T-Time: Rockin’ to the 70’s, and Happy Birthday Mike! (4/21/11)

Mike will catch up on our remaining days at the RV Dreams Rally a bit later (maybe by then he’ll have located the USB cord so that he can post some pictures. . .), but in the meantime I’ll jump in and say a few words.

First of all, I’d like to welcome in all of our followers:  Gail and Rick, Jim Smith, Sherry B, Jessica, Donna aka Froggi, Gin and Syl, Charlene Stanford, and David and Maxine English.  We’re pretty new to this blogging thing.  Even though Mike began posting a few entries last year, we didn't get up the courage until last week to make it public, so we appreciate you tuning in from the get-go.  It’s a work in progress, but Mike will be the main blogger in this team with a few chimes here and there out of me.  That being said, I thought this was the perfect day for my first post.

In our transitioning process into fulltiming, one of the issues we’ve discussed is whether we should keep one of our cars as a “chaser” in which I’ll follow Mike for the purposes of extra storage space, more pet caddying space, and the convenience of a smaller vehicle for sightseeing excursions.  If I do follow him, one of the considerations is the fact that I’ll have to do some long-distance driving.  While I’m not opposed to driving, when it comes to long distances we’ve both always been content for me to ride in the passenger seat.  What’s more, if I do chase Mike, which car do I chase him in:  the Honda Element or the Honda Accord?  Though my heart says the Accord (it’s “my” car, I’m used to it, and I love its comfort), my mind says the Element (it has more storage capacity).  One other consideration in driving separately is the fact that we won’t be able to share the views together on travel days – a real downfall in our opinion.  So we used our trip to the RV Dreams Rally in Tennessee as an experiment on this issue.  I chased Mike in the Element to test how well I liked driving it for an extended period, as well as whether I could handle the distance.  We broke the trip into three days with an average of three hours each day.  So how did it go?  On the positive side I discovered that I can easily drive three to four hours with no problem, and in this lifestyle four hours is probably the maximum number of hours that we’ll normally want to drive.  Also on the positive side are the advantages mentioned above (extra storage space, etc.).  On the negative side, of course, is the fact that we weren’t able to travel together on travel days.  I did, however, realize one bonus that I hadn’t thought of:  I got to listen to whatever I wanted to on the radio!!  Mike and I are products of the 70’s, and though we share a love of many of the same musical artists from that era (Steely Dan, Chicago, Doobie Brothers, Steve Miller, ELO, James Taylor, Styx, just to name a few), there are others that I like that Mike isn’t too crazy about (Donny Osmond, Bay City Rollers, and Bobby Sherman come to mind).  So I took advantage of the situation, and rolled down the highway singing my heart out to the likes of Peg, Jungle Love, China Grove, AND Go Away Little Girl, I Only Want to Be with You, and Julie Do Ya Love Me!  Back on topic, however:  Will we keep one of our vehicles for a chaser?  Most likely yes – at least for the time being.  Which one?  The jury’s still out on that one. 

Now on to more important things.  I’m extremely fortunate to count many, many blessings in my life including a loving family, precious fur kids, wonderful friends, and good health.  By far, however, my most treasured blessing came into existence when I was a mere 14 months old, and came into my life at the tender age of 18.  That blessing, of course, is my beloved husband, Mike.  (Yes, I’m 14 months older than him, but I always tease him that no matter how old  I am, I’ll always look younger than him. J)  Mike is my best friend, my soul mate, my protector, my comforter, my biggest fan, my biggest cheerleader, my stand-up comedian, my rock. . . my everything!  Happy Birthday Mike.  I love you.