RV Life: Divine Intervention Can Simply Be a Kick in the Ass!

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I’d like to say that RV life, a gigantic step that my wife and I are taking in our lives, is the result of some divine moment that included us standing magnificently in the burning spotlight of the sun… but in all reality, it was simply a good, old-fashioned kick in the ass!

Decide to Have Your Ass Kicked!

No, God did not descend upon me and April. Rather, it was April that descended and gave me the usual boot scoot that I often need to move from pondering into taking action.With much House Hunter’s-esque contemplation and plenty of beer, action took course. We made the move from the comfort (and overhead) of our 2,000-square-foot house into the roving, down-sized luxury of RAIF… our hospitable and surprisingly still low maintenance, 24- foot long, 2003 BTouring Cruiser from Gulfstream. (Which by the way, we have been together for over 70,000 miles!)

I know to a lot of people, living in an RV sounds crazy. But, honestly, despite needing that aforementioned kick in the ass to get moving, I am still excited to experience every forthcoming day on the road with my wife. 

RAIF ready for an adventure in Colorado

We heard a lot of, “Oh, I guess now you’ll see if you’re really compatible.” Well, after living together as a couple for 30 years, having been married for 25 of them, and now living on the road for four of those 30 years seeking out adventure and craft beer along the way, we have muddled our way to the freedom of living on wheels.

Those of you that know us well, know that we are far from the same person. We have lots of differences, primarily in our personalities. But in my mind, that has only served to balance us out… and to save me from turning into a mindless Mr. Potato Head engulfed by my Sheldon-like spot on the couch (aka my office).

Divine Intervention (aka My Kick in the Ass)

And that leads me to that divine moment, errr, kick in the ass, that led us to the decision to embark upon this journey known as Full-Time RV Life.

I’m good at envisioning an idea, exploring every nook and cranny of the ramifications of that idea, re-hashing my research, talking it out, re-addressing the minutiae that I originally missed, and then shelving the idea until it becomes a giant dustball in the corner. Now, that’s not with everything. I’ve seen, done, and been a part of a lot of cool things in my life, but a lot of that has to do with my wife, April.

When I start waffling and pointing out all the little things that could go wrong or that we should know before we did this or that or how much it might cost, she’s the one that says, “Stop thinking and just make a fucking decision!”

April is not a reckless adrenaline junky by any means, but she’s definitely much more of a dive-in-head-first type of personality than I am. And that my friends is the balance that gave and continues to give me the confidence for this journey.

Flying the Coop into an RV Life

We’ve long known that when our kids were grown, we were going to be the ones flying the coop. It’s just that our flying the coop had taken many forms over the years. We’ve explored options as diverse as moving to a home in the Colorado mountains (a longtime source of bliss for us) to stealing away to live for an undetermined amount of time in Italy (a place that we fell in love with courtesy of our oldest son’s pre-Senior-Year extravaganza.) 

Even now, we haven’t buried those ideas, they’ve just morphed into our current plan in which we reside today. That plan-become-reality is to live full-time in our RV, RAIF, for the foreseeable future, exploring, at minimum, the vastness of the United States with dips into Canada and maybe even Mexico and discovering niche craft beer communities and the people that live within them. So far spanning from breweries hidden in the forests of the Pacific Northwest and the hidden sights of the Northeast to the deserts of Tucson, and everywhere in between.

Crafting an Income to Live the RV Life

RAIF will allow us to live anywhere. No, we didn’t embark upon a permanent vacation, we still have to make a living. It’s just that we now have to be a little more creative in how we make that living. That may involve spending summers writing for friends at Flathead Lake Resort or hosting our very own beer and biking event, Camp Carpe Diem.

This blog upon which you landed is also a part of that creative, location-independent living that we have embarked upon. We have integrated it as a part of our journey and, honestly, our income, as we have moved forward. But there is much more to our blog than just us saying, “Hey, hi, here we are, this is what I had for breakfast today.” 

Now you can see the places we go, the bonds we build, and the drinks we share across tables with new found no-longer-strangers. Sometimes we share with you how you can do the same, other times we’ll share someone else’s stories. Though, this or anything else we write isn’t a historical account. This is simply life in action. The last chapter is nowhere to be seen, let alone be written. Even four years in, We are only just embarking upon our nomadic life. As they say…the world is your oyster (or beer)!

For now, it’s time to start scribbling again…


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Experience our first outing in RV life with our first day residing in our gracious host, RAIF!

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Terri Carrigan
Terri Carrigan
6 years ago

This does not surprise me one little bit. I, for one, will be following you and looking forward to your adventures. You have always inspired me. I, like you Kenny, always feel like I have to look at every corner, every crevice, every option before I dive in and I know, without a doubt, that I have missed some really cool things.

Jayme
Jayme
6 years ago

Sounds very exciting and adventurous! Can’t wait to hear all about your travels and encounters.

Ken Pishna
Ken Pishna
6 years ago
Reply to  Jayme

Thanks Jayme. We’ll have to stop by and say hi when we’re out your way!

Barry Benton
6 years ago

Awesome! Sometimes a gentile “kick in the ass” from a spouse is just what one needs. Good luck!

Ken Pishna
6 years ago
Reply to  Barry Benton

Exactly! But sometimes the “kick in the ass” isn’t quite so gentle! ? J/K, April is an awesome motivator for me. Keeps me from getting too wrapped up in my bubble.