Life & best decisions...
1983... got the rving fever and bought my first rv. 1983 Class C motor home. I kept it ready to roll at a moments notice... Great for vacations, weekend getaways, day trips, and a evening out to the local park with fried chicken.
1995... planned for an rving life after retiring in 2003.
1998-2003... the 5 year countdown... researched full time rving... Talked to rvers... read books... and planned and prepared.
2003... plans became a reality... Sold the old RV... Sold the house... Bought the RV of our dreams... and drove off into the sunset. Foot loose & fancy free.
The ability to go where ever we wanted, stay as long we liked, have new adventures and pile up the memories.
2003 - present... 15 years of full time rving... wow what a life full of adventures. New places, new friends, new experiences, and lots of great times filled with memories.
All made special by my wife Shelly.... along with family and lots of rving friends. Worked some jobs in campgrounds seasonally from the mountains to the beaches, to Texas, to Missouri, to Pennsylvania, to Florida ... Disney world, Orlando, Miami, the keys, and navarre beach... and everything in between. Worked at Disney world for 8 years ( seasonal cast members), was annual pass holders for 2 more years, and had great memories at Disney with family, friends, and simply by ourselves. Every place we have been had special memories. Every place had it's own special appeal. Spent 3 1/2 years living at Navarre Beach Florida. Currently enjoying the quieter life in the countryside of Virginia close to the mountains and skyline drive... One of my all time places since childhood. Blessed to be with our daughter Brandi and the three Grand girls. We've been to so many touristy places with crowds and busy areas all around us... It's nice to enjoy the peacefulness of country life where all you hear is the birds and the breeze.
Our home on wheels... It's an adventure that a lot of people dream of... Some get to live it. Not a single regret. I have lived and loved more in the past 19 years with Shelly, and 15 years of rving, than I have my entire adult life. Who could ask for anything more. My life long goal was simply to be happy... Goal achieved.
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Retired early at 49 years old. Why? Seen too many people work until they were 65... Some died before they got there... Some were physically used up... some chased the bigger retirement dollars to have more when they retired, only to see that they were in poor health, and that with few exceptions, they would live out the rest of their lives in the home that they spent their entire lives paying for. I had the same choice at 49... Work another 16 years... Years that are going to be the best years of the rest of my life ( to me being a slave to the house & job)... Or start enjoying life... Take those next best years 49-65 and make the most of them... Which is what I did. Some people would thrive with the house, family, and jobs reaching the age of 65 ( if they make it that far) and then start their golden years not knowing how many years were left to them. At 49... I took the early retirement money (30 and out), and it was the best decision ever. Not a single regret... Well... Maybe those two motor scooters. Now approaching 65, I simply can not imagine having worked the past 16 years at the same old, same old... In place of all the adventures and experiences... all the joys & happiness... all the memories. But to each their own. Life is full of choices. Dreams can and do come true if you are bold enough to embrace them, plan for them, and make the decision. The accepted norm of working until 65, the same job, the same old thing for 45 years, being physically used up, so I could retire in the 30 year mortgage... Well... That wasn't for me.
Yo, ho... yo, ho... the RV life for me.
