Ok. Don’t panic. No. We won’t panic. Pull our hair out? Lose sleep? Run around like crazy trying to get things done before one of us is gone for good? Sure. Do all of these. But just…don’t…panic.
What, you ask, could possibly make us come to this stressful place when things seemed like they were actually calming down? Well, we’re moving. We’re moving far, far away. From the sub-freezing scourge of Winter in Upstate New York to the sunny tropics of the Miami, Florida area.
What??????? Did I just say that out loud? Wow. It is really settling in now.
Word of advice…be careful what you say to your spouse. If you simply mention you wish you didn’t have to shovel snow anymore, they may take that to mean they should find a great job in a beach community in South Florida and then achieve that goal in just two months after your offhand remark :-)
Well, sort of. Ever since Mr. McGee and I vacationed in Jamaica two years ago, we’ve talked about wanting to spend less time in the snow and cold each year. But, the last NY Winter did us in. At first, we simply decided we would be sure to be in the Bahamas in mid-February. Just for a recharge before we head toward Spring.
Then, we talked about a four-year plan. Early retirement for my honey at 60, then we’d just move south, buy a place, and get jobs that required less responsibility and easier hours. But wait, I had to open my big mouth and suggest that if the Mr. found a job comparable to the great one he has now, with all the benefits, and in the South…I’d be game.
That was three months ago. He leaves NY next week :-).
We have just been in the planning stages for about three weeks now, and there have already been so many ups and downs and list-making and plans to make and people to contact and communities to research and…and…and.
So, dear MyMobileHomeMakeover.com friends and visitors, I think I need to document this process and share it with you here as best I can, in the event that any of you have experience and/or advice, or you decide to do this crazy thing we’re doing some day.
Our hope is to move South and purchase a manufactured home in a community development where we can have services and amenities at our disposal for a reasonable fee. I will do my best to let you in on our process, the pros, the cons, the traps, the lists, the options, the opportunities, and so much more. And if you know a little or a lot about this sort of thing, by all means, share your comments with each post.
These posts will be on our front page for sure. But I’ll also give them their own page so you can read them like a diary if you’re interested in following along with the process more easily.
As always, thank you so much for your support over the last six years. I have so many projects that still need to be posted for the home we are currently in. I hope to get many of those up soon, so you can enjoy them and dream up some new possibilities for your own spaces.
So, saddle up if you care to, and get ready to ride this ride with us. It ought to be interesting! And yes, we are terrified and excited. Wouldn’t you be?
Please share with us your experiences with making a big move in the comments below. Your advice is really valued here!
Here we go!
The McGees
Best of luck to you guys on your journey
Thanks, Philip!
So glad I found this blog. We too are leaving our current home in the snow country and looks like it is not going to sell so we will be renting it (unless something happens in the next 3-4 weeks) and moving to a mh park in long beach ca. looking forward to downsizing, remodeling from a clean slate, etc., but nice to have some company along the way
Congratulations, Dru! Please come by our facebook page and keep us posted on how you're doing. How is cleaning out your old home going for you? It is a long process here. Emotionally draining and physically exhausting to let go of 25 years of memories and accumulation! We have found a home in a mobile home park as well. It's really lovely but a lot to get used to since we come from wide open spaces with 3 acres of land and corn fields surrounding us…to 20 feet on either side of us to the neighbor's house :-)
I'd love to hear how your managing and getting used to living in your new spaces! Good luck to you and do keep in touch!
Beth
HI Dru. I'm curious how things are going with your move and with renting. Have you found someone to rent your place? How did downsizing and moving go? I'd love to hear your experience!
My journey South is nearly complete. There have been many pitfalls, but some great experiences throughout the whole thing. I can't wait to have a moment to breathe and share here on our blog. I'll be heading South late next week.
I hope your experience has gone as planned and if it hasn't, I hope the challenges were easy enough to overcome.
How exciting! I’m definitely going to follow along. My big question is, have you sold your house?
Thanks, Julie!
We haven't sold the house. We decided to rent it instead. We have a good team in place to be our caretaker, leasing agent, and contractor for big things, so we decided to use it as ongoing income rather than a big load of cash at once. It costs a lot of money and energy and time to sell a house. I don't want to expend much of any of these. :-) We are learning a lot along the way. I look forward to sharing some of it as time allows.
How exciting! Best wishes on this new adventure.
Thanks Allie! We're excited. Things are moving along…lots of decisions to be made. But we're feeling pretty good about it.
Stay tuned. I'll be blogging about the things we learn along the way.