February Rolled On By

Wow. Seems like a blink of the eye, and already another month has rolled by.  And, this month we actually did a little bit of rolling around ourselves.

Pinellas Park Visit

With my dad’s treatment plan underway, we decided it was a good time to get our nomadic itch scratched and see other parts of Florida, visit other family and take a bit of a break.

We also had learned that Chris’ uncle is a skilled builder and had some open time – which seemed like a perfect match for tackling some bus projects.  Serendipity further lended a hand with an invitation from another family member to park the bus at their place to get the work done.

So we spent a week parked in the equestrian district of Pinellas Park, FL – ripping out our kitchen and bathroom.  We are very happy with the results, integrated in some sweet space saving features and made progress on our propane free goal.

We still have a little bit more work left to do to finish the project (namely installing our new vessel bathroom sink) and then I’ll likely make a post about it all and update our video tour.

We also got to hook-up for dinner with our friends James & Maria of Live Collar Free, who live in nearby St. Petersburg. We enjoyed an incredible Thai-Mex fusion (Chipotle Pad Thai = yum!!!).

We had signed up to participate in another 1/2 marathon while in the area – but between some frigid cold temperatures that morning and a lot of accumulated stress, we opted out last minute.  Some things just aren’t worth putting your body through.

Spring Hill, FL

With the parts of the bus remodeling requiring tools we don’t own completed, we decided to move up the coast a bit to Spring Hill, FL – where Chris’ parents are now snowbirding at.

Aside from spending a lot of quality time with his folks, helping them with some tech upgrades – we also finished a major update of our Coverage? iPhone/iPad app and got it launched with a bit of a media buzz, in thanks to a great review on TUAW.

Settled in Melbourne, FL

A couple weeks on the west coast, and it was time to return to Melbourne.

Finding RV Parking in Melbourne to be close to my family during this difficult time has been a struggle.  Between a general lack of options and it being the high winter season, we just were coming up empty.  No reservations pretty much meant, no luck.

We’ve begged and pleaded to friends & family in the area, here on the blog, on Facebook, posted on Couchsurfing.org and on various RVing forums – with no luck whatsoever finding alternatives such as driveway surfing or people with open land to host us.

We have a dear friend in Kissimmee with beautiful land who had been hosting us, and said we could stay as long as needed. It was a great spot to be at, and we’re tremendously thankful for that gift.

Unfortunately, it also meant an hour commute each way.  In the beginning of my dad’s treatments that was working out fine. But after several weeks of commuting multiple times a week for doctor’s appointments, treatments, our shared business interests and quality time – it was becoming less than ideal.  I really craved being closer by, not staying in a guest room regularly and having my home to retreat to.

Chris was diligent in calling all of the RV Parks in the area to keep checking on availability – and finally we found an open spot for a month.  It’s within 10 minutes of my parents, which is perfect.  The downside is – it’s ridiculously expensive due to the high winter season rates.  We decided it was worthwhile to pay the premium. We feel especially blessed to have been on the receiving end of gifted parking thus far – which definitely helps offset the costs now.  We’ve also been able to offset some of the costs by putting our wireless data plans on ‘vacation’ mode as we have fairly reliable access to WiFi.

So, we’re now parked for at least a month – and will play things by ear from here on out.  It’s been wonderful to be close enough by to my parents for quality time when he’s feeling up to it, while still allowing everyone their daily routines and lifestyles.

Please do keep the positive thoughts coming. Our family greatly appreciates them.