More Connections & Research - Decluttering Begins!

Diedre here.  Second entry.  Countdown continues.  So much to learn and so much to think about.  Changing a lifestyle after 60 years is not an easy task, but the thought of becoming Fulltimers is still exciting Alexx and me.  Still with many obligations in theater, writing and school, we cannot completely dedicate our time to working toward our departure date, but we find ourselves carving more and more time for planning and investigation. Oh, yes...and the decluttering has begun!   Here's what we've accomplished so far:

• We took a drive just outside of Wickenburg to visit one of the Escapee Program parks - North Ranch.  We wanted to talk to fulltimers and see what one of their parks looked like.  We were very impressed.  With just a $60 annual membership we can stay at the Escapee parks for a very reasonable fee.  Vonnie was at the front desk and very helpful in telling us her tales of being a fulltimer.  She encouraged us to take the leap and not wait.  She and her husband were fulltimers for two years but then he passed away and their dream of touring the country came to a halt.  It was a good reinforcement for us that we want to do this while we are healthy as we never know when things can take a turn.  The Escapees have a great website too that is jampacked with resources.  I've just begun to work my way through it.  www.escapees.com  Some interesting tidbits:
• Median age of Escapee members - 68  (Youngest is 27 and oldest is 94)
• Average number of miles traveled per year - 9,521
• 48.5% of the members own a Class A motor home with an average length of 38ft.  (Alexx and I are planning to purchase a Class A motor home between 30 and 35 ft.)
• 80% of the members stay in an RV park.  (Alexx and I plan to do that 80% of the time and the rest of time park outside your door!)
• A friend of mine gave me a great connection to Fulltimers who have a podcast they air regularly and have a section they have dedicated to people like Alexx and me called, "So you think you want to be a Fulltimer."  What a find!  I've listened to three hours of podcasts so far and gleaned many helpful hints.  You can find them at www.livingthedream.com if you're interested.  I'm looking forward to listening to all of their back programs.  John and Kathy Huggins are the hosts.  You can also find them on Facebook.  What a wonderful resource!
• Alexx and I attacked what we have been calling for years, "the black hole"  otherwise known as my office.  I still have a long way to go, but slowly things are landing in one of these spots: the trash, the recycle bin, the box of things to sell, the box for giveaway, or the box for action.  The file drawer has been emptied and the bookcase has been removed.  (Ouch!)  Anything that would need to go into a file drawer now will go into my computer.  The action items have a five day shot - they either get done or they go into a folder for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.  If action isn't taken by Friday, it's moved to trash.  I have 16 boxes of "stuff" stacked in the guest bath right now waiting for my return from visiting Mom.  I'll pour through each of the boxes (one a day) when I return.  And this is just ONE room in the house!  No wonder it's going to take us a year and a half to make this move!
• We continue to hear over and over how important it is that the travelers like each other because, as John Huggins describes the life style, "you're living in a hallway 24/7."  Alexx and I figure having survived managing a theater company with just the two of us doing everything for 6 years was a good warmup activity for this next venture.  Plus, we'll have the cats as our buffer!  Seriously, the planning of this adventure is a wonderful opportunity to really discuss what we want out of life and how we can attain more of it through this lifestyle change.

I'm still excited to be working toward our January, 2013, launch date. Still much to do.  Up next, launching the Ebay site and Craig's List list of for sale items; scoping out RV shows and narrowing the selection of rigs.  We've created a list of "must have" features and "nice to have" features that we will be looking for in the motor home.  And good news!  We've named our abode...The Tiger!  Alexx was born in the year of the tiger and my first cat was named Tiger.  We also think it's a name that "the kids" would support if they could vote.  So, similar to naming a child before it's born, we might change our mind once we find it, but for now, we are envisioning ourselves and our three cats living aboard The Tiger.  Hope you can too!

Thanks for your interest in our adventure!  We look forward to seeing you along the way!