Moving Out, Moving In, Moving On

We drove off the lot with a new-to-us 2017 Ford Transit on March 9, 2021. We had been dreaming and planning for several years. We were excited, but unprepared for the project that we were taking on. We began work immediately. And exactly one year to the date, we spent our first night in the home we built with our own hands.

The last three months to van life were a wild ride! We began work the day we brought the van home in March 2021, but there were so many last minute projects and details that needed to be wrapped up before we could leave. While finishing up the van, we were also completely moving out of our house. Read below for more on moving out of our house, moving in to our van, and moving on to full-time life on the road!

Moving Out

Last family photo at our house!

Wowwww did I underestimate the amount of time it would take to pack up an entire three story house and move into a van. We started selling off our furniture in mid-January. We sold all our furniture, and donated the majority of our possessions. We have no idea how long van-life will last for us, so we decided we didn’t want to pay for storage of furniture in case we were on the road for several years. Thankfully, our parents are letting us store a few things that we couldn’t get rid of. I expected to be on the road beginning Tuesday, March 1st. We FINALLY rolled out on Sunday, March 6th.

I often find myself being “overly optimistic” as I call it. I will often misjudge how much space there is or how much time we have or how long a task will take. T tends to be very realistic. He knew we were not leaving on March 1st. I kept holding on to the hope that it was possible. If we pulled enough all-nighters, we would get out. But, no matter how much prep work we did to get ready for move-out week, and how many days we worked 20 hours straight, we weren’t getting out on March 1st. This would be the first lesson we’ve learned in van life…. Make a plan, but be prepared for it not to go according to plan.

As time was dwindling down, we had to make decisions on our next moves. Our two choices were to complete the van in its entirety, or be okay with everything not being perfect and start the journey. Thankfully, we are in a bit of a practice run right now. In seven weeks, we have to be back in NC for back-to-back weddings and music festivals. There was pressure to get in the van as soon as possible since there are only seven weeks on this first leg. There was also comfort in knowing that in seven weeks, we will be back and can finish the work then. We are aware that we will want to make modifications after living in it for a while. We figured we would finish the final details in May when we made modifications.

Over the last few months, we have discussed what would be the "defining moment". The moment that made it all feel real. We decided that the moment we threw away the pallet-step, would be the big moment. We have been using a pallet as a step to get into the van during this entire build. We knew it would be the last thing we got rid of as we drove out of the parking lot. We loaded it in the back of the truck with a few tears in our eyes as we closed the build chapter and moved into the full-time living chapter.

After many long days, and long nights, we finally had the house empty and were ready to set sail!!

The pallet-step making its way to the dumpster!

Moving In

Moving into a tiny home is HARD! By the end, we were just throwing in the things we thought we would need. We really have no idea. Living in such a tiny space, every inch matters and every item has to have a spot. I spent the first several days on the road rearranging things. Not everything has a spot still, but we are slowly figuring things out. We also have several items that we already know will not make it on the road full-time, so that will help create more space.

We have already moved our shoes! Ha! We originally had them in the “garage” under the bed. That space is only accessible from the outside. We realized our shoes were just piling up in the van. We decided to move the shoes under one of the bench seats. Out of the way, but accessible. That is also where we are keeping our dirty clothes. Works perfectly so far!

At the beginning of the trip, we only had bungee cords around our drawers. We quickly realized that was not going to work out. We went to a Lowe’s on Wednesday and bought large hooks and installed them in the parking lot. They are perfect and have already worked so well keeping our clothes drawers and fridge in place.

Unfortunately, at some point over the last several months, we misplaced a piece for our sink. We were hoping that it would turn up while we were moving out, but it didn’t, so we are starting the journey without running water. We searched stores all over town to find the part, but it is very specific. We reached out to the company, and they sent us a replacement, but it was the wrong part, so we are still waiting. Right now we are just using the sink as extra storage. Ha!

Moving On

Full-time van life on the road has already been a wild ride!

WHACKED! above my right eye.

Once we left home-base in Raleigh, we headed to the family cabin to off-load some leftover wood into the shed. While moving the wood into the shed, T accidentally whacked me in the side of the head. It was a scene straight out of The Three Stooges, except I forgot to duck! It honestly didn’t hurt that bad, but sure did give me a big shiner on the side of my forehead! We found some frozen hashbrowns in the freezer to help with the swelling. When T walked into the kitchen and saw me for the first time, I made him take a picture. I was laughing hysterically while crying a little. That was one of the moments that I knew we would want to remember. It was a perfect cherry-on-top to a crazy week! Something unpredictable just like everything else had been. I am not sure how we made it through an entire year of moving

Frozen hashbrowns for the win!

wood in and out of our house before one of us was injured. Ha!

After dropping items at the cabin, we went to my parent’s house for one last visit before hitting the road. Our first stop was Chattanooga, Tennessee for a business meeting. We ate at Sugar’s Ribs. The view was incredible and the food was great, too!

Even though we had been on the road for several days, our actual first night sleeping in the van did not happen until Wednesday night. We planned to sleep in Chattanooga that evening - marking off our first new state, Tennessee! We knew we needed to go to Lowe’s for some supplies, so we found the closest Lowe’s and worked the rest of the day from the parking lot. After deciding we would sleep there that evening, (we were parked beside a Skoolie that was also sleeping in the Lowe’s Parking lot!) and eight hours of sitting in the parking lot, we realized we were in fact not in Tennessee, but in Georgia……. HA! Earlier in the afternoon, I had mentioned how many Georgia license plates I had seen coming and going. I thought it was interesting, but I also grew up on a state line. It was often quicker for us to go to the Walmart in SC than in NC. So I figured folks had jumped the state line and headed over to the Tennessee’s Lowe’s. We were actually the ones that jumped the line, so our first state ended up being Georgia!

On Friday, we headed back to Chattanooga to see one of my favorite bands, Chatham Rabbits, perform at the Walker Theater. Super cute venue, amazing music! They opened for Steep Canyon Ranger which TC and I also love! A two for one deal!

Chatham Rabbits

A little backstory about the concert. I first heard about Chatham Rabbits a couple years ago, and heard them in concert for the first time last year. I was immediately hooked! I love how each of their songs has a story. They played in my hometown of Shelby last week, and we had planned to catch the show. I thought it would be so cool to see one of my favs in my hometown! As stated earlier, our timeline of getting in the van did not go as planned. I was really bummed we did not make it to Shelby in time. I was looking at their tour schedule several days later and realized they were going to be in Chattanooga at the same time as us!! I couldn’t buy tickets fast enough! After their set, we were able to meet them in the lobby! I was fangirling pretty hard. Haha They are just the kindest humans and we are thankful for the few minutes they

gave us to chat about life on the road.

During the concert, I got a little emotional. It was the first time this week we have really been able to sit down and take it all in. Tears sprung to my eyes as I thought about how lucky we are to be able to pick-up our lives and move to the next place. If we miss a concert in one city, we will catch them in the next. The concert was another great lesson in van life…even when your plans don’t pan out, something great is still waiting for you!

Snow covered windshield. We did not pack a window scraper!

After the concert, we spent the night in a parking lot beside Oddstory Brewery. The brewery has great vibes with indoor/outdoor seating and plants everywhere! Also, the beer is amazing! 12/10 recommend. We had one last surprise to end our first week. We woke up to SNOW on the ground and 19 degree temperatures!! YIKES! The Blue Canoe is supposed to be chasing 75 degree weather and is definitely not equipped for below freezing temps. This snow was a bit unexpected and we don’t really have the right clothes for the weather, but it sure made for a funny story. Thankfully, due to the sink part not being in yet, we have not filled up our water tank, so we didn’t have to worry about the water freezing!

The beginning of van life has been wild, crazy, hysterical, and a bit frustrating, but we have learned SO much already! We knew moving into a van would be a transition. Our patience has been tested a lot this week as we get used to living full-time in such a small space, tripping over items that do not have a place yet, and catching things as they fall while we are driving. Through all the frustration, we are still unbelievably thankful. We have looked at each other so many times this week and giggled. This life we have dreamed of for years…is the life we are LIVING! Full-time, with our best friend, and adventure partner. Life is good. And we do not take for granted how blessed we are.

Until the next adventure,

The Blue Canoe

Pic 1: Views from Sugar's Ribs // Pic 2: Van view from Oddstory Brewing // Pic 3: Checking the solar panels to see if the snow is melting off of them.