We Bought A School Bus And Are Building A Skoolie!

"Will you play that song, Mom? That one from the movie?" our daughter asked as we ventured toward Dubuque, Iowa. She instantly grinned as the familiar chords began and I took a moment to listen to the lyrics of this tune she'd been humming all week.

"Wild, you're wild at heart..."

Wild at heart. This description brought a nostalgic rush to my spirit as I recalled my greatest moments of childhood joy and freedom. Galloping upon the back of my beloved mare down a wide open gravel road at sunset, climbing a tree to read a book (farm kittens often climbing along behind me), or tumbling boldly over a four inch beam, four feet above the ground. I glanced over at my husband and reflected on his own wild heart taking him soaring over ambitious dirt bike jumps, exploring the creek at his grandparents home, and camping around the Midwest.

"Oh the winds of change are blowing strange and strong

Go, be on your way

Beyond the world you know..."

Glancing in the mirror, I noticed our kids dancing in the backseat to the lyrics that seemed to speak right to our wild hearts. We were ready for a new adventure, and have been feeling those winds of change encouraging us beyond the world we know.

Which brings us to why... we bought a school bus and are building a skoolie!

Now as much as we allow ourselves to indulge in an impulse decision here or there, this one had been considered for quite some time. Maybe in some ways even from the beginning of our relationship!

When my husband and I were dating, we couldn't decide where to settle. I was living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota finishing my schooling while Adam worked in Storm Lake, Iowa. We spent years driving back and forth to each other while dating and engaged but needed to figure out where we were going to begin our married life and call home. There were positives to both where he and I lived, but we were wanting something new. We both were ready for an adventure and fresh start together where we could easily explore beautiful nature areas and that was family friendly for our future. Visiting friends who had gone to UNI brought us out to the lovely town of Cedar Falls and just like that, we'd found our new home. We fell in love with the kind people and peaceful town full of opportunity.

As we honeymooned with a road trip through Colorado, however, we had a moment of questioning our decision. There was so much of this country and world that we'd not seen! To this Iowa farm girl who'd only ventured north and south, the mountains blew me away. Yet we returned home and before long we'd found ourselves a gorgeous home near Hartman Nature Reserve with plenty yard space and trees.

We fell into a rhythm of work and raising babies, unable to afford much travel. The grind got us, and we spent each day working to make ends meet and barely spending time together. The time we did spend together was already depleted of energy without any left over for adventure. But as our kids grew older and a bit more self-sufficient, we made a decision. With our little weekends, we'd adventure together.

"Wild, you're wild and free

Flying where fear and fate collide

Wherever you run to I will be, yeah-yeah

Just know, I'm always by your side"

It started local, exploring the abundant parks and riverside nature spaces not far from Cedar Falls. Before we knew it, the Mississippi River was calling and we were venturing into neighboring states and allowing our wild hearts to guide us a bit further. We started tossing around the idea of an RV and loved the idea of pulling a little home on wheels up to wherever we were wanting to explore, knowing this would give us the freedom to venture further comfortably and affordably.

Yet, the motorhome style RV's that we looked at seemed to have the same problems:

1. They were simply out of the budget we were comfortable spending, and we had no interest in financing for years as we were working on growing more financially free.

2. They were in our budget but had water damage or other repairs needed that made the structural integrity questionable.

3. They weren't set up in the way we wanted for our family. By the time we'd gut one and start fresh, we may as well build it from scratch...

Which brings us to finding our bus!

The pros of building a skoolie:

1. They're built to be durable. The shell is less likely to leak and built to be more heavy duty than campers.

2. It has an Cummins engine that is commonly used and parts are easily accessible should we break down somewhere.

3. They're safer. Buses are built for hauling kids around safely. Should we get into an unfortunate accident, the odds of our family remaining healthy and well is higher.

4. We can customize it to be exactly the way we want it. The kids insisted on a bunk bed... great, we'll build it! I want a multi-functional space where we can enjoy a meal together, work on homeschooling projects together, or write my next books with a cozy comfortable view out the big windows... great, we'll build it.

5. We have the necessary skills and can learn what we don't know. Adam is phenomenal at fabricating or building anything he dreams up with his mechanical skills, and I have an eye for design and functionality for our family rhythms. Youtube and blog articles can teach us the rest (thanks to all the Skoolie folks who have made educational tutorials and shared their journeys)!

6. We can put it together piece by piece. Rather than one large lump sum investment, we can do one project at a time and spread out our build dependent upon our time and budget freedoms.

7. The kids get to learn valuable skills of home building/repair and take part in the project. They also get to have a say in the design and creating their space to be what they want it to be. In this I-need-it-now kind of world, they get to experience the delayed gratification of putting in hard work over a longer period of time. This will make it all the more exciting when we roll our way off on the first big adventure.

8. We can blend our loves of traveling and exploring new places, homeschooling the kids through real life experiences, guiding book tours and events around the country, and fishing every possible body of water my husband can fish.

The biggest con is that finding our school bus was only the first step! We have plenty of work ahead of us to build it into the home on wheels of our dreams, but we'll keep you posted on the progress as we do. Don't forget to sign up for my email newsletter if you'd like to stay updated of this and other projects + events.

"Though the road is broken, heart is hoping

Keep on keeping on

It won't be long until you find where you belong"

Often, this world we live in feels to be broken. Our society prioritizes materialistic goals and makes it hard for families to spend time together in true connection. We've grown tired of the hamster wheel, and are thankful for the opportunity to show our kids that there's always more than one way to make your dreams come true and live out the values important to you.

Those wild at heart children are still there inside, with a newfound understanding that where we belong may not be a physical place to set down roots forever. Perhaps we belong venturing through mountains, forests, deserts, and along oceanside roads as we prioritize experiences over material things. Perhaps we belong pulling up to our family's homes and parking our own right next to theirs as our kids bond and play. Perhaps "where we belong" is not stationary, and these wild at heart kids with kids of their own belong exploring new places and faces.

There's only one way to find out... so thanks for coming with us on this ride!