RV Hunting

This past weekend Larry and I went to the Pittsburgh RV show. I've discovered even after 40 years of marriage, you can learn a lot about someone when retirement nears. Talk to anyone who has experienced the life changes that come with retirement and they will have lots of tales to share with you!

We are no different. I'm not worried about retirement. One thing I think makes the transition easier is if you both make a big change. As for us, we plan on moving to North Carolina which means that we will both be developing new daily routines and making new friends. HE won't be 'invading' MY territory, which seems to happen a lot. In fact, when my brother-in-law retired, my sister, who had been a housewife most of their married life made a conscious decision to retire as well. For her, that meant throwing out the To-Do list that said, "if it's Monday, it must be laundry day". Instead, each day was a new day to plan out and some days, they planned together. Other days they did their own thing. It was a smart plan.

North Carolina appeals to us because of the mountains, the seasons, but AND the short winter! Besides buying a mountain home, Larry also would like to buy a large 'home-away-from-home' style RV. I think I would like it as well. I've always imagined this as a possibility because Larry's favorite form of travel is driving.

The RV show was interesting, but we've found we don't need to go for long. We have narrowed our interests enough that we quickly identify the pros and cons of each one we look at. He looks at the bed size, the placement of the TV, the couch, the kitchen table, the construction, the driveability, and the size of the shower. I look at the kitchen, the storage, the size of the bathroom, the floor space, and the convenience or usability of the space.

I can tell Larry is really ready for retirement. He talks about it all the time. He spends most of his spare time searching on-line for the perfect house or the best RV layout. However, it seems that the closer to retirement he gets, the bigger the RVs that we are looking at. The houses in North Carolina that he eyes on the internet, seem to be getting bigger too. As for the RV, as long as it has the specifications that I want (workable kitchen, decent storage, bathroom big enough to shut the door when I'm in there) I don't care how big it is. I will learn how to drive it, but he will do most of the driving. I'm going to have to rein him in when it comes to the house! After all, even after he retires I'm pretty sure I know WHO will be cleaning it.

All this talk about retirement means it must be just around the corner, right? Not exactly. He still has 3 years to go. Could be the hardest part about retirement just may be waiting for it to arrive.