And Then Life Happened

This year, 2021, has been disappointing and challenging. But then, derailed plans are rarely welcome. Not only did Covid-19 impact worldwide travels and family holidays, but I heard the "C-word" for the first time last Spring, right after my 60th birthday. Not the gift I asked for!!!  So, instead of traveling the US beginning in May, we traveled to doctors' appointments, spent endless weeks in "scan-xiety" (Thank you Donna for the perfect word!), endured two surgeries (one planned and one emergency), and locked all other plans into the can't-think-about-them-without-crying safe. Grace went to her sophomore year of in-person high school, and we did our best to keep life normal for her. Even hosting an after homecoming supper and party for 6 of her friends the day after emergency surgery for cellulitis. Thank you, God, for surgical nerve blockers and the opportunity to fix Grace's hair and makeup before her first high school dance. Those memories are so fleeting and precious! 

But after months of healing we are on the other side of active treatment and our perspective has widened. Let's squeeze out all the living we can, while we are able! Carpe diem! The actual vehicle that we take matters much less than the opportunity to adventure as a family now. So, we are back in the hunt for a motorhome with a few different parameters this time:

• Under 36 feet long, so it fits in our driveway more easily while we are packing.
• Sleep 7 adults, so any of our family can join us.
• Have seatbelts to keep the grandbabies safe.
• And a low budget so that we have ample money to spend on experiences over the next months or years.

Sounds easier than it is. Buying a motorhome is like looking nationwide for a home. No two are the same, drive the same, have been cared for the same. Pictures don't tell you when they smell like mice and dog urine, and some of the people advertising don't really have a motorhome at all. Just spam! So even though we have found several models that we like, getting the right one has been tricky. We are opting for a short, class A, gas model such as the Forest River FR3 32.3 or the Thor Ace 32.1. I know, these manufacturers don't always get the best reviews, but Mark wants a gas engine he feels comfortable fixing and we will assume that we will be making quality repairs as we go. Our old, pull behind was nothing to look at, but the memories don't have anything to do with the chalking exterior paint. So our hope is to find the "perfect" model for us within the next 2 weeks.