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The time has come to take the next step in life so we will be packin' up and movin' on from Oregon to Arizona in the next few months, looking for a new lifestyle and a new adventure. There is supposed to be a fifth wheel, some travels, some Snowbird like migrations and the like soon.

I'm sure there will be surprises along the way but if I try and plan this change to the utmost detail I'll never make the move and that just won't do.

Long winded and obtuse me decided to chronicle this new adventure and share it with all here. What a lucky bunch you are.
:D
:D

But what happened that led me (us) to such a decision?

It is funny how things start to pile up on you after years of stability. In our case, it all starts with a big change that occurred a couple of years ago. I retired after 37 years with the power company in late 2017. I took some time off but was lured back into the workforce by the offer of a six-figure salary assisting a high-tech company with a $3.5B construction and commissioning project. Now that the project has ended I've decided a simpler life in a sunnier climate will suit me just fine.

Working in today's corporation is no fun anymore. Maybe that's a function of my becoming old and cranky. I don't know if that's it or not but I do know I found myself with little patience and even less desire to continue to make my way through today's corporate culture. I will not be going back to work as I don't need to and I certainly don't want to.

Broaching the subject with the better half was intimidating. But she surprised me. She got on board quickly and began talking about all the exploring and traveling we could do. Of course, we'll be back in the Pacific Northwest most summers with our tiny house in tow visiting friends and familywith some exploring thrown in which we never seemed to have time for while working for a living.

So once the decision was made, the downsizing began. Do you have any idea how much stuff you can accumulate in 30 some short years??? Its mind boggling, a bit intimidating and it is difficult to figure out where to start.

So we approached the problem by taking it one room at a time. I can assure you that doing it in a helter-skelter fashion, flitting from one room to another without completely dealing with the room you are in, is NOT the way to work this.

I am not a pack rat but I am married to one. Our start to the sorting was filled with comments like, "I need to keep that. I might need it one day." "Oh no, we can't sell that. It's unique." "Put that in the keep pile. I got it from my Great Aunt when I was 6 years old and I might need it one day." See the pattern here?
;)


Most of the stuff has been in the same boxes it was packed in when we moved to Oregon from Wyoming over 25 years ago. Well, if we aren't using it maybe someone else can. It's sort of a movin' on process I hadn't really considered until it was time to get on with it.

Finally, the pack rat got the message, saw the necessity and became ruthless when making her decisions. Things are moving along pretty quickly now. I had my own struggles with some of my possessions but applying the very same logic helped me move past that.

Selling the SRT8 Chrysler still stings a bit, though. But we'll have no place to keep it and storing it outside in the Arizona summers would have been a disservice to an otherwise excellent car. So it now resides with new owners.

Bye Bye, Chrysler...
:(
:(

[IMG]


And don't get me started on the tool boxes, firearms, workbenches and assorted man stuff. More tough decisions on in my future.

Of course, the audio systems will remain intact and they will move to our new location. You see, one of my new abode selection criteria is to have the room necessary for those systems and that criterial is not negotiable. Oh, and most of my firearms and accessories will accompany us to the new abode. The Mrs. has her own criteria so having a checklist for home selection is supremely important to both of us. ;)

But the sorting and decision phase is moving forward and we'll focus on that for now.

So, there will be more to share later. All we ask is that you take pity upon our poor souls.
[IMG]
 
We flew down to pick up our van we bought off E Bay ten years ago, it was 122 degrees going through the desert coming home! Air conditioning got a real workout and we still were sweating!
You'll have to start logging on to Joe's fledgling SWFA. Still a little thin, but hopefully you can bring on the new friends and coworkers you make and meet once your there and help it along!
Happy Trails
 
Congrats on getting things packed and some items purged. I need to do that as well. It is amazing how fast stuff piles up. Best of luck on your move. Enjoy the nice sunny and warm weather. The good thing is you can still hang out here virtually and of course support SWFA. :)
 
Good luck with the new adventure! If/when I finally leave Oregon it'll be for either ID, MT, or AZ.

Don't forget about Southwest Firearms! :)

 
I'm jealous and envious all at the same time. I've got right around 4 years and 6 months and my better-half and I are popping smoke and heading out of the left coast too.

Congrats and keep us posted.

:s0090:
 
Down sizing is great. Our home arrives next week, the shop build gets started and we need to empty out 3 storage units. We still have too much sh*t. Fishing gear, guns, music gear and project car parts will all remain, but there is plenty in the storage units that will not make it too the new home and shop. No mortgage, low property taxes, less people and more like minded people.

For those considering such moves and down sizing, give yourself two years to do it. We took every bit of that, and want the process to be over with so we can get back to a semi retired life style. We can survive quite nicely on 2 part time incomes and will reduce that to not working at all in about 4 years. Less if I can win the fing lottery.

We are still in Oregon, on the east side of the state where every one hates the valley and its politics. At my age, stressing about the politics is counter productive to how I want to live. I want to fish, target shoot, finish my pickup, play music with friends and explore a lot. Snow birding may be on the horizon too.
 
Working in today's corporation is no fun anymore. Maybe that's a function of my becoming old and cranky. I don't know if that's it or not but I do know I found myself with little patience and even less desire to continue to make my way through today's corporate culture. I will not be going back to work as I don't need to and I certainly don't want to.
Truer words have never been spoken. It's amazing to me how outright toxic and abusive corporate work has become. The problem is compounded by the fact that it is usually the most dysfunctional A Hole that seems to get promoted. :rolleyes:

Congratulations on your escape!

I got a big life lesson a few years back after my mom lost her five year battle with Alzheimers. As part of the process we had to deal with the household contents of a life well lived. Everything she owned and had accumulated over the years because it was important to her at some point. And it's amazing how much of it ended up in the trash or donated. You truly can't take it with you.

I did a major purge shortly thereafter as I got ready to move in with the fiance (now ex fiancé). But getting rid of a ton of crap was one of the best things I ever did. And now whenever I buy something I always look at it from the standpoint of, "what is going to happen to this THING when I die?" I can't tell you the number of times it has stopped my from buying useless crap.

You, of course, have an uphill battle with the wife unit. All I can suggest is to have a "sit down" with her and come up with an agreement. If it hasn't been used in a year...or god forbid 5-10 years, it needs to go. And more importantly, if it isn't something that brings her/you true and meaningful joy, dump it. And dump it now. Because even with this you will be amazed at the things you move, only to dump them on the other end. Women, however, tend to have a lot more emotional attachment to things so I wish you the best with this.

Godspeed and keep us posted as things progress!

p.s.

Where in Arizona are you headed? Or don't you know yet?
 
You, of course, have an uphill battle with the wife unit. All I can suggest is to have a "sit down" with her and come up with an agreement. If it hasn't been used in a year...or god forbid 5-10 years, it needs to go. And more importantly, if it isn't something that brings her/you true and meaningful joy, dump it. And dump it now. Because even with this you will be amazed at the things you move, only to dump them on the other end. Women, however, tend to have a lot more emotional attachment to things so I wish you the best with this.

Very good advice. We have four storage units right now. Two have not been opened or touched in two years. I sure as hell probably do not need the stuff that is in there. Those have probably cost me about $ 3,500. I plan on having a huge garage sale / craigslist FB marketplace any way I can to sell the stuff next year and try to recover at least half or more of that cost.

It was a process that needed to happen with the way our move went, after being 33 years in one spot, having to assimilate my aunt and uncles goods, my parents stuff and some of the wifes when she moved out there. Nobody cares about the aunts 50th anniversary scrap book, the millennial kids do not want anything the old folks had. My old horsing stick salmon poles are useless and will get me laughed off any dock around, better to donate them if they don't sell and take the tax write off. The idea I might need it someday is ludicrous. I have hopefully about 23 or so years left on this earth. My need for various items reduces every passing year.

This is not a her and me thing either. We both know we need to reduce and knowing that we have not seen touched or used some of this stuff in 2 years is a good lesson in its relevance and place in our life.

We have now moved some of this sh*t 200 miles across the state for what reason ??
 
I just moved from Washington to Idaho. Too much to Chronicle on my phone. Was a big move. All went remarkably well. So glad to escape leftist oppression.

Good luck OP. It can be overwhelming at times, but it's doable.
 
I commend you @SA Shooter and your Mrs. for giving it the old college try, lots of give and take to go around but if you're going to RV it then you have to make conscience decisions.

It is something that most folks will not get to do because they always stress with life & will kick off early due to it.

I will have to decide if I want to give up being a caveman and become a civilized man...
Tough choice to give up the days afield.:(
 

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