Welcome to The Great RV Escape. We're happy you stopped by.
Since we've completed our fulltime RVing journey, we're no longer posting to this blog. That said, we would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Just write your question as a comment to this post and we'll do our best to provide a prompt response.
This blog chronicles our lives from the day we hatched the crazy idea to travel the country full-time in a motorhome we had yet to purchase, through a year of seemingly endless purging as we radically downsized our worldly possessions and sold our house, along the 35,000 or so miles we traveled for four years in two Winnebagos (both named Bullwinkle), until we made our exit, bought a stick-and-brick house in our native hometown and became "anytime" RVers. It's all here: The good, the bad and the ugly. Through it all, we told it like it was.
Feel free to poke around and stay awhile. We hope our story provides you with some helpful information, a spark of inspiration and a chuckle or two.
If you have a question, please ask.
Meanwhile, safe travels!
One Long Winter
It's the first day of Spring Break around here. The sun is shining. The thermometer is above 60. Kids of all ages are doing a happy dance.
Count us in!
Winter doesn't officially come to end for another week. It can't come soon enough.
This has been a long one.
Although we had hoped to travel south for at least a bit this winter, our moose still sits where we last left him, in his cozy storage spot. He hasn't moved in almost five months!
We shelved our travel plans to be here for Paul's Dad, who passed away last month. At 88 years, old he lived a long and fulfilling life. We know he's in a better place, but still, we miss him. We feel so blessed that we were able to spend so much time with him during his last year. We wouldn't trade that time for anything, even the life on the road that we love so much. When we returned to Kansas City a year ago today, we weren't exactly sure what prompted our decision. But, now we know. We're so very glad we followed that inner voice that called us home.
Paul's dear 92-year-old Aunt Martha passed away just one week after his Dad. We visited her several times in our travels. She visited both of our motorhomes and thought they were pretty cool. We will always cherish those visits.
While dealing with these two losses, Mother Nature has dished out some of the worst winter weather we can remember. We had a rare white Christmas, which was charming. But, after that, it wasn't so fun. A couple of feet of snow piled up several inches at a time. We had a long string of days where the temperature didn't reach double digits. Sub-zero weather is rare around here. But, not this year. There were so many nights where the temperature started with a "minus" that I lost count. And, let's not even talk about wind chill.
Remember, we're talking about Kansas City. Not Minneapolis! Our first winter here nearly a decade and a half was definitely one for the record books.
The wicked weather put our new stick house to the test. Through it all, it kept us warm and dry with very little effort. We didn't have to keep an eye on any propane. We didn't have to run any water pump. Best of all, we had a very comfy 1700 square feet to hibernate in! More than once we gave thanks that we weren't trying to keep ourselves and our moose from freezing this winter. We couldn't imagine having to deal with that weather while living in our coach. Thankfully, we didn't have to.
We've been in the house for almost 10 months already. Believe it or not, we're still settling in. Of course, it took us a year to get rid of everything before we hit the road. So, I suppose it should come as no surprise that it'll take a full year of home ownership, at least, before this house is stocked with what we need and we really feel settled. We're getting there.
This long winter has resulted in a bad case of hitch itch, which we have plans to scratch before too long. We're planning a little "dewinterization" trip soon. We'll dust off the cobwebs and flush out the pink stuff. It'll be great to spend a little time on the road. Our fingers are crossed that Bullwinkle has survived this brutal winter without any problems. We shall see.
The change of seasons feels like a natural place to bring this blog to a close. I've been meaning to do it all winter. But, I just couldn't. Besides, we've been busy. Now it feels like the right time and place to wrap up our fulltime RVing story. It feels like we've come full circle from that first day when we hatched the idea. We've cleared out and sold one house, spent nearly four adventure-filled years on the road in a couple of rolling homes, landed in another stick house, (Although, let me assure you this house will never have that much stuff. Ever.) and began the transition to life as anytiming RVers.
It's been fun to chronicle it all. If another soul finds a spark of inspiration or helpful information in our story it's worth the effort. At the very least, I hope it makes somebody, somewhere chuckle. Even if nobody else finds value in this blog, we sure did. It helped us meet a bunch of great people. (A few of them are listed on that blogroll to the right.) Those folks helped make our journey the trip of a lifetime. To those dear friends we are eternally grateful.
I'm going to write one very brief final post to help future readers get their bearings in this piece of history and catch any questions folks may have. But, as far as long missives go, this is it. (I'll try to bring Bullwinkle's Travels up to date. But, I'm not making any promises.) It's been a blast, dear readers. Thanks so much for joining us on the ride. Safe travels, y'all!
For The Great RV Escape, Bullwinkle, Rocky, Boris and Natasha are signing off.
See you on the road somewhere!
Winterization
If we needed one more thing to remind us we're no longer traveling full time, we got it today.
We winterized the moose.
(Sniff. Sniff.)
This was a first for us. When we lived in California, the moderate winter temperatures spared us this seasonal deed. The orientation of our first moose included instructions on how to prepare for sub-freezing storage. But, honestly, we never thought we'd have to take on that task. And, for five winters, we didn't have to.
Here in the nation's midsection, we enjoy some of our most glorious weather this time of year. We had hopes of getting out for one more outing before we put the moose away for the winter. But, when Mother Nature sent an early cold snap our way last week we had to shift into rapid winterization mode.
The National Weather Service issued a Freeze Warning as temperatures were forecasted to dip well into the 20s Thursday night. We pulled Bullwinkle out of storage, parked him in our driveway and turned on the heat. The moose made it through the chilly night just fine, and we made plans for our last little getaway of the season.
We had just two nights free, so we couldn't stray too far. Our original plans were to head to a COE park we like about 90 minutes from here. But, it's in the middle of nowhere. With our first ever attempt at winterizing on the top of our to-do list for this trip, we didn't want to be too far from civilization in case we needed to make a quick run for extra pink stuff or some other essential item. So, we decided to hang out at a park south of town, but within a short drive of civilization. As we were loading up Saturday morning, it dawned on me to call and make sure the park had a site available.
They didn't.
That's right. There was no room for us at the inn!
We made a quick call to our old "home park". (Yep. I have 'em on speed dial!) The place was nearly full, but they had a spot for us for two nights. We'd have full hookups with plenty of room to drain and flush and whatever else would be required as we embarked on our maiden winterization. The idea of tackling an unfamiliar task in a very familiar environment had a lot of appeal.
After a short caravan down the street and around a few corners, we had the moose and squirrel back in our old neighborhood. We settled in quickly and had a nice visit with the park owners, who seemed pleased to see us. We caught up with a couple of regulars we hadn't seen in months. It felt like we were home.
We kicked back and relaxed for two nights. It felt great to enjoy the cozy comforts of our rolling home. This morning, we made a run to one of our favorite nearby breakfast spots. After we were fed and caffeinated, we got down to the business of getting the moose ready for winter.
Our owner's manual provides detailed, step-by-step instructions on two ways to winterize. We opted for the "blow out" method. It took us an hour or so (and two trips to the nearby hardware store) to complete the 21 steps. We drained the water lines, fresh water tank, water heater and ice maker and removed two water filters. Watching all of this water drain out of our moose, I imagined for a moment that Bullwinkle was crying. (I nearly was!) When the tears had passed, Paul fired up the air compressor and pumped a steady stream of air into the lines for five minutes, per the instructions. We closed all the faucets and poured pink stuff down the drains to fill the traps. Paul then flushed and dumped the waste tanks.
With that, according to the manual, our coach was "properly winterized." Mission accomplished.
Instead of feeling any sense of accomplishment, we just felt sad. We bid our farewells to neighbors and the park owners and Paul piloted our drained moose to his skinny, but out of the weather, storage spot. As we tucked Bullwinkle in, we thanked him for his many miles of trusty service and encouraged him to take a nice rest through the holidays. With his water lines dry and just the right amount of pink stuff on board, we won't have to worry about him sitting out in the cold.
But, we still might. Just a little.
We winterized the moose.
(Sniff. Sniff.)
This was a first for us. When we lived in California, the moderate winter temperatures spared us this seasonal deed. The orientation of our first moose included instructions on how to prepare for sub-freezing storage. But, honestly, we never thought we'd have to take on that task. And, for five winters, we didn't have to.
Here in the nation's midsection, we enjoy some of our most glorious weather this time of year. We had hopes of getting out for one more outing before we put the moose away for the winter. But, when Mother Nature sent an early cold snap our way last week we had to shift into rapid winterization mode.
The National Weather Service issued a Freeze Warning as temperatures were forecasted to dip well into the 20s Thursday night. We pulled Bullwinkle out of storage, parked him in our driveway and turned on the heat. The moose made it through the chilly night just fine, and we made plans for our last little getaway of the season.
We had just two nights free, so we couldn't stray too far. Our original plans were to head to a COE park we like about 90 minutes from here. But, it's in the middle of nowhere. With our first ever attempt at winterizing on the top of our to-do list for this trip, we didn't want to be too far from civilization in case we needed to make a quick run for extra pink stuff or some other essential item. So, we decided to hang out at a park south of town, but within a short drive of civilization. As we were loading up Saturday morning, it dawned on me to call and make sure the park had a site available.
They didn't.
That's right. There was no room for us at the inn!
We made a quick call to our old "home park". (Yep. I have 'em on speed dial!) The place was nearly full, but they had a spot for us for two nights. We'd have full hookups with plenty of room to drain and flush and whatever else would be required as we embarked on our maiden winterization. The idea of tackling an unfamiliar task in a very familiar environment had a lot of appeal.
After a short caravan down the street and around a few corners, we had the moose and squirrel back in our old neighborhood. We settled in quickly and had a nice visit with the park owners, who seemed pleased to see us. We caught up with a couple of regulars we hadn't seen in months. It felt like we were home.
We kicked back and relaxed for two nights. It felt great to enjoy the cozy comforts of our rolling home. This morning, we made a run to one of our favorite nearby breakfast spots. After we were fed and caffeinated, we got down to the business of getting the moose ready for winter.
Our owner's manual provides detailed, step-by-step instructions on two ways to winterize. We opted for the "blow out" method. It took us an hour or so (and two trips to the nearby hardware store) to complete the 21 steps. We drained the water lines, fresh water tank, water heater and ice maker and removed two water filters. Watching all of this water drain out of our moose, I imagined for a moment that Bullwinkle was crying. (I nearly was!) When the tears had passed, Paul fired up the air compressor and pumped a steady stream of air into the lines for five minutes, per the instructions. We closed all the faucets and poured pink stuff down the drains to fill the traps. Paul then flushed and dumped the waste tanks.
With that, according to the manual, our coach was "properly winterized." Mission accomplished.
Instead of feeling any sense of accomplishment, we just felt sad. We bid our farewells to neighbors and the park owners and Paul piloted our drained moose to his skinny, but out of the weather, storage spot. As we tucked Bullwinkle in, we thanked him for his many miles of trusty service and encouraged him to take a nice rest through the holidays. With his water lines dry and just the right amount of pink stuff on board, we won't have to worry about him sitting out in the cold.
But, we still might. Just a little.
The Best of Both
It's official. We like this "anytimer" gig!
We're back from our first extended trip: A glorious month in Colorado. We spent three weeks in Gunnison, one of our favorite places on earth, and a week exploring Buena Vista, a place we'd always meant to visit.
We made a great big check mark on our "bucket list." We witnessed the flaming glory of the changing aspens in the Rockies. Absolutely breathtaking!
We caught up with friends in a couple of places, and family in another. We met new friends, too.
We worked just a little and played a lot. Paul even renewed his interest in an old hobby, taking a new radio-controlled airplane to the skies as part of the RV park "air force" in Gunni.
It was great to be back in the moose, of course. It took us no time to settle in. (The cats were "at home" in a heartbeat!) Kicking back in our cozy house on wheels, enjoying one of our favorite states, it felt like we'd never left the road.
Sorta.
Something was different. Something was better.
For the first time in a long time it felt like we were on vacation.
I don't know how to explain it, because I don't think I completely understand what made it feel so familiar yet different. Whatever it is, we like it!
When we backed the motorhome into our driveway late Sunday afternoon, I wasn't sure what to expect when we walked through our front door. Would it feel like home? Or, would it feel like the unsettled, incomplete, never-ending decorating project we left a month ago?
Much to my surprise and delight, it feels like home.
The place is bigger than we remember. And, it's not quite as unsettled as we thought. It's actually looking pretty good!
We received a warm welcome from our neighbors, who were eager to hear about our trip. They said we looked rested and refreshed.
We are!
When we pondered our decision to buy this house and make the switch to "anytime" RVers, we convinced ourselves that one of the benefits would be experiencing the best of both lifestyles.
It took us over four months to get here, but now we know the feeling of enjoying a month on the road in a house we love and returning to a "stick-and-brick" we love just as much.
For us, right now, it truly is the best of both worlds.
We're back from our first extended trip: A glorious month in Colorado. We spent three weeks in Gunnison, one of our favorite places on earth, and a week exploring Buena Vista, a place we'd always meant to visit.
We made a great big check mark on our "bucket list." We witnessed the flaming glory of the changing aspens in the Rockies. Absolutely breathtaking!
We caught up with friends in a couple of places, and family in another. We met new friends, too.
We worked just a little and played a lot. Paul even renewed his interest in an old hobby, taking a new radio-controlled airplane to the skies as part of the RV park "air force" in Gunni.
It was great to be back in the moose, of course. It took us no time to settle in. (The cats were "at home" in a heartbeat!) Kicking back in our cozy house on wheels, enjoying one of our favorite states, it felt like we'd never left the road.
Sorta.
Something was different. Something was better.
For the first time in a long time it felt like we were on vacation.
I don't know how to explain it, because I don't think I completely understand what made it feel so familiar yet different. Whatever it is, we like it!
When we backed the motorhome into our driveway late Sunday afternoon, I wasn't sure what to expect when we walked through our front door. Would it feel like home? Or, would it feel like the unsettled, incomplete, never-ending decorating project we left a month ago?
Much to my surprise and delight, it feels like home.
The place is bigger than we remember. And, it's not quite as unsettled as we thought. It's actually looking pretty good!
We received a warm welcome from our neighbors, who were eager to hear about our trip. They said we looked rested and refreshed.
We are!
When we pondered our decision to buy this house and make the switch to "anytime" RVers, we convinced ourselves that one of the benefits would be experiencing the best of both lifestyles.
It took us over four months to get here, but now we know the feeling of enjoying a month on the road in a house we love and returning to a "stick-and-brick" we love just as much.
For us, right now, it truly is the best of both worlds.
Four Years Later
Four years ago today we set off on our Great RV Escape. This is one of our favorite "anniversaries". It's a joy to recall the incredible sense of freedom we had on that day, remember everything it took to get there and celebrate all of the memories we've created since.
Of course, this is the first fulltiming anniversary that we're not celebrating in the moose. We'll meet up with him again tomorrow. Meanwhile, we're remembering this special day by reflecting on the lessons we learned on our life-changing journey. In hopes that these thoughts may inform or inspire folks who pass this way someday, we'll share a few of the things we're taking with us from our travels.
Lesson #1: Live Simply
If we take nothing else away from the last four years, this first lesson made it all worthwhile. For most of my adult life those two words were my perpetual New Year's resolution. Yet, every year life seemed to get more and more complicated. It took getting rid of most of our stuff, packing what was left in the moose and hitting the road for me to finally experience what I wanted for so long. Together, we learned the joy of living with just what we need. We kept things simple. And, we loved it. Our life of simplicity actually made room for us to enjoy so much more. Even though we're back in an "accumulation phase" for a bit as we furnish our house, this time it's different. We're finding just what we need and no more. We worked hard to finally simplify our lives. We're committed to keeping it that way.
Lesson #2: America Rocks
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, where most residents think it is the center of the universe, it was easy to become just a bit jaded about our country. But, something happened shortly after we crossed the California state line into Oregon. We fell in love with America again. That love affair grew stronger over the next 35,000 miles. We live in an amazingly beautiful country. It's not just the purple mountains and shining seas that make it beautiful. The people we met along the way were warm, friendly and helpful. We have always been proud to be Americans. But, now we're in love, too!
Lesson #3: Age is Just a Number
As fulltime RVers go, we were definitely youngsters. It bothered us a bit at first. We found ourselves missing the company of our contemporaries. While most of our contemporaries continued slaving away at their careers, we had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know people of all ages. A few were younger, but most were older. We met folks in their 70s and 80s who were more active and energetic than we are. (And, we're pretty energetic!) Today, we have friends who are young enough to be our kids and friends who are the same chronological age as our parents. And, lots of friends are in between. What makes us friends is love, laughter, energetic spirit and a shared passion for exploring. Age isn't part of our criteria for friendship. It's just a number. (With each passing birthday, we need to remind ourselves of that!)
Lesson #4: Go Outside
When we hit the road four years ago today, our lives changed in so many ways. One of the most significant was that we began to live outside. Our pre-fulltiming life was lived predominately inside our offices, our cars and our home. We even worked out in an indoor gym! Time outside was limited to rare weekend hikes or bicycle outings. We knew it was good for us to get outside, but we rarely did. As fulltimers, the continent became our front yard. And, we loved it. When we get plenty of sunshine, fresh air and exercise, we feel terrific. When we don't, we need to remember to go outside!
Lesson #5: Never Stop Exploring
Paul and I love to explore. It's part of what we love about each other. That shared love was one of the most satisfying aspects of our fulltiming journey. Whether we were exploring a hiking trail, a National Park, a state Capitol, a new-to-us restaurant or a quirky shop, we were feeding our souls. During our first visit to beautiful Hilton Head Island, SC, Paul's dear Aunt Anne delighted in what we were up to. "Never stop exploring," she said. "Keep moving. Keep learning." Even though we're not moving around in a motorhome as much as we were, we'll keep finding the new in the every day. There's something extra special about making a new discovery in familiar territory. We think Aunt Anne would like that.
Who knew such a crazy idea as getting rid of your stuff and traveling the country in a fiberglass box would result in so much learning?
We're so very glad it did! And, even more glad we did it!
Of course, this is the first fulltiming anniversary that we're not celebrating in the moose. We'll meet up with him again tomorrow. Meanwhile, we're remembering this special day by reflecting on the lessons we learned on our life-changing journey. In hopes that these thoughts may inform or inspire folks who pass this way someday, we'll share a few of the things we're taking with us from our travels.
Lesson #1: Live Simply
If we take nothing else away from the last four years, this first lesson made it all worthwhile. For most of my adult life those two words were my perpetual New Year's resolution. Yet, every year life seemed to get more and more complicated. It took getting rid of most of our stuff, packing what was left in the moose and hitting the road for me to finally experience what I wanted for so long. Together, we learned the joy of living with just what we need. We kept things simple. And, we loved it. Our life of simplicity actually made room for us to enjoy so much more. Even though we're back in an "accumulation phase" for a bit as we furnish our house, this time it's different. We're finding just what we need and no more. We worked hard to finally simplify our lives. We're committed to keeping it that way.
Lesson #2: America Rocks
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, where most residents think it is the center of the universe, it was easy to become just a bit jaded about our country. But, something happened shortly after we crossed the California state line into Oregon. We fell in love with America again. That love affair grew stronger over the next 35,000 miles. We live in an amazingly beautiful country. It's not just the purple mountains and shining seas that make it beautiful. The people we met along the way were warm, friendly and helpful. We have always been proud to be Americans. But, now we're in love, too!
Lesson #3: Age is Just a Number
As fulltime RVers go, we were definitely youngsters. It bothered us a bit at first. We found ourselves missing the company of our contemporaries. While most of our contemporaries continued slaving away at their careers, we had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know people of all ages. A few were younger, but most were older. We met folks in their 70s and 80s who were more active and energetic than we are. (And, we're pretty energetic!) Today, we have friends who are young enough to be our kids and friends who are the same chronological age as our parents. And, lots of friends are in between. What makes us friends is love, laughter, energetic spirit and a shared passion for exploring. Age isn't part of our criteria for friendship. It's just a number. (With each passing birthday, we need to remind ourselves of that!)
Lesson #4: Go Outside
When we hit the road four years ago today, our lives changed in so many ways. One of the most significant was that we began to live outside. Our pre-fulltiming life was lived predominately inside our offices, our cars and our home. We even worked out in an indoor gym! Time outside was limited to rare weekend hikes or bicycle outings. We knew it was good for us to get outside, but we rarely did. As fulltimers, the continent became our front yard. And, we loved it. When we get plenty of sunshine, fresh air and exercise, we feel terrific. When we don't, we need to remember to go outside!
Lesson #5: Never Stop Exploring
Paul and I love to explore. It's part of what we love about each other. That shared love was one of the most satisfying aspects of our fulltiming journey. Whether we were exploring a hiking trail, a National Park, a state Capitol, a new-to-us restaurant or a quirky shop, we were feeding our souls. During our first visit to beautiful Hilton Head Island, SC, Paul's dear Aunt Anne delighted in what we were up to. "Never stop exploring," she said. "Keep moving. Keep learning." Even though we're not moving around in a motorhome as much as we were, we'll keep finding the new in the every day. There's something extra special about making a new discovery in familiar territory. We think Aunt Anne would like that.
Who knew such a crazy idea as getting rid of your stuff and traveling the country in a fiberglass box would result in so much learning?
We're so very glad it did! And, even more glad we did it!
Do We Miss It?
That's the most common question we've heard about our fulltime RVing adventures lately.
The answer is simple.
Of course we do!
Our nearly four years on the road were filled with great places, terrific people and memories that will last a couple of lifetimes. Why wouldn't we miss it? In fact, we are counting the days (just three more) until our first adventure as Anytimers. We can't wait!
As much as we miss all that, we are really appreciating what we have now. Despite my occasional rant about how much time, energy and money it's taking us to make it our home, we love the new house. It's really great. We're enjoying cooking more than ever now that we have a proper kitchen. We hosted our first dinner guests this week and look forward to many more. I almost forgot how much fun it can be to entertain.
We appreciate being near family right now, especially our parents. Being here, we're on top of what's up with them more than we ever could be from hundreds of miles away. We'll always worry about them, of course. But, somehow the worrying is less stressful when we're all close by. We're also enjoying reconnecting with friends in the area. Our social calendar is filling up. And, we love it! We've met many of our neighbors, and they are a friendly bunch, too.
We're in better shape than were on the road. We hiked and biked when we could, but these days I'm walking and Paul's running nearly every day. I love it. And, Paul ran his first road race in a zillion years on the 4th. I don't know why, but we're eating better, too. Check that. It could be because we're no longer exploring new restaurants at every destination!
Paul has been busy getting his business off the ground. Having a real office provides him with the tools he needs to do the work he loves. And, it's obvious he's enjoying it. He's designing the business to work with our extended travels. But, for now, he's logging some serious hours to get things going.
One of my concerns about coming off the road was a fear of being bored. Not so! I am amazed at how busy we are. We keep wondering how we managed to squeeze in all this stuff when we were both working. (We didn't!) I suppose things will slow down once we're finally settled, but maybe not. If we do get bored, we'll just fire up the moose for a little road trip.
So, do we miss traveling fulltime? Yes.
But, are we sorry we stopped? Absolutely not!
It has been a little tough reading about our friends who are in some of our favorite Summertime destinations this holiday weekend. We're happy for them, but we're the first to admit it would be so nice to be among them. But, we have a house to settle into, a business to launch and a family wedding next week. As tempting as it is to run to the mountains, there's really no place we'd rather be right now.
Now, next Summer is sure to be different. We'll be on the road!
Time, Energy and Money
We thought this move would be simple.
Who were we foolin'?
It's been six weeks since we became land barons. By this time we were sure we'd be settled. Life would be normal, or close to it. The transition from living in a rolling home to a stick and brick house would be a distant memory.
After all, we only had so much stuff. All we had to do was a little shopping and we'd be all set. Right?
Wrong.
Truth is we're still in this transition. Knee deep. Turns out stocking a house, even a smallish one, from basically scratch takes time. A lot of it.
We're six weeks in and still have three rooms with no furniture. Not a stick. Actually, our living room has cardboard cutouts that represent pieces of furniture. Quite stylish! The good news there is I think we've landed on a layout that works. The next step is to buy the stuff. Then, we'll wait. Weeks.
Our rooms that have furniture are far from finished. We still need an area rug here and some bedding there and there. It all involves shopping. A lot of it. It's not our favorite thing to do. And, much of the time, it's not all that productive. I've been searching in vain for two small pieces of furniture to complete our most finished room. Once I find them, we'll start hanging artwork in there. Yes, our walls are bare. We have yet to unpack any of our art because we're not sure where we're putting it just yet. Plus, we have plans to frame yet-to-be-prints of some of our favorite photos from our travels. (Any project that starts with combing through tens of thousands of photos is going to take some time!)
We've made some mighty big moves in our past. Some were across town and one was across the country. Whatever the case, six weeks in we looked like we actually lived in the place. Here it looks like we're still waiting for the moving van to show up!
Of course, we have no deadlines on this project. That may be a blessing and a curse, actually. We have all the time in the world to get this done, which may be exactly why it's taking that long. With our first house guests expected in three weeks, I'm on a mission to properly outfit our guest bedroom and bath. Yesterday's shopping outing resulted in a shower curtain rod, hooks and a liner. Pretty exciting stuff, eh?
We're making progress. But, we are surprised at how much energy this never-ending project is taking. I'm always on the lookout for something. Because we pretty much need everything! Craigslist correspondence has become my latest obsession. Scouting for a bargain is fun, but when it becomes your job, it's an energy zapper. Paul has been focused on getting the lawn up and running. Of course, that meant buying and assembling a lawn mower, spreader, sprinklers, hoses and such. He wanted a lawn to take care, and he definitely got one. The house doesn't need much work at all. But, the yard is definitely in need of Paul's green thumb. Still, our "to-do" list is lengthy. And, it seems like the closer we get to checking things off the list, the longer it gets!
We knew this transition would cost us. And, we planned for it. But, the giant sucking sound of greenbacks leaving our bank account can be deafening. It'll be interesting to see how much we've spent after the dust settles. It'll be more than we thought it would be. Guaranteed.
The point of this ramble is that the transition from fulltiming to anytiming takes a lot of time, energy and money. And, while nobody will make the transition exactly as we are, our money (what we have left, anyway) is on the whole process being more complicated than imagined. Lots more.
We used to joke that one day we'd find a cute little house, park the moose, call Pottery Barn and have them deliver a house full of furniture. We found the house and stored the coach. But, that whole house full of furniture thing just isn't that simple.
We know there's a day in our future when we'll feel settled in both our homes. Then, we'll get to experience the best of both worlds. We can't wait.
Meanwhile, we'll keep hoping we have enough time, energy and money to get there.
Fingers crossed!
Who were we foolin'?
It's been six weeks since we became land barons. By this time we were sure we'd be settled. Life would be normal, or close to it. The transition from living in a rolling home to a stick and brick house would be a distant memory.
After all, we only had so much stuff. All we had to do was a little shopping and we'd be all set. Right?
Wrong.
Truth is we're still in this transition. Knee deep. Turns out stocking a house, even a smallish one, from basically scratch takes time. A lot of it.
We're six weeks in and still have three rooms with no furniture. Not a stick. Actually, our living room has cardboard cutouts that represent pieces of furniture. Quite stylish! The good news there is I think we've landed on a layout that works. The next step is to buy the stuff. Then, we'll wait. Weeks.
Our rooms that have furniture are far from finished. We still need an area rug here and some bedding there and there. It all involves shopping. A lot of it. It's not our favorite thing to do. And, much of the time, it's not all that productive. I've been searching in vain for two small pieces of furniture to complete our most finished room. Once I find them, we'll start hanging artwork in there. Yes, our walls are bare. We have yet to unpack any of our art because we're not sure where we're putting it just yet. Plus, we have plans to frame yet-to-be-prints of some of our favorite photos from our travels. (Any project that starts with combing through tens of thousands of photos is going to take some time!)
We've made some mighty big moves in our past. Some were across town and one was across the country. Whatever the case, six weeks in we looked like we actually lived in the place. Here it looks like we're still waiting for the moving van to show up!
Of course, we have no deadlines on this project. That may be a blessing and a curse, actually. We have all the time in the world to get this done, which may be exactly why it's taking that long. With our first house guests expected in three weeks, I'm on a mission to properly outfit our guest bedroom and bath. Yesterday's shopping outing resulted in a shower curtain rod, hooks and a liner. Pretty exciting stuff, eh?
We're making progress. But, we are surprised at how much energy this never-ending project is taking. I'm always on the lookout for something. Because we pretty much need everything! Craigslist correspondence has become my latest obsession. Scouting for a bargain is fun, but when it becomes your job, it's an energy zapper. Paul has been focused on getting the lawn up and running. Of course, that meant buying and assembling a lawn mower, spreader, sprinklers, hoses and such. He wanted a lawn to take care, and he definitely got one. The house doesn't need much work at all. But, the yard is definitely in need of Paul's green thumb. Still, our "to-do" list is lengthy. And, it seems like the closer we get to checking things off the list, the longer it gets!
We knew this transition would cost us. And, we planned for it. But, the giant sucking sound of greenbacks leaving our bank account can be deafening. It'll be interesting to see how much we've spent after the dust settles. It'll be more than we thought it would be. Guaranteed.
The point of this ramble is that the transition from fulltiming to anytiming takes a lot of time, energy and money. And, while nobody will make the transition exactly as we are, our money (what we have left, anyway) is on the whole process being more complicated than imagined. Lots more.
We used to joke that one day we'd find a cute little house, park the moose, call Pottery Barn and have them deliver a house full of furniture. We found the house and stored the coach. But, that whole house full of furniture thing just isn't that simple.
We know there's a day in our future when we'll feel settled in both our homes. Then, we'll get to experience the best of both worlds. We can't wait.
Meanwhile, we'll keep hoping we have enough time, energy and money to get there.
Fingers crossed!
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