Hello from Southwest Florida! This is my first time joining Natalie the Explorer’s Monthly Wrap-Up, so a quick intro first. I’m Tiffany, a Gen Xer who’s been married to Stefan for almost 25 years. Last December the three of us (Stefan, me and our 17-year-old daughter) emptied our house in Texas and moved into a fifth wheel full-time. No Ordinary Homestead is where I write about RV life, travel, the kitchen and starting your next chapter in midlife.
October was a month of staying put and getting our house in order, both on the blog and in the RV. I also celebrated a birthday, so here’s hoping another year older means another year wiser.
Where we were
We spent the whole month parked in Southwest Florida, soaking up the fall weather (which is nothing like fall anywhere else), enjoying dog walks without many people around, and working from the fifth wheel.
Small Florida joy of the month: when the sky opens up on your way out of Publix, they’ll lend you an umbrella. I appreciate that more than I can say.
My favorite moment of the month was flying to Boston to visit a client. Even the airport here tells you to go enjoy the sunshine.
The fall colors were already well along up there, and it reminded me that other places actually have seasons. You forget that after a while in South Florida!
Still, the best part of the whole trip was coming home to my family after a few days away.
What we were up to
- Getting fit for the road. We have a lot more hiking planned for next year’s big trip, so I’ve been working on getting stronger. I usually manage two or three workouts a week, and when it’s too muggy or raining for the driveway, I head to the weight room at the campground. My favorite sessions are still the early mornings outside, though. There’s nothing like starting the day connected to nature.
- Planning a 7-month trip. In January, we slowly start heading north up the East Coast until we reach Maine, then head over to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for EAA AirVenture, and finally home to Florida. We’re calling it the Lobstah Crawl. Right now we’re fine-tuning the schedule and how long we’ll stay at each stop, and we’ll start booking campsites soon, since Florida gets BUSY in January.
- Enjoying the quiet before the crowds. The snowbirds are trickling back in, so we’re making the rounds of our favorite restaurants, beaches and hot spots before the holiday rush brings everyone’s friends and family to town.
New on No Ordinary Homestead
October was a big rebuild month for the blog:
- Our Gulf Coast RV Road Trip covers every stop from our first winter on the road.
- I brought back our whole Thanksgiving collection, all in one place on the new Thanksgiving page. That includes the Thanksgiving Game Plan, our tried-and-true menu and the dinner rolls everyone asks for. It’s still the menu we make every year.
- The newsletter is back! No Ordinary Mail went out for the first time in about ten years. Sign up here to get it every other Thursday.
The reboot has been such an exciting challenge, and I’m so pleased with how it’s all come together. I’ve loved blogging over the years, and getting to share our life with people all over the world is still my favorite part.
What I’m reading, watching and cooking
I’m excited to get to know the bloggers in this wrap-up group, so my reading list just got a lot longer.
In the kitchen, we tried a new carne asada fajitas recipe and found a local market that makes fresh tortillas, which was a real treat. I’ll share the recipe once we’ve fine-tuned it.
Stefan also baked focaccia in our RV oven, and it was delicious. The leftovers turned into a pretty great breakfast the next morning, too.
We also perfected our Nespresso iced latte. And I’m on the hunt for great sous vide recipes and easy weeknight meals, so share ’em if you’ve got ’em!
Coming up in November
Thanksgiving in Southwest Florida with family, more posts about RV life, and the countdown to the Lobstah Crawl.
How was your October? Tell me your highlight in the comments, and if you wrote a wrap-up, leave the link. I’d love to read it.
Free printable
The Simpler Way RV Trip Planner
The same pages we use to plan every route: stops, drive days, budgets and campground notes. Grab it free:
