Sold!

Things have been busy around here! Good news, first. We have a contract on the house! Which, of course, is bittersweet, as I really love my neighborhood and the friends that I have made here! That makes me really thankful for this blog, Facebook, text and email. We can keep in touch by seeing what is going on in each other's every day lives, just as we are living a few houses down the block. We will certainly have to cruise through Denton sometimes, just to say hi!

One of the things that is really making me crazy right now is the need to purge pretty much all we own. Although I have rented a VERY small storage room which is climate controlled, that is basically for the tax records, other records we need to save, a few boxes of momentos (we can't possibly part with boxes of marathon finisher's medals!), and just small stuff. Like my fire department annuals. Who knows? I might want to take a look at those in 20 years!

My rookie photo. I was so young!

A fire we had not too long before I retired. Sometimes I miss it!

While looking for those old fire pics, I had a great time thinking back on those times. I will have to do a post with some of my fire department memories.

So imagine: you have 6 weeks to get rid of all your stuff. We're talking about kitchen ware, glasses, wine glasses, lots of gadgets that never get used, all the stuff in those pesky "junk" drawers! WHAT?!?! Furniture, clothing we don't use, books, bedding... not to mention all the junk in the garage. Why not just have a moving sale, you might ask? Valid question. Unless you are in my HOA. Then you would know we are not allowed to host an event like that. I thought about an estate sale, but the rules actually indicate there needs to be a death certificate....Don't get me wrong, the HOA has really helped to keep the neighborhood from looking junky. I think I will have an "Open House" one afternoon, and then have a "by appointment only" moving sale. Anyone have better ideas? This is happening NOW! Our closing is slated for January 6, but I am hoping to do it on the 9th.

In the meantime, we will be looking for the right RV, one that fits our personality and doesn't need too much work. Our goal is to find a Class A, maybe 10 years old, with low mileage. I think our hope is to be somewhere between 35-38 feet. Looking for one that age, we will certainly need a few updates. Perhaps tires, TV technology, and we want to rip out any carpet and have a hard surface installed. Hopefully, we will be able to install a Murphy type bed in the back, and use that space as an office during the day! We are still working on that possibility.

As functional as the Class C we had was for our trek across the country for Support for Firefighters, Inc., we really need a bit more room to actually LIVE in one! It was cozy, though, and so much fun!

Good times! Sorry, I seem to have no structure on this post! I will sign off now and plan a better post next time.

For Sale

On the eve of election day, don't worry, I won't even talk about that! Lol... other than to say I am so glad that it will be over. Or at least on to the next version of hate. How have American's gone so far? The hate that I have been seeing on Facebook is astounding. During a time with such a great technological ability to communicate with anyone on the globe, we should be establishing good relationships, and learning how to better understand and get along with one another. This is so sad to me. Recently, I have revisited a series of lectures by none other than Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich).  Some of the most amazing ideas! I find myself listening and wondering how we have gone so far from the American businessman (woman) having integrity, honor, and respect for others. Loyalty is not longer common and easy to find. I really fear for our country, and our world. We were not put here to harbor hate for our fellow man.

<Obviously, I got busy and didn't finish this post before the election results. I am really sad about the backlash. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, but like everyone else, felt the polls and predictions for Hillary were probably valid. Like everyone else, I was pretty surprised.>

Ok, off my soap box. I have refrained from posting my political views, so why start now?

Bullet point number 2 from the last post. We have listed our home for sale so that we can get an RV and travel the country. Again, but in a different way. In 2014, Jeff was one step in front of another for 103 days. We had to keep a forward progress, or not meet our goal of being at Ground Zero on 9/11. That left him averaging 37 miles per day, with no time off for sightseeing. Periodically, he would pass by something worth looking at, and take some time from his schedule. But there were so many things that we didn't get a chance to see. Places that were too far from our course to visit.

This property for sale!

After spending a couple years back here, we have decided there were places we really wanted to see. And, we really enjoyed the RV lifestyle, although our experience was not common. This time we will do things differently. Stay at one location for maybe a few weeks! Spend some time exploring the area, hiking, or whatever might tickle our fancy. Find out what full-timing is REALLY like! Honestly, I think this is more my dream than Jeff's. But, to his credit, he is happy to give it a shot. Having grown up in a military family, he doesn't stay in one place for very long!

This is one of the places we'd like to revisit. The pine forest in Oregon. Oregon was a wonderful state, and I suspect we will spend quite a bit of time in the Northwest. We never made it to Washington state, either. Or Florida. Or California. Or Montana. Sigh. We have a lot to do!