ready or not, here we come!!

whew, we did it!

we finally got everything done that needed to be done and were able to leave this morning.

we got a bit of a late start - 10:00am, but it was still a start.

we woke to rain,

left under overcast skies,

cruised under bright sunshine

and headed straight into santa ana winds.

typical california weather.

the truck purred right on over the cajon pass

and the trailer behaved itself and stayed right behind the truck like it is supposed to.

we had great views of the valley under overcast skies while we drove across the 210 and up the 15.

(i took some pictures put don't have a adapter for this laptop, so they will follow later.)

it was a weird feeling to know that we won't be seeing this area again until the end of october.

i definitely won't miss the crowds or the 100 degree summer weather.

we were able to get ahold of my mom and

she drove over from lake havasu, arizona to meet us in primm, nv.

we had a nice lunch at whiskey petes.

i promptly lost $20.00 on the machines

mom made a few bucks

john lost a few bucks.

it was nice being able to spend some time with my mom before we left.

we will miss having her come to stay at our house in socal.

hopefully, we can get her on a plane to come up and visit us in wyoming.

mom left to drive home and we decided to avoid the afternoon rush hour in vegas and get a room in primm.

we will leave early in the morning and head up towards the salt lake city, utah area.

it was a nice surprise that the room was only $13.00 because john has a commerical drivers license.

an even nicer surprise was when we took a jar of loose coins that i brought from home to the cashier and found out that it was worth $150.00!!!

woo hoo

i felt like i had hit a jackpot without the gambling.

i took the money straight back to the room and put it out of sight so we wouldn't be tempted to take it back out to the machines.

well, we didn't know if we were really ready to leave this morning,

but once we left and traveled awhile and had a chance to relax when we got here,

we realized we were more than ready to leave.

maybe not phsically ready like being packed with everything we need,

but mentally ready for sure.

we are actually starting to get excited about what lies ahead on this adventure.



.

winter, spring, summer & fall

a gathering of good friends to say good bye

tuesday night, i met with 3 of my oldest friends and their daughters

paula has been my constant friends since 2nd grade (won't say how many years ago that is!!)

i have watched her daughter stacey grow from a cute little baby girl to a beautiful young woman

kath w. is paula's cousin whom i met 36 years ago

her daughter reyna is a friendly and darling girl who will grow up to be as talented and kind as her mother

kathy b.  met up with us in 1983

letti is kathy b's daughter who i also call a treasured friend, she is a wonderful mother and great person

we three were the founding sisters of a bunco group i started in the spring of 1983

we met every month along with 8 other girls

those 8 spots changed throughout the years

but it was always the 4 of us

we have been together through births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and everything in between

we have laughed together and cried together

we have basically grown up together

we were young women when we came together

we are now not so young women with kids and grandkids

they are 3 of the most beautiful, talented, loving, honest, generous women i have ever known

i am glad to call them my friends

i am going to miss our girl's nights

but when we meet up together for our winter gathering

it will be like no time has passed

and i know that if i need any of them between now and then

all i have to do is call

and they will be there

just as i will be there for them

you say goodbye and i say hello

we all gathered this weekend to say hello to little miss adelyn christine

and to say goodbye to paul, caroline, and angelina before we leave for wyoming
and they leave for india

(i learned how to add pictures, woo hoo   thanks letti)


it was a nice visit. 

adelyn got to meet her great grandparents, uncle paul & auntie caroline and cousin angelina

she had her first visit to in-n-out, her first airplane ride, and got to visit auntie betty's grave.

she is a sweet baby and we all enjoyed getting to know her


it was a sad visit also,

it did not hit us until it was time for paul & caroline to leave that it will be months (better not be years!) before we see each other again

we will miss having paul spend the occasional night with us when he has to stay in this area for work

we will miss spending the holidays and bbq's with them

we will definitely miss seeing angelina grow into the beautiful young girl that she is destined to be

i know her uncle john will miss her extra special.  they always have a good time together .

we wish them well on their new adventure to india and wherever the road leads them.


after we dropped the kids off at the airport, we drove up to travis & krystin's

had a great homecooked dinner and a relaxing evening hanging out.

said goodbye to berkley the dog

 and tillman the cat

we are going to miss the horseshoe tournaments at their house this summer but we will be back for the sunday football games this fall


the next week will be filled with lots of goodbyes (and lots & lots tears) to family and friends

but they aren't forever goodbyes

we will be back

to say hello once again

the wheels on the truck go round and round

and what a big truck it is!!!

we found it and it's paid for and it's waiting for us to go back up to big bear and pick it up

and it's purty too.

an '06 dodge 3/4 ton diesel 4x4 fully loaded

and it's purty too.

dodge red purty to be exact.

they will definitely see us coming down the road.


the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle of a great adventurous plan we came up with just a little over 4 months ago are starting to fall into place quicker and quicker. 

as i have said before, the hardest decisions are behind us and everyday we are checking off more and more items on the list.

the remaining items are easy, not to much to think about there.  and as we cross off a couple of items, we actually add a couple different things to do.  but it's all good, nothing to stress over.

one of the things on my to do list is to figure out how to add pictures to this thing.

as much as my ramblings are truly entertaining and inspiring (not!!), i'm sure a picture or two will really liven things up.

well, it's looking good.

everything is rolling forward

just like the wheels on the truck

abner, we done got us a new home!!

and it's got wheels on it so we can pull it behind the truck!!!!

finally, one less thing to fret about.

it's 10yrs old, 30' but in excellent shape.  the owner bought it new and has taken great care of it.  there is nothing broken because he fixes everything before it ever breaks.  it has just about everything we were looking for.  i was concerned about the length, but because of the layout, you don't realize it is only 30' long.  plus it has a separate bathroom/shower which is what i really like.  most of the ones we looked at had the shower and sink in the master bathroom.  that really bugged me for some reason.

we just need to get a tv and new sleeper sofa for it and we are ready to go

except for the fact we don't have a truck to pull it with yet

but we will

everything else has fallen into perfect place

so i know the truck will also

signed, sealed, and delivered

well....

we signed the final escrow documents

sealed the last box of crap to be stuffed into the storage unit

delivered the keys to the realtor to pass on to the new owners


what a relief.  i didn't think i would say that, but it's done and over with and i am relieved

we don't have to worry about extended unemployement benefits or the declining
housing market or blowing thru our limited retirement funds

now we have a new set of things to ponder.

but they are fun things

like deciding on the 5th wheel we want to buy or if we will get a chevy or gmc truck.

and silly things, like if we will be pulling into our campsite with a foot of snow on the ground.

and who will be coming to visit us while we are up there

and what animals will be hanging out in the campground

we made it through the hardest part.  making the decision to sell the house and all the upheaval that
went with it and then walking out the door for the last time. 

the rest is easy. 

this is where the real adventure begins.