Headed to Alabama

The time had come to gather phone numbers and email addresses for the ‘family’ we had in Pecan Park RV Park.  It had been a short 7 months there and we had made quiet a few friends, especially the little one.  Luckily the lil one had seen several of the friends move on to new destinations, so the lil one new what to expect; all the “see you later’s” and such.  It wasn’t easy to plan this move as we had all grown very comfortable in spot 521. There were a few tears in my moments of alone time, there was apprehension too, many questions; could we make it? Would the lil one be okay? Could we find work in the new towns? But they all fell back to our new philosophy of ‘Living on Faith’.

     

     It took us a while to get everything arranged, it takes longer when your full timing than when your just on vacation, we were getting better and quicker with every move. Three days after I started putting things in their places we were ready to hook the F350 up to the rig and pull out.  Tears followed of course but we had to keep looking to the future and the reason we had decided to move to the ‘no sticks and bricks’ lifestyle.

      

     Our first stop was in Montgomery, AL to see a few friends and go to a French-Indian war re-enactment, always something along the way to tie in with the home schooling.  It was a great reunion with the friends we hadn’t seen in a few years, the lil one even remembered them; something odd for the lil one but they had made an impression on the lil brain in there.  We spent time watching the squirrels, gophers and birds just outside their window, something the lil one truly enjoys. Soon it was time to go to the re-enactment.

     

     We got there a little late and had no idea which way to go in the park, but it didn’t take long to figure it out.  As we were walking down the road we heard gunshots and cannons. The lil one started running towards the loud bangs, of course, we had to jog to keep up.  The re-enactment was interesting and very entertaining, the lil one had daddy on one side and the friends on the other feeding the brain about the history of the war that happened so many years ago.

     

     Afterwards we all walked to where the rivers met, across an Indian mound and through the woods, picking up momentos along the way, learning and teaching was in every step we took that day. We even got to see a hut set up like in the old days, the lil one learned a lot about the ancestors. We had dinner at our friends, this has come to be the routine while in Montgomery.  After a great weekend with longtime friends it was time to pack up and head to Rogersville, farther north in Bama.

      

     This was to be one of the shortest legs of this journey, and it actually went as planned, amazingly.  When we were making the plans to stay at a family members house I was concerned about the tight corners and turns to get into her yard, but of course the hubby and his gung-ho attitude led us forward, no matter what.  Our first mistake was trying to make a 90˚ turn on tight city streets.  The hubby started with the turn, and there just so happened to be a car coming on the small road too; being as nice as he is, he didn’t make the car back up to make his turn. A few seconds later I watched the fifth wheel bounce a couple times off a telephone pole placed very close to the road. The rig looked okay and we only had a few more blocks to go until we parked, it was going to be okay. After the few blocks down a very skinny road, we were back on a wider two lane county road with only one more turn to make, no problems right?  The hubby got lined up to make this last turn and started it, but halfway thru it another truck came around the turn and made him stop. If you’ve ever pulled anything, you know that once you’ve committed to a turn, you’ve got to continue on the projected path. 

     

     I was on the phone with my mother just griping away about bouncing off the telephone pole at this point and the next thing I see is our rig bouncing off the concrete culvert on the side of their driveway. I was livid as I drove over pieces of plumbing that had gotten broke off as the hubby pulled in. I was literally driving over pieces of our rig that had become our home; it was almost a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was so thankful that this part of the journey was over and we had time to repair what had been broken in the last mile. It was all smiles to see the family but it was also time to set up a temporary home for the next few days.

Until next time……

Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment.  ~Rita Mae Brown

Winter in Florida

After the busy holiday season it was time to relax, or so I thought, we still had New Year’s to get through.  I assumed since we had mostly older people and couples around us that it would be quiet in the RV park, you know what they say when you assume anything.  My lil family decided to have a peaceful dinner and stay in on this night, there are always too many idiots driving drunk on the roads during the holiday season.  Just as we were getting ready to watch a movie, we started hearing people talking outside.  We got dressed and went to investigate; little did we know one of the adopted grandparents was having a golf cart party at her house.

      There were golf carts parked anywhere they could park around her fifth wheel, the carts were still decorated with Christmas lights and such.  They had a fire blazing to welcome anyone and everyone from all parts of the country that chose to spend their holidays in FL.  I was amazed at the energy and festiveness they had in them, I only wish I could keep up!  We went and chatted for a bit with the ones we knew before heading back in for our movie and bed, I’ve haven’t been able to be awake for New Year’s for many moons, at least not since the lil one was born.

      With New Year’s out of the way it was time to buckle down and finish our Kindergarten school year, before the spring months came and we didn’t feel like doing any work.  It dropped to freezing a few nights while there, nothing too bad or too hard to handle.   After the ice storms in Bama, the winters in Florida were very mild in comparison. Our two small heaters kept us very warm and toasty, not to mention the oven going frequently so I could bake some tasty treats.

      Daddy was at work a lot these last few months and we were hard at filling the lil one’s head with knowledge.  The days got into a good rhythm and we actually accomplished quite a bit on those dreary cold days.  Some days we did nothing but watch movie after movie while munching on popcorn and drinking hot cocoa and coffee, so much that I felt I had coffee running through my veins on occasion.

      Finally, we started seeing new life in the form of buds on the trees and a few buttercups.  Spring was upon us before we knew it.  We went to the beach a few final times, knowing we were heading up to the northwest, I had to see it again.  I didn’t know when we would be back around the ocean, it might be years before I see and hear those majestic waves crashing with the rhythm of Mother Earth.

      We had saved a good bit, but not enough to carry us as far and for as long as we would like, so we started checking jobs in the states we were planning on hitting.  It didn’t seem like it would be too hard to get work in some of the major cities close to where we were going.  The plan started coming together and I knew when I started the process of de-cluttering the rig that we were really going to leave the comfort of Jacksonville, FL.

      Finally I had everything weeded out and put in its place, knowing that we would be making a few short stops as tourist I had to put the necessities in the front; so as to not have to move a mountain to get to the things we really needed.  The lil one was spending as much time as she could with the friends we had made, collecting emails and such.  There are really no ‘goodbyes’ in the RV world, we say ‘until we meet again’, believe it or not but I know our paths will cross again with many of the friends we’ve made in this great country of ours.

      The final weeks and days were bittersweet. We were comfortable in Jax, we had been there for 6yrs previously and we knew the land well; to head into unknown territory can be frightening for some, but it is also exhilarating to many, us included.  We have come to live everyday to its fullest, never knowing what is around the corner and embracing every challenge that comes our way.  Our new phrase is that we are 'Living on Faith', without our faith that everything will work out as it should; well frankly I don't know if I could live this lifestyle with the smile on my face.

 

Untill next time.....

 

The course of life is unpredictable..... no one can write his autobiography in advance.  ~ Abraham Joshua Heschel

 

The Holidays Away From Family

     After the birthday trip to Disney and recovering from a terrible flu it was time to plan for the holidays 8 hours away from our family.  When we upgraded the fifth wheel we had two options, save the money for a trip to Alabama for the holidays or enjoy a trip to Disney for the day. We chose Disney and to stay at our ‘home’ for the holidays.

      I was initially worried that it wouldn’t be the same without the family around at such a special time of the year, but once again I was wrong. Don’t get me wrong, we did miss seeing everyone that we cherish and hold dear to our hearts, the ones that know us best and we call family.  Then again we were working on our family and spending a stress free holiday season at home and starting our own traditions to pass on to our lil one.

      The adopted grandparents and neighbors we had grown to know at Pecan Park RV Park made it feel just as if we were at home.  The Park hosted a pot luck dinner and one of the neighbors cooked a wonderful ham, she worked her tail off on her part of the dinner. All I had to do was make some of my famous sausage balls, but I couldn’t only cook those. I had to have our own special Thanksgiving dinner for us at home, like I’ve done for all the years since we moved away from our families.

      After the sausage balls were done and our turkey in the oven, it was time to get up to the clubhouse and enjoy this blessed day to be with people we knew and some we hadn’t met yet. Everyone made it feel just like being at home, as most of them were away from their loved ones too. We walked in and had everything you would have at your grandmother’s house on the table, it was a glorious sight to see all the vittles to choose from and I didn’t even have to cook a ton myself. We filled the lil one’s plate and ours with great tasting food made from recipes from all over the nation.

      When the potluck was over, I had to get home and get my pies and dressing in the oven as my turkey cooked in only 4hrs, never have I had one cook that quick, loving the smaller propane stove now.  We were stuffed to the gills while I prepared all of our favorites to eat for dinner and enjoy all the leftovers for the following week. It was just almost like we were in Bama for Thanksgiving, just almost. 

      It was time to put up the smallest Christmas tree I’d ever had up, but with the smaller living space I had no choice but to use the 3 foot tree.  The lil one chose to decorate the tree, not with the seashells we had collected for a beach themed tree, but with the red and green schlotzky looking ornaments I had hung onto just for this reason. We had to set the tree on a box to keep the dog from knocking off ornaments every single time he walked by, to make it more festive the lil one and I wrapped it in extra Christmas paper.

      Before long we were shopping for gifts, with the size and weight always a concern for us; we chose the gifts extra careful. The lil one wanted nothing but musical instruments, the main one being a guitar and microphone. At Toys R Us they had just what we needed and a few other small gifts that the lil one had eyed the week before. We chose the ones that we actually thought would be played with for longer than a week or two, being that has been the going theme; convince mom and dad to buy a toy and it get discarded rather quickly considering what was spent on it.

      The presents were wrapped, early of course, to give the lil one something to look at every day with anticipation. Being the mom that I am I just had to have some fun with some of them; a set of pajamas I rolled up and stuffed into a roll of toilet paper and wrapped the roll, others we placed into cereal boxes and some I just mislabeled the name on it. For weeks we told the lil one that all anyone was getting was things that we actually needed, food and essentials like toilet paper. When the lil one started shaking and squeezing the presents the toilet paper was guessed right off, I couldn’t wait until Christmas morning to see the looks on the lil one’s face as they were unwrapped.

      The big day came all too soon as it does every year. The lil one awoke and started unwrapping the prized presents. When a cereal box that held the Rapunzel wig was unwrapped, the response was “At least it is my favorite cereal!” and never once did the lil one think to open the cereal box, we let this one ride for a few. Next was the toilet paper, the look on the lil one’s face was priceless when the actual roll of toilet paper was uncovered, it didn’t take long before the pj’s were discovered inside though. We got to the last and biggest one of all, the guitar that was labeled as dear ol’ mom’s present, the lil one couldn’t understand why the guitar wasn’t under the tree, and it was the main one wanted. After a bit of confusion and trickery by her mean parents the lil one figured out that it was a guitar and was mislabeled all along. What a joyful face we saw at that moment!!

      It wasn’t long before the lil one had to run out and show all the neighbors what the presents held. We had a concert to attend later in the day put on by none other than our lil budding musician. Over all it ended up being a very pleasant Christmas morning in the fifth wheel, having the two slides in the living area really helped with the extra space needed to pull this off. I think I’ve gotten spoiled to all the room and have decided that the next one will have to have the two slides and a few extra feet in length to add a bunk room for the lil one.

      I knew it was time to start cooking as soon as the wrapping paper was cleaned up; we had our own traditions to start after all.  I have learned how to make a magnificent meal in such a small space, aggravating at times but the outcome is almost always worth it. We have started a tradition of adding an ornament to the tree of where ever we may be during the holiday seasons; one of the dear neighbors actually started it for us with their gift of a Disney ornament to the lil one. I can’t wait to see where we will be come this time next year, but I know as long as I have my little happy family surrounding me it will be a wonderfully blessed and busy holiday season.

Untill next time..... 

I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, "Identity Crisis," M*A*S*H

A Very Sick 6th Birthday

It seemed that everything was looking up for us, an upgrade on the fifth wheel, a great trip to Disney World and we had made it home safely. Now it was time to start planning the party in the clubhouse that was reserved for us, or not. What we didn’t think about was the hand sanitizing wipes, lots of vitamin C and other immune boosting meds before the trip into the land on International germs for a child who is homeschooled and not subjected to those kinds of things on a daily basis.

It only took about 24 hours for the germs to take hold and set in with a fever of 101 or so, a terrible cough and congestion that couldn’t be shook, and just an overall miserable feeling. The poor baby was weak from the fight her body was going through against all those germs; I can only guess which country they came from. It took us only a day to figure out why she was suddenly sick as the dickens. In my mind I could remember vividly touching all the handrails while we waited in lines, playing with the goo pictures, as we called them, at the Winnie the Pooh ride, all the buckles and such that our fingers had touched numerous times.

The birthday party at the clubhouse was put off for fear of getting the other homeschoolers deathly sick too. There was no way I was putting another parent through what we were going through out of our own stupidity. I vowed the next trip to any amusement park there would be sanitizing wipes in my backpack and I would be the weird parent using them religiously on every surface available to be wiped.

Luckily, all of the friends understood and would come by to visit, from a distance of course. Some would stop by and talk to us through our screen door. Others would send messages through the grandparents we had adopted; all were concerned and disappointed that the party would not be happening as planned. They brought the gifts to the lil one and dropped them on the steps; one group even sung Happy Birthday, through the screen door at a distance of course. One group brought their presents and requested the lil come out and sit in the fresh air, the dad insisted on it saying “the more germs mine are around the better”, as they were homeschooled too. We got clothes on and went out into the bright November sunshine that only Florida can offer at that time of the year, the fresh air and being outside felt great.

They hung around for a while, just catching up on our trip and talking about their plans of moving on. The lil one opened up all of the gifts, and each and every one of them were so thoughtful it brought tears to my eyes. Some were dress up jewelry they knew was a favorite, some more sensible gifts, a ball cap that fit her to a T to shield the harsh sun from the face, another was a huge picture with the lil one’s name on it to hang in the fifth wheel. Others even were made from recycled toys and things they had laying around, one being a dog treat box that was handmade by the little boy that gave it to her, these were even wrapped in paper bags and recycled boxes, they knew how much the lil one loves Mother Earth and recycling to help out.

It was by far one of the best birthdays we have had to date, just simply from everyone getting to know the lil one and putting that much thought into which present to get. Being full-timers themselves they fully understood the problem with carrying a bunch of extra weight and knew that storage space is limited in the rigs. I never will forget the birthday we had in Pecan Park RV Park in Jacksonville, FL and all the wonderful friends we made there.

We also had to check the mail as her family and friends from Alabama were sending gift cards and boxes with small trinkets in them. These trips to the mailbox were our only outing for four or five days. Thankfully we are homeschoolers and can take all the days off that are needed to get back to 100%, a sick child can’t fully concentrate on schoolwork with all the wiping of the nose and sneezing every few minutes.

We were up and running again at 100% capacity only a few days after the actual birthday. Schoolwork in the morning, lunch then outside to enjoy the mild winter days of Florida and an evening ride on the grandparents golf cart while walking their dogs. She was loving life again. I’m not a fan of having a completely sterile home environment, I fully believe that a few germs build better immune systems, but I will carry all the necessary tools to the next amusement park with me that are needed to keep the lil one healthy.

Until next time…..

Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough. ~Author Unknown

Pushing the Beast

As we were riding the trolley to get to the parking lot, it was bittersweet, to live only 3 hours away and not be able to visit every weekend.  The lil one’s eyes sparkled at what a day we had just been blessed with; even said we were the best parents ever, I got that one on video to use later on.

When we reached the F350 we had our fingers crossed that the batteries would have enough juice in them to crank her up.  As our luck goes, they were both dead. The hubby had the foresight to bring the ranger’s battery along just in case, as we didn’t feel like cranking up the generator to use the battery charger on ol’ blue’s batteries, way too much trouble. With the ranger’s battery attached and a shot of ether, we were running and ready for the long ride home.

We pulled off the interstate quite a few times on the way home; looking back I wish we had waited on all those bathroom breaks and cups of coffee, which in turn caused more stops for the bathrooms.  I’ve always been told that hindsight is 20/20; I’m finally agreeing that they were right.  I think a few times the hubby mentioned the gas hand draining down to E a lot quicker than we thought, but him being him, he pushed it as hard and as far as it would go.

It was a very welcome sight seeing the sign for Jacksonville City limits, knowing we still had about 45 minutes till we got to the other side of town.  My fingers were crossed this whole way because I knew how quickly the 7.3 in ol’ blue could really suck down the diesel.  After a quick trip through downtown, loving the big city lights as we flew past, and all the way to the north side of town, we got to our exit.



      Our fifth wheel was parked about ½ mile into the park and ol’ blue carried us almost half way before she started spitting and sputtering. Yep, you guessed it, we were down below E and she just laid down on us, only ¼ mile or so away from home, funny how they do that with no fuel in the tanks.  I had told the hubby numerous times on the way up that we needed diesel, but he’s as stubborn as an old mule some days and this just happened to be one of those days. With the lil one asleep in the backseat he ran to the camper to get the ranger so we could use it to push the big beast the rest of the way.

The Beast I've named Ol'Blue that we decided to push. Why? I'll never know



      I knew something was wrong when I saw him running back instead of driving; we had forgotten we had taken the ranger’s battery with us, just in case. After weighing the options, him carry the battery the ¼ mile to get the smaller truck or us push the beast the rest of the way; we decided to push.  Why we chose this path I’ll never know for sure. I’m sure it was a very funny sight to see the two of us pushing a F350 through the RV Park; I’m still waiting to find a video someone has posted online with lots of LMBO’s in the comment section.

      We almost made it to the camper, you would think Florida is all flat, and you realize it’s not as you have to push a beast like that up some of the small hills.  After what seemed like forever we made to within sight of our fifth wheel, only about 10 more spots to go, but there was just no way we could get her up this last incline.  Thankfully the hubby decided to carry the battery to the ranger and use it to push the beast the rest of the way. I think I would have left her sitting in the middle of the road after feeling the burn in my calves, grateful I’m semi-athletic still in my older years.

      I still cannot get used to the sound of crunching metal on metal, even when we are doing it intentionally. After a few minutes of getting the rangers bumper to somewhat line up with ol’ blue’s we were ready to get it the rest of the way home. Was a very welcome sight to see our front door, with both trucks parked in their parking spots, especially after being on the road for 19 hours.  I don’t think my legs had hurt like that since doing squats and sitting on the wall in junior high basketball, but the hubby heard all about the next day, after he got ol’ blue running again, of course.

Until next time……

Birthday in Disney World

It wasn’t long before we had a plan for the lil one’s birthday, of course we were doing a small party at the club house, but we needed something bigger.  We decided to take a day trip to the Magic Kingdom; it was too expensive for our blood to stay any longer at that time. It didn’t take me but a day to figure out how we would do it.

We awoke at 4am to get everything ready and leave by 5, so we could be there when the gates opened.  The lil one slept most of the three hour drive down.  When we started seeing Disney signs, the lil one figured out where the birthday surprise was at, but me being who I am said that we were in FL and they had those signs everywhere.  I was looking for that jump up and down screaming reaction when the castle first came into sight. 

the first view of the Magic Kingdom

We paid and parked and then told the lil one for sure that we were visiting Disney, no reaction, at least not the one I was looking for. After getting our tickets and letting the lil one choose the train or boat to get there the excitement started to rise as the castle came into view.  It wasn’t hard to keep the lil one occupied while waiting on our boat to arrive, in our hands was the map and we had a whole day to plan out.

The main thing on the lil one’s list to do was meet the princesses of Disney, the ones whose dresses were hanging in the closet.  Rapunzel being the favorite we knew we couldn’t miss that meet and greet, but we had an hour or so to waste. Luckily after seeing the long lines to meet all the other princesses and other characters, the choice was easy, ride more rides instead of waiting in the lines.

It was only an hour wait to see her, not too bad but it was still HOT here in FL, even at the end of November.  We kept the lil one occupied by taking more pictures and planning our route of attack on Disney to see and do all we could in just one day, a hard feat in and of itself.  Finally our time had come to meet the favorite princess of all time, until the next movie comes out that is.  The lil one was one of the first few in this group to meet her; this was when the excitement rose to that jumping up and down screaming that we were so looking forward to. 

There was only about five minutes to get in all the questions that had been thought of for the last hour in line. The main question was “How did your hair grow so long?”  After hearing that Rapunzel just brushed and brushed it every day, the lil one really got animated in the body language.  The lil one really likes to talk with the hands, swishing the hair back and forth, just like Rapunzel.  It wasn’t long before the dream come true had to come to an end and all the other kids had to have their turn. Daddy got it all on video for the lil one to relive it at any time and make reference to how long Rapunzel’s hair was.

On to the next adventure, map in hand the lil one chose which path to take and which rides to ride.  If only we had waited a couple of years and we wouldn’t have had the height restrictions, but then again we didn’t know, and still don’t, when we would be back in FL again.

We had lunch at the park, big mistake when trying to save money, but then again it was the lil one’s birthday and that was what was wanted. After lunch we rode a few more rides and tried to squeeze everything in in just a few short hours. The height restrictions honestly worked in our favor in a way, there was that many more fast passes and lines that we needn’t wait in. Some of the favorites were the Peter Pan, It’s a Small World (still singing it in my head as I’m remembering), and the Hundred Acre Wood ride.

We finally got to put some of her schooling to use, her sign language anyway. While riding ‘It’s a Small World’ there was a woman signing to the song. I pointed her out to the lil one and it clicked in her eyes; she could communicate with others that couldn’t hear. That woman was a blessing to me, just to show her how some of the things we were drilling into that spongy brain could come in handy in the future.

We stayed as long as we could, riding as many rides as we could and taking as many pictures as the memory card would hold, until nightfall. At this time of the year, the off season, they charged more to stay for the Holiday Celebration, being as cheap and broke as we were at this time, this was not an option, not to mention a three hour ride home. It was time to say goodbye to Mickey and Minnie and leave. Just seeing the sparkle in her eyes as she saw new things that day was priceless.

Until next time…….

Shopping while Broke

If I haven’t mentioned it yet, I am an avid Craigslister who constantly shops the site without a dime to my name.  One day in November I was looking through the RV tab and usually would be disappointed but on this lucky day there was a new one, just listed.  It was a 32 ½ ft. fifth wheel, 10 yrs. newer than ours, with 3 slides.  I guess I should explain what we started out in, a 1993 26ft with only one slide, this meant that the lil one didn’t have her own ‘room’ and we had to climb or roll into and out of the queen bed.

1993 Rockwood that we starte out in

The one listed had five more foot of living space and was much wider as the kitchen and the dinette area both slid out, plus we could walk around the bed, with a huge closet in our room. To make this even better it was only $2500 dollars, $500 less than the older one we were currently in.  I was in love with it and the price was right, if only we could find the funds.

I called and set up a time to look at it, right off the bat she told me it was not moveable and that the dinette slide wouldn’t slide in.  I knew this was the reason it hadn’t sold yet, this was the third time they had listed it for sale.  We loved the looks of it; of course it needed new flooring, as it only had plywood at this point, and new furniture, not to mention fixing the slide, no problem, right? Not for us, we had done a lot more with a lot less in the past. Now if only the funds would come thru.

We gave them the majority of the hubby’s next check as ‘good faith’ money, told them we would pay it off in a week.  We had absolutely no idea where the funds would come from, unless we sold the 1993 we were living in first.  Sounds easy right?  It was only a week or so of worry and stress and more good faith monies until ours thankfully sold. The ones who bought it needed it pulled for them to the spot where they were building a house.  As it happened they didn’t need it until the weekend and we had all of three days to buy the new one, move it to the site next to us, lay floors and move in.

2003 Fleetwood Prowler

My naivety really paid off this time, for some reason I thought I could walk everything from one camper to the next and store it in its spot.  Boy was I terribly wrong.  Never did I think I would need anything to tote the stuff in, nope, boxes were not on my mind. Until I had to move everything in drawers, shopping bags, well anything that was a vessel of some sort, even the big mixing bowls I had hung onto.  Anything and everything that would carry stuff was used. 

We worked our tails off for a few days and had a new home to enjoy and tour the country with.  An added bonus was thrown in too; instead of a sitting area with recliners we added a bunk bed for the lil one.  A neighbor had some upper kitchen cabinets they were throwing away, another one had new bunk mattresses to give us, it was all coming together.  The adopted grandparents would search for rugs, furniture to eat on and a desk for the lil one at the flea market every weekend. 

the bunk we added instead of recliners

I only fell out of the new one once while moving into it; I had fallen and hurt my heel four days prior to our maiden voyage while moving into the 1993 too. The RV steps and I absolutely do not get along, I have fallen in and out of these things more times than I care to mention.

Until next time…..

Thrift was never more necessary in the world's history than it is today. ~Francis H. Sisson

Autumn in FL

It was a very fun filled and knowledgeable autumn in FL.  We only went to the beach a few times, living there for 6yrs previously made it not as appealing as it once was. You can only dig sand out of your every crack and crevice just so many times before you discover the many other things to do around town. We had the fountain to play in and live music on the weekends at The Landing, an abundance of arts and crafts shows to attend, friends to visit before we moved to the northwest for the summer, too many things to mention here.  Plus, we could just walk across the park and thru the fence to enjoy the bounty of the locals all day long.

      Soon it was a common Saturday thing for the lil one to take off with the neighbors to the flea market.  They would pick her up and enjoy an hour or so exploring the market.  They would first get a cup of coffee for them and a big-as-your-face cookie or cupcake for the lil one, baked fresh daily with an abundance of flavors to choose from.  Then a trip to the pet store was in order, they all had dogs already but enjoyed looking at the pups.

      The neighbors soon were bringing gifts and trinkets for the lil one.  She still has every one of them in her keepsake box of treasures in a special place in her room.  You can imagine the weight we are carrying in that box can’t you?

      All of these activities kept us pretty busy, not to mention just the normal housework and chores that were a daily task.  I actually found the time to paint a few pieces, but gifted them to friends and family along the way.  A habit my hubby is putting a stop to, he says I’m too good to be giving them away. He is now my art dealer/salesman for the pieces I find the time to paint; funny I haven’t found much time lately though.

      It wasn’t long before new friends moved in, these two became her ‘bestest’ friends, as she puts it.  They too had the schoolwork and chores before playing rule, making my job so much easier.  The schoolwork seemed like it was going good, except the trials of learning to read, something we hadn’t mastered yet.  While talking with the other mom I learned that hers didn’t start reading till age 8, whew, I was worried for a bit about it.  If not for all the support we had from our new found ‘family’ at Pecan Park, I think I would’ve pulled all my hair out and be locked in a strait jacket, but they gave us the mommy and daddy time we needed so much.  The value of good, trusting neighbors is priceless, thanks to all that have contributed to our lil one adjusting to homeschooling and life on the road.

Until next time…..

 

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.     ~Author Unknown

Trials of Homeschooling

     After a trip to the school board and bookstores around town, we were ready, we thought.  You see up until this point in the lil one’s life I had been at home with her for the past 2 ½ years, and daddy had the opportunity to draw his unemployment and spend extra time at home with us; in a nutshell, she had gotten spoiled to having us around all the time.  We had given up a strict schedule and embraced the fulltimers lifestyle of doing whatever you felt like, whenever you felt like it.

      It didn’t take long for the lil one and her new best friends, the adopted grandparents, to find more homeschooled kids in the park.  She now had friends from FL, AL, TN, and VA.  With this many friends that were homeschooled it was pretty easy to have a leverage piece if she didn’t do her schoolwork.

      We soon got into a schedule that kind of worked for us.  The major issue was the lil one taking after her daddy more by staying up most of the night watching TV, movies and infomercials, then sleeping until late in the morning.  No matter how hard I tried to wake her, she would not budge some mornings. 

      We soon had to implement some rules with consequences, ‘No work = No play’, simple as that, or was it?  At first it was easy, it was still hot and the pool was the main prize.  After it cooled off, it got more and more difficult to get her to concentrate.  It was espeicially hard with the windows pulled open enjoying the warm salt-tinged Florida air, was hard for the teacher to concentrate on many of these days too.

      She had new friends move in from Colorado, and yes all three of them were homeschooled too, they were older than ours by a few years but they all got along great.  They too, had a ‘no play before work’ rule in their household, it helped us tremendously for her to have them as role models.

      The lil one immediately made a turn around, she had new friends to play with after lunch, that was when most of us would get through with the schoolwork.  She would ask to be woke up at a certain time and we would work on one or two letters a day, a new number a day, along with repeating everyday the things we had learned previously.

      It was the most wonderful feeling to know that I could do this, I could be there to witness the first time that that lightbulb goes off in their minds and they ‘get it’. You know, when it all those monotonous days of repeating the same stuff over and over again finally just CLICKS.  That light that shines in their eyes with pride at themselves is priceless and I feel so privileged to have a husband who has offered to work and sacrifice for me to be able to stay at home and raise our daughter and teach her along the way.  I feel very blessed for all of our blessings we’ve had over the years.

To all the past, present and future teachers out there; I’ve never really understood why or how you could possibly do what you do and stay sane.  Then I was the reason for our lil brain learning and absorbing and ‘getting it’; I ‘get it’ now, to be the reason and witness that spark of light in their eyes is magical.  Thanks for all you have done and are continuing to do.

Until next time……

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his    influence stops. ~Henry Brooks Adams

Stability on the Road

     When we reached the RV park we were down to enough funds to pay for a week, knowing we could come up with some form of work in that amount of time.  They let us do just that, but at the monthly rate, which is always cheaper than paying for four of the weekly rates.

 I must stop here and take the time to mention that owners of the ‘Mom & Pop’ campgrounds almost always work with you, as the bigger named ones with a corporation in somewhere, USA usually wouldn’t think of it, ‘if you don’t have it all too bad’ is their motto.  For this reason the latter ones are our vacations for a weekend and the ‘Mom & Pops’ are our choice for year round living, always trying to support the local economy.

Pecan Park RV Resort; Jacksonville, FL

Pecan Park RV Resort only had 183 sites; it was a HUGE RV park, compared to the ones we’d been in so far, exactly one mile around the perimeter.  They had the typical pool, laundry, and bath house, but also had a rec room for karaoke, exercising, and holiday/potluck dinners for all the residents.  There was also a lake to fish in, except it was ‘catch and release only’, we didn’t spend much time fattening up some fish that we couldn’t eat.  Although right of the bat, the lil one spotted a fish as big as my forearm and said “Look mommy, that one fish is big enough to feed us one meal”, I have to smile at her thought process sometimes. 

Pecan Park RV Resort, Jacksonville,FL 

The neighbors here surely had the southern hospitality down, it didn’t take long before we would all meet in the road in the evening for our nightly gossip session, and the lil one was right in the middle of it, getting the feel for traveling and meeting new people.  Before long, the lil one was off on golf cart rides with them, stopping to talk to everyone along the way, she could tell us who lived in which camper/RV and what their dog/cat’s name was. 

For the first few weeks we acted as if we were on vacation while we waited for the address change to come through.  After patiently waiting three weeks, we gave up and had to make a not so hard decision; to send her to an inner city school (we were on the wrong side of the Interstate) or take another leap of faith and put her education in my hands and begin homeschooling.  Yes, I was going to be the lil one’s primary teacher with daddy and our travels filling in when possible.   

When we started this journey we had discussed this very possibility, just thinking about it is very different than actually doing it.  Could we really make it traveling around the country seeing all the sights and natural wonders while following the cooler seasons we had started to enjoy?  Would the lil one suffer any from moving to new cities a few times a year and experiencing the culture and sights from that region?  We debated all the pros and cons of this previously, but actually making it happen, well that’s been a dream come true. 

Of course she wouldn’t be affected in a negative way, she had the same bed to sleep in every single night, the same cabinet/closet and desk filled with her belongings everywhere we went; she even had the same family sitting down at the same table for dinner at the same time, be it a little later than the normal dinner bell, but it was a family dinner every single night.  No matter what town, or what region of the country we are in, we have the same stability and structure that we would have if we had sticks & bricks around us.  The catch, everything we own is ours, as in paid for; and rent is super cheap in comparison.  Ultimately, our stresses over bills are a lot less, considering what they used to be.

Until next time……

 And that's the wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind. ~Dave Barry

As luck would have it....

     We spent the rest of the summer working, getting the hubby’s license straightened out, seeing old friends and family and a trip to the ER for a head wound I acquired(a whole story in itself).  We saved every penny in hopes of being able to leave Bama before the school year started in FL.

      We stayed the last night in town at the mom-in-law’s house so the lil one could spend one more night in her bunk bed she prized so much.  After waking at 1AM, coffee in hand and everything packed and ready, we were ready to try and hit the road, FL bound.

      As I’ve mentioned before ‘Murphy’s Law’ should have been my middle name.  The problems started right away with the camper lights not working, again.  This was the same problem we had coming from TX, and I was not looking forward to being mesmerized by two flashing red lights on a big white box for hours on end on a dark interstate.  The hubby started checking all the connections and wires all while the truck lights were on, we needed power for the camper lights to work, all this while ol’Blue’s batteries were being drained. 

      We got the lights working, somewhat, but no juice to crank the work truck.  I hated having to wake a tow truck driver at 3AM to jump off ol’Blue, but it needed to be done.  A couple of hours later we were finally on the road, not too far behind schedule at this point.

      We didn’t make it very far before my luck would strike again, actually only the edge of Muscle Shoals city limits.  We had our first flat tire.  It was OK though, we had a spare, as dry rotted as the rest, but a spare none the less.  It only took about 30 min or so to change this one.  We went for a couple of hours more, almost made it to Birmingham before another flat tire would delay us more.  We were smart this time, we checked all the other tires and discovered a knot on one. Two tires needed replacing, but on the bright side we could use the knotted tire as a spare in a pinch, if need be.  Two tires and $289 later, we were FL bound again.  By now the hubby had become an expert at changing tires on the fifth wheel.

the first of many to come

      A few more monotonous hours on the road and we finally saw the Florida state line.  Once again before hitting I10, we had ANOTHER flat tire.  The flat tires were getting as monotonous as the highways were at this point.  This time the old dry rotted knotted ‘spare’ tire came in handy, as there was nothing around for miles.  This was probably not one of our wisest decisions; heck  leaving on four dry rotted tires was definitely not the best choices we’d made in a while.

      After so many flats the lil one decided to ride with mommy for a bit.  After hitting I10 eastbound we had a full blown blow out on our hands.  This one was the worst as part of the tire flew back and almost hit the Ranger, as I said a few choice words the lil one looked up saying “Great, another flat, look it looks like snow.”  No, she wasn’t seeing things, as the tire flew off the rim, it allowed the camper to crash into the asphalt, tearing off a fender and styrofoam insulation from underneath, making it look like a blizzard we were driving into.  About that time is when I saw sparks on the same side our propane lines were.  Sometimes we can have the worst of all luck, but then again considering it didn’t go up into a ball of flames, I was feeling pretty lucky at that point.  You see, when we traveled in the Rockwood Fifth Wheel, we ran with the propane on, so the fridge would keep on working as we went down the road.  Counting our blessings we decided to sleep on the side of the road until the stores opened in the morning.  After a rough night being constantly rocked by the big rigs passing, we got one of the insurance checks cashed and changed that tire. 

the last and most damaging of the flats

      We rode pretty well for a while, as we had replaced all of the camper tires, except one.  Finally, we passed the sign that read ‘Jacksonville 25mi’, only 25 miles left on this long drawn out journey, way behind schedule at this point.  Our last and final original dry rotted tire blew right past this sign.  By this time I was ready to walk if I had to, just to get there, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave the hubby on the side of the interstate.  We got the last insurance check cashed and changed that one; I’m still amazed at the price of camper tires.  There went the last of our ‘sit and relax’ monies we thought we would have to live on for a bit.

      At last, we were within Jacksonville city limits, heading directly to our winter home in Pecan Park RV Park.  After turning a 15 hour trip (my estimation on the travel time pulling a camper) into a 36 hour trip, I was very pleased to be able to get off the interstate for seven months.  We learned a ton of lessons on this trip, the most important one is to be flexible at all times and to carry twice the monies you think you may need.

Until next time…..

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.

 ~Susan Heller

Family Times

While at Tuscumbia RV Park, we made friends, some that had moved from the worse campground to the better one with shade, and rested for a few days.  The lil one learned the art of fishing and taking our dinner from the creek to the table in the form of some fine fresh caught catfish. 

Another storm blew through and we headed to the niece’s house in Cherokee.  Little did we know that we were driving to and hunkering down in the worst part of the storm.  Straight line winds tore up the town of Cherokee on this night.  The next storm that came, we decided to stay at the campground.  We watched the rains flood out the neighbors, luckily we were on top of a small hill.  When we awoke the following morning we discovered Mother Nature had lashed out again and tore down trees all around us.  Thankful it only hit the TX sized brush guard on ol’blue and kept her safe, we started cutting down the limbs around us.  

We made the dreaded call to the insurance company and decided it was time to stop volunteering and work to save and get out of dodge.  The weather in the summer of 2011 was just too tumultuous for us to justify staying any longer than need be.

The lil one loved spending time with the family she hardly ever got to see, especially the cousins.  It was the first time she had actually got to know some of her kin.  She learned a lot of great things over the summer like the importance of family, helping your neighbors in their time of need, and most importantly how to skin a catfish (her paw-paw Duck would’ve been very pleased).  She also picked up a few negative habits along the way, like telling us “No” every chance she got, leaving all her toys strewn about and just acting like a spoiled brat in general.  I will forever be reminded of these as I search for that perfect switch to break these habits.  For these very reasons I know I wouldn’t trade the days spent with our AL family for anything in the world.

A last thought…

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.

 ~Thomas Jefferson

Learning to Donate

The new RV park was centrally located, somewhat, had full hookups, cable too and the cell phones worked, what more could we ask for. A pool was the lil ones request and maybe some shade was mine, but the A/C worked great on the rig, we could manage for a month here.

 As our luck would have it, the A/C went out on the roof and the temperatures started rising to the unbearable mark in the blazing Alabama sun. Never underestimate the power of shade or an awning when full timing. I’ve learned to pick sites facing north for less sun exposure in the summer months, opposite for the winter position.  We rode out the monthly rent and the rest of the money with the hubby volunteering as much as possible and me looking for another site with some very valuable shade trees.  While the hubby was away volunteering, all I heard was “Why can’t we go help too mommy?”, I had to come up with something for her to do so she could also feel like she was part of the cleanup effort going on all across the state.  I gave her a very important job of creating goody bags to be donated with the boxes of hotel toiletries.  After only a few hours she had HUNDREDS made up and ready to go.

making up bags to donate

         

I found a new place too, only 7 miles down the road, shade trees EVERYWHERE, and all the conveniences of home, even free laundry. I was sold; Tuscumbia RV Park was to be our new landing spot for the rest of the summer months.  When we got there to save our site, we found out an old friend from school was managing the park, I couldn’t of asked for more.

Before we could get moved from the gravel parking lot there was another storm that blew through.  This one tore off the awning and dinged ol’ blue’s passenger door.  Not sure if we really wanted to be in Bama with all the storms rolling through but without enough funds to go farther we were stuck.  We packed up and moved the 7mi down the road to rest for a bit and enjoy some shade. 

We knew we couldn’t survive long on the funds we had while volunteering, but that was the whole reason we made this trip…….that and to spend some much needed time with the family. 

Until next time.....

Having a place to go - is a home. Having someone to love - is a family. Having both - is a blessing. ~Donna Hedges