub, and waterfall tucked away in the back of the resort where we sat and drank and told stories and laughed until it hurt.

Back at our rig later we drank more, ate snacks, and played Mille Bournes and Deer in the Headlights until 11:00.  So much fun.

We had delicious breakfast burritos on Thursday morning, cooked by Jeff and enjoyed in their rig, then at 10:30 Donna, Gary, and I were picked up by the Wine Wrangler for a tour of 4 wineries.  We met Dawn and Art on the tour, and they were a lot of fun.  Had a great time tasting and buying wine. Tony the tour guide was fun, knowledgeable, and accommodating. Back to the RV Resort to meet Jeff, Ben, and Nicole who arrived this morning for a trip into town for lunch at “Nosh” then shopping at We Olive, one of our favorite little shops.

That night Jeff made a fire and we froze our asses off while telling stories and drinking before heading up to the club house for the New Year’s Eve party the park threw.  It started out kind of quiet but kicked up real quick and we ate, drank, played games, and danced all night…and with champagne in hand, welcomed in the new year.  What a blast!

New Years Day came quickly and a slow moving bunch of nuts had breakfast in our rig then hung out for college football, snacks,  and  dinner including beer brats, pierogis,  and traditional New Years cuisine; coleslaw (cabbage for prosperity) and black-eyed peas for luck.  That afternoon and evening heated up with a couple of spirited bouts of Mille Bourns and Cards Against Humanity. OMG…Shaking my head!

The morning brought our friends back over to enjoy breakfast and memories before packing it up and heading home. What a great trip! We are so happy with our Winnebago and new lifestyle.

Arrived back home around 3:00 after a pretty easy drive back, and a couple of hours later we were blessed with this…Amazing!

The day after Thanksgiving we took the RV and the dogs to Tehachapi for two nights.   Except for Magnum getting loose and trying to tangle with another dog, they were pretty good.

The first night Magnum kept waking up whining and we thought he had to go “out” so after Gary took him out twice in 10 degree weather, we realized he was whining because he was hearing coyotes!

Saturday afternoon Nikki, Elliott, Grace and Brody joined us and the fun began!  We barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs, played games, made s’mores and watched a movie.  The RV really sleeps 5 but we made it work with 6 and 2 dogs.  It was cozy!  A nice breakfast the next day before they left and lots of great memories!

We stayed a little longer and went to lunch at the Raven’s Nest.  A great time!  Our next adventure…Wine Country RV Park with Donna and Jeff!

We did it…we took the RV out by ourselves.  After a quick trip to Camping World for some repairs, we went to Valencia Travel Village which I would give 5 stars as a new RV camper.  The trees were mature, the grounds were clean, the amenities plenty, including a huge fire pit, two pools, a hot tub, laundry, showers, bathrooms, and a very nice store.

Once we arrived we set up and had some drinks and snacks.

Dinner included BBQ chicken sandwiches & potato salad, and yes I put the chicken in the crockpot before we left and it was perfect…all the comforts of home 🙂

The evening was quite beautiful with just the right amount of light and the weather cooperated too.  We took a walk around the park and sat by the fire pit for a while talking about the new life we have started!  We’re so happy to be here at this place in our lives; getting close to retirement and already have a plan put into motion. We thank the Lord for these blessings.

So we watched a movie and made dessert then slept like a couple of logs for nearly 10 hours!!  Crazy for us!!  Breakfast included an egg scramble and coffee, then we headed home early to watch football since our satellite still isn’t working.  Camping world figured out the problem and ordered the part so we’ll make another trip down to Valencia soon…oh darn LOL.

We took our RV to the fairgrounds on Halloween with our best friends who are seasoned RV campers.  Jeff cooked steak and I made sides.  I was able to use my stove for veges and pasta, and I baked a homemade peach crisp in the convection oven.

Dinner was great spent with awesome company, stories, and a little booze.  It ended early for me around the campfire as my lungs weren’t quite ready for all of that excitement and the smell of a fire burning…I hit the hay at 8:45 unfortunately.

Breakfast in Donna and Jeff’s RV complete with a yummy scramble, pancakes and mimosas was wonderful.

Gary and I used all of our gadgets and I even took a shower.  The satellite doesn’t work right so we will bring it back to Camping World for some adjustments then camp in Valencia for a night.

Before we packed it up we dumped the tanks for the first time with Jeff supervising and learned that it’s quite easy.

All we want to do is camp!  Sometimes we just get up and have our coffee in the RV or go in and lay on the bed and dream of future camping adventures.  Can’t wait for the next one!

I haven’t posted for some time now. Our daughter got married on October 24th…nine months of preparation yielded thee perfect dream wedding. Nikki’s vision came to life that evening.

On October 18th I started getting sick and was quite ill through most of the week but felt good enough to truly enjoy the wedding and dance into the night.  I was coughing so much before the wedding I stayed in the RV 3 nights. Two days after the wedding, a chest x-ray showed a mild case of pneumonia.  It will be gone soon so no worries there.

Today we camp for the first time off our property with our best friends Jeff and Donna.  We’ll take the RV to the fairgrounds for a test run and will use all the appliances.  We can’t wait!

It’s been a hell of a year with me passing out at work, moving my brother to the AV to care for him, only to have him pass away 2 days later, our first grandbaby, Marlowe Rae was born,   our beautiful daughter Nikki married the love of her life Elliott, giving us two more wonderful grand children, Brody and Grace, then a case of walking pneumonia!  Even with the downs, I still say my cup runneth over.  I miss my brother terribly, but this RV experience is dedicated to him “Free as the Wind” was my brother Rick.  I’ll order a decal soon that says as much and will include a butterfly to symbolize my little sister Keri I lost 9 years ago.  Their memory will travel with me always ❤

October 18th…..Took the RV for a spin around town and shopping at Walmart.  A great selection of RV items can be found there plus a lot of fun décor.

Wednesday night Nikki, Elliott and the kids came over to see the rig.  They brought adorable and yummy cupcakes!  They all loved it and can’t wait to go camping with us.  They are seasoned tent campers so it will be a lot of fun.

Gary and I slept in it Wednesday and Thursday night and we both slept comfortably all night, never waking up.  The dogs joined us one night and were completely content.  Magnum acts like an RV dog.  He loves it in here and found the doggy window right away.  He’s a rescue so maybe he’s a seasoned camper too!  Roxie is more cautious but settled down quickly.

On Friday I went shopping for my Keurig and tons of other items for the RV.  FUN!!  It’s looking like home!  The décor is neutral so I’m adding pops of light turquois and it looks great.  Shelves are lined, dishes, pots, and pans are in.  Drawers and cabinets are organized.  Now we need to go camping!

Nikki and Elliott are getting married next weekend so after that we will have our first camping adventure at the fairground with our friends Donna and Jeff, and other adventures are already on the books.  We downloaded an AP to find good campgrounds too.

In the meantime, anytime we can watch a movie or sleep in, is a good day!

 

Gary took the train to work this morning so we wouldn’t have 2 cars and an RV to drive home this afternoon.  I left work early and picked him up then we went to Camping World.  After finalizing paperwork we got to see the rig.  It looked great! After a 3 hour walk-thru and shopping trip in their store for the necessities like water filters and pressure regulators, we finally got to bring it home.

Gary drove and by now it was rush hour heading back to the AV.  Got on the freeway and immediately I noticed a cargo door flying open so I called him and he pulled off…we fixed it and headed home.  It was stressful for us both but we made it in one piece and proudly parked it at it’s new home on our ranch.  Our neighbors, Craig and John were texting as we were arriving so they could come see it.

They were impressed not only with the quality of the Winnebago product, but also the price we had paid.  They attended the RV show that weekend and didn’t see anything comparable.  That made us feel great!