Hello, Hello, Hello! Yes, we are “on the road” again! We left Columbus June 16 and our first stop has been Minnesota. It was hard to say goodbye again to family and friends, and we appreciate all the well wishes from you all!
It didn’t take us too long to remember how to do this “RV thing” again. It probably took us longer to hook up and prepare for take-off than normal since we were a little rusty, but I think we’re back in the groove now. We do love our RV and life on the road. It makes us happy! Gerry did not miss a beat and has adapted to his back seat palace just fine. Really, the back “seat” of our truck converts to a very spacious doggy palace that has been outfitted with multiple doggy pillows, toys, food and water bowls and things to chew on. He even has a doggy puzzle that he uses his nose to find treats in compartments to fight any boredom. 🙂
One reason we came to Minnesota was to visit with Guy and help him launch a new business. I’m happy to report (for so many reasons!) that he has formed a new business, Aspire Sober Living. We have formed a partnership with him and have purchased a house that will be a sober living home. He has been a live-in manager of a sober house for over a year now, and wants to own and operate his own. Sober homes are very common here in the Twin Cities, they are independently owned businesses that provide a sober living environment for residents in recovery. A safe and supportive environment to live in, usually after leaving a rehab treatment facility, with like-minded persons to help each other.
Guy has put a lot of work and thought into making this happen. And we found out the housing market in the Twin Cities is incredibly competitive! Houses are flying off the shelves around here! But the stars aligned and we found the perfect house and won in spite of 6 other bidders on the same house. The house had been a “catagory 2” house which means it was condemed for habitation. The sellers did a total rehab on the house as a flip. It has 6 bedrooms and 3 baths and will house 7 residents plus Guy. Guy said, “How fitting…a house that was condemed, rehabed, and now will provide a home to people in recovery, rebuilding their lives.” Really.
So we have been super busy looking at houses, going through the offer, cross your fingers and wait to hear if you won the bid, inspection, etc, etc, etc process for the last several days. We’ve also been completing the zoning applications, drawings and other requirements for the sober housing certification. All has gone smoothly and is on track for a fall opening.
In the meanwhile, we have also been fortunate to have met and getting to know Guy’s girlfriend, Katelyn. What a delight she is, beautiful and smart and as warm and friendly as can be.
We’ve been staying at an RV park a little over an hour outside the cities – there are no RV parks in or very near the cities. In spite of the driving, which has been significant, we have loved staying here. It is right along the freeway, but once you get down the drive way you enter a beautiful 40 acre oasis with a lake, lots of trees, very well spaced RV sites and very nice owners. They have paths mowed all around the lake that we have enjoyed strolling and Gerry has loved running on. Tons of birds right out our window every day.
We leave tomorrow morning for the Denver area. We will spend a few days staying near Samantha and visiting with her. She moved there the end of May, after college graduation. More on that later when I give you an update on that visit!
New beginnings indeed! And beauty really is all around us, sometimes in the most unexpected places.
