Welcome to New Jersey!

While we absolutely Pennsylvania, it was a long and frustrating month of unsuccessful RV shopping. We drove through the tip of Delaware this afternoon and will be in Jersey for the next 3 weeks. We’ve actually been to Jersey before, but it was for a super fast one night stay in 2019. We were leaving the northeast after Jonah broke his arm and we had to stay put while it healed. Then in the middle of a layoff, we had no money for fun stuff and I needed to return to Texas for work. We were in a huge rush! I’m so happy to be back and we have so many fun adventures planned! Including Atlantic City and Steel Pier, Diggerland, Cape May and a whale watching tour for the whole fam. We will also jump back over to PA for a day in downtown Philadelphia. After laying low for a month we are ready for some adventure!!

Lyndsay Stradtner2021-05-23T14:57:17-05:00May 23rd, 2021|My Family, Jonah, RV Life|

10 on Tuesday

Ready for a good old 10 on Tuesday?! Let’s go….

1. RV shopping has been completely overwhelming. There are the usual challenges of deciding on a layout, making sure we don’t go over budget, etc. Then even finding RVs to tour – it feels like a full time job all on its own. No matter what, sacrifices are made in order to live small. Prioritizing of those sacrifices for our individual family is a lot to figure out.

2. Jason has been working a ton. His longest day was 16 hours last Friday. Between work, RV shopping and school with the kids, we haven’t been doing much else. I’m ready for some adventure!

3. I’ve barely picked up my camera lately. Noticing a theme here….we are in a rut. I’ve had no motivation or desire to pick it up or edit. I’m am fairly caught up on videos though, which I love! I’m only 2 videos behind right now! Did you see our most recent Space X Rocket Launch video?

4. For some reason Z takes off his shoes the second we get to a playground. Even if it’s cold.

5. That little green jacket has my heart. It’s gone through 3 rough boys, Jude, Jonah and Zachary. It’s over a decade old with heavy wear and it still looks brand spanking new! If there ever was an ad for the quality of GAP kids clothes, this little green jacket is it. It’s going to be so hard to part with it when Z outgrows it. Jude was even wearing it the day we picked up Maggie and brought her home 11 years ago – that was such a great day for our family. I’m not sure I am going to be able to part with it.

6. We may leave Pennsylvania early if the trillions of cicadas invade as predicted. I am just not sure I can cope y’all. So gross.

7. Snuggle bugs. It’s been chilly here and my bed has been the place to snuggle here lately. A few days ago Zachary was being loud mid-snuggle and Jude and I were trying to teach him how to whisper. Whenever he tries, only his lips move, you can’t hear a single thing he’s “saying”. There is no middle ground between the silent whisper and the OMG why are you so LOUD?! Anyway, Jude and I were giving him some examples of how to whisper, Z leans in, looks Jude right in the eyes and successfully whispers “I am better at this than you.” HA! That kids reminds me SO much of his big sister!!

8. No one tell my teenagers that snuggling mommas and siblings is uncool. They didn’t get the memo even at 15 and 13 and we all love it.

9. Speaking of Z acting just like Taryn, I usually take both to the grocery store. One day last week I took Jude and Z instead. As Jude unloaded the basket on to the belt, Z got mad and told him he was doing it wrong, that’s not how sissy does it, etc. Jude just kept on going but Z got louder about it. Finally, Jude leans in and sweetly says “How would you like me to do it?”. Z scowls and says “The RIGHT way! MY WAY!” Oh my gosh, I though the cashier was going to totally lose it. He has earned his loving nickname of Tiny Dictator.

10. We will be in Philadelphia in a few weeks. Any suggestions on things to see and do while there? I was hoping to visit the US Mint but it’s still closed to the public. We have zero planned so far but I’m thinking maybe the liberty bell? Any tour suggestions?

Lyndsay Stradtner2021-05-11T17:06:23-05:00May 11th, 2021|My Family, Jude, RV Life, Taryn, Zachary|

Heart of Amish country

JoJo doing his school work outside. We have been hanging out in the heart of Amish country this week. I am so intrigued by their simplicity, the way they walk in stride with nature and embrace it instead of fight it. I have a deep desire to photograph the beauty of the simplicity here but also understand their preference to not be photographed. Oh what an amazing story it’d be to tell through photos. So I haven’t picked my camera up much this week. We love it here. The rolling hills, abundant farmland, healthy fresh food and handmade products everywhere. Today we took the kids to a knife store, ran a bunch of errands, explored a few Amish shops and spent a really long time looking for beer! Tomorrow we move to a different campground a bit north.

ps – I really loved all the grass in this site after weeks of mud, dirt, sticker burs, sand and sharp gravel.

Lyndsay Stradtner2021-05-08T22:51:27-05:00May 8th, 2021|My Family, Jonah, RV Life|

Space X Rocket Launch Night Viewing

Follow along as we witness a night viewing of a Space X Rocket Launch!

GPS Coordinates for great launch viewing with easy parking:
Latitude 28.562798 Longitude -80.798274

Camera Settings:
Nikon D750
Nikon20mm Lens f/16, SS 137.0, ISO 200
Shutter time: 2:17
Shot with remote on tripod
No flash

Lyndsay Stradtner2021-05-08T20:54:12-05:00May 6th, 2021|Jason, Jonah, Jude, Lyndsay, My Family, Roadschool, RV Life, Taryn, Youtube Videos, Zachary|

Slide Races

Zachary is obsessed with playgrounds and absolutely loves moving and seeing a new one to explore. This one didn’t disappoint! We usually only travel on weekends these days we are moving to a new campground tomorrow. While Z is excited for a new playground, the rest of us are excited that we are touring yet another RV (this one isn’t sold yet!) on Thursday. I still can’t believe I found this exact model in stock nearby. Fingers crossed we love it!

Lyndsay Stradtner2021-05-04T23:38:07-05:00May 4th, 2021|My Family, Jason, Jonah, RV Life, Zachary|

RV Shopping

We were supposed to be in West Virginia this week seeing the newest national park. Instead we bolted up to Pennsylvania though an exhausting amount of DC traffic. We are scheduled to tour an RV that’s already sold later today. Sounds dumb right?! RVs are super hard to come by in this market and the layout we are looking for is super scarce right now. Available ones are either already sold when I call around or on the other side of the country. If we love it we will likely just order directly from the manufacturer….but I 100% need to stand in the space and make sure it feels like home first! Fingers crossed!

ps…we love Pennsylvania. The people are so wonderful and crossing through northern Maryland in to PA, it feels like New England. Spring time and the rolling green hills, farms everywhere (we are staying at one we love), it is one of my favorite places. Happy to be jumping around this beautiful state for the rest of May.

Lyndsay Stradtner2021-05-03T07:46:33-05:00May 3rd, 2021|My Family, Jonah, RV Life|