We bought a short bus

In March of this year Josh and I decided (with little to no planning) that a short bus was in our future.

Yes, a short bus.

We had been looking into skoolies, van life, and the like for a couple months. By "we" I mean Josh was and I was supporting him even though I had no particular draw to "van life." It seemed great and I was drawn to the simplicity of it, but it didn't seem like something we would ever do.

Then I was on craigslist one day as we sat watching van life youtube videos and came across a partially converted 1996 diesel <.insert fancy engine details that he cares about.> Ford short bus, registered as a cutaway van, thirty minutes from us. The couple who had converted it unfortunately had to sell it due to personal requirements, leaving us with a perfectly suitable, if badly painted, gray short bus opportunity that had enough seat belts to carry our family, and enough space to house our three fur babies. When Josh started up and we test drove the thing, I was pretty sure I'd never hear again. It shook like no car I'd ever sat in (duh, it's a bus), was incredibly loud, had very loose steering, and was almost cold in feeling compared to the comfort of his F150. When we parked it I didn't know what I had been thinking.

The next day we owned the beast.

We are currently in the beginning of trip number ten, so suffice it to say we're attached to the thing. We call it The Ugly Bus. It is a constant work in progress but has so far held up great. We've ripped out the original bus seats and put in a couch and loveseat, changed the storage, had some engine work done, and added a bike rack. Our friends think we're crazy and awesome at the same time.

The Ugly Bus has been a great step toward our Nomad life, teaching us patience, improvisation, planning, stress management, and how to really start living the simple life. We're excited to see where it will take us.

Till later! 

~Amanda

(We have learned that I should stay away from craigslist as I tend to make impulsive decisions. This has been proven by 1. Our short bus and 2. Our new puppy....)