Crunch Time!

(Craig) First, I'd like to apologize to those friends that I haven't spoken to in awhile. It's been a bit hectic.
Now that we are unemployed (big smile), it is truly crunch time. Furniture guy is coming to get it all this Wednesday. We've sold or given away many things. Our friends Phil and Regan threw us a going away party last Friday. It was great to see some old friends and hear some FedEx war stories :) There was quite a snowstorm that day, so some could not make it. No worries! We'll keep in touch. Phil and Regan (ok, more Regan) are expecting their first child next month. Congrats! We want pictures.
My son, Josh, deploys later today for Iraq. Karin and I will be heading down to Ft Carson in Colorado Springs to see him off. Last tour son...then you're done.
Busy! Busy! After the furniture is gone, then we'll do one final cleaning. After that, bring the trailer over to load it up, making sure that we don't exceed gross weights, tongue weight, etc,etc. We'll put the cats in and take them for a spin. Head to an empty parking lot to get some practice in....backing up especially. We still have some minor maintenance to do on both the truck and trailer, but should fit it in this week.
Are we ready to go as of today? NO :) But pretty close!
Our day of departure is gonna be next Sunday, the 28th. We'll make a short trip south to Pueblo, CO and stay. We plan to be in Dallas on April 1st, visiting an old friend that I grew up with. Scott and I were floorguards / DJs at a skating rink in Tucson. We've reacquainted through Facebook and I can't wait to see him and his family. He's an avid cyclist. Scott, if you read this....we've had no time to get on our bikes!! Take it easy on us when we get there :)
I'll post again in the near future....when the dust settles.

Karin's Last Day

(Craig)
Yes, today is Karin's last day at work! So, she slept in and called work to let them know that she'd be late. How funny!
Karin has been with Charles Schwab for many years. But the three hours of daily commute has been a drain on her. When we initially began to look at workamping, I could see in her eyes that she was thinking that this may be her "out". Yes, she may be the "Prom Queen from Frugal, Minnesota", but hey, being frugal isn't a bad word. Some people associate the word "frugal" with "cheap". I may have been one of those people at one time. But now I associate "frugal" with "smart".
So as I go back to work this evening, Karin's fellow employees will be throwing her a party to say goodbye. Karin has one of those never-ending smiles :) I'm sure that she will be missed.
Me? My last day at work is Monday. No party for me....I've only been there for maybe 2 months. That's ok......my boss must like me. He gave me a neon Bud Lite Lime sign the other day. What will I do with that?
Other news. Furniture guy is coming to look at and price our furniture on Friday. We'll see how that goes. I now have transferred all relevant files, pictures, etc. from this desktop computer to our new laptop. Karin is also going to keep her Apple. So this desktop will be on sale as soon as I clean it up.
My son Josh is coming up for the weekend. He has a four day pass. That means that his deployment to Iraq is very near. No specific dates yet. We both appreciate your emails and comments that thank him for his service and wish him well.
We plan to be in Dallas, Texas on Thursday, April 1st. That is set in stone. We want to be ready to leave by the 21st of March. Our actual journey is looking at starting on the 28th/29th. On the way to Dallas, we will have a couple of stops. We have three legs on this trip. Denver to Dallas, Dallas to Minnesota and Minnesota to West Virginia. Many stops in-between. And yes...there are going to be more pics popping up very soon!
We chose and signed up for our roadside assistance plan this week. We decided on CoachNet. We just found many more positive comments about them. We also joined Passport America. PA is a membership club that offers 50% off at associated campgrounds. And, we have purchased Microsoft Streets and Trips software. We tried several programs, and were happy with this one. It works great to plan out trip..each leg, each stop, and what is there to see between point A and B. We also have a GPS unit to use.
With those of our friends that are local, we are planning to see you before we go! I will let you know as soon as we have a couple of dates setup.

Now, we GOTTA get out!

Well, here's a quick picture of the rig. We had a weight distribution hitch and sway bar installed.

(Craig) Do you remember my last blog? The mother and daughter(s) that had me trapped in the basement in my robe? Messy house? Cat puke? My Unabomber look? Maybe I should write a book titled "How to rent out your home". Yes, the mom and daughters applied that day. The property management company contacted us last Friday, highly suggesting that we accept them as tenants. And this past Monday, the lease was signed. They move in April 1st. No turning back now...... we gotta get out!
I gave my 2 weeks notice at work. I do have a friend that is going to jump in and take my position. It's a rather easy job, working at the liquor store. I'm gonna miss my coworkers! Great guys! Great owner too. And I'll miss some of the regulars: Jeff, Smiles, Rafael, Tex and last but not least, Sasha.
What did I learn while at the store? Budweiser is (at least there) still the "King of Beers". The 90 proof peppermint schnapps must be chilled. They still got Boone's Farm and MadDog 20/20 on the shelf ( please excuse the gagging noise from my teen years). Here in colorado, if you (the employee) sell to someone underage, then you and the store owner are both ticketed. Employee fines are hefty. I've been told $5K-$7.5K. Ouch. Store owner, $25K-$50K! So I'm carding everyone! "Sorry lady, I card everybody!! Now set aside your cane and show me some ID".
Back to Workamping. We are nearly there....almost ready to go. Need to sell Karin's car, and also the household belongings. I have someone that will come by and make a bid on the furniture.
We switched to Geico for insurance on the truck and trailer. The trailer has a "fulltimers" policy on it. Since we'll be living in it "full time", we must cover it as such.
The next big thing that is coming up is that my son, Josh, is heading back to Iraq for his second tour. The date is up in the air, but he's looking at leaving within the next two weeks. He's a tanker in the Army. He is my buddy....my pride and joy. His girlfriend just left and went back to Thailand. I know that was tough on him. And now he prepares to leave himself. Once he gets back from this tour...he's done. I can't wait.