Well, hello there friend. It’s been a while.

I once heard someone compare life to an ocean, it hits you in waves. I, once again, experienced a BIG wave that knocked me down. Actually it kind of felt like tsunami, a catastrophic ocean wave. Let me explain.

The Plan vs Reality

THE PLAN: Step 1- move out of house and into van placing belongings in storage to be sorted through. Step 2- sort through belongings to sell, give away, donate, or trash leaving only sentimental items and what I will need. Step 3- save, save, save, and buy items needed to modify van. Step 4- complete van build out. Step 5- give notice to quit work and hit the open road!

REALITY: Setback 1- My son/family were unable to find a place to rent so I moved into a room at the hotel where I work while they slept in the van. Setback 2- My son fell asleep at the wheel after driving a coworker home at the end of their overnight shift and my van was totaled. Setback 3- I could not find any vans that fit the age/mileage for approval with my bank loan. I ended up purchasing a 2017 KIA Sorento, which I love but cannot live in.

Where I’m at now

It took me some time to come to terms with reality, where those events left me, and what my choices were. I was now homeless. I did not have the finances to replace my vehicle and afford to move into a home. I spent most of 2024 between sleeping on my cot at a tiny shelter house, sleeping at my daughter’s house while visiting (Bend), and sleeping in my car or at a hotel. I finally found a room to rent that I could afford in an area I am ok with. I’ve been there just over 4 months and am still working on getting some furniture I need to make it the cozy nook I want it to be. It’s going to be a ‘work in progress’ for a little while I think, but it’ll get there.

I worked hard and saved and went on a cruise, 2 actually. I may write a post about them eventually, after all that’s one of the categories of this blog, but for now I’ll just give you a quick rundown.
CRUISE 1: Oct 4-11 2024, Royal Caribbean: Navigator of The Seas, 7 nights departing Los Angeles and cruised to Ensenada, Cabos San Lucas, and Mazatlan, Mexico. I took my grandson, Sebastian, on his 1st cruise and also shared a cabin with my BFF Dana and friend Christine. My daughter, Tori, went with the rest of her family in their own cabin and my son, Dakota, went with his fiancée in their own cabin.
CRUISE 2: Dec 6-9 2024, Royal Caribbean: Navigator of The Seas, 3 nights departing Los Angeles and cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. My son, Dakota, booked this cruise because he was not yet 21 on the 1st cruise and he wanted to go again once he was 21. I originally planned to cruise with my older son, Dylan, and granddaughter, Hazel, and my ex, Doug. Dylan and Hazel were unable to go so I ended up bringing Sebastian again and my nephew, Dayvon. This was a 1st cruise for Doug and Dayvon, and 2nd in 2months for Sebastian.

It’s been just over a year since I’ve posted anything. I’ve thought about writing repeatedly over the past few months, it just sometimes takes me too long to actually take action despite my desire to do it. But here we are, getting that ‘return’ post done. Hopefully from here it will be easier to post and catch you up on everything else, there is SO much going on. I often tell people I have a minimum of 100 open tabs in my brain that I am constantly shuffling through, we’ll catch up. Eventually.

For now, I’m glad to be back. And I hope I haven’t lost you.
If you’re new, welcome to my craziness.