June 20, 2013

still in Custer, SD
Beaver Lake Campground

So I've had a request to explain why and how we are full-time RVing for a year. Those who have heard the story, may skip this blog.

It began a couple of summers ago, when I turned 50.  I was really o.k. with it, and felt pretty good about myself...even ran the Peachtree Road Race (10k) the day after my birthday in 1 hour, 33 seconds.  I'm probably in the best shape of my life.  Not all was perfect, though.  The previous April, my otherwise healthy, robust father was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer, in spite of never having smoked.  So my mind was already stirred up with "life" questions.  Thankfully he is doing great now.

Then, later in my birthday week we were driving to Florida to visit, Uncle Steve and Aunt Renee (Gordon's brother and his wife).  I noticed many RVs on the trip and all of a sudden, I became overwhelmed with the desire to join them.  The thought of living with very-scaled-down necessities, experiencing different places and really getting to know them, and not being tied down to any routines, was irresistible.  I am certain I was having a mid-life crisis, but didn't care.  It was better than running away to join the circus.  So, after thinking about it for a couple of days, I proposed the idea to Gordon.  He of course laughed.  I had to laugh too, but I kept refining the details and asked him to really consider it.  Understand that we had never had an RV before and only gone "car camping" a few times.  I had to find a hook.  He is really committed to the karate organization we belong to.  They have schools scattered over the country, and even a couple in other countries.  I told him that we could visit every school in the lower 48 and that got his attention.  Then my in-laws had a couple over for dinner, and it turns out that they had traveled in an RV quite a bit.  They had much to add to the conversation.  By the end of the evening, it was becoming more than a passing thought.  By the end of the week, G finally said, "I'll give you a year."  woo hoo!  I'll take it.

(Side note:  We are not trust-fund babies so don't have the money to just "take off" a year.  Gordon is a software developer and can work anywhere he has wifi, so he will be working the whole time we're on the road.  And the kids are signed up with an online public school and I will be "coaching" them.  We'll see how that works out.)

So life went on pretty much unchanged, except for talking about the trip for the next several months.  Everyone we told said , "Wow, that sounds great".  Quickly followed with, "Are you crazy?"  We felt good about our decision.

It soon became clear that we would not make a June 2012 start day.  Since we wanted to start in June to take advantage of good weather and school calendars, we put it off a year to June 2013.  That would give us plenty of time to get ready.  We rented out the house so had to vacate by June 1.  There's no turning back now.  But, for those who know me well, I am organizationally challenged.   Gordon nailed it when he told me that I ignore the important to take care of the urgent.  So I was really skilled in putting off the inevitable "big clear-out and clean-up".  It was very much a chaotic "bug out" from last March to June 1.  And, damn, I have a lot of STUFF!  Many things got tossed or given away that I would have liked to have sold on e-bay, or even a yard sale.  What wasn't disposed of had to go into storage, and we still filled a 10' x 40' room--top to bottom. 

And guess what else?  After living in a house for 18 years, it's a wreck when you take a close look at it.  So now we were scrambling with "home improvement" also, to make it livable for other people.  At this point, no one was having fun. I was so stressed that I cried if I burned toast, and I was seriously doubting the feasibility of our plan. I couldn't sleep, or breathe sometimes.  There was no choice but to keep going.  The days before June 1, we were dragging items to the curb, or taking vanloads to Goodwill, or truckloads to the storage room.  All the while, painters, movers and repairmen were swarming the house as well.  The night before June 1, Gordon and I literally stayed up all night packing, cleaning, and painting, while the kids and dog were sleeping on the den floor. The morning of June 1, we were still taking stuff out as the renters were bringing stuff in.  I was exhausted, excited, sad, relieved, confused, and just a total mess in general.  But it was done and we loaded the kids and dog into the truck and went to our first campground at Stone Mountain Park, near Atlanta.  We could not have made it the last couple of days without the generous, and unexpected, help of neighbors.  Thank you, thank you, thank you all.

There it is.  Not easy, but not impossible.  Emotional, stressful, empowering, elating, and ultimately life-changing.  It could not have happened without approval and sacrifice by each one of us (G, Anna, Alex and me).  By the end of the year, hopefully the positive points will far exceed the negative.  So far, so good.  Either way, we'll have stories to tell.

Finally ready to hit the road, almost.  A little sleep first would be a good idea.