A Sorrowful Yet Joyous Goodbye

Okay, so here goes. This is the first post for my new blog and also will be the last post for this, my old blog. Believe me, this is no small undertaking, nor is it done without much thought and prayer. It is difficult to leave something behind that has been my companion, my outlet for so long.

God has been prompting me again, quite insistently as He does at times, especially when I am not listening to His still small voice. He has instructed me to start a new blog totally dedicated to our mission, Bethel Grace Abbey. He has prompted me that RV’ing the Dream needs to be left behind. I cried out to Him that I would lose all my followers if I stopped writing on RV’ing the Dream. Our Benevolent Father assured me, however, that those who are meant to follow, will continue to follow even if I leave my old blog behind. God assured me that when I switch over to a blog totally dedicated to our mission, Bethel Grace Abbey, He will populate my online community far more than the few (His word) who follow our adventures on RV’ing the Dream.

I argued with Him, as I often do because I am human. I argued that this is the most popular my blog has ever been. The number of hits soar daily. So it is difficult for me to leave behind something that has finally come into its own. And maybe that’s the problem. The Dream was never to be “its own.” The Dream has always been His, even though at first I imagined we would be on a wonderful journey, traveling these beautiful United States of ours, for at least five years.

But as you can probably tell, as time has passed, the entire flavor of my blog changed. Everything I do is now in pursuit of the calling He graciously placed on my heart many years ago. My whole life is consumed by His calling. As each day passes, the mission, the dream, the calling becomes clearer and clearer in my mind and in my heart. As each day passes, more and more of my time and energy are spent in pursuit of His dream for my life.

So it is with reluctance but also with great anticipation that I now leave “RV’ing the Dream” behind and start anew on this new blog, “When He Reigns” that He wants me to write. I am placing a link here on RV’ing the Dream so that all who desire to continue to follow, can.

Please find it in your heart to bless this mission of ours by spreading the word about our mission to humbly serve the heartbroken and homeless of Southern California, because when He reigns, it pours! And I can feel we are on the brink of something huge and glorious happening in our lives.

Thank you all for seeing me through all my heartache and pain, my trials and fears, and for continuing with us on our journey into this glorious new day.

In His Holy Name,

Jennifer Joy

 

P.S. If I have recently given you one of my business cards or told you personally to seek us out for help, I apologize that I am now changing things up. Sometimes that is how God works in our lives. Please follow the link to our mission. My email and phone numbers are still the same. The only thing to change is my blog. I love you all. Hang in there. Help is coming soon!

No Regrets

Okay, okay. So, I cannot stay away from making a list for the New Year. But this is a life list. It doesn’t expire until I do. Now, that’s a scary thought. I decided a long time ago to live my life without regrets. If I make a decision, one way or the other, I must live with it. No regrets, even if my decision means failure.

As Ken and I have been planning our fulltime RV travels of the United States, I have thought much about what I would like to do during our travels. Many of those things are now included in my bucket list, along with many of the things I have long desired to accomplish in my life. So, without any more preamble, on to the list:

1. Attend the Kentucky Derby, wearing a big hat, white gloves, and fancy dress.
2. Snorkel in the Gulf of Mexico.
3. Race on the Salt Flats.
4. Learn to skydive. (Okay this one is really Ken’s idea. He says for the big 80, we will do this.)
5. Eat a soft shell blue crab sandwich.
6. Attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
7. Learn authentic basket weaving techniques from a Native American.
8. Attend the game show, The Price Is Right.
9. Go white water rafting.
10. Lazily raft the Mississippi.
11. Pick peaches in Georgia.
12. Hot air balloon. (Another of Ken’s ideas. Notice, I don’t like heights.)
13. See Mount Rushmore.
14. Go to Denali National Park.
15. See a glacier. Maybe even walk on a glacier.
16. Go to Grand Teton National Park.
17. Write a novel—or three.
18. Learn to play golf.
19. Learn sign language.
20. Relearn Spanish.
21. Walk on fire.
22. Helicopter over the Grand Canyon. (Ken again.)
23. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail.
24. Learn to play craps, and then play on a steamboat on the Mississippi.
25. Restore a classic car.
26. Participate in a marathon.
27. Help build a Habitat for Humanity house.
28. Take singing lessons and then sing on stage.
29. Ride a mechanical bull.
30. Spend the night in a haunted house. (Does it count that the house we currently live in is haunted?)
31. Visit the Four Corners, where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado all come together.
32. See the fall colors in New Hampshire.
33. Sell my photography, artwork, and crafted items.
34. Reach over 100,000 hits on my blog.
35. Have my own successful website to sell my wares.
36. Get down to my ideal weight.
37. Learn to accept criticism.
38. Travel for 5 years.
39. Buy a piece of property and build a cabin on a small hill.
40. Be part of a disaster relief effort.
41. Earn my masters.

What is on your bucket list? Well, get on with it. The clock is ticking.

Rainy Nights and Favorite Places

 

This weekend we are checking out a new private RV campground. Neskowin Creek. On our arrival, which was about an hour late because of traffic and a wrong turn, it was pouring cats and dogs. Did you know that the phrase “raining cats and dogs” comes from in the olden days when they had thatch roofs. When it would rain really hard, the pets, who slept in the thatch, fell through the roof when the thatch became too saturated with water. I imagine it probably also rained rodents. Yikes!

Anyway, on to Neskowin Creek. It must have been raining here long before we arrived, because everything was soggy, with puddles everywhere.

As another side note, (yes, I seem to have a lot of them some days), Tink seems to not be afraid of water any more since we played in the ocean. She was sloshing right through the puddles as if they weren’t even there. Darn her pink little butt. Last winter when we went to Seattle, I had to walk her in the rain before bed. When we were attempting to cross the street back to our motel, she put on her brakes and refused to cross because there was a tiny stream of water running down the gutter. Meanwhile, I was already halfway into the street. Just then a car whipped around the corner, going at a very reckless speed and nearly hitting me—all because Tink is tugging me back toward the wrong curb and I was stuck in the middle, trying to get us to the other side.

Wow. Do I get side tracked easily when I am tired.

Neskowin Creek wasn’t too impressive at first glance, but that was because it was almost dark and raining heavily. Accordingly, I reserved judgment until this morning, and I am glad I did. As you can see by the first picture, the sun was shining brilliantly. The puddles were gone.

And Ralph wasn’t lying. (You say, Huh?) There were rabbits absolutely everywhere, and they were coming right up to us, so long as we didn’t have Tinker Belle with us. They were even going right up onto people’s RV steps. Talk about getting to know the locals, which is another thing Ralph recommended. (Hi Ralph, and thank you.)

After taking care of some business in the office this morning, and getting plenty of tips from a well-seasoned full-timer, we meandered over to the puzzle table, just to see the progress.

Over two hours later, we remembered that Tink was still waiting for us to take her on a long walk. Oops. But it was so wonderful to just sit and relax. Idle conversation with others who came and went. No pressure to be anywhere or do anything. Not even any pressure to talk. Breathe. Pure. Simple. Aahhh.

The best part came this evening, however, when we returned for Joker Bingo. I was expecting simple Bingo. How exciting could it be, after all? The only exciting part about normal Bingo is when you get to yell, “BINGO!” If you are lucky enough, that is. When we entered the clubhouse and they were dealing out decks of cards, in my mind I was saying, “Wait a minute. Did I read the sign right?” Despite the confusion, Joker Bingo was a blast.

I even took one step toward crossing something off my bucket list. The main goal of my bucket list is to do all those things I have feared doing in the past. One of my fears has been singing in public. So on my bucket list is Karaoke. Well, tonight, as part of Joker Bingo, the “joker” part involved different things the players had to do. I was fortunate enough to be one of those who had to entertain the rest of the group. I decided to sing a camp song from way back in my school days. On top of spaghetti. Maybe you sang it as a child, too. I’ve never laughed so hard among strangers.

So, the final review of Neskowin Creek RV Resort: Two thumbs way up.

Apple Dumpling Gang Strikes Again!

 

We had so much fun on our Maiden Voyage . . . we could not wait to do it all again!

It is so much fun to run away from home, I don’t know why I didn’t do it as a kid (um, probably because I couldn’t drive this cool house on wheels yet, and I would not have gotten very far on my bike.). But all kidding aside (yeah, right) as a kid, I certainly would have missed the comforts of having a roof over my head and three squares a day.

Look, Ma, I can drive! Oops, the dash police are gonna get me. (Dash police are something like trunk monkeys.) “Honest, I was only going five miles per hour, Officer Puglet. Now, get off my dash, please.”

But, there is one thing I have discovered, and that is, if you have the right accomplice (aka friend) as your partner in crime (oops, I mean, hubby), you will never go hungry.

Being the ragtag bunch of hoodlums we are, before setting out on this voyage, we had to attempt pillaging and plundering at our favorite casino, Spirit Mountain. Besides, it was free cheese Tuesday, and who can pass up free cheese, especially when it is Tillamook? Not I, not I. All things said and done, the pillaging went in reverse, and that two-pound brick of cheese, albeit all natural premium white cheddar, cost us many times the going rate at any old Safeway.

Humph. I done been robbed.

Not to be deterred, we were still determined to take some spoils of war with us as we skulked away toward the beach, licking our wounded wallets.

Remember those crabby apples from a few weeks ago?

Well, we saw them again from the Spirit Mountain RV parking lot, and being the fruit thief he is, my hubby had to get his hands on some—and he drug me and my perfect (ha ha) reputation through the mud with him on his quest for those little red devils.

My new shoes will never be the same.

After we trudged through a field and a forest of overgrown trees of all kinds, we located the one apple tree we could easily get to, without having to scale walls and jump ditches. Wouldn’t you know it? Somebody beat us to that tree. It was stripped clean. Bummer. There were other apple thieves afoot.

Again, not to be deterred, Ken sent me back up to the parking lot, pushing my rump as I tried my darnedest not to slide back down the muddy hill. Why can’t Tinker be a Saint Bernard or a husky when I need her to pull me up a hill? Instead of helping, she stood at the top, with that silly grin of hers lighting up her face. If not a sled dog, at least I had a cheering section.

I then became the lookout as Ken made his way to a big tree, full of ripe beauties but mighty close to the parking lot. Security regularly patrolled the lot. Would they reprimand us for trespassing? Would they kick us off casino property? Would we be banned from next week’s cheese Tuesday? Or would they even care?

I’ll keep that tidbit under my hat for now. I wouldn’t want to spoil anyone else’s fun.

These little beauties are destined for greatness.