Suede Returns

The camp hosts, Sharon and Norm, stopped in to tell us that Suede called and was returning to Georgia this weekend. So, we watched for her van throughout the weekend and we finally spotted her yesterday. We spoke for a few minutes but she was tired after a long drive. She said she was going to stay for a couple of months so we'll have plenty of time to catch up on her stories. She said that he trip renewed her thoughts that faith in this country is strong but that the disparity she saw between the very rich and the very poor was concerning in some areas. But, she planned to fill us in on all of that during her stay here.

We are still battling illness. Rachel and I are on the mend but still not 100% yet. Anna is now exhibiting the same symptoms so I suspect we'll be visiting the pediatrician tomorrow for her. I was hoping we were done with illness and coughing but no such luck! Since it looks like we aren't done with illness yet, it appears that we still won't be traveling again until February.

I mentioned Sharon and Norm above but I've never talked much about them on the blog. I had always noticed the Purple Heart tag on their RV but never heard the circumstances that surrounded that. Sharon and Norm were both in Saudi Arabia when one of the car bombings happened. It was about a year before the Khobar Towers car bombing. Sharon was one of the few survivors in that facility. She had awful burns on her back and had a long road to recovery. They had dinner with us one evening and told us the whole story. It's amazing what some people go through yet show no signs of having been through so much.

Since our lives are a bit boring right now with the illness, it's great to have Suede back. I'm sure she'll give us plenty to discuss here. :-)

So what do we do when it rains?

We are frequently asked this question...this should answer it!

The simple things in life truly are the best.

P.S. Anna picked her own hair bows this morning.

Houses, Illness and Rainbows

"Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear."

We had planned to go to Memphis, TN, to ring in the new year but due to ongoing health issues we decided that the best thing to do was get some much needed rest and simply stay put for a while until we are all healthy again. I'm beginning to wonder when that will be.....

I am now battling another bronchial bug and Rachel is also sick. Our counter top resembles a pharmacy because at least two of us have been sick at any given time over the past few weeks. Actually, we've been battling illness in some form or fashion since Thanksgiving. I can't remember the last time that we had a solid night of rest without someone coughing and in need of water or medicine at various times throughout the night. I barely had a voice yesterday. I'm sure Jeff has hated that. :-)

At least we had a small reprieve over Christmas. Anna and I were on the recovery end of our illness; but, still not 100%. We had a wonderful Christmas in Huntsville. Although, I must admit, it has always been important that our children be home on Christmas morning. This is the first year that our children weren't at our home for Christmas. And, throughout the holiday time period, Jeff and I found ourselves missing having a stationary home to incorporate our usual holiday traditions. It wasn't that we missed a specific home or house per se...we just missed having that one place that was our home to do our traditional holiday things. We always decorate for Christmas and we couldn't do much of that in the RV. We couldn't put up our tree with our sentimental decorations nor all of our exterior illumination. Many of these things are also packed in a storage facility and not very easy to get to...even if we had the room to put them out. And, I always bake a lot around Christmas. However, due to limited kitchen space and battling the flu....no baking was done this year. I didn't even get Christmas cards out this year due to illness. I guess the phrase "there's no place like home for the holidays" really meant more to us this year more so than others. And, with all of the bronchial illnesses, I wanted to run a humidifier to provide some relief. But, we were concerned about how it might affect the electrical components inside of the RV if used routinely. I can take living in a small space. I can even tolerate living in a hotel periodically. But, when we are ill and can't use something like a humidifier without concerns then that is where I draw the line. It was these things plus a need to have a home base when the RV is being serviced that has prompted us to begin our search for another house. I also wanted to add that even with these recent frustrations, I do not regret the decision we made in 2006. If it was just Jeff and me, I could see living in an RV being completely manageable long term. But, with two little ones, it makes living in one a bit tougher to meet their needs. We knew we'd get another house again some day so we figured why not go ahead and start searching. It's a good thing we did as I'll explain in the remainder of this post.

Our requirements are much different than what we used to have when shopping for a home. Gone are the days where mega space is the desire---now, the smaller, the better. Our requirements though are not so easy to come by. We want a home between 1,500-1,700 square feet with enough driveway space/property where we can park our motorhome on our property. We'd like a home zoned for decent public schools. While our children currently attend a private school, we'd like to preserve the option of using a public school if we wanted to go that route. We want to keep the mortgage cost down as much as possible so that our disposable income is as free as much as possible for our first love...traveling. As it turns out, this is a tall order! Most smaller homes also have smaller lots with tiny driveways...not much room for a 40 foot motorhome. And, many subdivisions don't allow you to have an RV in your driveway or on your property at all or without a garage cover for it. In outlying areas where you can keep the RV on your own land, you run into the problem of less desireable public schools. We have found a couple of homes that had over an acre of property which isn't desireable either. That is just more lawn to mow! Storing our RV elsewhere is not an option for various reasons. We travel quite often and still intend to do so. If we stored the RV off-site, it would be more of a hassle to pack up when we leave and we'd have to charge up the batteries, etc. with each trip. Plus, we'd be adding an additional expense to store it off-site as well which is undesireable to us. Also, we plan to use our RV as extra living space when we have visitors. A smaller home more than adequately meets the needs of my family when it is just the four of us. But, it won't allow room for guests to stay overnight comfortably. Our RV is a perfect guest suite when extra space is needed as it can comfortably sleep up to six people. We were hoping to find something that would be the equivalent of what we spend for rental fees for RV campsites and storage fees for other belongings so that the cost would be equal. I'm just not feeling real positive about finding what we want very easily. I guess the silver lining in this is that we can shop until we find something that is right for us as we have a roof over our head and we are in no hurry.

The shopping we have done to date has been quite frustrating. The problem that we are finding is that the homes that meet our requirements regarding lot size, square footage, and school zone all were built around the same time period. Most of them are in the 10-15 year age range, are on a slab instead of a crawl space, and they all have polybutylene piping. What is polybutylene piping you ask? Well, take a look at this link for some information--it's nasty stuff. Most real estate agents locally will tell you that this type of piping is not a big deal. If that's the case, why is it state law for an inspector and seller's who are aware of it to disclose it? Plus, I have two coworkers that have had problems with it. Luckily, one of them was able to claim some of the repair work under the class action law suit against the manufacturers of polybutylene. The other employee was not so lucky. When the first employee had his house re-piped, the plumber stated that they get 3-4 calls per month for polybutylene problems from homeowners in this area. And, it has cost him around $7,000 for all of the work. All I could think was that this time bomb was the last thing we needed since we travel so much. It would be my luck, we'd come home from a trip and our entire home would be flooded. With polybutylene, it's not a matter of if you'll have a leak problem...it's a matter of when.

Homes in the 10-15 year age range are just about in the zone for big ticket maintenance items that need replacement...hot water heater, heat pump, appliances, roofing, etc. We've seen very few homes where people have either maintained them well or that would require little investment on our part after purchase. We found one home we liked but it had mauve carpet throughout the house. I don't own one thing that would match mauve carpet. A quick estimate revealed we'd have to shell out around $7K to replace that mauve carpet with something more neutral or with laminate wood flooring. That's not exactly what I had in mind. I'd rather spend that on traveling!

Newer homes cost significantly more per square foot and the lots are much smaller...so unless we get a 2,500 sq ft home (which we do not want), we're finding that lot sizes won't accomodate our needs with the RV.

Finding a new home will be quite the challenge for us. It's a good thing we started shopping already as I suspect it'll take a while before we find the one that will work best for our needs.

But, there is a rainbow after all of the sickness and the frustrating home viewing process. We had some rain here yesterday and right before sunset we had one of the most beautiful rainbows we have ever seen. The picture really doesn't do it justice.

2006 - A Glimpse

Below are a collection of pictures taken in 2006. We made many trips prior to living in our RV full time, some of which you will see below. Our daughters have grown so much...it happens so fast. We have made some wonderful memories this year, ones we will surely not forget. I hope 2007 is a wonderful year for everyone and we look forward to hitting the road again soon.

January 2006

February 2006:

Univeral Studios

March 2006:
Florence Marina State Park

April 2006

Fort Wilderness Campground

1st of three Disney Trips this year

May 2006:

Sea World

June 2006:

Topsail Hill Preserve

July 2006:

George L. Smith State Park

August - September 2006:

Sold House in August and made trip to the Smoky Mountains in September

October 2006

Disney's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween

November 2006:

Family at FamCamp

We hope you all have a Happy New Year.

Suede Checks In

For those of you who remember, Suede....We received a post card from her in November and I forgot to post it. Who knows...maybe we'll be seeing her again some day soon. She sent us another post card prior to this one that I misplaced. Suffice it say, I think she made great progress for a person who is 60+ years old!

For those of you who recently just started visiting our blog, you'll have to view my "Vanguard" post in September '06 to get caught up on the history with Suede.

Her post card follows:

Hi. Path thru West Virginia; Wardensville, Moorefield, Petersburg, Smoke Hole Caverns, Seneca Rocks, Harman, Wymer, Bowden, Elkins, Buckhannon, Homer, Weston, Camden, Pickle Street, Baldwin, Normanstown, Arnoldsburg, Spencer, Ripley, Silverton and on 11/20 from Ravenswood, WV, I walked over a bridge into Ohio. It snowed and sleeted that morning. So I prayed and marked my western most point I reached on the other side of the Ohio River. Then due to the danger of hunting season starting, dicey weather and arthritis and heel spur discomfort in my feet, I am packing it in and driving south for the winter. Happy Holidays, Suede.

"Loser's Paradise"

We saw an article on an RV Park in Austin, TX, in The Huntsville Times today. I also found another similar article on the internet.

AUSTIN — Ease into the Pecan Grove R.V. Park and you'll quickly discover why residents like Betsy Kemper — a.k.a. Doodle Bug the Clown — love the place so much.

Sheltered by towering pecan trees, the trailer park is near the famous Barton Springs Pool, Town Lake hike-and-bike trail and trendy restaurants and coffee cafes. Best of all, residents say, it's a close-knit community.

"I've lived in all the choicest neighborhoods in Austin, and this is the best one in town," said Kemper, 56, who performs at birthday parties and corporate events and lives in a Salem Park luxury trailer with a fireplace and "real toilet."

The Pecan Grove dwellers are part of a fading phenomenon — the urban trailer park. They enjoy affordable housing in a high-priced part of the city, where condominium and business development surges all around them. Some fear the new construction that's closing in, but they revel in their little oasis of old-style Austin.

"It's more than just location. It's a village. Pecan Grove is a village," said Milton Sullivan, 38, who has lived here 15 years and writes trailer park short stories. "I tend to call it a loser's paradise."

Many residents seem to lead richly rewarding lives.

Artists, couples counselors, an attorney, a software developer and even a movie star are among the eclectic set who live here year-round or seasonally in everything from 40-foot motor homes to little Airstreams.

(Actor Matthew McConaughey has a spot in the park, though he's not around often. Neighbors protect its location and are wary of strangers who appear to be paparazzi.)

It's not easy to join this enclave; there's a waiting list for the 80 monthly sites. They rent for $320 to $370 a month — that includes water, sewer and electricity — though some prices are about to go up past $400.

That's still a bargain in Austin.

Tony condos across the street sell for more than $600,000. The median home price in Austin this year has hovered around $170,000, surpassing most Texas cities, according to the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

Trailer parks are becoming scarce in urban areas because of the cost of upkeep and because they often are on valuable land sought by developers, said Brian Schaeffer, executive director of the Texas Association of Campground Owners.

"That's happening a lot in Florida, and we're starting to see it now in Texas," Schaeffer said. "Many parks that were close to the city but weren't right in the city, well, now they're right in the city."

Some Pecan Grove residents worry about a new condo development planned on neighboring property, which would displace another smaller trailer park.

Longtime Pecan Grove manager Robert McCartney said he hopes the trailer park he runs keeps operating for a long time to come.

"This is home to a lot of people. There's not a lot of R.V. parks in Austin for the size of Austin," he said. "We've got some people who have moved out of some pretty big houses, and they say they don't regret it one minute."

Terry Cottrell, a 55-year-old retired state worker, lived in Pecan Grove in the early 1980s. He moved away and got married, had children and eventually divorced. Now he's back, living in what he calls the quiet, simple world of the "bourgeoisie bohemians."

"It's a lifestyle more than anything. You have to be beyond the ego point in your life, where having a new house is your status. You have to let that go," he said.

Cottrell likes to go flying with friends, and he spent the summer becoming a life guard at Barton Springs Pool.

As in any neighborhood, holiday decorations adorn the trailers. There are wreaths and lights and tiny dangling holiday Airstreams. Artist Faith Wickey put up a large real Christmas tree inside her Yellowstone trailer.

A few feet away is Wickey's studio, a converted bedroom where she works on colorful glass art. She likes to wear bright clothes and delights in her freestyle life.

"I like living in a house on wheels," said Wickey, who travels to art shows around the country and has a summer cottage in Michigan.

Traveling the West, "exploring the path of intimacy," brought Jeff London, 50, and Jesse Heron, 59, to Pecan Grove. They said they wanted to leave the rat race behind and live in close quarters to learn about their relationship.

They are meditators and relationship advisers. They love the movie "The Wizard of Oz," and use their 5 1/2-foot corn snake, Dorothy, in sessions. They call Pecan Grove the "emerald forest."

"It's like the Hotel California — you can check out but you can never leave," London said.

Some residents come and go because they work in multiple cities. Some would rather pursue pastimes like traveling or rock climbing than spend time and money on a house.

Robbie Chandler, 81, a former funeral singer and variety show performer, said she enjoys her acquaintances and feels safe at Pecan Grove. After visiting the place for years, she and her late husband moved in full time about 10 years ago.

In her cozy kitchen is a box of sweet potatoes. In her living room is a china cabinet and a television set for watching her favorite soap operas. On a stool sits an old Hank Williams song book reminding her of the music she adores.

"I love trailering," she said. "I tell people all the time, I have what you have in your house, it's only smaller."

It peaked my curiosity so I did a search on the internet and found one family's site that also discussed this RV park.

It seems that RV life is one of the best kept secrets. More and more people are discovering that it really is a comfortable way of life. I'm thrilled for the people who live in Pecan Grove.

And, if the park has rental sites, we may visit their "bourgeoisis bohemian" paradise some day in the future when we visit family members in Texas. I don't know that I agree with the term "loser's paradise" though. I'd say these people are winning at the game of life.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

From our home to yours....we wish you a very blessed holiday season with a wonderful New Year ahead in 2007!

Jeff Got An Award From Work This Year!

From the movie: A Christmas Story
Mr. Parker: Holy smokes. Do... Do you know what this is? This is... A Lamp!
Narrator: It was indeed a lamp.
Mr. Parker: Isn't that great? What a great lamp.
Mother: I don't know...
Narrator: The old man's eyes boggled...
Mr. Parker: Oh WOW!
Narrator: ...Overcome by art.

Jeff has really worked hard this year and to recognize his outstanding performance, he has received the leg lamp. The container that the lamp was shipped in had the following stamped on the outside of the box: "FRAGILE." So we figured it was Italian or from some fancy European boutique. It is on display on the dashboard area inside of our RV. You can't see it very well right now outside because it is still daylight out but tonight, it will bring joy and class to our RV campground. I'm sure we will have many people who will find it hard to tear themselves away from "the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window."
P.S. To fully appreciate the humor of this post, you have to watch the movie A Christmas Story. If you've never watched A Christmas Story, you really need to some time soon! It's a classic:-)

Time to Upgrade

I didn't realize how bad we had it until my boss sent me these pictures.... Now if I can only talk Angela into it....and win the lottery! :)

Semi-Affluent Homeless

I met a gentleman camping next to us today. His name is Tom. After I told Tom we were living in our RV full time, he asked me if I had ever heard of the term "semi-affluent homeless?" I responded, "no."

Evidently, he was full-timing it in his RV when the last census was taken and he was classified as "semi-affluent homeless" by the census bureau.

I have to say this term made me chuckle a bit. I'm sure someone spent days sweating over the most politically correct term to describe us. There's a fine use of resources.

The whole discusson on "semi-affluent homeless" reminded me of some other experiences where we have had to deal with businesses or government offices regarding our living status.

One of my favorites was when I went to get our tag at the local Department of Motor Vehicles office. They asked for my address and I gave them my PO Box address. The lady (and I use that term loosely) behind the counter huffed and responded back quite sharply, "you don't live in a PO Box." I replied, "No. I live in my RV. And, my RV may be parked here one day or in another state in a few days." So, she marched off with an attitude to get her manager. I couldn't believe that this was such an issue for them. Her manager came back and explained that by February (when it's time for tag renewal), that I had to provide a permanent residence address. She recommended that I pick a friend or family member who lives locally who will allow us to use their address for purposes of giving them a physical location so they can determine our ad valorem taxes. You just gotta love taxes!

And, PO Boxes do not just impact taxes. Our insurance company didn't like the PO Box address either. I can name other businesses too who absolutely refuse to take a PO Box for an address. It's just so frustrating!

But, I do feel better now knowing that I am not alone with my trials and tribulations...there is a whole group of us out there who are semi-affluent homeless who don't live in a PO Box.

The Polar Express and The Biltmore Estate

We traveled to North Carolina for the weekend. We stayed in Waynesville, NC, at Creekwood Farm RV Park, which was a good midway spot between Dillsboro and Asheville. We had reservations for the Polar Express Dinner Train (Great Smoky Mountain Railway) departing from Dillsboro and for the candlelight tour at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.
It was our first time to stay in Waynesville and at this campground. The campground was very clean and well kept with nice pull through sites and the staff were equally as nice.

Unfortunately, illness has continued to plague us. I should've known something was up when I went to pick up the children at school on Friday. I arrived at their school early because Rachel's class was decorating gingerbread houses and parents were invited to assist. As I passed the playground, I noticed Anna sitting on the bench with her teacher. As I passed by Anna got excited when she saw me and her teacher walked up and said Anna had been whiny all morning but had not complained about being sick. She just kept asking for her Momma. That was unusual as once they are at school, they typically are fine and haven't been prone to ask for Jeff or I once they are immersed in their daily activities. We thought maybe it threw her off Friday because she knew I was picking her up rather than our babysitter. She never complained about feeling badly even though she still had a residual cough from the cold she was battling while we were in Orlando. By Friday night, it was apparent that she wasn't feeling well at all. Anna did not sleep much on Friday night. She said she had bubbles in her ear that hurt and that she had a "bad feeling." I gave her an antibiotic on Saturday morning and she started feeling better but she was tired from being up a good portion of Friday night (and so were we). And, to add insult to injury, I began to feel sick as well.

We slept in as much as possible on Saturday morning before heading to Dillsboro. We ate lunch in Dillsboro at the Dillsboro Smokehouse and browsed the local shops. We stopped for dessert at the Chocolate Factory. We purchased some hot chocolate, chocolate candy, and chocolate fudge to share and then left the Chocolate Factory and continued browsing local shops. Do you get the distinct impression that we might like chocolate? We saw an apron hanging in the store that had the following written across the front, "Question: Do you know how many calories are in chocolate? Answer: Who cares." Exactly!
About 30 minutes later, I realized I no longer had my purse and I figured I had left it in the Chocolate Factory store. So, we headed back to the store and they did have it safely put away in their office. This is the second time I have left my purse accidentally in the past few years and both times it was safely returned. It's refreshing to be reminded that people are still inherently good.

One of the stores we visited had a gas heater mounted on the wall; the same type I had in the home that I grew up in. My sister-in-law, Teresa, always laughed about my brothers and me regarding these types of heaters. If a home had one, whether it was on or not, eventually my brothers and I always ending up standing in front of it.

Our dinner train left at 4:30 pm. Overall, we enjoyed it and would recommend it to others but they could've played up the Polar Express theme a bit better. They should've made the tickets look like the gold tickets in the movie. They could've had the conductor carry a stop watch like the one in the movie. And, the thing that really disappointed us...no hot chocolate. If you take the Polar Express train that isn't the dinner version, they do provide hot chocolate and cookies though.
The dinner was delicious. For the adults...spiral ham, sweet potato, green bean casserole, and rolls. For dessert...pecan pie. For the kids....chicken nuggets, fruit cup, and macaroni and cheese. For dessert...rice krispie treats.
After dinner, we arrived at the "North Pole." This is when Santa boarded the train. Again, I think they could've really made this really special but it only included seeing Santa sitting in his sleigh outside and then he boarded the train. He visited with each child for a picture and gave each child a sleigh bell. Poor Anna was so exhausted that she slept through most of the trip and she didn't eat one bite of her dinner. But, she did wake up to see Santa and to enjoy the Christmas carols being sung on the way back.

We were tempted to pass on the Biltmore and if we had not prepaid for our candlelight tour, we would have. But, we figured the girls would nap on the way to Asheville and even though I felt like collapsing in a bed myself, I was determined to not waste the money we had already obligated. Our tour was at 8:30 pm. We arrived around 7:15. That gave us enough time to visit the restrooms and to browse a couple of shops before getting in line for our tour. Rachel was really enjoying the tour at first. She got her own headset and was absorbing the information presented. She asked me where all of the people were that she saw in portraits hanging on the walls and I explained they lived here a long time ago but had since passed away. She has recently developed a fixation on death to some degree and it upset her slightly that these people had died. About half way through the tour she began to complain that she was tired. And, truth be told, I was quite exhausted myself. I had been battling muscle aches and joint aches for most the day. And, I would have moments of feeling like I was freezing to death even though the temperature was in the mid-70s. So we opted not to complete the tour. We were about halfway through it and decided to call it a night. We had to ride a bus back to the parking lot. On the way, Rachel once again began her discussion on death and dying. I tried to explain as I have before that death is a part of life. Eventually, we will all grow old (hopefully) and die. At that point she blurted out "I don't want to get old and die!" Her statement was easily overheard throughout the bus and particularly by an elderly couple sitting very near to us. I had to explain to them why she was upset and why she said what she did as they seemed offended.

We all collapsed when we got back to the RV. There are no pictures to share from the Biltmore. It was too dark outside to get any good photos and they do not allow photography inside.

We packed up early Sunday morning to travel back home. On the way home, we stopped and filled up the gas tank before we arrived back at the base. Jeff snapped this shot of Rachel as she was sitting there watching him pump gas. I think she looks quite at home in the driver's seat! :-)

I know I wasn't feeling any better and neither was Anna on Sunday. By Sunday afternoon, my fever topped out at 105. I took some motrin and got my temperature back under control. Anna had a fever of around 102.9 and some tylenol helped her. I knew that Monday morning meant getting us both to the doctor. Unfortunately, there is an epidemic going around locally; flu, strep throat and pneumonia are rampant. I wanted to bring Anna to her pediatrician but couldn't get an appt until 3:20 and the best I could arrange for myself was the Medstop...a local walk-in clinic that treats minor injuries and illnesses. Unfortunately, the Medstop isn't the most thorough in their patient evaluation. They ran no tests on me and decided my issue was a bronchial infection. I had my doubts but was greatful for any medication at this point that might help me feel better. Jeff brought Anna to her appointment that afternoon while I rested. Anna was tested and diagnosed with the flu....which is what I thought I had as well. The doctors offices were packed with people complaining about similar symptoms. It just stinks that everyone will be so sick during Christmas. We are hoping a praying that the medication that our pediatrician gave Rachel will help prevent her from getting the flu. We were concerned that we might not be able to get it. Every pharmacy in town was out of the medication except one.

I took my medications on Monday and I'd like to report that I felt better but I didn't. I had spiked a temperature again Monday afternoon in the 102 range and I coughed all night Monday night. Anna seemed to rest better.

I made an appointment with my internal medicine doctor on Tuesday. He diagnosed me with the flu and a bronchial infection. He gave me a shot in the fanny, prescribed some great cough syrup that allowed me to give my throat and chest much needed rest from coughing and something wonderful that knocked me out so I could get some sleep.

I'm praying both Anna and I feel better by Friday which is when we are scheduled to go to Huntsville to spend Christmas with Harold and Gail. We have all of their "Santa" presents there so it will not be a good thing if we can't make the trip but at the same time, I don't want to bring these illnesses to them.

At this point, all I want for Christmas is for my family to get healthy and stay healthy for a while. It seems Anna has been battling illness of some sort of another for over a month now. It is a good reminder that if you have your health you truly are rich beyond all measure.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

I think what I want Disneyland to be most of all is a happy place–a place where adults and children can experience together some of the wonders of life, of adventure, and feel better because of it.--Walt Disney

Gail and Harold drove from Huntsville on Thursday and camped overnight in Georgia and we all left for Orlando on Friday. We got a late start since Anna awakened with a fever Friday morning. I brought her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with an ear infection. I picked up the prescriptions for her from the pharmacy and then we were on the road traveling to Orlando.

As soon as we arrived, we set up the Christmas lights/decorations outside. If you've never visited Fort Wilderness near Christmas time, I highly recommend it just to view the lights. I'm amazed by the amount of decorations some people put out. .
I do wonder how they transport it in their RV. Our exterior illumination was very conservative in comparison to some. I made a Mickey Christmas wreath to hang on the front of the RV this year. And, we put out a few other lights and an inflatable Mickey dressed as Santa. Our campsite was in loop 400 for this trip. While this loop is very convenient to the docks and beach area, it is also not the best location if you prefer peace and quiet like we do. We'd hear noise from other campers coming and going to the dock, the horns from the boats entering/exiting the dock area, the fireworks and the electric light parade as if they were right inside of our RV...every night! I'd rather be farther away and ride my bike to the dock area than listen to this again each night.

Our friends Mike and Jen and their two children, Ellis and Cooper, were scheduled to arrive at our camper for a visit on Friday evening shortly after we arrived. They were visiting the Orlando area from their home in the U.K. and planned to spend Friday evening with us. Rachel first met Ellis over a year ago and at that time they were quite smitten with one another. That attraction has not subsided one bit. On this visit, Jen's Mum, Judy, was also with them. We shared a traditional southern American style dinner with them and then toured some areas of Disney World that we thought they might enjoy that didn't cost anything to do. We traveled on a boat to the Magic Kingdom and then took a tram to a couple of the resorts including the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. The Grand Floridian was absolutely gorgeous! It was our first visit there. And, they had a life-sized gingerbread house on display. The ingredients to make the gingerbread house included: 1,050 lbs of honey, 140 pints of egg whites, 600 lbs of powdered sugar, 700 lbs of chocolate, 800 lbs of flour, 35 lbs of spices, tons of creativity, Disney Magic, and Pixie dust. We traveled back to Fort Wilderness after the tours of the resorts and watched the fireworks and electric light parade from the beach. When they prepared to leave later that evening, Ellis came in a gave Rachel a big smooch right on the lips. Anna, not being one to be left out, grabbed Ellis before he left, gave him a big bear hug, and smooched him. Needless to say, Rachel was quite upset by this. I wonder if this is a view of what is yet to come in the future when they start dating? At some point in the future, we hope to make a trip to the U.K. to visit with them in their home country.

Sunday was spent at MGM. The girls couldn't wait to get on Tower of Tower again. Of course, since we visited in October, Rachel has developed a sense of self preservation. She was none too thrilled after we rode Tower of Terror. I don't think she'll be riding again any time soon. The highlight of Anna's day was seeing Winnie the Pooh and of course, Tower of Terror. Anna has developed a recent renewed interest in Pooh so she was so thrilled to see him and get her picture made with him. We had an awesome visit to MGM. Our friends Steve and Denise visited with us Sunday evening at our RV. We had hoped to see them again on Thursday evening for the space shuttle launch. The launch was re-scheduled to Saturday night and we had dinner plans already for that evening.

Monday was spent at Epcot. We purchased a dinner package for the Candlelight Processional at 6:45. Dinner was at San Angel's Inn in Mexico. The food was really good and the atmosphere in the restaurant was really cool. The favorite ride at Epcot for everyone was Soaring. We took a tour around the world showcase and then attended the Candlelight Processional later in the evening. While I do think the dinner package was very pricey, we really enjoyed the Candlelight Processional. Mario Lopez was the narrator. Although, if you don't care if you have a seat and simply want to see/hear the show, then you could do it without paying for the dinner package like we did. I would recommend this for those who have younger children that don't want to sit still for long and for people who want to save money but enjoy the processional. The processional event was a beautiful depiction describing the birth of Christ. Rachel and Anna were also able to see Santa and Mrs. Clause at Epcot.

Tuesday night was the night for the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party tickets. We relaxed at the camper on Tuesday morning and we arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 4 pm. Once patrons that don't have tickets to the special event are cleared out, the wait time for the rides becomes minimal to none at all. You can ride more rides in one evening at a party event than you can ride in a matter of several days during peak summer times. We enjoyed the free hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies. And, Gail got into the spirit at one of the events where she and Gippetto (Pinnochio) had a great time dancing together. This is our second year to attend a Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom and I highly recommend it to anyone considering it. I did my civic duty for the night by helping a little girl find her Mom. As we were walking towards the Haunted Mansion, I noticed a little girl (she looked maybe 2.5-3 years old) step away from one of the vending stands with a lighted toy. She was mesmerized with it and began walking with the toy while following along with the traffic flow of the crowd. I did not see anyone in the crowd that either looked like or acted like they were her parents. So, I watched her as we walked along. She continued along with the crowd, and walked into the exit entrance of the Haunted Mansion alone. Then, I felt 100% sure that she was lost and alone. So I notified one of the cast members at the Haunted Mansion who tried to catch her. Needless to say, the girl was terrified when she realized someone other than her parents were trying to catch her. She began to run. So, I left my family and helped the cast member back track the path we had just walked and finally cornered the little girl. It was about this time that I heard a woman calling out for her daughter and the woman was crying hysterically. I waved my hands to her and asked her if this girl was her daughter. It was. Her mother was so relieved to have her daughter back safely and I was happy to see this mother and daughter reunited. The mother said that she was watching the Splash Mountain ride only for a minute when she looked down and her daughter was gone. The concerning part is this is something that could happen to any parent. I know Anna is an explorer and she can get away from you if you aren't watching her every second. If I had not stopped this little girl, there is no telling how far or where she might have gone. I just hope that if one of my children ever got away from us that some concerned citizen would do the same for us to help return our child safely back to us.

We spent the remainder of the week visiting the various parks again and we visited Downtown Disney on Friday morning. We spent Thursday at the Animal Kingdom. Anna and Rachel got their face painted at the Animal Kingdom. Anna's choice seemed a bit "goth" but it's what she wanted. The Bug's Life 3-D Show had some changes since we last visited. It is by far the best 3-D show at Disney World in my opinion but it can be scary to the little ones. Jeff and I rode the Everest ride at the Animal Kingdom for the first time on this trip. It was very intense. I felt a bit light headed when we got off. I've never tolerated rides that travel the reverse direction very well. It was an awesome ride though despite my post ride sickness. I'm glad I did it once but I can't say that I'm eager to get on it again any time soon.

We visited Epcot two more times. Anna and Rachel finished their kidcot masks on the second trip to Epcot and the last country we visited was Japan. We also ate lunch one day at Biergarten, the German restaurant. Rachel was called up front by one of the entertainers. She got to "light" the Christmas tree on the stage. Our our second visit to see Crush the Turtle, Anna was selected to ask Crush a question. She asked him "Do turtles have flowers?" It wasn't exactly the most logical question for a turtle but we were greatful it was at least harmless as you never know what she'll come up with. As you can tell, our children aren't shy in front of a crowd. On our final visit to Epcot, we got to hear the "Voices of Liberty" carolers at the American Epcot location. I think we got more enjoyment from our Epcot visits this trip that previous trips. Rachel and Anna learned alot including how to say "hello" in French and how to exit a burning house as well as identify fire hazards. They also enjoyed the new Nemo and Friends ride.

The trip to Downtown Disney was enjoyable but it was a bit colder that day. We enjoyed lunch at the Rainforest Cafe and dessert at the Ghiradelli Shop. If you're a chocolate lover, you have to try their decadent hot chocolate. It is very rich though but yummy! I think Jeff would like an I.V. drip of this stuff!
The girls enjoyed visiting the Lego store. It is just amazing what they can build with legos....including the dragon in the lake.

On Saturday night, we had a special treat. We had dinner reservations at Cinderella's castle. This was our first time to do this. Unfortunately, with Anna still not feeling 100% combined with a late dinner reservation and Jeff now being sick, it wasn't as pleasant as it could have been. The food at dinner was very good..not your typical park food. Jeff had salmon and I had the prime rib..both very good! We were able to see the fireworks while eating dinner at the castle which was a cool way to view them. If I had to do this over again, I'd certainly prefer everyone was healthy and I'd like an earlier dining time. 8:00 was a bit late for us. It was close to 10 when we were done and the kids were completely exhausted and tired! But, while we were there, we saw someone propose by giving his girlfriend a glass slipper. Isn't that romantic? Of course, I had my own romantic proposal years ago. Jeff had purchased a walkman for my birthday. When I tried to use it, it didn't operate properly. He returned it and got a replacement. Before he gave me the new walkman, he got one of my old cassettes and recorded himself asking, "Angela, will you marry me?" He gave me the new walkman and handed me my old cassette and suggested I try it out to make sure this new walkman worked properly. So, I did. I heard him asking me to marry him and I looked up and he was on one knee holding the ring. So, it wasn't a fancy proposal at Cinderella's castle, but it was just as romantic if not more so to me. Plus, I have recorded proof that he did ask me to marry him in case he ever recants. :-)

While Disney World is known as the "happiest place on earth." There are times I have to question this label. We are not the lone parents who have moments of questioning their sanity. From paying outrageous prices for food that your children take one bite of to the incessant whining about walking, the temperature, or breathing...there are moments that it just isn't the happiest place on earth. I could not imagine coming here during the summer months when the temperatures are around 100, the lines are forever long, and the crowds are elbow to elbow. But, in the end, despite the grumpiness, the fatigue, the sickness and being significantly poorer....we did have a good time. Disney World is an awesome place to visit around Christmas time.

RV Humor

I'm sure our kids would do this if we allowed them to.

Giving Thanks.....

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We awakened on Sunday morning to a broadcast of Joel Osteen's sermon. I find his sermons entertaining, interesting, and motivational. One of the key points that he discussed this morning was "being grateful is the key to a happy life." In a nutshell, it is the conscious choice to be an optimist....the glass if half full view as opposed to the glass is half empty view. I thought it was appropriate to mention his sermon because it ties in well with the Thankgiving holiday time.

We made the trip from our home town to Huntsville, AL, on Wednesday evening. Jeff and I both worked on Wednesday. We had a special treat at my employer's facility on Wednesday. We had a guest speaker; Captain (retired) Bill Robinson who is one of the two longest held enlisted Prisoners of War (POWs) during the Vietnam War. His daughter and son-in-law, Cyndi and Larry, are good friends of mine. And, he agreed to be a guest speaker at my office to tell of his experiences in Vietnam while he was in town to visit with Cyndi for Thanksgiving. One of the things that you notice in his presence is what a genuinely happy person he is. I asked him, how was it that he spent almost 10 years of his life as a P.O.W. but seemed no worse for the wear mentally or emotionally? He said he didn't believe in living in the past. Despite the number of years he was held as a prisoner, he sums up his stay in a 3-day period: the day he arrived in Vietnam, the day he was shot down and captured, and the day he was released. His example is yet another reminder of choosing to be happy even when life has dealt you a bad hand. He endured so much...more than most of us will ever encounter. To him, and to all Veterans that have served before me, I am and remain eternally grateful for their sacrifices. All gave some....some gave all. Bill is also an RV owner. Cyndi and Larry are now proud owners of a new pop-up camper. I hope to plan a trip for all of us some time soon.

We did not use the RV for our trip to Huntsville and instead took advantage of enjoying a home that's not on wheels and stayed with Gail and Harold. Rachel and Anna were happy that we were staying at Grandma & Papa's house. I think one of their favorite things was having a full-sized bathtub to soak in instead of the shower in our RV.

Rachel and Anna had Thanksgiving celebrations at school last week. Rachel dressed as a pilgrim one day and an indian on another day. Anna dressed as an indian for her Thanksgiving snack time. We had our family Thanksgiving Day meal on the day of Thanksgiving. As usual, Gail cooked more food than we could eat--turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberry relish, green beans, creamed corn, and mashed potatoes. Everything was delicious. And, we were all stuffed after the meal. But, no matter how much we eat, there is always room for dessert. The tough part was deciding what we wanted...red velvet cake, pumpkin pie, peanut butter fudge or pecan pie.

After we were all stuffed, it was time to put up the Christmas tree. The children have an interesting way of hanging ornaments. After they were done, we decided that this Christmas tree was a "boy" tree by the way they hung the ornaments at the bottom.
Next up on the list, making gingerbread houses and gingerbread cookies. We made two houses....one to leave with Gail & Harold and one to bring back with us to the RV. If we weren't so busy traveling in December, I would love to make a custom gingerbread house and design an RV to decorate. I may have to create a mold for one or sell them pre-made. There's got to be an untapped market out there for that.

Gail and Harold require some foundation work to be done on their home. This is a common issue in their neighborhood as of late due to the type of soil these homes were built on. Jeff, never being the one to pass up an opportunity to find humor in everything, decided to spend the weekend adjusting each hanging picture in her home to enhance the settlement issues. She hasn't noticed this yet but I'm sure she will after we leave. :-) Jeff, as he walked around the house, would break out in fits of hysterical laughter...he loves nothing more than causing mischief.

On Friday, Jeff and I braved the stores to get some Christmas shopping done. We plan to spend Christmas in Huntsville this year so we figured we'd get the shopping done and leave it here so we wouldn't have to transport things back here in December. We made two stops...Walmart and Toys R Us. On the way to Toys R Us, we passed a highway exit loop where I noticed several tents located underneath an overpass. Jeff told me that it was a "tent city," which appears to be an area that some homeless people live. We live in an RV by choice. We've even met people who live in their vehicle or tent by choice. But, that is quite different than someone who has no other option. It was a stark reminder of just how blessed we are. As Joel Osteen said, "if you have a bad day at work, don't dwell on it....instead, be grateful that you have a job."

I have been somewhat disenfranchised with the commercialization of Christmas. It seems too often that people forget the "reason for the season." After passing the tent city and watching people pile tons of stuff in their carts, I have to wonder how many truly remember what means most at Christmas. I can't remember very many toys that I received as a child. But, what I do remember is my Mom and Grandma making the Italian cookies every year. I remember going to mass on Christmas Eve and getting to open one gift when we got home. It is the family traditions and taking the time to spend with the people you love that is what makes the holiday time special. And, the most costly thing that it will require of us is simply to spend our time.

We returned home with a few packages and called our shopping excursion complete. Later in the day we visited Southerland Station in Huntsville. This is a toy store that has a vast collection of toy trains and accessories. Rachel and Anna love watching the trains. While there, I overhead a woman tell her husband "I wish we had a lot of money." They were trying to figure out how they could purchase a train set for their son but then they went into a discussion about where they would put it once they had it. Such is the typical story....we want more stuff that we can't afford and then we need a place to put the stuff. So we get a bigger house to put the stuff in and after a while the stuff overtakes us. We've been there. I don't want to go back to that.

We visited Across the Pond after Southerland Station. Across the Pond is a store that has a huge selection of plants, planters, and water features, including fish and ponds, and a store full of garden and wildlife items. They also have a wildlife/nature area with streams and plants and a koi pond where the kids can feed the fish. The star of the koi pond is Wanda, a 6-year old koi who will eat from your hand. Actually, she doesn't really eat from your hand...she's so spoiled that she comes to the top and opens her mouth and awaits for people to place the food in her mouth. This fish will even let you pet her. The store has so many beautiful pond and garden ideas. This is the same business that contributes the large rock boulders with water spouts in them for the Waterworks each summer at the Botanical Gardens. Rachel and Anna have visited this event the past two summers and they love playing in the water. It was the first time we had visited their store and it was worth the trip. It did not cost us anything...just our time.

Friday evening we went to the Santa's Christmas Village which is the Constitution Village decorated for the holidays. The houses from the 1900's Constitution Village are transformed each Christmas season into a unique Christmas village. It is reminiscent of Christmases of long ago when things were simpler and gifts were homemade. Children can decorate and eat gingerbread cookies, make an ornament, write a letter to Santa, visit Santa & Mrs. Claus in their home, listen to carolers, and see real reindeer. They even have fake snow machines to add to the enjoyment. We have visited this place each year and the girls love it. Last year, Rachel was on T.V. as the nightly news crew was there at the opening and she happened to be the child on Santa's lap when they were filming. We met our friends at the Christmas village: Pete & Gabrielle and their daughters, Lia & Krista. It was great to see them as always and we hoped to visit with them at their home on Saturday. We are incredibly blessed in that we have wonderful friends. I had neglected to mention that our friend Rheann and her family stopped in and visited a few weekends ago on their way back home to Wisconsin. And, last week, a good friend gave me a rose. It was from a rose bush that I had in a planter. I did not have a place to keep it with our RV after I sold our house so I bequeathed the rose bush in the planter to Debbie. There was one last rose on the bush for the season and Debbie said it was so perfect that she wanted to give it to me. I had the rose on my desk all week and got tons of compliments on it. AS people passed my office, the would stop in and smell the rose and look at it. Little did Debbie know that the single rose would brighten so many people's day. It just goes to show you that when we share good things, good things do return our way too!

Now...back to our Huntsville visit--Gail purchased tickets for all of us to see Cirque Dream Jungles Fantasy at the Huntsville Civic Center on Saturday. It was an interesting production including contortionists and aerialists. Anna tolerated the first half but was done with it after intermission. Rachel enjoyed the entire show. After the play, Jeff told Gail, "thank you for the culture. Now, we'll return back to our trailer." :-)
Actually, we do enjoy the theater but don't go as often as we'd like. The last time we went was to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, GA.

After the play, we went to Pete & Gabrielle's house for the evening. We were fortunate in that we were able to see our friend's Clarence, Kelly and their two sons, C.J. and Andrew, who had stopped in on their way back home to Virginia. The house was buzzing with the activity of the children and the family dog, "Dash." Dash had decided to be romantic with one of the children earlier in the evening so he had to be separated from them the rest of the evening. Jeff and I were entertained with stories of Dash. One of his favorite snacks includes socks. I am happy to report that at the end of the evening, we had not contributed to his habit. :-)
We shared some birthday cake as Pete's 39th birthday was the next day. My, how time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday when we were all students at Auburn together.
Intermixed with the joy of reuniting with old friends was some sad news. During the visit, Gabrielle shared with me that her Grandma (which I know as "Maw-Maw") has been recently diagnosed with Alzheimers. It was heartbreaking for me to hear this news. Gabrille and I practically grew up together and "Maw-Maw" has been in my life for a long time. She is genuinely one of the "good people" and it's always sad to hear that anyone will suffer but it's especially hard when you hear its someone like her that loves her family so much and who enjoys life so much. It wasn't that long ago when she painstakingly took care of her own husband when he had alzheimers. It is so hard to imagine such a kindhearted and lively woman falling prey to such a horrible illness...especially losing her husband of many years to the very same illness. Yet one more reminder, that if we have our health---both mental and physical---we truly are wealthy beyond all measure. I was reflecting this morning and trying to figure out what Joel would say is the thing to be grateful for in this case and one thing stood out in my mind. Maw Maw is lucky in many ways...she has a loving family who will ensure that her needs are taken care of. Unfortunately, many elderly citizens in our society aren't so lucky.

We are heading home today after a wonderful visit with family and friends. This will be a short work week for us as we will once again be on the road on Friday. This time in our RV. But, I'll wait to share our destination location at a later time. I wanted to end this post with sharing a message that Joel Osteen tried to hammer home this morning in his sermon....don't wait for Thanksgiving to be thankful for the many blessings in your life. Be grateful for the little things and don't wait until Valentines Day to show the special people in your life how much you love them.