Be a Rebel

the salt, the sand, the waves!

Posted on October 8, 2015 by kristingenovese

CAMPING WITH BABIES AND TODDLERS IS HARD.

ok, now that we’ve covered the important stuff, let me tell you how the beach was…because bedtime was FOR THE BIRDS.

but really. the afternoon we arrived, we went immediately to the beach to swim before dinner. I walked into the water until the waves were hitting my waist, looked at my mom and said, “I’m going to just stand here and let the waves hit me until they wash away everything but my presence.” or maybe “until they wash away all of the things.”

I don’t remember my exact words. but something about the rhythmic power and pressure of the waves…it wasn’t so much “washing” anything away as much as it was “pounding” away everything I was hanging on to and needed to let go of. it’s so holy. so cleansing. I felt immediately present and relieved and renewed. water. so powerful. forces you to stand your ground too.

as far as the drive down, I put this super relaxing picture of me up on Instagram (@kmgenovese), lounging in one of the back beds with a magazine. like I was going to get to read. the trip went a little something more like this:

Austin played kitchen in the bathroom, Sophia read, they drew on everything with (thankfully, washable) markers. and yep, stickers on my face. his little giggle was priceless every time he got one placed just where he wanted it. #worthit

the campsite was so Texas-coast-cute. the only thing between us and the beach was a row of sunflower-covered dunes. if you’re in Texas, September is definitely the time to be here. not too hot. water is warm. plenty of sunshine. gorgeous.

as in most life, and especially life with young kids, the trip was a smattering of work and beautiful stolen moments of sweetness, love and silly. morning beach walks/bike rides, sunrises, sunsets, and salty, sandy kisses. good food on the grill including fresh shrimp off the boat after it came in and, of course, really good coffee.

and the start of my 32nd birthday and my 33rd year. here. we. go.

next time we’re out in the Moho, we’ll be out sans kids and plus two good friends. best start to the month of November that I can think of.

until then,

the Genovese crew

cross-country in the Moho

Posted on August 13, 2015 by kristingenovese

we took our first big trip in our motorhome. it was hot at times, but so, so good. we had NO idea how much we would love it, how much the kids would love it. no idea.

we had the few very important things with us no matter where we went. good coffee, comfy beds, good food. a private space to go and shut the door. priceless. the rest of everything that’s important to us was just outside our door everywhere we went. literally. family and outdoor adventure Just outside our door. it felt like magic.

the Motorhome did beautifully, mechanically. of all the things I know Ben was worried about at the thought of driving a 37 year old motorhome across the country, it went swimmingly. maybe he’ll write a post about how we lost reverse one day and he had to jimmy the steering column in the MIDDLE of a Trader Joe’s parking lot, maybe not.

one incredibly cool factor I hadn’t thought of: our kids age being a blessing. most of the time I assume that if my kids were older, somehow things would be easier. but neither of my littles are old or wise enough to even Know to be Angry about the heat, or the long days on the road with no breaks. they were AWESOME. they played, we ate, we took potty breaks and naps. they were road warriors. total champs. I’m so proud.

so, if you follow me on Instagram (@kmgenovese) you’ve seen most of our trip pictures. but I’ll include some exclusives here.

my girl, getting to ride up front with daddy for a bit. looks so big sitting up so tall.

after a day on the road, this mess isn’t even the half of it! good thing it takes about 15 full minutes to get the Moho back to clean and usable.

our rest stops were carefully chosen. there must be grass. and shade. 🙂

a quiet breakfast in the wee hours of the morning, parked outside Grandma and Grandpa’s in Duluth, MN.

sleeping road warrior beauties.

well, we’ve been home for not quite 2 weeks, and we can’t wait to go again. we miss the road, we miss our Moho. we’re headed out for one night this weekend to a local state park and we’re planning a beach trip for late September. that’s all for now, but honestly? this stuff seems to be in our blood, the whole lot of us.

expect more.

until then,

the Genovese clan

the first of the before/after pics

Posted on July 14, 2015 by kristingenovese

alright! so everything I promised in my video tour did not happen. only one ceiling panel was installed for our first trip. I have yet to do that one last section of paint over the cab. BUT she’s functional and we’re LOVING it. we’ve been out twice for trial runs and we come home every time ready to book the next one.

no need! we leave a week from tomorrow for our first cross-country trek! Moho is at the brake shop today getting her rear brakes done. last week the exhaust system was rebuilt. Ben took a video afterwards, for your viewing pleasure.

also, I’ve started piecing together some before/after pictures. turns out we didn’t take near enough before pics. lame. these are all of the bathroom, even before everything was done in there. enjoy! much more fun to come.

also, to follow our travels (and our home life in Austin, TX) you can find me on Instagram and Twitter as @kmgenovese. more coming soon!

love,

the Genovese clan

the week before the trial run!

Posted on June 24, 2015 by kristingenovese

OK, I don’t want to be dramatic, but it’s gotten a little ridiculous over here. we wanted to use the Moho this summer. so we set deadlines, made plans. and thus, the work to get this baby ready has consumed most of our time since then. I’m sure I can speak for Ben and I when I say that we’ll be happy to have most of the front end work done soon.

there are a couple of bigger projects we aren’t worried about before our summer adventures: we will do a total bathroom remodel at some point, we’re also going to pull carpet and replace floors maybe this fall, along with kitchen countertops. we’ve talked about replacing our captains chairs too. BUT, none of that is necessary before we put some miles on. those will come.

for now though, I took a quick video tour of our work so far, if you have 3 minutes. pictures will follow.

when Ben sprayed the dark gray on the bathroom wall, it got a little creepy looking. so careful, this one.

also, when painting the kitchen and the bathroom cabinet, I had to get in the cracks of the rollers. I die. and complained the whole time, but thanks to my tactics, it turned out well. we were nervous. nobody wants to look at horribly painted ancient rollers.

lastly, we’ve been trying to introduce our fat cat Scrambler because we think she’ll be traveling with us. she’s NOT a fan thus far. PLEASE open the door for her. please.

until next week, when we’ll share an update video and pics of our weekend!

-the Genovese clan

Argosy, Renovation

Reno start on the Moho

Image | Posted on May 20, 2015 by kristingenovese

wrote a blog on my other site about how daunting and unbelievable new big dream projects can seem at times. but true story, as long as you take it only one step at a time and just MOVE forward…it starts to become more visible, and therefore more believable. bit by bit.

we have a soft deadline for our initial renovations, a trip north to visit family late July. THIS summer. yep.

aside: not sure if DH Ben will be contributing a separate blog about his mechanical work, but he’s been hard at it too. he’s replaced the rear main seal, oil pan gasket, motor mounts and transmission mount. this was the bigger of the two jobs he hopes to finish before our big trip. rightfully so, it’s making a hot MESS of the front of the camper. good thing he’s about to wrap this one up; we’re both ready.

second aside: we’re endearingly calling her The Moho these days. not sure if she’ll get an official name in time, or if our first motorhome will always been known as the Moho. but for now, it’s suits her.

OK, I started in the twin bed section. I’ve been painting and sewing curtains. the painting is such a big, beautiful, clean change when it’s done…but it’s also a huge PAIN. many choice four letter words have been used. however, the cleaning, masking, the 2 coats of primer and 2 top coats of color Really paid off. that’s right, FOUR coats of paint and tons of prep. not a lot of surface area anywhere but lots of detail work. detail work isn’t really my game, to be fair.

wall paint in bedroom:

curtains in the bedroom:

paint, curtains and bedding for the kids!! DONE. Boom!

I’m going with a grey and yellow theme throughout the camper loosely. I used Sherwin Williams all purpose primer, and their Duration brand, color Mindful Grey. I must say: the gallon of Duration paint we bought was costly, but the finish is So Superior. It’s gorgeous. You can tell it’s a quality paint when you’re painting…it just feels silky going on. Finishes beautifully, covers well. Gorgeous paint. Really.

Anyhow, moving on to the kitchen and living/dining. This is where the painting got really fun and my mouth started running. The indent between this panel and the door is HORRIBLY HARD TO PAINT. The angle is impossible and the only way I found to get paint in there was to use my daughter’s tiny craft paint brush. Hilarious, but not funny at all During the painting.

Loving the quick (well, four coats quick) transformation of paint. SO EXCITED!!

Not pictured: getting the couch cushions recovered, as well as some trim pieces that are finished with fabric. Making a curtain for the front window/windshield out of a different fabric, as to not overdo the bird fabric. 🙂

Will keep updating as we go! We’ll keep moving, consistently, until July. However, hoping to get her out locally before the big trip too. Can’t wait to post pics from our adventures on the road. For now, mask, paint, sew, repeat!

Love, the Genovese clan

and so it begins…

Posted on April 11, 2015 by kristingenovese

it’s 62, foggy and misting. Ben is burning brush in the fire pit and Sophia is playing in the chicken coop. Austin naps and I sit here on the back porch, typing away on my laptop, keeping warm in Ben’s red, soft hoodie.

I dream, for a minute, of a morning much like this one, maybe 3 or 4 years from now. except that I’m writing on the picnic table outside the camper, my view is that of a forest or morning fog on a lake instead of my backyard. the view is just as beautiful but things are slightly different here. we’re together as a family. we work and play and adventure and explore and live and eat and rest and love all together. every day is new and the world is our backyard. it’s so simple. we have less stuff or home is smaller but our lives feel bigger, richer, more alive.

that dream is one I hold in my mind’s eye a LOT these days. and it’s starting to take on a life of it’s own. but I digress.

we bought the camper yesterday. the purchase feels like the first step towards a very BIG dream of an adventurous life for our family. and yet, it’s not the beginning really at all. the beginning was years ago, when little by little we read books, found blogs and started talking within our marriage about what we want in this life. what we want for our kids. it’s been such a journey, even just the dreaming part.

but buying the 1978 Argosy Airstream motorhome surely is the beginning of this dreams manifestation. and it feels just like we knew it would: ridiculously exciting AND super scary. although I’ve heard that fear is just excitement without the breath and we’ve definitely had to remember to breathe at times this week.

so, without further ado, meet our new baby. name still pending.

Camper Logistics: the Argosy was found on Craigslist and currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ben leaves Tuesday morning to pick it up. She’ll get new tires and then they’ll head home. We have big inside renovation ideas for this 37 year old motorhome. Expect massive amounts of before/after reno pics.

CAN’T WAIT to get my hands on her.

Until then…

to being a REBEL and living DEEP,

the Genovese crew