Love on wheels part 1

Building the Dream

When I first got the bus, it felt like I was finally taking hold of my wildest dream. Freedom. Creativity. A home I built with my own hands. I was ready — or at least I thought I was.

What I didn’t realize was just how much this bus would test me.

I reached out to family and friends, hopeful. So many people in my circle had the skills I lacked — carpentry, wiring, plumbing — and I truly believed I’d have a tribe of helpers beside me. But life has its own pace. People have their own struggles. Slowly, the offers of help faded, not out of neglect but out of the reality that everyone is just trying to stay afloat.

And so, most of the time, it was just me. Me and the overwhelming task of converting a hollow shell into a home.

I spent countless hours researching, building, breaking things, rebuilding. There were moments I sat in the half-finished shell of that bus and cried, wondering if I had made a mistake. Wondering if I had taken on more than I could handle.

But there was one constant. My uncle.

He let me park the bus at his shop. He let me use his tools. And more than that, he showed up — when he could, and in ways that truly mattered. We built together. Sometimes it was little things — a cabinet door, a custom bracket, a solution to a problem I couldn’t crack. But it was also long talks, shared meals, moments of laughter in the middle of sawdust and sweat.

Those days with him are some of my most treasured memories. Not because of what we built, but because of who we were in those moments. Two people making something out of nothing. Side by side. He believed in me when I was tired. He saw the vision, and he quietly held space for me to chase it.

He is one of my favorite people on this planet. And I love him with all my heart.

The bus isn’t perfect. It’s held together by blood, sweat, a little glitter, and a whole lot of grit. But it’s mine. And more than that, it’s a reflection of all the love, heartbreak, solitude, and stubborn determination that made it real.

This bus is my art. My story. My sanctuary. And it all began with a vision — and the willingness to keep going when the road got rough.