“A Year in Review”

Well here we are – the holidays. We started with Thanksgiving, and are now headed to Christmas and New Year’s! Although I really enjoy this time of year – mostly because we visit family – it is a tad sad because our family lives in the COLD! Yep – they all seem to think living where the weather is in the low 20’s and high teen’s is a great place!

Which means little to no golf for us until after the New Year!

So here we are, “Mooch-Docking” in our family’s front yard, while we spend some time catching up, making memories and being thankful.

Each year about this time, I find myself focusing more on gratitude – about giving thanks and acknowledging the good things I have as well as my ability to withstand the bad ones. I guess you could say this is the time I begin to “reflect on the past year”.

And this past year has been a full one for us.

We started off the year in the Florida Keys, where we golfed and enjoyed the spectacular warm weather. We spent some time in Texas with family and central Kansas for RV repairs. We traveled the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on our motorcycles and we once again participated in RAGBRAI as we road our bicycles 500 miles across Iowa. We even attended a Heavy Duty Truck rally, where there were 100 RV set ups like ours!

All along the way, we continued to golf and check off states on our Golf Bucket List to golf in all 50 states, with 27 stickers now on the map!

At each stop we met up with family, reconnected with friends, and continued to meet new friends. This RV lifestyle has made our travels so much easier.

So much so, that this past October, we made the big decision to sell our “bricks and sticks” and hit the road FULL-TIME! Yep, we did it. We have given up our permanent “home-on-land” and traded it for our “home-on-wheels”!

For us, the choice was easy!

Here’s what I have learned so far about being on the road in our RV:

• Life is more simple. RVing has reminded me to not take anything for granted – strong wifi, nice showers! Those are total luxuries. Life is so much simpler on the road and I am reminded daily of just how little I need to be happy.
• Life is less expensive. I can decorate for the holidays on a ridiculously cheap budget.  I just spent $15.00 at Walmart and we are now decked out for Christmas.
• Life has become a nonstop adventure with fringe benefits like more leisure time with loved ones, as well has meeting new friends. Actually, I think RVing is like speed dating for friendships.  Invite someone over for a cup of coffee and see how long you can stand being with them in a small space.

Many of our family and friends think we are crazy and keep asking us why would we give up our lovely home for living full-time in our RV? Our Answer….

We decided to choose adventure instead of comfort, and it’s made all the difference in the world.

I wish I could tell you there haven’t been any times when I was scared or unsure about our situation. Believe me, I’ve doubted myself quite a bit actually. But looking back over the past year, I’ve grown more as a person than I could have ever imagined.

Yes, things are always breaking, life is hectic, and we always have a GPS running because we never know where we are! There are times when the slides on our RV won’t let me reach all of my underwear or the bearing blows on the tire over a holiday weekend. Yeah….that was a hard day. But I am constantly being pushed and growing because I am always doing things out of my comfort zone.

I have found that this lifestyle has taught me to value experiences over belongings, and relationships above work.  At the core of it, this is what our lifestyle is truly about. Not about buying lots of things. Not about having a big expensive house or car. Not about following the same path as everyone else. It’s about valuing things that truly matter, like spending time with my family and experiencing the world together.

I have also enjoyed sharing our golf experiences with you!   

As 2023 comes to a close, I find myself full of gratitude for every one of you who has joined us on our golf journey. 

Since this is the last article of 2023, I thought it an appropriate time to remind our fellow golfers the importance of chasing your dream, no matter how close or far away it seems.  We become what we think about the most so never stop chasing your dream!  It won’t always be easy and sacrifices will be made, but I am confident you won’t regret it, even if it doesn’t go as planned.

We’ve been planning 2024 and a golf schedule is starting to come together, which includes more travel across this great and wonderful country of ours.  We will be striking the ball north, south, east and west!

And I can’t wait to share it with you!

My Reads from the Reds – Happy Holidays!

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting.    Written by Kathy Festa