Vignette: Goodbye Apartment, Hello Vanlife

We drop our keys on the kitchen counter: we've packed up the last of our things. 
As we walk down the hall, our footsteps echo off of the hardwood.
To the right, before the front door, what used to be our room is empty and at the same time, still full of memories.

As we walk down the steps, we look at each other, and our eyes talk. They say "this is it, it's real, it's really happening". They say "no turning back now". 

We drive both vans down to my office to park the Euro. Then it's off to the workshop for our first night in our new home.

We pull in at around 9 and start prepping for bedtime. We lower the bed, throw up the blankets, change into our pajamas, get Buddy into his cave. We go into the workshop to brush our teeth. As we're brushing, we have another moment: "this is our life now". 

The cold air seeps through the windows as we climb into bed. We snuggle under our comforter to create more heat. 

The winds howl and rattle the solar panel. They shake the van as they thunder by. There's more rain coming. As we lie in the dark, we can hear every little creak and rattle. We try to doze off. I make a mental note: Make sure to buy ear plugs.

We wake up to the cold air, still lingering on our faces. Under the blankets, it's hot and stuffy. We roll out of bed and start the van, warming up the engine to start the heater.

Buddy slowly creeps out of his cave, his little claws clacking against the laminate. He does a long stretch and settles down in the front.

As the sun rises, vibrant pinks and oranges start to bleed into the morning sky. We cruise out of the parking lot, bouncing over the speed bumps.

Two coffees later and we're at the marina. We sit in the van and watch as the golden light begins to spread out across the water. Planes take off and land in the distance. We look at each other and smile and sip our coffees in our new home. 

This is our life now.