Say What?

Did we really say we bought a house?

Oh yeah! We did!

Technically, we haven't bought it just yet. We made an offer, which has been accepted. We're currently in escrow. (And, that's such an exciting place to be!)

So, what's up? What prompted these two nomads to cough up the cash for a 2,100-square-foot split level in the 'burbs?  Perhaps the best way to explain what's up is to answer a few questions.

Q. So, you're hangin' up the keys. Are you sad about that?

A. We're not the least bit sad. We're excited! 

Unlike our marriage, fulltime RVing was never a "forever" gig for us. From the beginning, our plan was to live on the road for "a year or two, perhaps as long as three." It's been almost four. We were overdue! As we close the chapter of our lives that was lived on the road, we're moving on to a chapter where we'll be reconnecting with our old hometown in a brand new way. 

And, while Bullwinkle's keys will soon be hanging on a nifty rack in our new house, they won't stay there long. We're thrilled to be making the move from fulltime RVers to "anytime" RVers! We're already planning round-trip excursions from here. 

Q. Are you sorry fulltime RVing didn't work out for you?

A. Didn't work out? We're closing in on four years of this amazing lifestyle. If fulltiming hadn't worked out for us we would have known (and stopped) long, long ago. We've loved it! 

We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to do this crazy thing.  We've explored so many stunning places, met so many wonderful people and made lots of new friends. What's not to like? We hoped it would be the journey of a lifetime. It has exceeded our expectations.

Q. Then, why are you stopping?

A. The short answer is we couldn't muster the energy to drive across West Texas for a third time.

But, that's not really it. While we were lacking enthusiasm to head west, we both felt some kind of gravitational pull back to Kansas City. We've made dozens of trips in and out of our old hometown since we left here 13 years ago, yet we'd never felt this kind of powerful tug. 

We were being called home. 

No one asked us to do it. We just knew this is where we wanted to be. And, when you just know, you go. As soon as the snow cleared, we pointed the moose north. Our energy and enthusiasm returned instantly. It was clear we were on the right path. 

Just as they had when we left Oakland to hit the road, things fell into place. On extremely short notice, our home park had a spot for us for exactly a month. That provided us a window of opportunity to find the perfect house at the perfect time at a perfect price, just as real estate prices began to percolate. We didn't want to miss the best real estate market in years. And, by the looks of things, we didn't.

It feels like it was all meant to be.  As much as we have loved our life on the road, we have found something else we love even more.

Q. Why Kansas City?

A. We have a list of reasons! The bottom line is the easiest place for us to call home is also the best. We resisted returning to the place we lived for the first four decades of our lives because it was so familiar and comfortable. Turns out that after a decade living in California and four years of exploring new places on the road, familiar and comfortable are exactly what we want. Kansas City is home!

In our travels, we looked at real estate in some of our favorite towns. Whenever we got remotely serious about purchasing a home, we got antsy. We'd think of our old hometown and couldn't imagine not living there.

While we have no desire to return to the workaholic lives we lived here before, we do have plans to do a little work. Paul has maintained relationships with a handful of financial planning/investment management clients while we've been on the road. Having a home base provides an opportunity to grow that into a small business, which we've always wanted to do. And, Kansas City is the best place for us to do that. We're both eager to see Paul busy!

Besides being a place where a bunch of our family and friends live, Kansas City is centrally located. We can point Bullwinkle in any direction from here and be somewhere fun in a day or two. We can't wait!

Q. What about Bullwinkle?

A. Well, today, he's getting his annual chassis service. Tomorrow, we're heading off to southwest Missouri to visit extended family. Next week he'll bring us back to Kansas City and, if everything works as planned, we'll close escrow by the end of the month. Near the top of our "to-do" list is finding a safe, secure and sheltered spot for Bullwinkle to call home. But, he won't stay there long. After we get settled in, we'll be off together on some Summer adventures. 

Bullwinkle is like a member of our family. So, we're sticking together! He'll get more rest than he's been used to. But, after traveling over 30,000 miles, he certainly deserves it! We feel fortunate to have such a comfortable (and movable) second home! 

Q. What about your new home?

A. All systems are go with this deal, but we don't want to jinx anything. It's tough to type with my fingers crossed, but I'll say it's cute, comfortable and just the right size for two people and two cats who have been living in 400 square feet. It's a 35-year-old house that's been redone inside and out. It's almost like new, but it's sitting on a lovely lot in a well-established neighborhood we know and love. And, of course, it has a long, level driveway. Bullwinkle won't live there, but he'll be a frequent visitor!

Q. What about your blog?

A. As our fulltiming adventures come to a close, we'll wrap up things here at The Great RV Escape. We pledged long ago that we'd share our story from beginning to end. So, we shall. As exciting as all of the preparations for life on the road were, we're here to tell you that transitioning from "fulltimers" to "anytimers" is an exciting adventure! And, it's all part of the process. We want to capture it all. And, we hope our complete story helps somebody who finds their way to these pages someday. 

Bullwinkle's Travels will continue, of course. We'll share our "anytimer" adventures there. Of course, that poor, neglected blog is so out-of-date, it's going to take some serious dusting off and updating. I'm on it!

Q. What's next?

A. Suddenly, we have LOTS to do! We'll keep you posted.