Moving is an Adventure

Pilot Knoll

Site 21

First move since we moved into Hickory Creek out of our house. I think both Steve & I were especially nervous about making sure we were hitched properly. I was nervous about finding a home for everything, so we could bring our slides in. Did I mention that before we moved I had dreams about being so overstuffed that we broke the hitch? Probably just baggage, but I will admit that I'm simultaneously paranoid about having too much stuff & not having the right stuff. I think we would do well to purge a little more, so we have more wiggle room. Steve thinks we're okay, but...

Anyway, we did get everything squared away. We, I mean Steve, hitched us up properly, Steve dumped everything without getting any of it on himself, thank goodness, and we made it here to Pilot Knoll. Of course, it couldn't be without some measure of adventure. When we arrived at our site, it was still occupied, and even though it is a pull-through site, it required swinging wide in order to make it in...and right where Steve needed to swing wide, there was a Toyota 4-Runner. We had to locate the owner of said vehicle, which just happened to be a guy with the Dallas Christian Singles (DCS) group that was camping out next to us, and he informed us that he had a dead battery. We needed to find someone willing to give him a boost. Again, another DCS member, a lady that thought it would be no problem for us...Dodge Ram 2500 hitched to a massively huge 5th wheel...to just maneuver our way over to give the guy a boost, and then make our way into our camping spot. Then, the camp host came blasting through in his pickup, wondering what in the world was going on, and helped direct Steve into the site. Whew...we made it! And, lo and behold, an old friend we hadn't seen in ages, was sitting over at the DCS site, and of course, she saw what was going on, recognized Steve, & we had a chance to catch up!

Now, we're just hanging out here under the shade of some huge trees, enjoying the breeze & the sounds of lots of kids playing on the playground next to our site. We're supposed to go out tonight for an early Mother's Day dinner, and I have to admit that I'm not sure it's going to go so well. Tired kids, grumpy kids...

Update: I nixed dinner out, so we ate in, and our new friends from the DCS group, that just so happen to also have a BBQ catering business, Walker Texas BBQ, brought us a smoked chicken! In addition, we ended with a whole lot of brisket that I threw in the freezer, a bunch of bread, tortillas, and coffee! Yay for new friends! Yay for having the opportunity to share all the goodies that were shared with us with others along the way, too!

Meltdown Monday

We survived the weekend in the RV. In fact, it was really quite pleasant overall. The weather was beautiful, Steve wasn't working, and the setting was perfect—nice view of the lake & plenty of space between RVs. However, on Sunday, a cold, rainy front moved in. We made it to church somehow, despite the fact that stuff was still everywhere, and I was seriously having trouble finding clothes to wear. I mean, a clean pair of underwear, a clean shirt, and a pair of jeans is not too much to ask, is it?? Anyway, it rained all day Saturday, & the temperature dropped. Monday morning rolled around, and Steve left for work. Despite the fact that the RV was still a mess despite weekend efforts to sort through & find homes for things, I wasn't daunted because I had a plan. With miserable weather, I would simply pack up the kids & get out! Maybe a movie, a trip to the store...it would break up the day AND it would prevent us from using too much water as Steve was seriously concerned that we would overflow all of our tanks, black & gray, if we didn't use the bathhouse for most things for this ten-day stay. I didn't realize how much that stress was getting to me until I had prepped all the kids to leave & even had Jake fed, dressed, & strapped into his carseat, only to discover that my keys were NOWHERE to be found. I texted Steve to see if he had them or knew of their whereabouts. Not so much, it turns out. I had a meltdown. It was sooo phenomenally miserable outside the RV, and I couldn't go anywhere. There were tears, even sobs, and I missed my house. But...the big kids were amazing. They were delighted to discover toys & games that they hadn't had a chance to play with in months, and they occupied themselves well! Not only that, but big kids always know when mom or dad are at the end of their rope, and typically, they go out of their way to not make waves; they leave that to the two year old & baby. ;) And so, we survived. I buckled down & found homes for things that I didn't really want to mess with, and eventually, I discovered my keys in the drink holder of a sopping wet camping chair tucked away under the RV. ;)