Shannon & Ben's Engagement Party in Seattle

We had a great weekend up in Seattle with Shannon and Ben as well as all of Steve's family. The party was fantastic, breakfast the next morning at Connie's was delicious and then another overnight on Whidby Island where the wedding will take place summer 2011. It's always fun to hang out with Bannon and we thank them for all of their efforts!

How cute is this!

The elves came again!

More art, more fun, more thank yous!

How we Converted

It took four months of collecting, gathering and working to bring this house bus to fruition. She's now complete. We still have some kinks to workout but we could leave for Mexico tomorrow and live like kings. We still want to order screens for the windows which will cost a bit but all total - it looks like $4500 from beginning to end. This was a really fun family project and we hope in a year from now we'll still be Living Life Free because Life is Good!


ITEMS WE FOUND FREEEEEE
wood flooring (freecycle)
egg crate foam (freecycle)
insulation/cabinets/paint (Pierce family)
awesome carpet squares (Tom Byrne)
Metal cabinet aka sheet metal (free on craigslist)
2 Futon Frames (freecycle)
Orange,yellow,red,blue,green paint (everywhere)
Wood Burning Stove (thank you Craigslist guy)
Bricks (Pierce Family)
Grey Water Tank (Craigslist Free)
Wood Flooring & Cabinets (Kevin O'Connor)
Thai Fabric (Marlene)
Wood door for Headboard (Byrne family)
Futon Mattress (Carol Dopp)
Sink and Faucet (Free Craigslist)
Tiles (Meredith)
Coreboard (Richard & big Tom)
Generator (R&M for Anniversary:)
2x2 pieces (John & Angie)
Cabinet doors (Katie & Matt)
Masonite (Nathan, Jane's Daddy)

COST BREAKDOWN
$1800 School Bus
$1 Foam from Garage Sale
$17 Fabric for dining room cushions (sun vinyl)
$17 bolts for seat belts/nail gun nails
$4 Rust remover for stove
$406 New registration (holy moly!)
$19 Floor supplies paint/brushes
$8 Wallboard from Rebuilding Center
$25 Metal Cutter Blades /lead test kit
$150 Propane Stove
$4 Spray Paint for Door/Windows
$32 Plywood for Bed
$50 lights/water tank/pump/belts
$7 Fabric from thrift store
$27 Fabric for Couch (sun worthy)
$650 RV Fridge/Toilet/Air Conditioner
$10 Fridge propane adapter
$350 Plumbing Supplies
$50 Super Bad extension cord
$24 Window tinting & battery stuff
$108 Super Special Rv Batteries
$10 Metal putty
$64 Spray Paint for Ceiling Color
$20 Propane Heater
$20 Screws/Drill bits/Plumbing
$30 Wood Putty and spray paint
$65 Toggles and Magnets
$45 Scrap Metal
$360 Screens/Window Tinting
Total $4346 thus far (10/09)

O'Connor Manzanita Weekend

After eating bacon, making sandcastles and whoppin ass in Scrabble, we decided canoeing on the Nehalem River was in store. It was super fun to watch the salmon jumping out of the water and Kevin and Kelsi showing us their canoe style.
Ze boys and Helena.
Christmas card photo, sorry.
The old O'Connor left/right zigzag marriage buster maneuver! (Shout out to couples that canoe together, stay together!)

That's Kevin grabbing onto our boat with his paddle - cheatin'! Thanks Kevin for inviting us, as always. We had a great time!

Another One of those Trips

Our friend Suzy told us about this place for scrap metal. We needed some more pieces to cover up some outside windows and think about a roof rack. Unfortunately, they didn't have exactly what we needed but we bought some used and new materials that will work. Oh the Places You'll Go!

Toggles and Cupboards

Before
and after
See that little switch - works great!
It's been a busy couple of weeks of work on the school bus. Not much of it is zexy though! Basically, just doing the last bits of here and theres. Steve finished our book cupboards and I painted them. We spent $65 on magnets to keep the doors and drawers shut going around corners and toggle switches for the lights. We have been looking for used RV lights all summer and finally decided to keep the original bus lights but just put these cool switches on them. They drain more light than a flourescent but I cannot read under one of those anyway. These thingies were $4/each and 12V lights new are about $40. So, now we have light and bookshelves!

Casey's 1st Haircut

Sadly, Gene Wilder is gone and Casey, the little boy has arrived. Although he is pretty stinkin cute!