We are happy campers!  Why?  Because at 24 (26 for Andrew) we own our own home debt free – and that’s kind of amazing.  Also because we live at a campground…

And yes, our home does indeed have wheels, which means “Home is Where You Park It.”  So currently home is parked at Greenbelt Park and Campground, which is amazingly beautiful, quiet and serene for being a stone’s throw from the Beltway and on the periphery of Washington, DC.  Just look at the view from our front yard!

We are fortunate enough to have one of the prime spots on the campground since we are volunteering as campground hosts until October 31, when new hosts take over our spot.  So what exactly does being a campground host entail?

Well in this case its a whole lot of this…

And this…

…and not a whole lot of anything else…  That’s because I’m pretty sure the National Park Service took pity on us (thank you!) and is basically allowing us to be pretend campground hosts – living with full hookups at no cost, but without any real responsibilities as hosts.  This is just because they had scheduled hosts cancel at the last-minute and had a short spot open before new hosts arrived.

But we are not alone – the real keepers of the campground are Richard and Kay, our hard-working co-hosts.  Richard and Kay are retired and have been “full-timers” for 12 years now, traveling all across the country from Big Bend to the Grand Tetons to Yellowstone. (“Full-timers” is a term used in the camping world to refer to those who camp as a lifestyle, rather than recreationally.)  They are kind enough to show us the ropes and share with us their knowledge and experiences.

While this semi-fake campground hosting experience is a nice way to ease into our new lives as full-timers, I certainly don’t expect other hosting gigs to be this easy.  But on the upside, it does leave us plenty of time for walks

and drinking tea

and play!

So we are definitely enjoying it – runs around the park, cooking delicious meats and veggies on the grill, breathing in the brisk fall air… But it’s already time to start thinking about our next move.  Ideas?