Happy New Year!

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Here we are, December 31st 2016. Time flies when you're having fun! I still can't believe the huge change in our life since we took the plunge into full-time RV living. Glen's health has improved, my health has improved and we are generally happier and more loving toward each other.

We learned a lot in the 5 months we've been living this life. The first lesson is: whatever life throws at you there is always a solution. It might not be what you expected but you will never know if you don't give it a try. When we became more and more stressed financially and less capable of working because of our health we went through a time of desperation even thinking the only solution would be for one of us to die in order for the other one to live comfortably with the insurance money or the inheritance. Pretty drastic! So by researching different ways of living cheaply I came across a multitude of blogs and vlogs of happy people living in RVs which got me thinking. What if we could do that? Wouldn't it be nice (for me especially) to be able to escape winter weather every year while staying in our own home? Wouldn't that be more affordable than going on a 1 week holiday trying to get some warmth and sun but having to return to the reality of winter in Canada? My health always deteriorated during the winter and I was afraid it would rush my demise eventually. Now here I am, feeling great, healthy and strong and it's December 31st!

The other lesson: Not all black tank treatments are good. That's right. As much as they all claim to do the same thing, they don't. When we first purchased the trailer I had already bought something for the black tank. I bought it from Amazon.ca and it was called RV Digest-It. A liquid, it came in a gallon container that I found room for under the bed. After that was done we were at Walmart and I bought some already pre-measured packets that claimed to dissolve everything and take care of the smell. Well, I ended up having to use 2 packets per treatment as it didn't quite do the job on the smell. It wasn't atrocious but it wasn't good either. So I ordered the same RV Digest-It from Amazon as it is by far the best in my opinion.

Lesson number three: No matter if it's sunny or cloudy or even rains, it's all better in Florida.

Still working on: Reducing our grocery bill. How can two people who don't eat like kings spend that much on grocery? I must admit that Glen does eat a lot through the day but still! So in the next year I have to plan more so we can keep it under budget. We don't throw out much food and I have the wine as an entity by itself. And yes! We can buy wine and beer at the grocery store here! So convenient! And the wine is so cheap! It will be a shocker once we get back home! I might have to give it up for the summer. We'll see.

It was a radical move for us and especially for Glen who still has a 17-year-old son who he misses terribly and he feels really bad about leaving his ex-wife to take care of him. On the other hand, at 17 his son is getting more independent and we would rarely interact with him when he was spending the week with us. For me, I've been far away from my son and my brother for quite a long time so it didn't make as much difference except for Christmas when I would always go to my son's home and spend Christmas with them and have the pleasure of seeing the kids' excitement in the morning when they saw all the gifts. I missed that terribly but we'll replace that with more time with them during the summer. For us, it's been such a great life compared to the options we had if we had stayed that I don't regret anything. Life is too short to just go through it enduring day after day with no joy.

On the eve of a new year, I ask you to examine your life and count your blessings. If you are not happy and feel like you are just existing instead of truly living, please take a stand and make a change. It doesn't have to be anything drastic but sometimes you have to take a big leap into the unknown and take a chance. I've now done it twice in my life and it's been good. Trust the universe to direct you in the best direction. And if all else fails, sell everything, get an RV and start traveling!

All the best to you and your families in this coming new year.