8/15/15

Downsized and Happy!

 

The title says it all!  It has been a heck of a ride but we did it!  Now we are beginning to enjoy our new home.  Phone photos are the best way to show our summer. 

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June 8th, 2015, this is the depressing reality of our new outdoor space.

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First splash of primer on the old kitchen walls.

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The kitchen/living room wall comes down.

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Bedroom floor after carpet is removed.

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 Ceiling braced before header beam installed.

2015-07-01 15.30.19

The beam is up…loving the open space!

2015-07-10 10.10.25     2015-07-10 10.17.21

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Meanwhile, back at the old home, piles of unwanted stuff start accumulating. Our criteria for keeping something:

1. Do we love it?       2. Is it necessary?

2015-07-11 09.06.25

2015-07-11 09.07.31

Our first look at the new floors. Wow!

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David removing hinges.

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Rockers relocated from old porch to new porch.

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The painting begins!

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And ends.

2015-07-20 18.34.42

The Escape finds new parking.

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  Our furniture arrives.    Bellhops move us.

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The new fridge arrives….now we can eat!

2015-07-26 18.25.57

Princess moves with us…still looking for her new home.  Sheba, the Siamese, finds perfect loving new owners. Sylvester, the camping cat, adjusts to his new smaller space.

2015-08-01 08.06.24

Small improvement to back yard.

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Woods behind the house.

2015-07-31 07.22.162015-08-03 07.53.41

Our daily walk.

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David enjoying our first outdoor meal. (Two days ago)

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Before photo…spot for our storage building.

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2015-08-15 09.03.15

And now.  It is being built as I type this post.

We will resume camping soon!  Heading to Knoxville next week to get the Andersen WDH and hope to camp a few days before returning home. Rally time will start the end of September!

My goal for this post is to document our summer and to give hope and inspiration to those who are continuing to downsize.  We are living in 3 rooms plus a bath and utility room, less than 975 square feet, and I have never been happier!  There are absolutely NO REGRETS!

Yes, it has been a roller coaster of emotions…picking every object up and asking “do I love this?” But the rewards are huge! 

Good luck to all..go after those dreams!!

16 comments:

  1. Can't imagine how you can be jealous! Living in that adorable southwestern home with the lovely citrus trees out back! It's good to hear from you...hope to see you two when we get back out to our adopted home around AJ, AZ.
    Thanks for all of your support!

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  2. Know you're glad it's almost over. Everything looks great.

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    1. So glad!! And we are amazed with the way it turned out. Ready to get back traveling soon.

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  3. It is all worth it. And you two are proud of what you accomplished, one can tell. Looks really great.

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    1. It has helped to watch others go down the path of their dreams.
      Hope you will be enjoying some down time soon. Love how we can stay connected with NM through your blog.

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  4. I'm sweating and out of breath just looking at your photo's and reading all that you Guys have accomplished....looks terrific!....and most important, you're Happy with the trail you've taken!...Horst sends

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  5. Thanks.

    Not sure how we will manage to slow down after running this treadmill all summer. But ready to find out. Good to hear from you!

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  6. Fantastic job ... really looks nice. Since my house has less than a 1,000 sq ft living space, I guess I can count that as downsizing ... lol

    Even a parking spot for the Escape is nice plus. I liked following your process of downsizing.

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  7. Thanks, Steve. Yes, I guess you had already downsized when you got rid of your unnecessary stuff.

    I would not want to have a permanent living spot any smaller. Although the trailer space is less, we never seem to feel uncomfortable.

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  8. YEAH for you two. Although the memories of the summer's marathon efforts will always sting a bit, the satisfaction of getting all those ducks lined up like you want is SO SWEET! And now extended trips away will be so much less worrisome.

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    1. Yes, you DO understand! We sure don't want a repeat of last winter's home fiasco with the septic tank.

      Good to hear from you...hope you both are feeling ok and life is good in general.

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  9. Doesn't it feel fabulous to be on the "done" side, looking back?

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  10. Fabulous! And unwinding in the cool breezes on top of Mt pisgah.

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  12. Fabulous! And unwinding in the cool breezes on top of Mt pisgah.

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