McVeycations

Our Very First Time Camping

We had never gone camping in any way, shape, or form before we decided that we wanted to travel full-time in an RV. Not even in a tent. So we were as green as green could get when we pulled into our very first campground in Desert Hot Springs, CA, about 2.5 hours from my parents’ house.

We pulled up to the office at Catalina Spa & RV Resort around 4:30pm, and I got out of the truck to check in. Everything went smoothly. They had a pull through site reserved for us. Perfect! We wouldn’t have to back in on our very first go around with this huge toy hauler that we had never towed before that very day.

We pulled into our spot. It was on the end, which made it nice. No obstacles to run over while we tried to maneuver this 44 foot beast. We parked, got out of the truck, and started our checklist. Get out the trailer wheel levelers and back onto them. Put the chocks in front and behind the tires. Lower the stabilizers. Unhitch the truck. Hook up the water hose and sewer lines. Hook up the power cable. The power. Why don’t we have any power? We’re plugged in correctly, and yet, no power.

I walked up to the front office to let them know that our site doesn’t seem to have any power. They called maintenance and sent them over. He tested our power box and couldn’t find any power running to it either. Not even 30 amp. So what did we have to do? Move to a new site. We had to undo everything we just did, hitch back up to the truck, and move to a new site. And not a nice pull-through site like the one we were in. A back-in site. In the dark.

It had taken us over an hour to get everything set up (did I mention it was our first time), then we had to do it all again, in the dark. After a couple tries backing into our new site, and not quite getting it right, one of our new neighbors came out to help. He helped Steve know when to turn the wheel, which way to turn it (have you ever backed up a trailer? It’s not natural!), and how hard to cut it. Thankfully, we finally were parked and got everything set up. The poor boys had been waiting in the truck with Lazarus (our cat) while all of this was going down, and they were eager to get out.

As far as campsites go, this one was…ok. We now know and have seen much better. Our site was mostly sand and fine gravel with a small, rough asphalt patch in the front. But the kids didn’t care! They loved it! The boys quickly made friends with the few children they met at the campground (Did I mention this was near Palm Springs? Not many young families to be found. Haha!)

There was a small man-made pond on the property, where the boys actually shocked me by catching a fish! Ollie brought it home to me in a Gatorade bottle. I promptly told him to put it back.

There were also two swimming pools on the property. We first went to the one nearest the front of the campground, which we soon realized was not meant for kids. We were the youngest family there by far, and the adults seemed to sort of spread out to the outer perimeter of the pool when the boys hopped in.

We later learned there was a family pool that was actually larger near the back of the property. Steve took them there one afternoon, and I went with them a few nights later. Well, their swimming time was cut short when one of the other parents spotted a baby rattlesnake in the pool, swimming right where all the kids were! She removed it with one of those pool skimmer net things, but that was enough for me. We didn’t go swimming again.

Did I mention the wind? Now, it should come as no surprise that Palm Springs is windy. I mean, for heaven’s sake, they have wind turbine farms all along the freeway as your coming into town. But have you ever experienced wind in an RV? It’s on another level. It must have woken me up every night, shaking the RV. I’m from California. I survived the 1994 Northridge earthquake. This wind had me thinking we were experiencing earthquakes all the time! I laugh about it now, because I’m so used to the movement of our RV that I don’t think I’d know an earthquake now, even if it actually happened.

We stayed in Palm Springs for a week, visiting our first national park, Joshua Tree National Park, which I’ll talk about in another post. Then it was time to head to Las Vegas! We had survived our first week as a full-time RV family, and it felt really good! As I write this, we are now over two months into our journey, and Palm Springs seems like so long ago! We have now visited four more national parks, a few state parks, and several other amazing locations that I can’t wait to tell you about! Until then, I’ll see you on social media!

~ Joanna

We Bought a Toy Hauler!

When we first decided to sell our house and travel the country full-time with our kids in an RV, we didn’t have any idea which type of RV we wanted. When you will be traveling with kids, your options are a little more limited, especially if you want your kids to have their own room — which we did.

We knew we didn’t want a Class A (the motorhomes that look like large, fancy busses). Not only are they extremely expensive, but if they have a “bunk house”, it’s basically just a closet with bunk beds inside, and nothing else. We also wanted more room than a travel trailer or Class C would give us, since we would be living in it full time. That same reason steered us away from a Schoolie (converted school bus) as well.

Enter the 5th wheel! The perfect RV for any family with younger kids. But there were SO many brands and floorplans to choose from! We went to several different RV dealerships all over Florida, and narrowed it down to either a rear bunk house 5th wheel or a toy hauler. But which RV manufacturer should we choose?

Steve is much better at this kind of thing, so he did tons of research on the different RV manufacturers, joined Facebook groups and forums specific to each brand, and finally narrowed it down to Grand Design, Alliance, and DRV Mobile Suites.

Steve found a deal on a brand new Alliance Valor 42V13 toy hauler in Texas, so we visited a local dealership in Jacksonville that had the same model so we could take a look at the floor plan.

Alliance Valor 42V13 toy hauler kitchen and living room

We loved the floor plan, and that the kitchen and living room area were separate. The side patio was also a huge bonus, that would allow us to have an additional outdoor living space.

We decided to have Steve fly out to Texas to have an inspection done on the Valor they had (this dealership in Jacksonville couldn’t give us as good of a deal on the same model). We were really excited, thinking this would be our new home on wheels! Unfortunately, when we got the inspection report back, it turned out that there were several problems with that brand new unit. The biggest one being that the main slides in the living room and dinette didn’t work properly. Slides are an essential part in almost all RVs. It’s what expands your interior space so that you can actually walk around and USE your RV!

We were super bummed that that particular rig wasn’t going to work out for us, and after more and more research and reading some of the posts in the Alliance Facebook group, it seemed that although they had amazing customer service, their quality control was a bit lacking.

So we were back to square one on our search for an RV for our family.

In the mean time, we moved from Florida across the country to my parents’ house in Southern California. They were kind enough to let us live with them while we waited for our truck to be built, find an RV, and renovate that RV.

While we were in that holding pattern of waiting, Steve flew across the country 4 different times to look at used RVs that were being sold via private party. But none of them were in as good of condition as they were portrayed to be.

Finally, while looking in a Grand Design Facebook group, I came across a post of someone who had a 2021 Momentum 397TH-R (R stands for residential fridge) for sale in northern California, only about 5 hours from us. I contacted the seller, and the next day we drove up to look at it.

It was in great condition, and found out that they had only taken it out twice in the 10 months or so that they owned it. We talked it over, and decided that this was the RV for us! The sellers were even willing to drive it down to my parents’ house to deliver it to us, since we didn’t yet have our truck.

Watch the video below to see what happened on the day it arrived.

It took about 30 minutes for the previous owner to back the 44 foot RV down my parents’ long, thin driveway, and another 45 min to an hour to figure out how to unhitch it from the truck at such a sharp angle. I’m glad it all worked out and we don’t have to do that again any time soon!

We spent the next 2 months completely renovating the inside of the RV from nose to tail, and converted the garage area into a master bedroom and office, and the original master bedroom into our boys’ room.

Stay tuned for future posts all about our renovation!

~ Joanna

Hi! We’re the McVey Family!

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by! I figured I’d make our first post on our brand new website an introduction to our family. There are 4 of us: Steve, Joanna (Jo), Grayson, and Oliver. Steve and I met in 3rd grade, but didn’t start dating until our early 20s. We were both born and raised in the San Fernando Valley in California (a suburb of Los Angeles).

In 2009 we made a crazy decision and moved across the country to Nashville, Tennessee, where we lived for 11 years. We got married in 2011, and Grayson was born in 2012. Oliver followed shortly after in 2014. While we lived in Nashville we made some amazing friends and loved our church. Steve owned a successful business, Joanna had a growing business as a professional photographer, and life was good. But the Tennessee winters were starting to become a drag (gray skies, cold, rainy, and windy), and we wanted to try something new.

So Steve spent months (if not years) looking for the perfect business to purchase in Florida. He finally found the one, and we moved to the Jacksonville area in May of 2020, right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. We settled into our new house in a gorgeous neighborhood, with wonderful neighbors. I decided to homeschool our boys, and life was good…until Steve took over the business in June.

The business was advertised as absentee owner, and it was anything but. He was working 16+ hours a day, and everything in the business was disorganized and horribly mismanaged. We were both miserable for months. Then, he started to get into a groove, and the business started improving, and by the time the one year anniversary of owning the business rolled around, Steve had built it into a great success!

But we knew that something was missing. We had an amazing house near the beach in the wonderful state of Florida. Our kids loved our neighborhood and all the friends they had made on our street. We finally found a church that we loved, and attended regularly, but we wanted more time together as a family. We wanted to experience things together and put more focus on memories over things.

So in July of 2021, after much thought and prayer, we decided to sell our house and the business, and most of our belongings. We wanted to buy an RV and travel the country full time for a year or more. Our house sold within 12 hours of listing it, and we downsized into a 2 bedroom apartment while we waited for Steve’s business to sell. We assumed it would take anywhere from 9-12 months, and we were prepared to live in the apartment that long, if need be.

But by what must have been an act of God, we had 2 very interested buyers within 2 weeks of listing the business, and we ended up closing on it in just 4 months.

But we were kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. We didn’t yet have an RV or a truck, and we were living in an apartment, where we wouldn’t even be able to park an RV if we found one we liked. Trucks were proving to be very hard to come by, so we ended up ordering a new Ram 3500, knowing that it could take several months to be ready.

Thankfully, my parents graciously agreed to let us move in with them at their home where I grew up in California, while we waited. We vigorously started our search for the perfect RV for our family. We new we wanted a 5th wheel, but weren’t sure if we wanted a bunk house or a toy hauler. Steve flew to 3 different places around the country looking at used RVs for sale, but none of them turned out to be the right one for us. We even had a brand new toy hauler almost under contract, until Steve flew out for the inspection, and it had tons of problems, one of which was that the two main slides didn’t work at all! Not something you want in a brand new RV.

Then, one day, I happened to see a post in an RV Facebook group from someone in northern California selling their barely used 2021 Grand Design Momentum 397TH-R. It was within our budget AND located in the state where we were currently living. It seemed too good to be true. We drove about 5 hours up north to take a look at it, and everything was working properly, and it was in great condition. Turns out, they had only taken it out camping twice! We decided that this was the RV for us, and the sellers even agreed to drive it down to my parents’ house as part of the deal, since we still didn’t have our truck.

We spent the next 2.5 months renovating it from top to bottom. We painted pretty much every surface, installed a new backsplash, converted the master bedroom into the boys’ room, and completely overhauled the garage area to be our new master bedroom. We’ll go into much more detail on the renovation in future posts.

Steve picked up our truck a few weeks ago in Louisiana, and drove it all the way to California through an ice storm. Talk about nerve-wracking! I was so thankful he made it back to us safely, and only lost one hubcap in the process.

Now, as I type this, we’re one week away from starting on our journey. The past 8 months has led up to this moment, and we couldn’t be more excited! We’ve got our route planned out for at least the next year, with campground reservations booked. Most of what’s left of our belongings is already in the RV, and we are counting down the days until we pull out of the driveway and head out on the adventure of a lifetime.

We hope you’ll follow along on our journey, and maybe even learn a thing or two with our tutorials and tips on RV living. We’d love it if you’d subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram and TikTok.

— Joanna

Gallatin, TN Wedding | Justin + Elyna | Rock Creek Farm

Gallatin TN Wedding - Rock Creek Farm - Jo McVey Photography

I was so excited when I received the email from Justin confirming that he and his beautiful fiance, Elyna wanted me to capture their special day. Their wedding day.

June 2, 2018 arrived, and there was a slight chance of rain on that hot and muggy day at Rock Creek Farm in Gallatin, TN. I headed up to take photos of the bride and her bridesmaids getting ready in the bridal suite, and then it was time for the first look. Elyna, looking out of the second story window, was so concerned that Justin was outside waiting for her in the heat, and of course he didn’t have his phone on him, so we couldn’t tell him that it would only be a few more minutes. We finally made it outside, where Elyna started to tear up on her way to meet her groom. Justin was awestruck by the beauty of his bride, and you could clearly see the love between them.

After the first look, we took pictures of the bridal party in their powder blue dresses and grey tuxedos, with dark clouds looming overhead. Luckily we got the shots we needed and headed inside as the first drops of rain started to fall. We had about 15-20 minutes until the wedding was supposed to start, and the guests were starting to arrive. They started huddling under the front porch, and we were all worried that the ceremony would have to be moved under the reception pavilion. Luckily, just as we were heading outside, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun came out to shine on this glorious day.

The ceremony, officiated by Justin’s father, was sweet and beautiful, and even had an unexpected “contribution” in the form of a loud “MOO!!!” from one of the cows in the next pasture.

After the ceremony, guests headed to the grand pavilion where they enjoyed a meal consisting of the most delicious, cheesy mashed potatoes I’ve ever tasted.

All eyes were on the bride and groom as they swayed to their first dance as husband and wife.

Guests were able to play corn hole on the lawn and take funny photos in the photo booth. And we can’t forget the dancing!

Elyna and Justin ended the night with a fun sparkler send off!

I wish the new Mr. and Mrs. McMoran a lifetime of happiness and love. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you!

Gallatin, TN Wedding | Depot Square | John + Sarah

Depot Square Wedding - Gallatin, TN - Nashville Wedding Photographer - Jo McVey Photography

It was probably one of the hottest days of the year the day of John and Sarah’s wedding. Thankfully, the wedding and reception took place inside the wonderfully air conditioned Depot Square in the heart of Gallatin, TN. I had the privilege of meeting the bride, Sarah, in a small group for young singles at our church about 8 years ago, and was honored when she asked me to capture her special day! As you may know, I’m a portrait photographer, so this was only the second wedding I’ve photographed, and I was glad she trusted me with the task!

The wedding was beautiful, with enchanting string lights hanging throughout the room, and twinkle lights on every pole and lining the stage. It was an intimate affair, with no wedding party except two flower girls and a ring bearer, but by the size of the audience, you could tell that this couple was very well loved by friends and family.

The ceremony was short and sweet, with a BBQ buffet, cupcakes, and a delicious s’more bar to feed the guests during the reception, while they entertained themselves by line dancing, taking funny pictures in the photo booth, or jumping in the bouncy house!

John and Sarah, I wish you a lifetime of happiness together! May the Lord bless your marriage all the days of your life!

XOXO ~ Jo

Princess Edit – Using Greater Than Gatsby Actions

Before and After - Princess Editing Video - Jo McVey Photography

I’ve lost count of how many messages I’ve received asking for mentoring, tutorials, or editing videos, so I decided to record one to show you how I use Greater Than Gatsby actions in my editing workflow. I am in no way affiliated with GTG, I just happen to love their actions.

I started this edit off in Lightroom, and did a few adjustments to exposure and white balance, and then moved on to Photoshop.

It’s really helpful if you know how to work with layers and masks before purchasing their actions so that you can tweak and customize them to your liking.

Here’s the progression of the edit you will see in this video. The straight out of camera (SOOC) image on the far left, then the adjustments I made in Lightroom, and finally finishing up with GTG actions and a little hand editing in Photoshop.

The GTG actions used in this video are from the following collections: Innocence Retouch, Innocence I and II, Newborn Essentials, and Newborn II.

Side note: I shoot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, and this particular photo was shot with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens. I always shoot in RAW, never JPEG. I just like having more control over my images. Settings for this photo were 1/200, f2.8, ISO 500.

I hope you like this video! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Also, I’d love it if you’d like my Facebook page: Jo McVey Photography

Or follow me on Instagram: jomcveyphotography

And, if you’re a child and family professional photographer, please join us over in my Facebook group The Art of Child and Family Portraiture.

Sweet Baby Boy {Jackson} | Nashville Newborn Photographer

Baby boy sleeping on gray and blue layering blankets - Jo McVey Photography of Nashville, TN

This newborn session was a special one for me. I’ve known baby Jackson’s parents since they were dating, and I was actually 39 weeks pregnant with my firstborn when I attended their wedding almost five years ago. I’ll be honest, I tried to dance myself into labor that night. It didn’t work. Haha!

You may remember my post about Samantha’s baby shower a few months ago, where I won the clothes pin “baby” game. Always such a competitor!

Sweet baby Jackson’s newborn session took place last fall when I had my “studio” set up in a tiny square space in the corner of the guest room in our rental house. Thankfully, now we’re in our new home, and I have a much larger studio space and office to meet with clients for their consults and ordering appointments!

Jackson slept wonderfully for his session, and we got some amazing shots! His daddy is an avid sports fan, so we had to get some football shots for this future champ! I know his parents, Brian and Samantha, are so in love with him!

Pastor Family Session – The Gallatys {Nashville Portrait Photographer}

Family of 4 sitting on quilt near creek - Nashville Family Photographer | Jo McVey Photography

This past fall, I had the honor of taking family portraits for our pastor and his family. He followed the Lord’s call to our church in October of 2015, about ten months after our beloved former pastor tragically passed away from a rare cancer.

Pastor Robby and his family have been such a blessing to our church, and have really helped us heal and move forward after such a great loss. His dedication to discipleship has touched countless lives and helped us grow in our faith by leaps and bounds. I look forward to sitting under his teaching and leadership each Sunday, and have never been more excited about faithfully reading The Word. If you’re in the Nashville area, and looking for an amazing, Bible believing church to call your own, I highly recommend Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville. We will welcome you with open arms!

I had such a fun time photographing Pastor Robby, his wife Kandi, and their sweet boys, Rig and Ryder. The weather was warm, and the autumn leaves were out in all their glory, making the perfect backdrop for this special session.

Sweet Baby Brother {Nashville, TN Newborn Photographer}

newborn baby on clean white background - Nashville newborn photographer

As a mom of two boys myself, I was so excited when I found out that mama, Kolleen, was having another boy. I photographed her beautiful maternity session back in August, and I had the great pleasure of also shooting her newborn session this past October. Cole is easily the biggest, squishiest baby I’ve ever photographed — weighing in at eleven pounds. I absolutely LOVED snuggling with him. I hope you enjoy his photos!