Why did we do this? A Motor Home? Why?

As people discover that we have purchased the motor home, some look at us as if we have lost our minds (or what's left of our minds). They don't come out and ask why, but the looks on their faces speak volumes.

Let's go back a few years,,,,,,,,,,,,,
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A few? Don't think so.

Well, you know what I mean.

Back on the thinking back....One weekend, we visited with John's cousins from Bloomington, IN. They had invited us to where they were camping for a visit. They had a camper for their family of 5. Everyone was having such a wonderful time and they were outdoors! They were not cooped up in the house with the A.C. going. They were next to a lake, in the woods, enjoying what God had provided for them. Hummm, that felt pretty good.

That week, we purchased what seemed to us. a huge tent. The very next weekend, we were off to enjoy the camping life. Nearly every weekend, we camped with our daughter. We even potty-trained her while camping. No better place to put "big girl" panties on her. If she had an accident, nothing was hurt. We fished, we hiked then sat around the campfire at night and listened to others talking about their camping experiences. Hey, some of these people even went out of state! Now that was a great idea.

The family grew, then our summer activities shifted to Lassie League softball which took up every week end and we just didn't have time to be camping. So we thought. The girls grew older. We, as a family, got busier. Life got in the way and no more thoughts about camping crossed our minds until now.

Now, we have art shows and fiber festivals resulting in hotel stays. Those stays can get old. I wanted my own bed, I didn't enjoy eating out day after day. We enjoyed participating in the shows, but I wanted my own bed and to be able to eat my own food.

The first of June, 2010, we were driving to the Hoosier Hills Fiberarts Festival that I am a co-chair. Luckily for us, that festival was only 15 minutes away. At night, I could sleep in my own bed. woohoo!

On our way to the festival, we were at a stop light and low and behold, there was a Winnebago with a for sale sign in the window. Just to make conversation, I said, "that is what we need". The rest is history.

We almost purchased that motor home. We asked for a week to think about it (giving us time to do some research and to look at other motor homes). We took more than the week and finally purchased a Winnebago, not 27 but 35 feet. I thought John was going to have a mental breakdown right there on the spot! He was sure he'd never be able to drive one THAT long.(stinkin thinkin) We needed the storage space and this had sooo much more, was sooo much roomier, was sooo much newer. I'm sure you get the picture here.

Now, we are looking at even longer, newer models and guess what. I think John may be considering faking a mental break down this time. (big sigh)

So far, our Winnebago "Road House" has taken us to Wisconsin twice. We have camped in Illinois on Lake Michigan. We have participated in shows in Kentucky, southern Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina then traveled on to South Carolina, back to NC and then on to VA and Tennessee. W H E W!

It is great that after a day of work a festival, friends new and old, can sit and chat at a pitch in. If we choose, to be able to walk the trails, enjoy the mountains or the beach....just to enjoy the outdoors that we love so much. John can fish all he wants. He can visit every Bass Pro Shop on our path.

We had John's mom living with us for eight years. The last 8 months of her life were not good. In April, when I was at the Fiber Event, in Greencastle, IN, John called and said that his mom fell and "broke her hip". It turned out that it was not her hip, but her femur and it required Surgery. For a short while, she was in a rehab facility. It was a lovely place....to visit. This made us think about how we wanted to spend our "retirement". We decided that we do not want to just wish we had done this or that. While we have reasonably good health, we want to live our dreams. We want to experience a full life traveling as much as possible. If we get to the place we cannot get out and go, we want to have no regrets.

We enjoy vending at the art shows and fiber festivals. We enjoy our children, and grand children, someday our great grands.... Also there is traveling, being outdoors, having new experiences, trying out food of the area, visiting with old and making new friends....and having our own bed .... all to be enjoyed.

Not to say that we don't have frustrations along the way. We are supposed to be either on day five or day two of our trip west. It would have been day five, but on Friday evening, our grandson got married to a real sweetheart. We would not miss that for anything. We had planned to leave yesterday after the wedding, BUT, (enter Murphy)..... the motor home was in the shop for brakes, oil change, water closet fix etc. The etc. has turned out to be a BIG ETC. Four days later....need I say more?

I had mentioned to John that I thought I heard "something" as we came home from our last trip in November. I forgot to tell the service department, but they heard it too and there was a problem with the power steering so that had to be repaired too. One thing led to another and......eyeroll here .... the part that they installed turned out to be defective, so out it goes and another ordered...

what did they say about "made in China"???? Good grief, let's put our countrymen back to work! I'm sure they can make things better and have more human rights than the people in China.

oops! I strayed...(keep me off my soap box....please)

Sooooo, with all that being said, do I dare say it???? Will it jinx it????
dunno, but here goes......we are to get the motor home back tomorrow. HOPEFULLY, we can pack up and be outta here either tomorrow afternoon or first thing Tuesday morning...

I have waited soooo long to see daughter # 2, Jojo, ..... the waiting hurts .... physically hurts. But, each day passing makes seeing her that much closer....unless there is the dreaded phone call of something needed for the 'Road House'. Today, I will have faith...