Meriwether Navigator Brittany Highland and Captain Eric Highland of RV Wanderlust- Date: 05-23-2014
- Current City: Austin, TX
- Current Location: Austin Lone Star Carefree RV Park
- Site Number: 64
- Wi-fi Signal: Verizon – Very Strong / AT&T – Strong / Campground Wi-fi – Average
- Mission: Work, Meet with Bloggers, Appointments
- Compliment: 2 Officers, 1 Crew, 2 Guests
- Captain: Eric Highland
- Navigator: Brittany Highland
- 1st Mate: Trogdor the Burninator
- Guests: Steve and Dawn Custer
- Weather: Overcast / 80°
- Precipitation: 20%
- Humidity: 62%
- Wind: 0 mph
- Fuel: 12.5 Gallons of Diesel – 1/8 of a tank
- Odometer: 101,142
- Generator Hours: 4611.8
- Estimated Date of Departure: Tuesday, May 27th
- Next Destination: McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, Texas
Special Orders: Secure Grey Water Tank in Preps for Flush
Captain’s Remarks
12:43 – Wednesday we gave our first “On the Road” social media presentation for one of our clients. It went really well, the response was fantastic, the conversion rate extremely high and the powers that be were pleased. I think it is fairly safe to say that this will continue for awhile. For us it is fun to teach about Social Media, a topic we love, and it’s nice to make a little extra money along the way.
We spent an hour teaching on “Engaging and Gaining Clients Through Social Media.” We had anonymous surveys that were handed out to the attendees of the presentation and the reviews came back stellar. We’re really thankful to be able to do this while pursuing our dream of full-time RVing. Following the presentation we rushed off to lunch at South Congress cafe and then it was off to another meeting, this time with the our friend Sandy that runs our online store for The Austinot.
And then it was back home to work.
That’s right folks, we full-time RV and life is awesome but we still work, just like most folks out there.
12:49 – Yesterday, (Thursday) was a day of doctors appointments in the morning and work in the afternoon. After work, we went to hang out with our friends Rich and Irina Plakas.
Rich and Irina Plakas with their son, the bloggers behind Craft Beer Austin and our friends.Rich and Irina are two of the most fun people you’d ever want to meet. They are also fellow bloggers, the folks behind Craft Beer Austin a local craft beer blog.
We feasted on some BBQ pork ribs that Rich had been working on for 6 hours, and wrapped up the night with drinks and conversation on their patio.
Somewhere during that time we had a Colt AR-15 demonstration, talked about coyotes, gluten, zombies, Disney, ren faires, camping, family and dogs. We could have talked for hours more but Friday was just around the corner, and a workday for us, so we cut it short around 10:30pm. It was an enjoyable evening and nice to just take a breath and relax for a bit with friends.
13:00 – Today promises to be yet another busy day. We’ve already worked the entire morning, then we had Steve and Dawn Custer stop by Meriwether. Steve had messaged me awhile back asking if he could meet up with us while we were both in Austin. Steve is a retired Coast Guardsman like myself, and Coasties are family, so it was a no brainer. Steve knocked on the door and when I opened it, he said, “Permission to come aboard?” Oh those familiar terms!! Permission was granted, we were happy to have them aboard.
Dawn and Steve Custer, our two newest RV pals.Steve and his wife Dawn RV part time right now in their 36′ gas burner but hope to transition to the full-time lifestyle in a Diesel Pusher in a few years. They are so cute together, they left here just a few minutes ago because one of them was going to get a tattoo. (I’m not saying which one) Haha yes!
13:03 – Next up we have Austin ECO Detailing stopping by to give Smaug a “waterless car wash” before heading out tonight to the Zuver Happy Hour event at The Market here in Austin.
Zuver Events is another company that we are part of. I’m 50% owner of this event company here in Austin and basically we just get together with people and have a great time.
Remarks – Poor Brittany is exhausted. I see it in her body language, I hear it in her sighs, I feel it in the air. Though we both love Austin, there is much less stress when we are on the road and it is just the two of us. The reason for this is simple. When we are in Austin our schedule is just ridiculous because we need to fit 6 months into three weeks. It is really wearing on both of us, but Brittany more than I. She’s amazing though, and we’re making it through together. ~ E
Navigator’s Addendum
14:14 – At this point, I’m The Little Engine That Could, with a rapidly evaporating smile. I am so ready for the weekend – only about six hours to go before I consider the weekend here.
Then, to echo one of my favorite quotations…
I have dates with no one. I explore souls and cities. -Jack Kerouac
You’ll see me on the flip-side! -B
Congrats on your social media presentation!
Another question…how many dishes did you keep? I have umpteen glasses, mugs, and plates…just in case we have company! How do you manage company/guests in the rv?
I have a full closet full of board games, dvd’s, and Lego! ? Do we keep for potential grand kids or get rid of it all?? It seems, our house is just a big ‘storage unit! ‘
Austin sounds like a pretty neat place to visit one day!
I think that’s great that you paid cash for your rv! I’d love to be able to do that!
I’m praying that our house sells soon! Gettin excited
@nikkihark:disqus, everyone’s living habits are so different. So don’t take my experience as the be-all, end-all…but hopefully it will be helpful as one of many lifestyles!
I kept one set of dishes (serves 8): big plates, little plates, bowls. The previous owners left a set that serves 4 that I kept: big plates, little plates, bowls. They’re made to be shatter-resistant, and I tend to use them outdoors when we grill.
We have WAY more mugs than we need, especially since I’m the only one who uses them unless the kids are here. 🙂 I miss my set of glasses, but there’s no way they would’ve held up. We have a handful of plastic glasses for iced tea, etc.
I kept all of my tupperware containers (I didn’t have a ton), which always come in handy. I don’t know how others’ fridges work, but ours smells whenever everything isn’t in sealed containers.
As far as guests, the routine is pretty normal. Food and drinks on hand…we sit outside if the weather is nice…or go to the pool if we’re at an RV park that has one. We have TV trays that come in handy for setting up for guests’ plates/glasses, especially if they’re sitting in our captain chairs up front. It’s a good idea to keep paper plates and throwaway plastic cups always on hand, for larger get-togethers.
Eric is obsessed with collecting movies, so he’s actually bought more since we started RVing. :p We have 4 or so board games. It’s so tough to decide whether to keep things for “eventualties,” like potential grandkids in your case! I know we’re carrying more than we need. But since it all fits, I’m not worrying about it right now. We’re giving things away here and there, and I figure we’ll do a big purge after a year on the road. By that time, we’ll have a good idea of what we really don’t need.
Very helpful info, thanks! I needed the reminder that I will have storage space so I will be able to keep quite a bit!