I have not posted in a while, it seemed that our lives have become somewhat hectic to say the least. I don't know if I am describing it correctly or not, but it also seems our lives have become confusing.
However we are still working towards our dream, getting our "sticks and bricks" ready to sale, going through our "stuff", and going to work every day to ensure we have the funding to follow through with our plans (house repairs are very expensive).
We are living in "Big Red", our motorhome, while all this is taking place. We usually pack up our essentials from Big Red on Friday afternoons (everything we need to sleep, eat, bath, etc.) and head to the sticks and bricks to try and accomplish some repairs or sort through years of stuff trying to decide what to get rid of and what to keep/store. Sunday afternoons we end up packing up our essentials to head back to Big Red for another week of work.
The contractors are coming Monday to start the foundation repairs, then we can really get the other minor repairs (some sheetrock work is not so minor) accomplished, some new flooring installed and finally a FOR SALE sign out front! I think life will be much simpler after that?
I will try to post more often as we progress, for now I need to get off this computer and start sorting out my tools in the garage. Until next time..........
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Our State of Mind
Well we are still here in Shreveport, but lately we have discovered that happiness is a "state of mind". We are enjoying each day of life as we live it. It also helps to know if we are inside the coach and pull all the shades, we can imagine we are anywhere we desire!
The routine could use a little change though, we are thinking of a short trip, just a three day weekend kind of trip. The trick to that is getting a three day weekend. There are a lot of interesting places we could go that are within an 8 hour drive. There is Dallas and the lakes around that area, Hickory Creek COE is always fun. Gulf Shores area is within the 8 hour drive category as well. The problem with most to these is that we only get to stay a day or two at the most. I guess we can consider the weekend trips as scouting trips for recon.
There is nothing new happening with our sticks and bricks yet. We are still trying to decide if it is better to get all repairs done, then sale or put it on the market "as is". Bottom line is we need to sale while we are in that "state of mind". We have been spending a lot of weekends at the S&B and we start thinking, maybe keep the house too. We don't want to entertain that thought, it could be expensive!
The routine could use a little change though, we are thinking of a short trip, just a three day weekend kind of trip. The trick to that is getting a three day weekend. There are a lot of interesting places we could go that are within an 8 hour drive. There is Dallas and the lakes around that area, Hickory Creek COE is always fun. Gulf Shores area is within the 8 hour drive category as well. The problem with most to these is that we only get to stay a day or two at the most. I guess we can consider the weekend trips as scouting trips for recon.
There is nothing new happening with our sticks and bricks yet. We are still trying to decide if it is better to get all repairs done, then sale or put it on the market "as is". Bottom line is we need to sale while we are in that "state of mind". We have been spending a lot of weekends at the S&B and we start thinking, maybe keep the house too. We don't want to entertain that thought, it could be expensive!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
DECISION TIME
Although mostly the "same ole, same ole" is the status quo; I thought I would post an update. We have been mostly working, coming home to our motorhome in the evenings, relaxing and preparing for the next day of work. Exciting life style eh?
We have been going to the "sticks and bricks" on weekends to sort through some of our belongings and prepare to get rid of a lot of stuff. I still have not taken any steps towards the major repairs to our house, I am trying to decide if I should have the repairs accomplished or sell the house "as is" at a discounted price. I know the quicker I sell the house, the quicker I may be able to retire and travel a whole lot more.
Another decision I am wrestling with concerns where to have some warranty work done on our coach. I have taken it to a local service center that will do the work, but I don't know if I am getting the same quality of work that I would at the Tiffin factory. I need the front heat pump checked out, a leak at the bottom of the entry door solved/repaired, the dining room slide checked out/adjusted, and as of late the home entertainment system repaired (HDMI cable came apart). I have to wonder how long it would take at Red Bay and if I would need to take one week of leave or two??
That is just a quick summary of what is happening in our lives presently. We hope to take another leisurely weekend trip soon (we sure need it). Until next time may God bless us all.....
We have been going to the "sticks and bricks" on weekends to sort through some of our belongings and prepare to get rid of a lot of stuff. I still have not taken any steps towards the major repairs to our house, I am trying to decide if I should have the repairs accomplished or sell the house "as is" at a discounted price. I know the quicker I sell the house, the quicker I may be able to retire and travel a whole lot more.
Another decision I am wrestling with concerns where to have some warranty work done on our coach. I have taken it to a local service center that will do the work, but I don't know if I am getting the same quality of work that I would at the Tiffin factory. I need the front heat pump checked out, a leak at the bottom of the entry door solved/repaired, the dining room slide checked out/adjusted, and as of late the home entertainment system repaired (HDMI cable came apart). I have to wonder how long it would take at Red Bay and if I would need to take one week of leave or two??
That is just a quick summary of what is happening in our lives presently. We hope to take another leisurely weekend trip soon (we sure need it). Until next time may God bless us all.....
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Repairs, Adjustments and HIGH Data Usage!
Time for an update. We had a pleasant (except for Dallas traffic) and productive trip to Hickory Creek COE park. Camping World in Denton installed our new sleep number bed and we are both happy with it (still trying to find my number). We made it back to Barksdale AFB Famcamp (home base for now) on Monday afternoon. We have settled back into a routine of up early, off to work and then home around dark for dinner, maybe a tv show and bedtime. Oops forgot to mention, all the time counting down to the weekend!
We still love our new home on wheels, although we keep finding minor things to get repaired or adjusted. I discovered the fantastic fan in the front bathroom does not raise by the power button, only manually (probably a connection loose). The front heat pump seems to only put out cool air, no matter what the temps are outside (i.e.: above 45 degrees). One problem I found may not be so minor. Every time it rains there is water in the bottom of our door, the metal threshold part. I cannot find where it is coming from and the techs at Bayou Outdoor Service Center thought they had it solved and repaired, but the next rain has proved them wrong! It may be time to plan a trip to Red Bay.
We have not had satellite hooked up as of yet and I am still trying to decide which service to use. Dish has the “pay as you go” service. You buy the receiver then pay for 1 month at a time with no contract. I am leaning in that direction, but discovered the prices they quoted did not include “HD”.
Cheryl and I both love surfing the internet, so a good connection is important for us. I purchased a “cradle point” router, and plugged my AT&T air card into it. It is a good connection, good signal and we both surf with our laptops at the same time. Three weeks into using this setup I received a “high data usage” warning email from AT&T. Now we don’t watch a lot of streaming videos or movies, just facebook and blogs mostly. I am trying to determine how we used almost 5gigs of data! The new billing period began the 13th of January and on the 18th I received another warning ( I am at 3.5gigs)!! We have been watching our usage carefully and I just cannot figure out what is happening. Maybe I have been hacked! I am using WEP2 security with the default password (maybe I need to change that). The router stays on 24/7 also, wonder if it uses data by just being on? I need to figure this one out soon or change data plans to 10gigs.
Well that is our update for now. Hope to follow up again soon. GBY
We still love our new home on wheels, although we keep finding minor things to get repaired or adjusted. I discovered the fantastic fan in the front bathroom does not raise by the power button, only manually (probably a connection loose). The front heat pump seems to only put out cool air, no matter what the temps are outside (i.e.: above 45 degrees). One problem I found may not be so minor. Every time it rains there is water in the bottom of our door, the metal threshold part. I cannot find where it is coming from and the techs at Bayou Outdoor Service Center thought they had it solved and repaired, but the next rain has proved them wrong! It may be time to plan a trip to Red Bay.
We have not had satellite hooked up as of yet and I am still trying to decide which service to use. Dish has the “pay as you go” service. You buy the receiver then pay for 1 month at a time with no contract. I am leaning in that direction, but discovered the prices they quoted did not include “HD”.
Cheryl and I both love surfing the internet, so a good connection is important for us. I purchased a “cradle point” router, and plugged my AT&T air card into it. It is a good connection, good signal and we both surf with our laptops at the same time. Three weeks into using this setup I received a “high data usage” warning email from AT&T. Now we don’t watch a lot of streaming videos or movies, just facebook and blogs mostly. I am trying to determine how we used almost 5gigs of data! The new billing period began the 13th of January and on the 18th I received another warning ( I am at 3.5gigs)!! We have been watching our usage carefully and I just cannot figure out what is happening. Maybe I have been hacked! I am using WEP2 security with the default password (maybe I need to change that). The router stays on 24/7 also, wonder if it uses data by just being on? I need to figure this one out soon or change data plans to 10gigs.
Well that is our update for now. Hope to follow up again soon. GBY
Monday, January 16, 2012
Decisions
I thought it to be about time for an update. We have been real busy trying to prep the house to sell, settle into the motorhome and working at the same time. There have been some changes in our plans as of late. We discovered that we have a major problem with our sticks and bricks house that will alter our plans a bit. The problem could come with a repair bill of about $25,000. We are trying to decide whether or not to repair the house or just try to sell it “as is”, knocking the repair cost off the asking price. Either way I will lose a significant amount of my equity, resulting in us working for a while longer to make up loss.
The news was devastating at first, but we are now putting it in perspective. We are still going to travel as much as we can until we retire and then enjoy our retirement even more once we are able to travel. It will give us time to adjust to our new lifestyle and put away some funds. I may need the extra time to figure out where the heck in the motorhome we are going to put everything!
I have also been a little busy trying to learn all the systems on the coach. I learned we had a propane regulator that was sludged up and had it replaced after a cold night with no heat. The experience also taught me that heat pumps only work until it gets really cold! Speaking of heat pumps, also found that our front heat pump only puts out cool air, no matter what the outside temperature. Looks like more warranty work needs to be done. I did find a local dealer that will cover the warranty work on Tiffins, although I didn’t purchase from them.
These few problems we have experienced are topped off by the fact that our bed is not really comfortable. It is an “RV Comfort “and is basically a mattress with springs covered with a small amount of foam. We went and purchased a mattress topper which helped a little. Now we are thinking of purchasing a “sleep number” bed from Camping World; I just have to make the time to head to Denton, Texas (our nearest Camping World).
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Ok, I am writing this paragraph after a week from writing the above paragraphs (no I don't procrastinate). We are at Hickory Creek COE near Denton, Texas. I have an appointment this morning (Jan 16) at Camping World, to install a sleep number bed. We could not tolerate the existing mattresses any longer!
We love it here at Hickory Creek, it is one of our favorite camping spots (so far). We have been here since Saturday afternoon and wish we could stay for a while, but alas I have to work to get that sticks and bricks sold.
I have to get the coach ready to roll for our appointment so I will try to post an update later.............
The news was devastating at first, but we are now putting it in perspective. We are still going to travel as much as we can until we retire and then enjoy our retirement even more once we are able to travel. It will give us time to adjust to our new lifestyle and put away some funds. I may need the extra time to figure out where the heck in the motorhome we are going to put everything!
I have also been a little busy trying to learn all the systems on the coach. I learned we had a propane regulator that was sludged up and had it replaced after a cold night with no heat. The experience also taught me that heat pumps only work until it gets really cold! Speaking of heat pumps, also found that our front heat pump only puts out cool air, no matter what the outside temperature. Looks like more warranty work needs to be done. I did find a local dealer that will cover the warranty work on Tiffins, although I didn’t purchase from them.
These few problems we have experienced are topped off by the fact that our bed is not really comfortable. It is an “RV Comfort “and is basically a mattress with springs covered with a small amount of foam. We went and purchased a mattress topper which helped a little. Now we are thinking of purchasing a “sleep number” bed from Camping World; I just have to make the time to head to Denton, Texas (our nearest Camping World).
######################################################################
Ok, I am writing this paragraph after a week from writing the above paragraphs (no I don't procrastinate). We are at Hickory Creek COE near Denton, Texas. I have an appointment this morning (Jan 16) at Camping World, to install a sleep number bed. We could not tolerate the existing mattresses any longer!
We love it here at Hickory Creek, it is one of our favorite camping spots (so far). We have been here since Saturday afternoon and wish we could stay for a while, but alas I have to work to get that sticks and bricks sold.
I have to get the coach ready to roll for our appointment so I will try to post an update later.............
Sunday, December 4, 2011
NEW RV, NOW WHAT?
The largest step to realizing our dream has finally been taken and we have purchased our fulltime RV. We spent two weeks at Lazy Days RV in Tampa Florida making our purchase and getting all the little adjustments and tweaks taken completed, then I put that bad boy on I75 headed north.
I had never driven a motorhome before until the one day class that Lazy Days conducts, so my driving experience was very limited. All seemed to go well headed up I75 and then I headed west on I10. We decided to stop for the evening, although still early, in Tallahassee Florida at Big Oak Rv Park. The park was fairly nice and we spent the evening nice and snug in our new home.
Our next travel day we ventured further along I10 and experienced our first truck stop refueling $$$!!! This days travel was longer (more than we intended) and we finally landed at a KOA in Baton Rouge Lousiana for another snug night in our new home.
Upon arriving in Shreveport Louisiana we proceeded to show off our new home to our family. The kids loved the motorhome, however the grands were a bit leary. It seems the question was raised, where will we have our Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings papa? I reassured them all that the house is not sold yet and we will continue the traditional holiday gatherings there. Now when the house sells I guess we may have to start some brand new traditions.
After the visits from all the family, we headed for the Barksdale AFB Famcamp to park our new home. We will park here for a while to get our new home set up. I need to decide on which satellite service and have it installed. I also need to set up for internet with a cradle point router. We are slowly loading our clothing and some other things onto the home, hmmm not as easy as I thought!
Of course we may feel like fulltimers and retirees, but we are not quite there, so it was also back to work we went. :(
I have been negligent in posting some pictures of our new home, here are a few:
I had never driven a motorhome before until the one day class that Lazy Days conducts, so my driving experience was very limited. All seemed to go well headed up I75 and then I headed west on I10. We decided to stop for the evening, although still early, in Tallahassee Florida at Big Oak Rv Park. The park was fairly nice and we spent the evening nice and snug in our new home.
Our next travel day we ventured further along I10 and experienced our first truck stop refueling $$$!!! This days travel was longer (more than we intended) and we finally landed at a KOA in Baton Rouge Lousiana for another snug night in our new home.
Upon arriving in Shreveport Louisiana we proceeded to show off our new home to our family. The kids loved the motorhome, however the grands were a bit leary. It seems the question was raised, where will we have our Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings papa? I reassured them all that the house is not sold yet and we will continue the traditional holiday gatherings there. Now when the house sells I guess we may have to start some brand new traditions.
After the visits from all the family, we headed for the Barksdale AFB Famcamp to park our new home. We will park here for a while to get our new home set up. I need to decide on which satellite service and have it installed. I also need to set up for internet with a cradle point router. We are slowly loading our clothing and some other things onto the home, hmmm not as easy as I thought!
Of course we may feel like fulltimers and retirees, but we are not quite there, so it was also back to work we went. :(
I have been negligent in posting some pictures of our new home, here are a few:
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
FINALLY WE TAKE THE PLUNGE!
Hello family and friends, tonight I finally take time to post our big news. After much consternation, thought and prayer, we have taken the plunge and purchased our RV! We are elated, exhausted and very thankful. It has been a busy week and a half here in Tampa, Florida.
We arrived here on the 5th of November, only to find that the motorhome we were looking to buy already had a buyer. The buyer had placed a deposit and was waiting for his credit approval and something else to come together for him. There were no other Allegro REDs that we were interested in on the lot. We had resigned ourselves to head back home after spending some time on a couple area beaches and doing a little sight seeing.
November 8th we got a call informing us that the previous buyers financing had fell through and wanting to know if we were still interested. We were. I still almost lost the purchase during our negotiation process, I got a might stubborn with my figures. I finally relented (a little) and the purchase was made :)
Next came all the paperwork, and the walk-through inspections resulting in the infamous punchlist. We had a few items on our punchlist, things that needed adjusting and touching up. We have been here ever since getting those items accomplished.
I think we finally have them all done and we will being heading back towards Louisiana tomorrow or Friday. Those that are interested in seeing our new home, check out the pictures in my previous post, that is the one. I will post new pictures later as well. Tonight we are happy, but exhausted.
More to follow...... Life is good.... God is good. ;)
We arrived here on the 5th of November, only to find that the motorhome we were looking to buy already had a buyer. The buyer had placed a deposit and was waiting for his credit approval and something else to come together for him. There were no other Allegro REDs that we were interested in on the lot. We had resigned ourselves to head back home after spending some time on a couple area beaches and doing a little sight seeing.
November 8th we got a call informing us that the previous buyers financing had fell through and wanting to know if we were still interested. We were. I still almost lost the purchase during our negotiation process, I got a might stubborn with my figures. I finally relented (a little) and the purchase was made :)
Next came all the paperwork, and the walk-through inspections resulting in the infamous punchlist. We had a few items on our punchlist, things that needed adjusting and touching up. We have been here ever since getting those items accomplished.
I think we finally have them all done and we will being heading back towards Louisiana tomorrow or Friday. Those that are interested in seeing our new home, check out the pictures in my previous post, that is the one. I will post new pictures later as well. Tonight we are happy, but exhausted.
More to follow...... Life is good.... God is good. ;)
Saturday, October 1, 2011
PLAN IN PROGRESS
Once again I had lapsed into the work grind and routine, not taking time to update my progress in obtaining our RV. We have been busy at work, yet taking time to shop around and research some motorhomes. I have received some invaluable advice and tips from other RVers who have experienced our same questions in shopping for an RV. Many thanks to Al and Karen for some wonderful pictures and information about a motorhome (we think may be the one) at Lazy Days in Florida.
The motorhome we think may be the one is a Tiffin RED 38QRA. It has the rear bath option with an additional 1/2 bath included. It also has a residential fridge. We like most everything about this coach, with some reservations concerning the large "ushaped" dinette setup. Who knows we may like that too once we see it up close and personal
This motorhome has three TVs and automatic satellite, now I have to decide which satellite service provider to use. I also need to research and see what will be needed to ensure we have satellite service no matter where we roam.
Presently we are planning a trip to Lazy Days to see this motorhome and possibly bring it home :). There are a lot of decisions to be made for this plan also. Do we drive our car, packed with items we need for the stay and return trip in the motorhome or do we fly with bare minimum suitcases? If we drive Cheryl will have to follow me back to Louisiana in our Toyota Camry which is not towable with four wheels down. If we fly, we ride back together, assuming Lazy Days sells us the coach at my price. This should not be a major decision, especially after "the major decision" to buy or not buy!
Another consideration in our decision making is that we have never even rode in a motorhome before, much less driven one! Hmmm, maybe trying to tow a car on my first experience driving a motorhome would not be a great idea anyway :). I will take the driving course they offer once we decide to make the purchase! I may be quick to learn; I used to operate some heavy equipment during my military service, let's see, how many years ago...
Well we are doing our best not to stress out with all the decision making and "what ifs". If anyone has advice, tips or recommendations, feel free to chime in, I need all the help I can get!
The motorhome we think may be the one is a Tiffin RED 38QRA. It has the rear bath option with an additional 1/2 bath included. It also has a residential fridge. We like most everything about this coach, with some reservations concerning the large "ushaped" dinette setup. Who knows we may like that too once we see it up close and personal
One other thing I would consider changing (eventually) is the couch/sleeper. I would much rather have a couple of comfy recliners in it's place. I am just not sure that is possible, I guess it would depend on the style and size of recliners. When watching tv, we like to sit head on with the screen and the smaller the screen the closer we like to sit!
This motorhome has three TVs and automatic satellite, now I have to decide which satellite service provider to use. I also need to research and see what will be needed to ensure we have satellite service no matter where we roam.
Presently we are planning a trip to Lazy Days to see this motorhome and possibly bring it home :). There are a lot of decisions to be made for this plan also. Do we drive our car, packed with items we need for the stay and return trip in the motorhome or do we fly with bare minimum suitcases? If we drive Cheryl will have to follow me back to Louisiana in our Toyota Camry which is not towable with four wheels down. If we fly, we ride back together, assuming Lazy Days sells us the coach at my price. This should not be a major decision, especially after "the major decision" to buy or not buy!
Another consideration in our decision making is that we have never even rode in a motorhome before, much less driven one! Hmmm, maybe trying to tow a car on my first experience driving a motorhome would not be a great idea anyway :). I will take the driving course they offer once we decide to make the purchase! I may be quick to learn; I used to operate some heavy equipment during my military service, let's see, how many years ago...
Well we are doing our best not to stress out with all the decision making and "what ifs". If anyone has advice, tips or recommendations, feel free to chime in, I need all the help I can get!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
WE NEVER KNOW WHEN......
Wow what a week! It was an eye opening emotional kind of week. Tuesday a friend and coworker of mine had a siezure coming back from a jobsite, just before he entered our office! He had a massive heart attack.
God was certainly watching over him during this trial, just as he was walking to the front entrance a group of medically trained firefighters (one a CPR instructor) was just leaving our building. They had been in a training class in our conference room. The instructor of the group began CPR immediately and is credited with saving his life.
The ambulance arrived just in time for the EMT to use the de-fib equipment when his heart stopped beating, thus saving his life again! He was then transported to a nearby hospital; while in route I am told his heart stopped once again. They saved him once more and eventually Tuesday evening installed a stint into a 95% blocked artery.
He was critical for a couple of days, with a possibility of some brain damage. Today he is conscience, doing good (for someone surviving a massive heart attack) and it appears there may be little or no brain damage.
God has worked miracles in his life! My friend is 48 years old and until now a lot healthier than I (or so we thought)! Wednesday there were a few calls to the office wanting to know how I was doing! It seems as news spread through out the base that someone in my section had a massive heart attack, there was a lot of assumptions made that it was the old diabetic guy (me)! It is a shocker that it is the youngest in our office, the guy who goes to the fitness center three time a week and is more than 10years my junior!
Cheryl and I are re-evaluating our retirement plans and looking for ways to move the dates up! Until next time....
God was certainly watching over him during this trial, just as he was walking to the front entrance a group of medically trained firefighters (one a CPR instructor) was just leaving our building. They had been in a training class in our conference room. The instructor of the group began CPR immediately and is credited with saving his life.
The ambulance arrived just in time for the EMT to use the de-fib equipment when his heart stopped beating, thus saving his life again! He was then transported to a nearby hospital; while in route I am told his heart stopped once again. They saved him once more and eventually Tuesday evening installed a stint into a 95% blocked artery.
He was critical for a couple of days, with a possibility of some brain damage. Today he is conscience, doing good (for someone surviving a massive heart attack) and it appears there may be little or no brain damage.
God has worked miracles in his life! My friend is 48 years old and until now a lot healthier than I (or so we thought)! Wednesday there were a few calls to the office wanting to know how I was doing! It seems as news spread through out the base that someone in my section had a massive heart attack, there was a lot of assumptions made that it was the old diabetic guy (me)! It is a shocker that it is the youngest in our office, the guy who goes to the fitness center three time a week and is more than 10years my junior!
Cheryl and I are re-evaluating our retirement plans and looking for ways to move the dates up! Until next time....
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Shopping for a Motorhome
We had a great week of vacation last week and really enjoyed spending time with our sister Sue. We stayed on the go and it is a good thing we were real active, because we were constantly dining out! We sure do miss our sister. Cheryl has known her since birth, I was priviledged to meet her when she was 13 years old. The three of us went everywhere together, Cheryl's parents insisted!
Well we are back to work, the same ole grind. We are making time to research and shop for a motorhome though. We found a motorhome we like at Lazy Days in Florida (online of course).
There are a few features in this motorhome that we are not sure we like though. The "ushaped" dinette seems to be a bit much for just Cheryl and I, however would be very convenient when the grands are traveling with us. The white upholstery is scary for the same reason as the aforementioned grands. Also there is no place to put any recliners unless you remove the couch, thus losing a bed (also inconvenient because of the aforementioned grands. Other than that, we like this one:
Well we are back to work, the same ole grind. We are making time to research and shop for a motorhome though. We found a motorhome we like at Lazy Days in Florida (online of course).
There are a few features in this motorhome that we are not sure we like though. The "ushaped" dinette seems to be a bit much for just Cheryl and I, however would be very convenient when the grands are traveling with us. The white upholstery is scary for the same reason as the aforementioned grands. Also there is no place to put any recliners unless you remove the couch, thus losing a bed (also inconvenient because of the aforementioned grands. Other than that, we like this one:
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