Downsizing

Her: Long time, no update! Well... we've not dropped off the face of the earth, there's just been a lot of changes around the ol' brick-and-mortar abode (as well as several birthdays, an anniversary, and all sorts of other personal stuff). Can't speak much for the Boy, but I've personally been doing a lot of "downsizing." The perpetual planner that I am, I'm trying to sell items *now* instead of waiting until the nth hour, wherein I may then be forced to have to give it all away for free. Recent items I've unloaded include a desktop setup (to go to the Boy's brother), external hard drive (to a friend), and one of my MANY bicycles* (sold to one of the Boy's new coworkers).

In other (personal) news, Dad (not really mentioned before now, but having lived with the Boy and I over the past year) has fallen in with a bit of good fortune and will be moving out on his own at the beginning of October! Having moved up to Oregon, from Florida, in August of 2009, we're excited that he's finally feeling settled in his new home state. Why this is even worth mentioning here is because I'm unloading more of my "stuff" onto him for his new place! Yup... larger furniture items that will NOT fit in a van, as well as extras of everything we've accumulated since the Boy and I joined belongings, will now belong to Dad. And, should the day ever come when the Boy and I decide to "settle down," we still have access to items that may have been personally more difficult to part with, since they are now with family!

* It's not all been about the downsizing. Not yet able to afford our dream home-on-wheels, we *are* thinking of things that we will want/need while living our new lifestyle. I've already decided that I'll be keeping Josephine (my little 250cc Honda Rebel) because we won't always want to "go places" in our behemoth (but mobile) home! The Boy bought a helmet, and we've been practicing riding around together. But... this footnote is really about the bicycle I bought just shortly after selling the aforementioned bicycle to the Boy's coworker. She's a foldy... and I've named her "Skittles." She's currently in the shop getting her rims trued and bearings greased. Today, new tubes (practical) and white wall tires (aesthetics) will complete her! Not bad for a $65 Craigslist find! And, yet another practical way to ensure needed mobility without a car! (Oh... and the Boy recently bought one too.)



Anyways... I discovered another really great website via Yahoo's Vandwellers Group called Van Tramps. The site's well organized, informative, and going to be added to the permanent links on our own site, as it's an excellent informational source. Especially noteworthy is their entry about the cost of life on the road. It's a bit of an eye opener, as the Boy and I assumed we'd be saving so much more in rent. The reality, unfortunately, is that the savings is minimal. However, I sometimes forget that it's NOT just about "saving," but having the freedom to do what we want, whenever we want! It's sometimes easy to forget that, more than anything, we're doing this because we are both adventurers!

The rest of this and next month is a tad bit chaotic, but I'll try to update more regularly. It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day "to do" stuff that I forget about the documentation process! I'll try to document more and babble less, for future entries. Though, I must say that I've been doing a lot of thinking about the accumulation of "stuff," as of late, which may lead to a bit of babbliness on my part. We'll see. But... until next time... happy adventuring!