Back in Iowa and changes ahead

The Birthday Girl!

I've been contemplating this post ever since we arrive back in Iowa. We got here by way of Smith Center KS where we had some work done at the Excel Service Center. A new air conditioner, gray tank, slide seals and adjustment and we were on our way.  They do a great job there but it was definitely a bill.
Our spot outside the bay at the service center



I'm 4!!
Add caption
We arrived back in Iowa in time for both John's birthday and our granddaughter Evie's 4th birthday. It has been so great to see her, Mitch and Jen again. Soon we hope to see our older son Gabe and his wife Melissa. They live in NW Iowa and hope to make it here in a couple weeks. It's also good to see old friends again. A good friend Steph is recovering from chemo and it was so good to see her and hear her CT scan looked good at the end of treatment. My BFF (as the kids say) Trudy and I are back to regular coffee sessions and have a trip to Galena planned next week for her birthday. We have already taken in one Kernels baseball game and had drinks with Brian and Mary. All in all a busy few weeks. Still have other good friends to connect with  so will probably stay busy for awhile yet.

Evie and Pops ready to party
So did I mention changes? The last few years we have contemplated staying in Iowa for a time to be around Evie, but in the fall we were ready to take off. This year Evie had a year of health challenges and that has made us revisit that choice to stay. Also we know that in a few years she will be more into her friends than us so maybe we should take advantage of this time. I would also like an opportunity for Evie to get to know us better. Every year it's like get to know you all over again but now that she's a little older if we are here for a time I think we can change that.

We are not through traveling or RVing though this will be a year of deciding how we will do that. There are so many places we still want to visit and places to return to and I am one who suffers from the wanderlust. So this may just be a pause in our full time journey or we may RV differently. We do know that in the next few years a different RV is in our future. This one is over 7 years old and starting to have issues and if we continue to full time I think we will get a larger rig, I really crave a little more space. There is the chance that we will decide to be snowbirds and just take longer trips, in that case a Class C or A may be a better choice. We have been doing a little looking and researching on both. The looking is always a fun adventure.

So some of our time since we have returned has been looking for a place to live. There is no rush  since we can stay in the parks until at least mid-October, maybe longer if the weather stays nice. That gives us plenty of time. One place we have been trying to check is the Newbo area in downtown CR. They have been building a lot of apartments and condos trying to develop a community there. Some of those are scheduled to open in November. The frustration is getting anyone to respond to our inquiries. We have called, emailed and sent a message thru Zillow and have gotten no response. That seems like a strange way to do business but we will keep trying at intervals to see if they just aren't ready yet. It is a little pricier in that area and we do have budget but I think we can swing a one bedroom there. We also have been driving around looking at other possibilities. Being close to Mitch would be nice so we can help with Evie if needed but CR is small enough that is not essential. The other perk we would like is somewhere we can get on the bike trail to get downtown or to walk to get to services. May not find all of that but we have time.  We have found one place not far from the bike trail that has underground parking that will even fit the truck and is very nice. If we don't find something in Newbo area it may be our choice but we will keep looking.  If any of our Cedar Rapids readers have any suggestions, please feel free to let us know.

So life is a little crazy here but isn't it always an adventure?  I do have some other blog topics I would like to delve into so you may hear from me in the near future. We've been full timing for 7 years now (as of April 1st) and I think that deserves some thought and some daydreaming on the areas we still want to visit.

Until then...............................Happy Trails!

Comments

  1. RuthMay 10, 2017 at 10:22 AM

    Happy Belated Birthdays to John and Evie!

    I can totally understand your desire to settle down in one spot for a while and be able to spend more time with Evie, I sometimes think about this myself but the wanderlust is still too strong in me. We do however try to get to see the grandchildren at least twice a year if not more and love spending as much time with them as possible.

    I hope you can find a nice place to stay in the interim that is also affordable.

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 10, 2017 at 10:46 AM

    I was not surprised to read this post. Time moves along so quickly and where our children and grandchildren are concerned, in a blink of an eye they are grown and moving away from home. Embrace your time with your children and beautiful little Evie.

    ReplyDelete
  3. owensontheroadMay 10, 2017 at 5:06 PM

    Changes are always fun even if a bit thought provoking. We've found ourselves here in California a lot longer than normal, but it's great to be by family so long. I am starting to get serious hitch itch, but finding a workamping job sort of limits where we go next. 2 more years and I can get SS, so that will help a lot when looking for a place to stay.

    Good luck finding a home base there. Evie is getting so grown up!

    ReplyDelete
  4. RV Khronicles of KevelynMay 11, 2017 at 6:07 AM

    I can't believe how big Evie has gotten. She's such a cutie!! I can fully understand your desire to be near her and help Mitch. Hopefully everything will come together for you and John, and you will find a great place to rent and enjoy both worlds. Come see us in Yuma in the winter and Wisconsin in the summer!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chuck and Anneke's RV travelsMay 15, 2017 at 9:33 PM

    Five years ago, we made the decision to give up fulltiming to spend real time with our two smallest grandchildren. While I still miss the fulltime lifestyle, it was the right decision for us. We have a really good relationship with these two grands. So glad we made that decision! We still travel a lot but home is where the grands are.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Urban Life

Image
The view from our balcony I have been thinking about this post for awhile. When we are not traveling I find it hard to sit down and write but I have wanted to tell you about our new digs and what living downtown has been like for us. Another balcony view We moved into a one bedroom apartment on the west side of the river in the downtown Cedar Rapids area. This is a brand new building that actually they are still working on. The first floor is businesses, floors 2 and 3 are apartments and floors 4, 5, & 6 are condos. We love the building. Every apartment and condo has a balcony that looks out over the river and the McGrath Amphitheatre. Our little apartment in this building is 767 sq. which, after living in our 5th Wheel for 7 years, seems huge. We feel these apartments were well thought out. The kitchen is wonderful. It has a large island (all  solid countertops - quartz I think) with a large sink and plenty of seating room . We started by buying 3 barstools but found
Read more

Time for me to learn to drive this rig.

Image
Trail at Squaw Creek park Yesterday we moved back to Morgan Creek park (about a 15 mile drive) and I drove the rig! We have always said that I needed to start doing this but I never seem to do it. The first year I think John just felt he needed to get proficient at all the driving & parking things before he had me do it and then we just got lazy. It was just easier for him to do it. Recently friends of our that we met in Tucson, John and Terri had a very harrowing experience that reminded us why we both need to be able to drive this rig. John they think had a seizure while driving, luckily not towing but still it is amazing that they survived it. What this meant is that now Terri had to do the driving back to their former home town Sacramento and like me she had not done much driving. She did great and they are now coming off the road and starting a new phase of life. All of John's test look good so far and we wish him the best and hope that it was just a one time isolated
Read more

Three plus years of full timing....what have we learned

Image
Zion National Park,  Utah, December 2010 Harris Hawk at Sonoran Desert Museum, Tuscon Feb. 2011 When we left Cedar Rapids it began our 4th year of living and traveling in our RV. The last three years have flown by and we are still not ready to go back to a sticks and bricks life. We have traveled a lot of the western US but even with time out there all three years there are so many places we have yet to discover. This year will be our first going south and east, all new places for me and many new ones for John. I think one of the things that I learn every time we find somewhere new is how beautiful this country is. If you slow down and take the time you will find amazing things everywhere. I think the thing I appreciate the most about this lifestyle is that freedom to take it slow. BLM land near Quartzite, AZ in January 2011 Putah Creek, Winters CA in Jan.2013 Crater Lake, Oregon, fall 2012 Diamond Lake, Oregon, fall 2012 When we first took off we were
Read more