Life is SOO Good

 We did it! We got the house completely cleared out, and we left! Actually, we took the camper van and went to a local RV park (Easterlin - it's beautiful) so that we could ease into being away. One overnight in the van to get the feel of leaving. Then back to the house for one last look around on Tuesday morning. We picked up a few odds and ends.

And we left a few odds and ends that are in the cupboards and drawers. These things are now for the realtor and his helper to remove when they find a buyer to take the place. 

Driving away was like stretching a leash until it finally broke - and we were free!

Our destination for the first night was a state park near Tampa. We had booked a presentation on April 9 for the Sun City Center Computer Club quite a while ago. As our plans came together, it seemed perfect to make that date our getaway date. We would pack everything in our camper van and stay at the Little Manatee River State Park campground. It was only a 15 minute drive from there to the Sun City Center Computer Club's location. We booked the campground for the 8th and 9th. This meant we had all day on the 9th to get our act together. 

And that's exactly what we did. 

On the way, we stopped to say goodbye to Jim's sister, Debbie, in Lake Worth. We had a delightful lunch and told her we'd be back for Christmas 2027, according to the ship's itinerary.

Then we got back on the road for Little Manatee River. We got a fabulous night's sleep on the 8th. The first night without the anxiety of what needed to be done the next day. We did have to do some serious rearranging in the van so we could sleep. But, it was doable. We had four large suitcases, and 4 small ones piled onto the bed. It worked to simply move them from the bed to on top of the front seats. They were piled high, but it worked.

Jim drove the 4 hours to the park and we arrived about 5pm. We had leftovers of Eggplant Parm in the fridge, and I made a little salad. We ate on the picnic table in a beautiful setting and gorgeous weather.

We are so comfortable in our Van. Sometimes I wonder if we should just be taking off in it rather than moving on to a cruise ship. Uh ... No ... there are problems, leaks, repairs that need to be made. And, you still need to do the driving, shopping, cooking. Besides, we've 'been there, done that.' The cruise ship is going to be complete fantasy - no work involved. So many cool people to meet and world destinations to see.

But, the van will be here if we need it. Our life boat!

The weather was perfect at Little Manatee River - it even got cool enough over night that we turned on the heat for a bit. We slept SOO good. Went for a couple walks this morning. Prepared for our seminar this evening and took advantage of the co-ed shower in the campground bath house. 

WE ARE LOVING LIFE!