It’s been a year since we sold our 3800 sq ft house and moved into a 400 sq ft 5th wheel.  In some ways, the transition was not as bad as anticipated, and in others a little more heartbreaking.  Our house sold quicker than we thought so it was a major scramble to get the house empty.  Gratitude goes out to my sister who let us use her garage to sell the last of the items and store items we would eventually want when we finally find our Golden pond.

Some of the positives in living in a smaller area are: cleaning now only takes twenty minutes.  We also had the opportunity to discover what modifications were needed and have the tools to do them.  Once we hit the road, this will become more difficult as we cannot have the extra weight to carry all of my husband’s tools.  It also is an advantage of not having to yell or walk room to room to get your spouse’s attention. The biggest advantage is not spending hours every weekend doing chores to maintain the house.  There is no pool to clean, no expanse of a lawn to cut, or the other million little things that need to get done.

Now, for the negative side of the transition.  It’s going to a laundry mat to wash your clothes or taking a military shower.  It’s not being able to have two people in the kitchen while you cook or not having the big pot when you make sauce or wedding soup.  The biggest emotional aspect was not having the family come to my house for gatherings.  The holidays were the hardest.  No 10 ft tree to decorate, no snuggling by the fireplace with my honey to watch the twinkle of the lights on the tree.  Even my mom said she missed the gatherings at my house.  It’s also hard knowing you did all this but the journey hasn’t started yet.   Work is no longer 2 minutes away but a half hour at best.

My outlook will change once we retire and begin to start checking off items on our bucket list.  When we see the majestic mountains, beautiful parks, and all the glory the country offers, I will know this is what we did it for.

As the saying goes, Home is where you park it.