Too Much Stuff!!

Wake up, eat, walk dog, pack, pack, pack, pack & pack some more! Actually we break up the monotony by getting rid of some of the stuff too. We took a big load to Cheryl's (my wife) cousin's yard sale today.

In the process of getting the load ready this morning, I found the van had a nearly flat front tire. When I tried to get the spare down from under the van, I discovered the bolt holding it was so corroded I couldn't get it loose. So I got out the socket set and rust penetrant. But the socket set didn't go that big! So off to the auto parts store for the right socket. Eventually I got the bolt loose and replaced the bad tire. Oh yea, the spare air pressure also was way low since it hadn't been used in a long time. Good thing all this happened now rather than on the trip to Maine!

The Day After

July 19, 2008

Today is Kirk's first of no paycheck. His last day working at Access Business Group/Amway was yesterday. His friends gave him a wonderful retirement party which included many kind words about his 17 year tenure with the company. It is certainly true you don't really know how many friends you have in this world.

It's kind of disorienting severing a relationship with an employer, especially when you've been there awhile. Kirk had a warm-up experience 1 1/2 years ago when he took a 6 month leave to go to guitar building school. It's kind of a free-floating experience - good and not so good. But it's definitely what I've been aiming toward for some time.

The family is now hunkering down for serious $ saving. We've been busy cutting costs for the last several years as our goal became clearer. During the guitar school time, cost savings were a necessity rather than just a learning experience. Now we are committed to getting really serious about saving money.

We've been busy the last few weeks ruthlessly going through our stuff and selling or giving it away. We are moving into a travel trailer for 2 months followed by a house sitting situation that lasts until next May. Since we will have to store virtually everything, we are paring down to the minimum.

For those we haven't told, we are moving to Poland, Maine. It's about an hour northwest of Portland. It's a pretty rural area, referred to as the "Lakes Region". Cheryl will share more about the adventure later.