What a Year!

With just a few hours before 2009 is history, we want to grab a quick moment to celebrate the last 365 days.

2009 promised to be a year of significant change for us. And, it did not disappoint. In a nutshell, we readied our house for a very swift and very profitable sale in the worst real estate market in decades; readied our cats, ourselves, our moose and squirrel for fulltime rv travel; both got laid off on one of the happiest days of our lives, which provided the last catalyst to make our fulltiming dream a reality.

This was the year that we did it. We became fulltimers. It's a year we will always remember. And, it's a year that, in other ways, we are eager to forget. Though we were emotionally detached from our work, the first four months of this year were perhaps the most difficult and challenging of our careers. It was tough. And, it's over. It's time to let it go.

As proud as we are of having successfully made the transition from career workaholics to newbie fulltimers this year, it's also time celebrate what it was and let it go, too. That monumental task is behind us, thank God. Now, we are on to better and brighter things. So, cheers to us for making it all happen. (And many thanks to those who helped us along the way!) And, with that, we happily let it go.

With our transition year behind us, we look forward to 2010 and what we hope will be our first full year as fulltimers. Last year this night we asked ourselves "Where will we be next New Year's Eve?" Little did we know the answer would be "Weatherford, Texas." And, we're so glad we're here. It makes us wonder where in the world we will be next New Year's Eve. We'll see!

As the clock strikes midnight tonight, our travel weary bodies will be snoozing away. But, in our slumber we will celebrate a most memorable year of change, preparation, explorations, adventures, new friendships, a new moose, and many happy and trouble-free miles on the road.

And when we awake sometime tomorrow to the new year, we we happily say, "Bring it on!"

Happy New Year!

Happy Campers

We have soooo many things that we're happy about tonight. So many, in fact, I decided to start a list. So, in no particular order, here they are. They'll tell you a lot about our day.

1. We are out of our dumpy snow-filled campground.
2. We are 225 miles south of Kansas City.
3. We're 225 miles closer to Texas.
4. There's no snow in our spacious campground here in Wellington, Kansas.
5. The current temperature is 33 degrees.
6. It's 22 right now where we came from.
7. 11 degrees is a BIG difference.
8. Nothing is falling from the sky.
9. We have both of our slides out.
10. Our water pump works.
11. So does our generator.
12. Our stop by the dealer was quick and easy.
13. We have a full tank of propane!
14. We filled up at the dealer, so we didn't have to stop on the road.
15. Our furnaces are firing and we're not even thinking about them.
16. For the first time in a long time I'm not wearing a sweater and wool socks.
17. The cold bug I came down with overnight isn't getting worse.
18. Our drive down a very familiar highway today was uneventful.
19. We arrived here before dark.
20. We have satellite TV.
21. We have great power - rock steady at 120V!
22. Our kitties are so comfortable and happy that one of them is camped out on Paul's lap.
23. Tomorrow we have nothing to do and nowhere to go.
24. Christmas is over.
25. We're back to our normal, fulltiming life.

Ah yes! That last one? It's a biggie.

It's so great to be back.

Day After Tomorrow

That's when we're heading south. We can't wait!

Of course, nobody else knows this. And, I assure you our family will not be pleased. This new departure date is almost a week earlier than our initial plans. But, you know what? It's flippin' cold here.

One day this coming week the forecast here calls for an overnight low of 4. The next night it's supposed to be 1.

Yeah, that's degrees Fahrenheit.

We are soooooo outta here.

It's a tough decision, to be sure. We'd love to hang out with family and friends for another week. But, truth be told, we just plunked down a serious wad of cash on this new moose not too long ago, and we're choosing not to expose it to nearly below zero temps. With a failing water pump and a generator that won't start, this moose needs help, and soon. And, that's exactly what we're gonna' do.

Our last family Christmas celebration is tomorrow. After that, we're free to roam the country once again. With a brief weather window of opportunity, we're going to head to the Winnie dealer just south of here first thing Tuesday with our fingers crossed that our repairs will be short and sweet. If so, we'll head south and go as far as we can before dark. If they can't take care of it in a day, they can keep the moose overnight and we'll bunk with family.

After that, seriously, we are heading for Texas. We should be in Livingston by January 3rd, which was our original planned departure date from Kansas City.

Lots to do between now and then. But, you know what?

We're feeling warmer already!

The Day After

We hope ya'll had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was, let's just say, memorable.

We awoke yesterday to some seven inches of wind blown snow on the ground and more still falling from the sky. For a couple of hours it was all very fun and festive.

After that, it was not so very merry.

Truthfully, I think a super-size case of cabin fever set in. Well, for me anyway. After spending Christmas Eve away from loved ones we'd come so far to see, and grim prospects for getting out on Christmas Day, I was very near the breaking point. Paul would say I crossed it. And, you know what? He'd be right. Sometime around 3:00 PM, he decided that driving the Jeep on impassable roads was far less risky than spending the rest of the holiday cooped up in the moose with me.

I am married to a very wise man.

We hopped in our squirrel, which is the very best toad ever, and four-wheeled ourselves across town like a one-horse open sleigh. We spent the rest of the holiday in the warm company of Paul's brother and his family. They are a big part of the reason we made this winter sojourn, and it was wonderful to celebrate the day with them.

So, now it's the day after. It seems as good a time as any to size up our current situation.

It's still snowing. Total accumulation looks like about nine inches, but with all the drifts it's really hard to tell. The park has been plowed once, but that was about three inches ago. The temperature has topped the expected high for the day. Right now we're sitting at a very cloudy but relatively balmy 29 degrees.

The moose is hanging in there. Our water pump is dead. It didn't freeze, it just died. Two days before Christmas there was a water main break in the park. Just before they shut off the park water supply, we filled our on board tank. We went to turn on the water pump and realized the thing was dead. Fuses checked out fine, and the brand friggin' new pump actually came back from the dead for a brief time before it expired again the next morning. We tried to call Winnebago for some guidance, but they were closed. We called a local dealer who concurred with our preliminary diagnosis. They offered to see us that morning, but they were closing at noon, are nearly 20 miles away and the forecast called for the imminent arrival of an inch or two of sleet. We decided to tough it out and scheduled a service appointment for Tuesday morning. We were hooked up to park water for a brief time, but with temps below freezing since then we're living with jugs of water and eating out. The upside to this is we have no dishes to wash!

With overnight lows in the teens, we are once again watching our propane consumption. With about one-third of our 30-gallon tank remaining, our goal is to keep the moose warm enough for the bays to stay warm enough to keep our useless water pipes and tanks from freezing while maintaining our propane supply until Monday when we can venture out to our friendly propane place just five miles away. It's closed on weekends, so after dining out for breakfast this morning, we took the Jeep on a reconnaissance mission for sources of weekend propane. Bottom line: In this weather, there aren't any. So, with fingers crossed we are saying prayers to the patron saint of propane that it all works out on Monday.

With no water and far from toasty inside temps, life in our new moose is basically a step or two above tent camping. But, a lovely tent it is. And, on this day after Christmas we are still counting our blessings.

One: Shelter.

Two: Electricity.

Three: The best toad ever.

And, me? I'm especially grateful for my very wise and incredibly patient husband! This memorable Christmas has tested my fulltiming patience. Thanks to Paul, we've made it through and chalked up another story that will bring a laugh or two around a toasty campfire down the road, hopefully sometime soon in Texas.

Christmas Eve

'Twas the night before Christmas in our rollin' house,

not a creature is stirring, not even my spouse.

The stockings are hung by the magic fireplace with care,

in hopes that St. Nicholas will find them there.

The kitties won't nestle, they're swarming instead,

with visions of the tasty dinner they soon will be fed.

With Paul in his recliner and the Mac in my lap,

we'll soon be enjoying a little nightcap.

Our plans for the evening, how they did shatter,

when rain changed to sleet and the wind made things clatter.

Church services are cancelled, it's not safe to drive,

the snow is stacking up in inches, they say it'll be around five.

Now with nowhere to go, we'll stay home for the night,

we've pulled in a slide and are buttoned up tight.

Our dinner alone will be sauce and spaghetti

while we watch the snow fall like frigid confetti.

Despite this holiday blizzard our spirits are high,

We are so thankful to be healthy, safe, warm and dry.

We're counting our blessings as our little tree beams,

celebrating our first Christmas living our fulltiming dreams.

Our thoughts turn to our friends who are fulltiming now,

and those who are dreaming to get out there somehow.

May your travels be safe and your troubles be few.

We look forward to the next time we get to see you.

Best wishes to you and yours from us in the moose,

we can see on NORAD that Santa is loose.

Listen closely and you'll hear him as he drives out of sight,

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Anticipation

It's Christmas Eve eve, and there's much anticipation in the air tonight. Santa will soon be on his way. And, he's bringing something with him: a major winter storm.

Kansas City weather is wonky. There's no other word for it. Here in the country's mid-section, we get hit with weather from everywhere. Sometimes it happens all at once. Today we were treated to rising temperatures as a warm front greeted us from the south. We did the last of our shopping dodging rain showers on this balmy 50-degree afternoon. Mother Nature is giving is a big tease before the big freeze.

Tonight's forecast calls for heavy rain, which will continue off and on through the morning. Tomorrow afternoon the stuff falling from sky is expected to change from rain to freezing rain to sleet to, finally, snow. By Christmas night the weather geeks are calling for four to six inches of the white stuff, which is expected to be accompanied by 30mph winds and temps in the teens.

Now, I'm the first to admit that when it comes to believing Kansas City weather forecasts, I don't. Between the area's naturally wonky weather, and each local TV station's quest to gain market share by making every night's forecast oh so dramatic, we've come to accept their predictions as wild guesses. But, as I perused the weather maps today, I recalled something from a Meteorology class I took in college.

When a big low pressure system passes south of Kansas City in December, we can bet on significant snow accumulation. Now, don't ask me to recall anything else from that class, but this learning has proven itself true time and again over the years. And, guess what? A great big red "L" appears to making a bee line to our south.

Yep. It looks like we're in for a white Christmas!

For now, we'll spend the evening wrapping presents to the sound of a steady pitter patter on our rooftop. We've even heard a rumble of thunder or two! We'll soak up the last of this Spring-like weather as we appreciate that we're not amongst the traveling throngs, for once. With our shopping done, our water tank filled and enough propane (we sure hope) to weather the storm, we're ready to let it snow.

Safe travels to all who are en route to their holiday destinations, including Santa, Rudolph and the other reindeer!

You're Welcome

An open letter to Bob Olson, Chairman, Chief Executive and President, Winnebago Industries:

Dear Bob,

We've seen a lot of news about Winnebago in the last few days. You posted a gross profit for the first quarter of your new fiscal year, product demand is on the rise, you're gaining market share and your stock is up significantly on the news. You're re-hiring workers, ramping up production and canceling your holiday shutdown. With a sales order backlog of more than 1500 units, things must be looking up in Forest City.

To that, we have two things to say.

First, congratulations! By the looks of things, you have successfully maneuvered the worst downturn in your industry. We commend your leadership.

Second, you're welcome! We have purchased two - count 'em, TWO - new Winnebagos in the past 18 months. And, we're guessing we are among a handful of - if not the only - customers to do so. And, these weren't itty bitty Winnies, either. No! They were both Class As, where your margins are better. We're sure your "Thank You" note to us has been misplaced by the U.S. Mail. So, we'll simply say "You're Welcome" here. It'll save us another stamp.

We're just trying to do our part to stimulate an ailing ecomony. And, we're happy to help you out. You build a mighty fine product there in Forest City. In fact, we look forward to our upcoming visit when we attend our first Grand National Rally in July. No need to make a big deal about our arrival. A simple "Thank You" and some quality warranty service will be enough.

Happy Holidays,

Paul and Mary