Early Van Life Updates
I finally have van news to share, so things are getting more exciting around here. First, I have to be honest and share that this has been one of the most stressful periods of my life. (Okay, I’ve probably said that a few times, but it’s real.) I’m leaving a stable career to be a freelance writer, which I’ve always known would be quite tumultuous, but I’ve made the safe choices all my life, and the reward is worth all of the risk when it comes to doing something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always known this wouldn’t be easy, and I’m sharing this not to scare anyone else away from a career transition or road life, but I do think it’s important to at least acknowledge that. It can be so easy to gloss over the hard, unpleasant aspects of life on social media, but here on the blog I want to cover it all.
Timeline uncertainty has been a big part of that stress. Confession: I’ve never been good at sharing. Sharing a space with someone (even a close friend I cherish) with no idea of how long that will last has left me feeling very unsettled and restless. My current job has become harder on me emotionally as I’m now working on projects I won’t be able to see through to completion. My last day at my office is August 6th, and it’s wild to me that it’s now less than a month away. It’s bittersweet, because I’ve supported a mission I truly believe in and I’ve worked passionately on for four years now (ten, when you consider my whole federal career), and I’ve met the most fascinating people in this job, but those are relationships I’ll get to carry forward.
Now that I have a date, I’ve been spending many of my off hours building my freelance writing/copywriting business. This includes a lot of potential client research. Leaving a job that gave me so much meaning has made it so important to me to make sure I’m working with people and organizations with missions that align with my values.
Now to update you all on what I know most of you are really interested in–the van! I’ve only hinted at it on the blog so far since there weren’t many updates, but thankfully that changed this week. My dealership POC let me know my van is finally in production. From here, the process should move along very quickly. There has been such a delay because I’ve had my heart and mind set on 4×4, and the Sprinter is the only van that offers that (the next closest would be the Ford Transit which offers AWD, which isn’t quite the same). Of course they were sold out across the country when I decided to pursue the nomad lifestyle and private sellers hiked up the price so much. I decided to be patient (hey, I’m learning) and wait. I think it will pay off.
The previous estimate from the dealership was the end of September, but now that it’s in-production, I should have it by mid-August. At that point, I’ll deliver it to my builder, Sam at Stand Up Vans in Boone, North Carolina. Now the fun part begins–finalizing build and design options. The van should be totally complete by mid-October. That was my general target, and while I was still hoping it might be done sooner, it’s helpful in so many ways to see things start to solidify.
While my blog is not intended to be a van life or even travel blog entirely, those things will be part of my life and I’ll definitely touch on them. I’ll definitely write soon about why I chose the 4×4 Sprinter and why I decided to go with a professional build vs. DIY.
What are some other topics you’re interested in reading about more here? Comment below!
