Welcome, Ken and Nanette!

Yep, this is a family, and you now belong!  Although there have been many questions and answers, there are always some more, as new situations arrise.

Jump in, get wet and have fun - we all do!

Welcome, Ken and Nanette,

You are so right by saying that this is a special community. Howard and Linda have done a great job with this site. All of the folks here are very friendly and they all seem to be willing to help others to fulfill their RVing dreams.

I'm sure you'll have some questions that you can't find answers for, so be sure to ask. Someone will be able to help you.

Good luck with your plans,

Jim

I have not been here very long but everybody just keeps answering all my dumb questions and over looking all my miss spelled words. Yep it is a great group of people.
Welcome!

Welcome Ken and Nanette!

Well said!  You are so right about this forum and the RV-Dreams family.  We are in the transition phase ourselves and started out exactly as you are doing...reading the journal from the very beginning and jumping into the forum.  Everyone is so open and willing to share experiences, both bad and good.  It provides wonderful education, along with great entertainment!

You mentioned that you are on the fast track.  Do you have a target date for hitting the road?  It seems like once you make the decision, that track moves even faster!  We started seriously discussing this lifestyle in the Spring of this year (although we've dreamed about it for years) and gave ourselves an arbitrary tiimeline of 1-year.  But I'm not sure we fully believed we could do this until we attended the Rally in October.  After that, things started moving at lightning speed and we have accomplished an amazing amount in the last month.  It makes your heads spin sometimes!

So hang on and enjoy the ride!  It's definitely a wild roller coaster!! :)

Connie 

-- Edited by contra on Sunday 22nd of November 2009 11:17:41 AM

Certainly there is fear. Change brings fear, but change also brings growth. It keeps you alive and looking to the future rather than always looking to the past. We are all so fortunate to be in a country like ours. You are part of what makes America different from the rest of the world. We are a nation of movers and shakers. We typically do not sit around and wring our hands and say Woe is me, when things don't go our way. Americans typically get up and do something about it.

Welcome, we can always use another mover and shaker!

Welcome to the RV Dreams forum and family. We started full-timing this past August and even though we haven't been full-timers long it is an incredible lifestyle!! We planned for this moment for about five years so we know the ups and downs/highs and lows that go with the transition. It certainly will be a wild ride but one of the best you have ever experienced. I love what you said....."Nanette and I are tired of living our life based on circumstances and now choose to live our life based on purpose. This lifestyle, we believe, has this at the core of its existence."
You are spot on with that statement. Good luck and if we, or any of us, can be of any help please feel free to jump in and ask. Remember we can learn from you as well.

Good luck and hope to see you on the road very soon.

ahoweth wrote:

---

Certainly there is fear. Change brings fear, but change also brings growth. It keeps you alive and looking to the future rather than always looking to the past. We are all so fortunate to be in a country like ours. You are part of what makes America different from the rest of the world. We are a nation of movers and shakers. We typically do not sit around and wring our hands and say Woe is me, when things don't go our way. Americans typically get up and do something about it.

Welcome, we can always use another mover and shaker!

---

We LOVE what you wrote here!  Talking about inspiring?

Great -- something else for us to talk about -- we are getting hoarse today...

Ken and Nanette

 

Ken ~

I will pipe in about the Rally.  We went to the one H&L held in Kerrville, TX last month and it was one of the best experiences of our lives.  As I mentioned in my previous reply, this one event really catapulted our dreams into reality.  Not only is it chocked full of very useful information, but the friendships we made were amazing.  Knowing that we already have so many friends out there to help us along gives us a lot of reassurance that we'll be just fine rolling down the road.  We would love to go to the one in April, but I don't think the timing will work out for us this time.

But I would second Linda's recommendation that the Rally would be a great jumping off point for your new life!

-Connie

Welcome from Linda and I also. We also went to the Rally in Kerrville. It was our first get together of any sort and was a very rewarding experience. The information gained in the seminars was great but we feel the sense of community was the most valuable part of the whole thing. You will not find a better forum than this one or a better bunch of people.

HI Ken and Nanette and welcome.

We had decided a few years ago that we would fulltime "someday". Then one day I went to work and 15 minutes after one of our mechanics clocked in he was dead of a heart attack at age 48. Exactly one week later we lost a 51 y/o supervisor to cancer. Then I decided "someday" NEEDED to be 2/1/09.

As the time got closer, things changed for us. I became more excited to start the new adventure. Len shut down. He was scared out of his wits - what about our finances, what if we decided we didn't like it, what if we had health issues, etc, etc. Because of this, several months earlier this year we went through the most difficult days of our 20 year marriage.

Then in the late Spring we set another date. Oct 1, 2009. But in August he went through a complete physical. They found what they thought was skin cancer on his head. We were told he needed a procedure and it would occur in November. So, back to the drawing board. We cancelled our retirement dates and all reservations we had made from October through January. We decided we would stay in NJ through the holidays.

Well, after another biospy was done on his head. NO CANCER. Thank God. So, here we are. Now we REALLY are leaving NJ between Jan 8 and 11 (provided we are not caught in a northeast snow storm). I have retired. Len's last day is Jan 7. We are now BOTH ready to head out and, in addtion, we are in a better financial situation.

What I am saying - hold on to your dream. We weathered a LOT in the last year. We are now stronger and in a much better place. We believe things work in God's time, not ours.

Hope to see each of you "down the road".

Phyllis

phyllen wrote:

---

HI Ken and Nanette and welcome.

We had decided a few years ago that we would fulltime "someday". Then one day I went to work and 15 minutes after one of our mechanics clocked in he was dead of a heart attack at age 48. Exactly one week later we lost a 51 y/o supervisor to cancer. Then I decided "someday" NEEDED to be 2/1/09.

As the time got closer, things changed for us. I became more excited to start the new adventure. Len shut down. He was scared out of his wits - what about our finances, what if we decided we didn't like it, what if we had health issues, etc, etc. Because of this, several months earlier this year we went through the most difficult days of our 20 year marriage.

Then in the late Spring we set another date. Oct 1, 2009. But in August he went through a complete physical. They found what they thought was skin cancer on his head. We were told he needed a procedure and it would occur in November. So, back to the drawing board. We cancelled our retirement dates and all reservations we had made from October through January. We decided we would stay in NJ through the holidays.

Well, after another biospy was done on his head. NO CANCER. Thank God. So, here we are. Now we REALLY are leaving NJ between Jan 8 and 11 (provided we are not caught in a northeast snow storm). I have retired. Len's last day is Jan 7. We are now BOTH ready to head out and, in addtion, we are in a better financial situation.

What I am saying - hold on to your dream. We weathered a LOT in the last year. We are now stronger and in a much better place. We believe things work in God's time, not ours.

Hope to see each of you "down the road".

Phyllis

---

Phyllis.

Thank you for the story of your "dream".  Life sure does throw you some curves sometimes doesn't it?

Nanette and I have probably talked more about the future in the last week than we have in the last few years combined.  Prior to this is was like the future was there but in a box so to speak.

We had some very compelling events take place over the last few days that caused us to take a breath and REALLY talk about the future.  This full timing RV thing when looked at from all angles really opens up that conversation.

The "box" that our future was in suddenly exploded and we saw possibilities that dovetailed into our picture of what we really want our life to be based on OUR picture not the "WORLD'S" picture.

Our reading and talking has us convinced that it will require not only physical changes but also mental changes.  Both of which need to be managed.

Nanette and I talked about this question  today.  If not this -- then what?

The answer is -- We know what we want -- that will not happen in our current situation.  We will continue on the treadmill -- coming in at night and wondering why we allow ourselves to continue to let others determine our happiness.

So -- from this point forward the only ones we have to blame is ourselves for not achieving our level of happiness.  We understand that health or accidents can steal that, however, the days that we are given can be taken as a gift from God and used to the fullest using the freewill he blessed us with.

All the best to you!

Ken and Nanette

 

Having met Joe (and Sherri) we can tell you he is an original! One of the good guys. And Sherri is one fine lady.

dream reachers wrote:

---

I always loved my work but the last couple of years before I retired became very stressfull and less fullfilling. I had a health scare and realized that the clock was ticking and "what is important in life and how would I spend the time I had left on earth?" We started researching fulltime RVing and Howard and Linda were a great influence on our decision. We wanted serve God and also travel the USA. We have been fulltiming for over 2 years now. We hit the road and made The RV Dreams rally in Branson our first main stop on the road. That ws a good start to what has been a wonderful life. At the rally we not only gained knowledge of the RV lifestyle but met a wonderful family of friends that we have kept contact with through blogs and chats. We have been doing volunteer work as we travel, church building, animal rescues, as well as State Park volunteering. We have been in many states and provinces and have barely touched the surface of what is available to see in North America. "There is so much out here to see and experience." You notice I said " here" not "there " We have left the "there" world. So you are welcome to join us "here".

God bless,
Allan and Jeanne

---

I noticed your desire to serve.  We have several friends that serve quite often with NOMADS, which is a Methodist service organization.  The group puts out a list of needed work at churches, areas, retirement homes etc about once a quarter.  From that, they put their names on the list to be selected.  They find it fulfilling (and you don't have to be a Methodist).  I am sure a short google search would find them, and they are always in search of people for different projects.  Good luck in your search for service.  God will always bless those that bless Him.

 

I concur -- NOMADS is a great way to volunteer. Pam and I have had the opportunity to work on two projects and have signed up for more. We also enjoyed our time with Habitat with Humanity (Care-A-Vanners) in Santa Fe in September. You might give them a try too.

I know you will find that there are more opportunities for volunteer work than you will have time for --- but hopefully you can find a niche and enjoy it at a pace that suits you.

Best wishes on your transition and hope to see you on the road sometime soon.

WOW! Let me be the first on this thread to congratulate you on everything falling into place. Often it happens just like that. So, what will you be doing over the holidays? LOL.

Phyllis

Ken,

When the pieces start falling into place so easily, like they seem to be for you, you just have to believe that it was meant to be.  There must be a higher power that is paving the path for you.  Believe in the universe!! And breathe....in and out, in and out... :)

Congratulations!!

-Connie

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

We had a few extra things to be thankful for this year.  In particular the gift of moving toward our dream in an accelerated manner and having doors open for us that were unexpected.

We move forward toward the "new" picture in our minds.  We are making good progress sorting, tossing and getting things ready for the auction.

We have been telling family and friends of our accelerated plans and to our surprise we are getting very positive reactions.  There appears to be some envy, although I am not sure everyone understands exactly what it entails to make the transition.

It seems much easier at this point than we anticipated.  I think this has to do with how clearly we have defined our goals.  The clarity that comes with doing that helps to make the wanting to not leave the old habits and lifestyle much easier.

So...the journey continues with us placing our MH on the 28th of December at the CG and then the trailer rolls on the 30th for the auction.  At that time the house will be empty and we will be on our way and not looking back.

This is a great adventure -- the anticipation, excitement and uncertainty simply adds to the journey.  I can't emphasize enough the power of painting a very clear end-result in making the psychological transition as well as the physical.

Thank you all so much for the supportive emails and post here.  It is of great comfort knowing there is support available.

Ken and Nanette

As we step over boxes and look at the mountain of things we have yet to go through and get rid of there are posted around the house pictures of the destinations we are going to travel to.

This may sound corny but if all we looked at was the current reality of all of this stuff and the work that is yet to be done we would probably lose our minds...

So...we gathered pictures of the destinations and hung them up around where we are working as a very real reminder of part of the reason we are doing this. 

It becomes easy to see what we are dealing with now as simply temporary as we "dream" of where we are headed.   It makes the goal tangible to us.

It is easy to get overwhelmed if we lose sight of why we are doing all of this.  With what we are doing it helps us to move to the "new picture" in our minds before we get there.

We were talking last night how there is a feeling of comfort with our adventure since we already "know" what it is going to look like before we even get there.

Works for us.

Ken and Nanette

Phyllis,

What we did is to go on the internet and get pictures of the places we are going to -- on our list.

We did pictures since other than being worth a thousand words it is the visualization that makes the take in the mind.

Also an update...

Another major event today.  Today was my last day of work. 

Not retiring -- in the classical sense but retiring from the rat race.  So...I now have full days for sorting, packing and tossing.

We of course have mixed emotions -- as I am sure everyone would expect.

The strangest thing happened as I walked out the door though.  It was very unexpected actually.  I felt the weight of the world lift off my shoulders.

I say this is strange because I hadn't anticipated ANY reaction.  Then it hit me -- we are on our way.  On to the life of purpose and MAKING our circumstances opposed to letting others do it for us.

We do ask for thoughts and prayers as we move forward with all the work we have before us.

Also the date for departure has moved up to as close to the 15th as we can get instead of the end of December.

Ken and Nanette

We do the same thing.  We have had many discussions in the last few weeks.

Getting things out in the open really helps get through them.

Ken and Nanette

Ken and Nanette,
Thanks for such a great post and the best to you with implementing your well-thought out plan soon! I hear you on the emotions that go with a move like this, as I go through it all the time, too.

I really love what you said about not living by circumstances, rather a life on purpose. After decades of living my life based on circumstances that I didn't necessarily plan real well, I am now moving toward a life by design. I am excited since I see the RVing lifestyle as one that provides the flexibility, mobility and sense of 'home' while traveling. Now it appears that through a nice forum like this, we all get to enjoy a sense of greater community too.

Anyway, congrats for declaring your journey!

-- Edited by Adventurekat on Saturday 5th of December 2009 02:45:07 PM

We thought we would offer an update on our adventure - hope you don't mind.  It is good to write this stuff down for us.

The weather has not cooperated the last 2 days as it has rained or should I say monsooned (my spell check says this isn't a word -- I told it that it is now!).

So our loading of the trailers for the auction has been put on hold until either later today or tomorrow.  We lost 2 good days.

Right now as I type this I am listening to the wind howl outside.  We have been warned to expect sustained winds of 25 - 30 MPH with gusts over 55 MPH. 

Today we continue to load the RV. 

I want to share something very strange that happened yesterday -- and very unexpected.

We have some of our clothes in those Rubbermaid containers that were purchased to fit exactly in our storage spaces. 

Yesterday when I picked up the first one -- which was the very first thing to get loaded -- and walked out the door of the house toward the RV I suddenly felt the most interesting feeling.

I had this feeling of contentment come over me.  It was like FINALLY we are doing it. 

I walked out to the RV with the container. Nanette was already inside and I told her about it.  She just smiled.  I suspect she has been feeling something similar as she had prepared things in the RV to receive our stuff.

Some may say that feelings are not tangible but I know that feelings are directly related to motivation and creativity. 

If one does things from a standpoint of being motivated by fear or apprehension -- then as soon as we perceive the thing we fear is no longer a threat then the motivation goes away along with the threat. 

I think this is why it is so important to put this life style change on a want-to, chose-to basis.

When we first decided to do this -- with the associated apprehensions -- we caught ourselves saying that we HAVE to do this or HAVE to do that.  We found that using the words "HAVE TO" caused us to feel we had no choice -- that we were being forced somehow to do what we were doing. 

In addition, if we were being forced to do this then there must be some associated "awful" consequence associated with not doing it. 

This we realized was self imposed fear motivation.

But how could we be forced to do something we CHOSE to do? 

So...Nanette and I talked about it and decided to change the words we used to words like CHOOSE TO and WANT TO.

You all may think we are crazy but once we changed our mindset -- our motivation and creativity really soared.  It wasn't like we were trying to run with someone hanging on to our pant pockets anymore.

This has been a very freeing exercise.  To look at life as a "choice" and not a "have to" is a most interesting experience. 

One we CHOOSE to enjoy for a VERY long time.

Ken and Nanette

Wow - just read your posts. You guys are too cool! You're obviously adventurers, you'll be great RVers.

Good Luck with everything!

Welcome to the RV-Dreams family! It's great to read your posts as you get ready to hit the road. I appreciate the thought and insight you provide. It helps me to see what is ahead as I move toward the dream of a life on the road myself. I look forward to hearing about more of your adventures as you go.

Thanks for sharing.