King & I

Never Say Never

I’ve heard it often enough and said it myself a time or two. Despite my earlier decision to stop blogging, I realized that I had more to say. So, I decided to start over again months later. This time around, I will be blogging with our son (figuratively) by my side, and I couldn’t be more excited. King and I are going to continue to explore the USA in our RV and I will continue to write. Our son is going to stay in Michigan taking care of the Web page and all that goes with it. (Maybe, he says, he will join us on the road one day). I’m not holding my breath but, never say never.

Our Back Story

For those who don’t know our back story, it’s been an interesting journey. It started 47 years ago. Two young college kids deciding life as they knew it would end if they did not get married. We had no money, part-time fast-food jobs to pay the bills and graduation a small target in the distance. It’s not something I would recommend to the faint of heart. Against all odds, we have made it to today and have accumulated enough memories to fill a library, never say never!

King’s professional journey took him from teaching to school administration, while I worked as a newspaper reporter and editor. We did all the normal parenting stuff – t-ball, Little League, basketball, volleyball, horses. We went to school conferences, watched our children become adults and welcomed grandchildren and great-grandchildren into the world. Never say never, right?

Traveling on a Budget

Never say never again. Four years ago, we reached a turning point. We decided to forego the traditional path and embrace a life of adventure on the road. To make this happen, we sold or gave away everything we owned and bought a house on wheels. You’ve probably noticed our peers. The grey-haired couples with a huge fifth-wheel trailer. Or with behemoth motor homes as they gas up at the Love’s Truck Stops. That’s not us. We are the ones in the 40-year-old 20-foot travel trailer with daisy decals on the side. Also, the duct tape sealing the leaks, and we live off our social security. King’s pension and our summer work-camp jobs. With no savings to speak of and – ever the children of the 1970s – live on love (or tolerance).

Our Next Chapter

We spend our summers in Michigan where King does lawn care at Kal-Haven Outpost. It’s also where we live from April to October. It’s close to our sons so King gets play lots of golf. I work in the campground store. In the winter we take off for California where we do Grandma and Grandpa duty for our daughter’s twin sons. In between we visit national parks or stop to admire the world’s largest ball of twine.

Eventually, we will reach a point where we can no longer continue. We will then need to figure out our next chapter. It’s just the way we roll. Although I’ve said it a time or two, I’ve learned to never say never!