international traveling midwife

WanderLust Bus after Irma

I know, I know, I’m LONG overdue for an update… I’ll get to that soon, but I did want everyone to have an update of the bus after the storm… it’s 2 a.m. in Jensen Beach, Fl, but Nick, my awesome son, braved the rain to go out and get a pic for me. As I sat here, all the way in Beira, Mozambique, Africa, I began sobbing… I may have confused the poor housekeeper who only speaks Portuguese, but I smiled to let her know I was OK.

I am pouring with relief. Not being there in Florida with my kids, grandkids, mom, neighbors and bus, has been the hardest thing ever. I can’t even imagine what it was like at home! And the north part of my state (or really north of Orlando still) is not out of harm’s way yet… nor is my mother, who stayed in a mobile home with her daughter and son-in-law in the direct path of what is now looking to be just a Cat 1 when it hits… but for the most part, my area, south of the center part of Florida now has to start clean up… watching Jose closely (bastard is going to do a loopy-ti-loop!).

Here’s my bus… the fuel door opened… Nick closed it, she is fine.

Irony… my electric went out here and my wifi, as I was finish typing this… a common occurance here (like nearly daily)… i luckily have a mifi and a charged lap top… Get the lights turned back on at home… I’ll be there soon (Wednesday)!

Ciao!

Sandi

BUS IRMA

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WanderLust Bus Update May 12, 2017

Back from quite a bit of traveling since I got home from my trip to the Panhandle. I was in China for 4 weeks assisting a mama with the birth of her wee little guy. This midwife loves traveling to births!

My son has been helping me tremendously on the bus this week and we’ve made some changes to the bathroom (I know, I know… I’m so indecisive!), but things have kicked into high gear and my boy has been busting his butt getting it done. Thanks, Nick!!!!

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So I felt like I wanted the toilet area’s floor space to be a little more spacious, and I wanted the toilet area and the shower to be all once space. So we took out the bench, (you can see it in the bottom left of this pic), took out the wall that was separating the two areas and built a platform a bit bigger than what was there. 

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We then built up the step in area to the shower and started framing out the walls. We will also build a smaller box for the toilet bench, so there appears to be even more room in the space. 

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The hole for the shower drain. Perfect fit. The floor will be covered, of course, with the shower base and then Nick will tile it. I will pick out tile tomorrow. Super excited!

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And the hardware for the shower head has been started… Woot!! Super excited about that!

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Drill bit injury… 😦 Looking for a pity party, my son was having none of that! LOL

So that’s the update for today. I think there will be more to show you on Monday! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Ciao!

Bus Update & a video!

So there’s been a lot of progress on the bus! I drove it up to the Panhandle of Florida to get some work done with a fellow Skoolie who was generous enough to put some time into helping me get bathroom walls up, water tanks hung and some plumbing run! He also put together a fun video that I’ll post a link to at the bottom of this post.

The drive up was a bit chaotic! When you move an RV, everything has to be secure. My amazing daughter, Tiffany, spent 6 hours with me getting the bus ready to hit the road. LOL.

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Putting the mattress back on the bed after prepping bus for trip. Tiff is under there somewhere!

And the batteries had sat too long, so the first thing I spent money on was 3 brand new batteries 😦 I took pics of the old ones, so I could figure out how to get the new ones in…

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Got the bus fired up and started out…

Oh the things you learn when you take the first sharp curve 😀 😀 😀 So it was an eventful trip, with many stops to secure yet another thing that went flying, but I finally made it up “to the middle of nowhere”!

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The Florida Turnpike at sunset… gorgeous!

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Backroads of north Florida !

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The first studs are up!

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My spoiled chihuahuas really loved being yard dogs! 

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Sanding the bathroom wall panels.

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I stained them, as well. Classic oak. Came out pretty.

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Got a super bargain on my 41 gallon fresh water tank!

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I cut a hole for my electric box and secured my IKEA kitchen to the bus. It doesn’t move 🙂

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Toilet room done. Not sure if I’m going to paint or stain.

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I also secured my office desk and bookcase to the bus, as well. The bookcase is a family piece and I wanted to figure out how to use it on the bus. I turned it vertical and will custom cut shelving for it. When I look at it, I still see our 1968 World Book Encyclopedias on the bottom shelf ❤ 

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Everything is either attached to the bus or bungee corded down. I put velcro on the kitchen drawers (it held them closed!). 

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Close up of the bookshelf. And yes, I left the legs on top. I’ll hang something cool from there.

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Panoramic view.

The trip home was WAY less chaotic. In fact, it was stress free. Nothing moved. I didn’t have to stop to fix things. It was awesome! I stopped off in Tallahassee for dinner with some midwife friends and to show off the bus and got into my mom’s after 130 am! Worth it to spend sometime with the tribe!

Then home on Wednesday, a 5.5 hour stress free drive. I like that the bus is set at top speed of 65 mph. It forces me to take my time and ride the right lane and relax.

Today Tiff helped me get my office back together and now I’m off to bed. Lots of work to catch up on tomorrow!

Here’s the promised video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYmZ40bKj3M

Thanks DON!!! For helping me with the bus, putting up with my mania (lol), for seemingly enjoying the meals I cooked and for all the work you did on the Wanderlust Bus!

Ciao!

Welcome to This Midwife Travels!

Welcome! A quick update on what is going on with me. I’ve just finished a birth down here in St. Thomas, USVI and I’m heading home tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I am then back down here for a December birth!

On this trip I got to hang out with a couple of my St. John babies, Ethan and Summer, and their mommies Cassie and Monic!

Ethan and Summer

If you are looking for a traveling midwife, you’ve come to the right place! Please use the contact button to send me an email or email directly at sandiblankenshiprm@gmail.com.