This post was originally written while I was still living the sticks-and-bricks life, six months before I embarked on the full-time RV life journey. I thought it might be fun to revisit the post to discover if there was any truth to what I imagined.

Since I want to address each one, I haven’t made any changes to my original thoughts, which are now in purple. But I followed them up with a “thoughts three years later” paragraph or two.

This will be fun!

My focus of the last three years has been so squarely on becoming a full-time RVer that I’ve spent little time on anything not in the realm of achieving my goal. But my time in the life I have lived for so many years is winding down and has moved me to reflection. Today, I reflect on the things I think I’ll miss most about living in a “real” home, a sticks-and-bricks house.  Some are probably pretty obvious.  Others maybe not so much.

Space

Space. This is one of the obvious ones. But really for me I am not referring to all space, not referring to the drastic difference between a 1,700 square foot home and a 125 square foot trailer.

Large dining table with six chairs around it. It was a rust-colored table cloth covering it and a floral centerpiece.
One of the very infrequent days of the year when my dining room table wasn’t used as work space.

I am talking about space on my dining room table. My dining room table hosts approximately one meal per year (yes, I mean year) when it’s my turn to host Book Club. Otherwise the table is my office. I cannot seem to write or work in a small space. I love having my calendar, sticky notes, lined paper, graph paper, blank paper, journals, pens, pencils, paperclips, rulers, highlighters and my coffee mug all within arms’ length as I work. Downsized living will change this greatly.

Thoughts 3 Years Later: Of course, I nailed this one. You downsize so radically and, obviously, space is going to be a huge on-going issue.

As for workspace, I have three different work areas but all are tiny. The hardest part is the width. Each is only wide enough for my laptop and a mouse pad with mouse. I get along okay without most of what I mentioned above except I always have my coffee nearby, usually behind the computer. Also, most of the time, I have a notebook or calendar by my side. I hate that each time I need to write in it or look at something, I have to open it. There simple is no place to sit (except maybe a picnic table which is not one of the three work spaces) that is wide enough for both the computer and the other necessities.

Taken inside an RV at the single-width dining table with windows looking out to trees. A computer, mouse, calendar and purple coffee mug are on the table.
The dining table is my work space in the morning hours. As you can see after I put the computer and mouse on the table, everything else is forced behind the computer including my planner and coffee.

Sticks-and-Bricks Knowledge and Ease of Use

I absolutely know I will learn about what it takes to be a full-time RVer. Experience is my teacher. Even if I’m filled with fear and unease at the start. I knew nothing about blogging or WordPress or social media before six months ago. And though I still struggle with basic functions of all three, I have taught myself enough to post an entry once a week and to promote it on social media. I’m not even close to where I want to be when it comes to my skill level, but at least I’m no longer afraid of it.

Now, the same unsettled topsy-turvy stomach fluttering happens with thoughts of moving into a rig. I don’t know anything about propane having never owned a grill. I know nothing about water conservation having lived in a state without water problems. Tires, a composting toilet, emptying tanks, hooking up a tow vehicle to a trailer are more things I know nothing about. Basically what I know about being a full-time RVer: nothing. So that preamble is my way of saying, at least initially, I’m going to miss knowing how my house works.

Thoughts 3 Years Later: One of the things that amazes me is that we (and by we I mean I hope I’m not the only one who feels this way) have to learn the same lessons over and over again. And one of those is the fact that we figure things out. We just do. We rise as the situation demands.

All the things that scared me so much are now second nature. You figure thins out because you have to. Isn’t that the way it goes? It never takes long before you wonder why you were so worried in the first place.

Washer and Dryer

Some larger RVs have either a stackable washer/dryer or one machine that is both the washer and the dryer. On my list of “wants” for a rig, this was never included. For the rig size that’s been my target, there simply isn’t enough room. As I move from being able to throw in a load whenever I want, to having to plan a trip to the closest town’s laundromat, I’m pretty sure there will be days I’ll be missing this creature comfort.

Thoughts 3 Years Later: This was one I couldn’t imagine being wrong about. Yet I was. I really haven’t missed having a washer and dryer. I think part of the reason is that it’s pretty rare that I “plan a trip to the closest town’s laundromat.” When I started RVing, I had no idea that most RV parks and even some state parks have laundry facilities.

Sticks-and-Bricks Bed

A really comfortable cozy bed. One that fits a dog, a cat and me. A bed that’s easy to change the bedding. I’ll miss that.

Thoughts 3 Years Later: Nailed it! I still miss a big bed. But, like everything else, you adjust. When I first got in the trailer, I thought there was no way I’d ever get used to the shorter, narrower bed. In case you are wondering, though the beds in the Oliver are called “singles,” in fact, they are bunk-sized which means 30″ wide or 25% smaller than a 39″ single bed you’d find in sticks-and-bricks life.

Most of the time I could get my 80-pound dog and cat to stay on their own bed. Then it wasn’t so bad. The hardest part was that I don’t like my arm hanging off the bed and yet I like laying with my arm stretched out. There’s no work around on this. Either the arm hangs over or you pull it in. I do the latter.

Oh yeah, and by the way, let me translate “most of the time.” It really means the pets slept with me for at least a couple of hours nearly every night until I couldn’t take it any longer and I shooed them away to their own bed, two feet away from me.

Balcony

I have great expectations for breathtaking sunsets and awe-inspired sunrises. Vast landscapes of color and big sky. I look forward to black nights and glitter stars.  To full bright moons and mountain silhouettes. I look most forward to how much time I will spend in nature.

Still, early mornings and late evenings in the long light of an Alaska summer from my perch is hard to leave. Nothing beats sitting on my little balcony, a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in hand and a book in my lap with my pets nearby as I look out over my front yard in a neighborhood I’ve resided for a decade.  Though, as much as I adore my balcony time, it’s possible with the eye candy and adventure of my new life, I may never give my balcony, my house, my neighborhood another thought.

Thoughts 3 Years Later: I won’t say I have never given it another thought. But almost never. And I say that without having experienced nearly as many sunrises and sunsets as you might think.

That said, I do miss how easy the sticks-and-bricks balcony made it to be outside with my pets without worry of keeping the dog leashed or the cat corralled.

A sunset over a lake with outlines of trees.
Sunset over Lake Guntersville in Alabama.

Full-size Shower

Shower with head and elbow room. A bathtub.

Thoughts 3 Years Later: I use my RV’s shower so infrequently that this hasn’t been an issue. For the times when I took a shower in my RV, I figured out how to make it work. Here are some tips for showering in the RV. And here are some tips if you like showering in the campground bathhouse as I do.

And, truth be told, I never took many baths in sticks-and-bricks life though I always loved the idea of taking them. So I haven’t felt deprived of them either.

Cat Allergy

I found my cat 12 years ago. Or, rather, she found me. At the time, I lived in a 700 square foot condo. And until then, I never knew I was allergic to cats. I ended up on prescription allergy pills (before they became over-the-counter) to manage the crazy painful itchy eyes and sneezing.

But it must be a mild(ish) allergy because a couple years later when I moved into my 1,700 square foot house, I didn’t need the pills any longer.  I assume the bigger space disbursed the allergy-causing particles enough to no longer cause a reaction. I further have assumed I will go back on the pills when my space shrinks to 125 square feet. Not looking forward to that.  But she is mine and I am hers until the end. And sometimes you do things you don’t want to do for the ones you love.

Cat looking out an RV window at a fawn walking through greenery.
She is an allergy-inducing fur ball but she is also a surprisingly good road kitty. She just turned 17.

Thoughts 3 Years Later: Surprise! In the now 15 years of having Kitty, my system must’ve built up a tolerance for cat dander. On the road, I discovered allergy medicine wasn’t necessary. However, I still keep some allergy medicine on-hand. The brand that worked best for me was Zyrtec. Once in a while, especially in spring when she loses winter hair, I’ll get the crazy sneezes (like 10 in a row) but I haven’t had any reactions as bad as when I first got her.

Service-Provider Relationships

It’s hard enough to find service people who provide a high-quality service for a reasonable price. Established relationships with professionals like doctors, dentists, the vet clinic and my mechanic are hard to walk away from. Even when I need a new service, I rely on the referrals of friends who have those long established relationships.

On the road I will never be in one place long enough to establish relationships. It’s unlikely I’ll know someone in a particular area to get a reliable referral. It means relying heavily on the reviews others write online. On the list, this is the only one that actually scares me a little.

Thoughts 3 Years Later: Knock on wood but I haven’t required dental, medical or car service on the road. So my fear remains.

However, in the last six months of my dog Solstice‘s life, I ended up at five different vet clinics. On the one hand, it actually proved my point because the quality was varied. On the other hand, it worked out. The one that wasn’t that good, led me to two that were okay. In the end, they lead me to the two that were amazing. As you may know, none of it mattered as she couldn’t be saved but, at least, I feel confident that if saving her were possible, it would’ve happened with the last two vets.

Big black dog on an RV bed looking out the window at a fence.
Solstice at one of our first stops on the road. Fredericksburg, Texas. The dog park area of the campground was on the other side of the fence so she watched out the window whenever she heard other dogs over there.

Plumbing

Plumbing that doesn’t require thought or hoses. Obviously!

Thoughts 3 Years Later: It all seemed so foreign at the beginning and it’s amazing how quickly we settle into our new normal. I admit, I still pay much closer attention to noises than I did in sticks-and-bricks because I know things breaking is more common. But I’m not worried. I don’t pine for days with sticks-and-bricks plumbing.

Final Thoughts Sticks-and-Bricks vs RV Life

Despite this list and every other thing I’ll miss or fear, I am overwhelmingly excited about what this change is making possible. The trade-off will be so much bigger than a few inconveniences. And that, I don’t doubt a second.

In case you are wondering–and I doubt you are–I haven’t regretted the decision for a second. Yes, at times, it can be inconvenient. But if I’m honest, that was also true of sticks-and-bricks life. Heck, it is simply true of life.

If you are an RVer, what do you miss about your sticks-and-bricks? If you are hoping to be an RVer someday, what do you think you’ might miss?

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