Meet The Ferchos
  • Home
  • Our Story
  • Where are we now?
  • Dawson's Blog
  • Tiffany's Blog
  • Photos OF The Day
  • Video Of The Week
  • Let's connect
  • Fueled by
  • Our Progress

What an adventure . . .
Here's what we did today!

The Fercho Family "onlyliv1" lifetime roadtrip adventure....our journal, our story!

Today we . . .

"What's it like?"

9/23/2015

0 Comments

 
I have been asked what's it like getting ready for such a big adventure?  Well, for me it has been many things but right now it is most like getting ready for a vacation.   The excitement, the wanting to start laying out clothes to pack and printing out checklist of items we need to bring along.   It is also surreal.  I'm going to get to live my crazy dream of spending time with my precious family, touring the country in an RV.  WOW!

We have hit that place in time where we are starting to get invites and action items for activities past our departure date.  So what has been strange this week is the fact that we aren't going to be here to participate in things that we would do in our normal life.   It is weird because while the calendar looking ahead doesn't have much on it…..it is strange to not really know where we will be or what we will be doing or who we will be meeting.  It makes the thoughts of the journey ahead somewhat interesting.  This week, I have been more intentional about my interactions.  Who I am making time for and what I am not doing in our normal routine as a way to make time to continue to prepare and pack for this trip ahead.  Starting to unplug from things here in my current life.

One of my favorite things about a road trip vacation that my family has taken many of in the past is the moment when you all are finally packed in the car and we are finally ready to take off.  As a mom, I love that feeling of accomplishment of getting 5 people packed and loaded in the car and the house cleaned up and errands ran.  It always feels so chaotic the few days and especially the few hours prior to leaving on a road trip.  I run around with my head cutoff, multitasking, checking items off our travel list of must haves.  I run up and down the stairs several times with bags and suitcases.  You are taking out trash, finishing laundry, cleaning up around the house so you come home to it somewhat picked up.  You pack coolers and bring snacks and water bottles.  You help the kids gather movies, games and small toys to play with in the car or at our destination.   You adjust the thermostat, throw out food in the refrig, get the mail key to the neighbors, water the plants really well, etc.  So many things to do and all busy work that happens just hours before the departure.  Often times I get in the car and feel like I just did a crazy workout or something.  The best part is pulling out with all your precious people contained in one place, in your own bubble of safe space to journey on the open road together for the day. And for me as the ring leader, I lay my head back on the seat, take a deep breathe and ask God to protect us as we journey down the highway.  Keep us safe and sound….getting us to our destination to enjoy.  

As hard as a road trip can be, I have always loved having my family in the car together.  You can control the distractions,  you can engage in fun dialogue, you can rest and just look out the window and daydream.  We often read books out load or ask each other deep questions.  As a mom, I love having this time with my kids without all the influences of other people and the outside world.  There is something so magical to me about getting my family loaded in the minivan and heading out to enjoy family / friends and other places.  We have been taking the kids on road trips since they were small infants.  We mostly head up north to Dawson's family in Minneapolis or to my family cabin in the Colorado mountains.  Both are long days and lots of miles on the road.   But there is joy in the journey.  The kids for the most part seem to enjoy them too.  We get the typical, "are we there yet?", or "I'm bored" or "I have to potty again".  But all in all it is a really amazing feeling for me to be in the car with my family.  You're in the world exploring but you're in your own bubble.

I don't know if loading up and taking out in the RV for an extended period of time will feel like the short minivan road trips do….but if it does….. I'll gladly take it.  I love that feeling. 

I am sure it will feel chaotic as to some extent now only 17 days away ….it already feels like I should be doing more but some of what I still need to do and plan to do before we leave….needs to wait even longer.  So today, I sit here and say it is exciting to think ahead, mixed with the anxiousness and chaotic feeling of getting this clan out the door.  And this time when I load the vehicle….I get to take my coffee pot, toaster, and other kitchen gadgets.  More blankets and pillows than  our normal trips plus homeschool books / materials….and so much more.    But what I am mostly trying to do is stay calm, be present in each moment and enjoy the preparation and document the thoughts.  I feel so blessed to have this amazing opportunity and I really want to make the most of all of it….even the chaos of getting us out the door.  That's what it feels like - blessed bliss!

Let the good times roll,

Tiffany


PS- I should ask my kids to write how it feels for them right now...stay tuned.  We'll see what they say.
0 Comments

Safe & Sound at home.....T minus 3 weeks and 4 days

9/15/2015

0 Comments

 
Currently at home in our full school year routine with a huge adventure lingering out there very soon.  The kids are in 6th (Quinten), 4th (Franki) and 2nd (Mena) grade.  They are all 3 at the same school and have been there together at this school,  beginning now of year 3.  This is the last year they will all be at the same school together, given how our school system here at home is structured.  They are comfortable and happy, are great students and have many friends and extra activities – especially sports.  And here I go, with my BIG DREAMS, coming in to mix it all up – hope I don’t mess them up too much!

The house is a mess! It is one of those things where it gets worse before it is better when you are packing, purging, cleaning and rearranging things to be evacuating your home for a year and letting a friend/house sitter move in.  If you roam around here in the dark be careful…you might trip on a box, a pile of clothes or books in the hallway, miscellaneous things on the stairs and stuff all boxed up for give away, garage sales and storage.   Dawson would laugh and say, "it doesn't have to be dark to trip on something!" For those that know me well, you’re thinking…..how is that different from your normal housekeeping skills?!?!  I know, but trust me – right now it is worse.  I am trying to get the kids and myself to stay focused and motivated to go through closets and toys for the 4x or more since I quit work last year.   They feel like they have gotten rid of a lot but there is still too much here.  It has been especially difficult to stay focused as we have had amazing weather this week, and we all love to be outside.

I feel like one more week and I need to wrap it up with the house….what is done is done and the rest is going to have to hang out for a year.  I need to really start focusing on what we are going to take and how we are going to organize it for the smaller RV spaces.  For our family….we are going from 5 closets to one and basically 5-6 dressers to not even 1.  We are going to have to be creative for sure.  As well as, how to live with less.  I’ve always heard “less is more” – I hope this is true for us once we board the “home on wheels”.  I keep telling the kids, we aren’t taking this or that…. all to get a deep sigh or "oh darn", "seriously mom" or some comment like that.  It’s going to be interesting, packing alone will be an adventure.

Anyway, for now we are still home and getting really excited for the next month ahead.  Lots of excitement with our to do list:
·         Un-enrolling out of school on 10/8 –organizing our home school material. 
·         Prepping for Aunt Haylie’s wedding in Madison….3 fancy dresses, new shoes, tux rental and all that fun! 
·         Then preparing a notebook about the house for the friends moving in to the house…..they need to know all the   weird and quirky things about our house and what do each season, etc etc.    
·         There is saying our “see ya laters” to all our family, friends, class mates and neighbors.   Planning a send-off celebration for the weekend prior to our departure.
·         And the list goes on…..take dog to vet, get hair colored and cut, so many little things to do,

Although, it doesn’t sound too calm right now, I have many moments of pure joy and calm,  as I prepare my family for this trip.   It might be the calm before the storm?  Maybe…or maybe not?  Maybe it is the storm and once we are the road I will feel the calm.  Although it might just be pure exhaustion for the first week on the road with all it takes to get the engine started and the wheels rolling us on outta here!  Ahhhhh…to living dreams!  For now, we are all safe and sound....life as usual....here at home!

Thanks for checking in.

Cheers,

Tiffany & the Fercho kiddos

0 Comments

    Author(s)

    We are the Fercho's a family of 5 + our fur baby.  This page will be to let you know where we are now and what we are doing.  We will all take turns writing here.

    Archives

    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

Proudly powered by Weebly