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.