"The Season" in Tempe

Well we moved to our new spot this month.  The move went very smoothly - we only had to drive around the pool!  Our new spot costs $538/month - we save $82/month compared to our past spot.  The space/pad is slightly smaller, but our rig is smaller than many in the park.  Another family we have befriended has a fifth wheel trailer that weighs 24,000 lbs and is around 35 feet!  We are at 6,500 lbs and 29 feet.

No neighbors on either side

On the plus side we have a very short walk to the trash!

Orange trees behind us!

Over the past month we have been dealing with a leak under our kitchen sink.  The thing that was so frustrating was that we could not identify where the water was coming from for the longest time.  I actually think the leak has been there since we bought the Hideout it's just gotten worse over time.  We would wake in the morning and there would be a puddle.  We would dry it and check it all day and no new water.  We thought it was condensation because the weather is getting much cooler at night - but eventually the amount of water was too much to be explained by condensation.  Finally Husband connected our use of the water heater to the puddle.  It turns out that we would turn on the water heater in the evening to bathe the kids and leave it on overnight so I could shower before work then we would turn it off during the day.  Every time we would turn it on the change in pressure would force water out.  When we figured that out then we were able to look for the offending connection.  We considered taking the Hideout to the dealer since it is under warranty, but the whole prospect of taking it in and not knowing how long we would be without it just was too overwhelming.  In the end Husband found the problem and did some plumbing to save us the hassle of taking it in.  However going through the thought experiment of taking it in has been beneficial since we know we do have warranty work that needs to be done prior to June 2018 (when our year warranty is up).  ....always so many things to consider.

On another note, we still have not sold our Fiesta, but we haven't been trying too hard.  We rejected an offer that seemed too low and since then I have had a change of heart about selling it.  It's such cheap transportation and since we are the original owners we know about it's history.  We really don't need three vehicles, but at some point one of the small vehicles will need a repair not worth completing and when that time comes we can use the other one.  In the meantime we have been able to park our third vehicle at a friend's house as only two are allowed here.  With all the other changes we drive a lot less - less miles, less wear and tear.  We could probably make our current vehicles last two to four more years before we have to buy something.  I am feeling like that is the right thing to do.  Why spend money we don't have to?  So far they are reliable, though the mileage is climbing on both.  I think we have nearly 140,000 miles on the Yaris and 95,000 on the Fiesta.  The only question is where we will park two vehicles over the summer.?  We have a spot for one, but not the other.

Finally, I want to say that I love my job teaching undergraduate students.  I thought it would be great and it is.  I was offered the opportunity to teach online classes over the summer (maybe two) and I will probably do that for one of the two summer sessions - the pay is good and they are classes I have already taught...I think it it will be manageable as long as I can figure out how to ensure reliable internet over the summer during our travels.  It's good to have a little extra cash in the budget for traveling as well!