ready ... set ... JUMP

I remember it very well, it was early in 2005 when I first envisioned living in an RV full time and traveling. The more I read about the lifestyle the more I was hooked. I kept it to myself for quite awhile before introducing the idea to Rudee.

She was open to the idea and we started planning. We both knew it would be several years before we could even think of hooking up and pulling out, but we dreamed of that day. A plan was hatched to achieved our goal and we put it in motion. Bills had to eliminated as well as purchases made always keeping our end goal in mind.

In December of 2006 we purchased our full time rig, a new 2007 Keystone Montana. I actually had tears in my eyes when we picked it up. This was "our" rig, our magic carpet ride to reach our dreams.

We kept "working the plan" and I'm sure some of our friends and family thought we were nuts. I followed others blogs that were already full timing and the fire inside me kept burning.

2008 was the year for the house. We painted and pruned and cleaned up. The house was going on the market ....... "work the plan".

December 28th our realtor planted his sign in the yard. We didn't expect anything real fast, figuring it would be summer time at least before we would move. Wrong!

Deal was signed and we moved into our 5th wheel in March of 2009 and started this blog.

We have lived here at the KOA since that time but I never really felt like a full time RVer. We still were tied to our jobs 5 days a week. We took our vacations and did some week end camping trips but nothing had really changed, just our address but we were "working the plan".

Rudee's company offered subsidized health care insurance in their retirement package and Rudee would qualify for it in March of 2015 so we made the decision to extend the plan a couple of years. I would retire in December 2014 and her day would be her birthday, March 7 2015.

May of 2011 we got the proverbial "curve ball" thrown at us and Rudee was laid off from her job. We changed "the plan" again bit this was the first forced change. I don't like forced changes but you have to roll with the punches.

The plan was for me to work until December 31st and then retire and try to find a work camp job. Well friends, I didn't make it :-). Plans change.

Thursday I told my boss that I was retiring as soon as possible and yesterday was my last day at work! Wow that went quick!

Lately the stress at work has gotten unbearable. I was a miserable grumpy man and I hated that. I'm sure Rudee and our friends and family didn't like it much either :-)

So today is my first day of being a houseless, unemployed, happy full time RVer!!

The journey to this point has been 6 1/2 long years but WE MADE IT!

We are staying here at the KOA for a few more days before moving to White River Campground in Cicero Indiana. They are having a Halloween week end and our kids and grand kids are all coming to trick or treat. We are then pulling out and heading South towards Florida where we need to take care of some business with our rental property.

The plan is to be in Texas by mid-November where we are going to be gate guards in the south Texas oil fields for the winter.

We have to be back in Indiana the first of April to start our work camping gig at the KOA in Terre Haute.

So there you have it friends, big time changes are happening here. We would like to have a little more in our savings, my 401k is only a 200.5k LOL, it would be nice of our pensions were a little bigger and our 5th wheel was completely paid off but it is what is and we are "working the plan"! I'll keep you posted.