The day we received our truck camper, I wrote a blog called Camper Envy and Size Matters.  We were owners for less than one day, and already I was lusting for the RV -TV, bathroom, and shower.

The truck camper introduced us to this way of life for less than one year, four exciting trips. We (more me) knew we needed to move on if we ( more I ) would travel long distances. We loved our little Northstar truck camper and became extremely Covid-Creative (hmm, should I add that word to the Urban Dictionary? Is it already there?) But Mitch and I decided to say goodbye to the camper and hello to indoor plumbing! Meet KanVan our new RV Winnebago EKKO.

Mitch, our IGGY Daniel, and I drove to Iowa to pick up KanVan. We rented a car for the journey and would leave that car in Iowa and drive our new RV back home. No longer afraid of hotels, we slept in Cedar Rapids on night one and went to Forest City the following day.

We entered the parking lot at Lichtsinn RV, and there she was, all shiny and plugged in, waiting for us to learn everything!

Will There be a Test?

Do you remember the first day of classes when the teacher gives you the syllabus for the entire year? The list contains tests, reports, presentations, projects, and you start to plan ways to drop the class! Well, that was day one for me! The teacher, I mean tech, came equipped with two gigantic books. My way of remembering which book is for what is that one is a list of all the stuff that can happen, and the second is a more detailed list of how I couldn’t fix any of it!

We had a four-hour class with Brett, our EKKO EXPERT. I took copious notes. Yes, college roommate Tami and former workmate Stacie, I still write everything down! And thought back to the first day of school! My brain was exploding! I couldn’t learn one more thing.  

I zoned out when we got to the outdoor gas lines, generator, batteries, gray water, and toilet cassette.  Fortunately, Mitch is an astute learner with more patience than me. We finally ended our class, and I went into the RV store to buy all the accessories; I guess my patience reignited when I heard shopping!

Night One

We spent the night in the dealer’s parking lot so that we could review all our mistakes with the techs in the morning. We were fortunate to be parked next door to a fabulous couple. Becky and I bonded quickly as we spoke about our careers and RVing adventures. We even exchanged business cards – and became Facebook friends! And Becky is a voracious reader and was a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, so of course, I had to tell her about my Book, Raising Jess. And to my delight, she bought a copy! As a new traveling book salesman, I always have a copy somewhere to sell!

Becky’s VIEW RV had so much storage, and she was creative with her space. She told me about 10 for 10 at Walmart, and I immediately found the closest store and bought containers to contain my haphazard mess! 

I am building our nest with Walmart Organizers. I know my Mom, may she rest in peace, would wonder who is this woman she raised?

As I wrote the blog, It was 6 am central time of morning one. Last night, I was scared when I tried to adjust the Truma (brand name and coincidentally my feelings while working it) thermostat. I was convinced that I pushed the wrong something or other and that we would have CO poisoning! Both books warn against that! As you can read, all is well since I am up and writing. We survived the night.

I made my coffee and sat at the table with the laptop. Mitch was still asleep. Well, kind of, he kept talking to me from the bedroom- a few feet away- but insisted he was still sleeping. Daniel, our IGGY, is in his bedroom under the table, and all is well now.

Who Needs Real Food?

Food shopping is a must but right now our refrigerator contains the necessities: water, wine, chocolate, and dog food! We are good to go!

We received our diplomas and headed on to Illinois for the real first day of independence. Now we will have to apply all the knowledge that we forgot from day one! A colleague and friend, Laurie, named this post-Rolling with the Rubin’s, she even wrote a song to the tune of Proud Mary – Wish us luck!

“Left a big job in the city,
Workin’ for the State ev’ry night and day,
And I lost many nights of sleepin’,
Thinkin’ ‘bout the children without play…
Big wheels keep on turnin’,
Proud Vickie keep on burnin’,
Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’, with the Rubins…

My Memoir, Raising Jess: A Story of Hope is receiving amazing reviews! Have you checked it out? Click on the link for a summary and other details. 

“Vickie bravely interviews her entire family, Jess’ siblings, their spouses, her parents, and grandparents. It was inspiring to read how the family “village” pulled together to meet the challenge. I couldn’t put it down”