Meet Jimmy,

My tiny house on wheels.

Anyone who knows me + even for some who really don't know me other than from social media, know that I love to travel. Travel is my PASSION. Hands down - my very favorite thing to do in life. I started 2020 on such a high note. I left for Bali + met a handful of friends over in Indonesia in the middle of February. Just as coronavirus or Covid-19 started to get hot over in China. Having never been to South East Asia, I had no idea what to expect aside from the multitude of fabulous photos I liked, cropped + saved prior to my trip. Well, let me tell you, if you haven't been to Bali, I highly recommend it. It was a 5 star trip. Full of yoga, exploring, monkeys, delicious food, bushwhacking adventures, relaxing in rainforest pools, 5 star resorts to waking up by roosters in the middle of the rainforest in tiny villas. The people were incredibly nice. I had the best massages + spa treatments of my life, while soaking in natural hot springs. I would relive this trip a thousand times if I could. But, this post isn't about how magnificent Bali was... perhaps I'll go into more depth about that in another post. So, let me get down to business. This post is about what happened after I returned from Bali + how my magical 1994 dodge van named Jimmy came to be.

When I returned from Bali in the middle of March, Covid had made its way into the US + within two weeks we were on lockdown here in New Hampshire. Imagine having a trip of a lifetime, feeling completely inspired, refreshed + motivated just to get locked up in your house in the middle of a cold New England winter. BUZZZZZ KILLLL. It totally was. A complete + utter buzz kill. So like so many, I turned to social media for entertainment. While cooped up in my bedroom I came across an account on Instagram. There was this girl who who had transformed (what looked like a run down) van into a beautiful (+ I mean beautiful) little log cabin of a tiny house. I creeped hard on her page + she had actually been living in this van full-time for a while at this point. She had the most gorgeous photos of the many adventures her house on wheels had brought her. It was an Ah Ha moment! I haven't had many of these in my life, but this was most definitely one of them. My passion for travel did NOT have to end just because of a little thing called a global pandemic. So there my search for my very own van began.

@Michelle.lawrencee

I reached out to Michelle on Instagram who inspired me to get a van of my own + picked her brain about how to go about the search. What to look for in such an old vehicle. What problems she's run into since starting van life etc. I wanted to be as prepared as any one person can be in such a pursuit. I looked throughout craigslist + Facebook marketplace for weeks + then months. My boyfriend + friends thought I was crazy, my dad said that it was his dream + idea, but I didn't care. I've always been doer + once I've set my mind to something, good luck trying to get me to change it. I guess that's the Sagittarius in me.

After months of searching I found it. My van. In my very own hometown. It was love at first sight. My aunt went with me to check him out + he was perfect. Not having any knowledge of mechanics whatsoever, I couldn't see any rust on the frame (which seemed like a good sign) + I took it for a test drive. It didn't drive like my brand new car but, it seemed to run just fine. I tried to negotiate down the price + came back with a check that very same day.

The last owner of my van was named Jimmy. He was having some second thoughts about selling him when I arrived, so I decided to name my van in honor of him. For rehoming him to me.

Van Build

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of human souls." - Dieter F Uchidorf

Let me preface this with, I am a hairstylist by trade. I have never really built anything aside from assembling IKEA furniture. Thankfully my uncle is a builder + my cousins have worked under him + offered their help in assisting me with this "little" side project.

The worst part about the build was stripping Jimmy down to his bare bones. It was DIRTY work my friends. Filthy. I mean, this thing was almost as old as I am.

Once it was down to bare bones, we added insulation, laminate wood flooring, walls, a ceiling, put a fan + solar panels on the roof, electricity, a bed frame, cabinets + all the finishing touches it needed to become a tiny house. Easier said than done. I also added a sink in mine, so that I could do dishes when traveling. Everyone's van build layout may be different depending one what suits you + your needs. I love to cook + wanted to make it easy to do so inside. It took 3 months to get Jimmy to his state of glory. And then, it was time to decorate.

Maiden Voyage

So due to many other covid related "roadblocks" if you will, there was about a month halt on the van build. My goal of having it done before peak season (for you none New Englanders who don't know what peak season is its when the leaves are at their "peak" or brightest + most beautiful) didn't come to fruition this year. Instead, we decided to take Jimmy up north to Burlington, VT for his maiden voyage for my birthday in Mid December. It was unseasonably warm for December + thank god because we weren't sure how the first trip in the van would go.

I'm happy to report it went off without a hitch. Well, for the most part. Our water pump to the sink wouldn't pump the water, so we washed our dishes by filling up cups + rinsing between scrubs. We also lost power at one point, which ended up being okay because we were able to charge our phones + computer in a restaurant at breakfast.

The only changes I would make in Jimmy would be adding a little side table for warm weather months that folds up from the door to give more counter space + perhaps a little shelf above the sink to hold spices + things of that nature.

I can't wait to plan another adventure now that the holiday season has ended. And, I can't wait to share them with you all here!