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Topic: It's Official -- We're Fulltimers! (Read 3 times) previous topic - next topic
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It's Official -- We're Fulltimers!
Yahoo Message Number: 48933
As of Jan. 1st, we began living in our 30'TB LD and couldn't be happier!

The past three months have been a whirlwind of activity and despite all of our extensive research, planning and organizing, we still were nearly worn to a frazzle (emotionally and physically) with all the effort involved in buying a new RV, selling a house, sorting stuff, selling stuff, storing stuff, finding good homes for 3 cats, buying a new car, getting everything insured and changing addresses on everything.  Somewhere in there I think we celebrated the holidays with our family, but I can hardly remember the details as we were so consumed with literally hundreds of other tasks.

Our house was on the market for a mere 4 days when we got a great offer and we signed the contract that day.  The buyers wanted a short escrow and so in an amazingly abrupt 18 days we closed the deal and walked away from our home of 21 years.  I thought that I'd have a huge emotional reaction to leaving, but as I turned my back on the house for the last time the only thoughts going through my head were "Gosh, that pile of wet leaves on the deck sure needs to be swept off before it leaves a big, black mildew stain -- and look at those frozen shrubs that need to be pruned back -- and geez, the gutters need to be cleaned again."  Then I realized that I no longer had to deal with all that and it was like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.  Of course, it really helped to have the exciting anticipation of this new phase of our lives to get me past the sadness of leaving behind so many memories.  (Afterall, we were married on that very deck where the mildew stains are threatening to take over!)

Each day in our new home has peeled off another layer of stress and anxiety and we are finding the 30'TB to be a very comfortable and usable floorplan for us.

We are staying in a new and very quiet and friendly RV park while hubby is finishing up some projects at work and then he will take an early retirement.  Since all of our previous RV travels have been dictated by long days of travel and short stays at public campgrounds, we're having to adjust to long term parking in a private park, but it has been a very good experience.  It's actually kind of nice to set things up for "sitting" rather than "traveling" and simple things like having the sewer line connected (rather than having to go a dump station), having cable tv, a land-line phone, wireless internet access, trash pick-up and propane delivery are all making this adjustment time very easy and downright delightful.
 We've had a few problems with the LD since moving in and I will send another post soon with some questions, but for now I will sign off and say that life is very good and getting better every day.  We are really looking forward to some wonderful traveling adventures and hopefully getting to meet a lot of fellow LDers, but for right now, it feels pretty darn wonderful to just sit and relax and let the stress of the past several months melt away.

Chris W. (and hubby Frank)
Re: It's Official -- We're Fulltimers!
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 48935
Congratulations!

As I sit this morning and ponder some of the maintenance that this house needs, I am jealous, and still far away from being able to join you as a fulltimer. Hope that it's all you want it to be!
Re: It's Official -- We're Fulltimers!
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 48937
You can leave the gray water valve open and connected full-time but do NOT ever leave the black water valve open and running full time.
You need to accumulate and treat a quantity of waterr and waste ... and periodically dump and flush.  Otherwise you will get unpleasant odors and related problems.
Re: It's Official -- We're Fulltimers!
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 48969
Quote from: Chris W."

"As of Jan. 1st, we began living in our 30'TB LD and couldn't be happier!" [snip] Chris W. (and hubby Frank)

Chris and Frank, congratulations!  I'm so glad to hear that all the work envolved with making the move to fulltiming is behind you now, and you're able to move on to enjoying your new lifestyle.  I'm envious!  Perhaps we'll meet again someday, down the road...maybe Round Top?  Have fun!

Sharon N.
Re: It's Official -- We're Fulltimers!
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 48971
Chris & Frank,

Welcome!  I can really relate to the stress of getting rid of 20+ years of stuff.  It's a horrible, stressfull job but once it is over the relief and joy are unbelievable!
 It just gets better from here, you will find the years and the yoke of "stuff" falling off of you as every day passes.  My friends keep telling me that I look younger but I know that it is just stress disappearing and the joy of new vistas and new adventures.
 You have so many wonderful adventures ahead of you and so much less to worry about, congratulations!

Hugs,

Jonna, fulltime in our 2001 RB, Tortuga, and loving it!
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] It's Official -- We're Fulltimers!
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 49121
Chris, what a wonderful description of your transition.  It is definitely a major stress inducer to tackle all the details involved in purging your home of its treasures and memories, leaving neighbors of so many years, and embracing a totally different lifestyle -- and especially over the holidays.  Amazing what you can accomplish and how quickly when your feet are held to the fire!  Congratulations!  Only the strong survive, and it sounds like you've got the right stuff.
Hope you and Frank  enjoy your exciting new challenges and adventures.

Lorna, fulltiming and lovin' it.
2003 RB
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] It's Official -- We're Fulltimers!
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 49127
Chris - thanks so much for the great description of your venture into full-timing. I read it to Pete, and he printed it off. We're sort of heading in that direction ourselves. (Visualize lots of excited arm-waving and yee-hahs here.) The old-timers on the list already know that I was full-timing and loving it before I met my beloved Pete a bit over a year ago. Well, thank heavens, he loves to RV, and is seeing this house, as beautiful as it is, as a bit of an anchor. I know full-timing's not for everyone, but it is for some of us. Well, at least we're considered extended-timers. We're home less than 3 months (all chopped up into weeks) during the year.

Your post gave him a nice nudge!

LOVE this RVing!! Sarah Albuquerque
It's Official -- We're Fulltimer
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 48942
Quote
You can leave the gray water valve open and connected full-time

 You can, but if you're sitting in one place for a long time, I advise keeping it closed and just emptying it when the gray tank is full.
 The very first winter that we were fulltimers, we spent 4 months at an RV park in the Phoenix area.  We left the gray tank open all the time, except when we were getting near to dumping the black tank.  At the end of those 4 months, when we were packing everything up, we found so much "gunk" in the bottom of the sewer hose, that we never were able to get it completely cleaned out...it made me wonder how much gunk was in the bottom of the gray tank!
 Since that time, we've always kept the gray tank closed until ready to dump, so that the force of all that water leaving the tank, washed out all the "gunk."

Just our experience...YMMV.

Linda & Earl 2004 23.5'  Red TK From Quartzsite, AZ
Linda Hylton