Guy, I have spent the last few years getting rid of about 90% of my worldly things. I had sooooo much crap I didn't need when I moved here to SLC. This city was just a stepping stone... A place to move to get out of the hole I was living in. So I brought everything I owned with me and shoved it in a storage shed. A HUGE storage shed. Took me like 3 years to get rid of all of the extra junk... Now I'm down to a tiny storage shed with the stuff I'd like to keep... Stuff from my childhood, my "keeper" books, etc. (I've gotten rid of around 1,000 books at this point - it's crazy!) I have a list on my computer of the things I will need, and I've been enjoying myself picking up the few remaining things here and there. It's funny how something like a spatula can make you happy. I did not buy the tiniest RV out there, because there is ZERO storage in them, and when you're living in it, you need a bit of storage space. I really wanted a 23' model, because I think they have the perfect amount of storage, but didn't really want to pay to haul that much space around, so I compromised and got a 20' model. It's small, but it has areas to use for storage inside. Plus, I dig the setup because with bunk beds, I can clear one off if someone wants to hitch a ride with me (friends, I mean... I'm not picking up scary hitchhikers). I don't plan to live in it the rest of my life. I am just moving into it to save myself rent money. I am currently keeping a blog about fixing it up and stuff, and plan to keep the blog going indefinitely, as I'm living in the RV, and whatnot. I can't wait to get a good video camera though, so I can take decent footage of what I'm working on. I don't plan to live permanently in the RV, like some people do. My plan is to stick around here for the next 6 months or so, living in the RV in a familiar place while I'm working to save up money, and then head back to the coast. The goal is to find a place to settle down that calls to me. That place has big trees and is within a reasonable driving distance to the beach. Good community, good people. I am hoping I'll know it when I see it.
Here's a link to the blog. Forewarned - there's a lot of babbling about the dogs. They will be going with me on the journey, and so they're an active part of the blog.
http://tideeyed.wordpress.com
Frenchy, Col said something similar to me just a couple days ago. *lol* I am not planning on heading back to the Midwest at any point. If you decide you want to ditch out on your mom, you could hitch a ride away from her though. There IS a BC breeder in Kentucky whose dogs I really love, but who doesn't ship, so you never know... *lol* You're a good person. We've always told my mom that if she turns insane and evil when she gets old, we're going to dump her at the old folks home. She says, "You wouldn't dare!" We just laugh and say, "Try us!" Haha!
I do think that living in the RV here in SLC for a while will be good for figuring out exactly what I need and what I don't. And that will work well, because anything I don't need I can then drop at my storage shed, and anything I find that I DO need, I can pick up. But I'm usually pretty thorough, so I don't foresee anything too weird popping up. Girl Scout for lyfe!!!