Trusting Your Intuition Even When Logic Doesn't Add Up

It all started with an article in a magazine.

In 2020, Mike and I were looking to invest in rental properties, & at the time, I just couldn’t stomach the interest rates (little did I know) & then I stumbled upon an article about airstream renovation companies - and then I knew. I immediately had this “Yes” feeling which I have learned not to question.

A few years before, I had a 10 year vision, that we would have a second property somewhere surrounded by nature - whether that be the ocean, mountains, or forest. To me, airstreams are the epitome of flexibility & adventure, which are deep values for both Mike and I individually & as a couple. At the time I was reading the article, we didn’t have an airstream (or had even set foot in one), we didn’t know where we wanted to be geographically, no tow vehicle & only had an idea of a budget in mind. Looking back, it sounds absolutely crazy how little details we had nailed down before signing a contract with our renovation company in Bend Oregon, but we both had a solid peace in our hearts that this was the move - that this was the next right step of intention for us.

While we expected the process to take 2 years - we had no idea all the challenges that would come our way - with pretty much every major milestone being delayed by several months, if not years, which would eventually lead to the finish line being 5 years later.

While the actual journey of our airstream, Maggie, didn’t start until a year later than anticipated, we used that “in-between” time to gather as much information we could to inform our decisions for the future. One of the most important things we did, was randomly stopping by an RV lot that had airstreams, so we could literally stand inside one to know the length & potential features we wanted. I look back on that experience fondly because we were on a road trip, heading home from visiting family, and we just happened to drive by the lot with only 30 minutes left before they closed. The people at the lot were so kind & excited to help us in our unconventional journey.

Then our journey began - as I started writing this timeline, I realized exactly how much happened in these years. So, I’ve decided that this will be a somewhat high-level timeline & I’ll be sharing more details throughout the next few weeks - including unexpected challenges, meaningful moments & what it took for us to stay the course in our vision…

An Unexpected Journey:

May 2022: Part of our contract included the company sourcing a vintage airstream for us - this took a huge weight off our shoulders because just like a house renovation, we needed to know if the airstream had good bones. We bought a 29 foot 1972 Airstream Ambassador International in Walla Walla Washington, named her Maggie, & had her towed to Bend where she would wait to be renovated.

August 2022: We had a chance to fly to Bend to see her in person before the renovation began.

February 2023: We started the design process from how we wanted the layout to be, to the materials used, & fixtures throughout.

March 2023: We were debating between having Maggie be in the Russian River Valley in CA or the Finger Lakes in NY. We had friends with connections to relators & management companies in both places so that narrowed it down from anywhere in the US to just these two areas. I knew I loved California, but we wanted to also see if we liked the area in New York as well. Turns out that we fell in love. Out there, in the Finger Lakes, feels like a mixture between the vineyards of California, the small towns of Colorado, & the peaceful feeling you get when you are grateful for the small things.

June 2023: We went back out to NY to meet our relator & also drive around to potential properties. At this point, we weren’t sure if we would buy raw land (nothing on it) or if wanted structures already built (cabin, water, electric, sewer) etc.

September 2023: The Shell Off Renovation Started! 

November 2023: A little between June until now, we had decided on a set amount that we were willing to purchasing property for - because the airstream renovation timeline was ambiguous & always changing, we struggled with not wanting to buy property too early, having to sustain the costs until the airstream was ready. We felt like the amount we decided on was doable, regardless on when the airstream was done. Turns out, a piece of property that had gone up for sale, & immediately was pending, came back on the market & the owner was open to waiting to sell until we had a chance to fly out. Within days of seeing the listing, we were back in New York. I remember pulling up to the property, at the perfect time right before the sun was setting - and I looked up & immediately thought, “Yes”. I knew it right away, just like I knew when I read that article three years before. The price was lower than our set amount & our offer was accepted. Maggie officially had a home.

February 2024: We flew back out to our property to map out the layout of everything - Since everything was a blank canvas, we needed to install a well, septic system, electricity, driveway, hook up pad (so that Maggie could be plugged in & virtually exactly like a tiny home giving you the comforts of a home while also being adventurous in an airstream). This learning process alone was incredibly difficult. We also met a couple of contractors & the one we decided to work with was a breath of fresh air - he understood our vision & felt like an old friend - having him as a sounding board throughout our process was a gift. Again, as soon as I met him, I immediately thought, “Yes”. We also set up our business bank accounts with a local bank - I cannot tell you how much it meant for a bank to value us as people & support us as entrepreneurs.

During this month, we also bought a tow vehicle so we could pick up Maggie in Bend & take her up to New York - this in itself is a crazy story that I can’t wait to share!

March 2024: Through lots of waiting for the soil on the land to drain (turns out there is an abundance of springs on our land) construction started!

August 2024: Maggie was delivered to Kansas City to await for the property to be finished.

September 2024: We spent this month gathering all of the things we had bought for the inside of Maggie & buying things we hadn’t gotten yet - let me tell you - I don’t ever want to pick out throw pillows every again.

October 2024: Mike and I drove Maggie up to New York to stay in her forever home.

November 2024: Visited Maggie again stay in her before we started renting her out & met with our future rental company

March 2025: Mapped out our outdoor living space, installed bistro lights, put together the grill & chairs for the outside living space, finished sewing the shower curtain (it has an rounded hem which was the death of me - I hope everyone appreciates the shower curtain!) & met with our friend who will be doing the landscaping around the outdoor space.

April 2025: This is our goal month to hand her off to our future management/rental company who will be taking care of all of the details from listing her to booking & cleaning. We are so excited to be partnering with them!

WHEW! Just typing all of that out was a lot - it’s funny how you can feel like you’ve barely moved forward until you look back and see all that you’ve accomplished. I hope that seeing our timeline of following a dream will help encourage you as you pursue yours. Life is not supposed to follow your plan perfectly, it’s not a straight line to the end - in fact, it’s the twists and turns that make life exciting & show you what you’ve capable of.

In order to continue to hold tight to your dream & see it to the end, you absolutely have to have clarity in who you are outside the expectations of others, a deep understanding of the life you want to create & a trusted community around you to be your sounding board during the hard moments. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing the unexpected challenges & how we were able to work through them - as well as the meaningful moments that we experienced because we didn’t give up. I hope you’ll enjoy the journey with me!

Cheers,

Lauren

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