The Great Transition

Our dream since about two years ago has been to sell our home when we retire, buy an RV, and live in it full time while we travel around the country connecting with all our many friends and loved ones.

Now the dream is becoming a reality.

So for the last many months, Mark has been researching everything there is to know about buying and living in an RV. We've looked at blogs of others who have done and are doing the same thing, and read about their adventures. We've read articles about how to manage residency. We've looked at the buying process. No one could be more prepared than we are.

But, as it turns out, reality and dreams are two very different animals.

So here's where we are so far.

We sold our house on July 17, 2017. On that day, all our worldly goods having been packed into a smallish storage unit, we loaded up our suitcases and the cat, and headed north to Two Harbors, MN,  to look at what seemed to be (from pictures) a really good potential motorhome.

It was not meant to be. I'll leave it at that. Tired and disappointed, we checked into our hotel in Duluth and regrouped.

The next morning we got up early and headed south to Texas, which was our original plan. And on Wednesday, we arrived at PPL Motorhomes in Dallas to look at a few motorhomes there before driving to the company's main location in Houston. By Thursday morning we had found the home we wanted and began the purchase process.

Like buying a house, a motorhome should go through an inspection to make sure everything works the way it's supposed to. So, we ordered the inspection (like smart people) and then headed to Livingston where we joined the Escapee's RV Club for full-time RVers. This gave us a Texas address for residency purposes - taxes, voting, etc. - and a mail forwarding service. Then we headed back to Minneapolis to wait.


Unfortunately, Mark is still tied to a job, so he had to be back to work on Monday, the 24th.

Now we're in a holding pattern, making La Quinta Hotel Corporation richer while we wait for the inspection to clear and our new home to be ready to bring back to the Cities, where we will be until Mark retires at the end of August.

On a side note, we recommend that you never, never, EVER, book a room at the Waconia Inn & Suites or the Red Roof Inn without first inspecting it with your own eyes. We learned the hard way that pictures on the internet don't always accurately reflect the actual accommodations. We are currently working on getting back seven of nine days at the Red Roof in Plymouth which, after waking up to no hot water for a shower, we decided to vacate early. The old adage, "you get what you pay for," is still as true as it ever was.

So we are still in transition and, technically, still homeless. But God is good, and we are trusting Him to get us through and out the other side in good shape. We are living one day at a time...which really is no different than ever.

I can't wait to finally make this bus our home and hit the road. But for now, God has ordained a period of patient waiting.