Two Peas in a Pod or Maybe, Two Nuts in a RV

Hello and welcome to our blog! I believe the best start is to introduce ourselves and each other (because it’s always good to know where you stand in your spouses’ eyes 😉 ). My name is Ellen and my husband is Clark and we’re the Griswolds! Okay, that’s not true. My name is Klare and my husband is Michael but he’s 100% my Sparky which you will soon learn. 🙂 We’re the Runaway Rinaldis!

This is our story and how we ended up living full time in a RV…

Michael and I met in first grade in a small (really small!) seaside town in New Jersey. One day in second grade, Michael slapped me in the face and broke my little heart. We were buddies! Why would he do such a thing?! Well, I still don’t have an answer for it. Good thing for Michael, the bus driver (shout out to Mr. Owens) reported him to the principal who called the whole bus down to the office because the the kids were out of control or the devil must have been on the school bus that day, as my mom would say. Our principal, Sister Julianna, made me “crack” Michael in the face two times as retribution. Listen here people, Catholic school in the 80’s was no joke! This was the moment that was forever etched in our little childhood memories and hearts. Oh, the trauma!

Fast forward 25 years later, I get a message from Michael on MySpace (anyone remember that pioneering social media platform?): “Hey, are you the girl whose family owned a deli in town?”. As I read his name, the memories from second grade came rushing to mind. Oh no! Is this about the slap that the nun MADE me do?! Please don’t have a lipstick list! Please, Please, Please! I reply nicely (while reminding myself, don’t mention 2nd grade and the slap): “Hi Michael, yes my family owned the deli in town. Are you writing me from prison?” Okay, I didn’t say that part but I could have thought it! Like I said earlier, good thing for Michael that Mr. Owens reported him because I never forgot his name and he never forgot mine.

While Michael and I had similar doors closing in our lives at this time, we helped each other through those times by holding the next door open for each other. We maintained a long distance relationship for a few years, eloped, and eventually moved in together at some point. It was about time we lived together, we were married and living across the country from each other. Our plan was to retire to that really small seaside town in Jersey (no, it’s not pronounced Joy-Zee and we don’t talk like that for the umteenth time!) after Michael’s 26 year career with the Air Force but, plans change… all the time! We outgrew Jersey and thought we would lay roots in South Dakota but after the last and most painful deployment, we decided we had too much time apart and would try our luck living in our RV full-time completely surrounding each other, every… single… moment… of… the… day. So, that’s what we do! We live in our RV and travel all over the world like two peas in a pod or two nuts in a RV but most importantly, we absolutely love each other and this lifestyle.

3 Things I Want You to Know About Myself…

1. I’m good at listening and observing, talking not so much! However, my inner dialog is hilarious which keeps me smiling.
2. I’m spiritual and working on being a better person for myself for everyone else.
3. My husband, children, and family are most important to me, You will get to know more about them as I progress in blogging. Of all my roles in life, I absolutely love being a mom, wife, and a MeMom.

3 Things I Want to Tell You About Michael that he more than likely won’t mention…

1. He loves Tool and probably references them 4-5x a day in some capacity, maybe not that often but’s it’s really not that far of an exaggeration. Even though he has a strong affection for Tool (and a tattoo), he has a very eclectic mix of musical interests and absolutely crushes Music trivia. True Story!
2. He’s a proclaimed introvert but I think it’s just a tendency to be an introvert while he’s drinking his coffee. Change that coffee up to whiskey and we have a full bloomed extrovert. The crab (not calling him crabby, he’s born in July) comes out of his shell with a lot to say about the stars, the planets, space, overpopulation, Tool, and the military, not necessarily in that order but close to it.
3. Despite his early episode of domestic violence in 2nd grade 😉 , Michael has a very kind and generous heart. For example, he saved my life in 2nd grade (not when he slapped me) when he got a tick off of me and squished it with the leg of his chair. Awww, wasn’t he the cutest?! He is the guy that steps up to the plate when others won’t do what is right. Quite honestly, I think we need more men like that today. Everyone should have a dedicated Sparky in their lives.
4. I’m compelled to disclose this information before we continue down this path of blogging, Michael doesn’t like bacon! That’s not all my friends, add popcorn, watermelon, and cucumbers to that crazy nonsensical list. His saving grace may be the fact that he does like Billy Joel.

3 Things About Michael By Michael…

1. I love starting my day off in piece (I believe he means “peace”) and quiet, drinking my coffee outside even if, I need to bundle up. I don’t like to start my day until I’ve had my coffee. (Sidenote: Michael is not the best at spelling and this is generally a clue on who writes a post on our social media sites)
2. I tend to be a bit of a homebody. Klare brings out the adventure in me and the reason I’ve visited 90% of the places we’ve been to.
3. I really don’t like the cold weather and not being able to wear shorts and flip flops everyday. I, also, dislike hot weather. Give me 75 degree weather everyday! This is what’s great about having our home on wheels.

3 Things About Klare By Michael…

1. Klare is someone who can grab two weeks of leftovers and make a masterpiece of a meal that people would pay big money for. (Sidenote: we don’t keep leftovers that long)
2. Klare is a closet singer. She can jam out like a rock star especially when it comes to Christmas music. (Sidenote: this is rather embarrassing, thank goodness he didn’t mention my dance skills)
3. Klare is a fine good listener and the extrovert in the marriage and the reason we have so many great friends.

You may be asking yourselves if you should continue down this road with us, sharing in our adventures and some of you still may be asking “Really?! Who doesn’t like bacon?!”. The answer is YES! Yes, you should. We have so many experiences, adventures, and laughs we want to share with you.

Please leave us a comment. Tell us who you are and what you’re thinking (Sidenote: if it’s complete trash and negative we won’t post it publicly and we’ll tell our moms what you said).

There’s no path to happiness; Happiness is the path.

Buddha