The sun came out today, so we were doing the happy dance. 

TRIP TO TUPELO
Spent most of the day in Tupelo, Mississippi today.  They have an impressive Viet Nam Veteran Memorial Park.

Tupelo is also the proud birthplace of Elvis Presley. He was born in a two-room house that his father built for $180.  I also learned that Elvis was a twin, but his brother died at birth.  Elvis lived in this simple home with his parents until he was 13 years old.  At that time, his parents and he relocated to Memphis Tennessee.  

George shook the hand of the young 13 year old Elvis

I was jamming with the Rock Star!

TRAVELING SOUTH
We left Shawnee National Forest Tuesday morning and made our way to Whitten Park Campground in Fulton, Mississippi. These are the states we drove through:

Ok, I missed the “Welcome to Tennessee” road sign, so this is the best I could do. 

Whitten Park is a beautiful Corp of Engineer wooded campground overlooking the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Sites are level and paved, with 50 amp service and water spigots at each site. They even have laundry facilities so I was able to do a few loads this morning. So convenient!  This is our site:

With our senior pass, the fee is only $11/nite. Quite the deal!  We had sunshine and 60 degrees yesterday. Trees are starting to blossom out.  Eager for Springtime. 

Today the clouds and cooler weather returned. We visited the Corp of Engineer’s Historical  Center which is on the grounds of the campground:

Watch out for those snakes!

GARDEN OF THE GODS
We went on our first official sight-seeing excursion today.  We drove to a part of Shawnee National Forest called Garden of the Gods.  (Thanks, Sue, for recommending this).  This part of the forest has gentle rolling hills, spectacular cliffs, and tucked-away caves.  We were planning on taking our dogs, Licorice and Taffy, on a trail walk; however, there was a warning sign that the trail had steep cliffs. We didn't want to chance the dogs falling off, or pulling us off any cliffs, so we decided to walk them around the picnic area away from all potential hazards.  We then left them safely in the truck, and George and I explored the trail. 

Pretty cool landscape right here in Illinois!  

LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN
2/19/2020
Well the house sold within 5 days of going on the market!  So, this is the week we are beginning our adventure as full-time RVers.  Packing up all our belongs in preparation for this huge move.

Lots of things.  How are we ever going to fit all these things in our 35 foot fifth wheel?  This is what is keeping me up at night!

2/21/2020
9 am:  Wouldn't you know it would be one of the coldest days of the year when we were packing up the camper?  7 degrees this morning, with sub-zero wind chills.  But we were determined to get on the road.  The sun was shining brightly as we left Bartlett.  It was an emotional day.  Hard to say goodbye to family and friends, who gave us such a warm send-off, each of you in your own way. Thank you for sharing your time with us and extending your help to make this a smooth transition.  Thank you for the special gifts we will treasure always. We are truly blessed to have good friends and family wishing us safe travels.

4:30 pm:  We made it safely to Lake Glendale Recreation Area in Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois.  It's a beautiful campground in a pine forest.  We're the only campers here, along with the camp host.  Very quiet.  I guess not too many people go camping in Illinois in February!  Maybe because it was only 21 degrees last night?  After figuring out how to move all the valves to the right position to de-winterize the camper, and managing to problem-solve why the furnace and hot water heater were not working (important things to function when it's 21 degrees)--we blew the circuit breaker when we put on two electric heaters, coffee pot, refrigerator, microwave, and hot water heater all at the same time with only 30 amp service--we made a path through our "stuff" to maneuver our way around and cleared off the bed so we could sleep. The place was a bit of a mess to say the least.

2/22/2020

Today was spent sorting, organizing, and putting things away.  I can't believe we found space for all our things!  We're all settled in now and the 5er (that what the RV folks call a fifth-wheel) is clean and cozy.  

Now the fun begins!  With the anxiety, emotion, and work surrounding this transition behind us, we now can devote our days to exploring, appreciating, and relaxing. I plan on delving into journals and books people gave us, and learning how to stream entertainment in the RV.  I'm trying to keep up with the millennials!  We'll be here until Tuesday, when we will move on to Fulton, Mississippi.  That'll be a stop-over on our way to Ocean Springs, Mississippi.  Looking forward to warm sunshine as we travel south.  

  

REALITY 

When the realtor sign goes up, reality sets in.  We went to the store this afternoon to pick up a few things and when we returned home, this sign was up.  I have to be honest--I felt a few butterflies in my stomach when I saw it.  A little melancholy but also eager to move on with our journey. 

OFFICIALLY ON THE MARKET!

Our home is officially on the market as of today.  We already have a showing booked for tomorrow!  Take a look: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/637-Morning-Glory-Ln_Bartlett_IL_60103_M85929-36997#photo0