How does one write a blog post after how many years? I am at home. Tonight starts a government stay put order for the next couple of weeks. So, I will be home tomorrow just like I have been since my retirement February 29th. I am into week four of said golden years.
Before my retirement, when I was not at home, many asked me, “so, what are your big plans?” Hmmm..... Big Plans? Plans and they have to be big? That question seemed a bit daunting and in the middle of the night, there its nasty head surfaced – I started losing sleep. I did not want to be weird, I should come up with something. After all I needed an answer that made me not look like some kind of weirdo, I need something that made me look intentional, retirement worthy! It did not take to long but after some thinking and scrambling for a plan...a big plan...I remembered that I have always kind of wanted to travel across the United States. It was not a deep heart felt goal just something I thought about now and then. It was just an idea. I figured that was as good of a big plan as most. So, over Christmas break I bought a well used minivan with 122,000 miles on it. That purchase was after considering, hoteling – to expensive, tenting – to much work, couch surfing...as my relatives called it Mennoniting across America. The trouble with that last idea, I am not a Mennonite. So, I came up with the van idea. Like all of my great plans, there is never a down side.
So here I come YouTube – Pinterest – Google – and deep thoughts. A minivan camper build out! How fun will that be? Needless to say I got excited. I soon realized I was way more excited about a van build out than the actual trip. Five days went by, I got no more than 2 hours sleep each night. My brain would not stop spinning. Two weeks went by, I got on the scale and I had lost 11 lbs – Yikes!!! Am I sick? Or could I really be that excited? Just to be sure I wasn't sick I pounded ice cream for the next few days and to my relief I gained back three pounds. Yahoo....I am healthy!!!
I am just about finished with the build out and now here I sit with this Shelter in Place thing and no where to go. What's a fellow to do? I guess I can show you some pictures of my work.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgktrnQMEJ-_5Jwa-CHj2TRxAwm1YmCzhO6IX4pDV-XXP0ogizfdGzF-CsWnY9GHPQVEWrgOYHzKvwOns6tQ27tgJfpqC3XXHLUonO2EC_ISSGZ5avP4z_n5ecd9KSahr0SUm4gT4Nf7SQ/s320/Slide+out+bed+frame.jpg)
Slide out bed frame
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyjLBEhujBNHDqlkSua-2m8KkqwMTbjRenwr4k6visnLW1W0oJ7INn2XER7GVOcMu6aCktvmSOlegvJonLUJI-SBG_mMTPsmR0kCaIZEz_vnC3AaviH77S2c5peZFSiiAVm1We97gRvQ/s320/Bed+-+Couch.JPG)
Couch and Bed
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-vjw7qbni3ZnKbAj_ygqd0ONoxm_8ylp_miixOw1nznZFyqf9dhqR4zd8-k0pRtG8O1GL965o6WisaLE4w4A2kdM266mGior4n8f8TjyW_vysGTokGt3Dc05qQqMt_u6D-lz4TtB6rE/s320/Clothes+Cabinete.JPG)
Cabinet for clothes and storage
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJXifC_2NR99ZvYXV3JS32poyG6OrkAL3pw7PHvQzxrTpQgaBYSp-MeOdkrM-JPhU6hsl_O4i_22RgyholZPZHspRe45qc_9pGHUOMhJQYxDYBZDo3K_00gAwUUu0O6kH_d2sZWTzCnA/s400/Kitchen+storage.JPG)
Kitchen area
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqNoh4LsBrAYlf3vAVoKai_Uu9G76ZHNtOYf35jJJlsCK3OZe1s-bYpPeKpx57X7zdsilWnbIxkSPaOc68uRB3hyL4XGifrrdPU6C8gic3cU5eR0biWIsHZmSS-UW7QJfpM__s8GJ2aI/s320/Computer+table.JPG)
Table - lifts out, folds up and stores under bed