Today we meet with our contractor at our new home. We did the inspection last week and we had a few things that we needed to take a second look at and also discussed a few items we wanted to update in the home. We love the home but, there is always something you want to touch before you move into a new home.

The meet up went well and we even bumped into the owner as she returned early. Jenn and I chatted about all kinds of things and really hit it off with her. Turns out she was from Delaware, fell in love with the West and decided to build the house we are buying. That was 25 years ago. We are now the second owners of the house and she was happy to hear all about our family and our trip across the US.

It’s interesting to move into a house with a very similar story to the people who are moving out. Wow.

Today was one of the nicest days we’ve had in Flagstaff. The weather was absolutely perfect and we spent most of the day outside the Motorhome. We ate breakfast on the picnic table this morning and, as much as you might think we are camping, we don’t do that often. As a family we are not very outdoorsy when it comes to eating meals.

We don’t like bugs, too much wind, carrying all of our items outside or sitting in too much sun or too little sun while we eat. When the planets align we eat outdoors otherwise the meals are cooked and eaten in our luxurious climate controlled motorhome. Lol

I probably need to add some hardship to my kids lives so they don’t end up to “soft”. However, right now I am trying to survive as best I can in 400 sq ft of space. 😜

Today was a busy day filled with business zoom meetings, phone calls, homeschooling and grocery shopping. It seemed like we never stopped moving. Jenn and I even snuck in a late day hike after dinner.

It always surprises me when you have a very limited ability to do things and yet your day is packed with activities. Jenn and I are very blessed that our businesses are able to function and grow through this pandemic. Everyone needs cloud based phone systems and cloud computing related solutions right now so, my phone never stops ringing.

Because many business owners are working from home an need alternatives to exercising, Jenn’s sugar addiction movement “The sugar freedom method” is blowing up. We are truely blessed and sometimes overworked. We do however make time everyday to unwind with a walk, a hike or possibly a bike ride. The excercise feels great and really helps to calm the nerves.

We woke up to Mother’s Day today and we had cards, flowers and a funny MEH mug for Jenn. The kids heard the barbie family call their mother MEH in a barbie movie many years ago and it stuck. Now Mom is affectionately known as MEH. We have Meh’s Music sound track on Spotify and kids calling her. Meh from across the room (or the RV) and now she has a MEH mug for her morning tea. She tought it was a great gift but, she may have been being nice. Lol

We had a great day and tried our best to do anything we could to free up Mom today.

The inspection of our new home completed yesterday evening. We have a few small item to discuss with the owner but, for the most part, everything went really well. Everyone in the family is overly excited about living in a house again.

I personally, thought we would make it further than we did but, I feel it was more related to the Coronavirus than our family giving up on camping. Plus, we are holding on to our RV so, the adventure isn’t over yet. As a matter of fact, we are talking right now about traveling for June and July (before we take ownership of the new house). That should be a lot of fun assuming our realtor can handle things in our absence.

Our realtor is very good and our Mortgage specialist is also a professional, as well as a friend, with years of experience in the industry. So, we feel very comfortable traveling.

As the country starts opening back up I am trying to book places we want to see before the summer ends. I’m trying to get to Monument Valley, Travel through CO and then head north to Yellowstone N.P. and Mt. Rushmore. Hopefully we can make a go of it in the 6-8 week window we have left.

I always remember that saying, “We plan while God laughs.” So, I’m keeping an open mind.

It’s the end of the week and we needed to move our RV today to refill the propane take. Our rig carries about 13 gallons of propane which we use for heat (when its below freezing) and for instant hot water. Usually a full tank of propane will last 3 months or more but, when its below freezing and you use the propane for heat, a full tank only lasts a two or three weeks tops. Since arriving in Flagstaff on March 5th we have had to fill our onboard propane tank 3 times.

You might think “What’s the big deal? Just fill your tank and be done with it.” But, what you don’t know is that there isn’t a big difference between filling your Propane tank and moving to a new destination.

We basically have to do all the same stuff and the list is long. Yes, we need to put everything away, clear all the countertops, do a full cleaning, put away all the dishes, put away shoes, close up the beds, bring in the slides, disconnect the water, power and sewer connections. Drain all the water tanks, turn around the front captains chairs, lock the refrigerator, lock the dishwasher, put away the homeschooling bins and vacuum the entire rig once everything is cleaned up.

Then we have to move all the bicycles away from the RV, pull all the games, cornhole, frisbee’s, soccer balls, sport equipment and hoverboards away from the RV a safe distance so we can drive away without destroying anything.

Next we move the Jeep, pull the wheel chucks, and bring up the hydraulic foot pads that keep our RV level and start up the diesel.

We drove about 1000 feet to the propane tank at the campground, filled the tank with propane and then drove 1000 feet back to our campsite and reversed the whole process. This entire process takes 2 hours minimum and when we do a nice job cleaning it can easliy take 3 hours.

The good news is that it all went very smooth and now our rig is super clean and full of propane again. YES!

Jenn even mopped the floors which was an awesome idea. There is nothing like a clean house.

Afterwards we took a quick hike and turned on a great movie, after dinner, called “The Penguins of Madagascar”. That is a funny movie that kids love. Good times and another great day.

We found some new friends today. They rolled in from Phoenix in a Motorhome today and where just 2 sites away from us. Conversations ensued (at a safe distance) and next thing you know we were trading RV traveling stories around a firepit. We stayed on one side and they stayed on the other (keeping our 6 foot distance) and we laughed for over an hour at the crazy stuff that happens on the road and how we always manage to get through it.

Jason and Nancy have a son named Hudson that is a couple years older than Luke. The kids spoke a little and the adults had a blast.

They stopped all open fires here at Flagstaff and took all of the campsite firepits away. The fire department said that due to the Coronavirus they are short handed and could battle a forest fire right now. So, wood burning fires are no longer a thing. However, they told us that propane firepits are OK. So, we pulled our propane firepit out and had a great evening around the fire getting to know some fellow Arizonians.

The girls have taken over the hoverboards and left Luke in the dust (for the most part). If Luke wants to tide the hoverboard then the girls let him but, they tend to use them together almost everyday and they are good on the boards.

I caught Caitlin doing her homework on the hoverboard today. She literally had her workbook and a pencil in her arms writting down answers to questions while rolling down the road and doing spins on the hoverboard. You can’t make this stuff up. I’m not one to complain when school work is getting done so, I let that go but Wow. That’s creative.

When I say the road, I’m talking about a campground road with a 5 mph speed limit so I don’t have to worry about any car accidents. Combining school work with play time is genius.

The girls have taken over the hoverboards and left Luke in the dust (for the most part). If Luke wants to tide the hoverboard then the girls let him but, they tend to use them together almost everyday and they are good on the boards.

I caught Caitlin doing her homework on the hoverboard today. She literally had her workbook and a pencil in her arms writting down answers to questions while rolling down the road and doing spins on the hoverboard. You can’t make this stuff up. I’m not one to complain when school work is getting done so, I let that go but Wow. That’s creative. When I say the road, I’m talking about a campground road with a 5 mph speed limit so I don’t have to worry about any car accidents. Combining school work with play time is genius.

Today is Cinco de Mayo. I have so many fond memories of partying like a rockstar on Cinco de Mayo and it occured to me today and I never really knew why we celebrated this day. So, if you in the same boat 🚣‍♂️ with me, I’m going to tell you.

Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, a popular misconception. Instead, it commemorates a single battle.

In 1861, Benito Juárez—a lawyer and member of the indigenous Zapotec tribe—was elected president of Mexico. At the time, the country was in financial ruin after years of internal strife, and the new president was forced to default on debt payments to European governments.

In response, France, Britain and Spain sent naval forces to Veracruz, Mexico, demanding repayment. Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew their forces.

France, however, ruled by Napoleon III, decided to use the opportunity to carve an empire out of Mexican territory. Late in 1861, a well-armed French fleet stormed Veracruz, landing a large force of troops and driving President Juárez and his government into retreat.

Certain that success would come swiftly, 6,000 French troops under General Charles Latrille de Lorencez set out to attack Puebla de Los Angeles, a small town in east-central Mexico. From his new headquarters in the north, Juárez rounded up a ragtag force of 2,000 loyal men—many of them either indigenous Mexicans or of mixed ancestry—and sent them to Puebla.

The vastly outnumbered and poorly supplied Mexicans, led by Texas-born General Ignacio Zaragoza, fortified the town and prepared for the French assault. On May 5, 1862, Lorencez gathered his army—supported by heavy artillery—before the city of Puebla and led an assault.

Although not a major strategic win in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza’s success at the Battle of Puebla on May 5 represented a great symbolic victory for the Mexican government and bolstered the resistance movement. In 1867—thanks in part to military support and political pressure from the United States, which was finally in a position to aid its besieged neighbor after the end of the Civil War—France finally withdrew.

So when you raise a pint tonight, or possibly a different drink, please drink to General Ignacio Zaragoza. His leadership turned the tide for the Mexican’s and lead to date that we will all celebrate for years to come.

I on the otherhand had to go to the dentist today and was put on antibiotics for my sinus infection. So, I will not be drinking. 😞