The Good

• Landing a site right by the lake
• Ability to see the beauty this country has
• Making memories to last a lifetime
• Sharing experiences with the love of your life
• Seeing family and friends you haven’t visited in a while
• Sharing the beauty with those who can’t.
• Listening to nature’s orchestra – wind through the trees, the babbling brook, and the voices of the cicadas.
• Meeting new friends along the way
• Crossing items off your bucket list
• Climbing a mountain and looking at the vista on top
• Finding unexpected craft fair
• Biking on fantastic trails

The Bad

•  Spending anniversaries in remote places with no local restaurants
• Not being able to find Boar’s head meat
• Expecting to follow the 70s only to find out you landed in a heat wave.
• Being away from your immediate family
• Having to go to a laundry mat
• Figuring out where to get packages delivered
• High winds that shake the trailer, making for sleepless nights
• No room for a Christmas tree

The Ugly

• Finding a repairman on the 4^th of July
• Getting stuck in traffic and not moving an inch
• Finding out the last campground you stayed had an electrical glitch and wiped out your lithum batteries.
• Suspension repairs
• Brake calibers coming off while driving

My daughter was told she needed to be induced on Dec 20th. Now, the chaos begins! Early Christmas with my son and grandson, saying goodbye to family members and getting ready for the trip to Texas. The possibility of us getting there for the delivery was not an option. This trip pushed my husband’s rule of 3 hours on the road or 350 miles. My birthday is December 21, and I thought my first granddaughter would share my birthday. Texting back and forth throughout the delivery left me on pins and needles. My birthday celebration was on the road, and after an eight-hour drive, we stopped for the night. At midnight, it was clear that I would be blowing out birthday candles by myself next year.

Two hours later, Emersyn was born at 2:17 am, weighing 6 lbs, 8 oz. My anticipation to get to the hospital was getting stronger, and I kept asking how momma and baby were doing. Finally, we arrived on the 23rd, hugged our daughter, congratulated our son-in-law, and held our tiny granddaughter. The best Christmas present was held in my arms, like an angel. There is no better way than to start off 2024. Life is good, and gratitude was given as prayers were answered. We will be spending the next two months in Texas to help with the baby before we start our journey out west. Posts will be sporadic, so bear with us until we get on our regular schedule of posting every Saturday.

We arrived a few days before Thanksgiving to have our family participate in the Turkey Trot.  So many people are eager to run the 5k or enjoy the 1-mile stroll.  Baby strollers, turkey hats, Santa outfits, and groups with matching t-shirts added to the festive mood of the event.  People crowded the streets, waiting for the National Anthem to end and the trot to begin. We enjoyed the bands along the way to keep us entertained. It was my 4 ½ yr old grandson’s first participation in this event.  In the beginning, he was pretty excited about the surroundings.  Unfortunately, he petered out, and Poppy had to carry him home.  Too much excitement for one day.  Thanksgiving day was shared with family, and the food was abundant and delicious.  We are thankful for our many blessings and grateful to be surrounded by those we love.

We rode bikes to the newly renovated Coachman Park to watch our grandson climb, run, and meet new friends during our stay.  Mitchell participated in a 10k run in the park and finished 2^nd place in his age group—way to go, Mitch.  Our grandson is now the proud owner of a winner’s medal. 

We were also able to host our daughter’s baby shower.  This is her first child, and her due date is January 7th.  Our baby is having a baby.  So exciting.  Once again, there is plenty of food to be shared among friends and family.

Stay tuned to next week’s post and find out why our time in Florida was cut short.

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