Trying to find my way... Again...

Simply Jarrett · 10-10-2017, 03:50 AM

Hi everyone!

I've read more posts on this site than probably the average Newbie Skoolie!! Over the past four months I've been INFATUATED with what first started out as wishing I could own a coach RV, to YEARNING to do a school bus conversion! I feel like a pubescent teen, in love for the first time, each time I get lost in my day dreams of hitting the road in my very own Skoolie.

A little about me... I'm a 45 y/o male, currently living in Nashville TN. I'm from the Carolinas, but moved here 5 years ago after being diagnosed with a rare GI cancer called a stromal tumor. I've been in a pharmaceutical clinical trial for most of the past 5 years, with varying degrees of success. It's not curable, and was never given the illusion it was, but hopefully possible to inhibit growth with medical treatment. I've now come to the point that I'm allowing nature and this journey to proceed, without further poisoning and assaultive procedures. What will be, will be...but I'm also not resigned to toss in the towel yet!

So why would I want to do a school bus conversion? Because I've got this draw, this indescribable emotional pull to EXPLORE and LIVE AGAIN! God, for these past years, I've not had a single vacation, let alone felt like taking even a weekend getaway trip. I've been surrounded and consumed with surviving... Forgetting the importance of LIVING. I lost my way, and I'm trying to find my way again.

Bankrupt essentially, traditional travel is just not an option. And with what I pay just for utilities and rent in my small townhome, I spend at LEAST double what most full-time RV'rs state their costs and expenses are!! I can work, do physical activities, talented with my hands, and creative, so undertaking this project isn't worrisome to me. Affording it, while having to maintain my current home rental, is the bigger problem and question.

I know what style and type of bus I want, and fantasize about the layout I'll implement, design elements I'll use, and how to accomplish all this in a timely manner. But GETTING/BUYING a used bus, the initial layout of a purchase, seems like a million miles away. I'm going to find a way, SOMEHOW, I'm just not quite sure how yet. I'm stubborn as a mule my mother used to say about me. Which in fighting this cancer has turned it to be a winning trait. The way I see it... Is that if I've come this far, fought this hard, and overcame so much...the simple "cost of purchasing" a used school bus isn't going to STOP ME! I'll figure a way!

I feel as if I know many of you, especially the more prolific members, and those who love sharing their knowledge and experience. And maybe one day I'll meet some of you on the road, at meetups, etc., which would be a great delight for me. I'll continue my reading here, and maybe posting the occasional question or request for suggestions on things. And to those who do post, answer member's questions, and share their wealth of knowledge with others... THANK YOU SO MUCH! I couldn't, and wouldn't start this journey with the confidence I've got, if it weren't for each of you.

See you in the forums, and maybe in the road! Take care, and please remember...we are not defined by what happens to us in life, but how we respond and deal with it.

- Jarrett

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EastCoastCB · 10-10-2017, 05:14 AM

Welcome, friend!
Any time you're near FL hit me up.
I like your spirit! I've experienced a lot of loss and you're right. Its how you deal with it.

Johnny Mullet · 10-10-2017, 06:34 AM

Welcome aboard!

Simply Jarrett · 10-10-2017, 07:15 PM

EastCoastCb & Johnny Mullet - - thanks for the warm welcome, and I'll certainly buzz you EastCoastCB, whenever it is that I have wheels beneath me, and many a mile of road in front of me!

I am sure this is not strange to some here, but my nighttime dreams and visions are FILLED with design elements of a conversion, different looks I am considering, etc. It is like my "asleep brain" insists on living the life I want, before I actually CAN live that life!

I'll see ya'll around here I'm sure, and thanks again for such a warm welcome!

Greatestrr · 10-10-2017, 07:29 PM

Bro, there ain't nothin to it but to do it. Its not over till its over friend. Keep fighting.

Greatestrr · 10-10-2017, 07:33 PM

Be careful the skoolie thought becomes an obsession. Just jump right in the water is nice.

MarkyDee · 10-11-2017, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greatestrr

Be careful the skoolie thought becomes an obsession. Just jump right in the water is nice.

I think he already has the bug.

Welcome Aboard!!

Simply Jarrett · 03-31-2018, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkyDee

I think he already has the bug.

Welcome Aboard!!

YOU WERE RIGHT! Not only did I catch the bug, I bought a bus!!

And to further show how infected I am with the bug, I'm actually living in the bus, AS I CONVERT IT. Which is a far larger bite of the apple than I had wanted to take...but life and it's circumstances forced the issue. It hasn't killed me yet!

I hope you'll look for my future posts, updates, and plethora of questions, as I am forging ahead full steam. My believe is that I'll be finished by mid spring, so long as nothing major arises.

Thanks for your comment, and taking the time to read my first post.

- Jarrett

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o1marc · 03-31-2018, 09:29 PM

Go to your UserCP and fill out your profile. It will better enable us to answer area specific questions. You obviously don't live in the northern area of the country.

pbeggs · 03-31-2018, 09:52 PM

yes, we need bus model engine tranny etc,.. and pictures! gotta have pictures

Simply Jarrett · 03-31-2018, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by o1marc

Go to your UserCP and fill out your profile. It will better enable us to answer area specific questions. You obviously don't live in the northern area of the country.

I'm on a Android phone, using the app...and have looked through profile, settings, etc, and can't find such a control panel to input a profile. Suggestion on how to get to it? Thanks!

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Simply Jarrett · 03-31-2018, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbeggs

yes, we need bus model engine tranny etc,.. and pictures! gotta have pictures

Will do! The ones I've got aren't what I want to post, as they've been taken on nasty weather days. Tomorrow it's supposed to be beautiful here, and I'd planned on taking many. I'll post them then.

As for what I bought...I found a 1992 Ford E-350 Econoline "cutaway van", retrofitted by Collins Bus Comp, and used by a local church as an occasional Activity Bus. It's got 92,068 original miles, all the paperwork on servicing and upkeep they did over the years, etc. Other than a few minor roof leaks from time to time, it's never had any problem I was told (and I spoke with the mechanic shop who's worked on it since day one, and they confirmed it's lack of problems).

There leaks appear to have occurred whenever a running light on the roof was changed or replaced, as right afterwards they're discover a leak following the next rain storm. They patches the leaks with a semi ok "RV rubberized roof caulk", which I've removed and redone with GeoCell ProFlex, and then Dicor Lap Sealant. Since then, our weather has been pretty nasty and we've had strong storms. The bus hasn't leaked, thankfully!

My plan is to put on a flexible rubber paint on the roof, over I get to worrying about the exterior. For the time being, I'm concerned with watertight, insulated, and livable....not so much how it looks. (Though for a bus that made when I was graduating college, the exterior in great shape and looks good!)

Feel free to ask any questions or needle me for details I've forgotten to include. And thanks for everyone's interest!

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nancygermano · 03-31-2018, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simply Jarrett

Hi everyone!

I've read more posts on this site than probably the average Newbie Skoolie!! Over the past four months I've been INFATUATED with what first started out as wishing I could own a coach RV, to YEARNING to do a school bus conversion! I feel like a pubescent teen, in love for the first time, each time I get lost in my day dreams of hitting the road in my very own Skoolie.

A little about me... I'm a 45 y/o male, currently living in Nashville TN. I'm from the Carolinas, but moved here 5 years ago after being diagnosed with a rare GI cancer called a stromal tumor. I've been in a pharmaceutical clinical trial for most of the past 5 years, with varying degrees of success. It's not curable, and was never given the illusion it was, but hopefully possible to inhibit growth with medical treatment. I've now come to the point that I'm allowing nature and this journey to proceed, without further poisoning and assaultive procedures. What will be, will be...but I'm also not resigned to toss in the towel yet!

So why would I want to do a school bus conversion? Because I've got this draw, this indescribable emotional pull to EXPLORE and LIVE AGAIN! God, for these past years, I've not had a single vacation, let alone felt like taking even a weekend getaway trip. I've been surrounded and consumed with surviving... Forgetting the importance of LIVING. I lost my way, and I'm trying to find my way again.

Bankrupt essentially, traditional travel is just not an option. And with what I pay just for utilities and rent in my small townhome, I spend at LEAST double what most full-time RV'rs state their costs and expenses are!! I can work, do physical activities, talented with my hands, and creative, so undertaking this project isn't worrisome to me. Affording it, while having to maintain my current home rental, is the bigger problem and question.

I know what style and type of bus I want, and fantasize about the layout I'll implement, design elements I'll use, and how to accomplish all this in a timely manner. But GETTING/BUYING a used bus, the initial layout of a purchase, seems like a million miles away. I'm going to find a way, SOMEHOW, I'm just not quite sure how yet. I'm stubborn as a mule my mother used to say about me. Which in fighting this cancer has turned it to be a winning trait. The way I see it... Is that if I've come this far, fought this hard, and overcame so much...the simple "cost of purchasing" a used school bus isn't going to STOP ME! I'll figure a way!

I feel as if I know many of you, especially the more prolific members, and those who love sharing their knowledge and experience. And maybe one day I'll meet some of you on the road, at meetups, etc., which would be a great delight for me. I'll continue my reading here, and maybe posting the occasional question or request for suggestions on things. And to those who do post, answer member's questions, and share their wealth of knowledge with others... THANK YOU SO MUCH! I couldn't, and wouldn't start this journey with the confidence I've got, if it weren't for each of you.

See you in the forums, and maybe in the road! Take care, and please remember...we are not defined by what happens to us in life, but how we respond and deal with it.

- Jarrett

Sent from my Vivo XL2 using Tapatalk

that was an inspiring post ...I too would like to take this new journey because i am inlove with the freedom it brings.....I am new to this forum.

Simply Jarrett · 03-31-2018, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nancygermano

that was an inspiring post ...I too would like to take this new journey because i am inlove with the freedom it brings.....I am new to this forum.

Thanks Nancy! And WELCOME!

I don't know your story, though we've all got one, right? I'll tell you, I've of the best things to have happened to be in the past 5 years was deciding to buy this bus and MAKE IT MY HOME. Yep, I undertook a monument of a project, while undergoing chemo and treatments, with so little money I often choose between buying medication, good, or bus building supplies! Sounds like fun, huh?!? But it IS GREAT FUN!

Actually, it's great LIVING. I can't control cancer or it's growth. I can't control how long I've got left, or how much doctors, pharmacies, or treatments are gonna cost me. SO MUCH of life is OUT OF MY CONTROL. But this bus... This creating a life anew for myself, this journey I'm taking... IT'S MINE, AND I HAVE SOME CONTROL OVER IT! Far more than I do in any other part of my life!

I can crank up the bus, and move it, and park it wherever I want to. I've slept in so many Walmart parking lots, you'd think I be bored of them, but I'm not! (There actually interesting to hang out in, sitting back in your bus, watching shoppers come and go... arguing with each other, shoplifters sneaking back to their cars, and random bizarre things I never witnessed before!) That I'm not tied to an apartment, utility bills and rent, or a mortgage, and three other "tie you down" obligations, gives me a FREEDOM and EMPOWERMENT I deeply needed in my life.

Whatever brings you to wanting a Skoolie, doing a bus conversion, etc., I encourage you to TAKE THE LEAP! You're drawn to this lifestyle and method of living, for a reason...it would serve you well to listen to that voice that propels you here. It's so cliche to say "life is short" or similar, but there's truth in that. Life is short. I embrace that my time is running out, and have decided I'M GOING TO DECIDE (not others, or their opinions) how I'm gonna live what life I've got left! And, I'm LOVIN IT!

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o1marc · 03-31-2018, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simply Jarrett

I'm on a Android phone, using the app...and have looked through profile, settings, etc, and can't find such a control panel to input a profile. Suggestion on how to get to it? Thanks!

Sent from my Vivo XL2 using Tapatalk

Look at the upper left of this page and you will find User CP, click on that and the rest is self explanatory.

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