OUR HOME IS WHERE WE PARK IT: #9 We LOVE OUR DOGS

Oh my gosh... I am in love with the Neater Feeder. If you have dogs, or other little friends, that spill water when they drink from their bowls... you need this. Seriously, stop the insanity of water puddles and having to constantly wipe up water & pick up food bits off of the floor! The Neater Feeder has two bowls that sit on a top tray. Food falls into a trough and water drains to under the feeder's lower tray base. No soggy food and a dry and clean floor. So awesome! Totally recommend this. We bought it for the RV and are already using it in the house.

Willow is the happiest dog I know ♡ Smiles!

And, Titus is the luckiest! Here are his meds for the trip...

Those of you who have known the adventures of Titus know that a little over four years ago he was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. After a long hospital stay, testing, and eventually an veerrrry expensive surgery to confirm, we changed his diet and Titus began to take a hefty dose of medications. These meds cost a fortune (we say it's a payment on a really nice car). And he is our first baby and truly is our kid, so we fork over the money to keep him in our lives. Since his surgery, diagnosis, and variety of pills, Titus' health drastically improved. He's had a few ups and downs, but for the most part is doing great for his age. And that is why we want to take Titus and Willow with us on this trip. They are not just dogs, but really are our kids.

I'm not sure if I ever really explained how this whole RV adventure idea came to be. Let's go back a bit...

Back in November, Steve was traveling for work. One evening Alex and I started talking about the Grand Canyon and he began asking me questions about what it was like for me when I rafted part of it. He said he reaaallllllly wanted to go there. So I said, "Well, then... let's do it!" Next thing you know, he and I hopped online, booked surprise plane tickets for Sierra and Steve, paid for AirBnB house rentals, reserved a car, and then called Steve to tell him about our trip. It was an awesomely fun kid-parent moment.

Then, a couple months later, when news of Steve's layoff came, us adults had to have some conversations about finances. What should we cut out? What benefits are we losing, etc? And Steve and I talked about whether or not we should cancel our trip to Arizona. We decided to still go, because tickets were non-refundable and I had prepaid all lodging. It didn't make sense to cancel and lose money, so we kept everything as we'd planned.

Now, fast forward to February. As we drove back from a ski vacation to Bachelor, we suddenly got the idea of driving to Arizona instead of flying. We would use our airline credit for a future trip and instead of putting Willow in the land of doggie fun (doggie daycare), we would use that money to pay for gas. Perfect! It was settled. We'd make it a longer trip by making into road trip- with stops to see friends along the way. A trip through Utah, side trip to Colorado, & then down to Arizona and back up again. It was settled and we were excited.

Well, then we talked about our ski trip and how much fun we'd had. A couple days prior to heading home, we'd gone dog sledding, and the guides had really inspired us to get back to our adventure sides. They shared stories of their outdoor work & travels, and this brought us back to our days of being younger... Steve traveled all over the world with the Navy & I had traveled all over the Southwest when working on my degree. Our backpacks, boots, and topographic maps had been calling to us for years & we decided that this was the time to take a grand adventure. What would we do if money were no option right now? Take a round the world motorcycle trip like Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman (check out the show LONG WAY ROUND if you haven't seen it), go to Patagonia, or Costa Rica. Hmmm, Costa Rica sounded great... so we talked about cancelling everything and instead flying to Costa Rica for a few months and doing a homeswap with a family. (I love speaking Spanish and we've been talking about visiting family there for years.) As we drove home, I searched on my phone and found some sweet houses for swap... only problem, for us, was that we wanted to take the dogs with us. We found some houses that would work- but we felt that Titus would most likely have a IBD flare up. When he gets stressed he often relapses and needs extra medications to restabilize. So, we tabled the trip to Costa Rice for when he passes.

Ok, so what to do then? Keep the original plan and fly to Arizona for Spring Break, or drive? Then, an idea for a new plan became crystal clear. Sell the trailer, buy a motorhome (which I said I would NEVER buy!), and travel for two months in the U.S. Head to the land of sunshine, mountains, slot canyons, high desert, and so much more... the Colorado Plateau! The plateau covers areas of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, & New Mexico... Well, the moment we talked about THIS plan... my heart began to glow and I felt instantly inspired, excited, and happy.

See, in my 20's, I spent a great deal of time backpacking on the Colorado Plateau. I skied, studied environmental ed, rafted, climbed, went canyoneering... think NOLS or Outward Bound experiences. That's the best way to describe my adventures. I loved, and still love, carrying everything I need in my red Dana Designs backpack. I bought the pack when the company still manufactured their packs in Montana, and I still have my pack from the late 90's. I remember the first time I purposely ripped two drain holes in the bottom of my pack to allow the water to escape from it after I exited swimming in slot canyons. We'd float our packs through the narrow red canyons and then boulder hop down river beds. Amazing times, and that is when my heart fell in love with the desert southwest. And that is a whole other story... later to be revisited as I travel back to places I played in over 20 years ago.

Ok, back to the story...

So, 20 days ago, as we drove back from Bachelor, we made the decision to buy a motor home and to travel as a family, dogs included. This trip is truly a trip that our ENTIRE family is going on. Just the 4 kids, Steve, and I.

And holy moly... tonight we are on the home stretch. Just a few things to load- clothing, a few personal items, and ourselves... and within the next 12 hours, the adventure will officially begin!