On my WayToday I purchased a dream - my dream - July 1, 2009. She is beautiful. I have decided to call her Lily. Why? God only knows. Just seems appropriate.... Can't refer to her as "The RV". I'm sorry, I can really feel her cringe when I refer to her in that cold, impersonal way. Lily is a Mini Vista Cruiser that was born in 2007. She waited so very patiently for me in that lot on the side of the road for two years. I walked in, and was at home. Who would have thought home could just take up a mere 24 feet of space? And FINALLY, an excuse for wearing the same 6 or 7 comfortable shirts! Who needs more than that? Felt like a warm hug the minute I walked in.
The first time I took her out was July 4th. Independence Day! I met Stacey and the boys at Walmart in Deptford early in the afternoon. The boys ran around inside like she was a 24 room mansion! Up and down the ladder to the loft. From the bathroom to the sofa to the loft. OMG! I have a LOFT!!! Granted, it is only the size of a queen bed, but big dreams have been launched from smaller places. When I was a child, bedtime was not the end of the day but the beginning of a journey. I would roll up my blankets and edge my bed , then sail off in my raft to other countries with only Raggedy Ann beside me. Well, my little sister too, but she slept and knew nothing of the places we traveled. I am grateful to these little guys who thrill at the thought of a loft. My God, did I forget to grow up? Oh well, too late now. We headed off to visit our kind host and did some Lily shopping, in preparation for the first trip out. Towels, kitchen supplies, etc. Little did I know this was the first of perhaps 8 trips into Walmart before midnight. I think after trip 5, they assigned a little Asian man to follow me around. I smiled, and tried to win him over, tempted to tell the man I honest to God was not casing the joint.... Back to trip 1. We got this and that , and every 3 or 4 minutes Stacey would say, "Are you sure you really need THAT?" All I had to do was glance in a certain direction to elicit that response. We're all getting cranky, its time for lunch. Do you know Walmart actually sells BOX LUNCHES?? This is now my new favorite place in the world. At the moment I am enjoying this place almost as much as I enjoyed the Grand Canyon! So we got a couple box lunches, a couple sandwiches, and went back to have our lunch. The kids had a swim lesson, so they left after lunch, and I played house. I put things away, made the bed, rearranged. Just had a good old time. I still needed silverware and dishes, so I met them after the swim lesson and we went to Ikea. I found the perfect silverware and dishes! This was a short and sweet trip, and I was soon on my way back to Walmart to meet Pete.
I haven't told Peter I actually purchased Lily. He is meeting me for dinner. He thinks we are meeting at Applebee's. I called him about 15 minutes before we meet to ask him to pick me up at Walmart. I told him I couldn't start my car. I sat on a bench in front of my new favorite place and gazed at Lily across the lot : ) Peter arrived, picked me up and asked me where my car was. We drove right up to Lily. He was pretty excited. It crossed his mind how nice it would be to park in the Hospital parking lot, since he all but lives there now. Then he examined every nook and cranny, and thought perhaps we should go back in Walmart and get a little velcro, and other things I probably need and couldn't live without. I now have three different types of Velcro and a few other things. It was a fun AND funny trip . And the little Asian man isn't following me yet. Again, it's time to eat. I had visions of cooking up a nice steak, but my son is no fool, he opted for dinner out. I used to know how to cook. Then I just forgot. Trust me, it's not "just like riding a bike". We went out for dinner. Then we came back to find something to Velcro. We were back a few minutes, and there was a knock on the door. It was my brother Jimmy and his girlfriend Patty. I told Jim I'd be here if he wanted to stop by and meet Lily. They came in and Patty looked cute in her swirly skirt. They sat on the sofa, Patty holding her little pocketbook in her lap, looking like she was waiting for a bus. Patty's head went from left to right a few times, taking it in. She then looked to the right, and saw the closed door. She said, "what 's in there?" I said, "the bathroom'. She sat a few moments and like out of the clear blue, said, "May I please use the bathroom?" Perhaps you had to be there, but it was priceless...
Two minutes later, another knock. If I knew I was having so much company, I'd have baked a cake. Alright, I would have bought a cake in Walmart. I think I'll have to refer to Walmart from here on in as WM. My fingers are beginning to hurt. It was Stacey, Ed and the boys. When they pulled up, there were five or six people milling around in a mix of Spanish and English admiring Lily. The shades were up so I was unaware of our admirers... They were locked out of their car, waiting for help. So now the whole gang is here. Jimmy, Ed and Peter try to figure out the TV. Segway to the third trip back into the store. And I'm bringing more men with me. The cheerful WM greeter is beginning to wonder. Sta, Ed and the kids only stay a few minutes. Pete takes off. Jimmy stays and works on the TV. Damn analog > digital. And me... techie girl with an analog TV! Jimmy think I should return the HD antenna. I probably need a converter from Uncle Sam. Jimmy and Patty leave. I am returning to WM. Cheerful WM greeter growls at me. This is when I think she calls for backup. Back out again. Stacey calls, "did you buy bread and milk?" WM is open 24 hours. I sense the little Asian man behind me. I smile. He doesn't. I feel like a criminal. This is it! I'm not going back in there. I get the bread and leave. As I unlock the door I remember the milk. I am exhausted....
After I get the milk , I am ready for bed. OMG! Me and my pepper spray take a shower in the WM parking lot!!! And I survive!!! I am happy again. Then I prepare to spend my first night alone at the WM, since that is part of my "big see the world plan". Since I was a bit apprehensive about actually staying at WM... I needed to do this. Now, although Independence Day is symbolically a lovely day to begin a new endeavor, nodding off to the sound of fireworks that didn't sound exactly like a demilitarized zone may not have been the easiest thing I've ever done. After the initial terror wore off it was actually quite amusing. I think I fell asleep to the grande finale . Now... did you know they use big street sweepers to clean the parking lot? Did you know they do this at three in the morning? The guy cleaning the parking lot decided to really clean around Lily. He circled Lily like the Indians circling the wagons heading West. The guy finally amused himself enough and went off to clean the rest of the lot. I really wanted to use my pepper spray. I finally fell off to sleep, slept well, and woke so happy. I drove across the street to the McDonald, met Stacey and the boys, we ordered breakfast and ate in the RV. Then we headed off to Yogi Bear Campground in Elmer for our first trip.
* For those of you who might just miss Yogi and Boo-Boo copy and paste the link below, it is lovely: The first time I took her out was July 4th. Independence Day! I met Stacey and the boys at Walmart in Deptford early in the afternoon. The boys ran around inside like she was a 24 room mansion! Up and down the ladder to the loft. From the bathroom to the sofa to the loft. OMG! I have a LOFT!!! Granted, it is only the size of a queen bed, but big dreams have been launched from smaller places. When I was a child, bedtime was not the end of the day but the beginning of a journey. I would roll up my blankets and edge my bed , then sail off in my raft to other countries with only Raggedy Ann beside me. Well, my little sister too, but she slept and knew nothing of the places we traveled. I am grateful to these little guys who thrill at the thought of a loft. My God, did I forget to grow up? Oh well, too late now. We headed off to visit our kind host and did some Lily shopping, in preparation for the first trip out. Towels, kitchen supplies, etc. Little did I know this was the first of perhaps 8 trips into Walmart before midnight. I think after trip 5, they assigned a little Asian man to follow me around. I smiled, and tried to win him over, tempted to tell the man I honest to God was not casing the joint.... Back to trip 1. We got this and that , and every 3 or 4 minutes Stacey would say, "Are you sure you really need THAT?" All I had to do was glance in a certain direction to elicit that response. We're all getting cranky, its time for lunch. Do you know Walmart actually sells BOX LUNCHES?? This is now my new favorite place in the world. At the moment I am enjoying this place almost as much as I enjoyed the Grand Canyon! So we got a couple box lunches, a couple sandwiches, and went back to have our lunch. The kids had a swim lesson, so they left after lunch, and I played house. I put things away, made the bed, rearranged. Just had a good old time. I still needed silverware and dishes, so I met them after the swim lesson and we went to Ikea. I found the perfect silverware and dishes! This was a short and sweet trip, and I was soon on my way back to Walmart to meet Pete.
I haven't told Peter I actually purchased Lily. He is meeting me for dinner. He thinks we are meeting at Applebee's. I called him about 15 minutes before we meet to ask him to pick me up at Walmart. I told him I couldn't start my car. I sat on a bench in front of my new favorite place and gazed at Lily across the lot : ) Peter arrived, picked me up and asked me where my car was. We drove right up to Lily. He was pretty excited. It crossed his mind how nice it would be to park in the Hospital parking lot, since he all but lives there now. Then he examined every nook and cranny, and thought perhaps we should go back in Walmart and get a little velcro, and other things I probably need and couldn't live without. I now have three different types of Velcro and a few other things. It was a fun AND funny trip . And the little Asian man isn't following me yet. Again, it's time to eat. I had visions of cooking up a nice steak, but my son is no fool, he opted for dinner out. I used to know how to cook. Then I just forgot. Trust me, it's not "just like riding a bike". We went out for dinner. Then we came back to find something to Velcro. We were back a few minutes, and there was a knock on the door. It was my brother Jimmy and his girlfriend Patty. I told Jim I'd be here if he wanted to stop by and meet Lily. They came in and Patty looked cute in her swirly skirt. They sat on the sofa, Patty holding her little pocketbook in her lap, looking like she was waiting for a bus. Patty's head went from left to right a few times, taking it in. She then looked to the right, and saw the closed door. She said, "what 's in there?" I said, "the bathroom'. She sat a few moments and like out of the clear blue, said, "May I please use the bathroom?" Perhaps you had to be there, but it was priceless...
Two minutes later, another knock. If I knew I was having so much company, I'd have baked a cake. Alright, I would have bought a cake in Walmart. I think I'll have to refer to Walmart from here on in as WM. My fingers are beginning to hurt. It was Stacey, Ed and the boys. When they pulled up, there were five or six people milling around in a mix of Spanish and English admiring Lily. The shades were up so I was unaware of our admirers... They were locked out of their car, waiting for help. So now the whole gang is here. Jimmy, Ed and Peter try to figure out the TV. Segway to the third trip back into the store. And I'm bringing more men with me. The cheerful WM greeter is beginning to wonder. Sta, Ed and the kids only stay a few minutes. Pete takes off. Jimmy stays and works on the TV. Damn analog > digital. And me... techie girl with an analog TV! Jimmy think I should return the HD antenna. I probably need a converter from Uncle Sam. Jimmy and Patty leave. I am returning to WM. Cheerful WM greeter growls at me. This is when I think she calls for backup. Back out again. Stacey calls, "did you buy bread and milk?" WM is open 24 hours. I sense the little Asian man behind me. I smile. He doesn't. I feel like a criminal. This is it! I'm not going back in there. I get the bread and leave. As I unlock the door I remember the milk. I am exhausted....
After I get the milk , I am ready for bed. OMG! Me and my pepper spray take a shower in the WM parking lot!!! And I survive!!! I am happy again. Then I prepare to spend my first night alone at the WM, since that is part of my "big see the world plan". Since I was a bit apprehensive about actually staying at WM... I needed to do this. Now, although Independence Day is symbolically a lovely day to begin a new endeavor, nodding off to the sound of fireworks that didn't sound exactly like a demilitarized zone may not have been the easiest thing I've ever done. After the initial terror wore off it was actually quite amusing. I think I fell asleep to the grande finale . Now... did you know they use big street sweepers to clean the parking lot? Did you know they do this at three in the morning? The guy cleaning the parking lot decided to really clean around Lily. He circled Lily like the Indians circling the wagons heading West. The guy finally amused himself enough and went off to clean the rest of the lot. I really wanted to use my pepper spray. I finally fell off to sleep, slept well, and woke so happy. I drove across the street to the McDonald, met Stacey and the boys, we ordered breakfast and ate in the RV. Then we headed off to Yogi Bear Campground in Elmer for our first trip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1hSo0DWZdM
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