The Lundy 5

Uncle Ryan, shredding

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Uncle Ryan came to visit us for the weekend and Allen took him shredding. He also wore my yoga pants. :/ But Allen blocked him in most of the pics, and I just told the world he wore my yoga pants, so there.

Same pic over 6 years

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

I love, and hate, these looks back through the years! They were so little, though we're having a lot of fun now that they're bigger too. The water's been too high to do the natural waterslides so far this year.

2007: 2009:
2011:

2013:

Shredding

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:00:00 +0000

Allen and Josh decided to try out the shredder instead of kayaking (and they may be hooked!) They had a great time and hit all their lines. Lizzy and I still spin like a top and seem to stick every rock, so we have some kinks to work out. Or not. :)

We deal with Jack every time. He cries like crazy and wants to rescue them. If he weren't such a baby, we'd take him down the river. But we're a bit afraid he'll try to rescue other boaters too. Crazy dog.

Kayaking

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Tue, 07 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

We spent a great month in Middleofnowhere PA kayaking and shredding. And hiking to the river to photograph the kayaking and shredding. This was Matt's second run on the Yough. He did the loop and didn't flip on Cucumber this time. We renamed it Mattcumber. :)
Sorry, I couldn't choose favorites, so I'm just posting them all!

Videos too. Allen, then Matt on river left.

Josh, on river right.

Swimming with the manatees

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

In December, we took the kayaks and shredder out, not for whitewater fun, but to swim with the manatees at Crystal Springs. They like to hang out near the 70° springs and so do we. We took Uncle Ryan when he was visiting and had a great day. I bought a cheap, disposable, waterproof camera and finally got them developed in May, five months later. :) The pics stink, guess you do get what you pay for. But we got a few to at least help us remember.

3rd Nomadiversary!

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

It's our THIRD year on the road! It's hard to believe it's been three years already, but at the same time, we feel like we've lived on the road forever. We love the motion and exploring new areas, but always having the familiarity and comforts of home. Will we ever "settle down"? Well, it feels like we already have. We've settled into our life of travel.
This year, instead of cake, we celebrated with chocolate lasagna and milk shakes. We still used our (Josh's) toy truck & RV (cake decoration).

2012

2011

We've hit 47 states so far in our 3 years. Only a few to go!

View Larger Map

Family on the river

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Sat, 04 May 2013 04:00:00 +0000

We took our first family trip on the Yough together, Lizzy & I shredding while the boys all kayaked. It was so fun, even though Lizzy and I have not mastered the shredder. We didn't flip, or fall out, but it wasn't pretty. We didn't hit our lines and kept getting stuck, but hey, a day not IN the river is a success! I used up the rest of the waterproof camera pics (from the manatees in Dec!) so the pics stink, but at least they prove we were on the river. :) Allen and Matt both had a little swim on Cucumber (Mattcumber), mainly because of the frigid water!

Table Rock State Park

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000

We heard about some great hiking in South Carolina, so we stopped by Table Rock State Park. Great hiking means two very different things to Allen and me, but I survived the strenuous climb up over 3000 feet (ugh!) and it was indeed worth it, as it always is.

See? Not exaggerating!

We had a great rest at the top.

This part looked so much like Maine! Except no blueberries. Those blueberries were a great bonus for each hike. Our tangerines were okay, but it wasn't the same.

This wasn't even a steep part.

I'll admit sometimes I pretend to care about getting a good picture just so I can rest. I really don't care about these whatever flowers, I just needed my heart rate to slow and to feel my legs.

My sweet Matt left me some flowers and notes along the trail. :)

More pics:

Hunger Games

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 03:00:00 +0000

Due to Lizzy's ~~obsessive~~ intense love of The Hunger Games books and movie, we had to visit one of the filming locations as we passed through North Carolina. Triple Falls in Dupont State Forest was were Katniss found Peeta disguised in the rocks. Many other scenes from District 12 and the Hunger Games arena were filmed around here too. And, much to Lizzy's pleasure, we walked the same path Josh Hutcherson walked. Teen girls, sigh.
The really fun part was taking the kids there and telling them only one winner could come home. :) (Don't write letters, no children were harmed!)

It was a beautiful area, my pics are just blah. I'd forgotten my polarized filter. :/

Suicide Point

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000

We have no idea what this area is actually called, but it was very cool! Allen heard about it from a local at the truck shop. A guy said there was a bunch of graffiti on rocks and a point where people had driven cars over the cliff. We happened to notice it on our way to a hike and are so glad we stopped. The rocky area reminded us of one part of Valley of Fire near Vegas, except instead of the pretty southwestern colors, it was all painted graffiti. It was interesting and sad to see old cars at the bottom too. A very neat find thanks to a local!

Rolling practice in the lake

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000

While on a lake in South Carolina, Allen decided to give Matt his first kayak rolling lesson. No one even imagined he would hit his rolls on his first day! He's now rolling up like a pro, so our whitewater adventures will be even better!

Jack was not a fan of the floating dock!

Videos:
Matt rolling:

Josh lost his paddle at the bottom of the lake, but he learned to hand roll!

All three of our kayaker rolling together. Notice one is a lefty.

RV before/after

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000

We've made a lot of changes to our RV home over the past three years. Of course once Allen gets bored, it'll probably change again. :) Since it was a brand new RV, it was hard to begin remodeling and redecorating. But once we got started, it was impossible to stop! We love making it our own and surrounding ourselves with colors and things that make us happy.
Here's a peek into our Sierra Treehouse 35Loft, aka home.

We're loving our real kitchen table and sit around it all the time. We don't miss the couch, since we rarely used it anyway, although we may downsize the table and put in a bench or two for more cushy seating and storage.

Even though it was pretty (and one of the things that sold us on this RV), the stairs/wall was not functional and took up so much space, so out it went! We put in a bench for extra seating and great storage, and you just use it to go up the stairs.

In the lower kids' room, Allen first replaced the couch with a bed for Lizzy. Later, he built bunks for the boys and Lizzy moved up to the loft.

The loft was once a free-for-all, then a boy's loft, but is now a tri-colored girly room.

Allen added shelves and a desk in the master bedroom.

The master bath is now purple and the kids' bath is now turquoise. Yes, we have two bathrooms, we have children!

Those are the major changes, but of course there are a lot more here. We've hung license plates, woodworking, photos, shoe storage, guitars, and curtains from hiking sticks. We've added a chalkboard window cover and storage under stairs. We've removed cabinets and doors where we didn't want them, and added them where we did. We've glued seashells, sand dollars, and shark teeth to the cabinets. We've velcroed baskets to the tops of cabinets for permanent storage that stays put while we travel. It sure looks nothing like when we first bought it, and we love it!
P.S. Why do RV makers stick to beige on beige anyway? Tip: no one likes that!

Ticknors

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 03:00:00 +0000

We got to spend some more time with the Ticknor Tribe. We sure love this family! It was sad to say see ya later, but it helps that we will.

We all (kids and adults) have so much in common and we have fun no matter what we do.

This pic shows me two things: a wonderful couple that we love, and that I need more sun. :)

Easter with the Ticknors

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000

So far, we've celebrated Easter in North Carolina, Florida, and now South Carolina. This time, we were sad not to be with the grands, but we were happy to be with the Ticknors. And they brought buckets of clams they'd just dug from the beach! So we combined efforts and had a yummy meal and lots of fun coloring eggs.

And some science experiments.

And thanks to Facebook/Pinterest, we tried colored deviled eggs. They were so pretty!

And I tried another Easter pic. Way too big these days...

Ah, I remember when...

Egg hunt

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 04:00:00 +0000

We had a yummy potluck at the campground in South Carolina, then the kids enjoyed an Easter egg hunt.

I tried to take our annual Easter pic on the stairs and realized we really need bigger stairs!

Matt's ukulele

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

For the grands to hear Matt. He's been playing his ukulele since he got it yesterday. He was outside playing before anyone was even awake today. He finally stopped tonight because he has a blister. :)
He's been reading, watching the DVD, and looking up YouTube videos and is LOVING this thing.

Grateful for our life

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 02:00:00 +0000

This is so true. We are so grateful for our little 400 square foot happy home. Of course if we lost all of that, we'd be gratefully living in a tent. When your happiness comes from within, it doesn't matter what you live in, where you are, or what's going on around you. ❤

Leaving Florida

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 02:00:00 +0000

When we finally left Florida, it was hard to say good bye. Fortunately for all these RVing families, we only have to say see ya later! Here is the group of kids (from four of the families here) that saw us off. It was a sweet, but sad day, especially as Lizzy's friends ran beside the truck as we pulled away!

Chocolate birthday

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 04:30:00 +0000

I had a great birthday with the fam. First, Allen had a surprise and wouldn't tell us. After an hour drive, I still had no clue, and cracked up when we pulled into Bass Pro Shops! He said he did it just for the face I made. But I did get some cute camo too. :)

Later, I walked in to see decorations and this great meal. Allen breaded and deep fried chicken and it was SO good. He definitely needs to cook more.

They picked a very chocolate, and very yummy cake.

And the kids bought me some presents from Russell Stover. Any guesses what? Yeah, more chocolate!

They know me too well and made my day very special.

Leprechaun traps

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +0000

The kids took on the challenge by Fulltime Families to make a leprechaun trap. After some planning, working, careful bandaging to avoid stitches on Matt (Once again kids, don't whittle toward your body.), and more working, they finished their plans. (Josh opted out once he learned they were looking for a live trap.) I agree with Kimberly though, we need the leprechaun to lead us to the gold!

Lizzy's trap hovers over a jar of money...

Then WHAM! He's captured into a pretty box.

Matt went with a trail of coins, that leads into a box, and over a trip wire, which closes the flap. The rollerblades hold the box up, and also disguise it by looking like a messy campsite.

If the leprechaun is small, and not very bright, I think we have a shot. :)

Randomness in Florida

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

We've been killing time in Florida, waiting for it to warm up so we can head north. To where? No idea yet. :) We've definitely enjoyed the lovely weather here, visiting the grands, working, playing, and relaxing. Randomness from the RV:
Matt and Lizzy created an entire town of paper. I'm not sure why it centered around a prison though.

If we get a smaller table/chairs, we have room for a dance floor!

I think we're going to learn how long Allen's beard will grow.

Catching bait for our bass dinners.

Our friends, the Vinsons from Ohio, were vacationing in Florida and came to visit. It was great to catch up!

We went with the grands and the Ticknors to a HILARIOUS Tim Hawkins comedy show. If you get the chance, go! He was even funny for pictures!

I went to an AMAZING mom's retreat with some AWESOME mamas!

These moms get me through hard days and make me laugh all year.

I got a glitter tattoo this year. :)

Josh loved the bluegrass jam in Eustis and they were so good to him. It's so neat seeing him so happy with people 5 to 7 times his age. And holding his own on the guitar!

Wildlife is protected here, so they pretty much rule the campground. No one seems to mind though, because they're so cute!

There's not much going on, but a lot at the same time. A lot of working, organizing, planning, and a lot of playing and learning.

Homeschool showcase

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 02:00:00 +0000

It's Homeschool Showcase time on the Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers blog. Our link is about fish guts, I mean some of the life skills we're learning, and there are many other fun reads linked there.

The showcase is for "encouraging, inspiring and just plain fun ways that homeschooling families live and learn together." Check it out. :)

Window cover/chalkboard

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Since we're leaving tomorrow and I should be packing up, I decided to start a new project. And then, you know, blog about it. (Familiar, anyone?) We wanted to darken our front window somehow, so we've been looking for options. We couldn't find car window tinting film or dark contact paper, so I looked online. As I searched for black contact paper, I saw chalkboard contact paper and thought we'd give that a try.

The frame around the window was easy to take off, with about a million screws.

You can see all the styrofoam stuff inside.

Then I just cut the paper and stuck it on.

Can't tell from the outside.

One layer wasn't enough, so I added a second.

Which was enough and blocks the light nicely. Now the frame lets light through still, so it appears to glow. I could paint the inside of it to really black it out. We'll see!

For now, it'll keep the sun from blinding us at dinner and the street lamps from keeping us up at rest stops. And you can leave a note on the chalkboard - yes, after you walk down the steps, close the screen, and walk back up the steps. ;) Of course Lizzy just gave away her chalk, so we had to borrow some from the Stone family. Yep, another of many RVing families here in Orlando.

Life Skills

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the Lundy School of Life Skills!

So what do you teach your kids anyway? History, math, reading, science... Yeah, all that boring stuff, but more importantly, how to eat from God's garden. :) It's been fun catching the neighborhood kids fascinated with the fish cleaning process. Allen and Vaughn have given them a great education. They look at body parts and see what the fish have been eating, and they've learned how to turn those ugly things into delicious bass. I mostly avoid the process, but am grateful for it.

They'll probably never use Algebra, but they'll enjoy many fish fries! Allen and the boys have been doing a lot of hunting and fishing and slowly filling our tiny freezer. For this dinner, Allen used Willie's recipe in the Duck Commander Family book. :)

Looks like someone may have a budding photographer too. I guess that's another class for the School of Life Skills.

Fulltime Families

noreply@blogger.com (The Lundys) — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

We've met approximately a bazillion fulltime RVing families thanks to Fulltime Families online. We didn't make this year's winter rally or that number would be even higher! But we've been blessed with great friendships thanks to meeting other families crazy enough to do what we're doing.
Check out the post about the 2013 winter rally on Fulltime Families.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Clarke of giveuptheratrace.com

If you haven't, check out Fulltime Families for the magazine, camping club, books, webinars, rallies, helpful info, and much more!