Most people would be extremely excited to sell a camper they have been sleeping in for almost 2 years…21 1/2 months to be exact! But as I was cleaning the camper and posting it online to sell my throat got tight and my eyes started to water. How stupid is that? We did not love living in the camper but it served a purpose, so why was I getting so emotional?!?!
I will tell you why…
Our kids grew up for two years in that stupid thing!! It was the place we called home. We built many memories in the camper. We slept closer than I thought ever possible. Our kids were troupers and made the best of a less than perfect situation! And to be honest, they did not complain that much!
Things I will miss or maybe not…
◦ Hearing everyone breathing
◦ The entire camper moving with anyone’s movement
◦ Hearing them laugh, talk, cry, yell, and snore, most of the time in their sleep
◦ Running out of propane in the middle of the night and the kids climbing in bed with me
◦ Fighting over the same blanket
◦ Trying to control the temperature, hot or cold, to make everyone happy…not possible
◦ Brad hitting his head on the shelf above our bed and now has a permeant indentation
◦ Or having to open the door to put your pants on because there’s not room to stand next to the bed to get dressed
◦ Getting up in the middle of the night to use the restroom when it is freezing outside – this I will not miss
◦ Leaving the barn with no shoes and waking up in the camper to snow on the ground
◦ Purchasing propane on a weekly basis
◦ Feet hanging a foot off the bunk bed
◦ Knowing that my whole world is within a 32′ x 8′ area
As a result, I think the bond between our family is stronger than ever. Camper life has given us that! The six of us managed camper life to the best of our ability and came out better than ever! This was a choice I do not regret and it was an experience that I will always hold near and dear to my heart.
Last week as I sat in the bank signing the camper off to the new owners, the lump in my throat and tears in my eyes came back. We sold the camper, after having one for two and a half years that we used as a “dorm room”. We are no longer owners of a camper and as we close that chapter of our lives and open the next chapter I feel extremely blessed.
The kids love having their own space, and they do not have to go looking for a private place to talk on the phone or have a few minutes to themselves. For me, it’s a bittersweet! I will miss the closeness but I don’t care to ever sleep in a camper again.
