I just wrapped up a 7-day test drive on the bus.

Correction – Tim & Robin just wrapped up test-driving me on the bus.

For those who aren’t up to date, I’m broke. Have about 12 items of clothing to my name. Just moved back to the States and have 2 friends (one of which is my oldest friend of almost 20 years) who have a rockstar sized r.v.. They invited me to come along with them on their adventures all over The States. I agreed. For some reason, kind couples have always taken me into their lives, this started way back in England with Mel and Ollie. Then it was Kate & Collin + Archie & Claire. I don’t know why and have stopped asking – let’s chalk it up to being amazingly blessed with generous people in my life…back to the bus though.

A week ago, I showed up with my little bag and was given more space than I needed for my possessions. We stayed in OKC for a few days before heading over to Austin for New Years. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind traveling like this?’ Robin asked while Tim took us 80mph down I-35. Almost choking on my whiskey sour and having to turn down the volume of ‘Tron’, I told her somehow I’d get through it. Tim does the driving, as this thing is a monster. Big. A big monster. It’s actually called a ‘Beaver’ but I’ve always had a problem with that word, so it’s been deemed The O’Sisney Pub (their last name). Their 2 dogs are with us and you’d be hard pressed to find better company. Tim drives, Robin reads, Grizzly and Guinness sleep and I giggle.

Now, while the phrase ‘R.V. park’ might conjure up images best scored by banjos and incest, but you might be surprised by how nice they actually are. Wireless. Good people. Mostly retired and all – having been on the road with their spouses for a while – are ready for a nice chat by the communal washers/dryers (I should point out that ours has one inside, but we occasionally try to mingle with the ‘others’). Food-wise is amazing. I don’t think we had one fast food meal the entire time. There’s a grill that pulls out next to the outside flat-screen television that, weather permitting, sees a T-Bone blocking it’s light. Inside, next to the bar is an oven and a stove. In front of that is the biggest of the 3 flat-screen televisions that’s hooked up to the Wii (which has seen a lot of Galaga action over the past few days). A big fridge that always seems to stay packed with the leftover food cooked by friends of ours rounds out the main area. It’s, oh, you know, nice.

Funny thing happens when you have a house that moves and a bar with your name on it – you start to look at going-out the same way a poppy seed farmer looks at NyQuill – why would ya? Not to say we don’t, but if this past year taught me anything, it’s that paint is paint. If you don’t bring the company and laughs a new menu won’t provide. It’s…wonderful.

Sleeping wise, they have a large bedroom in the back and I get the main room with a Queen (!) sized bed that pulls out and inflates in about 30 seconds. It’s comfortable and in the mornings, I usually get one of the labs bearing a few kisses and a cuddle. We wake up, breakfast is made (we all share a love of Tex-Mex, so Robin’s ‘Breakfast Nachos’ usually are begged for). We sit and eat. Drink coffee and check Facebook. Then comes the workout. Correction – then will come the workout. I did Tim’s intense workout once, 5 days ago, and still feel it. Nicer weather means we can drag the yoga mats out as well. Then – we just…enjoy.

Remember Nick Hornby’s ‘About A Boy’? The lead character, Will,  has this great monologue about ‘units’:

I find the key is to think of a day as units of time, each unit consisting of no more than thirty minutes. Full hours can be a little bit intimidating and most activities take about half an hour. Taking a bath: one unit, watching Countdown: one unit, web-based research: two units, exercising: three units, having my hair carefully disheveled: four units. It’s amazing how the day fills up, and I often wonder, to be absolutely honest, if I’d ever have time for a job; how do people cram them in?

Nothing holds more true than this. And the scheduling of things is downright funny. Even after 3 days, I would start to wince at friend’s SMS’ing ‘When will we go here?’. Time doesn’t stop, it just becomes a movable bookshelf.

So we went. OKC. Austin. And back to OKC. I loved it and love being with people who not only realize the absurdity of the situation, but work hard at spreading their blessings around. It’s nothing but good people, good food and more laughs than Shiner Bock. And there’s a lot of Shiner Bock.

We plan on leaving for the big trip (Louisiana, Florida, The Keys, etc) in a week – and I can’t tell you how much I want a week to be here soon.