Camper Lyfe

It's been four months since we made the jump. Four months since we left what we knew, borrowed a camper, and traveled to the unknown.

Funny thing about adventures: they're sometimes awkward.

Cramped quarters + Stubborn "Newlywed" First borns + No definite Plan =  A sticky Situation.

I mean, don't get me wrong. This opportunity is amazing. I'm more than thankful that Travis' cousins were gracious and let us borrow their portable home. But I need to be honest..

It was not what I wanted.

Campers aren't designed to be lived in until the foreseeable future. They're just not.

They're not meant to hold everything we own.

They're not supposed to be the site of every WW3-worthy argument.

I sit on the bed and see the entire span of..well, everything:

Bunk beds in the corner are storage and the only bit of organization I can never seem to keep straight. Cabinets full of clothes that I can't seem to fold. I trip over shoes, but cant fall without hitting my head on something. I sit on the toilet and am glad to be short so claustrophobia doesn't kick in as my knees are mere inches from the opposing wall. Standing in the shower is nearly impossible. OCD is out the window. Pristine tidiness is a thing of the past. Cooking together? Only if you don't want elbow room. All day, good luck having a conversation over the loud AC unit that never seems to turn off in the southern summer heat. Nothing to see outside, plus it's hot out.

BUGS. EVERYWHERE. No matter what you do, it's a rare thing to NOT find a spider every night.

I always seemed to think of myself as easy-going and low-maintenance. Lately, that's flown out the screened windows and truly challenged my identity.


I know, I know, "challenge my identity" is kind of dramatic.
But not really.


Patience in waiting. Contentment no matter what. Calm, Compassionate Wife. (Actually, that's a joke. I'm definitely no lovey dovey Susie Homemaker.) Efficient money management skills. Organization against all odds.


All things I thought I'd mastered.


But, add in...

Cramped quarters + Stubborn "Newlywed" First borns + No definite Plan + Self-Imposed Stress + Hormones + Me working 50 (MIN) hours a week + he just found a good job + Constant Miscommunication + Lack of Bible Study + Feeling out of control + (etc)

...and suddenly the lessons I thought I'd learned are being retaught. Who I thought I'd become was being challenged.


First world problems, maybe. But honestly, I've been struggling hard core, emotionally.

Despite the struggle, I am truly thankful. 

I'm thankful:

• We have an amazing family, and a comfortable mini home to live in.
• I'm learning new methods of organization, and that a good majority does not matter. 
• We have running water, and air conditioning in this weather. 
• I can lay in bed and listen to the rain storms more intimately than if we were in a house. 
• My husband is patient with me and my struggles, reminding me we're working towards a goal. 
• He kills the bugs for me.
• God is in control, and provided Travis with a great job at the exact time we needed it.

I'm thankful for the challenges that are sharpening who I am and the woman I'm becoming.

We're preparing for the future, and learning how to love each other well. We're slowly building a life here, and a relationship that will eventually weather all storms easier.


For me, camper life is hard.

But it's going to be worth it.

(And the stories will be fun to tell later...)

**Circumstances may be slightly exaggerated..

Don't be shy - If this message has impacted you in any way, let me know! 

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