I (Mela) am doing well post surgery and made it through the recovery period. I am so happy to have gotten the all clear from my doctor to go back to work on the bus. However I am not feeling ready to move in the bus and head south for the winter.
We created an "essential list" and a "would be nice" list for our conversion. Deciding what you really need to live in a bus conversion is a personal thing. We lived in the bus with no electricity or running water when we moved over to the Midwest. We had a great time! We only stayed at campgrounds then, so on our essential list was to have power and running water this time so we could boondock. We could have completed the plumbing and made it out in December but we decided that it wasn't going to be worth it if my body wasn't feeling ready yet. How my body would feel and recover post surgery was something I just couldn't plan for. You just take it one bite at a time.
We will keep working on the bus through some of the winter and plan to head out in Spring. As eager as we are to be living in our bus and enjoying adventures and travel, sometimes life has other ideas for you. Part of our decision to live in a bus and travel was also about living a less stressful life and to live on our terms. I was reminded of that during recovery. To listen to my body, take care of my body and not push.
Likewise, we are discussing now what jobs can we hire someone else to do. We love DIY projects and learning new skills. With a project this size and the never ending to do list, we feel it is ok to just hire help. I wish we had done this sooner actually. Places we didn't hire anyone is for the electric and plumbing. Granted we do have Don's dad help. He's an electrician and has some plumbing experience so we feel supported, but now Don fully knows and understands how our bus is wired and plumbed (well we are only half way there!).
This way if anything needs fixing, Don will have the ability to fix and trouble shoot problems as we travel.
Up Next
With temperatures below freezing in the mornings, we figure out what work can we get done this winter.
