Here's the News!

So here's the plan....

We are in the process of a major downsize.  Selling our over 3000 square foot home that we've lived in for 12 years and moving into a 38 ' (450 sq. foot !) motorhome requires some serious thought into how much of all the "stuff" we've collected over the 42 years of our marriage will be traveling with us.  This. Is. Not. Easy.  It's not particularly fun. Though sometimes it is nice to reminisce at times it is so incredibly sad that there have been many tears as I sort through photos, keepsakes, dishes and even clothing. I'm sure my husband doesn't stress as much about these things, but I know he's going to miss at least a few of his power tools! But we are also looking forward to the liberation from all of those things that we've been hauling around for all these years.  One thing is for sure is that we have collected more than our share of souvenirs, clothes, magazines, knick knacks, electronics and much more. And we are really just beginning to sort through it all. We should have been doing this for at least the past two years.  We've been tossing around the idea of full time RV living for several years, so even though this might seem like an impulsive decision, it really isn't but  a decision that is right for us.  

Our new home.  We've placed an order with Midway RV Center  for a Newmar Ventana 3709 DP (diesel pusher) motor home. Though we were very happy with our little Pleasure Way Pursuit that we drove to Alaska, no way could we live full time in a 22 foot RV.  There certainly are larger motorhomes  but since we like to have the option of camping in state and national parks, we wanted to stay around 38 foot to be able to fit into some of those size restricting campgrounds. After doing our research we then made a trip to Nappanee, Indiana to tour the Newmar facility. We were impressed with the quality of these motorhomes both in construction and customer service and found a dealer to give us the best price for our trade-in.  

                                 

Newmar is one of the few motorhome manufacturers that will allow some customization so we were able to choose flooring, wall covering, counters and tile that we preferred over the standard options. We are looking forward to showing it off since we think it's going to be pretty awesome! It is scheduled for production soon, with a tentative delivery date of March 15.  Usually customers are able to visit the plant when their coach is in production, but due to some facility construction, they've temporarily suspended that option :(  We are hoping someone at the factory will send us a photo or two as it goes down the line.  

In the meantime we continue the "great downsize" and reminisce as we sort through the "stuff" of our lives.  As for the sale of our "sticks and bricks" home, we are thrilled that our daughter and son-in-law will be purchasing it from us and moving here with their two boys.  It has made the transition much easier and they are even letting us store some things here until we determine how long this new lifestyle will suit us.  With two of our kids and their families living within 10 miles of us, we will be able to distribute much of our furniture amongst them.  We've also rented a booth as a family at a local vendor's mall/flea market where we've been attempting to sell some things.  If the weather was better, we probably would do better by having a series of garage sales.  I've got piles to donate, piles to take to a consignment shop, piles to take to the booth, and piles to store.  And yes, piles to toss.  I've already donated much of my fabric stash to a local quilt guild for charity projects but I need to go through what is left and do that again.  I plan on taking my sewing machine and some fabric for a few small projects, but also trying to be realistic about how much sewing I really will be doing.  

So maybe you are wondering just what type of "stuff" is causing me such angst.  

Photos.  We've always been prolific photographers.  That doesn't mean we are good at it, just that we have photos of every trip, every family event and every little thing.  Now in the digital age, that's not such a bad thing, but back when you had to develop the film and then order double and triple prints "just in case", it meant we have a TON of photos. Many are so blurry, it's hard to tell which child was performing in the program or game we were trying to photograph. Even though I've always had good intentions of photo albums and now converting them to digital, that hasn't always happened.  But after spending a long, cold weekend going through more than a few boxes, our photographic history is now down to a more manageable size.  Someday (?) maybe they will be in the "cloud" and most of that paper will be eliminated.  Can you imagine finding a treasure like this and all the copies that weren't distributed to relatives at Christmas, then scanning one copy and tossing the rest? Nope, it didn't happen.  I kept at least one :)  

My Family  1986 or 1987  

Quilts.  I've been quilting for a few years, and most of what I've finished have been gifted to babies and brides.  But I do have several things I've made.  I haven't even begun to go through those.  But I married into a family of quilters and my mother was a quilter.  

These are just a few of what I've had in storage.  There are some others that I'm not sure who made them and are even older.  The Sun Bonnet Girl quilt was made by D's Grandma Mary.  The Pansy Quilt was made by my mother.  The bottom two were made by either Grandma Mary or Grandma C. The bright green one is is good condition and will find a home on our youngest granddaughter's big girl bed.  The gold embroidered one was given to us as a wedding present and  shows that we used it for too many years.  I really don't know what to do with these other than keep them in storage.  Do our best intentions of passing along family keepsakes only add to the guilt they will feel when it is time to discard them?  Sorry kids.  

There are many things we are going to miss when we move into our house on wheels.  The king size bed, the big kitchen full of appliances, a flower garden (not D, he hates yard work!), our neighbors but mostly having our grandkids and other family close by.  But then we remind ourselves that we are thankful we are healthy enough to take on this new life and that we've got the support of our family (I think! Unless they secretly think we are crazy!)  We are looking forward to exploring new parts of this beautiful country but yet we don't want to rush around as if we are only on an extended vacation. There will be a couple places near here where we can return and park our home when we need to and we hope that we are able to visit with other friends and family around the country.  So heads up Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and Michigan.  We just might be headed your way!