We Are NOT RV People

9.25.2020/Dear Diary:

We can’t wait to go tent camping at Huntington Beach, SC this weekend! The forecast looks perfect – 80s and clear! We’ve packed the tent, the cots, the portable stove, the Yeti, the dogs, and we’re ready to roll!!

9.27.2020/Dear Diary:

Didn’t see that coming!

As we were sitting down to a boiled shrimp feast at our campsite, the sky opened up, and it started to rain. We scrambled to get everything in the tent to wait it out.

And we waited.

And waited.

The rain never stopped, so we did our best to go to sleep. Then we woke, and it was still raining.

We tried to wait it out but had to pack up everything in the rain to head home. The dogs were no help at all.

9.28.2020/Dear Diary:

Spouse says we’re buying an RV! I said, “You’re crazy! We’re not RV people – we’re tent people!” Spouse says, “If we had had an RV, we could have gone inside with our shrimp and had a fun night instead of listening to rain and praying for it to stop.” I ignore him.

10.16.2020/Dear Diary:

Had to cancel tent camping plans for the weekend due to weather. Spouse says we’re buying an RV.

I said, “You need to get over your rainy tent-camping-PTSD!”

He said, “I’ll start looking on Facebook Marketplace.”

1.15.2021/Dear Diary:

A new year, new hope, and new plans to be made! I have booked a few weekends for tent camping. Spouse says, “We’re buying an RV,” but I just ignore him. I am not sure he knows this, but according to the RV Industry Association, RV sales in some areas went up 170 percent in 2020! Not only can we not afford a new RV, but used ones are nearly impossible to find!

2.1.2021/Dear Diary:

Our first tent camping trip of the year is confirmed for April at Huntington Beach, SC. Yes, that is the same place where we had the awful, unexpected rain last year, but I am optimistic! Spouse can’t get his eyeballs off Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace and swears he will find a fabulous, used, affordable RV by April. The dogs and I are dusting off the tent and the cots.

3.1.2021/Dear Diary:

Spouse made us go to Camping World and Outdoors Mart today “just to look” at RVs. Wow. Queen size beds… air conditioning…. refrigerators.

I must admit, the idea of not schlepping tents, coolers, cots, bedding, Yetis, ice, more ice, our portable propane stove, lanterns, and more ice is appealing! But still… an RV? Us? Next thing you know, I’ll be using some kitschy “happy camper” drink tumblers!

Nope… the tent is for me! We are not RV people.

3.15.2021/Dear Diary:

WE BOUGHT AN RV!

I am really not sure how it happened… Spouse has been telling me how people were making over-the-asking-price offers on RVs without even seeing them because the camping craze of the pandemic is alive and well! And I kept saying, “Exactly!! It’s nuts out there; we are NOT RV people!” But then…

He saw a listing for a used 2015 Palomini that met 98% of his RV purchase criteria:

Our price point
Small enough to tow behind our Honda Ridgeline
Big enough for two but not for company
Shower and toilet inside

The next thing I know, we are in Kernersville, meeting two amazingly kind people and looking at the RV they are selling because they now have a bigger one. And here’s the thing: the minute I walked inside and saw the big window next to the dinette, I had to have it! I could picture all of our future camping trips and the various, amazing views that we would have from that window, rain or shine. If a human can have love at first sight for an inanimate object, this was it! An offer was made, and we await delivery.

6.3.2021/Dear Diary:

We have now taken two successful camping trips with Jeffrey P, the RV, and we couldn’t be happier!

Has there been a learning curve? Absolutely! The towing, the hooking up, the parking…. they make shirts that say, “Please forgive me for what I said when I was parking the RV” for a reason! But as it turns out, WE ARE RV PEOPLE! It rained on both trips and we didn’t mind… it gave us a chance to come inside, play dominos, listen to music – on the Bluetooth stereo, for Pete’s sake! – and just BE. The dogs have adjusted quite well, and we sleep like babies in the queen size TempurPedic bed. We are meeting the nicest and most interesting RV neighbors and loving everything about this new chapter in our lives! And turns out, all my RV neighbors love my “happy camper” drink tumblers as much as I do! I guess we are, indeed, RV people.

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Tabatha Renegar

Tabatha grew up in western and central New York State before migrating her way south to Winston-Salem. She has an associates degree in travel/tourism and aptly so! Her first job was on a cruise ship when she was 18 years old and she has visited more than a dozen countries. Tabatha has been married to her husband, Bobby, for 22 years. They are proud parents to a son, Beau, who is a Sailor in the U.S. Navy and they share their home with two crazy Boston Terriers. By day, you’ll find Tabatha in Reynolda Village where she is the Sales Manager for a historic event venue, The Barn at Reynolda Village. Working with the Forsyth Magazines team is a great outlet for her enthusiasm for weddings and community! In her spare time, Tabatha enjoys kayaking, painting, camping and reading. And, of course, with a degree in tourism – she loves to travel!

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