I'm a little bit artsy. I'm a little bit crafty. And in the words of the Osmonds, "I don't know if it's good or bad but I know I love it so". Okay, too far.
In any case, I do love a good project, however, I do NOT love to follow directions. Directions bore me and make me feel like I'm doing someone else's project. Directions take the fun out of exploration and creation and, in my mind, dull the sparkle of my finished product. I'd much rather look at a picture, do a little research, and form my own idea of how to achieve my outcome. Let me preface this by saying that I am all too aware of how this can complicate and yes, even send a project into complete and total failure, rendering me frustrated and defeated, but to that end...I always learn something. Sometimes I learn a better way, or that maybe I should just heed the advice of professionals who have attained the appropriate results that I may be after. Other times I learn a thing or two about myself, like how far my patience will extend, how committed I am when I set a goal, the extent to which I can push before asking for help and the fact that I can, indeed, ask for help. Sometimes, I even come to realize that I should have paid someone qualified to execute the project.
I've been very blessed to find a partner who, much like myself, likes a challenge and isn't afraid of a good project. In fact, he very well may reach beyond my own capacity to make some crazy ideas into reality, which makes us a dangerous duo. Not only does he accept and embrace new challenges (and frequently rescue me from taking on too much), he also is quick to act on an idea if he thinks it's a good one, often leaving me with my head spinning- as I tend to mull things over long before pulling the proverbial trigger.
Our ambitious and adventurous natures introduced us to our 1986 Ford Fleetwood Jamboree RV...our "vintage" labor of love. We couldn't have asked for a more local find, with this just up the road from where we live.
Upon our novice inspection, this gem just needed a thorough cleaning and while out dated, it would be ready to take the "Brady Bunch" camping with minimal repair. My creative mind was already reeling in at least a hundred different directions for how to update this home on wheels cosmetically, but I hadn't a clue about how to care for it, or repair it or even drive it!
We brought the Jamboree home on Easter weekend 2015 and surprised our kids. It was exciting and scary. The first challenge was met prior to even finding our driveway and I was stressed! Fast forward, add some gas and a new battery and we made it home. I was worried. I feared we had made a huge mistake. We didn't have endless funds for a fixer upper so my heart was heavy, but we were committed and stayed positive.
In the coming weeks, that camper was torn apart. While cleaning we found unanticipated water damage. The overhead cabin had to be completely pulled out and reconstructed. The back bedroom had to be altered from a hodge podge arrangement that was inefficient and thrown together, to one that would provide counter space, storage and a full size bed. We needed to make it clean. We needed simple and able to accommodate a family of 7.
It took a few months and a lot of paint and material. Blood, sweat and a little wine...maybe even a few tears on my part, while I fought with the sewing machine, but the makeover proved as rewarding as it was challenging! With only a few cosmetic tasks left unfinished, we were able to venture out for the first time!
The maiden voyage to Northeast, Maryland for an "I Do BBQ" of close friends entailed half of the family in the RV and the other half in the SUV. Undoubtedly, I was driving the SUV! As I watched our project take the road ahead of me, I filled with nerves and excitement. I was proud of what we had accomplished.
That weekend I would lay in the bed in the back room with a warm heart, in love with the sound of our kids laughter as they stayed up enjoying the first night as a family in our home away from home. My fears that we had made a mistake in taking this on were repeatedly squelched by the lessons learned as we executed the rehab and even more so by the amount of times the kids have enjoyed sleepovers with friends right in our driveway already! This endeavor will be one in which countless memories will be made and it will be one we won't soon regret!
More pics and piece by piece details to come! Stay tuned for some extra tips and tricks that we found and for additional touches that are still to be done!