Funny when you really begin preparing for this thing you've talked and dreampt about. I struck me today as I was taking pictures of the wall for packing. We will have lived here in this house for 14 and a half years, longer than either one of us has lived continually in one house. The things we have collected over the years and the memories.
When we bought this house we made a decision to do so to be closer to family, we lived and worked in Denver Colorado at the time I flew out of Denver and Shelley was going to Veterinary tech school. We figured I would have to commute for a while until I could get based closer to home but it was our desire to get back here. Wisconsin is here by the way. but from the beginning it was iffy at best. A couple of months before we closed it looked like we may go on strike at work. That didn't happen but while we were on vacation 2 months before we moved in I received the news I was awarded a Captain position in Appleton just where we wanted to be. Then just under a year after moving in 9/11 hit. For a time flying was reduced, drastically reduced. After a while things got back to normal, whatever that is, and after 5 years I was diagnosed with depression an early symptom of Parkinson's, but that had never crossed our minds. At that time however you could not fly and be treated for depression, that has since changed. My flying career was over. I drove over the road truckfor a few years, the worst job in the world, for me. Health issues continued to plague me, neck surgery in 2010 followed by 6 months of physical therapy with no improvement and finnally my diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
Our retirement dream was to live and travel on a sailboat. We've decided to call this land sailing. Then in 2013 Shelley had to have carpal tunnel surgery on both hands. It went bad and she ended up with permanent nerve damage in both hands a wrists. The Dr's said she could not work again, not many jobs you can do with out your hands. So we traded my F-150 an atv and trailor and a camper trailor for the motor home. Last summer we did some traveling and visiting some of the greatest people we have ever know, then got a call to camp host at a national forest campground n loved it and all that brought us to pulling the pictures off the wall today. We should close on this house around the beginning of April at which time we move into the motor home . Us 1 cat and 3 dogs. Then it's off to Montana to work the summer at a campground. The good thing is the hours are very limited, the pay is minimum wage but free camping.
So this is how we come to here if we make enough on the house we can upgrade the to a nicer motor home, otherwise it's save over the summer and continue on from there. I would be a fool or lying if I said I didn't have some apprehension about all this, but in the same vein I am excited about the travel while we can. I am very lucky to have the partner in life I have. The things we have gone through the last 10 years could easily have torn us apart and I don't think anyone could have blamed us, but I believe we have gotten stronger in spite of everything. So now it's just get packed and get on with life. I'll keep writing here as long as I have something to say.
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