Our Maiden Voyage

The settlement went without incident. We walked away very happy with how everything went. It was so freeing and truly amazing to know that this crazy dream is becoming reality. We have no regrets selling the house. I was not sad for a moment., It has felt like we have been a slave to this lifestyle for so long that getting out from under it is like a weight being lifted from your shoulders. The stuff, the big house all really great blessings but John has put so much of his energy into just keeping the roof over our head that to get out from under is such joy for both of us. I am so excited for him to not have to work for the next six months that I could do a dance about it.
We ended up picking up the RV on Tuesday June 3. My sister came along to drive our car home so that we could ride home in Gracie as a family. It was so cool handing the check over for our new home on wheels. We said goodbye to George and Linda and with John behind the wheel we were off. The kids were wild in there. Bouncing off the walls excited. I too felt like a little kid. We made it home through a major rainstorm without any problem.
I was just thrilled to have the RV sitting in our yard. A reminder that dreams become reality if you just believe. Not that there hasn't been some blood, sweat and tears involved but with anything worth having it has been a journey I wouldn't change.
So we have been busy cleaning Gracie and filling her up with our belongings. We like just hanging out in there together. We even spent the night in it when my mom was up this weekend. LOVE IT. LOVE IT.

We Found Her

We prayed and believe that God lead us to the right RV. Both John and I agreed that we just know Gracie is the one to take us on our adventure. We worked out a price that both the seller (George and Linda) agreed on and we felt was fair.
They invited us to test drive the RV on Memorial Day so we took advantage of that.
The cool thing about George and Linda is that they shared with us that they too had prayed about the next owner of Gracie and belive God lead us to them.
They were so kind in taking the time to show us all the ins and outs of RV living. They spent several hours with us being the greenhorns that we are and not knowing a thing about self contained living.
I loved riding in the RV. All the windows were open as we were traveling and the air movement through there was amazing. It really hit me then that we can travel in our home. It moves with us. How cool is that? I laid on the bed while traveling 55. What a ride. I did feel like a little kid in a candy store. I think our kids are gonna really dig it.
Linda shared some really cool testimonies about her and George. I love hearing how God works in other peoples lives. But His work in our lives is nothing shy of amazing too. This whole journey so far has been the work of an awesome God.
We settle on the house tomorrow. TOMORROW. Get that. It really is fast approaching. We will be hitting the road in a month. So much to do so little time. But honestly I just want to live in this moment. It is a special moment in time for this family. Our lives are about to change drastically. Bring it on....

The Great Gracie Chase

So we go last nite to check out the 30' Fleetwood Flair that it's owners refer to as Gracie. She is a 1996 RV with 32,000 miles. We looked "her"over for a long while opening all of the storage both inside and out. Other than the colors being a bit dated and the outside needing a good shine it was what we were hoping for. It has a tub, a place for everyone to sleep and even an outside shower.
The owner, George was a very nice man, a christian who informed us that Gracie got it's name from the Grace of God as He provided the RV for them when they weren't sure they could afford it.
John and I both agreed that this RV would suit our needs, that the price was right and it was tenderly taken care of. We slept on it and decided that we would not let Gracie get away at such a great price. We offered George via email what we thought was a good price for the RV . We haven't heard yet but are praying that if God's Grace be upon us that we will be the new proud owners of Gracie.

The Search is ON

Oh the driving we will do. Went to Philadelphia yesterday as this was near two RV's that we were scheduled to look at.
Had a nice time in the city checking out the historic sites. I was amazed to be in locations where our forefathers stood. George Washington, Ben Franklin seriously it was really cool to know and learn how much history is in the state of PA. Rode the Ducks which took us around the city in an open bus, very entertaining and educational and then the thing turns into a boat and went into the DE river. It was a blast. The tour guide named get- this Betsy Ross (yes-her real name) was amazing and truly born to do that job.
We checked out the liberty bell too. Gabe thought it looked fake. Let freedom ring.
So it was off to Horsham (yeah your saying it right) to see the first RV. It was big with a nice slide but only had sleeping capacity for 4. Really needed a cleaning too.
Then we ventured to Boyertown to look at a 30' Four Winds Hurricane. This thing was nice and only used by one older women. No slide so a bit tight inside but we think this one could work. The inside was clean and had nice upholstery. The price is really descent too at 22,000 it might work for our budget.
We did a lot of car time yesterday. I hope NOT to be in the vehicle that long for awhile. At least not the cramped up minivan. The kids did great with only 300 "are we there yets?"
Time will tell and with God's help we will find the perfect RV for this loco family of 5.

We are getting close

I sure hope I get better about keeping this site up to date. I haven't been on here since December. Shame on me.
We we have run the gamut on selling the house vs. auctioning. Just to spare you the details our house sold in April by a realtor that did an amazing job. It had only been on the market for just over two months. It felt like an eternity though knowing we wanted to begin traveling in May and not being able to control all of the details. John was of course much more relaxed that me his up tight wife.
So we settle on the house in two weeks. The buyer, a very nice man from Maryland is allowing us to rent the house back for one month. This will enable us to buy the RV from here after settlement and leave from East Berlin the end of June.
So much has happened that it feels like just writing it down here doesn't give it the emotion that it deserves. But truly God has been so faithful to us through all of this it truly is a testimony that glorifies Him and how He cares about us and the dreams that are inside waiting to take flight.

Certainly not on the lighter side but this could be a whole post in and of itself. We are expecting baby # 4. WOWOWOWOW. We found out about the baby the same week we got the offer on our house. So now we add a whole new dimension to this upcoming journey. Actually I will just continue to grow in size the entire time we are on the road. God your timing is hilarious. I love when you do things like that.
So now we are in search of the perfect house on wheels. Still undecided 100% about the type more than likely though we will get a Class A. Perhaps 30' with a car to tow. Oh and those motorcycles. They must go too.
I will attempt to keep this up to date as we count down our departure in a few weeks. Adding some pictures of our house and our new RV.

My how time flies

It has been some time since I have been on here putting down the thoughts about our trip. Not that I haven't thought about it for countless hours. Oh no I have done that just didn't take time to put it in writing. And now here it is the end of another year. We are about to enter 2008. My how time flies.
Christmas has come and gone already and New Years is just a few days away. I am overjoyed at what this new year will bring our way. Much change lies ahead. My sister and best friend is moving to Florida to be with my baby sister. It's a little unsettling to know I won't be with them. Nikki moved into a lovely house with a pool and only minutes to the beach. I want to be near them but really want to discover what America has to offer our family.

In terms of our trip. We have talked about ways to give back and one thought was to feed the homeless in each and every state. We helped out at the local Rescue Mission over Christmas and it was rewarding for our whole family. I just feel it is so important for us as a family to reach out to those in need that it has to be a part of our trip. To share the love that God blesses us with daily and let others know they are loved too. Seems so simple to me and yet so life changing. So I will check into this avenue and get back to you on that.

I think we are going to auction the house in April as opposed to listing it in January with a realtor. I need to call the auctioneer to set up a time for him to check out our house and see what his thoughts are. The house is listed on Craig's List for sale and maybe it will go that way. We'll see.

If we are counting down to our departure we only have about 16 weeks left. WOW that really puts it in perspective. So we shall see what evolves from now until then and hopefully I will get to writing on here between it all.

Anything is possible

Happy Birthday John-36 B a b y...
Was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of what needs to be done with our house in order to be ready to put it on the market in January. It seems that with every project another one is overturned. Still the goal remains and will be achieved.
Been thinking about how to further downsize and get rid of more stuff. I must admit that is difficult to do as we seems to use everything still in this house. I know I need to start thinking on a smaller scale.
Would like to hit the used RV show this week to get a more realistic picture of what we can/cannot afford. I was hoping John and I could do that together but with him working out of town that is not going to happen. So it just might be me and the kids. Besides it is going to be their home too. I believe it is important for them to know what we are getting into. They always get excited when we get to go in and out of the different RV models.
So my sister now has her house on the market and will be moving to Florida once the house sells. WOW I am blown away by that. Since Nikki moved there a month ago it has been an adjustment without her family here. And now another one off. My two little sisters so far away from me. Not something that I want to think about. Makes me wonder if that will be the deciding factor in where we end up after our cross country tour. Only God knows at this point. Anything is possible....