RV Dreams Rally Officially Begins

It's actually Monday,

the Rally is over but

I’m just now having  a few minutes

to look at the pathetically small number of pictures I’ve taken

(too busy having a good time I guess)

and try to put together a look at the

SO many things we’ve done and

the HOW MUCH FUN we had. 

I’ll post these in several entries. so I don't wear you out.

TUESDAY  April 12

The rally officially started on today with a 2pm to 5pm check in.  

We got an RV-Dreams.com bag to keep our RV-Dreams water bottle,

our Sevierville Tennessee Pen and our Rally schedule. 

Gin & Syl gave out T-shirts if you preordered one.  

I have SO many Tshirts that I skipped this one

but it’s very cute and I’m kind of sorry now. 

However frugal and space conscious are the passwords for me.

Dinner was an indoor “cook-out”

with hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans etc etc. 

You know the deal. 

The conference center was full of round tables,

each of which seated 8. 

Each table had a number from 1-22. 

Howard and Linda drew those numbers at random to determine who got to eat first.  

The first number Linda called was “TABLE #3”  

WHOO HOO that’s us!!!  

After dinner and chatting around our table,

David and the others played a “get acquainted” game with tea bags. 

I went back to the rig to chat with Carrie. 

The game lasted about an hour and he was back

saying that some folks were really good

at tossing tea bags up on to their RV Dreams Hats. 

That’s all I really know about it

other than this picture of Dave Crighton

who was the best at flipping from their table. 

Great skill Dave. J

  

WEDNESDAY April 13

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday were  nice easy days. 

But the pace picked up significantly 

beginning with the first 9:00 seminar on

“Evaluating the Options for Fulltiming”

aka “there are many ways TO full time and no RIGHT way to full time”.

Since we've already settle on the "right way" for us,

I took that time to run 5 miles around the campground. 

Boy you have to go around and around

and up and down through every street

and around the conference center

and do it all again and again

to chock up that many miles. 

Gonna have to come up with a better idea for Friday.

The "Right Way" session was followed at 10:00

by a seminar on “Emotional Aspects of the Full-timing Decision”.  

This is a subject not often dealt with in the RV or Full Timing  literature. 

But it is a very important one that often strongly affects

the decision to full time and deserves the attention

it received by the Paynes in devoting a full session to it.

Seminar #3 at 11AM discussed the details of what does it cost to full time and real numbers from their 6 years of experience.  This was the seminar last year that convinced me we could do this.  Especially because for the past 30+ years we have been keeping track of every penny we spend.  Literally every penny.  So now we have great records and can see what areas can be adjusted.  The Paynes have made their finances and open book so the rest of us can see what their particular full timing style has cost them and how it might related to our own lives.  Very Generous!!

After a break for lunch at 1:30 the final seminar discussed the fast changing topic of Internet on the Road.  I was pretty burned out by then so David went but I’m wishing I had gone too since internet on the road is very important to me in keeping in touch with friends and family, doing our banking and finances and of course writing this blog. 

While he was gone I baked a plate of TRIPLE chocolate brownies to soften the sting of tonight's chili cook off.

And of course the cook gets to lick the bowl.

And then the formal education for the day was over. 
We had a nice long break before dinner which was a chili cookoff at 6:00.  
With 160 or so participants there were 26 pots of chili. 

FAR too many for the mouths of the judges to handle. 
So 10 were picked at random for sampling and rating.  
Especially without water to "cleanse" the palate.

We sat at our lucky Table #3
and this time our number was drawn SECOND.  
YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Now that's twice we were at the front of the Line.  :-)) 

Here's the lucky
TABLE NUMBER THREE
Come on down!

 At the table are Bill & Nancy Mills, Gin & Syl, Jo Beth and Catherine and David

In the evening we got together for folks to bring their Favorite RV Gadgets/Toys
for a show and tell.  
There was a wide range of things from recumbent bikes,
to Linda's new stove top grille. 

Here are she and Howard (our hosts)
as she offered to give anyone her George Forman grille
since this one is smaller and she likes it better. 
Space matters in an RV.  J

Paul Dahl's hilarious flippable toilet tissue holder

to solve the under or over debate. 

David got lots of guesses about what this was
but someone finally got it

your handy dandy Rig Ladder Chin up Bar.

We got some good space saving ideas

and again had some great laughs.

Off to bed to get some sleep before another big day.