The Ride

Thank you for the words of encouragement but, I'm sorry, I don't think I was quite as emphatic as was warranted.

I wish I could share the little ditty that I made up as I was going through the rig yesterday but Aunt Bette is reading this. Later on, bored with the salty little song I had been singing, a current song by Train called 'Save Me San Francisco' took root in my head. Not the whole song, just one line; "I've been high, I've been low, I've been yes and I've been OH HELL NO." That one got me through the afternoon.

I wish I could share what I found going through the rig but my mother is reading this.

When Robb got home he relayed the rhythm of feelings towards the rig; each morning, relatively rested he would fill with optimism, look around and see the potential and say to himself, 'yes, we can make this work!' Then he would drive all day, try to make a meal, use the restroom, touch a chair or wall and he too would sing 'oh hell no!' Though possibly to a different tune, maybe a throw back to a Rob Base sort of beat.

I completely understand the ride now.

After much discussion and planning, budgeting, prioritizing, negotiating and compromise we are united and excited to go for it. There are a couple of deal break hurtles we must pass early this week but for all intents and purposes we are signing our gypsy souls away to the rebuilding of this Newell.

So here it is. (Click on the picture to see more.)

Gloves and My Shop Vac are My Friends

Well it's here.

We did take pictures so I will upload them when I can. It will be painfully clear that theses are "before pictures."

It is going to be a miracle if we get this thing in order before August 1st. We spent today just removing stuff. We're not done. Keep in mind the previous owners had spent a week clearing it out, they even had a group of friends over to help out.

I'm a little dumbstruck.

I believe I was busy picking out rugs and spice racks not so long ago. That's cute.

My dad has a theory, (hey, so do Phil and Bretta :) my dad has many theories but the one I am referring to is the loose thread theory. When you start digging into things you find more and more things to address. Wow, now I have my own real live model for this theory.

There are some really great things about the rig and the layout and the possibilities but right now I'm exhausted and a little queasy from today's work. Old people who are getting sick aren't the most prudent housekeepers.

Robb, love him, is still out there. I peeked my head out to see if he wanted some dinner to find him polishing wheels. He said he needed something to look better than it did when we started, then he can feel accomplished.

This Takes the New Out of Newell

For better or worse our "new" home is on its way here. Robb bought the Newell!!
We still have the option of selling it here if it doesn't meet our needs (Robb has been known to do that a time or two) but I'm apprehensively excited to see it!! Very excited to have Robb come home!

Now I have an issue.

It is a 1975.

That sounds old.

The savvy call it vintage or classic or retro.

Ok, I can get around that but wait: Robb and I are both '1975's' and we're not vintage or classic or retro.

So now I'm tempted to add "in motor home years" every time I acknowledge that it is of a certain age, which sounds frighteningly close to "in dog years."

Maybe I'll just admit that there is no reason to grab my id on that rare night out (I see you look at my eyes Mr. Bartender) and that 'mam' was not out of habit it was intended for me.

Oh well at least Robb is going gray first.....

Small Amounts of Progress Keep Me Ramped

Ok so I hadn't updated in a while but NOTHING had happened. I figured writing, "nothing new" every day might not be that interesting to read.

This may reflect more on my patience level than actual activity or lack thereof.

Even now nothing has truly happened, but the seed for potential is there and apparently, for me, that is all it takes!

The point? Robb is flying to Missouri tomorrow to look more closely at a rig.

I'm not going to go into details because, quite frankly, we don't know that much, but it's exciting.

Any activity is exciting.

I will say it would be in the retro category and we would be able to put our own style into it, which could be a lot of fun. I've already spent way too much time on Dash & Albert Rug Company because isn't that where one starts?

I'll know more in a couple days but for now I'll be coordinating rugs and spice racks in my head...

Bricks and Sticks

For those of you who have not made it up to Coeur d'Alene this is our house. If you click on the picture you can see the rest of the house too! If you'd like to buy it it's for sale :)

Ready to Share

So I guess I'm going to 'show' the blog.

I know we have some time before we actually leave on our adventure but truly it has already started. The shift in our attitudes, our focus, our decisions; our excitement is palpable.

We are putting the final touches on the house this week and plan on listing it on Thursday. The response we get will help to determine how quickly we find a rig and what level we will be looking at. (If we don't sell and end up renting out the house we won't have the same amount of freed up cash.)

I'm starting to organize my plans on our 'road schooling' curriculum, there are so many possibilities it is incredibly exciting! The kids' teacher has offered to suggest some of the core curriculum which I'm so thankful for; one because we love what she has done with them this year and two because it ensures that they will be on track when we get back.

I better start working or I won't have any trip to write about :)