Grand Rapids RV show and Anniversary

Well, everyone we had a great weekend in Grand Rapids, MI at the RVshow. My head is still spinning from looking at so many 5th wheels. I can see that it is going to cost us some bucks to get the rig that would provide the most features for full time living. The Sanibel 3500 was one of my favorites but I have a feeling that it might be out of our price range. We still like the Montana 3750FL but the storage space is a little lacking. This is going to be a tough decision someday to make. I guess we will just have to keep looking...which is not a bad thing. Glad we still have a couple of years to look and think about what we need. We also were able to attend two of Howard and Linda Payne's (RV-Dreams ) seminars on Saturday afternoon. They are a wealth of information. We will definitely need to attend one of their rallies before we go full time. In celebration of our 41st anniversary we had dinner at the local Olive Garden and then a nice relaxing evening watching TV. Saturday was a nice day weather wise but it really turned cold over night with a few snow flurries. It was only 10 degrees Sunday morning when we got up and left after breakfast. We had some snow flurries continue until we got into Indiana near Michigan City. We made a short side trip into Holland MI to go by the condo that we rented about 3 years ago with the kid and grandkids. The wind was howling at Holland State Park Beach so we stayed in the car and watch other crazy people walk around near the pier. The roads were still fine and we had no problem getting around. We stopped in Portage, IN and ate lunch at a Longhorn Steakhouse. It was a good meal but the service was a little slow. Once we got home we unpacked and I watched the Ravens and Patriots game. What a surprise with a Ravens win. Well today is our official anniversary day and Glenda is making Chili for supper.(I love you Glenda) As you can tell we are simple people. That will go well with our new lifestyle when we get there. Making preparations for that day and it won't be long. Until next time...

Christmas 2012 and The New Year 2013

Well, the camper is in storage so there isn't much to do right now. However at this time of year I look forward to getting together with family to celebrate Christmas. Having 4 grandchildren and another on the way(Heather, the oldest daughter, is having her first child) it's great to plan some time together. Since our younger daughter, Sommer, who lives in Indiana, works retail at a jewelry store  and isn't able to get away easily this time of year  we had to go to her house Christmas eve. Heather and her husband, Paul, who live in the Chicago area traveled over to Osceola, IN too. Unfortunately our son, Chris, had to work in Maryland for State Farm Catastrophe Services and was not able to come. We still had fun but it would have been nice to have everyone there. The grandchildren got way too many presents. They range in age from 15 down to 6 years old so there is quite a variety of presents. Clothes for Jasmyne(15), clothes and jewelry for Brooklyne(12), video games for Caden(10) and Barbie everything for Ryleigh(6). Sommer and family moved into a new house last spring so it was great to be in her house and enjoying something they worked so hard to get. The weather was good until the day after Christmas when it started to snow just when we planned to leave. The good part was the further west we traveled the weather got better. By the time we got out of IN into IL the snow was gone and the roads cleared. Back to work on Thursday and Friday. Then over the weekend I felt a bug coming on.

On Sunday, I started with chills and body aches. It appears that Todd's (Sommer's husband) son who was home from college had been sick before we got there for Christmas. Well I got what he had. I ended up missing work on Monday(New Years Eve Day) and didn't feel too much like ringing in the New Year. We watched the ball drop in New York and then went to bed. I got to feeling better on New Years Day and was able to return to work on Wednesday. Then wouldn't you know it, Glenda started feeling ill on Thursday and ended up sick for the rest of the weekend. She got to feeling better just in time to go back to work after her Christmas break from school. So the New Year didn't start so good for us but the good side is the year has to get better from here.

We are headed up to Chicago this weekend and meet up with Sommer and her family so Glenda and Sommer can attend the baby shower for Heather that her friends are hosting for her. The guys will plan to go to a Sports Bar and watch the NFL playoffs continue. We got reservations at a Marriott in Schaumburg so the kids can swim in the pool and enjoy the free breakfast.

The following weekend Glenda and I will celebrate our 41st anniversary(it's actually in Jan 21st) and guess where we are going? We are going to the Grand Rapids RV show. I am told it is the largest RV show in Michigan. Grand Rapids, MI ? you asked. That's right. I have been wanting to attend one of the RV rallies that Howard and Linda Payne from RV-Dreams host each spring and fall but with our work schedules and the destinations so far we have not been able to do that. So that brings me to Grand Rapids, MI and the RV show. They are presenting a few classes from their rally at the show. I emailed them a while back and got their schedule so we are going to travel up from Central IL to Grand Rapids on the 18th and attend the RV show and 2-3 classes on Saturday then drive home Sunday. As you know we are planning the fulltime RV life once we retire. (31 months 23 days) But who's counting. :-) Anyway, we have decided on getting a truck and a 5th wheel so seeing as many rigs as possible in one place is so handy. We have been to the Chicago RV and Camping Show the last couple of year but we are now looking more seriously at a new home for the future. I really want to get as much information from as many sources as possible. I love reading all the blogs that other fulltimers publish about their experiences. I thank them for taking the time to share their lives. Hope to make a few more decisions after we get back from Grand Rapids. Stay tuned....