Are We There Yet?

People have asked us “What’s up with the Almost There name?” Where did it come from? What does it mean? Are you ever going to get there?! Well, the answer is YES, MAYBE 🤷🏻‍♂️, and possibly, NO. It’s actually kind of an interesting story. So, sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip …wait, that’s not really appropriate – considering how much we cruise 👀. So, in a galaxy far, far away… nah, not right either – although life feels like it sometimes! How about…Here’s a story, of a lovely lady, who was busy with – hmmm, getting closer actually. Okay, for reals – Once upon a time…

…In an ordinary midwestern city, two young kids met and became the best of friends. They enjoyed each other’s company, spoke freely to one another, and traversed the course of puberty, adolescent feelings, and hormones. It mattered not that one was a beautiful, smart young girl, and the other an awkward, tall, bumbling boy. Wait, I guess you know this part of the story already (if not, go back and read our blog posts from the beginning 😉), but hang with me, I’m getting there. 

Little did they know, but destiny was taking shape. The girl, not so secretly, adored the boy. She laughed at his jokes and goofy antics, wrote him notes, and sheepishly hinted at her feelings. The boy… was clueless. HOLD ON…not true. He liked the girl very much and wanted to be around her all the time. He said dumb things, showed off, wrote notes back to her with little smiley faces, etc, etc, but he WAS still…a boy. He was into sports, movies, sci-fi, monsters and stuff…and, he was shy. So, missed the clues the girl was sending, he did. She then moved to another part of the city with her family and attended another school. He went on to be a star athlete with a bright future in front of him. They were now separated, but they still remained friends and stayed in contact, as much as two could in the long ago days before cell phones and internet. Alright, almost there, but I’ll speed things along. 

Sadly, things didn’t work out as originally planned for the now young man. His dream of a football career flickered, dimmed, and went out. He went to work, started a family, and focused on being an adult, although it wasn’t always smooth sailing. 

The young lady had wanderlust and wanted to see the world. She went to tropical locales, joined the army, and things were looking up. But, she too ran into some speed bumps. Life happened and she did what she needed to do to support herself and her child. She eventually went to college for the education she always wanted and things got back on track. 

That brings us to the part of the story when the man and the woman reunite! They had checked on each other throughout the years and magically, their special bond had always held strong. They ultimately found themselves in the same place, at the same time once again. With age, wisdom, and life experiences in tow, they naturally realized what should have been all along (just like the Auld Lang Syne song, but with a happier ending! – Anyone younger than 40, look it up!😁). But, wait, wait…this is not the end of the story – it’s just getting good!

The now-happy couple set to work on a plan for the future that included love, happiness, fun, mutual respect, like-mindedness, hard work, sacrifice, strategy, spreadsheets, budgets, financial freedom, travel, a few questionable choices amongst a lot of good ones and, sadly, a dash of heartache. Wow! That’s a lot, but those are stories for another time! Actually, some have been told already (again, check out the older blog posts) and some are yet to be told. Besides, I’m trying to answer the question from the beginning of this post…why Almost There?

…Several years ago, the two (called Mike & Kristi) were well into a serious plan to become debt free, retire early and travel the country in their fifth wheel RV. They decided they thought they wanted to do a YouTube channel about their journey. So they made their first video (which has never been aired, but someday maybe we’ll throw it out there for a good laugh 🫣) So, of course, they then needed a catchy name. They tried on many… DebtFreeman, LiveFreeman, BeatingtheSystem, FreemansBetterLife, come-on-man 🤣, DebtFreeandRvN, NomadFree to name a few. They liked some, quite a lot, but none really worked for the big picture. They realized they were always saying they were almost there in life or towards some goal or another. So, they popped their initials on the front and MKAlmostThere it was! It just seemed fitting. All the things they wanted to share, whether it was becoming debt free, early retirement, meeting health goals, weight loss, or travel, it all worked. Alas, their aspiring YouTube career never got off the ground and to date, no other YT videos have been made (never say never 😋). But the name stuck as they switched to sharing with family and friends through other social media outlets and a blog site (MKAlmostThere.com). The term Almost There actually does work perfectly for any situation going forward in life, invoking thoughts of goal setting, determination, hope, and achievement.  

So, there you have it. Long story for a simple question. Now you know where the name came from, but what about the actual question, Are We There Yet? Well, YES, our whole lives we have been almost there, headed to where we are now. We have already accomplished some of our original bucket-list items (debt-free, financial freedom, early retirement, travel around the world). And MAYBE we’ll stay healthy or live long enough to see everything we want to, go everywhere we have desired, and have all we want. Yet, we realize that perhaps, NO, life will happen, as it is wont to do, and our plans or goals will be forced to change.  But, as long as we are in motion, we are ALWAYS almost there…until we get there and then it’s off to something else, until the very end. Our tale is still on-going, so for now the current status is TBC (To Be Continued…), or TBD (To Be Decided…) So hang in there faithful follower, more exciting action, adventures, and twists & turns to come! Good Lord willing, all of it will someday lead to, as any good story should… 

…and they lived happily ever after!

THE END

Mike 

September 2024