RIP Chewbacca (10/4/2006- 11/22/2017)

It feels like a bad dream, one that I’ll wake up from soon.  On Wednesday (11/22/17), the day before Thanksgiving, we said good-bye to our 11-year old Cairn Terrier, Chewy.  That will be a date I forever remember and mourn – just like 1/1/13 – Dillon and 8/28/14 – Mom.  A part of me just wants to crawl in bed and sleep.  I know those I loved and lost wouldn’t want that – they’d want the journey to continue.

So today I want to remember our grumpy little guy, and share lessons we’ve learned from him.

We brought Chewy home early December, 2006.  It wasn’t planned.  Pat had a Cairn Terrier that she adored, Maggie who she lost to kidney disease at 13.  It had been quite a few years since Maggie passed.  We had 2 Labradors at home, a 2 dog family was enough.  One Saturday morning we were driving home to Lakeway, TX and saw a trailer parked at a Car Wash parking lot with a sign – “Puppies For Sale”.  We learned the hard way, you never just stop to LOOK at puppies.   There he was, this tiny, cute tan puppy with black tips – he almost looked like a baby fox – and the puppy breath…..  We were smitten, but a 2 dog family was enough.  We got into the car and were ready to drive away.  I said to Pat, you know we can take him home if you want to.  She slammed on the brakes and the rest is history.

We were worried the big Labradors would hurt our new puppy.  The first 10 minutes Chewy entered the house, he claimed his place – in our home and in our hearts.  He wanted to be the boss, and for the next 11 years, he was.

Chewy looked like the Star Wars Wookiee “Chewbacca” — how many of these pictures can you see the resemblance?

Chewy loved his pack.  He’d follow Izzy our chocolate Labrador around the yard – they were always on patrol.  Izzy was already an old girl at this time so her bonding with Chewy was exploring and laying in sun beams.  He was heart-broken when Izzy left us in the Spring of 2007.  It wasn’t long after that we bought our first RV and the dogs loved the adventures on the road.

Chewy adored our yellow Labrador Dillon.  They’d run and play, chasing each other around the house and yard.  They were play mates, but I do believe Dillon was alpha.  When Dillon was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, our world started to totally revolve around Dillon and his treatment.  We were all lost when Dillon passed.  Chewy would have loved to have been an only dog at that point, but another Labrador entered his world – Beau.  Chewy had a hate/love relationship with Beau.  They would play occasionally, but Chewy felt the need to scold Beau frequently and make sure the newcomer knew his place at the bottom of the pack.

Some of the lessons we learned from this little terror (terrier):

• Have Confidence — Chewy always pranced and skipped.  Walk like you own the place.
• Appreciate gifts from friends — Our friend Suzanne was the dogs Pet Sitter for years.  One of Chewy’s first toys was a gift from Suzanne, a stuffed Eeyore.  Chewy loved this toy and it’s still in perfect condition in the toy box.  
• Love Everyone and believe Everyone loves you — Chewy LOVED people and he would approach everyone he met as a long lost friend.  He acted as though everyone LOVED him.  All was well in his world.
• Take the time to bask in a sunbeam every day.  Chewy loved to lay in the sun, and would do so for hours.

• Always be ready for an adventure.  Chewy was easy going and always ready to go on a new adventure.  He even learned to love playing in water.
• Roll with the punches.  Chewy traveled with us in the RV for 7 years — on the road stuff always comes up.  He was always chill and just rolled with it.

Wednesday, 11/22/17 I was taking him to a Specialty clinic in Tallahassee, FL.  As we headed out I saw this rainbow.  The sky was clear and it had not rained.  I knew those that we had loved and lost were with us, and our little man’s time was near.  Fly free Chewy — we love you!

 

Lift Off (11/29/16-1/21/17)

Good-bye Playa del Dragon!

On November 29, 2016 we sold our home – leaving Playa del Dragon for the last time–It was very bitter sweet.  We loved our house, but we were excited to start our new nomadic life.

 

The first couple weeks we stayed very close to “home”, camping at Pecan Park Riverside RV Park in San Marcos, TX.  We were parked facing the San Marcos River – a beautiful sight to wake up to every morning.   This was a smart move.

As we moved out of Playa del Dragon we decided to rent a 10×10 storage space.  When we were doing our final move-out – we had to rent a 2^nd storage unit.  Due to lack of time, we just threw many things in without purging or optimizing space.  While at Pecan Park we started organizing the RV, being close to our store unit gave us flexibility to purge more things in the RV, and grab a few more things we thought we must have.

I asked Pat what she remembers about this very important “transitional” time in our lives.  Here’s what she shared with me:

         “I didn’t think.  I purposefully stayed present.  If my mind wondered I focused on the beautiful sky, the wind on my skin, the smell of fresh air.  I had everything I needed and wanted.  If I would have stopped to think, I would have said “holly shit – what have we done”.  I know if I’m feeling depressed I’m thinking in the past.  If I fell anxious I’m focused on the future.  When I stay present I feel happy.”

One of the things I love so much about “home is where we park it” is spending quality time with family and friends.  We were ready to head to my hometown of Chillicothe, MO, home of sliced bread to spend Christmas.  We stay in my sisters driveway or McBee RV Park and Resort as we call it.  It’s awesome – we have 50 amp plug in, there are plenty of activities and the “owners” are great cooks.

On our way from Texas the weather forecast in Missouri had a snow storm during our planned travel days.  So we decided to stop in Waco, TX and get our fill of Fixer Upper!  We stayed at the I-35 RV Park and Resort.  There were a few things we really liked about this campground.

• It’s situated on quite a few acres and we were able to let Beau run and play ball.
• They serve a free, home cooked breakfast every morning which was delicious!
• Very easy to get on and off the Interstate, and close to Waco.

We visited Magnolia Market and the Silos all decked out for Christmas!  We had a blast driving by several of the Fixer Upper Houses.  I was able to do Google searches to find quite a few addresses.  We would drive by and take pictures – I felt like we were on a sting operation.

 

We really enjoyed the Waco Mammoth National Monument.   During the spring of 1978 Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin were searching for arrowheads and artifacts along the Bosque River.  I can only imagine their delight when they stumbled upon the humongous mammoth bones.  They took the bone to Baylor University where it was identified from a Columbian mammoth.  Baylor’s Strecker Museum staff began excavation of the site.  For the next 20 years they discovered what appears to be a nursery herd that died in a flood.  It’s a nice hike to get to the excavation site.

We were getting into the Christmas spirit, so we were searching for the best Christmas light display in Waco – and we may have found the best Light Display in the entire Lone Star State!  Alice Tristand and her husband know how to attract a crowd at 2737 Proctor Ave.  The streets were packed getting to the quite neighborhood and the display of lights and scenes did not disappoint!

On our way to Missouri we stopped in Oklahoma to visit my Dad.  We enjoyed a nice meal out and some casino fun.  He walked out the big winner taking over $400 from the slots.

 

We had an amazing Christmas with family that I wrote about in And We’re Off.  We loved staying in Missouri until mid-January 2017.  Worked on several remodel projects (much harder work than I anticipated:) and enjoyed some snow on the ground.  Think we’re going to love this new life!

 

 

 

 

And We’re Off….

I started this journey long ago, however, my first Blog Post on Adventure Toward Freedom was June 24, 2015.  I was stressed out, burned out and sick and tired of Corporate America – I wanted out.  It has been an interesting 18 months.  Toward the middle part of last year, I had an epiphany – Freedom to me isn’t about more – it was about letting go of stuff and LIVING more.  Less stuff and more adventures.  Pat and I decided to drastically downsize and hit the road.  At the end of November, we sold our house and are now living Full Time in our RV.  In the RV world, we’re now known as “Full Timers”!

With this new “Freedom” we spent a month at my sisters in Missouri over the Christmas Holiday.  We had a great time with family over the Holidays.  Thanks to my cousin Donna for some awesome pie!  I also had the opportunity and honor to help my sister redo her kitchen cabinets (I never would have had this opportunity working in Corporate America).  I think she was thrilled with the finished product, and I cherished the time I got to spend with her – day-to-day living, not just a visit – PRICELESS!

We’re now off heading toward warm weather-– Arizona.  We have a general direction – but no concrete plans.  I’m learning how to “slow down” and not live on adrenaline, and I must say I like it.

Follow along on our adventures – I’ll be posting about some of the awesome places we visit, the fascinating people that we meet along the way and lessons I learn on my Adventure Toward Freedom.

 

What is your WHY?

Financial Freedom is the goal of my Year-Long Adventure Toward Freedom that started in June (2015). Part of my process has been defining what “Financial Freedom” means to me –it’s different for everyone. I think a lot of people have the idea that Financially Free people are super rich, the big expensive house, vacation homes, fancy cars, elaborate jewelry and outlandish vacations. For some people – this may be the goal of Financial Freedom.

For me, Financial Freedom is having enough passive income to cover all of my expenses. Also maintaining zero debt (with the exception of mortgage debt which passive income streams pay for). There’s another question that needs to go along with “What is Financial Freedom to you?” and it is “What is your WHY for desiring financial freedom?”

We just spent a month in my hometown of Chillicothe, MO. My sister and brother-in-law are gracious hosts and allow us to park our RV in their driveway (it’s a beautiful camping spot). This is the longest period of time I’ve spent at home for over 25 years, and we had an absolute blast. We’re driving down the highway now, heading back home to Texas and I miss my family and friend Brenda terribly.

Last year my Mom passed away. As my family shared stories and memories about my Mom I was saddened that I missed so much. I missed all the fun family times they had, celebrating birthdays, family get together’s, bbq’s, card games, etc. I missed the little things in life that are priceless.

This last month was action-packed and so many wonderful memories were made:

• State Fair in Sedalia, MO with a bonus Alabama concert with family
• Family fish fry, and my cousins even went along with the silly games I had lined up
• Lots of morning walks with one of my dearest friends
• Family card night, with lots of laughter and pranks
• Wednesday night became a weekly date for Happy Hour at the local bowling alley
• And just lots of time visiting with family members and friends

Living in Texas over the last 25+ years, I’d lost touch with my cousins and hometown friends, I have absolutely treasured reconnecting and spending time. I want to create more of this in my life.

I also love adventures and want nothing more than to spend time traveling the country in our RV and explore beautiful places. I’ve spent the last 2 days in Jessieville, AR at Ron Coleman’s Crystal Mine, digging in the dirt. And guess what, I met a few folks who are financially free. Dale is a retiree from Michigan, his pension and investments more than pay for his living expenses. Dale lives in a modest travel trailer and has spent the last couple of months digging at the crystal mine. In the winter months he’ll head to Florida to visit relatives, then onto Tucson, AZ and Quartzite, AZ in January/February for their big Rock and Gem shows, he is a professed “Rock Hound”. I also met Stan and Mary. They are both retired, again living on their investments. They still have a stick and brick home in Oklahoma, but also have a brand new 5^th wheel trailer and ¾ Ton Pickup. Stan had done very well in his career, and his advise was – if you have extra money, spend it on things that will make you happy.

I’ve learned over the years that “stuff” doesn’t make me happy. Spending time with special people, exploring beautiful places, and having fun adventures fill my life with happiness.

So 2 questions for you today – 1. What does financial freedom mean to you? And 2. What is your why?