Sunday, November 23, 2014

And So We Begin....

Tuesday - Nov 18th, 2014

I guess part of me wondered if this day would actually ever come, but the delays have made it just that much more appreciated. And so here we are, at the beginning of what is sure to be an adventure. Now understand, it doesn't take a lot to keep us entertained...in fact our daily life together keeps us both fairly amused!


Not to get too far ahead of myself, ...

I should update you on our final launch. Last week on Monday, Nov. 10th we received our title for the RV which we were waiting for in order to get our plates. Finally, we could make some plans that included a leave date!

We set a leave date of Monday, Nov 17th, thinking it would give us plenty of time to load up, say our good-byes and take care of last minute details. By Wednesday, everything was loaded except out clothes, cats (Sammie and Sophie), and food. Wednesday night we had our LAST Girls night with our friend Lynn-Marie. That was hard, because for the last 2 years that has been our night to binge on pizza and TV together. Survivor, Orange Is The New Black, Prison Break...we always looked forward to our Wednesday nights!

With the weather continuing to deteriorate and temps dropping like a rock, we decided on Friday to set the RV up at the local camp ground for a few days to make sure everything was working properly. Other than frozen pipes every thing checked out and the furnace got a really good test! We brought the girls down to their new home, and they weren't overly impressed; but after the initial shock they seemed to adjust pretty well...(But just wait till we start this baby up, LOL)

Saturday, with the temperatures in the teens, snow flurries, and the wind howling we were able to test out most of the systems in the RV. Other than not having water, everything was fine and we stayed toasty warm. After a wonderful pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Dinner with our friends Dianna and Rose, and a good-bye get together with friends at Cellar 21, we really started to get excited about the days ahead.

Sunday was our day to finish packing up the office in case we end up leasing out the office space. Yes, yes, we should have done this sooner, but I think we were both really dreading the finality of it. We had such high hopes that someone would want to take over and continue the business. The packing took much longer than we expected, and used up some of the time we hoped to  spend seeing friends, so we decided to put off leaving town until Tuesday instead of Monday. 


Monday, was time to visit with parents and special friends.Spent time with Momma Marilyn and Fred (they drove for us in the early years of Bee-Line Express and became cherished friends), and Momma Lea (our neighbor and dear friend from when we lived on 25th Street...she loved to come sit on our front porch...sometimes when we weren't even home!..lol). Monday evening, we stopped to visit friends Pam and Trudy and were invited to stay for chili! Having such good friends makes it difficult to leave....but then we are coming back, ya know... Just not on a permanent basis!

Tuesday, after a good night's sleep, it was time to load up the little car into the motorhome and head out! Was hoping to visit family in Hillsboro on the way south, but cancelled that stop due to the cold and lack of campgrounds open in the area this time of year...will plan to visit them on the way back and hopefully stay a couple days.

The Bee-Gals
   Kathy & Red


Day 1 Video



Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Before the Snow Flies?

Speaking just above a whisper (and typing very lightly), I'll share that we may actually be starting our adventure just as the snow begins to fly! Though the last few months have definitely been a lesson in patience and perseverance, things have worked out the way they were obviously supposed to, and we are now
even better prepared to start our adventure. I know there

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Making Lemonade

Kathy and Kelly with their folks
Jack and Shirley O'Hara
Well, it's been a while since our last post, but sometimes it takes a bit to recover and regroup after life throws a wrench in your plans. Never fear, we are doing fine now. As was originally planned we are staying with family (Red's Dad) while we prepare for our launch into full-timing by motor home. What wasn't in the original plan, was
needing to stay there longer than a month or so. Because we have not yet sold our property, we have not yet purchased our motor home. A purchase of that magnitude should not be made until we are ready to make use of it....hopefully that will be coming up in the near future!

Meanwhile, we are enjoying spending more time with family, and have been able to help out with some projects around the home place. I truly believe everything does happen for a reason, and it has become clear that for now we we do need to be here. As our folks age, they may need a little more 'looking after', and so we feel we are making good use of our time, and it is a blessing to us as well.


Kathy and our charge, Niles, taking it easy!
Currently, as a little break from our routine, we are dog/house sitting for friends in St. Louis, and this feels like a real vacation for us; they live in a condo on the 15th floor of a complex near downtown. The view is amazing; we have wifi, a pool to enjoy, and lots of places to visit....so this does feel like retirement! 


Car loaded for St. Louis...more room
in there than you think!



House and dog sitting in St. Louis. Celebrating
day #1 and cooking out on their balcony.
In researching online, it appears that just as there are full time RVers, there are also full time House Sitters that travel all over the world by House   Sitting. They simply travel from one long-term assignment to another, only having to pay for their transportation and basic necessities. I think that would be fun to do for a period of time.....maybe a year or so. Maybe someday when we no longer have pets, we will give it shot.
Blackberry Pie - Yep, made it myself! It's
small because I'm the only one who likes it.


During the last couple months, we have enjoyed our free time doing things that running a business didn't give us much time to do. We have taken more walks, cooked more meals and enjoyed grilling outside, taken more pictures, and I have read several books.I also ordered a metal detector, and we have had fun exploring with it. 

So, It's actually been a time to slow down and re-work our plan for getting on the road. I feel like it could be within the next few months. Until then, I'll keep you posted on how we are spending our time.


Till Next Time -
   The Bee-Gals

My Great Aunt Ann on her 100th Birthday!
My cousin, George Ann (left) and me (right).

Friday, June 6, 2014

OK, So That Didn't Work...

This is the motor home we have our eyes on,

 (it has a toy hauler in back for our Smart Car)

BUT...

This may be more like what we end up with...LOL
     I learned a long time ago NOT to 'put all my eggs in one basket' or 'count my chickens before they hatched'.  I always knew I should 'get my ducks in a row', 'look before I leap', and 'smile tho I felt like crying'.  What I didn't know, however,