Three Month Hiatus

So I decided I am done.  I have gotten bored, fed up, frustrated, and just plain tired of the daily grind.  So.  I am taking three months and doing what I want to do.  Just me, myself, and I.  I figure it is well past time where I do what I wanna do the way I wanna do it and to heck with everyone else!

Ya wanna know what I am going to do?

I am going to spend a week or two to do absolutely nothing!  Well, okay, not nothing.  I am going to grab my Kindle, keep the cocoa flowing, and catch up on all MY reading.  Reading just for the heck of it.  No reading for reviews.  No reading for editing.  Nope.  Reading for the plain ole fun of it!  I figure, in two weeks time, I should be able to knock out at least four or five books that I have been waiting to read.  However, there will be NO cooking.  NO cleaning.  NO laundry.  NO carpooling.  NO errands.  Nope.  Nada.  :P

I am going to pack up my car, and I am going road tripping.  I am taking my laptop (no work allowed), my camera, my phone, my Bible, and my Kindle. The road trip will take around three months, because I have quite a few people I need and want to see.  From here, I think I am going head to Colorado Springs to see family that I never see enough.  From there, head down to Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico to drop in (uninvited- because its MY three months- and I can.. LOL) on friends who I love and miss.  From there, I would head east into Texas to visit family stretching from El Paso, to San Antonio, to Fort Worth.  That should take a hefty amount of time, I think.  From Texas, I would head to Florida where I would pick up my Sister, kidnap if need be, and drag her butt with me to Ohio and Indiana to see my other Sisters and my best friend.

All along those visits with family and friends, I would have to stop by National Parks, and State Parks, and National Monuments.  As much as I have seen of our great nation, I have not seen nearly enough. 

At the end of the three months, I fully intend to have an additional thousand or so pictures to edit and share with everyone.

Yeah... Right...  Honestly, I am doing just fine where I am.  Yes, there are books on my Kindle waiting to be read or reread.  Yes, there are family and friends scattered across the country that I really need to see again, and WANT to see again.  Yes, I am chomping at the bit to visit every single park I can get to.  Yes, I get caught up in the daily grind and daydream OUR next vacation or family visit.  (I don't travel alone anymore...LOL... and I am completely fine with that!)

However, life is pretty crazy busy in a completely awesome way right now.  I am loving life, with all of God's incredible blessings, despite the struggles.  If I could just up and go for three months, then you better believe, the three month hiatus I described above would be the way I go.  But I can't, so I won't...   LOL

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This post has been part of the Blogtember Challenge started by Jenni.

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Traveling, Talking, and Toad Catching

Just a short post...

This Holiday Weekend, I am visiting with an old friend.  We have not seen each other in almost nine years before this weekend, and when we went our separate ways, we departed ways not on the best of terms.   Over time, we reopened the doors of communication, apologized to each other, and forgave each other.  As our lives changed, we have been led back to each other, and are finding ourselves picking up as though we had never been apart.  Not to get too deeply into that- let's suffice it to say that she and I are both very different women now, and the Lord has clearly been moving in both our lives in ways neither of us could have imagined.

Now... to the travels:  We drove from Denver to Grand Junction along I-70.  A new route to me, I could not help but wish DH was with me so I could have snapped a hundred pictures along the way.  The Kiddo was snapping away behind me, but I haven't seen them yet, so I am not sure how they turned out...  I hope to share a post of his pics later in the week.  :)  Anyway, Colorado is breathtakingly beautiful!  I was choked up numerous times viewing His handiwork and design.

And on to talks:  From the moment my friend got out of her car, I knew all my nerves and worries were for naught.  I forgot how easy it is to talk to her.  Conversations about life, military, family, friends, GOD, the changes in our lives, the ups and downs, and we found ourselves talking well into the night and reluctant to stop.  I am going back today to soak up more time before heading back home. 

AND then toad catching:  Ahhhhh... country living!  The Kiddo is having a blast playing with my friend's children.  They spent hours playing in some dirt piles, all of them coming in for dinner covered in dust and grit and grins stretching across their gorgeous faces!  (And the Kiddo was worried he would be bored... LOL)  After dinner, the Kiddo experienced after more fun as he and some of the others wandered around and caught toads.  (I hope I can snag a pic from my friend to share with y'all).  Big and small at least half a dozen toads ended up in a bucket for a while before they were let loose again.  The contentment and joy on my Kiddo's face pinched my heart--- I am so ready for country living...  So ready.  :)

So much for that short post... LOL  Forgive me.   I hope I can share more of the amazing weekend with you later this week. 

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As always, I am eager to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment sharing your thoughts or sharing your blog!

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Waking Up In New Mexico

We left San Angelo with intending to stop for two nights at Palo Duro Canyon State Park before heading up to my in-laws in Colorado.  We were going to have the Kiddo participate in the Junior Ranger Program so he could learn about the park, the canyon, the wildlife, and local history.  Then we were going to catch the musical drama "Texas," which is put on during the summer at the state park.  That is what we were GOING to do...

Monday morning, we woke up early and prepared the camper and vehicles for the trip to Colorado.  We got everything packed in record time.  As I was walking out of the camper to get the car started, DH asked me if we should turn off the propane bottles.  Typically, we keep the propane running because it keeps the refrigerator cool while traveling.  Typically, I HATE the thought of driving with the propane running, but in the past have not made DH turn it off.  This time, my preference to turn it off really nagged at me very, very hard- not so much a gut feeling, but it was definitely so strong I could not avoid it.   So, I insisted he turn it off, reasoning that the day was much cooler than we expected, and was supposed to get cooler the further north we drove.  DH did not argue about the food in the fridge going bad and the money wasted- he simply did as I suggested, and we went about the business of getting on the road.

All was going well.  We left San Angelo behind.  We kept the speed low (60-65mph) because I was pulling the boat with my Sportage (I might add, my little SUV is handling the towing really quite well.  The mileage dropped from 24mpg to 18mpg, but it handles the towing really quite well!), and I did not want to push it.  We got through Big Spring, and found ourselves about a third of the way to Lamesa.  DH called me from the truck asking if we could try 70mph, if my car could handle it.  I did not think it would be a problem so I happily increased my speed.  

Maybe ten minutes later, I looked in my rear-view mirror, saw DH and then I went around a curve.  As I cleared the curve, DH called me again- he thought a tire blew on the camper.  With a deep sigh, I found a place I could turn around and went back.  Sure enough, as I pulled up behind him, one of the tires on the right side blew.  NOT good!

 

We slowly towed the camper around the curve and into an abandoned gas-station parking lot, where we waited for AAA Texas to send someone to help us.  (Now, I love AAA.  We have used AAA for insurance and road-side assistance for over eight years now and have never had a complaint.  However, the towing service they sent to us refused us service because the tire needed to be removed, taken to a local tire place, then brought back to the camper to be put on.  Apparently, for that towing service that was simply too much to ask.)  Thankfully, after an hour, we found a tire place, Lamesa Tire, that carried the right tire AND had a mobile tire team that came out, took off the tire, took it back to the shop, put on a new tire, and came back to replace it.  All for a $20 service fee!  (Not including new tire, mount, etc)  At that point, at the suggestion of my father-in-law, we decided to replace the other three tires as well. 

During the four hours we spent in Lamesa, Texas, we realized that we had some guardian angels surrounding us.  You see, when the tire blew, it ripped off the tire cover, it tore a rip right up into the siding two panels up, and it ripped right through the propane line.  Yeah, the propane that we typically keep running.  Of course, we cannot know that ripping through the line would have done anything more than allow propane to leak out like crazy.  Regardless, there would have been the potential for something explosive and maybe life-threatening had it been running.  As we realized this over lunch while we waited for the other tires to be replaced, we lifted up our very grateful prayers.

Needless to say, after that adventure, we were too tired to go much further than Lubbock.  There we stayed at a really nice RV Park(Lubbock RV Park), and left bright and early to commence our journey.   We drove past Canyon, where we would have turned off for Palo Duro Canyon.   We drove through Amarillo.  We slowly mosied our way up Highway 87 and ended up here in Raton, New Mexico.  

Here, we are surrounded by beautiful mountains.  The air is brisk and fresh scented.  We were able to open all the windows right when we arrived, and this morning woke up to a refreshing 58 degrees, the sun shining, and the realization that we are no longer in Texas.

 

 

Today, we will be leaving New Mexico as well.  We will make our way into Colorado, spend some time with family, and then proceed to our new home.  Today, we look back on our journey so far, with the unexpected milestones, the changes in plans, and the obvious leading and protection from our loving God. 

((I want to expend a special thank you to my very dear friends and family in San Angelo, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Texas, and elsewhere that have sent me words of encouragement and lifted my family up in prayer as we make this journey.  You are counted among my guardian angels!  I love you guys!)