So Much Fun – Part One

Another three weeks have gone by since my last post – and let me tell you, they have been Very.Full.Weeks!
It started off with the
Absolutely Amazing Adventure with Alex
Alex
We’ve been doing the Take-the-grand-when-they’re-ten adventure for 12 years now. And each adventure has been unique and fun!! We’ve done Baltimore,  Washington, DC, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Williamsburg, Galveston, TX, all things Delaware, and Lake George (NY) in past years. This time we decided on Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN. It was a great choice since if you can’t find something fun to do in that area  you must be in a sorry state indeed!
There is one thing about these adventures, though – the kids still have all the energy of a 10 year old. But the grandparents keep getting older. So this year we opted not to go to Dollywood (though I’ve heard it’s amazing), and instead focused on other low-impact fun! Like a grand dinner theater,
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some time in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park,

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a foray into the Cherokee culture,
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exploring the deep blue sea at the aquarium
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and finding challenges at Wonderworks!
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A true highlight was the trip to English Mountain Fish Farm for some fishin’ and catchin’ fun!
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You were pretty much guaranteed a catch – and then they cooked ’em up just fine!
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(OK – if you’re a serious fisherman this is not the spot for you. But if you’re a 10 year old girl who loves fishing, but hasn’t done much catching, this was the place to be!).

Whether we were out exploring the town, playing miniature golf, or eating at  fun restaurants, we always ended the day in the pool! (After Grams and Pops took a power nap!).
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This was our first adventure without Lizzie (the RV), but we had a sweet cabin (ok, it was a single wide!) in a nice campground close to the action, so we think it was a great success. While we missed having all our stuff with us (and a familiar kitchen), we still managed just fine! Games were played,
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good food was eaten,
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and naps were taken (no documentation, but trust me – they happened!).
It was a grand week, filled with memories and we’re so thankful we had the time to spend with Alex!
It was a pretty quiet ride home to Columbus
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which brings us to Part Two of this post.
Check back soon!
Thanks for coming along to Pigeon Forge with us! If you’d like to see more pictures of the trip, you can check them out HERE!

Steph

Let’s see…

Just where were we when I last updated here? Hmmm…May 16th. It’s been almost two weeks – and almost 2300 miles, so I must have some catching up to do! I’d better get started, eh?

Cabin Time
I finished off my last post with  “We so love this place in May!” , and this year was no exception!
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(Let’s be real – I love this place ANY time. But being able to see its ‘bones’ more clearly is always a delight!)
Gary got the water up and flowing, and of course did the first mowing –
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I checked out the pond
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and aside from the lack of frogs (maybe it was too early?), all seemed well with our little fishing/swimming hole!
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I did my best to beat back the cobwebs and multitudes of Asian beetles (some still moving, most not), along with accomplishing some basic “First-up” chores on the inside of theCabin!
We played lots of our favorite Cabin game (Rummicub), took in a local high school’s performance of Annie (great job, kids!),
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managed to meet up with the brother and his wife for lunch (always wonderful)

and of course managed to do some necessary Ice Cream Research (someone has to do it!).
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It was a great two weeks! The weather was very spring-like – sunny and in the 70’s the first week, rainy and (maybe) up to 50 on the second! But chores got done, naps were taken, books read, and friends and family connected with.
From the first leaf
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to the summer green
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we love our ‘first-up’ time at the Cabin!

Seeing Old Friends –
We spent Memorial Day weekend with our friend Lynne in Ludlow. What a sweet time we had with this dear old (as in we’ve been friends a long time!) friend. We were able to help out with some chores –
like cleaning and organizing the work shop –

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but mostly we just enjoyed hanging out, letting Gary beat us at Rummicub

and feeling oh-so-thankful for the blessing of a long enduring friendship!

It’s always good to spend time with Lynne!
From Lynne’s we began our trek back to Ohio. But first there was an overnight stop at another “old” friend’s home in Wellsboro, PA. Sally and I go back to pre-baby days,
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and although our lives have taken us in many different directions, including divorce, job changes, church changes, moves (not to mention 20 years of us being who-knows-where), the Lord has kept us ever so beautifully connected!
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We both had our first babies in 1976 (our bicentennial babies), shared all those new momma moments together! Here are our two girls (with another little one from church) in their (totally unscripted) yellow Easter finery!
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And here is Lara’s daughter wearing the same yellow coat and hat!
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It was such a good visit! A bit too short, but we had a wonderful time of sharing how God has worked in our lives through the years – whatever our circumstances, He was and is Faithful!
As an added bonus, we made a quick drive out to see the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon –
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More of His Handiwork!!
We drove in the rain the next day (aka yesterday),
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and aside from some frustrating traffic along the way, it was an OK trip. The trip brightened significantly when we were able to snag our recent college graduate (who has a teaching position lined up for the fall! Yay!) for lunch in Kent.
Lunch with Ellie
The sandwich was great – but the company was better!
Today was new tires for the truck, and then getting organized for our trip that starts tomorrow! It’s Alex’s turn for her big Grams & Pops Adventure! We have a cabin reserved in Pigeon Forge, TN, and I’m pretty sure we’ll find enough fun to keep us busy for the next week! The computer is staying in Ohio – so I’ll work on catching up again when we get back!
Have a great weekend, friends!
Steph

One week into the adventure!

And it’s been grand!
While our first official destination was Columbus, OH, and visits with our kids, we did make a quick stop along the way. We were able to connect with some sweet SOWER friends who live outside of Cincinnati! It was a quick stop, but one that did my heart good! Of course, I failed to get a photo of us together, so we each took selfies and shared them!
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Not quite as fun as a together shot – but it will serve the purpose for our memories! We love being able to connect with our SOWER family on our travels!
The timing for our Ohio visit was to be able to celebrate our oldest granddaughter’s college graduation!
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Prior to graduation day, we were able to spend time with both of our Ohio families, which included (but was not limited to) –
New hair designs,
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dog walking,
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(not sure who’s walking who here!)
baby almost walking,
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a little Bluegrass

and lots of good family time!
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With a shortage of available tickets, we didn’t get to watch Ellie graduate “live,” but being able to view it on TV in the comfort of her apartment
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worked just fine for us. (Naps may or may not have happened during the commencement speeches. We were so cozy!)
It was a good visit all around! We’ll be heading back that way for more family fun at the end of the month, but right now we’re enjoying some very precious Cabin time!
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We so love this place in May!
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More Cabin Talk in days to come..
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

Steph

 

And we’re off!

Our summer adventure has officially begun! And what an adventure it promises to be! We start with a college graduation (OH), throw in a grandgirl adventure in Pigeon Forge (TN), add in some Cabin time (VT) and somehow end up in South Dakota before the summer is over. We have tentative plans for stops in PA , upstate NY, Toronto ( very tentative here-waiting for passport renewals), western Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and (hopefully) North Dakota (to fill in that one missing state on our travel map). From there it’ll be back to Texas.  That southern swing is still in negotiations.  Oklahoma? Missouri?

This is a very different trip for several reasons. The biggest is we left Lizzie home.  Yikes! We had to figure out packing for a four month trip – not just clothes ( there are always laundromats and thrift stores) but any other stuff you might need in the those travels. So while we are not bringing the RV, we did acquire a cargo trailer that alleviated some of my ‘what to bring’ angst ( yes, I’ve brought too much).

And the other side of the equation is leaving our house for four months. In the hot Texas summer.  All laundry done, water off, propane off, A/C set to 85 so the house doesn’t get moldy, refrigerator empty and off.  Oh, and disperse my three dashboard plants to willing neighbors.  (They have thrived with my neglect for all these years,  but I thought four months without any attention might be a stretch.) And leave it as tidy and clean as possible .

But we made our list, checked it twice, loaded up that trailer, and got a good early start this morning. I’m calling this our Sofa-Surfing-Summer, so if you think you’d like us stop by your place  on our way (we’d be happy just to meet up for lunch!) we’d love to try and make that happen. We have very few things set in stone after mid July and we will be in total flex mode for the rest of the summer! So comment or send a text – we hope we can connect with many of you!

In real time, we in Arkansas and that little trailer is following along just fine! We covet your prayers for safe travels and sweet connections as we begin this summer adventure! Maybe we can stop in for coffee!

Steph

 

 

 

 

Wait. It’s May?

Whatever happened to April?
Let’s look back through my pictures!
1. Gary got back to work on The Ramp.

Of course!
2. We returned from Arizona in time to enjoy a day at the SOWER Texas Rally. It was a lovely afternoon of connecting with friends, old and new. We didn’t take many pictures, but here’s a picture of Gary chasing a whiffle ball with a leaf blower (yes, old people being goofy).

A day filled with lots of laughs and hugs!
3. While Gary was working on The Ramp, I was concentrating on a big project in my sewing room!

Let’s face it, we both have our happy places.
4. My roses had a great season!

(It still surprises me that I can say “my roses”!)
5. My SISTER came for a visit!!!
It was a perfectly fabulous five days, filled with lovely drives along blue bonnet-lined fields, late night conversations, checking out our favorite Texas joints, and binge playing Rummikub ( with a little speed Scrabble thrown in!).

I was perfectly awful at taking pictures while we were together – but since it was because I was simply relishing every moment we had, I think it’s ok!
6. While Joie was in town, we took a quick day trip to Waco, primarily to deliver a quilt to the youngest Waco grandboy.
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“D” is for Deacon!

It was so fun to spend the afternoon with the Waco crew, and I also enjoyed giving Joie a quick tour of some of our favorite spots in town.
7. Gary & I finally connected with some dear SOWER friends who live only 45 minutes away! Sometimes you just have to set a time and DO IT!

Hopefully we’ll be better about connecting in the future!
8. We celebrated two milestone birthdays this month –
This little fellow turned ONE –

And my chauffeur reached the 3/4 century mark!
Happy Birthday, boys! Love you both so much!
9. Since we are heading off on our next adventure next week, we had a lovely ‘meet in the middle’ picnic date with the Waco crew last weekend! At the last minute, I did remember to take a picture!
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Phew. It’s about time I took some pictures! 😉
10. And finally – The Ramp and Deck are officially completed! (Well, except for a bit of sealer that will happen in the fall.)
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(Because some have asked – No, we do not need a ramp at this time. The one that was there when we bought the house was not the correct ‘pitch’, so Gary wanted to make it ADA compliant. So we’re ready for whatever the future brings, and for guests of all kinds!)

Phew! It’s been a beautifully busy month, filled with friends and family and memory making moments! April may have flown by this year, but it was jam packed with goodness!

I’m pretty sure May will be filled with some grand new adventures too!
Thanks for stopping by!

Steph

Seeing the country……Serving our Lord!