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A few pictures from our first trip with Vivian V Ann the Van! We went to Dauphin Island, Gulf Shores and Fairhope, Alabama. And made a quick trip near Destin, Florida where we saw wild dolphins. What an amazing first adventure put in the books! Cant wait to get back out there after fixing up the van more! But now, back to work.

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The Journey Begins

 12-18-2017 4:00pm

 In about 4 hours, we will be starting our first journey with Vivian V. Ann, the 1992 Ford E350 Club Wagon Van. Almost everything is packed and all of the laundry is (FINALLY) done. Now all that is left to do is wait for my man to get home, pack the kiddos up (one golden retriever and one lab mix) then hit the road to Gulf Shores, Alabama!

 Excited doesn’t even come close to what I’m feeling right now. There are so many things that I can’t wait to see and experience. Starting a week long trip to one of my favorite places on earth, with my kids and the love of my life, in a van that we have been dreaming about for years, I’m at peace. 

 Even though this is a short trip, and everything that’s in the van right now will have to be taken out and re-done, I’m happy. This is the beginning of a chapter that we have been waiting to start on for so long. This means that we are much more closer to living the life that we want. The only thing that has been bothering me is that this will be the first Christmas that I don’t spend with my family. Even though they have fully supported me, I know that I will miss them when the day comes. However, that will not bring me down. I am ready to get away and get closer to the things that I have been missing in my life. 

 If you have read this long, yay! Here are some pictures of the inside of our van right now. We just have the bed on cinder blocks and a heavy duty plywood board, but it will do.We added another one in the middle just to make everything even. Plus, having it lifted up gives us some more room for storage. More pictures coming soon! And don’t worry, we put sheets and everything on the bed, I just wanted to take a picture before we did anything else. 

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@dennis_and_dan

#vangirls #vangirlsrule #vanlife #vanlifediaries #modernnomads #girlpower #vangrrrl #girlnomads #vanlove 🚐👭🤘 http://ift.tt/2zOPghS

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Today we planned to visit the Seven Lakes of Rila. Things rarely go to plan and today would prove that theory further. As I write this a week later, I can see the funnier side to it. At the time, it was the icing on the cake after discovering an oil leak on the van the day before. A two hour drive away, we set off early and packed a lunch as we drove. A mile away from the start of the hike, the road disappeared. According to the satnav, all we needed to do was carry on through the trees and we’d arrive shortly. I don’t know what kind of 4x4 the satnav thinks we drive but there was no way on earth we could’ve continued. To get around the other way would’ve been nearly two hours more driving and to walk would’ve meant we’d be hiking in the pitch black on the way home. We were pretty upset but took some comfort in this really cool spot we found nearby to pitch up for the night. Running water, a campfire and miles from any roads. Our mood was soon improved and we enjoyed the night here stargazing and eating chilli from the fire.

#Follow the hashtag #Fromrusttoroadtrip to follow our van conversion project and our travels around Europe! 🌍

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Life speeds by quickly and days can become blurred. Cherish every moment, marvel at sunsets, do more things that make you happy.

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Mother Ocean

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7 Days Until Freedom

In 7 days I will start my first van life adventure to Gulf Shores, Alabama and the panhandle of Florida with nothing but a map, my man, and the kids (a golden retriever and lab mix) I have been itching to go on a journey for so long. Being patient has never been my strong suit to tell the truth. My man and I bought a 1992 Econoline 350 Club Wagon XLT (Sheeeeesh say that 3 times fast) this past summer from the church right down the road from us. We have literally been staring at our van for years, and never even knew it. At least we know exactly where it came from and how it was treated!

Anyway, since buying the van we have slowly been converting it. Very. Slowly. We both have regular jobs and find it hard to work on the van during the weekends when friends and family pull us in so many directions. So, I was under the impression that we would spend another year or more just watching Van Life videos on You Tube while slowly messing with our van. Then, something amazing happened.

I work for a childhood enrichment center as a preschool teacher. We are busy every day, no matter the time of year. However, a lot of the part timers are college students, and many are looking for more hours during their Christmas vacation. Me, being the kind hearted person that I am, have given the week before Christmas to some of the part timers so that they will have some extra money for the Holidays. It just so happens that my man has more vacation days than expected, too. So, of course we ask off and decide now is better than never. Let’s start our first van life adventure NOW!

Now for the fun part. Is anyone in the Gulf Shores area on that week? I would love to know any info for parking or must see places! We are open to just about anything and are ready to learn all we can! I’m also interested in what beaches will be the prettiest and least crowded during this time of year. Please shoot me a message if you have any info, even if it’s about living the van life. What was your first adventure like? Where did you go? Did anything go wrong? Did anything surprise you in a good way? Please let me know!

Until then, drive safe!

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