And this is why Plans are really Intentions

If you started at the first post and worked your way up, it's time for the reveal of how the plans are playing out. They aren't. Complete and utter changes. But, that's quite okay, these last few days have tested my ability to control or vastly, a lack of any control. Best intentions for reality rarely come to fruition. It is instead how you handle the variables. That ultimately determines success. Apologies for the length here of the post, I’ll tighten up with a daily cadence here shortly.

Jump to the last paragraph for the lesson, the rest is just the details.

Thursday went well. Flights went smoothly, landed in Carlsbad, CA with a fun text from Amana Man, great friend and my host during my stay here, Ed. He works at the airport for a company that has a hanger there. I guess he knew I landed by the video he took below.

Fun to know he is on the Tarmac for my arrival, able to just watch a plane taxi to the gate is kinda cool to me. Something felt a bit forbidden about it, but of course, it's just part of his job. Spent some time seeing his workplace, plus a few really cool planes. Grabbed some Mexican food for dinner, got to his place, met his wife and of course by that time, I was ready for bed. Got an absolute killer night's sleep. 

Friday brought the fun. Was able to use my friend's vehicle for the day, drove down to the Pacific Beach area of San Diego and took a client call plus spoke to my manager about possibly getting my job to go remote. It's been the one wish I've had throughout planning this journey. To be able to supplement the trip with income instead of savings would be perfect. While I'm waiting to go see van #1, the owner of van #2 sends me a voice memo. Basically, he's had a change of heart, doesn't want to sell the vehicle and of course, was extremely apologetic. I hop on the phone with him, we still decide to meet in person and I keep our scheduled appointment. 

Meanwhile, I drive to view van #1. It's a nice vehicle, DIY project, which you could tell. Of course, all of this wiring and such is foreign to me, I'll learn as I go I'm sure. Get a sense of the van and thank him for his time. My real desire in coming here was the next van and now, I've been told I can't buy it. Hop on the phone with a close friend and we start talking options as I'm sitting at the gas station. I float the idea of a rent/lease thing as an alternative to buying, maybe he'll go for a 90 day term to buy. It's a good option, hang up and head to see the next van, which is a few miles away. Park, walk a quarter block to the coast and just take it in.

This photo does no justice for the landscape

Tough to be stressed taking in the view. I think through some options but decide to let it go and just be real with the guy about my intentions.

The owner meets me at van #2, gives me the tour and we start talking. He also built it himself, during a pretty impactful time in his life relocating from PA to CA. We share some similiar life events, get to talking, he doesn't seem like he wants to sell. So I float the rent to own idea. We also talk about a 1 year rental, which, he decides to ponder and I leave without a deal in place. Head to a coffee shop close by, grab a drink and talk to another client at work.

At this point though, I’m a little shook. All the plans are falling apart right before my eyes. The mind goes in dozens of different places trying to recalibrate and then the emotions. I drive up to Oceanside, have a late lunch salad, a beer and some contemplations at a restaurant downtown.

My thinking juice

I meet the owner of van #3 a few blocks from the restaurant, it is the highest priced van by a good margin ($10K), take a look at it and decide ultimately it doesn’t have what I want. Probably would have been the smoothest ride but the bed felt tiny, the cabin lacked a lot of the amenities. On the plus side, I bet the power sources were never going to let you down. He texts me after and says he’d drop the price $8K but in the end, I was holding out for the van I really wanted.

Picked up Ed from his work, stopped off to pick up a few items and headed home for a great shrimp scampi. After, went next door and had a bourbon plus a cigar with the next door neighbor, Ken. Met him last time I was in town, had a good evening catching up and was able to secure his golf clubs for the round tomorrow.

Ed (L), Ken and I

I get back to the house, receive a text late from Travis, the owner of van 2 and he shares that he’s willing to rent it out for a year, shares the cost and I ponder it for the evening. There’s pros and cons to everything, best decisions for each of us. Ultimately, I wanted this van and even if I would not get an asset with the funds, it gives me some flexibility and no need to sell the vehicle once I am finished with it. I sleep on it, just in case. I’m running dozens of scenarios and realizing at worst, I take a one way flight back to Charlotte and reset the search.

Saturday we are out the door before 6 AM, tee time before 7 AM and it has Ed, myself, Kenny (another Amana man) and Tony dew sweeping. I play good, not great, we enjoy lunch at the course and during the round, I text the owner to let him know I agree to the terms. It takes a while, but he finally responds that he’s busy, needs some time to figure this out and I’ll hear from him later today. I complete a background check for him while on the course and we’ll see what happens.

Now that’s a view

After the round, it’s a heavy nap and then I head to Oceans 11 to gamble with Kenny on some table games while we follow Tony around who is a dealer there. Great time, good to catch up with both, I could have broke even but put a big bet on at the end for Blackjack and ended down $100. Good entertainment value, I’ll take it. I drive back, talk to my guy Kasey for a bit, grab a burger at In-N-Out, make it back to the house and still, no response from the owner. I decide to let it be and go to sleep.

Sunday morning I decide to walk about 2 miles to a commercial area and have some late breakfast via an Albertson’s, then do some To Do’s at a Starbucks outside. Lunch at a Jersey Mike’s and walk back to the house. Football starts up, watch both games and during it, I text the owner to see what the story is. Finally hear back, he’s in for the transaction, sounds like he wanted to talk to someone about the details but couldn’t get that worked out. We set a Noon pickup for tomorrow. Had a nice ham dinner and went to my room after, to decompress.

Which brings me to today, Monday. I’m sitting outside on the back porch, typing away in 60 degree weather, listening to some landscaping and sipping a coffee. Plans? Completely wrecked. Emotions? Fully stable. Which is a complete surprise to me. Would have been easy to freak out that things didn’t go my way. Communication was less than ideal. That I couldn’t control the outcome. But, I was good with it. Because, as my friend Ed says, “nothing’s fucked” and he’s right. So in two hours I’ll leave the house to get a van. And, he’s absolutely correct, I figured it out in the end.