148: roller coaster in my mind

Let's take a little trip in the mind of Jessica, shall we? Often it's a whirlwind ride, so you may want to hold on.

I guess I should preface this by telling you my mind races from subject to subject a lot of the time.  When I bring up a seemingly unrelated subject to my husband he'll sometimes ask "how did you get there?"  So I tell him.  It's usually about a dozen steps that I hopped through in about 10 seconds. 

Am I the only one like this?  I do wish I could shut it off sometimes...it makes falling asleep at night much more difficult.

Anyway, back to our little trip.  This one wasn't so fast, but rather a bit obsessive.

It all started with this photo:

I saw this lovely gypsy caravan inspiration over at an adorable blog, li'l magoolie. And I'm in love.  Seriously.  Madly.  Deeply.

I feel I NEED one of these in my backyard.  So I promptly started designing a playhouse for Aurora and Theo (OK, fine, for me really) based on these gorgeous bright colors.  I started figuring out how I was going to get my dad to help me build it.  I couldn't wait to have the fun of painting it all those colors and sewing curtains and cushions etc.

You'll see that Miko Design had the same inspiration for a great recycled version for her daughter's playhouse.

The plan was definitely to have one with a full size bed in the back so we could have sleepovers in it.  Sure, Aurora could do that with her friends into her teen years, but I also just dream of sleeping in such a place.  I guess camping out in your own back yard seems strange, but...cool, no?

Anyway, I obsessed over all these pictures and the idea.  Then I moved on to playhouse plans.  None are really quite right but I was thinking of what I could adapt.  Then I started looking at shed plans because maybe those would be more flexible.

Then I spoke with my dad about it and we thought maybe it really would be cool to have it on wheels so we could bring it camping.  This led to the idea of refurbishing an RV of some kind.  I start looking around, and who doesn't want one of these cool vintage Airstreams?

But I don't actually need a bathroom in it.  And, yes, they're WAY too expensive.  But what about a regular RV?  Let's check out craig's list shall we?  I see some real options for older ones people want to get rid of.  That would be kinda fun to redo.

Right about now I realized that I can't actually build such a structure in my yard or park an RV without out approval from the stupid, f***ing, homeowners association board.  I can't even put out a statue without their say so.  I hate it!  So I pull out the by-laws to see what I can and can't do.  Definitely a no go.  Grrr...

So now what?  How about moving?  I start looking at what's for sale in our immediate area.  In the end I like the idea of piece of property still in range of the same elementary school, that is plenty big enough to build our dream house with pool etc.  And of course a gypsy caravan.  That was the whole point right?

So, tommorrow I'm going out with the real estate agent to look at a few places.  Will anything actually come of it?  I don't know, but I'm so mad at being limited right now, that it actually makes me want to move.

And my husband is sort of in a dazed shock, like "um, what just happened?  You see one picture you like and suddenly we're building a new house?"  Poor guy.

JT

P.S. I know I owe you giveaway details, but that should be coming soon.  It might be over at a different site, but I'll let you know...

Comments

[Johanna]

You are definitely not the only one... My boyfriend got used to it but is sometimes more then just a bit confused when I speak of things that have nothing to do with the subject we were discussing. I really try hard with other people.
I guess it runs in the family because I always know what my little brother is thinking of when everybody else just thinks he is being weird. I tell myself that we are think too fast for others to understand :)

[Gillian]

I am exactly the same, my mind jumps around and I find it hard to sleep. My other half falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. A-noy-ing.

[Melissa]

I so enjoyed this post! Wow, I totally know what you mean, but I get so overwhelmed that my mind crashes and I turn it off. Otherwise I would have moved a thousand times already, in this instance. ;). Thanks for the read and laugh

[Melanie]

Hahaha! You're not alone. And I actually have gotten mad at my husband before b/c he wasn't following....turns out the steps were all in my head, not aloud. whoops! I do love, however, how one little thing can set big things in motion.

[Tabitha O.]

I think my husband has been around me too long because he is often outthinking me lately weird...

[Suzy]

Your thought path makes total sense to me :) But then again my partner is often left scratching her head at how I get from one idea to another...

[angel]

That is one GORGEOUS caravan. Oh man, the colors, the lines, the idea that it was once used for a free-spirited lifestyle (even if it's new!) and the inspiring imaginative feeling... So cool.
You're not the only one who jumps 12 subjects in 10 seconds. My honey says I "talk in circles" and if he waits a few more minutes, I'll get back to the subject we were talking about. :)
Good luck tomorrow!

[Amanda]

Oh Jess, I love you, that is hysterical! Craig and I are reading a book called "Men are like waffles, women are like spaghetti" because men compartmentalize everything into boxes and can only be in one box at a time whereas women meander around the conversation like a spaghetti noodle winding around from one subject to the next, well exactly like you did. So now when I am spewing out my feelings to Craig and I start off talking about how he didn't do the dishes when I was gone and end up talking about our easter plans with ten other topics between in the span of a minute he just looks at me and says "your noodling". So tell Jon to follow the spaghetti trail....Your Cousin, Amanda

[Sew Create It - Jane]

I can't blame you..that gypsy caravan is cute..who wouldn't want a get-away like that!

We have neighbours across the road that build a pre-fab workshop..he's a woodworker. On cold frost mornings you can smell the woodsmoke from what I can only imagine is a small woodburner to keep the workshop warm. That sounds wonderful to me....

[Lori Porten]

I totally know how you feel, but in a slightly different way. We live in a neighborhood where the houses sit on top of each other on 1/4 acre lots. My son who just turned 9 last week is constantly getting in trouble for running through other people's yards. We aren't able to fence in our yard b/c of a huge rock on the property line. As much as we tell him to just stay in our yard, it is almost impossible for a young boy who needs space to run and move with his friends. Also, I grew up on 4 acres. We had a huge garden and every summer canning and freezing food was a family affair. I miss that. So.... we are also looking for more land to build on or an existing house for sale that has land. We have found one with lots of potential on 3 acres, but it would need lots of love. What to do, what to do... But I know what you mean.

[kate]

Yes!! I totally fantasize about something similar! Combination playhouse/guest room with a bed, for sure. I've had the same "conversation" with myself, thinking playhouse....then Airstream (and yeah, why ARE they so crazy expensive) and now I'm thinking about getting one of those pre-made sheds, and then fixing it up with windows, paint, lighting and a bed.

I love your description of your husband's "Huh? What just happened?" Now...I'm going to show this post to MY husband. :)

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

[Erin Compton]

Oh Lordy! I know that! My husband and I when looking to buy our first house made sure that it was in a neighborhood with little or no homeowners association so we could do things like build tree houses and ropes courses without anyone getting into a huff. Now that we're in the house, the planning begins!

We still look at real estate listings though, because we got in the habit, and its fun seeing inside houses that you normally wouldn't get to explore.

[Jessica Levitt]

Thats what I tell myself too....my mind just works faster than everyone else. :)

jess

[Mary]

I am totally cracking up at your thought process and how you went from wanting a gypsy caravan to looking for a new place to live. I do stuff like that, too, thanks to this fabulous little thing I have called ADHD. My poor husband just spends a lot of time nodding his head and saying "Oooookay."

[SuzK]

I love how your mind works!

[karen thauer]

That's so cute. My mind goes like that also, but when I get to the part that I realize I'm out of control, then I snap myself out of it. That's where the extrordinary leaves the ordinary person. You fall into the first category, obviously. That's how you got where you are today.

[The Lazy Organizer]

Of course we all need our own gypsy caravan in the back yard. Who wouldn't! If I could turn my brain off once in a while I would. Today I was going from raising bees to unplugging the refrigerator to adopting HIV babies from Africa. Seriously. It never ends.

[Sandy]

Love that I am not the only person that does this or the only person that has a husband perplexed by the situation!

[Toronto condos]

This is a fabulous idea. Seriously. How great do those caravans look? I especially like the second picture(interior). The colors, the pillows and everything else. Wow, I'm absolutely fascinated.

Elli

[Scott]

No wonder I like you so much...I think that same way..drives Linda crazy...and I am also in love with that caravan. We have been dreaming about them for years..I really want a real one on wheels...even if I never take it anywhere! too cool! Oh, and I really enjoyed our phone convo today! Sorry if I was difficult to hear...

[Alexis]

My mind works like that too! And I am obsessed with gypsy caravans, and I'm desperate to have an outbuilding even though our yard is tiny and the town won't allow it.

And I once moved to a new apartment so much favorite couch would fit!

[toronto painting]

Seriously. How great do those caravans look? I especially like the third picture(outside look). That's cool!!!

[Tobias Thrash]

That silver camper looks really neat, its like the NASA bus used by astronauts to go to their spaceships. The host of Top Gear had an eternal hatred for campers, for which I dont know the reason. They even dedicated an episode to destroying campers. I would love to own a vintage camper like this, just for the heck of it. It would be a wonderful accessory on my yard, haha.

[Wheel Alignment Equipment]

I have seen the same idea of making a small place to settle in by using unused wagons or cars. That I bet this was really great!