Starting Over and Catching Up

I do love blogging, but somehow got distracted.  It is amazing how hectic and busy life can get.  As I think back over the past eight to nine months, we have had quite a bit on our plate since January, but hopefully, I can begin to reflect on some of our life and get events brought up to date.  I thought I'd simply begin with our summer travels.

With a new job, I have pretty much worked two years straight without any vacation time.  I decided that something had to change this summer.  I needed a break.  Too many projects and needs had been neglected in my house and outside in my yard.  Plus, I needed some time to relax, travel, and enjoy my family.  This being said, on to our summer travels.

School was dismissed for summer as scheduled and that led in to Memorial Day weekend.  Collin and I were packed up and ready to go.  On Friday afternoon, we headed out to Bull Shoals with our RV in tow and stayed on the White River at Copper Johns. Since I had nothing pressing and Collin had a few days to spare at work, we stayed through Wednesday.  We sat in our lawn chairs, watched the river roll by, slept in late, had some great meals off the grill, drove around at night enjoying deer out feeding, and driving here and there, enjoyed reading, just whatever we felt like doing.  No stress, no pressure.  Here we are with the White River in the background at Bull Shoal's State Park.

Micah and Ben came home in June for the express purpose of going to Branson.  Micah hadn't been in years and wanted to go shopping and seeing all the changes in the area.  We headed out for three days of fun.  We had a great hotel in a good location and hit all the malls.  Ben had a stroller to ride in and plenty of snacks and drink so he was a happy little shopper.  We had tons of fun--lots of success in the stores, good food at several restaurants, and some quality time to spend together.  We're already planning for next year.  Here we are enjoying some good food and relaxing in our hotel.

When July 4th came around, we headed to Hot Springs with our new RV.  We stayed at Catherine's Landing.  Again, much needed relaxation.  We camped with friends, Dennis and Regina.  While there we had dinner out and visited with more friends, Neal and Rhonda.  We did a little sight-seeing and a little shopping.

We absolutely could not let summer pass without seeing our sweet family in New Orleans.  It was a road trip to see Rhyne, Micah, and Ben.  Micah and I always manage a little shopping time, we ate at some great places including entertainment from an alligator in the swamp, and lots of playtime with our sweet, sweet Ben.  He's Grammie's boy.  We had more fun!

As the summer was coming to a close, we saw a window of opportunity for one more outing before school started.  We went to Branson in the RV and stayed about five days to get some rest and shop.  One day we even drove into Springfield and shopped Bass Pro.  We had a fantastic time really wishing we could stay a little longer.

And there you have it--a recap of our summer travels.  We absolutely love pulling our RV and enjoying God's creation.  If we are ever blessed to retire, you may just pass us on the road.

Marcia