I hope this letter finds you well and that it takes your mind off the troubles of the world!
My last update was in February, but my last annual letter was in April of 2019 (posted online). Isaac had just had surgery on his ankle and his impacted wisdom teeth. I had quit my job. We were about to head to Missouri from Arizona and we were still working on the land in the meantime. I bought a ShelterLogic carport to keep Isaac’s truck, the tools, and other items we would leave behind. Isaac was acquiring water totes and bought a trailer to transport water to the land.
Isaac’s oldest sister and her family were passing through from Georgia to Phoenix and we were able to spend time with them before we headed to Missouri for my oldest sister and her family to visit from South Carolina. We celebrated my niece’s 2nd birthday and went to see Avengers: Endgame as a family (an end of an era!). I stayed in Missouri while Isaac flew up to Chicago for work. He spent most of May in Illinois.
In June, we made our way from Missouri to Illinois for a few days, then to Kentucky for some work, and then to South Carolina. Almost immediately after we got to Spartanburg, Isaac had to fly to San Leandro, California for work. A close friend of mine was getting married at the end of June, and fortunately I was able to attend the bachelorette party and take my place as a bridesmaid in a gorgeous wedding! It was a tight schedule from when the wedding ended to when our annual trip to Michigan started. I was able to see quite a few old friends during our time in South Carolina, and Isaac was able to spend time with many of his siblings, but we soon had to head back to Missouri.
In the couple of days after we returned to Missouri, we cleaned out the RV and storage compartments to make space for my family and their luggage for the trek to Michigan! Our trip was great: craft fairs, fireworks, beach days, movies, family meetups and reunions, and peaceful nights. But all good things come to an end and we drove the family back to Kansas City (getting stuck on a tree at Silver Lake Beach on the way).
Again, almost as soon as we got back to Missouri, Isaac had to fly to California. After attending a friend’s awesome costume birthday party, I joined Isaac. He rented a Tesla for my visit and we drove up the 101 and down into San Francisco. Not long before that trip, my best friend had said she wanted me to visit her for a road trip near the end of the summer, so Isaac was like, “OK, we’ll stay for four months.” We both flew back to Missouri from California, then headed out with Sturgis toward Washington (state), visiting my brother in North Dakota on the way. North Dakota was one of three states we drove through which we hadn’t been before.
We reserved a space at an awesome RV park north of Spokane. Again… Isaac left me for California and Texas. He would fly back regularly, but I spent most of my time alone. I got a job doing school portraits for about a month, but it ended up not being a good fit. With the threat of leaving Washington at any minute (from Isaac), I couldn’t really get another job.
My time in Spokane wasn’t wasted though, because I got to spend time with my best friend and her family.
One snowy day at the end of September, my bestie and I went to Plato’s Closet and I ended up buying a puppy from a random van in the parking lot. Avid was thirteen weeks old when I got her and an absolute terror. She had zero training and peed in my car and everywhere else. It was a long first few weeks, but she has adapted well! She’s still getting used to our lifestyle, but I think she’s enjoying herself (check out her instagram: @avidforpraise).
After four months in Spokane that included a weekend in Seattle, our neighbor’s RV catching on fire, a quick trip to Missouri for a class reunion and my sister’s 30th birthday party, new fall traditions, and mildewy windows, we had to say our bittersweet goodbyes. We headed from Washington down to Arionza, meeting up for an evening with Isaac’s younger brother on the way. Once we got to Arizona, it was quick work getting the land cleaned up (the Phoenix summer destroyed my $400 ShelterLogic) and getting ourselves ready to drive my little car to Missouri for Christmas then South Carolina for New Year’s.
Christmas with my family definitely was overdue since it had been three years. It was amazing to see my extended family after so long. We also had an awesome time at both a 2020 New Year’s party with friends and Isaac’s birthday party with his family in South Carolina.
After a wholesome time in South Carolina, we left for Arizona, making a detour in Georgia to see Isaac’s sister and family. Other than the moldy fridge we discovered upon our return, the rest of January was fairly uneventful. Then came February….
Fresh off the heels of the Chiefs winning the SuperBowl and the success of my Kansas City tee selling out, my life took a spin for the most dysfunctional domino effect of events probably in my entire life. You can read about it here.
Isaac spent most of February and half of March in Spokane working on his automated electric vehicle project (read more at secrettrainproject.com). Right before Isaac flew home, I was driving his truck for a grocery run (at this point, getting groceries seems to be a cursed activity) when it broke down at an intersection. After 45 minutes of pulling fuses, it finally drove again. When he was back in town, Isaac opened the hood to discover a mouse skittering around. Sadly, he didn’t have time to look into the issue as we were due to leave Arizona for Missouri. On the upside, my car was now working perfectly. We did get an automated sprinkler system and a sump pump set up on the land to water the grass Isaac planted.
We descended upon Kansas City yet again for my niece’s Three Rex birthday party (my sister and her family came up from South Carolina). After a fun, but unusual, week (because of the COVID-19 pandemic), my sister and her husband made the drive home. Isaac was supposed to fly to Chicago but his trip was delayed, so we’ve just been hunkering down at my parents’ house trying to be useful, Sturgis being parked in their driveway.
During the many days Isaac was away, I did some much-desired renovations in the RV! *hehe* I rearranged and purged to make better use of storage (I love getting rid of stuff!). I donated the bulky dining chairs, replacing them with some modern mustard yellow chairs that are lighter, prettier, and more size-appropriate. I also got a really good deal on an awesome gray chair that I use for my new, smaller desk. Finally I took down ALL the valences (I hated those things), reattached the shades, and got some curtains for the windows in the bedroom. The table in the kitchen was replaced with a much too big (and too heavy!) table I got for cheap, but I am looking to find a smaller, more space-conscious table in the future.
So that’s another year of Lloyd RV life! Let us know if you enjoy hearing from us.