2018 Was A Great Year For Us

So like me you’ve probably heard an older person say, “Honey, times sure flies when you get old”.  You’ve heard that, right.  Well, let me tell you… it’s true.  Now we don’t consider ourselves “old”.  Our 14-year-old granddaughter likes to tell us we are not all the time.  But, we are a little “older” for sure and for us, time seems to crawl at times and it seems to just fly at most of the other times.

Lynn and I sat down and tried to think of all the major fun, most memorable things we did during 2018.  The list is not nearly as big and grand as many have.  No sailing around the world, no climbing a volcano, no sky diving (although my 80-year-old mom did sky dive on her birthday this summer WOW!).  No for us it was just a lot of daily fun and interesting things mixed in with many that are hard to forget.

Winter 2018:

When winter began in 2018 we were where we’d been every winter for the last 6 years, in sunny St Petersburg, Florida.  More specifically, at the Meidera Beach KOA where we had a permanent spot amongst the other snow birds.  During this winter I sold my Gheenoe boat, bought a big kayak so I could be more nimble about where and when I fished.  I returned it within 2 weeks because it did something no boat should do, it leaked… and it was so heavy it was far from nimble. After trying out standup paddle boards last year, Lynn and I decided it was time for us to both get inflatable BOTE boards.  That purchase started our 2018 theme of downsizing and being nimble.  Our winter was spent paddling around in the bayou and bays of St Pete fishing, picnicking, bird watching and playing with dolphin and manatees.  Speaking of fishing, my biggest fish this season was a 10-lb Red Fish caught from the SUP. 

Spring 2018:

When spring came around it was time to head back to our NC home.  This time we knew we were not coming back to St Pete in November so everything came with us.  After a few days of getting everything back to normal in our home our weekly trips and visits with our grandkids began.  We also began the planning of our big summer trip, Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, ME.  We took a lot of day and week-long trips in the truck and 5th Wheel and although we’re pretty good at traveling with it we started feeling like it was just too big to be, well, nimble.

Summer and Fall 2018:

We finally gave in to the nimble urge and purchased a camper van, specifically a Winnebago Travato 59K van.  We felt like this trip to Acadia would be the perfect test to see if we could downsize, really downsize, and still be happy on the road. So we set out for Bar Harbor in our new van. The size took a little getting used to and several mods to make it just right, but pretty soon it was just that… just right.  That trip has been a bucket list item for us for a long time and our time with our friends John and Sharon made it even more special.

Winter 2018:

The cold started creeping in late in October and it was a difficult decision not to head back to sunny Florida.  But, we stuck to our decision and stayed in our NC home for winter this year.  And, we’re glad we did.  Our daughter Jeanna was married and we were able to be there for that.  Our grandson Samuel was born and we were able to be there to witness that and help with our other grandchildren during that time.  And for the first time in 15 years Lynn and I got to see snow… real snow… like 21 inches of snow in our front yard kind of snow.  We were able to spend the holiday season with our family and we were able to rest, reflect and plan.

See, time flies when you get old(er). It did for us.  It was a magical year for us.  One that I’m sure we’ll look back on and cherish.  But we’re not the kind of folks that sit around and “remember”… we like to dream… and we like to “go”.  So in just a few weeks we are going to head back to Florida.  But, this time we’re going to see as much of it as we can from our little camper van as we make our way all the way to Key West and then back up the west coast. 

We hope that 2018 was an awesome year for you as well. Whether you’re out there traveling and living your dream or whether you’re dreaming and planning.  Be diligent and steady and take your dreams seriously and take an active role in making them happen.  If you’re living your dream already be sure to take time every now and then to “whittle” a bit on your dream, making it fit just right with where you are right now on your journey. Most of all Lynn and I wish you happiness and peace and hope that our paths cross out there on this zig zag road we’re traveling on.