Saturday, December 28, 2013

And We're Off!



Holy shit, we are crammed in this gorgeous beast, and let me tell you, it was like playing real life Tetris getting it all in there. Needless to say it was a very strategic process but we managed to get almost everything that needed to go with us in the car and only had to leave behind the non-essentials! Woo hoo!!! And damn, doesn't the Flex look sexy with that Thule on top!

We officially took to the road on Monday afternoon and headed directly to Kanab for a quit pit stop to catch up with an old friend before heading off to Phoenix. And catch up we did, I saw 2am in the morning, I can't remember the last time I was up that late! So thanks Ladd for the laughs and fun; it was a perfect start to our epic adventure!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Beach Clarity


There is just something about the salt air and the sand between your toes that brings so much clarity and allows one to think so clearly. So with that we came back from Mexico and officially hit the road and will just deal with the dice as they roll.

As of right now the house is back up on the market and we figure we will wait and see what happens. If need be one of us can fly back and deal with selling off the furniture or utilizing all of our amazing friends and family that have volunteered to help, but in the mean time we figure why stress over things we have no control. Pictures have been taken of the furniture so we do have a plan and truly feel so blessed to have as many people offer to help us out; we really do have some kick ass people in our lives!

But as for now, The Compagno's are officially road bound, and enjoying the journey so far!

Friday, December 13, 2013

Square One


So what do you do when you get all the way to the closing table, sign docs and then funds never come? You pour yourself a very large glass, let’s say bottle size glass of wine, and you sit down and repeatedly say, “Well fuck, this really sucks!”  Then as you get to the end of that bottle you seem to have gained some strength, a little composure and you start to use other words in your vocabulary other than foul obscenities.  An hour after you’re done with the bottle, you’re no longer angry; of course we aren’t counting the random turret bursts of fuck still flying from my mouth as anger, these are just coping mechanisms and helping me build a new plan, a non angry plan, a constructive plan, one that doesn’t involve me keying somebody’s car plan. So yeah, the Compagno’s are back to the drawing board on the house.

But  all my awesome drunk and non angry planning worked like a charm and it goes back up on the market as of today and for the sake of my sanity, let’s hope it sells to people with more than Monopoly money!  

The real issue and the make a plan part that I am struggling with is the furniture, the previous buyers had planned on buying most of it with their “funny money” and it is still in the house and the kicker, we leave for Mexico tonight, so we’re really restricted on time to get it resolved. We get back from Mexico on the 21st and were supposed to hit the road on the 22nd, but right now I am not sure what that is going to look like since the most rational one I can think of is to come home and have an estate sale and get it sold over that week. Some part wants to leave the furniture here and keep the house staged but then eventually we will have to make accommodations to come back and take care of it, or list the furniture online and find a middle man to take the money and meet them for pick up; but I worry about random people in the house, moving furniture and banging up walls (if somebody volunteers to be our middle man and make sure nothing gets ruined, I promise to pay a sellers fee). Or there is always order another POD, have it delivered on the 23rd and load everything up, but I am just cringing at the idea of paying double the money a month to store stuff. So lots of ideas, just struggling to commit to one, although the practical side of me says delay the trip for a week, and get the furniture sold.

So here is hoping that a week on the beach will clear my head and come up with a strategy that will be best for us in the long run and make the journey a little easier.

So and constructive recommendations and ideas would be helpful and appreciated. Anybody ever have to deal with something similar to this?

Sunday, December 1, 2013

CIAO!

"What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? -it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and its good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies." Jack Kerouac

This last week has been crazy and the reality of actually leaving Utah and the people that have been so influential in our lives has started to sink in. Saying good-bye is hard, ciao is much easier; it gives the hope and promise that we will so those we love again and soon.

Things that I thought would be easy, like giving up work, really took me for a whirlwind this last week. I have taught and trained at Daybreak for over two years now, and I officially taught my last class on Wednesday; I was overwhelmed by the emotion I felt leaving there. I know I only see them once a week, but you'd be surprised how much I care about the lives of my regulars, especially when you have seen them every week before the sun is even up, they're ready with smiles, and wanting the worst torture I can dish out. You learn a lot about people in two years; you see their weaknesses, you watch them progress, get stronger, you hear their stories and you want only success for them. I am going to miss you my Daybreak peeps, you have truly enriched my life! Thank you for everything!!! 

We also had the opportunity to say ciao to our friends and family this week as well; spending Thanksgiving with both Tom's and my family and then a big farewell open house yesterday. The open house and Thanksgiving holiday worked out perfect, giving us opportunity to spend time chatting and visiting with those dear to us, including some that we have not seen in quite a while. So thank you to everyone that came out, you truly made our day. Plus, we totally expect to see each and every one of you at some point along our crazy journey! 

Less than two weeks and two more places of employment (or should I say fun,) to say arriverderci to before we are out of Utah and officially road bound! We are trying to relax and enjoy the journey, but let's face it, packing sucks!!!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Road Warrior

You're looking at our new home! We picked this beast up last weekend and have really been enjoying breaking her in.  This baby is far cry from a Mini Cooper and our X3 and I am still getting used to the size of her. In fact, I've already managed to scratch one of the rims on a curb, yes a non moving curb; mock me if you must.  

This bad girl is really comfortable and offers pretty much any amenity you could think of and then some. We ran a test pack yesterday and it looks like she is going to provide us with plenty of space for everything that we are taking with us, except for the golf clubs, we may need a roof rack just for them..

On another note, the POD is ordered and "Operation Pack Up the House" is in full force, so if you stop by for a visit, you'll have to navigate through the trail of boxes. Also, we will be taking off a little quicker than we had originally planned and with a minor detour due to the house selling faster than we had anticipated. Official launch date is looking like December 13th with a quick stop to Mexico for some R&R and then off for a Phoenix Christmas, let the countdown begin!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Under Contract

Who knew that deciding to live the life of nomads would be exactly what the Universe wanted for us. The stars are aligning a little quicker than expected and today we received an amazing offer on our home, so officially under contract we go.

The downside, we close on December 6th, and need to be out by December 8th; so a crash course in the art of being homeless is also in the cards for us. Thank God for extended stay hotels or Grandma's house, if I can convince her to take all three of us in for the holidays; pretty please, Grandma!

Also, I might be in complete and utter shock right now that this is all really happening; so if you talk to me and I seem to be off somewhere, it might be because I am in the middle of a minor panic attack or I am compiling a list in my head of all the shit that needs to be accomplished in the next five weeks.

Seriously, we are selling our home and getting rid of the majority of our belongings to pretty much live out of a car and travel; if I wasn't adamantly against drug use, I would honestly think we were smoking crack! "What are we thinking?" "Have we officially gone nuts?" These are the thoughts flashing through my mind right at this very moment! And then there is, "this is going to be fucking awesome", and I'm at peace again.

So uh, reciprocity! All those we have helped move over the years, we will be calling in a return favor. Fortunately things will only have to be moved from the house to our POD in the drive way, and hopefully most of the furniture at that point will be sold, so woo hoo! You all are getting off easy! Oh and thanks in advance, we really appreciate the future help!

And last but not least, thanks for all the good energy everyone has sent out on quick sale; we really appreciate it and are so happy to have you all along for this crazy and amazing journey we're setting out on! We love you all, especially Grandma!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Just Listed

This happened today! We are officially one giant step closer to becoming homeless; unsure if I should be excited about this epic step or if I should cry. This has been our home for 14 1/2 years and deciding to let go of it has definitely had its emotional moments; we have some amazing memories here and letting go of the house that built them is tough!

I think about all the Halloween, Birthday and Christmas Eve parties that have happened under this roof; there has got to be close to a hundred people that have felt at home here enough to literally pass out in our spare bedrooms, on the couches or anywhere the floor looked most comfortable at 2am.

The additions and the improvements that we've added to make our home unique and ours; the basement, the giant deck and the crooked doggie door that Tom installed (btw, this makes me smile every time I look at it); all the little things that make it special because of the love that was put into them, they will all be missed.

Then there are those moments of panic, the what-the-hell are we thinking flashes that pop into my brain on a regular basis; all the "what if's" that could go wrong. Ugh! We truck on though, we work through the doubts, knowing that we can always come back and that home is wherever we are as a family; that the memories reside in us and not in physical things, remembering that change is good and that we have one hell of an amazing journey ahead of us!

So send good karma that the "Compagno Hotel" sells quick and to somebody that will cherish and love it as much as we have. 


Sunday, October 6, 2013

Hoarding????

Some may call it hoarding, I just like to think that I have organization down to a science!

We have started going through files and cleaning out things that we have not used in years, the slim down before the real packing commences. During this purging I might have realized that I hold on to things way too long, I mean, doesn't everyone still have taxes from 1993? Needless to say, the shredder has had a meltdown due to the vast amounts of shredding I have put it through. By the way, side note here, Shred Masters is my saving grace right now!

I have decided that living in one place for almost fifteen years, may not be a good thing. Why? Well, you keep things, things you totally think you'll use later, then surprise you never did and you're left pondering, "why in the hell did I ever hold onto this!" Things, like taxes, that I didn't realize went back twenty fucking years, totally blaming my awesome organization skills on this one; so easy to just put the new file in the back of the filing cabinet and not even think, huh, maybe I should remove the year that is now out of the seven year window. Oh and would anybody like a manual or the warranty to my last blender? If so, it is neatly filed and organized and yours for the taking!

I don't even want to mention the amount of visits that Tom and I have taken to Deseret Industries in the last few weeks, I will just let you know that they might know our names and recognize our SUV when we pull up. Carts circle the vehicle and the workers eyes might light up like it's Christmas morning; although a few more visits and they might be giving me the number to a therapist to discuss my hoarding, uh I mean, organization!

It has been so liberating to get rid of stuff! We both were talking yesterday about how much lighter we are already beginning to feel and the freedom of not be tied down to things brings a person. It has been a very refreshing and cleansing experience for both of us and we aren't even to the big items yet! I can't wait, every little thing we get rid of gets us that much more excited for the road that lies ahead! 

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Test Drive

Is it possible to hot rod in a mini-van? We took to the challenge yesterday when we went hunting for our new travel vehicle; that's right mini-vans, you read correctly!

We scoped out the Honda Odyssey, Chrysler Town & Country, Toyota Sienna and the Ford Flex (not a mini-van, but way cool). The goal, to weigh the pros and cons of each of these lovely vehicles over the next few weeks and decide which is going to work best for our needs.

We need a vehicle to provide as a home base, a place to put everything we will be taking on this journey across North America over the next two years, and comfort is key for those long drives! Cargo capacity is a huge element, hence the mini van route; I know, we are still coming to grips with the idea of driving, let alone, owning a mini van!

So if anyone has personal experience with any of these gems and wants to chime in on the good, the bad and the ugly of each; we would greatly appreciate the feedback.

On another note the house goes up for sale on the 16th of October and pretty much all furniture will be up for sale, so if anyone wants dibs, speak now or forever hold your peace.


Sunday, September 15, 2013

Slowing Becoming Reality

Shit is becoming real; San Antonio in January and New Orleans in February, booked and paid for. Still coming to grips with becoming nomads and having no permanent residence and all the planning that is going into this epic two year journey across the United States and Canada!

Currently compiling a list of everything that we need to accomplish over the next few months is a little overwhelming and daunting; its the details that we want to make sure we have completely figured out. Where to send mail, getting the house listed, purchasing our new travel wheels (one that will accommodate all of Bonnie's shoes), insurance and what State do we pay taxes to? These are just a few of the things we are currently trying to sort through and solve before heading out and leaving Utah.

We love to travel, but this is so out of character for both of us; the not having that home base to land. Instead we will have a car, what we can load in it and the road as our home and maybe that is what makes this such an exciting and terrifying act all at once!

So please bare with us and send us your feedback and advice over the next few months while we prepare not only for the logistics, but mentally for the great road that lies ahead of us.