Yes, We Still Exist and Have Been Tagged!!

We honestly haven't fallen off the face of the earth! Our RV friend, Jo Wishnie, contacted us to see if we still exist and then to "tag" us. More on that later. Yes, we do still exist, LOL! Our house still has not sold so we are still in the waiting zone. The market is really soft and most people looking to buy want to offer a very low price thinking you MUST sell. We have decided that economically it is worth the wait. Our home is very nice and it is where our "life" is at this moment in time. We have wonderful friends and a great church so all is not negative. When the time is right things will happen. We just have to be patient. That is the hardest part. I really think we must be content in whatever circumstances we happen to be in at the moment. If not, you drive yourself crazy and you aren't really "living" anywhere and when those days pass they are gone forever. So those of you that are waiting to fulltime, make the most of your time wherever you happen to be. We have decided that there is so much we haven't seen in Georgia we plan to do short trips and explore our state when the weather gets warmer.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! It is hard to believe it is 2008 already! This is the year that our son, Stephen, will graduate from LaGrange College. He has done a great job while a student there bringing his GPA back from a nose dive to a wonderful 3.25. We are so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. What an inspiring story!

Well it seems we have been "tagged" by the Wishnies. I am going to copy and paste the rules for the game and then I get the awesome job of tagging some people.

Here's how it works: First the Rules: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share 5 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog. Share the 5 top places on your "want to see or want to see again" list. Tag a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

5 Random and/or Weird Facts:

1. I love my birds. I have over 25 feeders in my yard and love watching the many different
birds that come to feed each day. I like to take pictures of them whenever I can.
2. Mike once catered for Bob Hope. It was his 82nd birthday and Mike was there!! Mike is a
very good cook and has done extensive catering in the area where we live. Of course, he is
in management now so he doesn't get to cook except at home!!!!
3. We have been campground host at FDR State Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia two times and
haven't even begun to fulltime yet. Weren't we lucky?
4. I am a retired teacher of 35 years. I taught every grade from Pre-K to 5th and loved every
one of them. I miss the kids but not the other "stuff" since I retired. This is my first year
retired.
5. Mike and I met on a blind date and because he was in the food service I thought he would
look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Boy was I wrong!! We have been married 25 years as of
November 27th.

5 Top Places We Want to See or See Again:

1. Our dream trip is to Alaska. We have no idea when we will get there but one day, Lord
willing, we will travel through Alaska.
2. We dream of returning to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We especially want to return
to Crazy Horse Memorial. Mike's mom and dad took us on a trip out west many years ago
and this area was so special to all of us.
3. I dream of visiting the Grand Canyon and then seeing the Pueblo architecture.
4. Bryce Canyon and Canyonlands National Park.
5. New England states
There are so many wonderful places it is soooo hard to just pick 5. I want to see it all.

I would like to tag Darrell and Judy Patterson, http://www.wanderingamerica.com/ because they are
such great folks. They have been fulltiming for 2 years and have been so helpful in answering
many of our questions. We feel like we have known them for a long time.

I would also like to tag Lee Ann and Larry of www.mytripjournal.com/leelare. They are great folks also and so helpful in answering our questions. They started fulltiming in 2006.

Another couple we have grown to know a little better are Gary and Vicki of www.mytripjournal.com/werewinginit. They are originally from Springfield, Tennessee which is a little north of Nashville which is where Mike grew up. They have just bought a brand new Phaeton and are waiting for delivery! Congratulations guys!!

Another great inspiration to Mike and I is a lady who calls herself Froggi Donna! You can meet her at http://lilypad.froggilady.com/. She is a single fulltimer and is having the time of her life. Her story is a great inspiration to so many people and what a "bubbly" personality she has!! A great person to know and call an RV friend.

Last, but certainly not least, is a couple we started following when they were on their Alaska trip. Jackie and Tony Albasini can be visited at www.mytripjournal.com/AlbasiniRVAdventure. They have been fulltiming since 2006 and are such fun to follow in their journal. They also did a great job writing about their adventures in Alaska. This was a great read and such inspiration to visit this wonderful place.

Ok, now I am finished! It really wasn't so bad after all. I agree with Jo, it was actually quite fun.
Have fun and I look forward to reading about the folks I tagged.

Until next time, take care!

Three Things I Learned From Full-timers

Ok, I know I've learned more than just three things but these are the three I have been thinking about lately.

I think I have bought into the the buzz word of society - to plan for the future, to look ahead and make my long term and short term objectives. The teacher in me is so used to this concept after all we are required to make lesson plans. Those of us waiting to full-time are planning for this future lifestyle. Some are planning on retiring at a certain date, planning to sell their house, planning on what RV they want to purchase. That is what full-timers do don't they? They plan on where they want to travel, what state(s) they want to visit. They plan on when they want to travel, how far and where they want to stop for fuel, lunch or the night. They plan where they might want to workamp and the list goes on. Some full-timers even make an itinerary. Now don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with planning. We certainly need to spend a certain amount of our energies planning but when planning is all we do we are only looking at what we don't currently have. We are looking into a future time but not a current time. Full-timers have taught me to plan well but they didn't stop there they also taught me to live in the moment.

Full-timers live in the moment. They have taught me to look around at where I am at the moment and to explore my environment. They take a walk and hold hands. They might attend a local play or ballgame, shop at a local store, taste the local food and attend a local church service. They might just sit under their awning and sip a cold ice tea and just enjoy their surroundings. They slow down!! It doesn't matter what my future plans might be I need to learn this lesson from my friends. I need to slow down and just enjoy where I am this moment in time.

My full-time friends didn't stop there. They also taught me to look back at the past. Oh I know, society tells you to move forward and never look back. If you never look behind you then you will miss the blessings in your life. It is when you turn around and look at where you have been and the distance your life has covered you realize what a wonderful life you have lived so far. Some things might be hard to revisit, some things hurt deeply, we all have had our share of hard moments but when you look back you realize that you made it, you are a survivor. This is when you really see the grace of God. You find that you might have made your far share of mistakes but for the most part you have been successful at this thing called life. You see the joys and wonderful moments that have defined your life. Full-timers look back! They take pictures and record their journeys in blogs and journals. Have you ever talked to a full-timer? It is not long before they begin to tell you their adventures with great excitement. They tell you where they have been, you know where they are and then they share where they plan to go next. They are excited about all aspects of their life! Isn't it a shame the rest of the world can't feel that same excitement about their life? We all could - those full-timing, those waiting to full-time and those that will never full-time - because we all have been given this wonderful thing called life.

Thank you my friends for your valuable lessons for life! I have made my plans and now will live in the moment till those plans are fullfilled and I will celebrate my past and how it defines who I am. After all it is A Wonderful Life!

Mind Games and Reality

In my last post I mentioned that waiting is not one of my favorite things. I don't believe anybody really likes the waiting game. When you are waiting to begin a new lifestyle the waiting begins to get a little weird. One of the journals that I read, www.cooljourney.net, put it best when they said "now the flip flopping begins." Your mind begins to play those little mind games. You begin to ask yourself questions such as, "Is this the right thing to do?" "Do we really want to leave our security blanket and venture out in the world?" "Will I miss my "things" when I can't see them each day?" "What about Stephen?" In my case, I begin to visualize the Ozzie and Harriet kind of existence which is far from reality. Our son is not going to be living in LaGrange, we have no family living here any longer. The closest relatives are in Nashville which is almost 300 miles away. Our son will most likely be living in Nashville upon his graduation in May. We do have some wonderful friends and a super church. The reality is our friends will remain friends. That won't change because our house has wheels. The wheels will enable us to visit these special people whenever we are in the area or feeling homesick. There are wonderful churches everywhere. God speaks to us in different places and locations NOT just one building.
Again, the wheels will enable us to return and visit this special church and the special friends that attend there. This has to be the wonderful advantage to the full-time lifestyle. To go where your heart leads you. To learn about our history, to see and touch the past, to really experience life. The ultimate field trip!!

Will the mind games continue? Will I continue to ask myself those hard questions? Probably. I believe everyone has and does ask those questions whenever they are about to make such a life changing decision. It is how we answer the questions that matter. It is how we answer the questions that determine how we live the rest of our lives. Mike and I want to live fully, we want to experience much and to give back to our world in some way. We want to always thank God for the "freedom 2 roll."

Waiting

I am not good at waiting! It is a very hard thing to do. You feel like your life is on hold and in fact it actually is on hold. It is hard to know just when to put your house on the market. It is all about timing but the minute you put the sign in your yard the waiting begins. You wait for someone to show the house. You wait for them to finish looking at the house because you have to leave while they look. You wait to hear how they liked the house - or not. Then the wait begins again. In the meantime, you wait to begin this new lifestyle that you have planned and dreamed about. Unfortunately, you wait till the weekend so you might be able to have time to take a short trip in the motorhome. Waiting really demands that you develop patience!

Our hosting position ended October 13th. We had a great time and met many super people. All in all it was a very rewarding experience. When we left the campground we stored our motorhome at Pine Mountain Campground. We had stored our other motorhome there and decided to do it again with our current motorhome. It is a nice, clean campground and most importantly, safe. When we arrived there was not an open spot that we could back into and it was a very busy weekend with most schools being out for fall break. We were told to just park parallel in front of the RVs in storage. We understand full campgrounds and the hassle in moving stored RVs to make room for us so we parked where we were told. The only problem with our spot was the access it had to the road. We both felt a little nervous but decided that it was only temporary and it would be ok. We were mostly concerned about RVs turning the corner too wide and perhaps hitting or scratching it. What we didn't think about were children. I should have since I am a retired teacher but it just didn't cross our minds. When we went to move the motorhome we noticed that it now had a scratch running from the rear all the way to the door! A light, faint scratch just about the height of a child with a stick. We were sick! The good news is that it did not break the skin of the paint and can be buffed out. At least that is what we were told. The campground manager has called an RV service company to come and buff the scratch and wax it out. Now we wait!!

Stepping Out

Sunday our son Stephen left to go to Nashville to meet with the public relations firm he will be doing his internship with spring semester and to also interview with another company for possible job opportunities. We had a wonderful evening together Saturday and we began to talk a little about his feelings on these last few months of college and his future. It suddenly occurred to him that he will actually be leaving the college in February. Only about three more months of college life. He looked at us and said, "I am nervous about leaving the college environment but at the same time I am excited about what is ahead."
I thought about what he said for a long time after he left on Sunday. Isn't that how Mike and I feel about full-timing? We are nervous about leaving everything that is familiar to us, a lifestyle that we have lived our entire lives. At the same time we are excited about what is ahead in the full-time lifestyle. I have always believed when one door closes another door opens. It is whats behind the closed door that makes us nervous. I wonder how many people become so scared of the unknown behind that door that they never have the courage to open it? It is easier to just stay in the familiar and never venture out. What joys they might be missing just because of fear.
I taught children for 35 years and the one thing that I always wanted my students to do was believe in themselves and never be afraid to dream big dreams. I even advocated "stepping out of the box" if necessary to achieve your goals. I must have encouraged our son to do this also because he is now stepping out and he is doing it with courage and excitement. Is he nervous? Yes, but it is not stopping him. Are we nervous about full-timing? Yes, but it is not stopping us.
We are stepping out with courage and excitement. What we both know is that what lies behind that door is a wonderful lifetime of adventure.

Pine Mountain and the Purple Cow

Pine Mountain, Georgia is not a large place. It really consist of a main street with three stop lights. There is a bank, an IGA grocery store, a couple of gas stops, several churches, a laundry mat and a few places to eat. The main street has some unusual shops and a few antique stores. Then there is the Purple Cow. I just love that name! The building that houses the Purple Cow used to belong to Kimbrough Brothers Hardware/Feed Store. This was a unique place complete with wooden floors and most anything you could think a farmer might need or want. In Pine Mountain, Kimbrough Brothers was an icon, a place every young boy or girl liked to visit because they had the best and most unusual candy and toys you could imagine. But with time comes change. About a year ago Kimbrough Brothers decided to downsize their business and close the hardware store. This is how the building became available for the Purple Cow. What is a Purple Cow you might ask?? Well, it is nothing more than an ice cream parlor and sandwich shop complete with wine and a wine tasting room, although I never actually saw a wine tasting room. The unique thing for a town this size is that they actually over free WIFI complete with a comfortable couch and chairs.
Mike and I found ourselves visiting the Purple Cow most every Sunday evening for our weekly bowl of ice cream. They carry many different varieties but my favorite was the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Mike's favorite was Cherries and Chocolate. They also allow local artist and craftsmen to display their goods. You can actually "rent" a display shelf for your items. Pretty cool. The food was probably good but we never got past the ice cream.
Pine Mountain was not always known as Pine Mountain. It was once called Chipley, Georgia. The story goes that Chipley used to be the target of many train robberies. The train tracks still run right through town. Perhaps the name was changed to give it a new image! It must have worked because Pine Mountain is a very quaint town with some unique places to visit and shop. With Callaway Gardens just right down the road it offers many possibilities for a family to enjoy.
If you should happen to be in the area be sure to visit the Purple Cow and have a bowl of ice cream. You won't be sorry!

Going Home - I Think??

Let me explain. In the process of going full-time Mike and I are selling our house. The cost of keeping the house is not in our budget. Even if we could afford to keep the house and full-time, I believe we would still choose to sell. For us, keeping the house would always cause worry about its upkeep and condition. It would be a weight around our necks. More than any of that, it would always cause us to wonder where is "home?" Is "home" the motorhome or is "home" the sticks and bricks? It is all psychological I am sure and maybe nobody else would ever have this problem but Tuesday I decided to go home for a few days. Now, did I go home or did I leave home? See the dilemma?

The campground has become pretty empty during the weekdays. In fact, ever since school started our section has been empty until the weekend. The weather forecast called for rain Wednesday and Thursday. So with the campground ready for the weekend I took off.

Some things puzzle me! My thoughts about home cannot be explained. The den is huge and the couch is large and comfortable - I missed the motorhome. The TV is a 62 inch HDTV (I can watch without my glasses) - I missed the motorhome. The kitchen has so many cabinets and lots of counter space - I missed the motorhome. I can cook in my double oven - I missed the motorhome. I could take a very long, hot shower - I missed the motorhome. You get the picture. With all the comforts of the sticks and bricks I still missed the motorhome. These thoughts cannot be explained to many people but to those of us who love the full-time lifestyle I don't need to explain it, you already understand.

So did I go home or did I leave home? I suspect I left home for a few days and today I will be going home to enjoy the weekend.