New House

Well we signed the papers on the house last night, and might get to move in this weekend!!

I can't express how excited I am to move :)

Changes

Every time I wonder if I'm on the right path, I look back at the first blog I ever wrote:

Our lives start the moment our book is opened; words are written that cannot be erased as the pages turn, the next chapter comes and goes. Continually documenting our trials, efforts, accomplishments and failures watching  as we try to stay between the lines. Without fail we go on until the pages are filled and the cover is closed, leaving a legacy for the next generation. Who will inevitably live their own lives, making their own mistakes before realizing they might have learned a great deal from your story.  . 

As for me I hardly ever manage to stay between the lines, I fail to comply with the rules leaving me walking a thin line on the outside looking in. I say whats on my mind and feel what I say rather than saying what I feel. Filling  my book with torn pages, never ending stories and way too many chapters. 

It just so happens it's time for another change, choices are dangling in so many directions. The answers just out of reach, leaving me torn between what I know would make me happy and something mundane. The more I think about it the only way to clear the clutter is to sell out and start over. This should be interesting....

RV WISH LIST

After looking at several different RV's I can honestly say I have a defined "wish list" non of which I can afford considering we are looking for something in a lower price bracket that can be paid for and redone before school lets out for the summer. Honestly... I can't really say that but there are those few little amenities that seem to be just out of reach.

Such as:

- Drivers side door (not a standard thing in the RV world)
- A bathroom large enough to move around in (again not a luxury in many of the older models)
- Twin beds in the mtr (it's fairly common but haven't been lucky enough to find many)
- A convention oven (most only have a microwave)
- Slide out (most of the older models don't have slides and if they do they are not working properly)
- Storage (finding an exterior drawer or two in an older RV is like striking GOLD) although roof units are somewhat common if you can get to them.
- Trailer brakes (most have a hitch but few have trailer brakes)
- Solar panels (they are a great after market product that not many people take advantage of)
- Closet/Pantry space (I will never again wonder why Air streams have cloths racks over the beds, talk about a design flaw for the rest of them! That aspect was completely overlooked until recently)
- Shower (most are not bigger than the potty space and even have a seat, or worse it's an all in one Shitter-Shower... )
- Seat belts (older units have chairs however few of them have seat belts except in the cockpit)
- Gas mileage (yeah I better not go there)

The travel trailer or 5th wheel option would give us a better layout but we would have to buy another truck, plus many of them don't come with a generator.

I found one that would be perfect for us, its a bumper pull duel axel 34' Aly The kitchen is in the front with a large L shaped counter space along with a table that sleeps two, the couch and chair are in the living room accessible by the front door, the bathroom is in the middle with a little extra elbow room and a flat bottom shower, across the hall is a wall of closet space, next was a queen size bed with it's own window, and a small closet and storage above the bed, behind that is another access door, another closet with drawers and 2 bunks with a cabinet for a small TV and storage space. It was by far the best arrangement I have seen, but it needed work and I would have to go truck shopping.

I keep going over it in my head after all I have never seen anything like it before, not only does it sleep 8 but there seems to be more room to move around more storage and its still balanced as a lighter weight trailer that can be pulled by a 1/2 ton truck.

I was ready to say it's mine but I didn't have enough fun tickets in hand and there was a line of people behind me foaming at the bits to get me out of the way! Say-la-ve

Perspective

I seem to always be the one there, ready and willing to support anyone who needs me. I'm also the first the find out for myself the hows and whys so I can better understand whats going on. A lot of the time I try too hard and get swept up into a mangled web of drama, which has never done me a damn bit of good. Knowing what little I do about my habits and weaknesses nowadays I tend to voice my opinion rather than bite my tongue and just move on.

I also tend to over think the obvious choices in my life, especially when certain things don't feel right or fall into place like I think they should. Not that I like to be lead by fate, It's more like fate is tempting me to trip up again and I want to be ready. I find that it's better in the long run to take a step back and weigh my options, allowing me to better understand the many paths before us. This not only brings clarity my way, it gives me the ability to say I know what I'm getting myself into, and my family will either like it or they won't.

Luckily I married a man with a WILD imagination, so I won't be seeing a padded room any time soon.  

This is particularly important seeing all the ways my regrets, might have been avoided. If I had looked at them with a different perspective first, who knows. Then again there was a time I might have actually ended up in a loony bin so.... I'll take my chances with the here and now.

Here goes nothing!

Getting Down to business

This is a first for me in may ways, I have always been an entrepreneur at heart but I have never gone into business with someone else. And finding someone who knows what the Law Requires in way of keeping New Mexico as our home base while traveling all over the county is something else entirely. I have been told so many different things my head is spinning and I honestly don't think much of it holds true to what needs to be done.

So as of right now we have decided to list the business name as "The Widner Way" and affiliate each division of what we will be doing into separate names. Chalies leather goods and sunglasses will be called "Hogtastic", Cody's temporary tattoos will "X Marks the Spot" and my photography will be called "Promo Photo" the graphic art will be "Cross Road Cameos" the crosses and jewelry will be "Wire Attire" all divisions of The Widner Way.

It seems kinda iconic having a mastermind business under us but for this traveling trade show plan to work out there has to be more than one way to turn a dime. And having one Quickbooks file, one tax ID number, one tax fee and one quarterly report to file seems more logical than trying to divide it all up.

RV Imperfections

When I left the house Sunday morning I was really looking forward to driving the RV home. I had my insurance card in hand and a pocket full of money itching it's way out. 

The 1988 Holiday Rambler Alumi-lite was listed on Craigs list For Sale by owner. A single woman and her daughter had traveled between Florida and New Mexico making a living stopping along the way drawing for wages. Which is kind of what we are planning to do. 

She told me after 3 strokes and a possessive boyfriend she had decided to go back to Florida to be a caretaker while the owners were out of town and her daughter was going to ride there horses and keep them in shape. She was so nice and kept telling me how much they enjoyed traveling and how the motor home had been just perfect for them. So as you can imagine, I was hooked.... line and sinker!

We'll now... where do I start? I can say it was an interesting trip, Melinda, Chris, Cody and I had a nice lunch in Ruidoso we got to walk through a few of the stores in Mid-town, and Cody found a book he was looking for. As for the RV, it was not what I expected.

So heres the listing http://roswell.craigslist.org/rvs/2239813209.html
I noticed she changed the listing from the time I saw it to this ~
1988 Holiday Rambler Alumalite XL Motorhome. 30 feet...Not gorgeous, but runs good.. Needs fan relay for roof A/C, and fuel filter for generator....Couch folds out to bed....has twin beds in back...two way fridge, stove/oven, microwave. Holding tanks are good.....No roof leaks...Serious inquiries ONLY!!!!!

Take a look at it and form your own opinion before continuing ~

I'm sure the seller was upset I decided not to take it but she described it as cosmetically imperfect which was what I wanted something we could put a little elbow grease into and personalize. Unfortunately the "cosmetic" was the entire front fender being mangled at one time. The previous owner had patched the aluminum with fiberglass and lets just say it was not appealing.

Our pictures - Front fender

Looking back now I see that the photo in the ad had been taken a long time ago and looked cropped to make sure no one saw the damages. I would have never, and I do mean NEVER made the trip if I had know it had been wrecked, even if the repairs had been done correctly. She just kept saying it doesn't hurt anything, I told you it wasn't pretty and it drives fine. Like it was no big deal!

Our pictures - left front

But it was a big deal, there is a major difference between "cosmetic - not perfect" and "structural damage" and the more I talked with her the more I found would have to be done. She told me the refrigerator needed work but then she realized it needed propane so it was okay after all, the generator needed a tune up but we couldn't get it started and the fan on the air conditioner needed a sensor switch but she had been using a window unit. She left out the part about doodling a mural and business name along the side.  I had to bite my lip when she said "theres some house paint inside just slap a coat over it if you don't like it."

At least I knew about most of that, I already had the fix-it fees estimated and the costs merited the asking price. The reality was a body shop would have charged more than the RV was worth, the sensor on the fresh water tank said the level was fine but she said the tanks had been emptied. The battery was toast, and so where the 2 auxiliary batteries. All the tires where in terrible shape and every time I asked her about something like the radio, antenna, CB, fans etc. she didn't know if they worked because she never used them.

I didn't know weather to laugh or cry all I could think was 'how could you have traveled in it for a year and not know if these items worked. 

My uncle, bless his heart kept saying "offer her less" but I could see the money pit road ahead, trimmed in duct tape, it was already everywhere you looked. The front windows had even been trimmed out in it, then it had been removed leaving all the frail broken seals exposed, the back panel to the refrigerator had a piece of insulation instead of a door and.... never mind I had better stop there before I tell you how I really feel. 

Needless to say walking away from it was the best decision we have ever made.

And yes we are STILL LOOKING :) the right one will come along.

Less than a day away

Well it's been a really long week and now it's finally time to get some sleep so we can go to Ruidoso in the morning and pick-up our RV...................................................................... FINALLY!!