The Countdown

We are down to our last 10 days at Shady Oaks! Preparations for the trip have been progressing smoothly.

Bill has been busy finishing the cabinets where the old TVs used to live.  It’s great to have 2 more spots for indoor storage. One for laptops and the printer.  We added a fun map of the US that is a scratch off version.  You scratch off each state as you visit it.  Just like a scratch off ticket!

 

The back cabinet sports a framed picture of my favorite flowers: lupines. Inside is a massive amount of room, so I moved my crafting materials up there, along with extra bedding and other bulky items. It’s so much neater in the bedroom now, with everything stowed away.  In a small space, any amount of clutter makes the whole area seem trashed.

In February, I listed my top 5 challenges.  Here are the solutions we have in place.

1. I’m not retirement age (yet). So I will have to buy health insurance until I find work out west.
   I decided to buy the COBRA insurance my employer offers by law.  Obamacare wasn’t any cheaper for our family.  I can use COBRA for 18 months if I need to.
2. We plan to move our belongings from a 3 bedroom house and garage into a Class A RV. Downsizing and purging is required.
   Although somewhat painful, the downsizing and purging went fine.
3. We will want to tow a vehicle and neither of the vehicles we own is towable. We need to sell our cars and buy a “toad.”
   We decided not to buy a “toad.”  We had chosen to just rent a car if we felt the need to have one. But later John and Peggy asked us if we wanted travelling companions to caravan with us.  Yes! AND, they are pulling a toad!  We have successfully sold both of our cars and are driving borrowed vehicles until we leave Sept. 2.
4. Our house is in a town where the largest employer (a paper mill) closed its doors a year ago. The housing market may be soft.
   Amazingly, we sold our house 6 weeks ago after a relatively short time on the market.
5. Leaving my family here on the east coast is going to be very difficult.
   Still working on this.  I’m going to miss my kids and grandkids a lot.  We’ve been trying to get together as much as possible this summer.  The plan is to video chat and telephone, utilizing the technology that is available these days.  I have an idea for postcards to the grandkids I’ll elaborate on later. I keep telling myself that there are many grandparents whose kids have moved away with the grandkids.  We’re just doing it backwards!

 

Can't believe we're almost ready to blast off!