A Brighter Day

     We awoke to a beautimus day, the whole landscape looked as though it had been scrubbed clean by the storm the previous evening.   By the looks of it, we must have gotten more rain than expected, no complaints here though!  A quick look around and we found our first victims of the morning, the closest convenience store with piping hot COFFEE!!  After a quick java and lottery ticket run (a bad habit I have acquired after 1^st leaving Bama), I was making us a healthier~than~eating~out breakfast, I’m getting really good at doing one pot dishes while on the road.  This way I didn’t have to worry about doing the dishes at that moment with no water and I wouldn’t have a stack of dirty ones waiting on me when we landed in the new spot, saves me a ton of headaches.

  

We were ready to hit the road and realized we needed to scratch off the tickets before crossing into another state. We won; only a few dollars, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers, or so I’ve always been told.  I took the winning ticket in and traded it for more, it was a winner too!! After a total of 3 trips to the store, more tickets and few extra dollars, I was done playing when the winning stopped.

      

     Around 9 or so we were pulling onto the Interstate again, heading north towards Omaha, but never crossing the Nebraska line.  The day was a wonderful carefree day as we puttered along through the great Midwest, always looking for the new sights just over the next hill.  The lil one and I listen and sing along to all sorts of music, the playlist is open to anything from Alan Jackson to Zeppelin and everything in between.

      

   

     The lil one has come up with all sorts of traveling games that tie in with the home schooling, it changes with the moods.  Some days we’re looking for numbers and shapes, other days we’re counting how many of the ABC’s we can find.  This was a lot of fun when in the south but much harder the farther north we go as the road signs are fewer and farther in between, like the gas stations.  We’ve tried the color~of~the~next~car game to no avail, there are just too many cars and trucks on our highways and Interstates. If the lil one wanted to, a ride with daddy is always possible, the choice is just always made to ride with mommy, who has the A/C and music; daddy gets the dog for company on these long hours.

      

     After many hours on the road, a total of almost 50 we finally landed in Sioux Falls, SD.  Normally this trip would take approximately 26 hours, we call this ripple in the time continuum ‘RV Time’, it is approximately double the normal time a trip should take a normal family driving a normal vehicle.  With us ALWAYS passing thru these unseen ripples I have learned to just double the amount of time estimated, we’re usually not far off, unless of course we’re a day or MORE, later than planned.

Until next time…..

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.  ~Lao Tzu

One More Day on the Road

     The time had come for those dreadful ‘good-byes’, yet again, amazingly we were getting better at these too; although it was a little harder this time as we didn’t know when we would be passing thru North Alabama again.  After many hugs and quite a few tears, the cousins had a sorrowful moment of realization, not knowing when they’d see each other again, but always knowing the cell phones would be in range, we hoped.  A few last minute checks and we were on our way, continuing on our journey to see what is over the next hill and around the  bend, never knowing exactly what is in store for us when we get there;  sometimes never really knowing where ‘there’ is until we’re there.

     

     This journey was to take us up to the Black Hills area of South Dakota to explore the splendor of the hills (ya’ll know they was mountains to me, coming from bama ) and show the lil one a little Sioux heritage while there.   Everything went good for the first leg of this trip, we made it uneventfully (when traveling this is almost always the way you’d rather land somewhere, uneventfully) to Perryville, MO.  Surprisingly something happened on this trip, something that hasn't happened often. I had looked up the campground, planned our route, we left almost on time and we made it to the RV park before they closed for  the night; the moons don’t always align like this while traveling, but I was grateful they did this time.  It felt good to finally have an easy trip under our belt and give us a taste for the way it can be, you know, with no flat tires every few hundred miles, no running out of gas, no troubles; we felt as if we were finally doing this right after a year of trial runs.

                                  

   

     We stayed at Perryville Campground while in Missouri, the whole park was very shaded, and it would be heaven on those hot summer days of August, although hell for anyone with slides, our first spot wouldn’t allow us to slide out on both sides of the fifth wheel.  It had a small playground that was in need of attention but other than that it was a great one-night lay-over spot.  It didn’t take long to get ready to go in the morning as we hadn’t fully unpacked and spread out, on the road again before noon, headed to somewhere in Nebraska, that was to be determined later in the day.

      

     We went along at a good pace winding north along I55 towards St. Louis, taking the outer loop so as to avoid possible heavy traffic that usually accompanies bigger cities.  We made it through what in my mind was going to be a treacherous few miles as we wound through rush hour traffic, but all went well, once again for us.  After the interchange to start heading west on I70 it got really boring and monotonous.  
    We made it through, or around, Kansas City, MO, and onto I29, kissing the Nebraska state line.  Our eyes were steadily going to the weather apps on the sometimes not so trusty cell phones, not knowing how far we had until we hit the storm ahead, we pushed forward; I was always told to never go straight ahead, go forward---- you may hit something.

      

     It wasn’t long before we started seeing a spectacular light show in the darkening skies ahead of us.  At this point we were beginning to ponder how far we could actually go if the storm didn’t settle, the gas tank made that decision for us.  Yep, the F350 was getting close to that ¼ tank mark, the mark that told us to get fuel or it would die soon, very soon.  As our luck goes, if you followed me this far, there were no gas stations with diesel open at that hour.  The lil one and I took the Ranger off the Interstate on the hunt for fuel, it didn’t take long to find one, they graciously leave their pumps cut on at night just for travelers like us.  We had just enough monies left on the card to get at least one tank of fuel, that would have to be enough.

      

     As we’re pumping the diesel, we are once again checking the weather radar, and deciding to find somewhere close to spend the night.  If the radar was correct, we would be just south of the worst of the storms; looking to the skies and watching the lightning show Mother Nature was giving us we knew it was bad ahead of us.  We circled the local truck stop and quickly decided this was not the place to sleep, I’ve found the noise of the trucks running all through the night makes for very shallow sleep for mommy and in turn a grumpy tomorrow.

     

this is a similar view we had when we decided to stop for the night, didn't get to take my own shot, had to borrow one

     Firework stands are great in the Midwest; they are HUGE, with big enough parking lots to comfortably fit our rig and a couple of 18 wheelers in.  This was our spot for the night to ride the storm out, if it came farther south than predicted.  The hubby made sure to face the truck and fifth wheel nose first into the storms, just in case the winds picked up.  It turned out not to be that bad of a night, we got a good soaker, but when is that not ever welcome? When we awoke we had but only a few things on our minds, coffee, food and heading on towards South Dakota, but that will have to wait...

Until next time……

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go.  I travel for travel's sake.  The great affair is to move.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Extended Stay

     

     After pitching my conniption fit while getting parked with no more parts falling off, hugs were passed all around and we began the process of unpacking our home, sliding everything out, untying and unloading the bikes, grill and such.  We were scheduled to be here for the next 2-3 days before venturing out west for a few years, so we unpacked just about everything; we had to, so we could reach the tools and parts to fix the plumbing. When we were finally settled on the front porch of the sis’s with our sweet tea in hand, we were told of a benefit being held for one of the nieces in a week. It didn’t take long to decide to stay that much longer, if it was okay to stay parked at their house; being the wonderful couple they are, they let us do just that.

     

     Later that evening my mind went to work on what we could do to help, my eyes wandered to the walls of the fifth wheel at the canvases I had carefully laid paint upon. The hubby and I decided on one to donate together, you would think I could do this part on my own but he had a few he was emotionally tied to and there is no way he’ll give those up. With the sis running around like a very calm chicken with its head cut off gathering and organizing the big event, we felt we needed to pitch in where ever possible.  Quite frankly, she had it all handled pretty well, the only place help could’ve been used was babysitting, although in all honesty she had that handled too, I was looking for an excuse to get to know the little man that was quickly stealing my heart.  We spent the days playing in the yard, exploring nature and letting him teach us all about his prized and favorite animals, which incidentally is every single animal on the planet.

     

     In the mornings we would have breakfast, line out where everyone would be for the day and then play, and paint, play and then paint some more; I had decided to try and get a couple of small canvasses done while there to add to the growing pile of donations.  Some people may see these mundane trips back home as boring, but to us, they are the trips of all trips. You see, on these trips we get to actually see and hug our loved ones, meet all the new additions to the ever growing family, and most importantly we have babysitters for some much needed mommy and daddy time.  I wouldn’t trade any of the days we’ve been able to spend with family for anything in the world.

      

     After everyone else made a lot of trips to town to gather donations and supplies (I stayed at home as much as possible), she checked her list, twice, and got everything in place. The big day was quickly upon us, the family and friends really pulled together on this one! The benefit went off without a hitch; a ton of chicken stew was boiling away, dogs were steadily coming off the grill, and the band did a great job keeping everyone entertained; all while the cash register and donation jars filled up.  What a blessing it was to see such a big turnout to help such a beautiful young woman and mother.

     

     A day on the water filling your belly, dancing, and family will wear you out pretty quick. After the auction, a chicken drop with an unfed chicken, many bowls of stew and home made cookies, it was eventually time to get the little ones home and in bed so the adults could keep on partying, gathering donations and dancing the night away.  With me being such an early riser it wasn’t hard to volunteer to go home with the kiddos and snuggle up for the night, as worn out as they were all the kids were asleep before they hit the pillows without even begging for one last drink or snack.

     

     Our 2-3 day trip turned into a weeklong stay instead, our plans were to be in South Dakota 3-4 days earlier, but I don’t think the Black Hills minded us being a week late to see their splendor.  This is one of the very reasons we had decided to become full-timers and the fact that you can change your seasons and neighbors any time you want to.

Until next time…..

To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.  ~Barbara Bush

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