An Ending, A Change of Plans and New Plans

Oh, my! I really didn't mean to wait so long to write another blog post. But, as you will see, life has been crazy busy around here and things have been happening. Some expected and some not so much. It's all good - really, it is. Major plans had to be changed and once they were we had such peace. We know we're right where we belong these days and we're happy to be here. So. . .let me share a bit of what's been going on.

I'll begin with the end - an ending we had worked toward for a long time. A lot of hard work and what seemed like endless hours went into the final result. After much prayer and thought and some hard decisions about my dear, little mother's home we knew we should sell it. That was not an easy thing for me or for our kids and grandkids but it was the right thing to do. I was torn about it at first. We had thoughts of keeping her house - the home my father built while I was in high school, the only family home my children and their children have ever known. My roots were there which made the decision harder. But, as we took stock of our needs and how that home and ours would meet our needs we knew selling was the right thing. Then, God brought us buyers that we never could have dreamed possible. Friends!!! A young couple who knew and loved my dear mother. They never got to meet my father but they knew of the heritage of the home and they wanted to continue to build a heritage for their family, following in my parents' footsteps. My mother absolutely adored them and their little girl and I think my mother may have done a happy dance in Heaven about this decision. We have been in their home for dinner and have walked around the yard to talk about things growing there and stories of life on the big back deck and yard. We were thrilled when the day finally came to turn everything over to them. Yes, we walked away with a sense of freedom but knowing that we will always be welcome to return and visit. And we have.

This photo was taken while my dear mother still lived here. We had to take out the big trees on the left due to disease and we trimmed back the shrubs outside the bedroom area to the left to open things up and let more light inside. We added a new roof before the sale was final and new house numbers chosen by the new owners. Things look a bit different now but the house is still wonderful and is loved by our sweet friends who call it home.

We had BIG plans for the summer and I could hardly wait to share them with you but shortly after my mother's house sale was final we knew we needed to completely change those plans. We were SO excited about our plans and could hardly wait to leave home and travel north - north to Alaska. For the whole summer! With our cabin-on-wheels. We read every book and pamphlet and brochure we could find. We planned and plotted our trip and we were part of a Facebook group of many others who were going north with their RV's this summer. We wouldn't travel with them but it was almost for sure that we would meet up with some of them along the way. This was a big dream on our bucket list - has been for many years - and we could hardly wait.

But those plans had to be changed for several reasons, The sale of my dear mother's home was delayed almost a month beyond what we had requested. This made finalizing the other business of her estate impossible to complete before our planned departure date. Add to that the fact that the main entry door of our new cabin-on-wheels had a defect that caused the door and frame to be out of alignment enough that opening and closing was becoming a major problem. We had sensed a problem soon after we brought it home and had it back in the shop a couple of times for work that we hoped would fix the issue. In the end, a complete new door had to be ordered. At first we thought we might  wait until the new door installed and then leave for Alaska a bit later than planned. We're so glad we decided against that idea! We were told it should arrive and be installed mid-June. At this moment, we're still waiting!  We just heard that the factory has just now begun to manufacture our new door. They say it will take four weeks to manufacture and ship to our dealer for installation.  In the meantime our dealer's service department was able to do a temporary 'fix' so we can still use the door without much problem. And then another thing happened that let us know we had to change plans. My sweetheart had his routine dental exam and learned that he needed oral surgery and some other work that shouldn't be postponed until we returned in the fall. Once we knew about that the decision was quick. We knew what we had to do and we had total peace as soon as the decision was made. We knew this summer was not the time to leave home and head north. We haven't regretted it for a moment. We're following the adventures of the Facebook group that's up there now and we're making notes of places they have camped and adventures they've taken. Their photos inspire and excite us - and now we have a new plan. We plan to go to Alaska next summer! Now we're part of another Facebook group and we are enjoying the camaraderie we're finding with this group that will make the long trek north when we go. Many from the group that is up there now have met each other - some even camping in the same campgrounds. Fireside chats and dinners out together and stories shared have intrigued us and we hope for the same experience next year. How will we find each other? Simple - we ordered and just received a big decal that will be placed on our cabin-on-wheels. It will identify us as members of this group. Some retailers and RV park hosts have even been giving discounts to member of the group up there this year. When our decal  arrived the other day we got excited all over again.

So, what are we doing since our plans changed? We are working hard to catch up with maintenance and projects around our home and yard. Things at home had to take a back seat over the past few years while we cared for my dear, little mother and her home and yard. Then we spent many, long, hard months of dealing with her belongings and repairs and maintenance to get her home ready to sell. Homes that were built back in the day often have issues that must be brought up to current building codes and that takes time. Now we are free to focus on one home - ours - and it's overwhelming at times. We will be making upgrades inside and out. And there will be adventures in the mix, too. When we knew we couldn't go to Alaska this summer we promised ourselves that we wouldn't just work, work, work. We've spent some days away and we have more short trips planned.

There is so much more I want to share with you and I know I haven't finished sharing our Grand Trip from last year yet. That will happen again soon and I hope to stay in touch a bit more often than I have recently. Time flies when you're having fun. Or when you're enjoying grandkids or having new adventures. For now, we are at peace with the decisions we've made and we are looking forward to adventures and experiences in the future. And when next summer comes, we may just be the most prepared travelers on the highway north!

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