Go where you wanna go....

This afternoon, Bill and I drove over to the "sticks and bricks" house to make sure we had everything cleared out.  We’ve been living in “The Cabin” (RV) at a nearby campground since April 24.   This allowed us to let potential buyers have access to view the property at any time.  No dog barking, no cat box worries, no chance of clutter.

On Wed. we’ll close on the house, turning the keys over to the new owners.  Our walk through was a little bittersweet, since it is where our life together began 16 years ago. The spaced seemed empty and without life. On the other hand, it felt as though it were waiting to be filled with new life.

Our younger daughter graduated from college, got married 2 days later, and recently moved to California to be with her Marine husband.  Life is very fluid right now.

Our departure date is common knowledge now that we have told our bosses we are leaving on a long trip Sept. 2.  Our plan is to slowly travel across the country, living in our RV, and carrying a limited amount of belongings, having sold, donated, or discarded anything that doesn’t spark joy in us.  The overwhelming majority of people have been very excited for us and expressed that they wish they could do that or know someone who did that or just “I’m so happy for you!”  A very few people have looked at us like we had rocks in our heads.

The exhilaration is breathtaking sometimes.  The unknown path is both exciting and scary. Leaving my older children and 2 grandchildren is saddening.  But the world is a much smaller place than it used to be.  We have video chat, email, texting, blogging, and airplanes that are safer than road travel.  We’ll still be a family and can be close in other than geographical ways.

We have visitors this week in the lot next to ours.  Peggy and John, Bill’s sister and her husband, are here so we can plan a little, but not too much.  We are caravanning with them on our trip.  The only concrete plan we have is Albuquerque on Sept. 29.  A country concert for them and a mass ascension of hot air balloons on Oct. 1.

I have a list of must sees and would-like-to-sees and I’ll elaborated later.  But none of us wants to lock ourselves into a set schedule or itinerary.  This is about letting life take us where it will.