My Tireless Retirement – Weeks 225 thru 231

 

I have worked my butt off in recent weeks to get myself to this point.  In the first twenty nine days leading up to closing I sold, gave away, tossed, recycled and donated so much stuff.  I made decisions, some really hard ones, and I won’t lie, there were some tears along the way.  I found a new home for my chickens and that story is so cool I will be writing a separate blog post about that.  I said good bye to our eight year old bunny when age caught up and her health took a turn, I agreed to allow one of my cats, my oldest daughter’s fourteen year old tabby Stella, to go live with my daughter’s good friend from high school and all at the same time I was getting rid of so much more of my stuff.  By the time all was said and done I was down to just what would fit into a single U-haul transport cube, some things in the back of my Subaru and my beloved cat Jack.  It was a crazy and wild ride!

It felt a little strange leaving the closing with only
a car key & a key for the padlock on the U-box

 

Jack handled travel & hotel life remarkably well

On August 11^th at 9:00 in the morning I signed at the title company in Boise and officially made myself homeless, but I had an idea of where I wanted to go and possibly where I wanted to live.  So Jack and I climbed into the car and started driving across the country on a three day multi state road trip.  The U-box with what remained of my belongings would meet up with me later.  We stayed in pet friendly hotels along the way and I ate crap I don’t usually eat.  Se la vie.

 

I found this lovely Mexican restaurant & the food is delicious

When we arrived at our destination I had booked a one week stay at the Quality Inn and that became home while I investigated and made sure this was where I wanted to be and as it turned out, it was.  I had spent enough time in this state during my life to know I wanted to land here someday and although I was seeing it for the very first time, this particular small town in the mountains was exactly what I had hoped it would be.  The small town vibe reminds me a little bit of the town I lived in when I was a young, newly divorced single mom.  I quickly began to appreciate the slower pace and lack of steady traffic.  More importantly, I was able to embrace the peace and quiet.  I could finally hear my ears ring, not that I necessarily wanted to, but I could.

Home Sweet Home 😍 Full tour coming soon!

New keys!

Immediately I was able to make an offer on a potential home I had discovered just prior to leaving.  It was accepted and after an extra two day stay at the Quality Inn we closed and I got to put our things back into the Subaru and check out of the hotel.  We headed to the next town over, only five miles away, and moved into our new home.  I let U-haul know my new address and arranged to have the U-box delivered.  Then it was time to start making this house my home.

 

I brought a box of cleaning supplies in the car with me

I began by cleaning every square inch and making a few minor repairs.  The biggest project I took on was to replace the bedroom carpet.  Once the U-box arrived I was able to unload what I had chosen to bring into this new phase of my life and start to put things away.  There was grocery shopping to do and a couple Wal-Mart runs for some household items.  I also placed quite a few online orders to furnish my home, not the least of which was a brand new bed and a cute little dining room table and chairs as well a brand new washing machine and dryer.

 

Day 1

My initial goal was to simply get things relatively close to where they belong.  I had the U-box for a week so plenty of time to unpack and now I have even more time to organize and settle into a new routine and way of life.  I’m sure a lot of things will be moved around and reorganized as I settle in and figure it all out.  Right now I am able to function so I have no complaints.

 

My new porch rocker, perfect for relaxation

I have begun meeting my neighbors and their respective doggies.  I am also getting eager to explore my surroundings and really get to know this beautiful place I have chosen to live.  So far I can tell you the sunsets and cool evenings are delightful as I sit in my new rocking chair on my new front porch and wave to people as they walk by or enjoy a chat when they stop.  This is the lifestyle I’ve been eagerly waiting for.  Now I don’t have to wait anymore.