Year One - Beginning a New Life Together

Been an amazing 12 months since I flew into Milwaukee Wisconsin and picked up and drove “Our Big Tow” back to Philly. Lisanne and I had made basic plans for the first 12 months after we picked up a lovely new-to-us RV. However, we really weren't sold on the idea of traveling extensively in an RV 13 months ago to be honest.

15,890 miles, 24 States, 5 U.S. National Parks, 1 Hanging with the Hanks Gathering, 3 Canadian Provinces and 2 Canadian National Parks later, Lisanne and I have changed our minds forever. We couldn’t imagine living the life we want over the next 15 years doing it any other way.

A little background is that Lisa and I have lived a pretty "traditional" life these past 30 years. We married in the late 1980's, and welcome our first of three daughters a year later. Once that happened, we moved back to the Philadelphia area to be around our very large extended family.

Over the next 25 years, we purchased the home we still live in today, raising our daughters within a single school district and a single Catholic Parish. We, along with our daughters, have made life-long friends and thank our lucky stars that we did not succumb to the temptation to move into the more affluent neighborhoods when we were making the money to do so.

Over those 25 plus years, each of our daughters have graduated high school and college, found a profession that they are passionate about, moved out, married (youngest) and are each living their own adult lives far away from Mom and Dad. And we couldn't be prouder of them!!!! We've done what our traditional upbringing's showed us to do. It's the two of us again, to live our remaining years how we desire.

Now, Two years ago, in addition to being a full time Clinician for a large home care agency in the area, Lisa and I were running a very successful Snap-on Tools Franchise in the Philadelphia area. However, we started to look forward with our collective lives and began to have the hard conversations of what our lives would look like after we stopped working and sold the business.

Are we just going to work until were 65 or 67 and hope we are still in good health? Do we want to travel to any specific places in the world while we still can? Are we going to "die" in this house, or do we want to go through the pain of downsizing now and come up with alternative ideas for places to live? When do we sell the business? When do we want to take SS benefits? When do we want to start consuming our retirement incomes? How much money do we really need to live a healthy, curious and fulfilling lifestyle? Do I really need a Porsche?

Obviously, some questions were easier to answer then others (I mean ya!!! of course I need a Porsche... lol), however, others were not, and some still have yet to be completely resolved.

All I can tell you if your reading this is that the earlier you start to have these conversations with your life partner, or even yourself, the better. And be ready for some of these answers to change as you start to execute whatever plan you have placed before yourself. Change is the "only" constant to expect, not a smooth straight line towards unmovable objects or goals.

For us, this past year, June 2022 through June 2023 has been a whirlwind of excitement, wonder, frustration, bliss, stress, unbridled joy, compromise, confidence, doubt, long drives and amazing vista's. What I can tell you is that looking back on it, it became enormously better then what we had planned. Sometimes that first scary, unsure step leads you to a life unimagined. Take that step when it presents yourself.

What I want to pass on to you is that we are extremely excited for what lies ahead of us, no matter the storms! Think this quote from the '80's still rings true, and sums up our experiences these past 25 plus years.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

True that Ferris, true that. Love