Our Favorite Moments of 2016
WOW - another year has come and go. We are always amazed how quickly time passes by. Like they said “Time flies when you are having fun!”. Guess this means we were just too busy having fun. Here are some of our best or most memorable moments from the past twelve months.
JANUARY: Neither Russ or I are fans of the snow, so when 30+ inches fell on a blustery January day we weren’t happy campers (no pun intended). We spent a good 6 hours cleaning out - ugh! However, when we realized this might quite possibly be our last big snowstorm as residents of Pennsylvania we were able to survive the madness and it became a highlight of our year.
January was also the month we bid farewell to our Yukon. In a crazy, freak accident between me and a light pole our Yukon bit the dust. Don’t ask! To look on the bright side of things, we didn’t have to worry about selling it before hitting the road in May. I took care of that one early. Yikes!
FEBRUARY: February was the month of purging, including getting rid of all the contents of the bakery and equipment. The auction was a success. Turning in the keys to the cupcake store was a really great feeling. I certainly wouldn’t trade those memories and experiences at our cupcake store in the train station for anything, but new adventures awaited us.
MARCH: In March, the focus turned from the bakery to our house. It was time to get it on the market. New bedroom carpet, finally installing the backsplash, and painting more doors, walls, and trim than we wanted to even think about. We listed our house on St. Patrick’s Day with our wonderful fiery red-headed Irish realtor. We were looking for any extra luck we could find.
APRIL: April was a wonderful, but incredibly crazy month! We got our cash offer on our home - yippee. We had just over two weeks to be all moved out - what? Boxes, trash bags, and junk trunks - OH MY! We had our first ever yard sale and it was a success. ByeBye Stuff - it felt great.
Walking out of closing on April 25th was a fabulous feeling! So while were officially homeless, we were so lucky that Russ’ sister, Ceil, graciously welcomed us into her home during this transition time. We can’t imagine the chaos that would have ensued if we didn’t have a place to stay to get everything sorted back out! Plus, we had a blast hanging out with Ceil & Lucas for a few weeks - we had a 6 AM breakfast party every morning!
MAY: Cinco de Seis might be a new holiday for Russ. It was without a doubt the best day of year by far for him. It was the day he said "Peace Out" to Verizon after 26 years of working bliss. Now let’s start living…
May 19th might have been our second favorite day of 2016. It is the day we officially hit the road. From here on out, it will be considered our Nomadiversary! When we rolled out of our storage space in Spring City, PA we officially had everything we owned with us. The life we had dreamed, talked, and planned about was truly here. As Russ merged into traffic on 422, I watched my house join into the traffic and we were on the way. We were buckled up, holding on tight & ready to enjoy the ride.
JUNE: June was filled with fun travels from Elizabethtown, Gettysburg, Virginia to Florida - we enjoyed exploring and visiting with friends. We landed in Florida to declare of state of domicile. We became residents of the Sunshine State - we sure liked the sound of that.
After dealing with all the technicalities, it was time to to relax and enjoy our home state. Off to St. Pete Beach we went for a week with the Gibbons herd enjoying the Gulf Coast to the extreme. We checked into condo we were sharing with family on Saturday and settled in for a seriously relaxing week. We spent every day on the beach or poolside, or most often doing both. Life is just better at the beach.
JULY: The beginning of July was filled with wonderful visits with family & friends in Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana. It also was the month Russ became a certified RV Inspector. Way to go, Russell! Can’t wait to watch our inspection business grow.
In a crazy turn of events, July was also the month we “moved” again! After hours and hours and hours of delibration, we decided to purchase another camper. We welcomed Charlie into our lives on July 23rd and had about 8 hours to move all of our earthly belongings from our old RV Charlie into our new RV Charlie. It was nearly 100 degrees and we were beyond exhausted, but we moved into our 3rd and final home of the year. Saying good-bye to Calvan was sad, but we already feel at home in Charlie.
AUGUST: August was the month of our beach camping vacation in Delaware. What a wonderful 18 days of relaxing, eating, napping, and kayaking. It was the maiden voyage of our new kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP). We enjoyed exploring the area and definitely see many more paddles in our future.
With two big moves behind us, we felt a little bit like packing and moving professionals. So when we found out Lexi was looking for some help moving into her new 250 square foot studio in Philadelphia, we offered to assist. Sounds like an easy move until you factor in that it wasfrom a 3rd floor bedroom to a 3rd floor studio - stairs, stairs, stairs. While we were very sweaty and tired by the end of the day, we were happy to be in the area to help with the move. Fun times! Plus, thanks Ceil & Kris for treating us to a delicious lunch break at Sabrina’s Cafe. Yummy!
SEPTEMBER: We started our full-time adventure and summer in Elizabethtown, PA at Memorial Day and ended up back there to end the summer with Labor Day at the same campground. We enjoyed the fall-season with a trip to the orchard for apple and peach picking. Definitely another one of our favorite moments of the year.
Nothing is better than lovely beach weather after Labor Day when most people are back to the grind of school and work. We lucked out with some wonderful beach camping on the Jersey shore. While the beach was great, Russ and I really enjoyed exploring the beach towns, visiting farmers’ markets, book stores, coffee shops, and even the Cape May Zoo.
OCTOBER: The month of October started with another round of visits to family & friends in Ohio and Illinois. One of the best parts about our new full-time RV life is the flexibility and time to visit those who we love dearly. It is a win-win when we are able to explore new places along with visiting family all in the same trip.
The end of October was highlighted with arrival to Campbellsville for our gig at Amazon. This is where we called home for the remainder of the year.
NOVEMBER: With our new “home” being in Kentucky, we were ready to explore what the state has to over. We started with a lovely day full of exploring the Derby City of Louisville. We were able to check the Louisville Slugger Factory & Musuem of our list as well as the home of the Kentucky Derby - Churchill Downs. While I’m sure we missed out on some great things in Lousiville, we have some fond memories from our visit there. Until next time Derby City…
Obviously working at Amazon was our focus this month, but we were able to sneak away to check something off our Sports Bucket List - Kentucky Basketball at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. What a fun night and we will always remember that fun night soaking in the famous hardwood and history of UK basketball. But regardless, we still say “Go Duke Blue Devils”!
DECEMBER: The first two-thirds of the month were highlighted by the peak season at Amazon. While it was not a overly-stimulating and fun job, it still produced some good and funny memories. We met some great people and walked about 1,000 miles between us. WOW! Definitely a memorable part of our 2016.
December finished off on a great note, enjoying Christmas with the entire Dutt family in Ohio and celebrating New Year’s Eve with Annette & Mike in Atlanta.
While 2016 has been filled with its fair share of bad, sad, and negative things. We have truly been blessed with a wonderful year full of these great memories. It is our hope that you are able to think of some bright and memorable moments from each month of the past year. Thanks for being a part of our journey. Cheers to the New Year…. See you in 2017!
