The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

Our Year on the Road:  Finding Peace and Place in an Old School Bus is officially out on Amazon.

We're looking into getting it into tons of indie bookstores, but this is our first step as we put a photo journalistic log of our journey into the world.  We've included many photos that will be familiar to you blog readers, and some you haven't seen.  We included the best of the best of the blog entries you know and love to chronicle just what happened to us over the 2013 - 2014 journey.

The book is full-color, glossy pages, easy to read print, and we are extremely proud of it.

You can purchase it through the link on the right hand side of this blog page or you can click here right now!  We're still working the kinks out of the Kindle edition, so it is not yet available, but I think you'll find this hard copy worth every penny.  The first 100 copies are signed.  There are still a few of those left!  Grab one while you still can!

Thank you for being our loyal readers.

With Love,

The Bell Family

Spring ARGH 2013

Billy (the Bus, officially named) and we Bells went to our third ARGH (Autodidact Radical Gathering of Homeschoolers) this past week, so I thought I would fill you in on how it went and what we did.  I wish I had taken more pictures, as is usually the case, but I'll leave you a few I did manage to take along with a short list of our experiences as a family (on the road!).

Jonah posed for this one: "do you want me to pretend I'm walking so you can get a better picture?"  I wanted to capture the beauty of the North Carolina mountains.  This picture doesn't quite cut it, but if you can imagine more vivid colors, more beautiful horizons...  then you'll have it just about right.

Maeryn and Michael made this cool paper roller coaster for a marble. 

Jonah hung out with these two the entire time.  He had a blast - probably the most fun he and Maeryn have had at any ARGH. 

Stuff we did:

-  played music
-  participated in the talent show
-  ate awesome potluck food
-  baked cookies
-  made friends
-  learned a ridiculous amount of stuff about ourselves, our family, parenting, learning, and so much more
-  hiked
-  took a 20 mile bike ride on the Blue Ridge
-  learned hand massage techniques
-  took a few pictures
-  texted with friends
-  exchanged numbers
-  found new parking spaces
-  roasted marshmallows
-  danced the night away
-  demonstrated pipe cleaner creations
-  found a new animation game
-  played with toys
-  got wet
-  drank coffee
-  exchanged knowledge
-  inoculated newbies
-  watched TV
-  cleaned up
-  tried new foods
-  gave hugs
-  shed tears
-  said good-byes
-  drank tea
-  made hide-outs
-  offered advice
-  took advice
-  relaxed
-  made peace
-  waded through the creek
-  took hot showers
-  took cold showers
-  gave tours
-  discussed dreams
-  ditched self-consciousness (if only temporarily)
-  more.  There was a lot more.

A few of my take-aways:

-  Saying yes means making a way.  It doesn't have to be a traditional way.  It's about finding solutions and ways for everyone to win. 

-  The world is full of the things that we need, we just need to realize they are there for us to have.

-  Parenting peacefully means parenting creatively.  Trusting your children means looking for ways in and out that might not be your first instinct.

-  Every unschooler is not going to want to travel the world or find a life-consuming passion.  This is okay.

-  Good things end.  So do sucky things.


Road Rules:

1.  Bring lots of towels.  There will be leaking.  Sometimes there will be lots of leaking.
2.  Drink more coffee.
3.  Be nice to truckers.
4.  Get a clothesline.
5.  If you must read while riding, remember that your eyeballs bounce separately from the rest of your head.

Bus Update! (photo heavy)

I went to visit my family in PA while Michael stayed home and worked super hard on moving the bus closer to move-in time.  Here are the fruits of his labor (I was so happy I did a dance - I didn't know cabinets could be so cool!):

Maeryn got "Wolfster" in PA.  She wanted a pic of him hanging out in the dinette.

This is our pantry - it's my favorite thing so far!

A shot of the kitchen.  All cabinetry and shelving is FINISHED.  We will be adding a counter-top and some finish and paint.

Trash + recycling.  It's on wheels.  Yeah. 

Medicine cabinet and some built in shelving below.

A better shot of the built-ins below the medicine cabinet.

Custom drawers.

Maeryn in her room - everything got new lighting!

Silverware drawer with storage above and below (all of this built in to the dinette benches).

A very excited me.

Jonah in his bed.  Still needs some work.

Maeryn in her bed (photo-bombing by Wolfster).

Jonah's room.

Maeryn took this shot of Michael and me.  I don't care that it's blurry, it's the happy that counts.

We still have work to do on the bus.  Yes, this project has taken almost two years so far.  We never thought it would take so long, but it is WORTH all of the time, effort, and sweat so far.  The bus is HOME.  The entire family agrees - we can't wait to move in permanently!  There are still many obstacles to overcome to get to where we want to be.  We have no idea what God has in store - where will we be six months from now?  Will Michael find a job where he can travel?  Will we un-job?  Will we end up staying here, ditching the bus, and buying a new house?  Time will tell.  Right now, we are overjoyed to be at this milestone in our process. 

Dealing with Envy.

It was only a few months ago that I made a comment about how I didn't understand why people were jealous of one another:  "Why can't they be happy for another person's good fortune or gift?" 

And then I was faced head on by the Green Eyed Monster, and I'm not sure I'm coping with her all that well.

I read a blog entry by a friend and fellow homeschooler about how they had just got an RV, and they were now leaving in it to tour the country. 

I felt...  slapped in the face.

Why was it so easy for them?

It seemed one day they were thinking about getting an RV and the next day they had one and the next day they were posting pictures from Utah.

I felt my throat close and my chest grow tight. 

I was angry.

I was so. jealous.

I couldn't even read the entire blog post about the fun they were having and the things they were learning.

It wasn't fair.  That was supposed to be OUR trip.

And then I understood, fully, what it meant to feel envious of someone.  I felt like my trip had been stolen from me.  Like our lives had been taken by another family who just made this decision on a whim.

And I still feel that way.

I pray for the strength to get over this bump in the road and shun the Monster for what she is: an ugly thing with no place in my life.  I long to be happy for this family of homeschooling Christians.

There is no reason any of us deserves anything.

All by the grace of God.  He gives.  He takes away.

Today we hiked at the Chestnut Land Trust Trails and explored the Algonquin Village at Jefferson Patterson Park.

Yesterday we spent the evening putting the kitchen together on the bus.

Our maiden voyage is slated for the beginning of November, when we will travel to ARGH (Autodidact Radical Gathering of Homeschoolers), in the mountains of Tennessee.  I am looking forward to ARGH, but a little nervous because it will be in a new location.  I loved Roan Mountain, and our own little family cabin with a woodburner and the loft for the kids.

This year we will be joined by friends Hanniel and Mike, who will be sharing an RV site with us and joining us for the ride from Southern Maryland.

Yesterday was Michael's birthday.

I made a cake and decorated it like the bus (Jonah's idea).  He was happy about it, and I was happy that he was happy.

The kids and I spent most of the day playing Minecraft.  I made a house of which I'm rather proud.

I guess this entry comes off as a little strange and disjointed.  I guess that's how I'm feeling.  How I've been feeling for months.

We have started attending our church during the morning services for the first time since Jonah was born.  It's this strange combination of feeling out of place and coming home.

My son is 8 years old.  My husband is 33.

I am happy that it is fall.

Bus Update: kids' rooms

Michael did not get the job.  At least that's what we assume since it's been two weeks and we've heard nothing.

Current plan:  finish the bus.  ASAP.  Move into the bus.  Fix up the house for renting.  Rent the house ASAP.  Figure out income from there.

We are working hard on getting Patchwork Veracity to be viable.  There's so. much. work to be done there.

And... of course the work on the bus continues.

This is Jonah's room:

(The break you see in the carpet leads to his trapdoor, where he is currently storing his toys.)

This weekend we were able to paint both of this kids' "bottom floors".  They chose their paint colors.  Jonah: red, Maeryn: yellow.  And there is much more painting to be done.

Michael finished putting the fridge into place in the kitchen and will begin framing out the bathroom tomorrow evening.

Lots finished, lots more to be done.

In the Waiting Time.

During this time of waiting, we've been working on other projects.

We're hoping that these projects mean that eventually...  Michael will not have to have a traditional job (unjobbing).

One of these is an audition for our family to be on a television show about purchasing RVs.

We've made it to the last round of auditions, which includes a video submission.

Wanna see?

RV Search: Volume 1

As you know, we're hoping to hit the road in an RV in the next two years.

Contrary to popular belief, we have been interested in doing this since way before I started reading a bunch of blogs I read now - in fact, I read the blogs BECAUSE those people are living the way Michael and I are interested in living.  Just wanted to set the record straight. 

ANYWAY - yesterday we headed out to check out a Class A and some others that we saw at a local RV place. 

Things we learned:

1.  We want a Class A.

2.  We want a bunkhouse unit.

3.  We do not need a gynormous bathroom area.

4.  The booths fit our family comfortably in the kitchen area - this was one of Michael's worries.

5.  We like the kitchens best that have a slight curve in the counter space so we can set up a stool and have a space for the laptop.

We know we could just gut whatever we get and do whatever we want, but we'd really rather get something that's already ready already!  But - it's all about cost and whatnot, and, as Jonah will tell you, we probably won't be getting our RV home "until the market turns" and we can get out from under our upside down mortgage on this house.

Thinking.

Been thinking a lot about the kids and their education and all the dreams that Michael and I have when it comes to life.  Finished A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and was unfortunately disappointed. It started off SO WELL and then...just sort of dies off into facts and figures and how he doesn't finished the AT but hikes 847 miles and that would be impressive if he wasn't striving for a particular goal. 

Reading the book got me thinking a lot about what I want to do and why I want to do it and who I am as a mother and a person and a woman and all sorts of dangerous things.  :-)

One of my dreams is to homeschool my kids.

I never thought I would say that.  Fifteen years ago I would've looked at you as though you were insane. Ten years ago I would've lectured you about how much better the public school system is.  Five years ago I would've told you I'd never have the time.  Today it's what I wish I was doing.

I love Montessori.  Don't get me wrong.  It is good.  It is good for Jonah.  I am not sure how we will continue to afford it and add Maeryn to the mix. There is another school out there I'm interested in as well - but there is NO WAY we could ever afford that one - not unless both children got a fantastic scholarship there.  I get their newsletter every so often and feel sad that my kids aren't a part of such a fabulous learning community.

But Michael and I want other things too.  Education is VERY important to both of us.  But so is adventure, in case you haven't noticed.

We both hope that after we pay off most of our debts we can spend at least a year traveling in an RV all over the country.  We feel like we'll find the place we belong, first of all - we'll just know, if we can have that RV year.  We want to see more things.  We want to teach our children by experience and example.  We want to learn from other Christians more about Christianity.  We want to have that ultimate adventure. 

I am supposed to start looking for online teaching positions and it has utterly slipped my mind until now, so I'm glad I'm writing this somewhat disjointed blog.  That way we would have income on the road. 

Regardless, we have been tossing around the option of unschooling.

I know there is a lot of critique floating around about unschooling, but having read a lot of literature by John Holt and read several blogs by unschooling moms, it's something I'm interested in for my children.  I am certain that I am not interested in complete and total radical unschooling, where children set their own rules and decided every little thing about their lives, but I am very much interested in learner driven education, with parent as facilitator and mentor. 

We'll see how it all pans out.

I'm mostly hoping that something actually happens and we don't just end up sitting idly. 

I feel like we've been doing that long enough.