More Packing

Last night I worked on getting the kitchen packed. Kevin brought all the kitchen stuff from the camper into the house, and I went through everything from both kitchens to pick out the best items. Just how many spatulas does one household need anyway :) I have narrowed it down and today Kevin will pack it all back into the camper. Our son, Korey, will be moving into a new apartment next month and needs some more kitchen items. So, some of what is left will go to him and the rest will hopefully be sold.

Last night the appraiser also did his inspection. Hopefully, there won't be any problems with the appraisal amount. I can't imagine it will be an issue.

We are camping this weekend with a local camping club we belong to. As luck would have it, it's supposed to be rainy, cold and windy all weekend. This used to be so upsetting to me. Now, who cares. After next week, we'll be camping all the time. I still feel bad for our camping friends who have to go back to work next week and hope the weather will be better the next weekend they get to camp.

The campground our club will be at is the same campground Kevin and I are camphosting at. So, we'll be on the host site and then just leave the camper there. It will be nice to see everyone again after a long winter. The campground has an unheated building we can use. At least we'll have someplace dry to get together. There will be games, cards, chatting and eating. There is always eating :)

I plan to spend time this weekend organizing the stuff we have put into the camper. I've just pretty much thrown it all in. Now, I need to figure out the best way to store things. I'm looking forward to organizing our new home!

It's funny. I can't stop smiling. This sense of pending freedom feels so good :)

A brief candle; both ends burning
An endless mile; a bus wheel turning
A friend to share the lonesome times
A handshake and a sip of wine
So say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The future, present and the past
Fly on proud bird You're free at last. Charlie Daniels

One Step Closer

The house inspection report is in, and the buyers have signed off on it. There are a few minor repairs they want done which we have agreed to (attach a loose downspout and replace the screening in the patio door). We can handle that.

Tonight the appraiser comes. I can't see any problem there since we had the house appraised last fall for a refinance and sold it for below that appraised value.

Yesterday was a banner day for me. I gave my notice at work. April 30th will be my last day. I can't tell you how wonderful it felt. I have been very unhappy at my job for a long time. I have a very nasty coworker who has made my life miserable. As much as people tell you not to let it bother you, I couldn't help it. She was REALLY nasty! She hasn't said a word to me since I gave my notice.

The rest of the staff have been so supportive. So many of them have told me how they are envious or jealous of us. It seems there are a lot of people longing for freedom. I know this lifestyle isn't for everyone, but it seems fear is holding many back. Or, maybe we're just crazy.

Friday we are taking the camper to the county park we will be camphosting at. Kevin will stay there next week by himself. (I'm sure he'll manage just fine without me). Next Friday night I will join him and our official fulltime RV life will begin.

We're setting May 1, 2010 as our official fulltime date. I think that's fitting. I was born in Germany, and May Day is a big celebration in Germany. They celebrate the arrival of spring. Just like we will celebrate a new beginning for us. I'm getting a bit teary-eyed just thinking about it :)

All glory comes from daring to begin.

Making Progress

We spent the entire weekend going through closets and drawers and packing the trailer. I'm having a hard time deciding how many and which clothes to bring. I didn't think I had as many clothes as I discovered in that closet. They must have been mutiplying when I wasn't looking :)

I still need to pack some work clothes as I may decide to do some office temping along the way. Since I'm still working, I can't pack those clothes just yet.

I am now finished going through all the closets and cabinets in the house other than the master bathroom and the kitchen. The end is definitely in sight.

We haven't heard how the inspection went. I'm also waiting to hear from the estate sale woman. She is supposed to be calling me today after work.

We sold one of our cars this weekend on Craigslist. Within four hours of posting it, we had it sold to a man who paid the full asking price. We met him in a parking lot of a store near our house since we didn't want anyone coming to the house. He paid the full amount in cash and Kevin gave him the signed title. Since he didn't have anyone with him to help drive 2 cars back home, he asked if we would take it back home with us and meet him again on Sunday when he would have a friend with him. He never called on Sunday. I still had his voicemail message so at about 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon I called him. I got voicemail so I left him a message. It's wierd; I don't know what to make of it. Hopefully, we'll hear from him soon. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to pick up a car they had paid for. I hope nothing happened to him.

Just another strange incident in this journey that has been full of strange happenings.

Where Did All This Stuff Come From?

The home inspector is coming tomorrow morning at 8:00. So much for sleeping in. Oh well, hopefully he'll give us a good report. Speaking of sleep; I think Kevin and I are on a bit of overload. We've both been having trouble with sleep; can't fall asleep, can't stay asleep, wake up too early in the morning. This is the first time I can ever remember Kevin having trouble sleeping. He usually sleeps like a rock. We're both so anxious to start living the dream.

We started packing the camper this week. I can't believe how much stuff we have left in the house! Now let me tell you, I've been getting rid of stuff for years. I've sold quite a bit on ebay and Craigslist and given loads to Goodwill. I really thought I had things cleared out pretty well. There is a section in the basement where I have stored items I thought would sell at the moving sale. I really thought I had things pretty under control. But, when we actually started putting things in the camper; I realized I still have a ways to go. Actually, it's not that bad; but there definitely is work to be done.

It's amazing what we accumulate in our homes. Last night I went through the spice cabinet. That's right, I had an entire cabinet full of spices and baking products, and I don't even like to cook. Some of those spices were old. I filled 3 plastic grocery bags with garbage! I should have done it a long time ago. Living in the same house for 26 years has caused me to accumulate too much. The purge feels good! We also have done very well cleaning out the pantry and freezer. We haven't had to do much grocery shopping for months :)

On April 23rd, we will begin our camphosting assignment. So, this weekend, we'll be putting our clothes into the camper. I left a message for the estate/moving sale lady and hopefully she can do the sale in mid-May. We're moving forward with the assumption the closing will take place. Even if it doesn't, we're moving forward. Still keeping our fingers crossed!!

Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake. Henry David Thoreau

Cautiously Hopeful

I am happy to say that we have an accepted offer on the house!!! Yippee, Yippee, Yippee!!!!

The buyers have their house sold and their financing in place, so it looks like it is a very sound offer. The next step is the inspection. We don't think that will be a problem since we already had an inspection from a previous offer. That inspector found a few minor items which we have since taken care of. I don't think there is anything the inspector can find fault with. Of course, it depends on who the inspector is. The first inspection was ridiculous. I posted about him in a previous entry.

If all goes as planned, we will close on May 21st.

We have many tentative plans in the works, but most everything depends on the house sale going through. Once we have a more concrete idea of what we will be doing, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, we're praying that all will work out this time, and we can begin our fulltime RVing very soon.

We're Back

We were planning to go back to Mt. Rainier on our last day in Seattle, however that didn't work out. We found out the visitor center closest to the top of the mountain was only open on weekends during April and the weatherman said it was snowing in the mountains. Instead we went to the Seattle Center and visited the Sci-Fi and Music Museum. My guys are into both science fiction and music so we thought we would check it out. I'm not really that much of a fan. They enjoyed it. I thought it was OK. There was this amazing sculpture made out of musical instruments and it was wired so that some of them even played. That's Eric listening to the music it makes on headphones. They also had an area where you could try out instruments. A computer walked you through how to play. I tried the drums and guitar. My rhythm was not very good on the drums. Our son Korey played percussion all through middle and high school and showed me how it is done. After trying it, I have a new found respect for his talent. I also tried the guitar. I did a bit better and was able to play along to Louie Louie. How about that!

After the museum we drove to Alki Beach. It is on the northwest side of Seattle. It was a beautiful beach with a great view of the Seattle skyline and the Olympic Mountains. The mountains were pretty cloud covered, but here's a view of the skyline.

We got back on Wednesday night. Good thing since we had a layover in Denver and later that evening they had the security issue on a plane flying into Denver. You probably heard about the diplomat smoking in the bathroom. What a dope!!! Today I heard that a plane at Seattle's airport hit a tanker truck yesterday. Thank goodness we made it home safe and sound!

Today was showing #37 of the house and tomorrow are showings 38 and 39. Still keeping my fingers crossed and praying this will be over soon so we can get on with the dream.

I came across an interesting saying from the Lakota Indians:

Man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; the Lakota knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to a lack of respect for humans, too.

More Seattle

On Saturday we went to Pioneer Square in Seattle. It is the original area where Seattle was built 150 years ago. The architecture of the buildings was beautiful. We went on the Underground Tour. Seattle was originally built at sea level and had many problems with drainage and sewage. In 1889 there was a great fire which destroyed 33 square blocks of the business district. The powers that be decided to build retaining walls around the original blocks where businesses were located and raise the street level about 10 feet. Business owners built on top of their original structures which created an underground. There are still many of the original structures beneath the current buildings. It was an interesting tour; however, our tour guide was a bit too kindergartenish for our liking. Seattle is named after Chief Seattle. Here are my boys next to a statue of the Chief.

Yesterday we drove to Mt. Rainier National Park. Mt. Rainier is 14,400 feet. It is about a 2 hour drive from Seattle. We were surprised to find the ground was still snowcovered. We visited the museum and went on a short hike where we saw this tree. The beavers have been quite busy.


Mt. Rainier is in the background of this picture. We could see it even though you can't see it in the picture. The winds picking up moisture as they come over the mountain cause it to be cloud covered most of the time. We were planning to drive further up the mountain to the Paradise Visitor Center where there were supposed to be better views. Just as we were getting back to the car to head up the road, they closed it. A tree had blown down closing the road. They told us it would be about an hour to clear the road so we decided to wait. An hour later they told us that more trees had been knocked down by the first tree and it was too unsafe to let anyone up the road so we had to turn back. We are thinking of going back tomorrow. We'll call ahead this time to see if the road is open :)

Today we went to the Space Needle and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. The locks were opened in 1917 by the Army Corp of Engineers to connect Lake Washington with Puguet Sound. Originally, it was built to transfer lumber and coal from eastern Washington to the ocean for shipping. Today, it is one of the busiest locks in the country for commercial and pleasure boats. A fish ladder was also built to allow the salmon to move to the inland lake for spawning. I learned that salmon are born in fresh water, swim to salt water where they live until they swim back to the fresh water for spawning. That's a lot of swimming!

The Space Needle was built in 1962 for the World's Fair. It is just over 600 feet tall. No workers died during the construction. That's a a good thing. It's a pretty amazing fact when you see the pictures of how the steel workers were crawling around on small beams with gale force winds blowing. We rode to the observation tower and saw some beautiful views. The sun was actually shining while we were there. The weather here is very unpredictable. It goes from sun to rain to sun several times a day. Some days it is just clouds and rain. There haven't been long rain showers, just frequent ones.