It's been nearly six months since this post went up, so it's time to report on our progress . . .
1) Our rig was delivered and we're going to take possession of it next Saturday
2) We received our Texas drivers licenses in the mail last week. . . Yeeee-Haaaaaaaw
3) Our individual health insurance policy was approved with no riders, exclusions or up-rates (phew!). Coverage starts in March.
4) We got insurance policies on our new rig and existing car in TX for $130 / yr less than what we're paying for just car insurance in NJ.
5) I'll be letting the fine folks at MegaCorp know of my plans this Tuesday.
6) We sold the first of our things on E-Bay and got better prices than we expected. Disposing of everything that can't fit into a ~300 sqft space is our next big task.
7) On track to disembark in mid-April.
So what originally seemed to be an overwhelmingly large to-do list is getting shorter and more manageable.
One of the interesting psychological aspects of this process has been how many times we needed to recommit to the decision to do this over the past six months. Ordinarily large decisions, once made, are usually made. No matter how much hand-wringing and deliberation takes place prior to a decision (whether for a large purchase, a new job, or a new family member) there usually isn't a good option to turn back once you've decided to go ahead. In this case the original decision was easy and cost free. But implementing that decision required certain actions that incrementally added to the cost of changing our minds. Telling friends and family of our plans created a small embarrassment factor if we ultimately decided not to do it. Flying to Texas to get our drivers licenses wasted money and time. Ordering the RV was a large financial commitment. Actually quitting a good job is harder than dreaming about it.
Before each of those decisions we had "gut-check" moments when we asked ourselves "are we really going to do this." Ultimately the answer always came back "Yes". So we're still on track. But the incremental process was grinding and allowed plenty of time for doubt and second guessing. It's kind of like jumping out of an airplane in stages. Better to just jump and be done with it.
But now at least we're in free-fall, fully committed and going forward come hell or high water. Lets hope the parachute opens safely.