Ron and I just celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary on June 4th! I know what you're thinking... that's a long time. And it is, but I think the next two years will seem like an even longer span of time to us!
That's because we have set our departure date for June 4th, 2016!
We've told our children and some of our family the date. Our kids have known about our dream since we first came up with the idea but their reaction to our news of an impending departure was mixed. Jessica wanted to know if we are going to sell the house soon. No, we'll keep it for at least another 20 months. She probably wants to come visit before we do sell it. She has my emotional side. Alex said he'll need to find a way to get stationed overseas in the next two years. He's such a joker, like his dad.
So now we have a few huge tasks ahead of us:
1. Setting up our business for our new lifestyle. Ron is practically glued to the seat in front of his computer working on a new website. So far, so good. He hopes to have it ready to announce in the next few weeks. We've been brainstorming different industries that could use our services. It seems that every time we go for a drive we spot another type of business that we can call on when we're living on the road.
2. We need to downsize our possessions. The house, the attic, the shop-they're all full of things from our lives that are wasting away without being used. I spent two hours a few weeks back cleaning the myriad of stickers off of the changing table/dresser that once had Jessica's clothes in it. Yes, it was the changing table we used for her. But the last umpteen years it was at the shop, in the bathroom, not being used the way it was intended. I listed it on Craigslist for a decent price and made a sale! So here's to one less thing to get rid of. Ron and I plan to clean out the attic and have a garage sale this summer. I know we'll find treasures that someone else will get better use of than we can once we're on the road. Our friends, Debbie and Steve, are in the process of selling their possessions and their best advise is to start early and we hope to do just that.
3. Get our finances in order. We don't have a car payment, which is great, but we do have bills that come with owning a business and a home. We rent our shop building and pay utilities there in addition to our mortgage and household utilities. We're looking forward to having less bills once we are on the road.
We're thrilled that we've set our departure date! It will probably be here before we know it, but from where I sit now, it can't come soon enough!
