Boy, life is changing. “Adventure is out there!”
What is next.. what is the next.. goal, achievement, adventure, place, choice?
Our little family, is still grieving the passing of our matriarch Gus. I honestly haven’t been able to fully process her passing. It still feels unreal, my ears strain to hear her piggy noises, my nose even craves to smell her farts. She was everywhere, invading every piece of your soul. A presence like that is earth shattearring in its absence. We are trying to adjust and cope as best as we can, putting one foot in front of the other.
For obvious reasons, the holidays this year were different. We spent them just outside of Asheville, NC. Because of the surge in COVID, we were not able to spend time with family or friends. We had a nice couple days eating good food and opening presents. EL and I attempted to make the feast of the.. two.. fishes to honor her traditions and Cardamom Old Fashion Doughnuts to honor mine. New years was a quiet affair spent on our couch and crashing by 10pm.
It hasn’t been all lazy days and couch sits.
We have done a lot of work on our camper. We needed the distraction of projects to help us get through some days. We remodeled our kitchen and slide. The kitchen - we painted the cabinets and put up a subway tile backsplash. The slide - we ripped up the carpet. Who puts carpet in a camper these days? It’s gross! It. Had. To. Go. We put down vinyl stick and peel tiles that match our current floors. We ripped out our dinette, replaced the table, and painted the remaining bench. I replaced our lights with new fixtures EL found. If you are in the travel community and want to replace your light fixtures, it is easy once you know what you have to work with. We also painted our entertainment center. Whooooo, tired yet?
Amidst everything above, I have been struggling with my mental health. My PTSD, anxiety, depression and now…. ADHD!… Have been kicking my ass. I am working with a psych for medication management to try to get a handle on it enough so that it isn’t drowning me. I am learning tips and tricks to control my symptoms so I can live a more enjoyable life. Who knew so much of myself that I blamed as faults and flaws was actually undiagnosed and unmanaged ADHD? EL has been a blessing. I am learning to have patience with myself, and ask others for the same, as I find my way out of the weeds.
So what is next?
I always said ”if I failed at being a doctor, I would become a chef.” New Years, EL treated me with Lamb Chops. I made a quick time-lapse of the cookery and received such attention, it reminded me of my cooking dream. After watching a show that had several social media chefs, that even my skeptical mind was screaming how the food should be treated/cooked. Well, light bulb… why don’t I try my hand at being a social media chef? I love to cook and I love to share and teach. Living the little life in a tiny home with an even tinier kitchen has its challenges for cooking. I aim to show people you do not need a lot to make delicious food. All you need is a little creativity. Check out and subscribe to the new littleLIFECHEF youtube channel:
Stay tuned for more updates! -Jai