The Journey Begins

Marcia and I met online around October 2010 playing a game called Evony...yes, a War Game. I had been playing it for a year, she had been playing for a little over a year, and our paths met.  Soon, we were talking on Skype together for hours upon hours.  She was in Florida, I was in Arkansas.  In February 2011 we met for the first time, and a few weeks later we were married.  We both had a desire to travel.  I was the Director of a public library, she had already retired.  I gave the Library a year's notice, and here we are...a week from when that year is up (although I will be on a consulting basis for six months as we travel.)

Marcia has MS, and her left side is affected the most.  This has put heavy strain on her right side, especially her hip.  We decided that a hip replacement before we travel might make the trip more enjoyable, so in early February I took her to Florida, in late February she had her operation, and next week she will be out of therapy, the same day that the Library is having a reception to welcome the new director and say goodbye to the outgoing director, which is me, and announce the naming of a Branch Library in my honor. (blush blush)  I wish she could be here, but she is 900 miles away.

In November 2011 we purchased our American Eagle from PPL Motor Homes in Houston.  It is a 1998, and has just under 50,000 miles on it. It has a 325 hp Cummins engine, and is on the Spartan Chassis.  By our choice, we did not want slide outs, and this unit accomodated that.  A friend of ours from the "game", we call him "Tex", lives in Houston, and was a over-the-road driver for many years.  He met us at PPL, and looked over a few units with us.  He agreed that this was the "ONE", and we have not looked back since on that decision.  It is a wonderful motor home.

I head out a week from today, not to Florida to get Marcia just yet, but up to Indiana to get a "lift" put on the motor home from Life Essentials in Indiana.  Here is a image from their website of it.

 
Marcia wanted something that she could stand on, lift her up to the level of the motor home, and then step into the motor home on top of the step well cover.  This will do that, and it will fold up against the outer wall as we travel.  I will be at life essentials on Monday, April 2nd, it should take a few hours to install, and then I will be headed to Florida.  We just hope the doctor will clear her for travel when we see him on the 6th.  If so, we will hit the road immediately after Easter Sunday Services at our Calvary Chapel Church.

Our plan is, if the Doctor allows, to head out to the Sacramento area where my mother will turn 80-something on the 25th.  A few years ago I let her cut my hair to donate the 12" or so length of hair to an organization which makes wigs for cancer patients and others.  My mom was diagnosed with cancer back in the late-90's.  She has been cancer free, well, except for skin cancer, for all these years.  This is the second time I have grown my hair long for her to cut it...and probably the last.  It truly is a pain to have this long of hair.

While in California, where I was raised, we plan to see many sites.  From there...well, that decision will be made later.  Most likely, up to Oregon, eastern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana and make our way to the Chicago area where Marcia has family.  Then back through Arkansas so that I can finish up my retirement papers and see the Doctor who I hope will tell me that my blood pressure had leveled out to a reasonable level, and perhaps cut back on my medications, and I hope to have shed a few more pounds by then too.