That One Time When We Almost Bought an RV

Last weekend, the Louisville Fairgrounds hosted the annual Louisville Boat, RV & Sportshow. This particular event holds a special spot in the mushiest, gushiest part of my heart because I used to go every year with my dad. Dad was a busy guy and we didn't have many solo outings, but I could always count on the boat show to be one of them. The wacky Kentucky weather kept him from attending this year, but the 3 of us managed to make it up on Friday, before Colonel Frost and his Merry Band of Snowmen landed on Saturday morning.

It began as an idea thrown against Neal, wondering if it would stick.
"What do you want to do tonight?"
"I dunno....we could go to the boat show...."
But then we discovered that he (active duty) and Blue (under the age of 13) would be free. AND every admission includes a year's subscription to either Yachting (which we passed on because it would be a constant full-page, in-color reminder of our financial shortcomings), Outdoors (also passed on because our hunting experience is limited to scavenging the refrigerator for leftovers), Field & Stream (again, we only fish from the seafood section of Kroger), and Popular Mechanics (BINGO! I have no idea what I'm going to learn from the next 12 months of this magazine, but perhaps it will have something to do with fast cars and cupcakes). But also, there was a good deal of exploring to be done on boats we'll never own and RV's we'll never drive. And deep fried candy bars....let's not forget that.

There were, indeed, many boats to drool over. Last summer, we were all river rats on my dad and stepmom's pontoon. Floating down the Kentucky river during mild and lazy days, we waved to fellow boaters, watched Dad fish, and enjoyed the city from a different perspective. But mostly, we just tried to keep Blue from flinging himself into the water below.

Last fall (and after only one summer afloat), my dad and stepmom sold their pontoon...giving all new meaning to "one and done." Fortunately, there are stacks of photos and hours of video to prove that, once upon a time, there was a boat. We will all miss the summer of watercraft, but perhaps not as much as Blue, who (after being at the show for 5 minutes) picked out Dad's new boat. It has a slide...naturally.

But then came the RVs. Neal and I have casually tossed about the idea of purchasing an RV, living in it for a year and paying it off with our military housing allowance and then living in it occasionally after each reassignment. It's interesting how many 2 and 3-person military families are doing this. After walking through no less than 2 dozen RVs last Friday, the idea became all the more attractive.

I mean, seriously...this is nicer than the house we own. And there's a panel under the TV that houses a fireplace. The backsplash in the kitchen? That is actual tile. Of course, there is a downside...

So, yes...unless they dropped a zero from that price tag, this is just wishin & hopin. And perhaps smokin a twee bit of crack.

But we found others that would meet our needs just fine...especially the need to not go bust after buying something that could be washed away or blown to kingdom come.

This one was Blue-approved for its superb climbability and ease of window peering. Also cup holders in the couch, which we do not currently have and I think should come standard on all furniture.

This one apparently passed the bed test...but only because it probably was softer than his crib mattress. It did not, however, come anywhere close to Mama and Daddy's perfectly-soft-in-all-the-right-spots mattress.

And then there was the one with the bow-chicka-bow-wow roman shades that were remotely controlled. With one push of a button on the control panel next to the bed, you could open and close the bedroom window coverings. I took a video because...REALLY?? But I'm keeping that one for myself (as I may have created a dirty ditty to accompany the whirring of button-activated shades. Rhyming games with a toddler all day has its benefits).

We didn't end up buying an RV. If our next move is Kansas, I would prefer NOT to be whisked up into an F8 funnel as I'm frying an egg in these houseslippers...

(Yes, I took this picture in Target and texted it to 2 people saying "if we move to Kansas, I'm buying these shoes.")
So, 3 hours later, we had a magazine subscription, 2 Cabela's hats (which they were handing out at the door for about 30 minutes and we just got lucky), an exhausted little Blue, and a tummy full of...

deep fried Snickers.

I call that $10 well-spent. 

We are headed to Bernheim Forest this weekend...to something called a Pollywog Play Party, which is intended for children under 5. There probably won't be any fried Snickers...but there also won't be the temptation to spend $400,000 on a mobile home. 

Happy Weekend! And Cheers!