Family Time and Trip Preparations From Our Parent's Porch

After we sold the Wildebeest in mid December, we needed a place to hang out for a few weeks. Now, what could have been a parent's worst nightmare ... that their kids are moving back in again ... turned out to be a win-win situation for all as we enjoyed family time during the Holidays. We were able to get our Colombian trip preparation done, and Doug's parents made use of Doug's "fix it" skills and my obsessive nature to ...

... straighten out cupboards and closets and cabinets! My mother-in-law just smiled and promised to keep the Tupperware stacked neatly until I left the country ;-) 

A leaky drain pipe ...

... turned out to be ONLY a
"two trips to the hardware store" project!

Their front porch became the "sales floor" as Doug put numerous ads out on Craigslist in order to sell some of the RV items that we will not need or have room for when we downsize next spring. We said a bittersweet "good-bye" to our folding bikes. They have served us well during the last four years, but we look forward to hopefully replacing them with smaller Bromptons next summer.

We also said "good-bye" to our Honda CRV after finalizing that sale a few days before we left for Colombia. Although we appear to be smiling, it felt quite strange to suddenly find ourselves without any "wheels" of our own. And from our parent's prospective, not only had the kids moved back in, but they were also asking to borrow the car again!

But as is their kind nature, Mom and Dad are just happy to hang out with us and discuss our current plans (and sometimes the current events of our country ... oh, help us) over a good cup of coffee.

Three weeks of unpacking, selling, donating, storing, and repacking brought us to this exciting moment. All the "stuff" that we will need for four months in Colombia packed away in these four bags ... a very good test to see how little we will need when in our future Class B camper van.

And speaking of camper vans, one of our last "projects" before leaving for Colombia was to check out General RV Center located about ten miles away in Ocala. After talking to the dealer, we took the plunge and ordered our Aktiv 1.0 to be ready for us to pick up when we get back at the beginning of May.

I have the feeling that everyone ... Mom and Dad included ... will "Bee Happy" that we will have a home once again!

Until next time ... Appreciate those "Ma and Pa" moments and memories ... and enjoy the adventures in your life!

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