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Top Ten - Lessons from Ash

7/11/2018

26 Comments

 
So after 5 weeks into our RV adventure, let me share my Top 10 list of what I’ve learned so far:

  1. RV living requires a wide span of knowledge across a variety of topics. Electricity, plumbing, HVAC, gas/propane, vehicle maintenance/safety, etc. I’m no stranger to being conversant across a variety of topics in a business or social setting ; however, the range of questions and considerations in RV living is staggering and never just one or even two dimensional. My regular slate of questions now consists of “how full is my black tank, is my fifth wheel level or why isn’t it level, what was that noise, where else can we critter proof our RV, what is that smell, do I need to torque my lug nuts, what kind of torque wrench do I really need, which way do I turn to make the RV go the way I need it to, can I fit in that space?....the list is endless and yet I find great pleasure in knowing this is how the term Renaissance Man came into existence centuries ago. ​
  2. Owning a diesel truck with six wheels has been critical to our early wins in our journey. After much consideration, we landed on a F-350 to pull our fifth wheel. 16,000+ lbs of RV weight requires a serious tow vehicle and our dually has not and will not disappoint. I am blown away by its sheer power and feeling of reassurance that gives me on the road. ​
  3. Cooking with propane - what’s not to love? We just bought a 22” Blackstone griddle and I LOVE it...I can absolutely see us cooking many breakfasts, lunches and dinners on this thing over the next year. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and this is especially exciting for me to use this adventure as a learning lab for experimentation and sharpening skills.
  4. Dump Stations or Sewage Hookups are a necessary evil. This one had me most concerned when we first decided on taking this adventure (picture Robin Williams in the hilariously funny movie “RV”). After all, we’ve always had indoor plumbing where nothing like this was ever seen or dealt with on the back end. Early lessons on this one- recruit Will to help , wear good disposable gloves, move quickly but not carelessly, recruit Will to help (did I mention that?), try and get sites with sewage hookup AT our future campsites.
  5. I married very well (worst kept secret on earth). Beth has been amazing on getting us organized and setting up our new home in a way that makes it feel warm and really like home. From the arrival and departure checklists (indoor and outdoor) to the hooks, rods, shelves and baskets to store all of our stuff, she is organizing us in a way I could only dream of...I am grateful because I have zero sense about outfitting and decorating a tiny house (barely much more sense for this in our larger home).
  6. My kids think it is a weekend day , every day....my wife might too. I’ve lost track of days and since I am not regularly working, the boys think every day could be a weekend day. I find that my sense of purpose and success on a daily basis has certainly shifted from a largely corporate setting to an exclusively family setting. I need to remember that this is a unique and temporary moment in time so I need to savor every day with Beth, Will and Nate.
  7. Life is slower...even though we’ve not pushed off officially yet. There’s something to be said about managing a 400 square foot home, not sitting in work traffic, not traveling through an airport, being able to cook, eat, clean up and not worry about getting to the next activity, practice or meeting.
  8. People living the RV lifestyle are very friendly and quite helpful. No crazies yet...everyone we’ve met so far has been extremely supportive, encouraging and helpful to us newbies. From our neighbors at the RV parks to the park managers themselves, we’re finding that RV campers are a pretty good bunch of people. We’re connected in to a couple of private Facebook groups with fellow RV travelers and owners and they’ve been equally helpful and encouraging to us at the beginning of our journey.
  9. Living in tight quarters has been much better than I had expected. The boys each have their own respective areas and of course, Beth and I have our own bedroom. That said, each of us is finding our way in making sure we are not on top of each other as a course of our daily life. Ask me about this when we get to a place where it rains several days in a row...😀
  10. God continues to show up at every turn. He has not only provisioned for us to pursue this dream, but He also knows what we need as a family and the timing of when we need it. Despite a series of unexpected delays that have kept us in Atlanta a little longer than we wanted, we are still confident of His sequence and timing of activities for this adventure.
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26 Comments
Paul Hanson
7/13/2018 06:31:18 am

Love the blog.... Awesome adventure for you and family

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Will Merchant
7/14/2018 12:29:49 pm

It is! We are looking forward to shoving off!

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Kaki link
7/13/2018 06:33:18 am

Loving this! And trying not to get carried away (even avoiding reading each word😜) of how different and fun this is compared to traffic to work, airport transits, and so on! Blog on brother, and lovely family! We look fwd to catching y’all in action somewhere during your travels! 😍😍😍

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Will Merchant
7/14/2018 12:28:48 pm

Sounds great!

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Kaki
8/16/2018 05:44:22 pm

I see this reply. And I see the box below to select notifying me of new comments to this post. I’ll click on it now so I’ll know if you reply. Thx Will and everyone! Such fun seeing y’all on this adventure.

Tony Rodgers
7/13/2018 06:37:54 am

Great post! So very excited, and a little envious, for your new adventure! 🙂 I look forward to following along on this wonderful time! Love u guys!

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Will Merchant
7/14/2018 12:27:44 pm

We love you guys too! Thanks for checking the site out!

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Dede LaPorta
7/13/2018 09:23:34 am

Such a great perspective you have on this new adventure! Jealous of all the time you all are going to get to spend together as a family. Keep the blog going- really love to read about your travels and trials too!

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Will Merchant
7/14/2018 12:26:38 pm

Thanks for the support! We are grateful!

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Will Merchant
7/14/2018 12:33:32 pm

And hey, who says we're going to have trials?

Patrick Donovan
7/13/2018 10:46:56 am

So cool Ash! I look forward to following your family's adventure!

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Ash Merchant
7/20/2018 05:55:45 pm

Thanks man. Miss seeing you! Hope you are well!

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Kaki
7/13/2018 11:27:24 am

Ash and Beth - wish you both a wonderful (sweet 17th?) wedding anniversary tomorrow! So glad you found each other, and I somehow found you both too😍. Love your family, love that you’re family, and love that you love my (extended) family too😂😍. Have an awesome time! And I’m just gonna say, here’s to the next 85 years for you both!😂😍😂😍

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ELIZABETH BECK
7/13/2018 01:50:12 pm

Love the Blog.....keep it coming.....you are a fantastic writer!!!!!
BE SAFE!!!!! HAVE FUN!!!!

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Will Merchant
7/14/2018 12:23:09 pm

We will! Thanks for commenting!

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Rhonda Kimbrell
7/13/2018 05:40:25 pm

It is awesome that you can do this now as a family while you are young enough to enjoy it and each other. You are so blessed. It helps that Beth home schools too so the kids can stay on track! She's awesome and you are blessed!

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Will Merchant
7/14/2018 12:22:00 pm

We are excited and happy about your support! Thanks!

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Pat Horton (aka Mom) link
7/14/2018 11:17:15 am

Great update Ash. Your patience and practice has paid off. You’ve got this!

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bill stark link
7/16/2018 11:20:53 am

great write-up; funny, real. savor each moment is right! we are all living vicariously through you all! bill

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Ash Merchant
7/20/2018 05:54:32 pm

Thanks Bill. Appreciate your support and prayer. Look forward to staying in touch.

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Diana Palumbo
7/16/2018 11:40:02 am

Thanks for sharing your journey with us, Ash! Looking forward to reading your updates. Stay safe.

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Ash Merchant
7/20/2018 05:46:13 pm

Thanks Diana. Means a lot to have your support. Hope you are well.

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Kelly Hanretta
7/17/2018 05:40:10 pm

Such an awesome adventure! I can't wait to follow along with you all for the next year! Safe Travels!

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Ash Merchant
7/20/2018 05:45:22 pm

Thanks Kelly. Hope you and Aaron are doing great! Love your family pics on FB.

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Tracy Huber
7/19/2018 08:42:00 am

Ash....Love this adventure and LOVE the blog! You need to find Johan DeKeyzer in your travels and I bet he can share more RV wisdom (and probably great tips on where to travel to - last I saw, he was in Maine. His blog has some great posts....albeit a lot of beer and whiskey stops. LOL). And can I say - I am THOROUGHLY impressed on the skills Will has with the written word! Keep following the path (literally and figuratively) as God reveals your great adventure. XO - T

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Ash Merchant
7/20/2018 05:42:06 pm

Tracy - thanks. So great to hear from you. Appreciate your well wishes. Johan was rolling through Atlanta a few months ago and caught up with me one afternoon. He’s become an invaluable source of support and information since we reconnected. Will keep you posted of our plans for the Big D. ?

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    Will is 15, and enjoys running track, writing,
    building with Legos, making movies, fixing things, and hanging out with his family.

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