Leaving Virginia......
So here we are, our HUGE caravan! The truck and trailer were pushing 60 ft. long, then you have the Penske truck towing the car behind it putting us at near 200 ft long! We were quite the scene on the road!!Dave was driving our truck and trailer, the trailer was overloaded with all our junk, Aaron was kind enough to fly out and drive the Penske truck to Tennessee and then fly back home.
We could not drive over 55 miles per hour with the car in tow and the overloaded trailer so it took us 12 hours or more. We drove until 2:30am the first night UGH!!!
We said a prayer before we left and we were very blessed on this trip. The trailer was so overloaded the tires were looking low, we had to dump the fresh water tank to lessen the weight, but the trailer drove perfect anyway.
The car was held onto the trailer with only two straps around the front tires, one of the straps came completely off and the car was being held on by only one strap, luckily we checked it at one of our stops and fixed it or the car would have rolled right off on the freeway.
The next day we left by 10am and arrived in Knoxville Tennessee by 9pm. We checked into the hotel and the guys left to unload that HUGE Penske truck, just the two of them.
Kenzi woke me up at 2:37 in the morning, mom, daddy's not home and I'm scared!
I tried to call him from the hotel but I couldn't get the call to go through, it was nearing 3am and I was getting nervous, they were out in an industrial area, alone unloading a truck of valuables. Just as I was fumbling to call collect, they both walked into the hotel room, tired but safe....WHEW!
Find Joy in the Journey!
Here is our humble abode. I've learned a lot of things over the past few weeks, a lot of the things that we'think' are important really don't matter at all!
Big houses, Fancy cars, Expensive clothes........It's all an illusion, a distraction from what really matters in life.
Happiness cannot be bought, it cannot be found in any worldy possession. It is found in the simple things in life.
We may have dreams for ourselves and we may have plans for our life, but the Lord has His plans for us and sometimes it turns out that the Lord has different plans for us than we had for ourselves and no matter how hard we try to follow through on our dreams and plans in life we find that at every turn there is another stumbling block. We finally have to get on our knees and pray and humble ourselves to do the Lords will, not ours. It is hard sometimes because we often want things so badly, but the Lord knows what is best for us and we have to let him lead our lives.
I have learned more in the last few months as I watched our hopes and dreams fall apart. It wasn't what we had planned, it wasn't what we had hoped would happen, and yet, it happened. One thing I learned is that rather than wallow in self-pity and despair, find joy in the journey!
I'm sure we all remember the talk on finding joy in the journey, well I am living proof that we all need to find a way to think positive and no matter what is thrown our way we can make it into something positive and enjoy the journey. I can honestly say that at this very moment as I sit in this trailer, I am finding much joy in this journey, it's not what I had planned for myself, but I'm happy.
We can't control our lives, our lives are in the Lords hands and if we trust him and follow his direction we can find joy in life. I may not have a lot of money right now, I may not have a home, but I have a wonderful family, a husband that loves me, and two of the sweetest children in the world and there is nothing in this world that could bring me more joy than that!
A Walk to the Park 
There is nothing more satisfying than being outside in the fresh air! Here Dave and the kids are walking to the playground. Kenzi LOVES riding her bike down the rocky roads of the campground.
Camdyn is enthralled with running. He just chugs along behind Kenzi. Toby and Katie are enjoying the great outdoors too.
Virginia seems like a distant memory, a place we were never really supposed to be. It never felt right, from the moment we signed that lease we felt uneasy but we didn't know why. Nothing felt right but as I watch the kids run through the grass and play near the river I realize, THIS IS WHO WE ARE.
We love to be outside, we love the mountains, we love being connected with nature and the natural world around us. We feel like we are finally home, where we belong......out in the country.
My main requirement in life!!!
Yes, a potty and a warm shower. Don't ever take a nice warm shower for granted. I've lived in a trailer for 6 months before during another one of Dave's BIG job changes and I didn't have more than a 5 minute warm shower for over 6 months.
This is the private baths they have at the campground. Yes, I'm THAT excited about it. After my morning workout I pack my bag with all my shower and make up goodies and head to the showers.
You might think that sounds terrible, I LOVE IT!!! Taking a beautiful walk in the crisp mountain morning air to take a shower. I listen to the birds chirping in the morning, I feel the warmth of the sun on my cheeks and I feel so much peace.
My shower is MY time to take care of me. I take a quiet shower and put on my make up and take another beautiful walk back to the trailer and I'm happy.
The Playground!
Dave and the kids are kind of in the shadows.
The kids love to ride their bikes down to the park with mommy and daddy walking behind them.
You can see the beautiful mountains in the background. We sit with the dogs while the kids play and all is right with the world.
There have been times in my life when my house or my car meant a lot to me and I couldn't imagine life without a big house or a fancy car. But......my heart has changed and the Lord has taught me many things since then.
Sometimes we put too much emphasis on temporal things in life and we forget what really matters. Don't get me wrong, I love the modern conveniences we enjoy, I like nice cars and I aspire to have a nice home again someday, but those things are not the most important to me anymore.
I'm happy where I am, I'm happy with what I have and I'm thankful that the Lord has watched over and protected us in all our Journeys.
- We have visited 19 states in 9 months
- We lived near our nations capital for 7 months
- We visited the monuments, museums, Arlington Cemetary and Mt. Vernon
- We saw the Liberty Bell
- We saw where the Declaration of Independence was signed
- Daddy attended a top 20 law school and got 1 A and 2 B+'s
We were very blessed to have the opportunities and experiences that we've had over the last 9 months and we wouldn't trade them for anything.
We wanted Dave to be able to attend law school and get his degree, and maybe someday he will but for now we are happy and content that the Lord has led us to where we should be. I'm sitting here in the trailer as the dogs snore behind me and Dave and the kids are at the campground laundromat and I just feel happy and very blessed.
We had a lot of family drama over us moving to Tennessee but we have to do what we feel is right for our family and we are enjoying every minute of it.
Watch the video of our experiences living in the Campground. It's been AMAZING!!
2 comments:
It looks like a lot has changed in both our our lives! Kirk and I both lost our jobs last week. (see our blog)
We wish you the best and have missed seeing you. In fact, McKay asked Kirk when he could go home teaching to your house.
Your kids are growing up so fast and are so cute!
Thanks for sharing about what is important. It is so true that the best things in life aren't things, but our dear families!
Please tell your family hello!
Thanks for your happy upbeat message. You are an inspiration to us.
Much love, Troy, Emily, and Sophy
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