Here's the back story: there I was living a happy life in a cute apartment in Dallas, Texas. My apartment complex was perfectly situated between all of my friends so that it became the gathering place. I had a nice pool. I had furniture, dishes, decor, all the good stuff. It didn't matter that I was basically living paycheck to paycheck; I had a great life.Then, what do you know, my boyfriend proposes on December 14th! Two weeks later, my lease ends. Well, instead of finding another apartment, or staying at the one I had (those jerks were raising my rent...again), my future in-laws offer me their RV to live in. Seeing as how I had never set foot in an RV, and all I knew about them were the stories of great family vacations Ross and his family went on, I thought, "well, why not?" I knew it would be small. I knew I wouldn't be able to take all of my shoes (that's the worst). I knew I wouldn't be the meeting place for all of my friends, and I knew they wouldn't come see me in a traveling trailer anyway. But I am an adventurous sort, and I saw this as an adventure! It's only until September when Ross and I move into some other wonderful place where I can have furniture and decorations. What's 9 months?
Since Ross is an expert online researcher (he once spent two days looking at and deciding on the perfect printer), he set to work to find me a cheap, clean RV park close to my work. And he found it. Shady Grove RV Park in The-Middle-of-Nowhere, North Texas. The pictures made it look incredibly cute. Quaint, but with a touch of homey-ness. Upon further inspection, I learned that it's basically a retirement village. Most of the residents are permanent. A lot people had built decks around their steps. How cute, right? They also have mandatory quiet time from 10pm to 6am. Being an old fogey at heart, this was incredibly appealing. I had found my temporary home. The rent was low. They have a laundry facility, full hook-ups (at the time, I had no idea what this meant. Now that I know, it. is. the. best. thing.), cable, a pool, and even a dog park. I would be saving so much money, I wouldn't know what to do with it (yeah, right. I'm trying to pay for a wedding. ALL my savings goes straight to vendors, but more on that later), and I'd save a ton on gas because it's closer to work than my apartment was. No more living paycheck to paycheck. No bills bearing down on me from 2 days before payday. I would have the money to pay all my bills (which were significantly less), and put a bunch in savings for our wedding. It was like a dream come true!
Was. It's not so much a dream anymore, but boy, is it an adventure! From day (more like middle of the night) one, RV living has been a bit rough. I've had some big learning experiences, and I've learned to appreciate the little things in life. Like water coming out of the faucet. Or heat. That being said, the adventure has been worth it. I'm having the wedding of my dreams, and I'm able to afford it. Plus, I'll have some amazing stories to tell my kids one day. But you'll get to hear them first! I hope you enjoy my stories of all I've learned in Adventures in Trailer Parking: Tales from the Broke Bride.
Here's to the beginning,
Ray
You are an amazing storyteller. I look forward to the next installment.
ReplyDeleteThank you Collette! This experience has definitely given me a lot of stories to tell. Look for the next piece this coming week!
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