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Taxes and Avon
What do taxes have to do with selling Avon? by Karen Whitney Before I start, I need to mention that I am by no means an expert on taxes so please take what I have to say as a guideline and talk to your local IRS office or tax expert for the current rules and regulations. However, this will give you a head start on what kind of records you need keep to make tax reporting time go more…
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Say Yes To Avon
Say Yes To Avon
Say Yes To Avon: No Sales Pitch Necessary…Just be you! With your personality and our tools, you can earn money on your own time.
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Shop my AVON store!
Shop my AVON store!
Shop my AVON store!: Here’s a sneak peak at some of the latest products available at Avon.
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Selling Success and Your Attitude
Selling Success and Your Attitude
Avon Selling Success Your Attitude Can Make a Big Difference “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ~ Sir Winston Churchill There are many factors that contribute to a successful direct selling business such as Avon. One crucial element is a representative’s attitude and where he or she falls on the optimism/pessimism scale.…
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Sell the Sizzle - Not the Steak
Sell the Sizzle – Not the Steak
Sell the Sizzle – not the Steak! I’m sure you’ve heard this saying. People don’t just buy product. They buy the benefits that fulfill their needs, which are derived from the products. In today’s market, your potential prospects have one thing in mind. “What’s in it for them”, and in our sales business, you must realize this. While the “nuts and bolts” of our product or offer are important, that…
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It's not your Grandma's Avon anymore!! Check out the updated products . . .
It’s not your Grandma’s Avon anymore!! Check out the updated products . . .
You will see that Avon is not the same as it was in your grandmother’s day or even your mother’s day. A company called LG bought Avon a few years ago and now they are bringing in a lot of new items that are very exciting. AND, not only new products but you can purchase some LG products as well. Come look at a current brochure to see what is so new and exciting!!
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Product Highlight: Black Seed Extract
Product Highlight: Black Seed Extract
Black Seed (Nigella Sativa) is a traditional herb that has been used for centuries to promote health and general well-being.
Also known as Black Cumin, Black Caraway, or the “Blessed Seed”, Black Seed has a rich and diverse chemical composition containing the phytochemicals thymoquinone and cryatalline nigellone, antioxidants, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, and…
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Take the Risk - It will be worth it!!
Take the Risk – It will be worth it!!
Do you spend the first week of the year looking for your flaws? How about in 2020 you use this week to look at our POTENTIAL!! How fit can you get in 2020? Can you become financially FREE in 2020? Can you make your current relationship the best it can be in 2020?
“TAKE THE RISK!! It WILL be worth it!”
This time of year is when everyone starts thinking about their FITNESS, FINANCIAL and…
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As I stated in my HOME page, I am a PLUS-SIZED woman who just turned 60 in 2019.
That needs to change in 2020 . . . not the age but the size!!
Hindsight is 20/20 . . . YES, I went there!
But, it is so true. I should have known that if you eat the way I eat and do not move, you WILL gain weight!!
1977 95# Soaking Wet!!
2004 194 lbs
2016 – 200 lbs
Dec 2019 201 lbs
Left to Right:
1977 – 95 lbs soaking wet!! – July 1977 (18 yrs), My wedding day
2004 – 194 lbs. (45 yrs old) – When I realized I had gained 100 lbs!!!
2016 205 lbs (57 yrs old) – NOTE to self – DO NOT wear your hair that way EVER!! And . . . DO NOT EVER wear a blouse that gathers at the hips!!!
2019 201 lbs (60 yrs old) – Nuff-said!! Time to make a change!!
During my first 20 years of life, I didn’t have this weight problem . . . I thought I did!! Yes, I had put on weight after the kids were born but I did not have the problem I do now!! I ate what I wanted, finished off what the kids didn’t eat, didn’t exercise and thought nothing about it. . . . BIG MISTAKE!! If I could tell my 20-year-old self anything, it would be “MOVE, MOVE and MOVE some more. AND, eat 3 healthy meals per day. Your body will thank you later.”
Once I hit my late 40’s and now, in my early 60’s, I DO have a problem with my weight which has been caused, mainly, due to my messed up metabolism from bad eating choices and I have a hard time losing it! I eat one meal per day, in the evening . . . and it’s a large one! I probably consume all my daily allotted calories between the hours of 7pm and midnight (or later, depending on how long I stay up). That is another thing that I do . . . or don’t do . . . is sleep. I am trying to get better but I still don’t go to sleep before midnight and it’s usually not before 3am. Then I wake up between 8 am and 11 am depending on what I have going on the next day. I am also known for “pulling an all-nighter”. Yep . . . even at the ripe old age of 60, I can still do them. Just not more than one in a row though.
In order to get my health in check here are my Goals for 2020:
Eating smaller meals more often. Beginning with eating a healthy breakfast. We already eat fairly clean, so I don’t need to worry about adding that to my list of goals. I just need to eat more often and not as much at each setting.
Drink more water and less coffee. I drink coffee all day long and rarely drink any water. My aim is to drink about 40 oz of water per day.
Move more. I will start by walking at least 15 min per day and using my Band/Exercise Ball every morning and every night for about 7-10 minutes each time.
And, last but not least, becoming ACCOUNTABLE for my ACTIONS!! I have a group on Facebook called Getting Healthy. I will start posting more in that group so that you all can keep me accountable. If you are not already a part of the group, come join us.
My husband retired in 2017 and our income has been cut by a third!!! Yes . . . by one third!!!! We’ve gone from a VERY Comfortable living and not having to look at price tags to a Mediocre Comfortable living and having to look at every price tag again like I did when we first got married and it is NOT ANY FUN!!!
For the past 10 years, I have had a home direct selling business that was begun because I was bored. We had just built a brand new home and I no longer had any ‘projects’ to keep me busy. I thought this business would keep me busy . . . which it did. However, as much as I love the products and love my customers, I HATE having to be tied down every 2 weeks placing an order and delivering those orders. When my husband retired, we purchased a 5th wheel so that we could travel the USA. We actually were going to live in it . . . sold the house and virtually everything in it . . . but plans changed and we are now in an apartment. We are trying to travel about 6 months out of the year. Having the Direct Sales business was difficult to manage while we traveled because of the deadlines I had to meet for ordering products for my customers and I could not deliver them in person while we were traveling. So I had let my business dwindle to almost nothing over the last few years. I still order a few of the products for my self and have started to gain more online customers which are more manageable for the times we are traveling.
But I wanted more . . . so I was on the hunt for something I could do while traveling. Right before Christmas, an opportunity dropped into my lap. It’s with a company that has products I have never used before and ones I never saw me using or promoting. However, now that I have taken the leap, I am REALLY EXCITED about the potential that I have with this groundbreaking company. They are DEBT FREE and have PLANT-BASED, NON GMO, GLUTEN FREE, ORGANIC PRODUCTS that are CRUELTY-FREE. The company is only about 3 yrs old. Learn more here >>> TAKE A FREE TOUR
Now that I am committing to becoming a healthier version of me, this company and these products are going to help me reach my goals for 2020 . . . PHYSICALLY and FINANCIALLY.
Speaking of Financial . . . here are my financial goals for 2020 and beyond:
Short Term Goals:
Make Executive by the end of December 2019
Add at least 10 new RETAIL customers to my New Venture each month and earn 50% on their purchases.
Add at least 5 new WHOLESALE customers to my New Venture each month and earn 20% on their purchases.
To advance my rank to BRONZE in 3 mths by helping, at least, 2 of my WHOLESALE customers become an EXECUTIVE (1 in each leg).
Mid Term Goals:
To advance my rank to SILVER in 6 mths by helping, at least, 2 more of my WHOLESALE customers become an EXECUTIVE (1 in each leg).
To advance my rank to GOLD in 12 mths by helping, at least, 4 more of my WHOLESALE customers become an EXECUTIVE (2 in each leg).
Long Term Goals:
To earn/save enough to buy/build a NEW home
Travel the USA and Abroad without worrying about money
Have you thought about your goals for 2020?
Please share your goals in the comments below. . . I’d love to hear about them.
Happy 2020!!!
Let's Chat: Goals for 2020 As I stated in my HOME page, I am a PLUS-SIZED woman who just turned 60 in 2019.
SEASON 2018: Trip #1 (Part 1)
We finally were able to get the “ORAH” Chalet out of storage and out for its first outing for the 2018 season. AND . . . without any major issues!!! WHOO HOO!!! At least none that ruined our trip!!!
As we get to travel the country, I will try to post as many pictures of the campgrounds that we stay at and give a review for them as well. On this trip, there were several campgrounds that we would definitely return to and one that we will NEVER go to again!
I hope you enjoy this journey as we travel this beautiful country.
THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018
Thursday and Friday were spent in Amarillo (our home) gathering all the stuff from the apartment that we had not been able to take to the RV. We also got the truck and RV inspected. Then we took the RV to our local RV park, Fort Amarillo RV Park, . . . our favorite “staging” park . . . where we gave it a much-needed bath and got her all loaded up. We love having this nice RV park fairly close to us but it sure stinks that we have to pay for 2 nights just to load and unload the RV when we leave or return from a trip. Since we don’t have anywhere at the apartment to park the RV to do that chore, we just don’t have any other option. It just another cost that we factor into our trips.
A little bit about Fort Amarillo RV Park:
Per the Website: At Fort Amarillo RV Park & Resort, you’ll enjoy an authentic western setting, complete with a stream-fed fishing pond, illuminated walking paths and sunsets so breathtaking, even the most eloquent cowboy poets don’t do them justice. Huge pull thru sites, free WiFi & be sure to shop at Lizzie Mae’s Mercantile. 10% discount to members of Good Sam, AAA, AARP, KOA, FMCA, TACO and the Military. Daily Rate: $42 | Weekly Rate: $210 If you need more than 2 weeks, please call for price and availability.
My Review: The staff is very friendly and helpful. It is a really clean park, there are trees on most sites, full hookups, large level gravel sites, most are pull thru (I believe the back in ones are mostly for live-ins), laundry, really clean bathrooms/showers (hotel quality), there are two spaces that can be rented for parties, one of them is for guests with tables for cards, there are movies/books, a small kitchen (I believe it’s free to use but rentable for parties), a lit courtyard with BBQ, basketball court, tennis court, playground, indoor pool, game room, a small fish pond with nice grassy area and BEST of ALL there is an AWESOME gift shop called Lizzie Maes!! It is soooo cool!!
All of the sites have a concrete patio with a table and a fence that blocks the other site. They are gravel but they are level. AND, the roads around the park are gravel and well kept as well. Even tho the sites are close together, the fence blocks the utilities from your campsite so you are not staring at the sewer or hoses while you are enjoying your patio.
It is near I-40 making it an easy on/off stop but far enough away that it’s not noisy. Because of the wind in Amarillo, the trees and fence around the park help to serve as a slight wind block. You are close to a lot of eating places and shopping. If you are into walking, you could walk but it would be easier to drive because most everything is South of the I-40 (the park is on the Northside of I-40) CONS: No firepits or grills (but many bring/use their portable grills), all gravel roads inside and at the sites but they are level.
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On Saturday morning we got all hooked up and headed out of town only to have a tiny issue just as we got on the highway . . . the rubber stripping around the front Cap was flapping in the wind!!! I guess the power washer from the RV wash pushed it out of the track. We pulled off the road and hubby stuck it back into place. Hopefully, this would be our only issue this trip. Well . . . actually, we did have one issue that hubby would try to fix when we get or our first major stop . . . the water to the ice maker wasn’t coming on because the cut off valve must be broken. No matter which way you turn it, there was no water to the icemaker. He used to fix valves like that on coffee makers in his previous life . . . so he felt confident that it would be an easy fix . . . if he can get is big hands in that tiny space to fix it.
Lamar, Colorado
Our first overnight stop was in Lamar, Co at Sportsman’s RV Park and Horse Hotel. Normally when we go to Castle Rock, CO to see hubby’s sister, we go thru Raton Pass. This time we decided to take another route to AVOID the Pass! Not sure we wanted to take that pass for our first outing after having so many other truck issues. We thought that staying on flat ground was the better option this time out and chose to take Highway 287 thru Boise City, OK up to Lamar, Colorado.
As soon as we hit Oklahoma on Highway 287, the roads were REALLY ROUGH!! The expansion joints were rough and the tire lanes were really rough. I actually drove with my passenger tires on the shoulder and my drivers’ side tires in the middle of the lane . . . it was still rough!!! No potholes . . . just washboard type roads. In any case, they SUCKED!!!
We thought it was going to shake everything out of the cabinets of the trailer and shake all the bolts loose. The only disaster we encountered was a 12 pack of cokes that fell out of the case inside the truck. The case was open and they all fell between the seat and door. I had to open the window so hubby could use his long arms to reach them instead of opening the door and having them all roll out and ‘spew’ everywhere. The only thing that happened inside the trailer was that the bedroom closet door opened and two small items fell out . . . nothing major! WHEW!! Oh . . . later, we found out that a cabinet shelf where we had more 12 packs of Coke had broken. No worries on that one tho . . . we only put our cases of drinks in that one. They can be stacked. Once we hit the Colorado border, the roads were like “butter” . . . either that or they just seemed like “butter” after the Oklahoma roads. So . . . for reference, try to stay off Highway 287 from just North of Stratford, Texas to the Colorado border!! Seriously, when you hit Colorado, the roads were AWESOME . . . 2 lane but wide lanes with wide shoulders. THANKFULLY it was only about 50 miles of bad roads.
Instead of driving all the way to Cherry Creek in Aurora, CO in one day, which was about a 7 hr drive from Amarillo, we decided to break the trip up and spend a night in Lamar, Co. That way IF the roads were really slow or we ran into trouble, we’d have plenty of time to adjust and adapt. It’s nice to get somewhere and not be really tired from driving all day and just sit back and relax . . . which we both needed desperately. In fact, we have decided to drive about 200-300 miles per day OR to be parked somewhere by around 3pm. . . . whichever comes first. That way we have time to set up and relax. . . or adapt our plans if needed.
Highway 287 – Lamar, CO to I-70 Nice 2 lane, nonbusy, flat road
The weather was AWESOME in Lamar, Co. . . . nice and cool!! They apparently they had some major wind, rain and hail come thru here the night before. We went from the 99-degree weather at home to the 60’s here!! AWESOME!!! We had the windows open with no A/C running . . . GLORIOUS weather!! There was a little bit of wind but nothing like we are used to. They say that Chicago is the “Windy City”!! I beg to differ!!!
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One of the first things we had to do was to cancel a Retirement Gift for my husband from our daughter. She knows that he has always wanted a Porche 911, 6 speed, Convertible. This was her 3rd attempt to get him a Retirement Gift. The first attempt was an Alaska fishing trip with her husband, Jon Nite, who was going there to write songs with someone. But it fell through. Her second attempt was a trip to St. John. However, the Hurricanes had other plans. Her third attempt was to rent a Porche 911 Convertible for him to drive for a day. She knows that he has always wanted a Porche 911 and thought it would make a great gift for him. However, once we realized the dates she rented it for, where the dealership was in relation to where we were camped, the logistics just were not workable, we had to cancel it. The dealership was about 87 miles from where we were going to be and that day was going to be a “moving day” or us. Had we gone to get it, the entire day would have been driving back and forth to the dealership. Which would be over the allotted 100 miles per day limit and we’d have to pay $1/mile after that for the gas . . . waste of money to not fully be able to enjoy it. Some may say “Third time is the charm” . . . not in this case . . . for now. Maybe next time we go to the Denver area he can get it. When he first heard he was getting this gift, he was all ready to take it up Pikes Peak . . . which, after seeing a video of that road, he would be going without me!!!! There is NO WAY I’d go up that in a ‘race car’!!! Apparently, it wouldn’t have happened anyway because later in the trip we found out that they have actually closed Pikes Peak to most traffic. You have to park and ride a passenger van up to the Summit now. The only ones that can drive up Pikes Peak are anyone with kids who need a car seat and the elderly who need assistance. Their vans cannot accommodate those persons.
UPDATE on Pikes Peak as of July 10, 018:
Shuttle no longer required for all drivers on Pikes Peak Highway
In the next episode, we will continue on Highway 287 and pick up I-70 to Cherry Creek where we stayed for 4-5 days. We have family in that area who we visited and even celebrated with a Niece who had just graduated from college.
Stay tuned for more excitement to come from “The Ole Rooster and his Hen” . . .
2018 Travel Journey begins Trip #1 (Part 1) SEASON 2018: Trip #1 (Part 1) We finally were able to get the "ORAH" Chalet out of storage and out for its first outing for the 2018 season.
NOVEMBER 11, 2017
During our trip to Foss Lake State Park, we made a list of items that we still needed to get from home or that we needed to shop for to finish stocking our RV for the remainder of our trip. So we headed back to Amarillo for a few days to get those items before continuing on to Albuquerque to be with Karen’s family for Thanksgiving.
Since we live in an apartment, we don’t have anywhere to park the RV to load and unload. So we get a couple of nights at our local RV Park, Fort Amarillo RV Park to take care of those chores. We spent these two days getting things moved from the apartment to the RV and getting the boxes unpacked. It is really a pain because the RV Park is about 5 miles away and we have to add 2 additional nights RV Park costs to our budget to do this. At least we have this option and, so far, we’ve not had a problem getting a space there. However, the really nice thing about doing this is, we get to be plugged into 50 amp service and can run the AC while we are getting all hot and sweaty, we have running water, the slides can be out and I have TV or radio to keep me entertained. I wouldn’t have those options if I were at the storage unit or at the apartment. So I guess it’s worth paying for 2 nights.
This particular time our grandson got to come stay the night with us. The older boys had something else planned but they all got to see the RV for the first time the next day when they picked up their little brother. Can you believe that we’ve had this RV for over 8 mths and this is the first time anyone has been able to see it because it’s been in/out of the shop or in storage so much. So it was nice to finally get to show it off.
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Even tho we were only here for a couple of days and most of it was loading, I decorated it for the family to see it in all it’s glory. After they came to see it, I packed it all up so we could continue on to Albuquerque, NM the next day.
Stay tuned for more excitement to come from “The Ole Rooster and his Hen” . . .
FINALLY – Trip #1: Part 2 NOVEMBER 11, 2017 During our trip to Foss Lake State Park, we made a list of items that we still needed to get from home or that we needed to shop for to finish stocking our RV for the remainder of our trip.
OMG! It’s happening . . . but don’t say it too loud, we don’t want to jinx things!!
We made it to RV General Store to pick up the RV. After some discussion about a missing blind . . . yep, we’re still missing one . . . and a drawer handle that broke off in my hand, we hit the road.
I guess it would be good to mention here what our electrical problems were in the RV. It was exactly what we hoped it was . . . the power cord was bad!!! Yep, five months of not being able to use our brand new RV because the power cord didn’t have a working ground!!! We are just glad that was all it was and not some elaborate electrical wiring issue that they would have to take months to trace. Just very frustrating that something so simple kept us from using it.
Having said that . . . we keep saying “Things happen for a reason”. That reason being . . . we were able to find out that the truck we purchased wasn’t safe for pulling the trailer . . . after pulling it back and forth to Oklahoma a couple of times. The tires were too big for the rims and it had some mechanical issues. This is part of the reason we couldn’t get the RV fixed was because the truck was in the shop and we couldn’t pull the RV back to the dealership in Oklahoma. Thankfully, we found all this out before we hit the road and had these issues on the road.
In short, we had the transmission replaced and some drive shafty thingies . . . don’t ask me to explain any more because I am not a mechanic and don’t understand any of it. All I know is that it cost a lot of money, it was in the shop for about a month and it kept us from getting our RV back to the dealership to get it fixed. Then after it was fixed we pulled the RV with it and the next time I drove it in town, it got stuck in 4th gear. So it was back in the shop for a week. It turned out to be a bad solenoid!! Thankfully, the mechanic had used a company with a GREAT warranty . . . so this repair was FREE!!! WHEW!!! I’m so DONE with RV & truck problems it’s not even funny!!! Now we should be good to travel safely . . . Things happen for a reason . . . right?
On one of our trips back home from Oklahoma without the RV, we decided to drive by FOSS State Park Lake to see if it was somewhere we’d like to stay to try things out instead of staying at a boring RV park in Oklahoma City. It’s less than 10 miles off I-40, about half way between our home in Amarillo, Tx and Oklahoma City and an easy in/out situation for us first timers. Since it’s close to the RV dealership we weren’t so far away and could take it back for repairs. We quickly decided that YES, this is where we’d like to stay. It has pull thru sites right by the water, some have nice shade trees and there is water & electricity. No sewer but they have a dump station. We even picked out which site we’d like to have so that we could call ahead to make a reservation when we were ready to stay there. We are so excited . . . we have a destination to take our RV out for the very first time!!!!
Fast forward to November 7, 2017 . . . If you’ve been following this blog, you will know that, if nothing goes wrong, this is actually our first “real time” camping in the Vanleigh Vilano 325RL since we bought it in May 2017. If you are reading this blog for the first time and would like to catch up, you can read the 10 part series titled “Maiden Voyage – Not what we expected”.
Lost a hubcap on the way here!! Not happy!!!
Day #1 . . . Today we get to try out our RV for “reals” this time!! We pull into FOSS State Park Lake get unhooked, get all the utilities hooked up and get settled in for the night. And we are FREEZING!! It’s so cold here!! We had been expecting to test out the air conditioning on our first trip . . . not the furnace! Up until now, at home, we’ve been in the 60-70’s and sometimes in the 80’s but today it was between 37-44 with wind!! Brrrrr! At least this time, hubby isn’t having heat stroke setting up camp like he did when it was hot and humid on our “fake” trial runs.
Day #2 – Our first night and this morning it’s still windy & 33 degrees!! But I’m happy to say . . We have been pretty cozy with the little space heater as a back up. The water lines haven’t frozen and we still have propane. This will test us on how long a tank of propane will last.
So far we have had only a couple of stumbling blocks . . A light panel wasn’t working . . . which I got fixed via a few text messages & pictures to the dealership service department; and our fireplace isn’t working. It worked when we originally picked it up, so we are confused as to why it’s not working now. However, we think that the ‘fried’ converter, ‘fried’ the FP. Thankfully, one of the things that I packed . . . just in case . . . was a small space heater. And the furnace works. There is no TV service (but I later figured it out) here but that is ok too. I packed some games, DVD’s and we have cell/data service on/off. Plus, we can Bluetooth Pandora for some music. We also purchased some $5 movies when we went to the store to stock up with food. Being Semi off-grid for a few days will be a good thing . . . we NEED the relaxation time!
I spent most of the day organizing what I could. We decided that since we were not going to be here that long, we wouldn’t put out any decorations. We lost a day since we had to stay in Oklahoma an extra day and this spot was reserved on Friday. We could have moved but made the decision to head home. There were some things we needed to get at home before we continued on with our trip. Our plans are to head to Albuquerque to be with my family for Thanksgiving.
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Enjoy this slide show of our 3 day stay here. It was really relaxing but we needed to get home to get the truck into the shop again to get checked out. Yep . . . more issues. It’s ‘shuddering’ going up hills again. So hubby isn’t comfortable taking it on another trip until he has it fixed. So we will just take the RV home, put it into storage while they fix the truck . . . AGAIN!!!
Stay tuned for more excitement to come from “The Ole Rooster and his Hen” . . .
Pinch me!!! Am I Dreaming? OMG! It's happening . . . but don't say it too loud, we don't want to jinx things!!
NOVEMBER 7, 2017
If you’ve been following this series of blog posts, you’ll remember that in It’s Getting Closer – Part 2 we left off with us being at RV General Store picking up our 5th Wheel after being in the shop for some repairs to the electrical system. In short, it turned out that it was as simple fix . . . a new power cord and a new converter, that the old power cord fried, was all it needed. This is the second one that has been replace because of a bad power cord. The power cord had a burnt out the ground and it was unable to charge the batteries correctly. So when we thought we were ‘plugged in’, we were not. Thankfully, it wasn’t something worse!! Just frustrating that it has kept us from being able to use our brand new 2016 Vilano 325RL for 5 months. . . until now!!! We are FINALLY getting to take a real trip in our new baby!!
In one of our trips back and forth from Amarillo, TX to Oklahoma City, OK to RV General Store, we decided to explore a State Park we kept seeing . . . Foss Lake State Park. It is half way between Amarillo & Oklahoma City and we thought it might be a place we could stay to give the RV a good trial run. Plus, we’d be close enough to RV General Store if we had any issues. We LOVED it this State Park!! There are several nice pull thru spots right on the lake and there are trees on most of them. The only disappointment is there are no sewer connections at the sites but they do have a dump station. Being new to this RVing thing, we’ll soon find out that is pretty much the case at most State Parks.
We picked up the RV and headed to Foss Lake State Park. Once we got to the campground, we picked out our spot, #9, and then went up to the station to pay for our stay. Our original plan was to stay 4 days. However, with our one day delay at dealership, we could only stay 3 days. The site we picked was booked on that fourth day. We were okay with it because we really wanted to get back to Amarillo to pick up some more things before heading out to our next destination. Each “trip” we’ve made, we have brought a few things. We can’t really call them trips because they were full of issues and we ended up back at the dealership . . . so this was a REAL TRIP. This trip to Foss Lake State Park was also to help us see what else we might need to load into or purchase for the RV since it was our first time to actually use the RV for any length of time over 1.5 days . . . that has been the time frame when all HELL would break loose!!
When we purchased our 2016 Vilano 324RL in May, we had planned on having to deal with HOT weather on our first trip(s). This trip was so different . . . it was COLD! and WINDY! Our first day there was spent inside the RV enjoying our beautiful views of the lake and just relaxing while we enjoyed finally getting to spend time in our new RV. At first we just listened to music because we couldn’t figure out how to find TV Channels. I had found them before at Fort Amarillo RV Park but for some reason I couldn’t figure it out here. It was the second day before I finally figured out what to do. OH . . . and we finally got to open up the nice bottle of Champagne that our realtor gave us when he sold our home to make this journey possible.
I should be hanging out by the cozy fire, instead it’s via an electric heater.
Since this was our first trip to actually spend more than 1.5 days in the RV, we wanted to use this time to test out as many of the features and systems as we could. Since it was so cold, the first thing we tried was the fireplace. Guess what? Yep, it didn’t work. So we had to break out the small space heater that I threw in . . . just in case. However, everything else seemed to work just fine. It seems kind of silly to point out things like the TV, shower, the toilet, the stove, microwave/convection combo, refrigerator, furnace, water pump, black/grey tanks switches and the Maxx vents all worked. Because the power cord fried two converters, we were surprised that nothing else got fried. That we knew of at the time. More about that later. However, during this trip, those items didn’t hinder us from enjoying it.
Speaking of cold and heat . . . we were very impressed how ‘cozy’ we were in this Rig. When we had a trailer before . . . years and years and years ago, it was not insulated. Knowing this is a recreational vehicle and not a home, we didn’t expect it to be so insulated. . . even tho it is advertised as being insulated for “full time living”. It also helps that we have double pane windows as well as having the night shades to block even more cold air out. So we were pleasantly surprised how comfortable we were in this colder weather. We shall see how it holds up in the heat later on in the summer.
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Our second and third days were much better. We got to walk around and explore the area. It was kind of weird . . . when we first got there, we had two neighbors. One left the second day and the other left on the third day. So at one time, we were the only one in the campground. In fact, the rangers (I think that’s what they were) drove by and when I stopped them to ask about a fishing license, one said “Did you run everyone off?” LOL!! I guess we did.
We never did get a fishing license because Walmart told us that Oklahoma no longer sold one day licenses. Then when I talked to the ranger, he said they did. By that time, it was too late to get one because we were leaving the next day. However, next Spring, we will be back and will be doing some fishing.
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This was just the beginning of our “first trip” . . .
Stay tuned for more excitement to come from “The Ole Rooster and his Hen” . . .
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FINALLY – Trip #1: Part 1 NOVEMBER 7, 2017 If you've been following this series of blog posts, you'll remember that in…
I know . . . it’s been a little over a month since my last . . . update. I bet you thought I was going to say something else huh?
Well, a lot has happened in a month and it’s all . . . mostly . . . good news! I hope you enjoy our journey on this “real” first maiden trip as I divide it into parts for easier reading at your leisure. Enjoy!
Continuing from the previous post of our RVing saga, we were in Dallas getting the truck fitted with a new computer system and cruise control and our stay in Carrollton, Tx was longer than we wanted it to be but pretty much how I expected it to be. Instead of just a couple of days, we were there for about a week. As I explained in my last post, we got a GREAT deal on a room at a Homewood Suites nearby the dealership. And that they gave us a loaner to use while we were there.
The Homewood Suites, as I mentioned in my previous post of our RVing saga, was an AWESOME place to stay. It had a full kitchen, a separate bedroom w/TV, large bathroom and large closet. The other amenities included an AWESOME hot breakfast every morning and a SUPER AWESOME Evening Social Mon thru Thurs. nights. Each night was a themed . . . Cheese/Fruit, Octoberfest, build your own PHO and Nacho night that included a soup, salad, beer and wine . . . for FREE!!! Oh . . . how could I forget . . . bottomless coffee, tea and lemon water at the front. As well as, all the freshly baked cookies you could eat!!! Unfortunately, I ate way too many of them . . . they were soooo yummy!!!
The day after we got to Dallas, we met with some friends for lunch. It was so great to get caught up since we haven’t seen each other in several years. Then we pretty much hung around the hotel the rest of the week. Why? Well . . . to save money and we hate driving in this town!! But we love Zoos and it’s been years since we’ve been to the Dallas Zoo . . . so we ventured out one day to check it out. It was a beautiful day and it was cool enough that the animals were out and about. We have NEVER been to a Zoo where the animals were so active. We also grabbed lunch there too and got to see the lion family while we ate. It was a great day! Until we headed back to the hotel . . .
Dallas . . .didn’t disappoint, traffic wise!!!! On the way back to the hotel, we had to get off the highway because my nerves were fraying due to the crazy traffic . . . not to mention the wreck that happened right behind us before getting off.
I saw this on a car in Dallas and thought it was funny!! If you need this bumper sticker, you probably shouldn’t be driving!! Just sayin’ !!
We decided to take the slower back roads back to the hotel!!!!! Just as we got onto the frontage road . . . which was also crazy busy . . . we had to squeeze over . . . not move over . . . SQUUEEEZZEEE over . . . to let an ambulance get by us.
Geeze Louise!!!
Once we got out of that traffic, I used the GPS to weave in/out of the side streets to get us back to the hotel. Of course the GPS is telling me to get back towards the highway . . . NO WAY!!!
On Saturday, we picked up the truck and, even though the RV General Store service center wouldn’t have anyone we were dealing with working over the weekend, we headed to Oklahoma. We wanted to be there when the doors opened on Monday . . . can you tell we’re excited to get our RV back and actually use it? LOL! We are so confident that we’ll be able to use the RV that we have the truck loaded with boxes that have items to be loaded into the RV to use on this first trip.
We found a hotel a little closer to the dealership in Norman, OK. The Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center which was beautiful but the rooms were not as nice as the Homewood Suites . . . it only had a microwave and mini refrigerator. Having said that . . . the breakfast was better. Not only did you have a buffet of items to choose from, they had ‘cook to order’ omelets!! Their “Evening Reception” wasn’t any where near as good as the Homewood Suites. They only had cheese, fruit, hummus, chips and dip every night. Nor did they have the bottomless coffee, tea and lemon water . . . and, the most sad part was . . . no cookies!! However, it was pretty much a full bar service for 2 hrs . . . for FREE!! Who doesn’t love FREE cocktails?
Our trip from Dallas to Oklahoma wasn’t without incident!! We were about 15 miles from Norman and traffic came to a stand still!! It took us about an hour to go that last 15 miles!!! We never saw what happened but the traffic never got above 60 mph but mostly we were able to go about 50 mpg or less!! What is with us and wrecks??? It’s kind of scary . . . knowing that we’re going to be doing a lot of traveling once we get our RV back. We just try not to think about . . . but it’s always in the back of both of our minds.
Unfortunately, when we arrived at RV General Store, the lady we’d been dealing with was out sick and nobody knew what was going on. Apparently, she didn’t inform anyone that we were coming and the reception lady in the service center couldn’t believe that we didn’t have an appointment!!
We decided to get a hotel for another night. Here we are supposed to be saving money by having an RV to travel and stay in, yet we are paying for hotels!! NO BUENO!!!
We found an inexpensive hotel near by called the Candlewood Suites (no website to link to) in Moore, OK. Even tho this one didn’t have all the ‘swanky’ amenities as the other two hotels we stayed at, this was a great place for a lot less money. It is mainly ‘rented’ out to people who live there and this room was the last one they had for us. That was all we needed. It had some GREAT amenities for an inexpensive hotel thought. For example . . . the guest laundry facilities are FREE!!! Did you read that? FREE!!! AND they were nice ones too. We looked to do laundry at one of the other places we stayed at but it was like $2 per load. We decided to wait until we got home. That is, until we found this place. If you live there, you get weekly maid service, there is a really nice fitness center, however, no pool. They have a convenience store that is open 24/7 and there is a nice propane BBQ grill under a gazebo with a table for guests to use. The guy at the front desk was super friendly and helpful.
We hope that is our last hotel that we will have to stay in. Because tomorrow we pick up the RV . . . hopefully, for the last time.
Stay tuned for more excitement to come from “The Ole Rooster and his Hen” . . .
It’s Getting Closer – Part 2 I know . . . it's been a little over a month since my last . .
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There is still time!!! You have a couple more days to shop my store for your last minute gifts and/or stocking stuffers.
I know it’s been a while since I’ve been able to do an update on our travel plans and the 5th Wheel & truck. It has been a crazy ride but I think we are getting closer to actually being able to take a trip before winter sets in.
During this time we’ve had the truck in the shop a couple of times for basically the same thing . . . a new transmission. Well, we had a lot more work done on it but this woman has no idea what was done . . . just that everything should be . . . “should” being the operative word . . . should be brand new. However, after a trip to take the RV back to Oklahoma City for the needed repairs, we had to put the truck back in the shop. Why? Well, initially, we were taking it in to get a ‘blinker light’ replaced. As I was leaving the apartment complex the truck made a terrible ‘clunk’ sound. Then I noticed that I was in 4th gear and when I’d try to put it into Drive, it dropped back to 4th gear. I pulled over and hubby, who was following me, saw me and pulled over to see what was wrong. I told him what happened and he said “Just go ahead and take it in to the mechanic and we’ll have him fix the bulb and see what else is going on.” Almost 2 weeks later and a new ‘solenoid’ installed, we get the truck back. Thankfully, it was covered by the warranty on the new transmission we had put it.
At the writing of this post, we are in Dallas getting the cruise control put in the truck. This is something that we’ve been waiting to do since we purchased it in May 2017!! On our way home from purchasing it, we realized that the cruise control didn’t work and we’ve been in contact with the dealer ever since to get it fixed. However, with all the time the truck and RV have been at their respective shops we haven’t been able to make it back to Dallas to get it done.
We got to Dallas on Sunday and dropped the truck off at the shop on Monday. They were able to get a loaner vehicle for us to use. It was funny because they didn’t realize that we were going to stay here while they worked on the truck. At first, they weren’t going to give us a loaner because they’d have to take their ‘inventory’ offline . . . they deal with mostly online sales . . . which is how we found the truck we bought from them. Then when they found out we were staying in Dallas, they found an SUV for us to use.
The auto dealer did their own diagnosis on the truck, tried one fix that didn’t work and ended up putting a new computer system in the truck yesterday. Now they are waiting on a company to come program it. Again, we are waiting.
When we made hotel arrangements before coming here, we were unsure of how long it would take them but assumed that we would be here until Thursday and then head to OKC to get the RV. Well, it’s Friday and we are still here. Which means we’ve extended our hotel stay. Even tho we are paying for a hotel for a week, we are saving lots of money on food. This hotel not only has a great breakfast in the morning but they have a themed ‘Social Hour’ in the evening. We have had Oktoberfest night, make your own Pho night, Nacho night and Cheese & Fruit night. Each night has a make your own salad, freshly baked cookies, beer, wine, lemonade, tea and coffee. So far, not including the cost of the room, we have only spend $50!! That includes going the the Dallas Zoo, lunch at the Zoo and a small trip to Walmart for some drinks and snacks for the room.
Speaking of the Zoo . . . we had a great afternoon there. When we travel, we try to go see the local Zoo because we both love animals!! Yet when we go, we never really get to see many animals being very active. Mainly because we go in the summer time when we would take our vacations and it was just too hot and the animals were hot and just laid around. This time they were ALL active!! It was awesome!!
The drive to the Zoo wasn’t bad . . . remember, we are in Dallas!!!! The drive back to the hotel was AWFUL!!! We were on the highway and it was 5 o’clock traffic . . . well, it was actually only about 4:15pm!!!! At one point, we had to come to a pretty quick stop and we heard screeching of tires and then a crash behind us!!! I never saw the wreck but I saw a truck & car pull off the road beside us. I quickly got off the highway and took the back roads back to the hotel!! We will continue to stay off the highways while here in Dallas . . . they are just too dangerous!!! On the plus side . . . when we came into Dallas, all the construction that was going on in this area when we were here in May was completed. Thank GOODNESS!!!!
Our next hurdle is to get the Vilano back. After we get done here, we have made reservations in Norman, Ok, which is near the RV Dealership, to stay a couple of nights while we go check out the repairs on the Vilano. If all goes well, the repairs will be completed and acceptable and we can head to Foss State Park, between Clinton & Elk City, OK, to spend our first week in the Vilano. Hopefully we will be able to check out all the other features of the RV that we haven’t been able to try. This will also give us a chance to take inventory and access what else we might need to load into the RV from home, or what we may need to purchase, before our next trip. If everything works, we’ll head back to Amarillo for a night to get those additional items and then head to New Mexico for a couple of weeks where we hope to spend Thanksgiving with our family.
I’m hoping that my next post will be from Foss State Park next week. Until then . . .
Stay tuned for more excitement to come from “The Ole Rooster and his Hen” . . .
It’s Getting Closer I know it's been a while since I've been able to do an update on our travel plans and the 5th Wheel & truck.