Do'in the Wash

Check out my NEW BLOG - a work in progress, all about laundry!

"First time in over five years.  I didn't want to go but I did it anyway.  I left the RV at about 6:30 AM on Sunday and drove all the way past little rows of RV's to the campground laundromat.  Dark.  Foggy. Quiet.  No one out but me.......... "

Happy, Happy!

We have been living here for a week and a half now.  Living in our RV!  No more big house, garage to park in, 2 bathrooms, dishwasher, washer and dryer and flush toilet.  And I am SO HAPPY!  I LOVE this life.  It really is a lot like our life on boats.  We are close together and can talk to one another almost any time.  I can be doing dishes and watch TV while talking to Kirby - during commercials of course.  Jake, our yellow dog, can see both of us all the time and doesn't have to stress over trying to stay with us both when we are in different rooms.

OK, I haven't tried to cut my hair but I guess if I could do it on the boat, I can do it here.  I haven't been to the laundromat yet but I have done that so much of my life that it will all come right back - darn!

I don't know, I can't really explain it but I seem to have this happy bubble living inside my tummy.  Life is good!

Oh, and we have a signed contract on the house again.  Same people as before but they have different buyers and it is all supposed to be cash before the end of the year.  Please cross your fingers for us and join me in my happiness!

For Every Thing a Place........

.....and for every place, a thing!

I took the day off from work today to try to get moved into our new RV.  A good nights sleep really helped.  The last two days have been very difficult to say the least!  So, this is what I started with today.  I just kept moving things to another area until most everything was put away.  It actually is coming together quite nicely!

The galley was the biggest challenge of all because I want EVERYTHING with me.  It is working!  Things are put in strange places, but all the pots and pans, food, spices and dishes have a home. Even the pressure cooker!

I am loving my living room and all the storage in it.  We didn't like the recliners that came with the unit so we brought our IKEA chairs from the house.  Love those chairs!  Today I had Kirby bring us the little chairs from our dining set that didn't sell.  Now I am so glad because after a couple of days sitting in the cute ones that came with - we both hated them.  Very uncomfortable.  These old chairs may not look so good but neither do we!

I am amazed at myself because there still is nothing in the ottoman.  I am saving it for something special I am sure.  I thought about filling it with Jake's dog food but decided on a drawer instead....what we do for our dogs!

I have to return to work tomorrow and I just hate that!!  I want to retire!  Please say a prayer or send good vibes that someone will buy our house so that I can retire.  It is only fair....it is my time to retire!

Hello! Goodbye!

We were up at 4:15 on Saturday to begin the big moving day!  As Kirby moved everything to the driveway for the garage sale, I straightened up the house for the prospective buyers that were coming to look at the house.  We were almost ready when the first customer showed up in the dark with his flashlight!  Now that is serious garage sale shopping.

We thought the response was poor at 7 but by 8:00 we were in full swing with people almost fighting over things - we had it all priced so low.  Still they wanted to bargain and that got really tiring as I was pretty much giving away a part of me with each item.  Some of the shoppers were very rude and made it even more difficult.

I moved Jake's bed out to the lawn so that he could just lay in his bed during all the excitement but of course he felt the need to sniff each person who arrived!  I mean Greet each person!  At one point he was being so good and laying in his bed and would you believe that Kirby sold his bed right out from under him!  Hair and all!  I even had an offer of $300 for Jake himself!  But I did not take it!

Everyone was gone by 11:00 and we were FINISHED!!  We put the leftovers back in the garage and Habitat for Humanity will pick it up on Monday.  Just as we were finishing, some sweet little girls from down the street arrived and wanted to rake the yard for just $5.00.  I was loaded with cash right then and hired them on the spot.  Just look at this team!

They were bucking the wind the whole time but they worked hard and did a good job!  Thanks, girls.

Then it was on to our new home.  Kirby loaded the truck - again!  This time we brought our wonderful IKEA chairs that we love so much in place of the stupid recliners that came the rig.  And lots more 'stuff'!  It will not all fit so I am purging again!

Last night we were so tired but also so happy.  We are here!  Our new life is beginning.  It will be slow as we still have to sell the house - again, and I am still working.  But our new life of adventure is about to begin!  Wish us luck in selling the house soon so we won't be delayed!!

Changes

Change is good for us, right?  I believe in change.  I believe that it will keep me from being bored.  I have always embraced change and welcomed it to my life.  I grew up an Air Force Brat and moved around often from the day I was born.  Three years in one place was a max for this young girl.  I spent 6 years in Big Spring, Texas and almost died when I had to leave at the precious age of 16.  Not good to stay in one place for so long that you don't want to go.

When Kirby and I first hooked up, I told him that I get bored easily and love change.  There was never a problem.  We changed our home every 6 months for the first 3 years.  We would spend 6 months on the boat in Mexico and then go to California for 6, rent a new apartment and set up housekeeping again.  Then the cycle would begin all over again.  Even when in San Diego, we at least changed our home or our jobs.

With this current economy we haven't been able to manage much change in our lives.  Same job and same home for over 5 years now.  I wanted so much 2-3 years ago to move to a different home, get a new job - SOMETHING!!  But, nothing has changed since we first moved here.  Same job, same house.  Not that it was bad - it was just THE SAME!

Finally, things are changing!  Yea!  We are moving!  NOT FUN!  We have stayed here too long.  This moving process has become painful.  Now I am beginning to understand how people can stay in the same job/same home for years and years and years.  This is stressful!  When you move and change your life often, it is a breeze - just get up and go.  But now we have loads and loads of stuff.  (Kirby says we have "Too much useless shit!" ) How do I decide what is important to keep.  I can't keep it all - we are simplifying our lives!  I believe in and want a simple life but I am attached to all this STUFF.

We are running out of time.  Garage sale this coming Saturday and then that is it!  Out of here!   What doesn't fit on the RV goes.............

Ah, the Simple Life!!  Wish me luck!

Getting Ready to MOVE!

We have had company the last week and haven't done much toward getting out of this house and into our new home.  Steve and Mollie left before breakfast this morning and even though Lee didn't leave for the airport until 3:00 PM, we started in with more packing and sorting.  Kirby and Lee delivered the first bed next door to Arlene (the second one will go this weekend when we say goodbye to living here).  I got lots of bedding and throw rugs washed and packed and then I sold off our sofa, chair, ottoman and the beautiful coffee table that I loved so much!  The house is looking bare, but messy.  Hopefully I can take a few days off this week or at least half days and get a lot moved to Myrt (our RV).  Saturday, weather permitting will be our 2nd and final garage sale.  I have lots of things listed on Craig s list!  Wish me luck!!

Too Good to be True

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!  And I guess that is just a fact of life.  We sold our home and then we didn't.  When we signed the contract to sell it, it just seemed too good to be true.  Two days on the market, full price and a short escrow.  Oh, well, time to start over. 

Our real estate agent called this morning with the bad news. The deal just fell through.  Our empty, messy home is back on the market and our dream is on hold.  To tell the truth, I am rather pissed. Actually, right now - I am very pissed!  I think I will feel better about it all tomorrow but right now....not too cool.

This happens all the time to people, I know that.  But I also know that next time, I will not have the highs that I had when this deal 'came together'.  I was dancing around the house, squealing and laughing...it was too good to be true.

We have a hold on the listing for 2 weeks while we finish moving out and getting it cleaned up.  It won't sell as well with the furniture and pretty things gone.  I actually spent money on things to help stage the house to sell it.  Those things are gone.  That sucks!

Please send us good vibes.  I need some not just to sell the house but to ease my mind and my soul.  I am so ready to retire and begin our next adventure.

THE Garage Sale

I think I caught Christie in motion - which she was all morning as she helped us with the EVERYTHING!  She was here at 6:15 in the morning and I appreciated her help so much.  I couldn't have done it without her!

Our garage sale was very successful!!  And we had a blast.  We always have fun when we do a garage sales.  The neighbors come out and the shoppers are fun!  These are our very first shoppers in the picture.  I said 7:00 am in my ad but people started showing up at 6:20!  I guess we were ready as it all worked.  I had said in my at that we would be open from 7:00 until I was too tired to continue and that happened about 11:45.  I just all of a sudden couldn't do any more!

This was our smallest shopper.  He lives about 10 houses away and just showed up on his bike.  He looked around and then went home for some money.  He was so cute with all of his purchases and he even hung around until the end and managed to get some more cool stuff for free!  He was very entertaining!

This was taken near the end.  The funny thing was when I would all of a sudden see something I just couldn't part with and run with it into the house for safekeeping!! :)

Since is is not all gone we have decided to do it again next Saturday.  Then whatever is left will go to a charity.  We were really tired when it was over so we just went out to lunch and then came home and goofed off.  I have been working with my new Lenovo computer and trying to figure out Windows 8.  So far it is pretty cool.  I am also adjusting to a laptop.  I love my desktop with the big monitor and nice keyboard but I will get used to this.

So, one more step towards our escape!  Tomorrow we get to go visit Myrt!  (Myrt is our new 5thWheel RV)  We miss her!!

The Day Before The Garage Sale

Tomorrow morning we have to be outside at 6:00 am for our 7:00 am garage sale.  We have worked so hard all week to gather everything in the house and move it to the garage.  I actually took this picture early today ----there is much more in the garage now!  We are so excited to get this show on the road.  I hope we have a good turn out for the sale as we have everything out there ready for it's new life.  ( I have to admit that as I go through this stuff, I have actually returned some of it to the house - I just can't part with it!)  We have already sold some wine glasses, our lovely sunroom chairs, the exercise bicycle and a turkey roaster.  Not too bad!  But lots to go!  Wish us luck!!

Kirby picked up some 6 foot tables so at 6:00 we will be out there trying to make it all look appealing to the shoppers.  Mexican Coffee will probably be in order!

Whirlwind!

So much has happened in the last 4 days that I don't know where to begin and don't want to bore you with all the details but my goodness, life is roaring past at such a rate.  So much going on!

We left home first thing on Thursday morning to go pick up our new home, a 38 foot Avalanche Fifth Wheel now christened "Myrt"!  We had a great send off from Carolina RV - Doug, our teacher and Daniel, our salesman.

That is my hero there in the middle!  Kirby hooked that RV up to our truck and drove it out of the lot like he had done it a 100 times!  I was/am so impressed!  Then we stopped in a large parking lot that had no people and practiced backing up.  Poor Kirby, he has such a dumb partner.  I was not much help at all.  But after a few practice runs we were back on the highway heading south. 

We drove right past our house and around Charleston to the Savannah Hwy and our new home.  Oak Plantation Campground is beautiful and I think we are going to love it there.  Anyway, Kirby again did an awesome job of backing the RV into it's little space.  Why oh why couldn't we have gotten one of those drive through slips!  Oh, well, Kirby did a great job.  But when we went to hook up the power we were about 8 inches short of connecting.  So we hooked the truck up again and repositioned just a little.  Good practice, right?

We then unloaded all we had brought with us and proceeded to have an awesome time!  I guess it was like playing house.  We loved it and I was almost giddy with all the excitement.  So much to learn and then it will be like second nature the way it was on the boat.

Isn't this a pretty spot?  Nice trees and not too crowded.  This is the view from the front.

Friday morning we had a call from our realtor - we had an offer on the house - contingent on them SEEING it in person.  They made the offer based on the pictures!  Yesterday they came to see it and we now have a signed contract!  We close escrow in just over a month so my oh my are we busy.  That is why it has taken me this long to get this posted!

This is our agent, Ken, putting up the "Under Contract" sign!  We will definitely be on-board by Christmas.  Sold in 3 days!  (Ken was our agent when we bought the house - Christie found him for us and we didn't even meet him for a long time but we knew a winner when we met him!)  Thanks, Ken for a great job!

Next step is the MAJOR GARAGE SALE!!  Coming up next Saturday.  Kirby and I love giving garage sales so it should be a lot of fun.  You should see what we have in the garage.  I have no idea where it all was as the house still looks the same.

And in case you are wondering - yes, I will continue to work for a few months.  The campground is about the same distance to my office as the house is so it should work out just fine!

Ah, life is good!