HERE WE GO AGAIN...
My Solo Road S2 Ep1 | Let's Try This Again
After a long break from the podcast, I am back and feeling better than ever! I am so excited to update you this week on everything that has been going on with my life. I overshare per usual about my relationship with Henry, the new van coming soon and the dogs, of course.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
INTRODUCTION
After a long hiatus, we’re back! This is one of those “sorry I didn’t text back” moments and we have a lot to catch up on. So in this solo episode, I’m getting back to oversharing all of the life updates you’ve been curious about from this past year. We’re diving into an update on Ella, Pearl, and Finn (and our foster dog Abigail!), how mine and Henry’s relationship is, my new van build, what I’ve been working on BTS, and of course, a mental health update. I am so grateful that you are here and we are officially back with a juicy new season full of friend interviews with different perspectives from van life to home life. So grab your wine, coffee, beer, drink of choice, and hang out with me for this update!
AN UPDATE ON THE FAMILY
- Ella is fantastic and she is thriving. She’s growing into this beautiful 4 year old dog that always listens to me and Henry so well.
- Pearl is always killing it but to be completely honest, she’s going through some butt issues right now and she’s not a fan of our foster dog Abigail.
- Finn and I have really developed a relationship and I feel like his mom.
- We rescued our foster dog Abigail in Mexico (more on that in next week’s episode!) But I had told Henry that I wanted to foster a dog that we rescued on this trip. The day we got there, we went to one of our favorite taco stands with Pris from Los Adoptables, and the employees told us that this dog had just been dumped there. So I walked from behind and grabbed her.
- We got her vaccinated and we are going to get her spayed immediately. She was a picky eater when we first got her but she just started eating dog food.
- We do not feel comfortable maxing out the number of dogs we can have on the road so we will not be keeping her. We are passionate about fostering and we know that if we kept her we wouldn’t be able to continue fostering. And we’d like to get a dog that all of our dogs do well with.
- My relationship with Henry is great and we will be deep diving into that, on NEXT week’s episode. We are both in therapy and it’s important to me to have a partner who is invested in me, the relationship, and improving himself as a person. We both have that vision and mission for our lives.
MY NEW VAN
- I bought a 2022 Ford Transit, extended cab, all wheel drive van. I have been in my current van for 4 years and had a sprinter before that. It is my first ever brand new vehicle!
- I was feeling stale in my current van and feel the need to be creative in my design aspects so Henry said why don’t you look into getting a new van.
- Ford Transits were a year out in the waiting list + vans right now are very hard to get. You either have to pay an astronomical amount of money for a new van or find one on vanlifetrader.com.
- We found one, called a dealership, and the person that they sold it to fell through the next day. So I bought it!
- Since I now had two vans, I called around to a few different builders, but I met the owner of Socal Custom Vans in San Diego at TinyFest a few months prior so I called them. They are working on the van and it should be done by the end of the year.
- With this build, I’m getting a Laveo dry flush toilet. The only downside to this toilet is that it’s over a dollar per flush. But if you use the pee powder (literally looks like seasoning), it turns your pee to gel and you only have to flush every few pee’s.
- It’s not as big as a composting toilet and it’s not plumbed through the van like they are. This one has its own battery and I can use it wherever + with leave no trace rules changing it’s becoming better to not poop outside as much.
- I’m also getting an outdoor shower, a low fixed bed, Isotherm fridge, a stove + oven unit (I can now make cookies and pizza!), a pocket door, and a little space for Pearl!
- When the new van is ready I’ll be selling my current one but I’m not looking for an owner yet. I want to fix it up and it will probably be listed in early spring 2023 if you’re interested!
BUYING A HOUSE
- Buying a house is definitely still something we want to do soon. I have been on the road full time for 5 years and in the last 2 years I’ve become more of a business. So a reliable office space would be good.
- We went to my best friend Tegan’s company and our finances looked like a disaster. Since we both own businesses, we write a lot of things off. So buying a house this year isn’t going to happen. Which works out because I was stressed out financially + emotionally since I just bought the van.
- The house will stay on the backburner until we are ready!
WHERE I’VE BEEN + UPCOMING TRAVEL PLANS
- We went to the PNW and I absolutely loved Bellingham, Washington. It was so much fun and very van friendly.
- We have been to Utah, Northern Arizona and I recently flew to Orlando to surprise my mom (you can watch that sweet video here). My mom, sister, and I all went to Disney as a family.
- I am currently in Joshua Tree and will be headed to Arizona for TinyFest, then I will be heading to San Diego for my van. I am seeing my friends go to Baha, Mexico and it’s one of my favorite places ever so we will be going there early next year.
- I am also doing 5 international trips with TrovaTrip in 2023! I mixed up the dates in the episode but they are: Costa Rica in March, Bali in June, Costa Rica in July, Morocco in September, and then Thailand in November!
- There will be 20 people coming with me and there is 1 spot available for Bali in May and 2 spots available for Costa Rica in July. I will be hosting them and my friend Shay (@geneandshay) is coming on 4 of the 5 and my mom is coming on the last one! It will be memorable!
SECRET NEW PROJECT + DIVINE ON THE ROAST
- I only released this secret once on my finsta (divineofftheroad) but I am launching a clothing line! It’s going to be called “Roads of Gold” and we’re going to have different van life related quotes and sayings on the back of hoodies, t-shirts, tank tops, and crewnecks.
- There are a lot of phrases that don’t apply to van life and I wanted to turn some of those phrases to more van life specific ones.
- I went to school for fashion business and a long term dream of mine has been to have a clothing line so this feels like a dream come true.
- I have been trying to make all of this the best quality possible. I’m not using already made shirts and hoodies, they are completely custom.
- They will be launching summer 2023 and I would like to launch a collection every 2-3 months for as many years as I can.
- In the meantime, I still sell my coffee, Divine On The Roast! I have a light roast (morning light), a medium roast (my solo roast), a dark roast (pick me up pearl), espresso roast (ellaspresso) and a decaf (destination decaf) + stickers and mugs. And I used to swear by stumptown coffee but I ran out of mine for the first time in 2 years so I bought some. I made it for Henry and he wouldn’t even drink it. If that’s not good marketing for my coffee, I don’t know what is.
MENTAL HEALTH UPDATE
- I have been in therapy and it’s fantastic. I found a therapist that I love but she was showing up late and since I have been working through being a people pleaser, I called her out very nicely. She was receptive and was never late again.
- She does talk therapy and she recommended EMDR Therapy (1 experience tackled at a time) to dive deeper into experience. It’s not something that I am in dire need of. I’ve worked through a lot of my shit but I wanted to do EMDR because I am on a quest to become the best 30 year old and 40 year old I can be. I really want to close certain chapters, heal from them and know + feel confidently that I have dealt with those things.
- Henry and I have been more open with each other about our mental health, feelings as individuals, feelings as a couple, which has been really helpful. Right now I feel extremely solid and blessed to have my circle of people around me.
- I struggled with social anxiety in the past and I don’t deal with it that much anymore. I now know the tools I need to go into social gatherings and events like is it inside or outside? How many people are coming? I like knowing the details.
- I am also a way more confident person. I’m not as insecure + feel better in my own skin. So I have been reading, meditating and chilling. I’m riding the wave that I am right now, enjoying my life. Taking in and soaking in every minute for a happy life.
BOOK/SHOW RECS + SUMMARY
My book recommendation is “Then She Was Gone”. It was the first book in a long time that perfectly held my attention. I love mysteries, so if you can’t find a book that captures your attention, read that one! I’m also reading “Designing Your Life” a self help book and I’ll be starting “The Silent Patient” soon. My show recommendation is “From Scratch” . I absolutely loved it. That’s the life update and what has been going on this past year for me. I am also not one to celebrate numbers, but I hit 1 million followers on TikTok! I am so grateful for each and every one of you that follows me on TikTok, Instagram, tunes in to listen about my life on the road, and/or supports me in any way. Thank you for being here!
WRITTEN BY: Sanne Klein
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
