Population 638... Soon to be 640 | Week 21 Post-layoff

TL;DR: We're preparing to become residents of a 638-person community! This week was all about building the infrastructure for our new life - PO boxes, storage units, internet research - while the selling steps of our current house moved to pending status.

"Population 638," I read aloud as we drove past the small sign.

"Soon to be 640," I added, grinning at Bryan.

We weren't just visiting our future tiny home community anymore - we were there taking the concrete steps that will make us residents. Setting up a PO box, securing temporary storage, researching internet options. The kind of mundane tasks that transform dreamers into future neighbors.

It feels a little bit like we're hang-gliding, and seeing our lot with the flags marking our future home's footprint is our target landing spot. We're not quite there yet, but we can see exactly where we're headed.

This Week's Reality Check:

• ✓ Existing house officially moved to "pending" status (relief!)
• ✓ Established our temporary PO box in our new 638-person town
• ✓ Secured climate-controlled storage 10 minutes from our future home
• ✓ Researched backup internet options for work and travel
• ✓ Received updates from the tiny home factory - they're framing it out!
• ✓ Survived the hopefully final house "showing" for the appraisal
• ✓ Started strategic packing while keeping animals comfortable

What We're Actually Doing:

Building the Invisible Infrastructure

Memorial Day Monday was spent catching up on bookkeeping for month-end, but the real excitement came from tiny home factory updates. They're framing our house! After months of planning and waiting, there's actual construction happening.

Tuesday brought the appraisal request for Friday - another hurdle to clear, but at least we don't have to leave the house this time. We also heard from a potential client we spoke with last fall who's ready to have a conversation. Seeds planted months ago continuing to sprout.

But some of the significant work was research most people never see: internet backup options. The community provides free wifi, but we need reliability for our work-from-home bookkeeping business. We're considering T-Mobile hotspots, Insty Connect, Calyx, or Starlink - solutions that can serve double duty as backup at home and connectivity on the road when we're traveling in our camper. This is an important aspect of location freedom.

As Lao Tzu wisely said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This week was full of those steps that don't make dramatic headlines but make everything else possible.

When Your Lawn Mower Gives Up

Wednesday brought breakfast with mom and Bryan tackling the lawn with our slowly dying lawn mower. Mid-mow, the blade fell off completely.

There's something poetic about your equipment literally falling apart just as you're preparing to leave. He's been nursing this mower along the last few weeks, hoping it lasts until we move. Mission almost accomplished.

Bryan also started the careful work of packing - one room at a time, removing items from our staged house that we're taking with us while keeping everything show-ready for the appraisal.

That's when we discovered our house had changed to pending status on the listing site. After the first buyer fell through, seeing "pending" felt like a huge milestone. It doesn't guarantee anything, but we made it further than last time.

Small Town, Big Hearts

Thursday was our official infrastructure day. We drove to what we're calling "tinytown" to handle the practical details of becoming residents.

The drive there isn't through a traditional town center - just a farm equipment retailer, scattered houses, a gas station and eventually the post office, which we had to hunt down. But when we found it, magic happened.

The post office worker couldn't have been nicer - almost like she was happy to have in-person visitors. This is a place that closes from 11-12 for lunch! Seeing our temporary address printed on paper felt like a huge step toward becoming part of this community.

Next stop: storage. We needed a climate-controlled unit closer to our new home for the "homeless" phase of our journey - those six weeks when we'll be renting a tiny home ("tinytel") on the property while waiting for them to finish building and setting up our permanent home.

The storage facility manager had just ordered DoorDash lunch and was waiting for delivery. We felt compelled to hurry so we wouldn't interrupt her meal, but she was completely focused on making sure we were taken care of first. That small-town hospitality was palpable.

Strategic Animal Logistics

We're doing as much infrastructure work as possible while our rescue dogs and cat are still in their familiar surroundings. We think they'll need time to transition and adjust to their new environment - twice! Once when we move to the rental tiny home, and again when we move into our permanent home.

Next week, we're renting a van to transfer belongings from our current storage unit to the new one, essentially moving our possessions ahead of us. It's like sending advance scouts to establish base camp, which reminded us of Bryan's great grandfather, who was as a scout for Buffalo Bill!

We've also been researching how to create a good environment for taking our cat on longer travel trips. She's not exactly the adventurous type, but we want to include her in our future road trip adventures if possible so she doesn't have to stay behind when we're gone longer than a week or two.

The Pending Relief

Friday's appraisal went smoothly - hopefully our last "showing" preparation. We set up the house one more time, did some bookkeeping, and then enjoyed dinner with a friend.

Earlier in the week, we'd received a letter denying our homestead exemption application on our existing house after living here nine years. The bureaucratic irony wasn't lost on us - we're appealing it to clear things up for the new owners. Sometimes you have to fight the principle of the thing.

From Visitors to Future Residents

The shift this week was subtle but significant. We're no longer just dreaming about our tiny home life or visiting to see progress. We're methodically building the infrastructure that will support our new reality when we get there.

Every step - from PO boxes to storage units to internet research - represents a choice to stop hang-gliding and start landing. Our target spot is getting clearer, and we can see exactly where we're headed.

The house being pending gives us confidence to take these infrastructure steps. We're not just hoping anymore; we're preparing.

The Thousand-Mile Journey

What strikes me most about this week is how many "boring" tasks are required to make a big life change happen. PO boxes, storage units, internet research, strategic packing - none of this is Instagram-worthy, but all of it is essential.

We're discovering that major life transitions aren't just about the big decisions (sell the house, buy the tiny home). They're about hundreds of small, practical choices that create the foundation for your new life to actually work.

The population sign said 638, but come August, it'll read 640. Two more people who chose to stop hang-gliding toward someday and start building the foundation to become part of a different kind of community.

Let's Talk:

• Have you ever moved to a small community? What surprised you about the transition?
• What's the most "boring" but essential task you've had to tackle for a big life change?
• How do you balance planning for the future while managing current responsibilities?

Here's to building the foundation for whatever comes next,

-Kathy & Bryan

Note: This post is part of our weekly "Reinventing Midlifehood" series, chronicling our journey of working toward intentional living and rediscovering what matters after a midlife career transition. If this post was shared with you, we hope you'll join us as we explore the freedom that comes from choosing your own path rather than following conventional paths.