Category Archives: Family

Our Camper is in NC… We are not.

Campventures, Family, Travel, Work, , , , , , , , , ,

We got the news we’ve been waiting for over the last 3.5 months!! OUR CAMPER IS IN HENDERSONVILLE, NC!!!

It’s been a long wait, and I’m sure the Keystone Service people were SO tired of looking at our rig everyday. It just seemed like one thing after another after another went wrong with the inspection and fixes. It’s a long list of things…

In case you needed any more reason to get an INSPECTOR to check out your rig, new/used car, boat, WHATEVER… here is that long list of fixes completed since Mid-October:

[ ] Replaced the axle shackles
[ ] Replaced the axle bolts
[ ] Replaced the lug nuts
[ ] Replaced the off-door side leveling leg pad
[ ] Replaced the door side and off-door side fender skirts
[ ] Replaced the off-door side center leveling leg
[ ] Completed the door side and off-door side KSBs
[ ] Rebuilding the front deck cabinetry
[ ] Replaced the slide out carpets
[ ] Installed the slide out mechanisms on the slide outs.
[ ] Disconnected the entertainment cabinets
[ ] Removed the front cabinets
[ ] Removed the door side sidewall interior panels at the front and rear slide out openings
[ ] Repaired the front interior step squeaking
[ ] Removed the bedroom slide out
[ ] Prepped the door side and off door side front sidewalls for the KSB repair.
[ ] Removed the off-door side front fiber glass filon (fiberglass shell)
[ ] Removed the rear wall
[ ] Replaced the rear wall with new
[ ] Removed the slide out toppers
[ ] Replaced the axle shackles
[ ] Replaced the axle bolts
[ ] Replaced the lug nuts
[ ] Replaced the off-door side leveling leg pad
[ ] Replaced the door side and off-door side fender skirts
[ ] Replaced the off-door side center leveling leg
[ ] Completed the door side and off-door side KSBs
[ ] Rebuilding the front deck cabinetry
[ ] Replaced the slide out carpets
[ ] Installed the slide out mechanisms on the slide outs.
[ ] Rebuilt the entertainment cabinets
[ ] Installed the lighted crown molding
[ ] Installed the front knee wall
[ ] Removed the dinette slide out
[ ] Replaced the dinette floor
[ ] Replaced the dinette slide out woven carpet
[ ] Insulated the upper deck floor
[ ] Replaced the passthrough wall
[ ] Installed the new passthrough panel
[ ] Connected the wiring in the front passthrough
[ ] Installed the door side slide out drop pan
[ ] Installed the dinette slide out
[ ] Installed the TPO
[ ] Installed the front compartment doors
[ ] Replaced the motion sensor lights
[ ] Installed the bedroom slide out
[ ] Installed the trim in the slide outs
[ ] Installed the off door side fender skirt
[ ] Installed the dinette slide out
[ ] Installed the bedroom slide out
[ ] Installed the compartment doors throughout the unit
[ ] Installed the slide out toppers
[ ] Installed the front door side slide out
[ ] Air tested the water lines (no leaks found and lines held pressure)
[ ] Flood tested the holding tanks (no issues found)
[ ] Secured the loose trim throughout the unit
[ ] Installed the door side slide out toppers
[ ] Prepped the new underbelly
[ ] Installed the new underbelly
[ ] Repaired the damaged linoleum
[ ] Reinstalled the sofa and lounge chairs
[ ] Installed the off-door side front countertop
[ ] Replaced the rear corner molding on the door side
[ ] Rebuilt the bed base
[ ] Installed a new tire carrier
[ ] Installed the front cap
[ ] Torqued the rims
[ ] Installed the off-door side living room slide out
[ ] Completed the LP test
[ ] Installed the decals
[ ] Installed the off-door side living room slide out topper
[ ] Sealed throughout the unit
[ ] Sent the unit to the Rain Bay
[ ] 12/30 Found leaks during the rain bay test
[ ] Technicians are inspecting the areas to prevent the leaks

The last we heard from Keystone Service was on January 7th that the work order was complete (they sent us that 8-page order too) and they were requesting a transport driver to pick it up from Indiana to drive it to Camping World Hendersonville, NC. We kept waiting and waiting for an update for the date it would be picked up/delivered as they told us originally it could be the next day, or a week+ from then when they found a driver. The weather coming through up North made me nervous as well. WELL, they forgot to email us that it had been picked up!

Austin called on the 15th to check-in on it and first they didn’t know what he was talking about…

And then they found the right person to talk to and told him that the rig is waiting for us in Hendersonville!! PERFECT TIMING!! I had been openly positively manifesting that it would be here this weekend as we already had plans to be in Charlotte for a friend’s daughter’s Quincenera on Saturday. This makes my heart SO happy because we’ll be able to get there Friday, Quince Saturday, and head to the Tennessee Property early Sunday morning to pack up our necessary camper hookup stuff before we drive to Papaw’s house for the F-250 and GO GET OUR CAMPER!

All good plans right? So we head to NC for the Quince (which was fabulous, by the way). I may have accidentally scarred Alejandro’s daughter for life when “Low” by Flo Rida came on – the millennial in me came out and shawtie got LOW.

Austin was called in to help coach the shotput High Schoolers at his old High School, so Saturday he was up at the ass-crack of dawn (5am Saturday Alarm, ew) to head up to Marshall, NC – do some coaching, then he was going to swing by Camping World Hendersonville to check out the camper. Good thing he did….

UNFORTUNATELY, Camping World again proved to us that they don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to inspections….

They had a 2 hour inspection on our rig which turned up that our brand new batteries were dead (they replaced them) and a few other items which they supposedly fixed. Austin, being the thorough robotics engineer that he is, decided to go in the rig himself and look everything over/test it all to make sure it was right. We were not picking it up if things were still broken and lo and behold…. There was a leak in the the under storage from the main bathroom toilet (how they miss a brown splatter mark – I’ll never understand. There was also a crack in the windshield up front, and NONE OF THE INTERIOR LIGHTS WORK.

Please explain to me how you do a 2 hour inspection AND NEVER TURN ON A LIGHT SWITCH… So, surprise surprise…. we didn’t get to pick the camper up, and we’re waiting until this winter storm Fern passes to get more updates.

Our RV Park has already charged us for the month of January, so our spot is there and waiting – and they’ve been sending updates for the past week about ice and how they expect to lose power at the park. It’s a blessing and an annoyance that the rig is SO CLOSE, yet so far away but I would have been SO pissed to arrive ready to pick it up and still have things wrong.

We still visited the storage unit in Newport, TN to pick up some things I’d need for the upcoming shows through February & March, and stopped by to see Papaw and the dogs.

Q1 for work is full steam ahead – I headed to GA first for a Dive shop event Wednesday-Friday the following week, and then NYC to make the most of the weekend! Mom came up Friday afternoon on the train as I arrived to JFK and we headed to Longacre Theater to see 2 Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York. (If you’re planning to go- buy tickets in the Orchestra seats – their facial expressions through the show are half of the show and you don’t want to miss that!)

It was SO good, incredible even, how a cast of JUST 2 take you through an entire soul journey of 2 characters, their lives, the highs & lows and kept us laughing the entire show. I had been hearing the music since pre-Thanksgiving and it’s been on my list to see so it was perfect timing for the Travel & Adventure Show NYC.

I’ve got 8 Travel & Adventure shows on my calendar Jan 24-April 11th. I’ll hopefully be racking up those American Airlines miles to keep my status or else I’ll be bumped back down to Gold in Group 4. ugh.

Saturday’s show was busy busy! We had a partnered Staten Island Agency with us in the booth, but with the incoming weather I made the last minute decision to change my flights and head back to DC Saturday evening. Good thing I did! Most flights currently into DC and Charlotte airports are cancelled – I would have been stuck for a bit.

It was about 12*F all weekend, feeling like 0

So here we are, watching the Neighborhood Dad (my dad) snow blow the sidewalks and neighbors driveways while we count down the days till Disney! (bonus – the snowblower started up on the first pull!)

Camper & Updates

Campventures, Family, Fun, Life, SCUBA, Travel, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We’ve been bunking with mom & dad in VA for the month of October while we awaited Keystone’s driver to pick up our rig. While we did have the space in A. Bay until October 13th, we had a wedding in Lancaster, PA I had a work trip, and then our Jamaican Vacation was scheduled so it was time to pack it up (yet again) and make the moves down south.

The wedding in Lancaster was a hit! And we had been able to repack (for the umpteenth time) the camper into those black & yellow Lowe’s bins that we’ve come to love so much… With items at Mom & Dads, In condo 4 at A. Bay, and leaving one of the trucks parked at Grandma’s house in Syracuse we just about emptied the entire unit!

September 26th Austin flew back into Syracuse and rented a car. We headed to Grandma’s house (I had breakfast with her that morning!) to pull all the stuff out of the Tacoma in her driveway, reload into the rental and start the 6+ hour drive to VA. I had the F-350 loaded down bed to roof with all the last bits & pieces and we caravaned down 81. We passed quite a few accidents on the way down, but came through unscathed.

The driver was supposed to pick up the camper the week of Sept 29th. We waited, and waited, and waited for the driver to let us know he was on his way/there to pick up the camper – and he finally showed up Oct 3rd. Apparently he tried a few excuses with Austin to say he wasn’t sure he could pull it because of a “toolbox in the bed of his truck” and “he couldn’t find the camper” (it’s kind of hard to miss…) and Austin set him very straight. So the camper was picked up and driven the 12 hours across NY and into Indiana where we waited for more updates.

We have no idea what the camper looked like once it made it to Keystone – they didn’t send any photos but we did get an update (finally) while in Jamaica that it had arrived and they were doing their own inspection of all the elements as they don’t rely on Camping World’s reports.

We were hoping to have the camper back by November as we have a space reserved in Hendersonville, NC Nov 7- mid May…. but that was obviously wishful thinking. We are glad they are doing their own full blown inspection and not relying on Camping World, they’ve already noted that they’re replacing pretty much the entire fiberglass exterior sheeting, interior wallpapering/walls that were cracking, the front entertainment center cabinetry, and a new back ladder (apparently it’s bent?!), and they’re adding flex adapters to the front area that will actually allow the unit to flex as it should when on the hitch. We’re hoping we get the update that they’ll be re-welding all the connections that we saw were broken as well once they get that front cap off again for those flex pieces… It sounds to us like there have been MANY issues like ours with this particular model and they’ve had to fix more campers than expected which is why we have not paid a penny out of pocket for fixes past 2 new tires. When it’s all complete which sounds like another 6-ish weeks…. (3-4 weeks before they get it IN to the production line, and another 2 weeks working on it) they’ll then tow it down to Hendersonville’s Camping World for us where we’ll pick it up.

After the Pennsylvania Wedding, I had a trip up to Ohio to cover some events for work where I presented and met with new advisors and got more interest for diving at the resorts! Because it was just a 2 nighter, I packed myself in my backpack and caught a quick flight from Dulles.

It’s been great to be around close family – as it allows us to get to the nibling’s sports games and take advantage still of walking into town for experiences. We celebrated our house sale & the money being deposited – which we then turned around and wiped out some debts, and invested with our financial advisor! We also finally decided on an eBike and it arrived for Dad and I to put together!

Mom also called Dad and I to jump into some Pickleball at the local gym they’re members of as they needed a few extra players. It’s only my 2nd time actually playing games and I’ve got to get my swings under control – I tend to hit it long A LOT. BUT I’m running my butt off getting to stuff and burning ALL the calories haha!

It was just about Jamaica time!! So we packed our suitcase (and Austin’s backpack – because he’s weird) for a 6-night stay at Sandals Negril with friends! It was Austin’s & our friend Sandy’s birthdays, what better way to celebrate!

We were immediately spoiled on arrival in Jamaica – the resort team (who I emailed ahead of time and told them we were coming) put us in a beautiful butler villa (without the butler service) that had it’s own backyard and pool!! We figured out in Antigua back in 2020 that we are definitely room pool people, Austin gets uncomfortable just sitting on the beach in the heat and either has to have something fun to do, or be in the water.

I, on the other hand, am perfectly fine with a book and a beach chair soaking up all the sun…. I finished that book on the 2nd afternoon and had to steal Austin’s book for the next 3 afternoons. Thanks Babe!

We also got some diving in!! I finally talked Austin in to completing his Invasive Species Tracker Certification which “legally” allows him to hunt lionfish!

He’s a natural and got about 5 on the follow up dives we did! We also got to do a super cool dive called the Throne Room where you descend through a crack in the coral formation and come out in a opened coral cavern.

Hangry Austin – Happy Austin!

We had a fabulous time on a worry free vacation in beautiful Jamaica. Did some professional resort photos (our first since our wedding), and I even got to practice my bubble rings on dives 🙂

We had planned to fly back into Syracuse for Punkin Chukin weekend in Clayton, NY but plans changed and we swapped our flights to fly into Charlotte to spend time with Austin’s family instead. It was fun to watch him & his brothers run around like kids again, especially when they caught glimpse of a black bear running across the ridge! (its black bear hunting season and they all SPRINTED off to try to get it).

After stopping by the Tennessee storage unit and seeing if we could cut the locks off (we couldn’t), we headed over to see Mamaw & Papaw and of course Charlie. He’s a happy pup there and has gained probably 15lbs with Mamaw’s cooking.

A 6.5 hour drive from Marshall, NC back to Leesburg had us arriving back at our current home base just around 11pm. Austin was headed out on a flight to Canada for the week Monday and I was back in office to follow up on all the vacay emails that came in. Plus prep for DEMA Show which is the largest trade dive show of the year! This year it’s in Orlando and is only a few weeks away!

Mom & Dad arrived back home from Punkin Chukin to a full house – Meg & the Niblings were riding bikes and it was the perfect fall day to kick the training wheels off Knox’s bike and get him riding like the big kids. He was a little nervous to start but had a whole fan club cheering him on and he GOT IT!

I’m super grateful to be here for moments and memories like these. He was so excited to be a full blown bike rider that we all took our first big family bike ride up to the park across the street!

It’s been a trying year for me and Austin – but we are so lucky to have family support everywhere that is open to helping us. We’ve had so many good moments among the craziness and I wouldn’t want to trade any of them.

One final happy update for me – I finally applied for my Master Scuba Diver Certification with PADI! While this isn’t necessarily a “certification” in the same sense as most – it does have a few requirements:

  1. Complete your Rescue Diver Certification
  2. Complete 50 Dives
  3. Complete 5 Specialties
  4. Submit application with all those elements & receive a new card!

So I did!

  1. Rescue Diver Certification completed 2022
  2. 214 Recorded dives to date
  3. Specialties Completed: Deep Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Emergency Oxygen Provider, Digital Underwater Photographer, Boat Diver, Enriched Air Diver, Full Face Mask, Invasive Species Tracker

On to the next adventures!!

Is no news, good news?

Campventures, Family, Life, Travel, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The old saying is “no news is good news” but is that really true?

For some instances, like working from home and not hearing from your boss, sure no news is good news – “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”. That’s where you don’t want to be the squeaky wheel… But knowing our camper (with the wonky wheel and the cracked leaf spring already) has been at the Camping World in Cicero since June 21st and WE keep having to call in for updates – not so great.

We are in a temporary solution currently – Aunt & Uncle’s old camper (that they sold to their neighbors) needed a place to be stored, and we needed a place to stay here in Alex Bay. Win-Win since we already paid for the whole summer in a permanent RV site up here! We’ll be able to utilize this camper for a few weeks until the owners are ready for their vacation in it.

After we dropped our unit off on that Saturday and waited a few hours – we had no great update. We finally called the following Monday (June 23rd) to be told “we’re going to do a flex test this week” requested by the manufacturer, which in non-mechanics terms is to determine just how much the frame is moving from point A (not being hooked up) to point B (when the hitch is fully attached). And they asked if there was anything we wanted to grab out of the fridge/freezer since they were keeping it hooked up for us (its a residential fridge – the freezer was full). So we came back down the 1.5 hour drive and grabbed a few more things hoping it would only be another week or so.

By June 25th hubby emailed again asking for an update and we were told the flex test would be performed on the 26th (5 days after drop off). So we waited… It worked with our itinerary as we would be headed back into the Syracuse area for Uncle’s retirement party that Friday – we also commandeered a room in their house for that few days.

33 years in the Sheriff’s Department! Well done Uncle Chris! We joined Aunt Becky and the rest of their family to surprise him on his final morning outside the department with cinnamon buns and mimosas before the big party that evening with all family and friends.

We love a celebration! Especially when the WHOLE crew gets together.

Since we had to drive past Camping World on the way back up to the river that Saturday, Hubby and I left early so we could stop to get an update. Mind you, it’s now June 28th and they’ve done the initial diagnostic and a flex test – no fixes. We get a little bit of information that day and start packing up more items from the camper that we need for basic living. They talk a little bit about the flex test and as a non-engineer, I can’t tell you what is “acceptable” frame flex, but when they told us that our frame’s flex was a 1/2 inch change – they didn’t say it with a smile or upbeat attitude.

We grabbed more items out of the fridge and freezer, it’s been “no problem” keeping it plugged in out front for us and we head back up to the river for a weekend of boat lounging and relaxation. Brother, Sister-in-law, Big Sister & the kids were up for the party so EVERYONE got to do some fishing!

Now it’s June 30th, and at 5pm-ish we get a snarky email from Camping World telling us the manufacturer wants additional inspection of our camper and that means they’ll need to move it from the front of the building (could be that day, could be a few days from now). No problem – had we been communicated with about that ahead of time, we would have taken care of everything, but after hubby’s rough Monday travel day (3am alarm, flight delays & cancellations, a 9+ hour drive instead, and luggage that made the plane but not him….) we were in NO mood for the tone perceived within the email – you be the judge and tell us if we were too sensitive –

“You will have to clean out the remaining food that is in the fridge and freezer in the event we have to unplug it for an extended period of time. We technically do not allow customers to keep food in their camper as we have to unplug it and move it from time to time. I was being nice under your circumstances but now that we have to run further inspections, the fridge and freezer will need to be properly cleaned out.”

The first email drafts back were NOT polite. Husband, while usually a teddy bear himself – has no-fluff in his emails – that’s an engineer for you. But we finally came to a seething with sweetness re-write of “no problem, be there tomorrow” response. So I drove down again to remove all the freezer & fridge contents and pack more long-term needs, you know – the cases of wine, a bottle of tequila, my bag of brand new books, work brochures for sales calls, laundry baskets, two right shoe only black sneakers…. essentials 😉 With them being SO nice to keep our camper plugged in this whole time, it was frustrating to open the fridge to see no light on, and walk around the camper to confirm that it was NOT actually plugged in, and that the batteries were most likely dead from the extended power outage.

I clearly didn’t check to make sure I had a full pair… I just grabbed the sneakers that were next to each other in the closet.

A quick stop at WalMart on the way back up set us up for the rest of the work week ahead of the 4th of July holiday. With more friends and family coming to the river, we were able to donate some of the freezer food anyway to the weekends festivities!

So here we are, 16 days after the initial camper drop-off (which we DID have an appointment for, mind you) and no good news. I did happen to ask during our visit “is this going to be a one test a week kind of thing? Because while we do have a temporary solution, if it’s going to take more time we need to find a longer term solution” and was told that they have explained to their manager & techs that we are a “rush” due to our circumstances. We’re only here till September and if I don’t get to be in my OWN, 8-month-new-to-me camper (or a replacement), it’s going to be a frustrating pill to swallow.

They’re telling us (as of Thursday, July 3rd) that they’re going to have to remove the entire front cap of the camper to asses the welds on the frame, how long that’s going to take – another question for the universe. We figured it’d be a skeleton crew for the holiday but we’re about at that stage where we’ll start calling every day or every other day for updates until we get a solution.

Our house is still on the market in NC, so as a worst-case scenario we could always move back in there but we’re VERY much enjoying the freedom we currently have. With the occasional heart rate spikes – everyone’s blood pressure here is pretty relaxed.

Concrete Jungle Where Families Come Together

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Ahhh it’s been too long my dearest NYC.  Continue reading Concrete Jungle Where Families Come Together →

Better A Silly Girl with a Flower…

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Than a silly boy with a horse and a stick… Tournament of Roses time! Continue reading Better A Silly Girl with a Flower… →

107,113 Steps

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Or 53.56 miles according to Google… Continue reading 107,113 Steps →

Single Holidaze

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Well this is day 8 (sparatically) that I’ve been home all month. Here’s hoping I can recap everything that’s happened.  Continue reading Single Holidaze →