Sharon and I made the transition from living in a “ Sticks and Bricks ” home and borrowing my sister ’ s International pickup truck occasionally for hauling dirt , to owning a giant new custom-made International tow vehicle and hauling our house on wheels from place to place , with little to no stress .
For us , it seemed as easy as stepping over a crack in the sidewalk . For some though , the process can be daunting , like having to bridge a huge gap . Either way , serious consideration needs to be given to all of the details before deciding to make such a significant move .
We both have experienced so many moves in our lifetimes that it seems to be something that must be kept up in order to feel normal . We find ourselves continually searching for something evasive and indeterminate . There ’ s more to do , more to see , more to experience .
From the time I was born until I left my parent ’ s home , my family moved eight times ! Sharon ’ s life wasn ’ t a whole lot different . She was quite young when her father left ( never to be seen again ), and she and her mother moved from one apartment to another five times before she finished high school . Since we were married 49 years ago , we have lived in seven different homes and , including our stint as full-time RVers , in countless locations .
When we first got together , I moved into Sharon ’ s house and put mine up for rent . In less than a year , we decided that her small house wasn ’ t right for our growing family and us , so we decided to shop around for a new house with everything we wanted and needed to raise our children . New housing developments were going in all
over the county at that time , so it was rather easy to find a place we felt would be suitable . So , we put money down on a new home under construction . It had three good-sized bedrooms , two and a half baths , and a large family room where the kids could all play . It seemed to us that it was close to the finishing stages of construction . When you ask a building contractor when they will be done , you should expect to hear an evasive answer . Most contractors don ’ t know the answer to that question , but to satisfy your curiosity , they may give you what I call a satisfying “ non-answer .”
They may say , “ Well , right now , it ’ s looking like it will be a couple more months .” Our brain interprets that as “ it will be done in two months .”
Poor planning on our part . Sharon ’ s house sold within two weeks , and the building contractor told us that “ It won ’ t be ready for another two to three months .” So , by necessity , we quickly packed up and moved into a rental house in a nice neighborhood . We would make do for a couple of months , and there was a big garage for us to store all of our stuff . Ten months later , in the spring of 1973 , our new house was finally completed and ready for us to move in . Great ! Our school-age kids would not have to change school districts in the middle of the school year !
By the summer of 1974 , we were remodeling . We made a mistake in thinking that three bedrooms would be enough for us and the five kids . We did have a plan but really , not a very good one . We outfitted one
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