Yes, you read the title correctly. We have officially become homeless. You see, we figured since we will be gone for several months, that it did not make sense to have dual expenses (on the road and back home). We made a conscious decision to begin marketing our homes for rent. This was a tough decision to think that we might not have a home to come back to!

After about a week, Bernard called me and said, ” I have to be out of my house by the 25th of June and I will officially be homeless.” He found someone who wanted to sign a one year lease on his house. Wow! It was actually coming together. Bernard went into hyper mode, finishing the flooring, packing boxes, installing trim ,etc. As if there wasnt enough to do preparing for the trip. Just one more thing to do.

Angela and I began lightly marketing our home, with little enthusiasm. It is an unsettling feeling of renting your home, and not having a home to return to. However, we felt financially it was best. After a couple of weeks, we only had tire kickers, so it seemed we would not be renting our home after all. At the same time a little cottage in Sumter Forest, South Carolina presented itself. We decided to buy the house, “just in case”. It needed updating, but would work for a place to land when we returned.

All of a sudden we received a large amount of interest in our home. We actually showed it and decided on a qualified family that was excited about the home. The timing was just right for them, and for us. All of a sudden, with only two weeks left, we were faced with packing our belongings up, moving most to storage and the rest to the “new” cottage. The problem, other than the obvious, was that the cottage was not ready to move into.

We began immediately focusing on the renovation of the cottage. As would be expected, the want list grew rapidly, as we realized, we would be living here when we returned. This would require a substantial downsizing. So we have gutted the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. Yes, I said “bedroom”. That’s not plural! The cottage is only a one bedroom. The upside is the fact that it will be smaller areas to renovate. The down side is….well, didn’t you read the sentence prior…? We gutted the kitchen with only two weeks until we were to embark on this monumental expedition! So on top of preparing for the trip, packing our house up, moving into the cottage and a storage unit, we decided to perform our own “Extreme Makeover”. This should be fun!

Right around the time of the decision to put our house up for rent, Angela received a call that her Dad was being rushed into emergency surgery in Michigan. We scrambled to locate an airline ticket to get her up there as soon as possible. After checking several airlines, it was evident that tickets purchased on short notice require a premium. Fortunately, my cousin, was able to set us up with a great deal through her airline. Thanks Kendi! Angela was able to make it up there the next morning early and be there when her dad came out of surgery. She stayed for the week, to be there for him and help out her mother. When I called Angela to inform her that we had a family that was going to rent our house, she said “hold on a minute, I need to go throw up!” The realization that we would soon be homeless set in. The good news is that after a week, her dad is resting back at home, and Angela is also back at home.

For those of you following, we were also scheduled to meet with the writer from the Augusta Chronicle today, Kelly. We decided to meet at Starbucks for our interview for the article she is writing about out trip to Central America. It was a pleasant meeting and we were pleased with our conversation and the ease with which Kelly, made the interview. We are anxiously awaiting the article, as the photo shoot was a success (see previous entry). We were able to get the pictures in between torrential down pours of epic proportion. We will post a link to the article when it comes to print. We anticipate it will be available in the next week or two.

All in all, everything is going very well. We have decided to move the departure date one final time to July 9th 2012. This will give us the necessary time to make the moves from our houses. This has to be the last date change, as I have made resolve to be in Central America for my 40th birthday. That will fit nicely, as I turn 40 on July 19th! Stay tuned for news of our departure and the excitement as the preparations continue.

I leave you with one question: You have dreams, what are you willing to do to reach yours? Would you go homeless? Will you do whatever it takes?