Friday, March 31, 2017

Perspective - That'll Preach - #WYFF

This Friday finds Michael's feet in CA doing a bit of work around Mom G's house and attempting to untangle some loose threads with her estate.  Our feet are at the park....relaxing after a busy week.  The boys' feet are sporting new hiking boots/shoes.

I'm not sure I've said much about their upcoming adventure. The older three Gherkin men are planning an "Epic Alaskan Hike."  The kind of hike into the mountains  requiring one to bring all essentials and hike 10 - 14 miles a day. They asked if we'd send the younger two Gherkin men up for the hike. Alex is 15 and Nolan just turned 18. They are game. We know our favorite RV footwear - Croc's - won't handle this terrain. We are in the process of breaking in their new footwear.....tonight we took a jaunt around the RV Park. It's been a bit bittersweet knowing Michael won't be on this hike with the guys, but we're now planning our own Alaskan adventure for the same time! 



I stood in one spot and took the following two photos. We live on the side of Interstate 5 - behind a fence - across the street from Camping World.
 


Look the other way - and we live out in the country, beside a gorgeous pond, surrounded by grazing land and mountains. It was a graphic reminder of some things I've been meditating on concerning perspective.

Perspective - a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; a point of view. 


Just a quick turn of the eyes and the whole picture changes! It reminded me of  Charles Swindoll's quote, "Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it."  I can choose how I respond to my circumstances by adjusting my vision and picking the perspective.  

As James instructed in chapter 1 verse 2 of his letter, I can choose joy! I can make an effort to, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials...."

That'll preach!

For more #WYFF (Where's Your Feet Friday) posts click the tabs below the header.

Sunday, March 26, 2017

BreZaak Update

This is a post about a little girl, who loved Jesus with all her heart, who grew up to be an amazing woman of God, who happens to be the children's pastor at Calvary Open Bible. She met Jesus, loved Him and desired to introduce Him to others. She didn't live a charmed life, but she learned to follow Jesus in the twists and turns and "waiting" seasons.

Following led to Izaak. The grace of God manifested in and through Izaak deserves a book - maybe he'll write that book at some point.  And they became BreZaak, along with Bella and soon to be Baby 2. Bre has served as a children's pastor for over 5 years at her church. Izaak has served as Dean of Student Life (and a host of other jobs which I don't fully have titles for) at New Hope Christian College .

BreZaak are in a season of transition and we covet your prayers for them as they wait to see where God is leading them in this next season.  We are standing in faith and watching to see how God will move in their hearts, on their behalf, for His glory. Both will be completing their current ministry assignments by the end of May.

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered."  G.K. Chesterton.

We're eager to see the adventures God has in store for His children, BreZaak.

This started to be a glimpse of an event at Kids on the Rock. Bre and her team organized a "Daddy Daughter Date Night." Big brothers, uncles and grandpas also brought dates so that every girl who wanted to attend - could.  A picture is worth a thousand words - just look.

 A photo booth, conversation starters, crafts, ice cream sundae bar, root beer floats, candy corsages and boutonnieres - all set to a 50's theme. This is a fun place to be a kid - and I KNOW they HEAR THE WORD as well. Good stuff.
Izaak and Bella's first daddy daughter date

Bella - 11 months
In the photo booth 
Bre, Baby Boy, Bella and Izaak 
You can see more pictures of the evening here.  Please join us in praying for God to reveal each step in the upcoming months clearly to Izaak and BreAnne.

We're cheering for you!

Saturday, March 25, 2017

A DOWN DAY

A Saturday with no giant project on the horizon, no traveling, no outings, or appointments.  Yippee! We've been pushing HARD for three weeks in school and we NEEDED a DOWN DAY!!!! 

Our only project today was cutting this four inch memory foam mattress topper down to Stacia's new bunk size.  This will be her mattress; it's thicker than the ones that came with the RV. 

The sun shone a bit today, and we are learning to take advantage of  such rare happenings. We walked around the park. It's just about a mile around the park....another 7/10ths of a mile if one goes all the way to the road and watches the lambs. Yuuki and I did just that on our solo evening walk. 
A spot like this in AK would be perfect - I'd live in the barn
 No, this isn't just an obscure photo.....it illustrates GREAT possibilities. It turns out one can FISH in this pond! To the left of Nolan is a dog park. Note the bench. I plan to sit on the bench and read, while Yuuki and Stacia play. They don't think there's any fish in the pond - but it's catch and release and Stacia will enjoy having it so close by. Now...if we can get some light rain or sun.....

I unearthed a DVD and game loaning closet, a book exchange, a pool table AND a fitness room in our explorations.  I am excited. I have really missed having a home gym....and my body certainly has not been happy with the lack of movement. I plan to make lots of use of both the easy walking area AND the fitness room. It doesn't have a lot - but it doesn't need a lot. We are scheduled to be here until the 22nd of July. I have goals for the next four months. There is also a mat and some weights.

I plan to get the boys out walking the park daily  and on the machines too - working towards their epic Alaskan hiking/camping trip with the big Gherkin boys this summer. Stacia is thrilled at the idea of working out with me.

It began to rain. The boys are doing a "Movie as Lit" class. They tried all week to get to The Maltese Falcon. I'm sure they REALLY tried - even though Stacia encouraged them by telling them it bored her to tears when she watched it with Arielle. As they didn't watch it, we planned to take it to Gma and Gpa's last night and watch it together. Alas, their DVD player wouldn't work. A rainy Saturday afternoon was the PERFECT time to watch The Maltese Falcon. 

But WAIT - Nolan went to put the DVD in and discovered an unexpected treat in the DVD jacket....Tim Hawkins NEW DVD, "Just About Enough." They didn't know we had ordered it, switched the DVDs, and have been WAITING to surprise them, when they'd finally watch the movie. BTW, "THAT'LL PREACH." You never know when God has a blessing waiting for you as you do something you'd rather not do.

FINALLY, today, we all watched it. Here the other two Gherkins see the switcheroo.  Stacia commented, "Hmmm....The Maltese Falcon has gotten much better than I remember." 😛

After dinner, next up was a  Duck's Basketball game. Yay Ducks - up by 14! This is the first time OR has been to the final four since 1939. 🏀 Ducks - you know - University of Oregon!

Yuuki and I went for a 1 1/2 mile walk. 👍🐾

Stacia read.

The boys are playing Dominion now and I plan to go read as soon as I post this.

Self-care is not selfish!

Friday, March 24, 2017

Medical Update

Michael had three medical appointments and labs recently.

via google
We have repeatedly heard emotional and medical stress cause the symptoms of PD to take leaps and bounds in the direction we are attempting to avoid. The neurologist told us last week "maybe" some of the symptoms will lessen when the stress lessens....

I knew Michael was having more difficulty swallowing the past month and seems to be coughing, sputtering and choking more often. I did not put the dots together. The therapist said it is normal to lose ground during emotional and medical stress. I guess she thinks he's lost some ground. She suggested we put therapy on hold until we have the estate stuff under control, and it is no longer on his mind. She said the swallowing, the voice and more could all be temporary setbacks which will improve as stress lessens.  She felt  trying to push through with therapy while Michael is dealing with medical and emotional stress is counter-productive; it produces it's own stress.

Now, I should probably note we don't feel unduly stressed. We are practicing self-care. There ARE a whole lot of things going on - as there would be sure to be with a messy estate situation to figure out, losing a mom, and a mother-in-law fighting cancer.

Medical stress?  The neurologist told Michael the dystonia and increase in tremors, swallowing difficulty - those are Parkinsons. He said the other stuff is causing medical stress and to get the Primary Doc to figure it out. He stressed (see what I did there?) the importance of eliminating medical stress. Um.....

In December, Michael developed a rash. Around the same time he went from 4-6 hours of sleep, to 10 - 12 hours a day and feels EXHAUSTED ALL THE TIME. He's using the CPAP at least 8 hours a night.  Then came joint pain - in pretty much every joint. It's not the Gulf War/Fibromyalgia stuff - that is muscle pain, and he has plenty of that as well. 😒 At rest, his JOINT pain level hovers around 5; getting up and moving ratchets it up to 7-8. He's a good sport. Six months ago, he was told they don't like to give vets pain pills. They told him to take Tylenol. At that point, resting pain was around 3. Today she said, "Tylenol isn't helping at all, is it?" Um....She told him to switch to  Naproxen. If it helps, she knows it's inflammation. They also did labs and are talking about a referral to a rheumatologist. She can think of  two kinds of arthritis which may explain the craziness since December.  I helpfully shared if the VA isn't going to give relief for chronic pain, a vet is sure to self-medicate. This IS OR after all.

We don't want to add any type of rheumatoid arthritis to this picture, but we do want answers. We are not sure where this road is going and your continued prayers are appreciated.

Note: Michael felt some relief with Naproxen - showing it probably is something to do with inflammation. 

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Spring Cleaning - Inside and Out

We found our people!

I think we are going to like this spot. There are still no families "just our size and ages," but we've met two of the neighbors already and they seem friendly.

This "RV Resort" has an RV wash. Stacia and I had scoped it out before the guys arrived with our home. Evidently, others had scoped us out, scoping out the new digs. Michael pulled up and I was telling him about the wash - it seemed a great idea to WASH this thing before it was set up.....as we talked about it a neighbor came over and told us we could borrow his hose, and the brush from the RV wash and wash it in our site. He is a golf-cart driving host,  and assured us it would not be breaking a rule.

The shindig started with  me trying to wash the top and Michael deciding he'd do it himself. I was given the power of the hose!

Eventually, I was assigned the low spots, Nolan did the high spots, Michael had the hose, Alex had the camera and Stacia corralled Yuuki. Yuuki wanted to fight every big dog in the park. HOWEVER, she scored dog treats for Yuuki as she walked through the park.  

The Couple that works together....
 


It's nice to have a clean and shiny home again. Spring cleaning inside and out. We now know where all the scrapes, dings and touch up paint is on the body. 😁

Moving Day

There have been two truly horrendous days in our full-time journey. 😰

The day we moved into the Caboose. Michael and I shut the door on our 3200 SF home, opened the door to the Caboose and realized we couldn't even walk in the door. We needed some SERIOUS organizing and MORE downsizing. 

The day we transferred all our things from the Caboose to the motorhome was also horrendous. This was not quite as bad as that first day - but certainly full of overwhelming moments. 

Then there is today! 

We said goodbye to our home of the past couple of months. We experienced many unexpected things here....saying goodbye to Mom G, walking with Mom T through cancer...as well as good things...selling the van, family visits and birthdays. It was good to be settled these months. 

We had some kitchen favorites, clothes, school books, food, and "stuff" to move into the motorhome. Nolan put the food away. The slides were in, making the drawers and closets inaccessible - most other things landed on on couches etc. 

I found this shot funny.  Seatbelts save keyboards!

Michael and the boys left with YUUKI (who is as bad as a toddler when one is trying to Spring Clean). They stopped by Les Schwab. 

Stacia and I were able to sweep one last time, enjoy the quiet and close out our time in this lovely home.  We headed up I 5 to register at our new site. Lest you think Stacia was forced to stay and clean, or LOVES to clean, you need to know....I picked up a 4 CD set of Greek Myths from the library and she wanted to ride in the Jeep so she could listen to more myths. 

We sold the van while house-sitting. This means all the things we used to store in the van needed to find homes in the motorhome. All but the two big, black garbage bags of things we took to ST Vinnies. 

We looked like one of THOSE families with things spread around our site, all storage hatches open and being sorted through, and stuff piled high on every horizontal surface. By evening all was in order again. 

It's good to be back in our tiny home. 

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Exchanging the Penny

We needed to return a few things to BreZaak before we move up I 5. We shamelessly pounded on the door until Izaak opened! Poor guy was taking a nap.  Bre and Bella were out for dessert "with the girls." 
Image may contain: 4 people, people smiling, people sitting and food

Talking with Zaak is always great fun - but I didn't snap a photo of the event. Bre and Bella returned and Bre exchanged the first 2017 penny of the year for a $5 coin. The rest of the kids will get a $1 coin as they find 2017 pennies....though most don't seem to find them these days. LOL  I believe Nolan found last year's first penny. 

Childhood traditions carry into adulthood! 


Hello Spring

We have enjoyed house-sitting. Our budget is plumper not paying a site rental. It's fantastic to be 2 min from the girls, their husbands and BELLA. It's ben a blessing to have  space to invite people over. Michael and I loved the sun room. Michael enjoyed being able to record various sports events - the voice command television remote was a fun novelty. We were happy, during the rainiest two months in our family history, not to have to schlep to bathhouses. It's been great for Michael to be able to work on repairs at the motorhome without us all underfoot. ::snort::

We wondered if these two months would be the death of full-time Rving - maybe we'd all enjoy being back in a stick and bricks home and just move to Alaska this summer and be done with it all. We find we still love our simple lifestyle. We're excited to move back into the motorhome. We are still dreaming of a "road trip across America," and this summer's trip up the AlCan.

I found Nadine's kitchen to be just about perfect - bigger than the RV kitchen but not overwhelmingly bigger. We loved the patio off the master bedroom - with the hot tub. These two months have helped us begin to think through what we are looking for in a future Alaskan home.

Michael spent the day finishing up a few more RV repairs. We began to spruce up the home to welcome John and Nadine home. 
Cleaning the Fridge
 In honor of spring, there was a break in the rain today.  Alex took advantage of the opportunity to mow the yard.
Go Alex! 
Last year spring cleaning felt puny in the Caboose - this year we get to spring clean a house and the motorhome. I'm in hog heaven. 😎

Michael brought the motorhome home with him.  Tomorrow we will load our things back into it and say goodbye to this season of house-sitting and hello to spring back in the Motorhome.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Bella Shops!


Bella's new eating habits have necessitated a new size in clothing. Mommy took her shopping - and she LOVES shopping for clothes.

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Sunday Brunch

One perk of attending our family's church is Sunday brunch with Mom, Dad and Lorri. CoRielle attend church across town. BreZaak are busy with 2nd service.

This week the Brown's and Leah joined us.  Mom used to babysit for Jim and Gloria when Jamie and I were kids. It's always fun to catch up.
We usually go to Denny's - where Mom and Dad know the  manager and staff....but we were a big enough crowd that we needed to go somewhere else. Ihop - haven't eaten there in ages.

Michael and the boys spent the afternoon working on the bunk modification in the RV.

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Bunk Modification

John and Nadine will return this week and we will move back into the motorhome and into an "RV Resort". 😏

Michael has been going over daily and working on repairs and fix it jobs he noted needed fixing. I'll have to take photos for a big post soon.

We all trekked across town for the kids to see if the bunk measurements were liveable. He's putting a triple bunk into a slide in the motorhome. This will leave the living area for those who like to play games late at night and those who wake early.

I'll admit the first thing I noted was the MESS. I'm a neat/organizational freak and this would have done me in to try to live here while all this was going on. The repairs are looking nice.

We currently have two bunks in the slide.  

It's going to be tight, but the kids said they could live with the submarine-like berths. Michael thought of using thinner wood, but was advised to stick with the thicker. Our kids are not toddlers. 😮


Michael thought more than one helper would be a hinderance. Nolan volunteered. This allowed them to enjoy the day together. Alex finished school early this week and joined Michael earlier and Stacia had a date on Friday night with him.

Alex, Stacia and I did the week's grocery shopping and a few odd things we need to get done before moving.

Michael thinks he can finish the bunk tomorrow.  We'd like to bring the motorhome over for a day to load it....then get it parked at the new site before we move out of here.


Friday, March 17, 2017

Daddy Daughter Date - #WYFF

Michael took Stacia out for a Daddy/Daughter date. Both report having a great time. Here he explains boys should open the door for her. The comment was made that boys these days don't know they should hold the door for a girl. The reply - "Teach them."

They enjoyed dinner at Outback. Michael was armed with some conversation starters (my contribution to the evening) which they both enjoyed.

Fred Myers provided a chance to stretch after dinner, and to pick up flowers for Stacia.

Dessert was at Dairy Queen.

Great evening for both.






#WYFF  - Where's Your Feet Friday - is a hash tag sponsored by Fulltime Families.  I thought it would be a fun way to get a quick look at our adventures.  The photo - or collage - serves as the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) if you missed the story and would like to read it, click the link under the photo. For past #WYFF check the tabs.

We Have a Toad

We bought a motorhome in November.  It is the model we wanted and was below book.

We no longer have the van and trailer. That February sale went easier than expected - we didn't even put them on the market.

We have been looking for a towable vehicle - a toad. We needed it before our trip to Denver the end of April. Who, in their right minds - which we are - would want to drive a 38 FT motorhome in Denver traffic?

Michael has scoured various RV forums and guides. He knew the makes which would work. Many popped up in FL. I was resistant to the idea of another drive to FL and back between now and April. We hoped for a manual transmission.  If not manual, able to flat tow. The toad has to be 5K pounds or less - curbside. It needs to fit three youth in the back - comfortable enough for up to 200 mile trips. Our plan is to find a spot, set up camp, and take 200 mile trips around our location.

I had originally hoped for a pickup with a seat in the back. I saw all sorts of potential for packing the back end....however, the weight was off. We definitely ruled out a pick up after the five of us drove in one - our kids are not little. Next, I hoped for a hatchback so Yuuki could ride in the back. We knew the kids were o.k. crowding in the back seat (see blue car), but didn't want to add Yuuki to the mix in the back seat.

Yesterday, we stopped by the car lot of a family friend.  He had two cars that could have worked. He recommended we stay away from one. It was the same make and model  - but had something funky going on with the engine.
Yes, the Jeep is smaller than the 15 pass van - BUT we've been driving
the Versa in the background
We've been using Mom G's Versa - in the background.  This Jeep Liberty Renegade is in good shape, drives well, weighs 4,100 curbside, has a bit of a hatchback, a normal tow package and a partial flat tow package.  We've noted jeeps are popular toads. It had more miles than we wanted, BUT we know some of those miles were towed miles. It still has part of the air brake system, proving it was a motorhome's toad. 

Michael came home and priced the various parts he'd need to fix the tow package for flat towing. He went back this morning and took photos, which he shared with an RV mechanic. He wanted to see if it would be possible to add to what was there, or if it would all need replaced.  The mechanic said the brake and a few other things could be added to what was still on the Jeep. They charged double the prices Michael has seen on Amazon. He'll buy on Amazon and install himself.

Michael took the Jeep for a test drive and loved the way it drove. The price quoted was low book - FROM A DEALER WE TRUSTED. It was lower than our budgeted amount and we paid cash. Win, win, win! He called me and said he'd like to buy it and wanted to come pick me up. I drove it home - playing with buttons all the way. My best find is the radio control under the steering wheel. 😍

We have NEVER bought any vehicle, trailer, or gadget this quickly and easily. Michael's motto is,
"Do the research!" whenever we are considering a purchase. Research takes time - sometimes months. Then we have to wait to find exactly what our research revealed we need. This also takes time. Michael had been researching since we bought the motorhome in November.  We began to actively look when the van sold the end of Feb. We've also never sold a vehicle as easily as the van. Eugene has been good to us in vehicle sales. 😉

Did I mention it is 4 wheel drive? It is meant for the types of roads our tortured vans traveled. 😃The Dodge gave up after our three years in Alaska. 4x4 will be a good feature in Alaska. The Gherkins were surprised at how quickly we closed the deal. They agree they have much more room than in the Versa.


We smile at the changes in us since we began full-timing. At that point, the kids and I couldn't imagine being on the road without a 15 pass van. We had a table for school and each one had our own seat.....now, this feels big and we're excited about the possibilities for adventure.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Bella Time

BreZaak are working on their master's degrees. Bre had a class which started with an on-campus intensive this week. She will then finish the class online.  Gemma was the natural one to spend the week with Bella - and living right around the corner has made this VERY convenient. 😉
Bella and Uncle Cy
Bella is 11 months old now! She seems to have given me a new Grandma name, "Ba!"   I thought she was just babbling, but she seems rather intentional. She began the week saying, "Ma," to which I didn't respond as Bre would. By the end of the first day she'd moved down her list of consonant blends and settled on calling out, "Ba!" when she wanted or needed my attention.... There you have it - Ba, as in Baachan, Japanese for Grandmother. I'll take it.  Our joke is that Michael is sure to become "Ra".....do you know your Egyptian mythology or Prince of Egypt?
Love those teeth 
It's been fun to have Bella here all day. I have determined if I was watching grandblessings on a regular basis, I would pull out my sling and be a baby wearing Grannie! 😊The boys have pretty much stayed in the back room and worked on school. Stacia has gotten up early to work on school so she is able to play and help with Bella.
Bella and Aunt Stacia
Today, Mom and Dad came over for a visit. Today is Dad's REAL 76th Birthday! Bella, however was the star of the show.
GG and Bella 
This girl can sing and dance. I'm going to share the unedited clip - because babies take energy and I don't have time to edit videos! LOL 

Monday, March 13, 2017

March Birthdays

Michael, Josiah and the gherkins spent most the day playing Dominion. 

We  took time to dream about the future - collectively and individually. 

BreZaak and Bella stopped by for a bit between their various appointments. I get too busy playing with Bella to grab photos when they are around. This must stop. 

This evening Arielle, Mom, Dad and Lorri dropped by. BreZaak had another meeting and Cory got called in to work - ON HIS BIRTHDAY. 

We  all got together to celebrate Cory and Grandpa's birthday. Cory's is today and Grandpa's is Wednesday.  Alas, one of our birthday men were missing. 😕 We enjoyed dinner, cake, and Farkle.....fun night.....glad to have a house to invite people too. We'll move back into the motorhome in a week and a half. 


Sunday, March 12, 2017

Love Me Some Gherkins

Josiah - our eldest male Gherkin - drove down from Seattle this afternoon! Cody, the sawed off Husky accompanied him. I'll have to get a photo of the two of them. LOL

We ran over to Rebecca's in the afternoon - picked up some stuff we need to take care of for the estate and checked out her new pick up. Wow, it's pretty. I think it's about perfect for a toad - but Michael says it would be too heavy. Still looking for a toad - want one before the end of April when we head to CO and TX.

BreZaak and Bella dropped by in the evening. It was fun to chat together! 

We discussed Josiah's upcoming move to Alaska (May 12th y'all), used the internet to check out a few more pieces of property for Michael and I, talked about HOW Josiah's going to handle the transportation of the move, confirmed my need of a HOT TUB if these crazies are going to move me to Alaska instead of Texas (I may need a sauna too), discussed dreams we all have..... Can you believe it will be over $4,500 for us to take the motorhome up on the ferry?  I predict we get very familiar with the Alaskan Highway (ALCAN). 


After BreZaaks' visit we introduced Josiah to Dominion.  I like this game much better than Monopoly.

*Gherkins - collective and individual nickname for our offspring; online pseudonym for our last name. If you know us in person, you understand.

If you are ever confused by an acronym we use, click the tab at the top of the page for an explanation. 

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Filling the Tank

Filling the tank takes on a whole new meaning when your car of choice is a 38 Ft Class A Motorhome. LOL  The motorhome is averaging 10 mpg on the open highway and 9 mpg in the hills and passes. This is much better than our 15 pass pulling the 31 foot trailer.

We have completed our first road trip - not the trip we had dreamed - but a good trial run to see what we love and what we need to tweak. Michael has been spending a lot of time fixing things and tweaking things at the Motorhome....I'll need to get over there and get some photos.

"Over there?"  My brother and his wife have graciously allowed us to park the lovable beast  at their place. We discovered the driveway here, where we are house-sitting, is inclined just enough to make for very alarming noises and scratches when pulling out of the driveway. We opted not to put it back in place here.

We are enjoying living in a stick and brick house. The best thing about it is the 2 minute drive to the college campus where the girls and BELLA live. We will be a bit sad to leave such an ideal location, but can't find any spots this side of town - so we'll head up I5 to a park in a couple of weeks.

We've been busy with probate/estate stuff, Michael's therapy and doctors,  fixing the motorhome, SCHOOL, supporting Mom during her cancer treatment, and enjoying family.  It takes a lot of energy to process the loss of a loved one - we continue to process.

Our plan is to remain here as long as Michael needs to be here to complete the season of  therapy.  We'll be making a trip to Denver (Mom G's Graveside service) and Texas (Jamin's graduation from A &M) in May. We plan to be here for June and probably until mid-July to welcome a new grandson. The boys will fly to AK for an epic hiking trip in early June. We hope to hit the ALCAN Hwy in July and spend the end of July and August in Alaska. We'll enjoy JaRissa, scope out future locations to live, and introduce the young ones to the great state of ALASKA. We may travel in the NE in the fall and then head back to the NW for the Holidays...and then? Moving to Alaska in winter seems a bit threatening so we may travel a bit more. . .or not?  As with all our plans, we fully expect them to change!

I've dipped my toe back into the blogging world and will be back dating a few posts when I am inspired.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Recent Recap

Februarys are ALWAYS one of the busiest months of our year. I breathe a sigh of relief when 1 March hits. As I start to blog, I realize it is easier to share glimpses and move on.

12 Feb  - took care of last minute details for the memorial service; continued looking for titles and such.

13 Feb - Mom G's memorial service - great to see family and friends

14 Feb - Michael, Reb and I ran into town to work on a few things and enjoyed dinner out together. This is our 33rd anniversary.

15 Feb - Reb left, we kept looking for titles, boys had Japanese
Snuggled in at Beale Fam Camp
16 Feb - 18 Feb  - We traveled down to Beale Air Force Base. Michael spent a day and a half hounding the owner of the moving company which had our things. I spent a day calling creditors, insurers and such for Mom G's estate.

We were incredibly blessed by Brittney loaning us Stefan's car. I was sad he was deployed, but we were incredibly blessed to use his car.

Michael spent Saturday trying to fix the horn on the motor home and I spent it visiting with friends.

19 Feb we left the flooded areas and drove back to our little spot in the redwoods.
View from my windshield




20 Feb  - we pruned trees - in the rain - but it had to be done. Michael wanted to get this done before the trees budded.

All the rain had the river quite high.....it certainly changes with the seasons




21  - 22 Feb -  We moved into town and parked with our windshield to the ocean....We didn't have a toad along and so we needed to be in town so we could walk to appointments.

Best Ever #ViewFromMyWindshield



We visited with a lawyer, a realtor, the county court recorders, county title and deeds office, a banker and I can't remember what else.  The boys had another Japanese lesson - thank God for web X and tutors.

Michael's hoodie is caught in the slide
23 Feb - We had a couple of errands before we hit the highway for OR. Dad G had planted a Bing Cherry tree years ago and was disappointed it never produced. Michael talked with a neighbor who own orchards and discovered there needed to be another cherry tree to cross-pollinate.  We "zipped" in and out of a couple of nurseries, not an easy task with a 38 Ft vehicle, and finally found the right tree. We expected a potted tree, but Alex and Michael had to dig this one up.

We stopped in the park and planted the cherry tree. We also took lots of exterior and interior photos for the realtor/probate stuff.

Would you believe it was BRIGHT and SUNNY this day. It made it hard to leave the area - but leave we did.  We got back to Eugene late on the 23rd.



24 Feb we caught up on laundry, unloaded the motorhome and moved it to Will and Sherri's.

25 Feb we met with Rebecca and her friend to share what we'd discovered about the estate and to plan a way forward.  We continue to close out eras and ring in new seasons. We enjoyed visits from BreZaak, Bella and Arielle.

26 Feb - Current we are back house-sitting; hitting our books with a vengeance, sorting through things we may not want in the motorhome, visiting doctors, taking mom and dad to doctors,  and Michael is working incessantly on repairs and tweaks at the motorhome. And Gemma is getting lots of Bella time in - for which I am grateful.