Postcards from Mosquitoville

With five kids, our life has always been a big adventure.

One of the things our family loves to do most is travel. We have spent many happy weeks on various beaches of the Pacific Ocean – from Seattle, Washington down to San Diego, California. Our two-week Christmas vacation in Hawaii was certainly a highlight. And our countless camping trips to Yellowstone, Zion’s National Park, Bear Lake, and so many other beautiful places have just become a part of who we are.

A new adventure is in store for us now. We are joining the ranks of this spectacular new phenomenon of “Glamping.”

Because I am an avid Pinterest aficionado (read:addict), I began noticing those adorable little trailers that had been all fixed up and retro-ed out, and I decided I wanted one of those adorable little trailers, too!

The search began. I scoured our local online classifieds until we found the perfect trailer. It wasn’t easy, though. We looked at several trailers before settling on The One. Those other trailers were quite frightening. Rotting floor boards, shredded seat cushions, mysterious and disgusting odors… It was a little bit discouraging.

And then… there she was. A nearly perfect 1966 Jet trailer with beautiful bones. The moment I walked in the door and saw her turquoise appliances I was smitten. With a little bartering, a handshake, and the exchange of $625 in cash, we pulled away with our newest project.

Our new project!

We could hardly wait to get our hands dirty. And so, on Saturday morning, we rallied the troops and got to work. Here are some of her before pictures (just click on them to see the larger images):

Those gorgeous turquoise appliances made me weak in the knees!

So much junk!

The dinette is so adorable!

This bathroom is a gut job, for sure!

We tore out all the nasty blinds.

Daughter #3 and Adorable Nephew lend a hand.

We cleaned out the outside storage areas.

Twin 2 and Adorable Nephew look on as Twin 1 gets stuck in the storage compartment.

We scrubbed and polished every surface.

Polishing the propane lantern over the dinette.

We even made her first purchase: a new regulator valve for the propane tanks.

Mr. Handy attaching the new regulator.

Mr. Handy wanted to see if the gas lines were good. We were both super excited to discover the stove and oven work, the furnace fires up, and even the pilot light for the refrigerator seems to be in working order.

We have a family camping trip planned for Memorial Day weekend, so we have a lot to do in the next couple of months, but that was all the time we had for one day.  We have grand plans for our little beauty, and hope you will follow along with us as we polish our little lump of coal into the sparkling diamond I know she will be.

So, tell me:  What is your next grand adventure?