My name is Melissa Davis. My husband Matt and I hope to be future fulltimers. With some luck and lots of determination, we're aiming for sometime in 2014. This should allow us time to pay off all debt and save cash to purchase an RV in full, no financing.
We are young. I am 32, he is 34. I lived in Moorhead, MN (Fargo, ND) until June of this year when I was given the opportunity to transfer to Omaha, NE with the company I've worked for during the past 5 years. We own a house in MN but have friends renting.
When I was younger, it was very important for me to never become complacent. I loved adventure, travel, and meeting new people. Then I graduated college, got a well-paying job, and a mortgage. I also got deadlines and 50+ hours of work per week. I really like my company, my coworkers and even my boss! But, I always have the nagging feeling at the end of a 12 hour day that all I've done with my day is work. I don't get outside... it feels as if the day did not even happen. I feel like I am neglecting my wonderful relationship, my health, and my spirituality. I know in my heart that when I am an old woman, I will look back and think, "How I would give anything to be 32 again!"
The move was a huge change. The adventure reinvigorated us! It reminded me of all the possibilities in our life. Every time I heard about someone living full-time in an RV, I've always been jealous and thought, "Let's do that when we're retired someday!" But after reevaluating our lives, we came to an important decision. "Let's do whatever it takes to make this happen! Let's not count on longevity." What if, in our old age (assuming we reach it!), we aren't physically capable of living our dream?
My husband is very computer savvy and we're looking into him working tech-support from home. As for me, I work in management at a call center and have found numerous companies who allow their employees to take calls from home. Some are even management positions with benefits! Regardless, we would take whatever type of work that would allow us to follow this path.
We don't plan on children, but will take our two cats in tow. We're new to this, and we hope to attend the 2013 Spring Rally to get some hands-on advice and experience. (I have to wait until the 1st of the year to register... to ensure I can get time off from work!) In the meantime, I would love any and all advice you think would be helpful. I would especially like to hear from other young couples who have embarked on this adventure.
I'm excited to be here. Thanks to everyone for participating in this forum. So far, it's been a wonderful resource!
Melissa & Matt
P.S. Below is a poem that moved me when I first read it at age 17. I distinctly remember printing it, to remind myself to follow my dreams and never let fear obscure opportunity. I forgot about it entirely, then found it again 15 years later when we were moving. It was like finding a remindered addressed, "Dear Future Self"!
__________
George Gray
I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me—
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire—
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.
Edgar Lee Masters
Trabuco said
11:02 PM Nov 19, 2012
Welcome Melissa & Matt,
It sounds like you have done your homework! Entering into fulltime without debt is the way to go if you can.
Attending the spring rally would be a benefit as well.
Ask all the questions you want, many here will be happy to answer.
Terry and Jo said
03:17 AM Nov 20, 2012
Melissa,
Welcome to the RV Dreams forums. You will find a lot of knowledge within the minds of the folks that participate here along a whole wide range of topics from the types of RV's to the possibilities of working online to support one's lifestyle.
While I won't say that you will have difficulties in achieving your dream as stated above, it could very well be challenging for you to find a way to work from the road with the skills that you mentioned above. However, since humans have an ability to overcome challenges, it is entirely possible for you to achieve what you want.
In that, we wish you well.
Terry
Mark Serley said
03:18 AM Nov 20, 2012
hey melissa and matt, nice to see someone else somewhat assured by logging in on their own true name, actually i'm very computer illiterate, but trust me , this site is the site to be a part of! i've logged too many hours of perusing and i still look for more. these "family" members are just like the other rver's you will meet out on the road, only more so there to help in ALL aspects of the rv life. good luck with all of your choices, oh to be 32 again, patti and i are both 59, wishing you the best!
VanMar said
04:06 AM Nov 20, 2012
Welcome to the forum Melissa and Matt. That was one of the neatest intros I've read!
Vance
PIEERE said
04:41 AM Nov 20, 2012
Mellisa and Matt: You will find this forum to be one of the very best on the internet. People here truly do care about one another. Feel free to ask many questions; if we don't have the answer, will find some one who does. Pieere
Lucky Mike said
09:29 AM Nov 20, 2012
Welcome to the family!!!!......................
Melissa Davis said
04:35 AM Dec 3, 2012
Thanks everyone for the kind words and welcome. :)
Wayne and Deanna said
06:07 AM Dec 3, 2012
Melissa and Matt, Welcome! We joined this forum only recently ourselves, and this site has been invaluable to us! We are so pleased to be part of this rv family, and wish you all the best as you learn and share here too.
Deanna
bigboomer said
05:14 PM Dec 3, 2012
Melissa and Matt,
Good luck with your dream. Although we are a little older than you are now (51 and 52) we pretty much started our FT planning about 12 years ago and have never looked back. We finally just got to the same station of life you seem to be at where you figure to pull the trigger and do it and so after carefully planning each move we finally listed the house in the beginning of this year and after 6 months, 5 offers and 3 contracts later finally sold the S & B in June and closed on August 10th to start our next chapter in the book of life with no going abck to re-read any chapters! We are now 4 months into it and love every second. Each day brings unique experiences and changes but we now know that we did the right thing. While I am still working FT and we are fixed based for a little bit in the NE, Sue will be looking for a workamping job for next spring which will hopefully help further cut expenses and give here some opportunities to expand her resume in the RV workamper world.
We have found the key to our success is research, research and more research and whether it be on this forum or others we know that there are many more folks who have been doing this a lot longer than us with far more experiences than us to draw upon. The great thing is that for the vast majority they are more than willing to share those experiences so that those of us can learn and continue to pass this knowledge forward!
Wishing continued success,
Les
nervousnewbie said
07:44 PM Dec 3, 2012
Wow! That poem struck right at my heart! Thanks for sharing. Lisa
Hello Everyone!
My name is Melissa Davis. My husband Matt and I hope to be future fulltimers. With some luck and lots of determination, we're aiming for sometime in 2014. This should allow us time to pay off all debt and save cash to purchase an RV in full, no financing.
We are young. I am 32, he is 34. I lived in Moorhead, MN (Fargo, ND) until June of this year when I was given the opportunity to transfer to Omaha, NE with the company I've worked for during the past 5 years. We own a house in MN but have friends renting.
When I was younger, it was very important for me to never become complacent. I loved adventure, travel, and meeting new people. Then I graduated college, got a well-paying job, and a mortgage. I also got deadlines and 50+ hours of work per week. I really like my company, my coworkers and even my boss! But, I always have the nagging feeling at the end of a 12 hour day that all I've done with my day is work. I don't get outside... it feels as if the day did not even happen. I feel like I am neglecting my wonderful relationship, my health, and my spirituality. I know in my heart that when I am an old woman, I will look back and think, "How I would give anything to be 32 again!"
The move was a huge change. The adventure reinvigorated us! It reminded me of all the possibilities in our life. Every time I heard about someone living full-time in an RV, I've always been jealous and thought, "Let's do that when we're retired someday!" But after reevaluating our lives, we came to an important decision. "Let's do whatever it takes to make this happen! Let's not count on longevity." What if, in our old age (assuming we reach it!), we aren't physically capable of living our dream?
My husband is very computer savvy and we're looking into him working tech-support from home. As for me, I work in management at a call center and have found numerous companies who allow their employees to take calls from home. Some are even management positions with benefits! Regardless, we would take whatever type of work that would allow us to follow this path.
We don't plan on children, but will take our two cats in tow. We're new to this, and we hope to attend the 2013 Spring Rally to get some hands-on advice and experience. (I have to wait until the 1st of the year to register... to ensure I can get time off from work!) In the meantime, I would love any and all advice you think would be helpful. I would especially like to hear from other young couples who have embarked on this adventure.
I'm excited to be here. Thanks to everyone for participating in this forum. So far, it's been a wonderful resource!
Melissa & Matt
P.S. Below is a poem that moved me when I first read it at age 17. I distinctly remember printing it, to remind myself to follow my dreams and never let fear obscure opportunity. I forgot about it entirely, then found it again 15 years later when we were moving. It was like finding a remindered addressed, "Dear Future Self"!
__________
George Gray
I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me—
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire—
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.
Edgar Lee Masters
It sounds like you have done your homework! Entering into fulltime without debt is the way to go if you can.
Attending the spring rally would be a benefit as well.
Ask all the questions you want, many here will be happy to answer.
Melissa,
Welcome to the RV Dreams forums. You will find a lot of knowledge within the minds of the folks that participate here along a whole wide range of topics from the types of RV's to the possibilities of working online to support one's lifestyle.
While I won't say that you will have difficulties in achieving your dream as stated above, it could very well be challenging for you to find a way to work from the road with the skills that you mentioned above. However, since humans have an ability to overcome challenges, it is entirely possible for you to achieve what you want.
In that, we wish you well.
Terry
nice to see someone else somewhat assured by logging in on their own true name, actually i'm very computer illiterate, but trust me , this site is the site to be a part of! i've logged too many hours of perusing and i still look for more. these "family" members are just like the other rver's you will meet out on the road, only more so there to help in ALL aspects of the rv life. good luck with all of your choices, oh to be 32 again, patti and i are both 59, wishing you the best!
Welcome to the forum Melissa and Matt. That was one of the neatest intros I've read!
Vance
Welcome! We joined this forum only recently ourselves, and this site has been invaluable to us! We are so pleased to be part of this rv family, and wish you all the best as you learn and share here too.
Deanna
Melissa and Matt,
Good luck with your dream. Although we are a little older than you are now (51 and 52) we pretty much started our FT planning about 12 years ago and have never looked back. We finally just got to the same station of life you seem to be at where you figure to pull the trigger and do it and so after carefully planning each move we finally listed the house in the beginning of this year and after 6 months, 5 offers and 3 contracts later finally sold the S & B in June and closed on August 10th to start our next chapter in the book of life with no going abck to re-read any chapters! We are now 4 months into it and love every second. Each day brings unique experiences and changes but we now know that we did the right thing. While I am still working FT and we are fixed based for a little bit in the NE, Sue will be looking for a workamping job for next spring which will hopefully help further cut expenses and give here some opportunities to expand her resume in the RV workamper world.
We have found the key to our success is research, research and more research and whether it be on this forum or others we know that there are many more folks who have been doing this a lot longer than us with far more experiences than us to draw upon. The great thing is that for the vast majority they are more than willing to share those experiences so that those of us can learn and continue to pass this knowledge forward!
Wishing continued success,
Les
Lisa