Valentine's Day in November

I don't have deep thoughts for you today, but I can't let a delicious moment like this pass without sharing.

Unusually warm for November, we are luxuriating in sunshine on the patio. I'm procrastinating. I have a 'to-do' list I want to accomplish before Thanksgiving, but something might get crossed off the list or postponed..... this is worth it. Weather doesn't follow my schedule. I'm healthiest and happiest when following the weather and adjusting my schedule accordingly.

Everyone knows how to cancel a picnic when it's raining, but what about canceling a household chore or even a workday for amazingly gorgeous weather? That's one thing I miss about living in Keystone, Colorado. When a big dumping of gorgeous powder falls, no one shows up for work that morning. Everyone is hitting the slopes, and it's not because they can't drive in snow. No. Everyone is driving their cars to the ski lift.

So, if you're stuck in a task you'd rather not be doing, or stuck in a moment you'd rather not be experiencing and you can't see the everyday-glory of it, drink deep from this entire day we experienced at my house. Let's enjoy these moments before the rush of the holidays and maybe even slow down in December instead of speeding up. Moments like this are hiding around every corner. Perhaps you'll see yours tomorrow, or perhaps you already saw a glorious moment recently. Share your glorious moment with us below...

An Unscheduled Moment

My children invented a game, this morning, which involved the little one pushing the big one out into the rain, dissolving in fits of laughter and repeating. I was drawn away from the kitchen to the intoxicating sound of their joy.

In my experience, creative, spontaneous play unfolds organically when children are given large amounts of unscheduled time to follow the whims of their developing brain in a safe and familiar location, like their own home. 

In spite of my strong commitment spontaneous expression, I constantly find myself feeling pressured by "schedule," "measuring my worth by production" and "number of organized activities," values highly revered by American culture. Certainly schedules, goal setting, planned activities and production have their place and have the potential to facilitate a certain amount of joy and satisfaction, but every human needs a balance of scheduled time and unplanned time. Some of us are designed to flourish in a more structured environment and some of us are designed to flourish in a less structured environment.

I'm still learning who my children are and what they need as individuals, but I know I myself thrive on large amounts of unplanned space to create and follow an unseen "flow." Perhaps it could be called an "unseen structure." In spite of this self awareness, I spend far too much time chasing satisfaction from rigid models of daily life. Today the example of my children, and their deep notes of delight in surprise creativity, beckoned me back home.

I welcome you to delay your next activity by another 39 seconds, walk into my home through this one minute video and relive this unplanned moment with me.....

"If you want to go far...

New in Kara's Shop - Memories of Barbados

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Tug of War - a Toe in Three Worlds

June 19, 2016

It's 6:49am. I'm on a plane to Miami, then Barbados, for my first vacation in 5 years, alone with my husband, without pregnancy or babies. Life is good.

After navigating the inevitable tears, (mine, not theirs) I feel myself sinking deep into this gift of rest. An entire week. My body has almost forgotten, but is ready to remember, sucking in this oxygen of freedom to fill every cell from my fingertips to my toes.

🎶 "Toes in the water...tush in the sand..." 🎶

Where's the RV? It's waiting for us, forlorn, at Camping World... on hold while we finish two other adventures and reunite in July for one last RV adventure of summer 2016.

We disappeared from this blog over the last month, caught up in the excitement and charm of our new house. Our furniture arrived and we couldn't help abandoning the RV to unpack box after box, reuniting with little treasures that remind us of Home. It was better than Christmas Morning. We LOVE our new nest. 

The delight, which charms us most at our new address, is the tree swing. We are IN LOVE with our big backyard, rider mower for Mama and tree swing for Samantha. Massive trees give character and shelter to a welcoming neighborhood, walking distance to Daddy's new college campus.

This is the first neighborhood I've ever lived in which feels like a neighborhood is supposed to feel; it's a community that cares for one-another. Within our first week we had more interactions and had already made more friends than we ever did in any previous house, even the house we lived in for 7 years!

In June, after a two month RV adventure, we were ready to be seduced by the warm embrace of our new home. We have come to the conclusion that we love RVing and exploring the U.S.A, but we also love a sprawling house and patio and the familiarity of one location. We enjoy both lifestyles. As the years go by, we plan to indulge in a mixture of both.

June 26, 11:30pm

Barbados was incredible. I've never been so grateful for a vacation in my entire life. 

I swam with sea turtles, became deeply tan, talking with two of my favorite vacation buddies, (you girls know who you are) I drank more local rum than I ever knew I could, I twisted and stretched in outdoor yoga class, tucked in gorgeous, tropical woods (where we were warned that if a monkey showed up we would need to vacate the area quickly as they are pesky little trouble makers). I danced with locals and tourists alike, outdoors, at Oistens Fish Fry, til 11:00, when a fight broke out and 50 cab drivers were lined up ready to whisk us away to the safety of our hotels and homes. 

Last, but not least, I discovered that while I may have Caucasian skin, my soul far more resembles a dark skinned Barbadian, than any of the light skinned people from the many light skinned countries I've visited. 

I'm now on a plane, ears popping as we descend, destined to crawl into bed next to my beloved little girls in the middle of the night. My three year old has put on a brave face, but I can see she doesn't fully understand my need for a full week away from her and my ten month old is 100% confused by the whole thing, but they will understand someday and they will also be grateful. In the meantime, they are about to get more kisses than they ever knew possible. 

Til next time....

When She's Frustrating Me

Yes, I admit it, this human with this adorable face has the ability to frustrate me at times. Like now. I'm trying to talk to you, and she is clamoring to be held. 

Don't worry. I love holding this funny bunny. She gets loads of attention, but she just turned 9 months and now thinks we should hold her 24/7 

My solution? RV life provides seat belts in the couches! Now she's safely strapped in with toys, but she's sitting right next to me feeling special to be on the couch with Mommy. Problem solved.

"Who me?????"

Experience our Stunning week in Asheville! - click here

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Daily Sink Baths - Tiny Living

If I feed her, she can sit anywhere. If she feeds herself wet cereal, she must sit in the sink and end with a sink bath. We actually use the sink for the three year old as well. She still prefers baths over showers and there is no bathtub in this particular RV or most RVs. But the unusual thrill of a sink bath is not lost on either of my baby girls! This fun event also serves as an opportunity for me to complete tasks in the kitchen while they still feel like they are "with me."

Experience our stunning week in Asheville!  click here 

Where I Last Left You - Asheville - a Dream Fulfilled

- Wednesday, April, 4 -

As I write these words, I'm living a 20 year dream. It started as a teenager, reading Christie, by Catherine Marshall. Mystery and magic of the misty mountains danced in my imagination and never left me. Somehow, I never made it to Asheville til now, in spite of encouragement from many, many people, reinforcing Asheville as a place that was not only delightful in the 1800's, but is still alive with healthy, vibrant culture and growth today.

- Thursday, April 12 -

A week ago, I was sitting in my co-pilot perch, just as I am now, and you and I were having a delightful chat. I forced myself to close this computer and soak up the moment. I nearly missed the glory of a dream fulfilled in my eagerness to record it and share it with you! Isn't this the tug of war we all experience in this super techie connected world? We are so eager to be seen and heard and validated, we often miss an opportunity to fully soak in an experience in our eagerness to share it.

We are on the road again, beginning our next adventure, but for now, let's soak up the last 9 days together.

This photo says it all. We woke to breathtaking views every morning, played beside and bid these views goodnight, every day and night, in Asheville. 

Literally, all of these scenic photos are taken from our RV windows. To prove it, a glass of wildflowers from my morning hike, placed on my dinette and the mountains behind...

How often does anyone do a puzzle on a picnic table in front of a view like this?

The following demonstrates why these are called the Smokey Mountains or the Misty Mountains.

Everywhere we drove in Asheville, beauty took my breath away as we drove up and down common roads, rounding corner after corner to see another awesome view. I fuss instead of giving praise far more than I care to admit, but there has always been something about mountains which draw spontaneous hallelujahs from my soul. 

Souvenirs from this week include a handmade, colorful purse from Asheville's covered, open air flea market, open 7 days a week. Proceeds of this purchase went to support Nepalese women. 

Mother's Day we enjoyed brunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe with Mom and Dad Sherman. Winning national awards, this is a "must visit" anytime you're in Asheville. Light, flaky, plump biscuits and an intro to the concept of a fried avocado left me a happy mommy.

If you like honey, The Bee Charmer is another "must visit." After tasting only 7 of the 18ish available testers, we walked away with Cranberry Honey for the road.

Our last night in Asheville, we drove a mile, to the bottom of our hill, to drink and have a snack at The Thirsty Monk. We like visiting unique pubs during our travels and The Thirsty Monk was family friendly. Samantha enjoyed a Root Beer and, we have NO idea where she picked it up, but she loves to do "cheers" with Mommy and Daddy and clink glasses. 

On that note, "cheers" to you and your weekend, wherever you are... Russia, Poland, Nepal, China, Indonesia or United States... just a few of the places you live! May my travels, discoveries and conversation inspire you to live life to the fullest in every culture and circumstance. Praise to the One who created all of us!

for Cute Photos of RV sink baths, click here

for New Artwork of Northern Georgia, click here

oh wait! - did I forget to tell you?!...

...we had our first experience camping in a Walmart parking lot overnight. And we planned it this way! It's an RV tradition. When you're traveling and want to break up the trip, but you don't know how far you'll make it and don't have a reservation, you can pull off the road at any rest area, OR a Walmart parking lot. Walmart welcomes this because there is always plenty of space and it encourages shopping. RVers appreciate this because there's always an item or two we need on the go and we also appreciate the well lit lot with 24 hour security.

Samantha has a current fixation with sticks. Here she is, playing who knows what at a stand of trees next to Walmart. 

If you're gonna do Walmart, there's nothing like the early morning Waffle House tradition before getting back on the road. To be honest, sometimes we go for Waffle House even when we're not traveling. We love the diner atmosphere. Furthermore, the employees at Waffle House are consistently some of the most down to earth, pleasant people to take your order... even when they're hustling, bustling and sort of stressed. On this particular Sunday morning, it wasn't busy. Worship music filled the diner and all three waitresses were soulfully singing and dancing their way to each table.

Finally, there is nothing like good conversation over breakfast with this expressive little person...

Northward Bound - Highway Pictures - Goodbye, Georgia!

What a gorgeous day to be on the road. Blue sky and cool breeze pave the road ahead as I write to you now. Below is the view from my windshield!

We're pressing Northward. You'll never believe the beautiful location waiting for us in North Carolina. In the meantime, where have we been the last 5 days?

Saturday, our journey began in Southeastern Georgia.

It all started with an early morning discussion over cheerios. 

It was our first major drive from one location to another. During projects like this, both Chris and I tend to focus on a task list and end goal and become stressed and snippy with one another. We often miss joy available in the journey. We've both heard that the journey is equally important as the destination. Nonetheless, we get emotionally attached to a time frame in which we want to accomplish a goal (such as arriving at the next campground by a certain time - Chris) or we rush through the "mundane tasks" to hurry up and get to the "fun part" (Kara). For example, I detest packing and unpacking, but I've been trying to view this task as an enjoyable life experience. I didn't manage to stay in this lovely frame of mind all day, but for a moment, at the start of the day, I paused my morning dishes to dance with Annabelle.

The freedom to "meander" is, after all, one of the reasons to go RVing. We must be getting better at this, because, literally, as I'm writing this, we just passed a sign for strawberries. I casually commented, as I usually would, "awww, we could pick strawberries," not actually expecting to stop. About 30 seconds later Chris says, "you wanna stop?" 

That did it. My heart is what stopped. We've arrived! We have officially entered the spirit of RVing. "Yes!" was my enthusiastic response.

As it turns out, they aren't open today. But at least we stopped. It's a start. Next time we will have the full unplanned experience. This time I'm satisfied because I chatted with a local for 5 minutes on the side of the road. He wanted to hear all about our RV trip, something he's dreamed of doing for years. Perhaps our detour lit another spark to push him towards his dreams.

Every time I have one of these impromptu conversations, I'm reminded of my Dad who never met a stranger. He didn't do small talk. Every day with him was an opportunity to inspire people to love Jesus, fix social injustice and pursue worthy dreams.

But I digress. We stopped for strawberries today. We were at Stone Mountain, in Northern Georgia for the last three nights between Jekyll Island and our next location. Stone Mountain attractions were mostly closed for the slow season, so we didn't end up doing much there, other than enjoying the playground, which was enough to thrill our three year old. We also surprised her with a trip to the Atlanta Zoo where she met up with her best friend, Mari. Samantha and Mari have been neighbors for 2 years, which amounts to the majority of their lives. Mari will return to Japan at the end of 2016 and we will move to Virginia, but Samantha and Mari are deeply sad to be separated. Samantha does not miss the "Birmingham house," but she does miss Mari. I wish you could have seen them spot one another at the Zoo entrance, shout one another's names, and run, like a scene from a movie, falling into a delighted embrace. Samantha and Mari led us four parents through the park to point out each new animal with squeals. The highlight? Panda Bears. In the evening, as this glorious day slipped into memory, I was inspired to "computer paint" the following for the girls to save and remember always.

The location we have just pulled into now is a place I've dreamed of visiting for twenty years. I will post more tomorrow... right now I need to soak up this moment...

Cinderella's Carriage Ride

Art on the Road

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We are packing up and wheeling out. Today we are disassembling the outdoor living space and securing loose items inside the "house." Tomorrow we will fire up the engine, say goodbye to Jekyll Island and watch the open road rolling beneath us with expectant eyes and hearts through our enormous "picture window" windshield, ready for the next adventure. We are following 75 degree weather as it works it's way up the U.S. East Coast.

Jekyll Island was the perfect location for our first month as rookie RVers. I am excited for the new environment of our next location, but I will miss the trees here. The entire campground is canopied by great, towering live oaks. Spanish moss drips off hundred year old giants who guard the campground like strong, welcoming angels. On a historic carriage ride, we learned there are several trees on the Island over 600 years old!

 Highlights of our first month RVing can be read here. Photos too!

My artistic inspiration is flowing. I've created two pieces of art to commemorate our time on Jekyll Island and I intend to do the same at each location we visit. Prints on Canvas are available in my shop.

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Stay tuned for our next location!

But first... catch up on what you've missed.

April at a Glance

April at a Glance

We told stories...

folded mountains of laundry...

(laundry doesn't let up no matter what campground you hide in. But laundry became almost pleasant when I did it outside on the picnic table.) 

Grilled as many food groups as possible...

Welcomed visitors...

  

Puzzled both inside and outside...

This purchase is dynamite for RVers who love a good puzzle. Space is an issue, but not with this handy tote board. It slides under our bed when we are taking a break on a 2000 piece puzzle. This might even be genius for life in any home. You can find it at: http://www.bitsandpieces.com/product/puzzle_store/puzzle_organizers

And we told more stories...

Telling stories, instead of reading books, has become a favorite pastime. It all started 6 months ago when I told Samantha the story of "Mommy and Daddy's wedding" for the first time. This is a tradition started by my Dad. When my sister and I were small, we often stalled bedtime by asking Dad to repeat the story of his wedding day. Hundreds of times, we never tired of it.

The first time I recounted the events of my wedding day to Samantha, I found myself laughing at unexpected moments. Certain traditions, like the cutting of the cake, take surprising creativity to explain to the mind of a three year old. For example, why did Mommy and Daddy "feed eachother" the cake like they feed baby Annabelle? We both nearly wet our pants laughing over this one. And then there was the end of the story where a huge crowd of adults stands outside to blow bubbles all over us as we hold hands and run to our car and hop in and drive away to live happily ever after. Adults blowing bubbles at us? It really becomes illogical and hysterical through the eyes of a child.

We did much more during the month of April. I will share more in a future post. In the meantime, if you want to see photos of Samantha's Cinderella Carriage Ride, click here