On the Road...REALLY!!!!

The first "Widow World" blog I wrote was on October 25, 2011, over 6 years ago.  And the last one I wrote was January 5, 2015.  At that time I was hopeful as a new year was beginning, eager to move into my new condo, a little disappointed by a job offer totally opposite of what I expected, and planning to "settle" in one place for the rest of my life!  (Remember, I had moved quite a few times, sold more than a few homes, and left Kentucky for Michigan and then returned to Kentucky!  WHEW!!!)  It was surely time to settle! 

The 2-word phrase I chose for 2015 was excited anticipation.  I had no idea what was about to unfold.  In February of 2015 I was hired to be the Director of Sales at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Louisville East!  You may remember this is the position I retired from after HC Baker died.  What a blessing to be able to go back to my old stomping ground and begin again.  I was able to renew old friendships and make new ones.  Then later in the month of February I gained another granddaughter, Lilly Jo!  Most of you have seen her photos on Facebook and she is a delight.  TR Baker is a wonderful Daddy and I am so happy to watch them both mature!  Being a single Dad is not easy as many of you can attest to.  Since my last post in 2015 all of my children and grandchildren have enjoyed so many wonderful life changes.  Libby married Tim and I gained another fabulous son-in-law.  Daniel will soon be 26, Hannah and Isaac will be 25 and Adam will be 22.  All are working and enjoying successful lives.  Emily and Brett sold the candy store and gained their lives back!  Garrett is a sophomore at Ferris State University studying engineering and Gracie is a sophomore in high school and is the drum major for the marching band, plays soccer, basketball and golf at Cheboygan High School.  As a matter of fact, she "made the cut" and played for the Michigan State High School Girls Golf Championship. Currently she is playing basketball and her team is so far undefeated!  And Lilly Jo will be 3 in February, never walks when she can run, talks non-stop and is growing like a weed!

So that brings me to "ME"!  What am I doing?  On Friday, October 13, I retired...again and this time it's for real!  A new adventure is about to begin!  Handsome Fella" is still handsome and he will be my partner on this new journey.  We had a conversation June 9 and discussed what we would do if we both retired.  I immediately said I would sell everything I own (that the children and grandchildren didn't want), put Nutty in the car and drive across the country to see all the things I have spent years flying over!  Handsome Fella' decided he'd like that too.  So the planning began. 

We decided we would "plan" to begin this new journey giving ourselves 12 months to figure this out.  With winter not being the best time to sell your home, I listed my condo mid-September to sort of test the waters.  Well, it sold in 5 days at the asking price!!!  Jo Ann, start your engine!!!  OH MY!  Handsome Fella' and I now needed to re-think our plan.  What to do?  We made the decision to see if we could make this work.  We began looking for some type of "mobile" home.  You see, Nutty was a huge part of this plan.  Three months ago I didn't even know what a 5th wheel was and now we own one!  We also bought an F350 pick-up truck (it's huge) to pull the 5th wheel.  Our new home has a bath and a half, walk-in closet, washer/dryer, central vac, fabulous kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a fireplace, two TVs, wonderful solid wood finishes, pantry, and I could go on and on!  I gave my "notice" at the hotel and gave them a 30-day time frame to find my replacement.  Now I had to get ride of everything I owned.  (Huge sigh!)  Oh, by the way, Handsome Fella' and I also had to tell our children what we were planning to do.  That took a couple of weeks.  The first step was to decided how we would deliver this information.  Then we told the local children and then I went north and he went south.  There were positive comments and quite a few questions.  We answered as best we could and told them all we would be learning via "on the road training"! 

The following month was like a whirlwind.  The most difficult thing was passing on all our belongings.  I had no idea how difficult this would be.  The children came and got all they wanted and we still had tons of "stuff".  Important and not so important things that had been a part of our lives for years and years and years.  Handsome Fella' had a 2-bedroom apartment and he was able to pass nearly all of it on to one family.  I on the other hand had a 3 bedroom, 3 bath, living room, dining room, kitchen, den, and lower level FULL of a lifetime of living.  So...I had an estate sale and sold my history to people totally unknown to me.  What was left in both of our homes went to consignment stores or charitable organizations.  (Our 5th wheel is wonderful but came fully furnished with very little storage.)  I forced my children and grandchildren to take things they really didn't want but I was firm that they had to remain a part of our family!  (Hugh sighs and rolling of eyes from them!)  We did survive, me shedding a few tears. 

We closed on the condo 1:30pm, October 26, one last stop at the condo to load a few last minute things and headed out of town to places we want to see.  We spent a bit of time in southern Kentucky making sure we knew what we were doing and then headed to Atlanta for a quick visit with one of Handsome Fella's children and her family.  We enjoyed being with them and Stone Mountain RV Park and the sights of Christmas there.  We have spent the last several weeks in the Orlando area visiting Mickey Mouse and friends!  We have been to the top of the Citrus Tower, a museum in Winter Park to see a fabulous collection of Tiffany glass created by Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of the jeweler, Disney Springs (former downtown Disney), so many beautiful orange groves, traveled around the area to see the landscape and architecture, and lots more!  We have rested and read the manuals about how new home, I have cooked leisurely and tried new things, and most importantly we have enjoyed seeing and meeting new people.  We are both retired and can do anything we want!We plan to spend most of the winter in southern Florida and then head west.  But plans can change you know!!!!

Handsome Fella', Nutty and I will continue to celebrate each day with a renewed joy in life!  Our children are excited for us, and I promise I will keep you informed of all the things we find to laugh about, all the wonderful sights in our great country and the beauty the Lord has provided in each and every place we visit.

We are so grateful for each of you.  xxoo   

P.S. The sun is shining, it's 78 degrees and no humidity, and when I look out my windows I see palm trees!!!!