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?????"

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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...