Happy New Year

2013 has been quite eventful. A year ago our life was very different. We were living together in Jack's townhouse, both working at jobs that took a lot out of us. Now we are retired and living in a fifth wheel, traveling. Oh...and we got married along the way.

In January we went to an RV show, learned about fifth wheels...and bought a truck. That month I also did a favor for a co-worker and ended up drowning my car...and the seeds of early retirement were not only planted, but fertilized and blossomed. The job was becoming too much for me and I needed to get out. Jack was very supportive and encouraged me to go ahead and retire early. I went out with a bang the first of April. We went to Indiana in mid April and bought our new fifth wheel and moved into it the last of June when Jack retired.

Today marks six months of full-timing. It has gone quickly and has been quite a learning curve...most of it documented in previous posts. We have learned to live together in 400 square feet of space. We are learning what kind of traveling we do and don't like and mostly seem to be on the same page. Three months in one spot is too long, moving every three or four days is too frequent. Other than overnights to get somewhere, we prefer stays of a week, maybe two, interspersed with a month here and there. We've also learned that weekly and monthly stays are kinder to our budget. We spend a lot on food, eating out too often because we enjoy it, relying more on convenience foods and less on cooking. We do okay when we are parked somewhere for a month, but fall into vacation mode when we are traveling more. Vacation mode is fine if you have deep pockets, which we don't. I'm told that is common in beginners to this way of life and will wear off after a while. I know there is lots more we will learn along the way.

Both our dogs are seniors (13 and 14) and we are seeing the older one, Ryan, age quickly these last six months. I'm not sure if he'll be with us this time next year, but for now he is comfortable and pain-free. Maggie is in good shape and seems to be adapting to this new life. She hates when it is time to get in the truck to go anywhere, but she's always been like that.

We have limited our travel to the East coast for several reasons and were able to return home for Christmas with Rebecca and my grandchildren, but we will be spreading our wings starting next week. We are heading to Florida for some warm weather, then we'll head west. I am going to hate saying good bye to my family, but I'm excited about our coming adventures. I know Jack is looking forward to going west and seeing his family when we hit California.

Living in one place in an apartment would probably be easier than living on the road, but it wouldn't be nearly as much fun. We want to have some adventures while we still can. If there is anything that my hospice work taught me, it's that we never know how much time we have left.

Looking forward to 2014 and whatever adventures it holds...