IT'S BEEN A WHILE!

It is so hard for me to believe that it has been two months since we left Texas!  It was a wonderful trip home and we arrived back in the Charleston area a little less than two weeks ago.  We took a nice train trip (needed a break from driving!) two weeks ago to visit my son and his family and Tom's sister and her family and had a great time.  While we were there we took a look at Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo where we will be working in November and December, and it is beautiful.  It will be a fun place to work and there are all sorts of new adventures awaiting us in the Keys, I am sure! 
We are currently camping at the Charleston Naval Weapons Station while our renters are in our home.  We will be back in the house around July 10th until we leave on Sept. 1 to be camp hosts at Edisto State Park, just south of Charleston.  That should be really nice since we are in a beautiful park but just one hour from home and still able to do things near home.
I have been contemplating our eight month journey recently and have had a number of people ask me about the trip.  Below is a list of my observations from our travels.

TEN THINGS I LEARNED FROM LIVING IN AN RV

1.  There are nice people EVERYWHERE, and campers are a special breed of people.  When you camp, everyone is equal.  You may be camping next to a former CEO of a major corporation, a house wife, a retired military officer, a former policeman, who knows, we are all the same in a campground.  Everyone is friendly and willing to help.  Especially in military campgrounds.  Having a problem with your camper?  "Been there and done that" is the usual response from a neighbor most willing to help. Campers are kind people.
2.  God's people are everywhere.  We ran into so many people of faith and were able to share stories and encourage others along the way with stories of God's faithfulness.  In Texas we were able to attend Cowboy church together and shared many great times.
3.  Spending time in another culture is a wonderful learning experience.  We were in an area that was about 97% Hispanic and learned to love the people.  They are humble, very hard working, and VERY family oriented.  They love their families and get by with very little financially.  The children are beautiful and it was nice to make new Hispanic friends and learn a lot about the culture.
4.  We live in a BEAUTIFUL country.  Each time we traveled through a state we were amazed by its unique beauty.  Texas with so much diversity, Arkansas with so many beautiful lakes and dams, Tennessee with the mountains in bloom in the spring, Virginia with the rolling hills and natural beauty, Maryland and the Chesapeake area...North Carolina and of course, South Carolina. 
5.  You can live with a LOT less stuff than you think you need.  Downsizing from a house to a camper was a major task, but we found that we can live with so much less and be comfortable.  We have TOO MUCH STUFF!  America is one of the few countries that has storage units because we cannot fit everything in our house!  Who needs six bottles of shampoo, twenty pair of shoes, six spatulas, 16 coffee mugs and a garage that you cannot walk through?  Downsizing from a house to a camper was difficult but I did not miss a thing, except a bathtub.  If only I could have brought that!  But we do have a nice shower. I think that I will permanently live with less from now on.
6.  We are never too old to learn if we want to.  I  consider myself to me a lifelong learner and I hope to never stop.  In Texas I learned Spanish, how to clog and became a student of Texas history.  I tried to learn all that I could while I was there.  I just love to learn new things.  It is not as easy as it used to be, of course not, but nothing of value comes easy.
7.  Two people CAN live together for 8 months in a camper without one of them committing murder.  The secret is that one of them needs to keep busy doing things that get them out of the camper and that was me.  I kept very busy and active and that makes a big difference.  Cabin fever was not part of my game plan. 
8. Workamping is a lot of fun and you meet many really nice people.  Having to work for our space was not a problem and we made close friends with about 20-25 other workampers that were some of the nicest people I have ever met.  I think that we all shed tears when we parted and we still keep in contact via email.
9.  If you love nature as I do, RV-ing allows you not only to travel but to smell the roses along the way.  I absolutely love to be outdoors enjoying nature's sounds and smells.  I have always loved being outdoors enjoying the beauty that God has prepared for us.  In fact, I think that it may have something to do with the way I was raised.  Here are some of my childhood pictures:

OK, I am only kidding.  This child was actually raised in the wild by her French photographer parents.  Actually looks like fun, huh?
10.  God is good, ALL the time. The Bible says that His mercies are new every morning. He brought us safely home after almost 4,000 miles on the road, protected our health while away, and showed us so much of our country that we would never had seen any other way.
PS 1.......No matter how great the journey, I am always SO grateful to be back with family and close friends.  To see the kids and grandkids again was such joy, as well as being back with my dear friends.  There is nothing of greater value than family.
PS 2...I am so grateful that my husband is a military veteran.  It has allowed us to stay in many very nice military campgrounds where we have met so many wonderful active and retired military, allows us to shop in commisaries and provides our health insurance.  I am ever so grateful for that.
I plan to continue to blog, so don't tune out...stay tuned!!!!!!