The last 18 nights can be broken down like this –
3 Nights at Montrose
After our wonderful three weeks at the cabin we had two days (three nights) back in Montrose to wrap up our time there and get ready to hit the road. Even with only 300 sq. ft. of house, it’s amazing how spread out you can get! It’s always a good exercise to get everything back in its official home, and it was also a good excuse to go through some of my closet. We (read Gary) have a rule that if we bring something IN the house (clothing, shoes, books), two things have to go OUT of the house. And let’s face it, after vacation you always have more Stuff. Needless to say, it was time well spent.
1 Night at Walmart (Oberlin, OH)Â
We stretched our drive to Hillsdale, MI into two days, and spent our overnight in a Walmart parking lot in Oberlin, Ohio. Not quite close enough to the kids to meet for dinner, but it still felt good to be near.
1 Night at Michindoh Conference Center , Hillsdale, MI
Since we were heading to Holland, MI to see friends and didn’t need the RV, we left the house at Michindoh. One night, one slide out (which is one more than when we park at Walmart), pack for the weekend, off we go.
3 Nights in Holland, Michigan – at the Rosenbergs
Oh, my! Such a grand time we had with Gord and Mar! We had never been in the Holland area and they were delighted to show us around! What an enchanting area! Lighthouses, lakes (Great and otherwise), channels, history, vibrant downtowns – Oh. My. We hadn’t seen these friends in 3 years, but we just picked up where we had left off. Lots to catch up on, lots of stories and laughter to share, lots of prayers exchanged. Oh, and lots of wonderful food. It was a very special re-connection and one that we will treasure. (If you’d like to see the whole batch of the pictures (everything from lighthouses to grownups taking selfies), check them out HERE!)
3 Nights The Mid-West SOWER Reunion at Michindoh
This is a long standing SOWER tradition, where area folks gather for a sweet time of fellowship in different areas of the country. This was our first time at this Michigan reunion and what was so special for us was that we only knew about 4 of the 30+ couples that were there! There were seasoned Sowers (folks who had been in the ministry for 20+ years) and there were newbies – with only 3 or 4 projects under their belts. It was wonderful to meet so many of our fellow servants. We’re so glad we went!
2 Nights in Westerville, OH at Tree Haven Campground
– Two nights and one full day to get re-grouped (again) before I head out to Lindale for the SOWER Trustee meeting. (Full disclosure – While I’m only here for two nights before my next destination, the house and Gary will be here for much longer. We’re parked as close to mid-way between our two Columbus area kids as we could get and are looking forward to spending most of October loving on sweet family. We’ll be welcoming a new granddaughter (who I can only hope will wait to arrive until I get back from Texas next week), hanging out with Ellie, Hayley, Maddie, Noah & Reis, and helping out with some house projects with the big kids. We don’t often spend a whole month in a campground, but we sure are looking forward to this time with family! And there’s a good chance that the Lancaster kids will be making a drive out sometime during the month too! Be still my heart!) So – two nights for me, but actually 30+ nights in all. 🙂
5 Night in Lindale, TX – SOWER Board Meeting – Hasn’t happened yet (I fly out in the morning), but it promises to be a pretty full week. If you’re inclined, please pray for us – safe travels for those traveling to Lindale (some by air, some by car, some by RV), a sense of connection as we welcome our new members, and a God-honoring meeting.
18 Nights. 7 Locations. Head. Spinning.
PS – Today (Thursday)we joined Lara and Herbert for lunch and then the whole gang for a quick pizza dinner in Marysville.
I don’t know if it helped the spinning head or not (I still need to pack!), but it certainly helped my heart!
Now where’s that suitcase……?