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Grateful Mama

Short Stories About a Bus Life Family

We are a bus life family that are living life a little differently. Five years ago we started this journey and have learned a lot about this lifestyle and ourselves along the way.

Bus Life at it's greatest.
Our white shuttle bus on day one of the build.
Grace the Bus
Toddler sitting in her car seat, holding down the lumber we bought to continue our custom bus build.

Cold Weather, The Cutest Helper and Big Progress on Our Shuttle Bus Build

January 7, 2026 by Grateful Mama

Building out a shuttle bus in the middle of winter might not sound like the coziest project—but that’s exactly where we are right now! At the end of this week’s video, we share just how cold and snowy it’s been during our build. The frost on our tools and the snow drifting in the doorway tell the whole story.

Toddler sitting in her car seat, holding down the lumber we bought to continue our custom bus build.

This week was extra special because our daughter, Gwen, joined us at the bus build. While we were hoping for a little more “construction crew” help, she made a big difference in her own way—helping to reorganize our growing chaos of tools, materials, and coffee cups. Having her there also got us thinking more seriously about her bedroom setup. We’ve been going back and forth on the design, wanting to give her a space of her own while also making sure it’s safe for travel and living on the road. One thing’s for sure—whatever we decide now will likely change as she grows and our needs evolve. (As you’ll see soon enough as we go through this journey.)

A man holding a power tool, making a hole in the ceiling to install pot lights in our shuttle bus build.

On the build side, we made some exciting progress! We started framing out the kitchen and front storage area, giving shape to the heart of our bus. We also finished up the tongue-and-groove ceiling, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. It’s starting to feel less like a bare shuttle bus and more like our future home. The space is starting to close in and not feel as ‘big’ after the demolition.

If you want to see all the progress, plus the snowy reality of a winter bus build, check out the short video here. As always, apologize for the poor lighting on our pictures and videos. We were more focused on the work than making sure the aesthetics were perfect. 🙂

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