...hungry heart...

Hey Guys!  How is everyone?

Confession time here!  I put on some exercise leggings today (getting ready to walk later) and mentioned to Jay that my "muffin top" was a bit smooshie.  I don't think that's really a word, but I bet you know what I mean.  So that made me stop and think about planking and I had a second of panic when I realized I couldn't remember the last time I dropped for a plank.  Well, since we all know that I am either thought and action are one OR a procrastination princess I set out to do a plank!  I did do a minute one.  Since this is confession, I'll admit I had set the timer for two minutes and that was just not happening!

                                            " Like a river that don't know where it's flowing
                                                        I took a wrong turn and I just kept going"

So, new goal? Yeah, we'll be back to working on planking again.  It's so easy isn't it?  You lose track for a couple of days and before you know it a month goes by (or longer!).

Thank you to all of you again for your support and encouragement for the weight loss and for my recovery from the gall bladder surgery.  It means a ton to know that there are so many of you out there cheering for me!

For those of you that follow for our full-time RV exploits I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about how our style of RVing has evolved and how there is no typical way to RV.  Many of you know that I follow a lot of blogs.  One in particular is RV DREAMS and they recently had an article published https://mrvthebuzz.mobilerving.com/open-road-lifestyle/features/rv-road-stories-linda-howard-payne where Howard mentions that you have to be a bit of a risk taker for this life.  I guess that is true to an extent but I think a lot of that is perspective.  I mean, yes, you can have an engine blow and if you are not prepared that can be awful.  But in a sticks and brick home you can have your roof go... or your furnace.  Life happens for sure.   Howard and Linda were great inspirations to us but they also happen to be much more effluent than we are.  I don't mean they are independently wealthy.  They have always worked hard for their lifestyle.  I just mean they are in a different tax bracket than we are.  One of Howard's coin phrases is  "there is no right way to RV".  I think that is exactly right.

We are "settlers".  By that I mean we don't move every day or two.  Yes, there are people that full time that actually do that.  Kudos to them!  Unless we are trying to get to a certain destination we typically stay in one place at least two weeks.  Because of that, we tend to have a much longer set up and take down routine.  I have read that many people are able to have their routine done in 10-15 minutes and be one the road.  Ours is more like 1.5 hours.  Yes, really.  Why such a variance you ask?  Well, I have a lot of glass for an RVer.  Crazy, right?  Maybe it's because we are still fairly new to this and haven't got disgruntled, but I like being able to have many of my favorite "home" things around me.  I bubble wrap more than a handful of things on travel day.  Will I be crushed if they get broken?  Well, I will be disappointed, but I'll have all the time I've enjoyed them instead of them  being stored somewhere or someone else enjoying them.  I am fortunate enough to have the storage space to allow me to bring many of my favorite things so I do.  Simple as that.

Set up is almost as long, first because of the unpacking I packed up to move, and then because I like to vacuum and clean while I unpack.  Jay gets the outside and is usually done much quicker than I am.  But it helps that we have separate areas since two sets of eyes are better than one.

My point to all this?  If you are considering the full-time lifestyle don't be scared! Or, if you are, don't be overwhelmingly scared!  All of us come at it differently.  I'm not saying don't plan or research (you know I'm a huge believer in research!) but don't think you have to make 6 digits a year to consider it.  That being said, if you have an engine blow or something else happen you have to be able to go with the flow.  Have an emergency savings account if you can, or if it's not that large yet, understand that you could maybe be stuck in one spot until you save enough to get things fixed.    Don't think you have to give up everything you love. Be in the spirit of it.  Use the nice glasses!  This isn't camping for a weekend, it's your life!  Enjoy what you love!  

Now, when we are moving from point A to point B quickly I leave most of those things packed and we can roll in about half an hour (including walking the dogs).  I'm sure if it were an emergency we could be much quicker but we're in this life to take it easy! ;)

We don't have a perfect life... we have a perfect life for us.  I'm sure many, many people would not have left their comfortable middle class life to work part time and think about how travel will effect their monthly budget, but really, when you wake up to a new back yard and meet some fantastic new people...I can't imagine anything better.

Thanks as always to all of you that follow along!

~Mikki

Who needed that gallbladder anyway...and unintended social experiment...

Hey Guys!

How is everyone doing?  Enjoying your summer?  Ok,  so I know I need to update everyone on my gallbladder.  First, if you are considering the sleeve, don't panic! Only about 5% of people who have the sleeve ever need their gallbladder out... go figure, right?  ;)  Also, this turned out to be a pretty long blog...just FYI. :)

So, what happened(?) you ask.  Let me tell you. ;)  I may have mentioned before that I am a meat eater.  Most of my protein comes from meat, and the more fat, the better!  Since I only eat 3-4 ounces of it at a time it hasn't been a calorie issue for me.  ( I know what you're thinking) ...

Let me start from the beginning.  I started having pain after I ate some BBQ ribs in mid June.  Center of my stomach, no fever, no vomiting but pretty intense (and you know I have a high pain threshold). It went away.  It happened again about a week or so later.  We thought "maybe it's a hiatal hernia.  So I took some Prilosec OTC for the two weeks recommended and didn't have an issue.

July 1st it happened again, but this time the pain was so bad vomiting ensued.  (We all remember how I REALLY, REALLY don't like vomiting, right?)  But, again, it was after ribs so I was pretty sure it was now a gallstone.  No Fever still and it went away, and no sign of jaundice or other life threatening issues.  I just decided I needed to stay away from fatty foods for awhile.

July 12,  I had some pea soup and and a couple hours later a half a sandwich for dinner.  By the time Jay got home from work about 11:20pm he found me on the floor of the rig, crying.  I had been vomiting violently and could not believe the pain.  Those of you that have given birth think of a severe contraction...how it tightens at the very top of your belly and wraps...well this stayed tight at the peak of pain...for an hour and a half... steady.... when Jay got home I was ready for the ER.  I needed help.

Of course, by the time I was checked in at the ER and was waiting in the incredibly busy waiting room ( we got there at 11:50 pm and got taken into the back about 1:30 am) I was pain free and ready to go home.  But whoa there Nelly, that was not to be!  They took some blood and about 4:00 am they did an ultra sound.  The lining of my gallbladder was thick (not a healthy sign apparently) and oh yeah, there were probably 8 or 10 stones in there.  Now, if you're like me you probably think that a stone got stuck in the duct and that's why the pain.  Nope.

My blood levels came back and my lipase level (supposed to be around 200) was at 18,750.  Now, I'm not a doctor, but that didn't sound good.  According to Dr. Trieu what actually happened was the stone dropped fine through the gall duct but when it dropped into the common duct it turned and caused a reflux action into my pancreas.  The pain was actually pancreatitis.  So...what do they do for that?  You don't eat or drink.  Yeah, seriously.  You just have to wait for your pancreas to settle down. They kept flushing me with an IV too.   While the gallbladder was not awful, it was not great either and since I NEVER want to have that pain again, Dr. Trieu said it definitely needed to come out.  By Friday the 14th my lipase numbers were down to around 400 and I was able to eat without pain.  He told me his first opening for surgery was Monday so I could go home until then and just avoid the fatty stuff until my follow up appointment.

Now, if you don't know what a gallbladder is for:

When you eat fatty foods your body sends the extra fat to the gallbladder to store it.  It will sometimes cause cholesterol to build up and that forms the "stones".  Without your gallbladder your body will just flush out the fat rather than store it.  Works for me! :)

What many of you do not know is I was supposed to start a new job on that Monday.  Yeah.

Due to their strict social media policy I can not tell you what company I'm working for but it is a fast food chain.  This is what I mean by unintended social experiment.  First, to me a part time job is a part time job.  I want to earn some extra cash to help our life choices and although I have never worked in this side of the food industry I was willing to learn.

My first surprise was Jay's reaction.  While he knows that I have always considered customer service a skill he had a hard time wrapping his head around the image of me, a former executive manager, working in fast food.  I actually was excited.  This is a new field so you know there will be a lot to learn and it's part time so low stress, right?

My second surprise was how angry it now makes me when I see the "fast food people don't deserve a living wage" posts.  Yes, I was always against these (see customer service as a skill comment) but now that I have actually seen what goes on in the job I really get emotional.

To start with:
1. The employees.  These are not high school kids that come in and just don't care what they are doing earning gas money.  They are single moms busting their butts so they aren't on the system any more, they are widows trying to make ends meet, they are young adults trying to live while going to college, they are young dads working a second job to help their families,  and there are many like me that are semi-retired trying to supplement their small income. These people take pride in their jobs and if you happen once in a great while to get a sandwich that got crooked, you might want to think about a day when you weren't a hundred percent at whatever job you happen to do.  Machines break, people make mistakes.  Someone new might be training. We try very hard to get things right.

2. The standing. A typical shift is 8 hours with a half hour non-paid break.  You are on your feet that whole time and you are BUSY!! There is no standing around, idle chit chat going on. People are trying to meet numbers and expectations and things happen.

3. The computer.   I come with an IT background.  I have been told I am doing great.  Let me tell you, it's not easy.  There are MULTIPLE screens that have every variation that people can come up with for orders.  Think someone is going too slow?  Maybe you could understand that not everyone gives the same order you do and it might be that person's first attempt to find all those substitutions you are making.  How many times have you got one exactly right and not thought anything of it?  Yes, it's supposed to work that way, but people are human.

4. The customers.  As I've said (multiple times now) customer service is a skill.  Most people are extremely nice.  I've had people say the loveliest things to me.  Some people... are just cranky.  Now, maybe they are having a bad day.  Maybe they have a health issue.  I'm willing to be generous and today I was told "You are the most positive person who's ever worked here", but sometimes people are mean.  They are condescending and supercilious and every other word that comes to mind when someone just thinks they are better.  Better because they don't happen to be serving food to others that day.  Someone actually told the super sweet girl I was working with in drive through yesterday that her voice sounded like she was taking helium.  And he kept going with it.  Not even to be funny. Just being mean.  And you still have to be nice.  You still have to smile and apologize even if they changed their mind 6 times then get mad that you haven't caught up yet.

Now, I'm not saying that I deserve to get paid anywhere near what I did in my old life, but I can tell you right now I don't feel guilty about getting $9 per hour for minimum wage.  I wouldn't feel guilty at $12.  I've done easier jobs for that much.

I like serving people most of the time.  I enjoy working part time.  It keeps my brain going and we do enjoy that extra income.  I could not image doing this full time and I salute the Managers that are working their hearts out and the team that take pride in their work.  Also, they were super understanding about having my gallbladder out making me unable to start on my first day! In fact, I was out for my first week and couldn't lift for two weeks. Nice, right?

So next time you go through a fast food restaurant remember it could be me!  Be nice please!  I really want to make your food the best it can be and if you're patient with me it will help that process for you!

One of the best things about this line of work is there are chain restaurants everywhere! I can now add this to my resume and be able (hopefully) to have employment where ever the road takes us!!

That's about it going on for me these days.

Remember, it's hot out! Hydrate!!   Are you walking?  How are your goals looking?  Keep your chin up!  We're all a work in progress!

Thanks for following a long!

~Mikki

Surgery update and Maine life

Hey guys!  How is everyone doing?

I thought I'd check in with everyone and see how things are going!?!

Everyone getting their water in? How about steps?  Even with the rain most days are nice enough to get some walking in here.  It's been 1013 days since my surgery.  I'm currently holding at 16 lbs below my original goal and 6 lbs below my adjusted goal.  Do I still love my sleeve?  You bet I do!!

So, I get asked what I can eat now.  I can eat anything I want (in small quantities).  I still don't really do carbonation.  I can, but it doesn't really sit well, and since it's not good for me I don't miss it.  I actually drink quite a bit of cran-apple juice.  It's a great mixer ;)   I can now eat about a cup of food at a time but it still depends on the texture how much I do eat.  I love steak and really have to be careful not to over due with that.  It is so much denser than other foods I can fill up fast.  I do find if I forget to eat (can you believe I just said that??) for more than 5 or 6 hours I can start getting hangry without realizing it.  If I have protein every 4 hours or so it's ideal.

How does the RV world figure into this?  Actually pretty well.  The RVing  life encourages movement. Maine has had a rainy and cold spring.  It is finally starting to warm up now in June.

 We just had a great father's day weekend.  Took two of our grandchildren up to Jay's mom's farm.  We parked the RV at the end of the field - glad it had dried out enough for our big rig- and we had nosy horses checking us out all weekend! The kids loved that since we parked right next to the fence the horses were just outside the window when we woke up in the morning.

It was a really nice visit.  We came home through Farmington and it was nice scenery.  I wanted to talk about our style of travel a little.  I think most people, when they dream of this lifestyle, fall mostly into two categories.   One, being the people that want to see everything but they also want to live minimally.  They picture boon-docking (dry camping) with solar everywhere.  And then there's the second,  where they want to see everything but want electric hook ups and the security of a campground everywhere they go.

We have, up to this point, kind of fallen in the middle.  Jay tends to be cautious.  This is a good thing because I tend to jump into things with both feet. ;)  Going across the country twice (well, across and then back) helped us to  get the hang of the unexpected.  Working at the park for 6 months taught us to appreciate full hook-ups ;).  We are learning our rig still.  Yes, I know, it's been almost a year, but really! It takes a while to learn what you can do and what isn't a good idea.  We were able to go 15 days without dumping our black tank recently. (Yeah, that's the pooh tank).  Then when we had the kids for 4 days and our daughter Jasmine for a couple of those as well, we needed to dump after 10.  Part of the reason for that is the dump station here is not open on the weekend and we didn't want to push it until Monday.

So, what have we found?  Do we need solar?
Well, I'd love to find someone to help us rearrange what we do have first.  We currently have 6 batteries and they could do a lot more for us than they do now.  We need the outlets in the bedroom to run off the batteries.  The TV and the fan.  We could get by with a fraction of the time we run the generator now with that little change.  Solar always sounds wonderful and it is.  But most people think of it as the energy source.  Solar panels are really just the chargers.  You still run on batteries.  We have an excellent generator.  It's a 7500 Onan.  It loses a little bit if we are at really high elevation, but mostly when it's running it's like we're plugged into 50 AMP electric. (Everything works at once). It can easily charge our batteries in not much time.  Plus it has safeguards built in so we can't run our diesel dry. (We never let our tank go below half of it's 150 gallons anyway)

We can get by and run almost everything on 30AMPS except the second A/C.  (This is not a big deal for me since most of the time I'd rather open windows but Jay gets hot)  :)

Campgrounds are everywhere and you can almost always find one, if you are willing to pay.  We are Passport America members and they have great deals but we have found that many of their parks are a distance from the major highways.The real score of course is when we can come across a beautiful spot to park for free.

We are starting to feel more comfortable moving off those highways and checking out the local roads.  FBG is still a big rig at just over 40' and then we tow a car on a dolly so, understandably , Jay was cautious about getting into tight spots.  He has a pretty decent idea now of where he can get her into and out of.  I am not a good judge of this because watching him, I'd say he could do anything.  The fact that he can back her up between two tight fence poles first try without even batting an eye impresses the heck out of me.  Of course, I don't really back a car well let alone 40' of machine! ;)


So, really for us we are still beginners!  We love our FBG.  She got a great bill of health when we took her in for service.  Just a couple hoses that had loosened up in our travels.  Maintenance cost is something everyone should prepare for.  An oil change (for engine and generator) does not come cheap, but it's really important to keep our home healthy.

While we won't have a huge amount of time to head back to Quartzsite in the fall - we have our grandkids the last week in September and want to be back at the park by October 8th or 9th to get things in shape - I'm still hopeful that we will have time to enjoy a little more exploring on the way. ;)

How are other things going? Jay is back working part time at Riverview.  They seemed happy to have him back if only for a few months. He's doing 24 hours a week which is about perfect for us.  Me? Well, I don't seem to be having as much luck.  I have interviewed a couple places, I tend to lose them when I am honest about us leaving at the end of September.  I always thought if you were willing to work, there would be jobs available.  Of course, I don't want full time either which might effect things.  If you know of any part time jobs in the Augusta area looking for short term help let me know. ;)  I'd be happy to cover someone's vacation week, or do a couple days somewhere to help out during the busy season.  I'll just put that out to the universe and see what it brings.  Oh! I did start a book!  I'm only 9 chapters in but it's a fun adventure to take on!

Dobby and Paris are enjoying being back in Maine and being able to roll in the grass - especially if they can find stinky stuff to roll in- their baths have increased.

It's pretty perfect for me at 83 degrees out and 78 degrees in the rig at this moment.  Life is good!  We still feel blessed to be able to do this.  I hope you all are having a good weekend also - and as always, thanks for following along!!

~Mikki

April Showers...are pretty darn cold!

Hey guys! Holy cow! I had no idea it had been so long since I had blogged! Wow!  I'm so sorry!

Ok, so catch up...back in January, we had a broken water pipe! That is why we went through so much water! One of our residents was walking his dog and noticed water coming up from the ground.  Wohoo! It stinks that a pipe broke but was amazing it came up instead of down and Jay and Phil were able to fix it!  We have had NO problem with water since that fix.  I think it probably had been leaking for awhile and this was finally a fix for it.

How do I explain this winter at the park? Well, it's been building slowly.  My tasty Tuesday meals have taken off.  We now have a rec hall budget.  Also, we are at 50% yearly residents.  We were at roughly 20% when we started.   The owners have invited us back for next winter and when we had our residents meeting they clapped when they heard we had accepted coming back next year.

It is extremely satisfying to think we made a difference here.  When we came in they warned us this was an independent group and we wouldn't make much headway with them.  It means a lot of to me that we have got almost all of them to come and contribute to our meals and activities.  (You know I always love a challenge) And now we have the word out that it is an extremely friendly park.  Word spreads like wild fire here!

I started writing this in April and most people had headed out.  Wow, what an amazing winter we had. People were putting deposits on sites for next year already.  We can't understand why most people started back north so soon..  It was beautiful in AZ in April! Really!  80s in the day and 50s at night .  The sleeping weather was perfect!  We had to head out to make it to Maine for our youngest daughter's graduation from college or we would have stayed a few weeks longer!

How do I explain the lure of this life?  Well, for those of you experiencing the arctic snow this year, you probably get it, (We made it back to Maine around May 1st and let me tell you, we were freezing!) but for those that are content with their geography, what makes Quartzsite special?   It really is a community.  We could live in a neighborhood the same size as the park and not know anyone, but there we take the time to do things together.  We've encouraged everyone to join in the activities.  It's not everyone's' cup of tea, but most have joined at least some of the fun.

For those of you wondering about how we like living in the RV, I can tell you we love it.  It really has become our home.  I love that even though the small space can get messy quickly, it also cleans up just as quickly.  It encourages us to get outside and enjoy nature and it really is cool to have your whole house with you where ever you go.

Now, the big question...can we continue to afford it?  Well, that is not as quickly or easily answered.  We don't want to make it sound like it's all roses.  We have heard that many people get into this life and feel they have been mislead by no one mentioning the challenges.  Any of you that know us personally know that we are not independently wealthy.  We have made many choices that a lot of people would cringe at.  One of those choices was to take a big chunk of my retirement money early so that we could be debt free.  I don't regret being debt free at all but it does create some extra stress in other ways.    Since we are a long way from 59.5 we took a huge penalty for taking the money early.  I had under estimated how much we would get hit.  In 2016 we paid more in taxes than we've made for income some years.  This carved a big chunk out of our safety net that we had in savings.  Why is that such a worry?

Well, besides the obvious need to have money for repairs or emergencies, we also need to make more to cover our costs.  The winter months at the park are great in many ways.  It covers our basic costs of living, provides a warm place to live and is a fun place to work that doesn't enlist much heavy lifting.   It does not, however, cover the "extras".  For instance the cost of diesel to travel from Maine to Arizona or back. ( One way, with tolls runs about $1200. ) Nor the cost of insurance on the rig to full-time, (quite reasonable at  $900 yr). We are about to find out the cost of maintenance as it's been 7000 miles and we have an appointment next week to have both the engine and the generator serviced,  ~ and it does NOT cover the summer months.

Without some type of part time income this summer we will quickly bleed too far into savings. So, we are looking for some part time work.  Originally we knew we would have to take this step.  We just had planned to take this summer and spend it enjoying Maine and the grand kids. So we need to be a bit more proactive.  Our budget is moderate and we have yet to keep to it.  This is not unusual in the first year, in fact everything I've read said "it's highly unlikely to be achieved" but we are getting closer! My R+F business covers my health insurance and hopefully will continue to grow.

We are also seriously considering gate guarding which pays much better than the park and appeals to us with the descriptions of being remote.  We kind of like the idea of being away from everything for jobs. Of course, that is a long term plan for next summer.  We are in Maine for the season and will return to the park for the winter.  This is one of the challenges I mentioned.  You need to think about things long term to be able to find work ahead of time, usually 6 months before the job starts, but still be flexible because life still happens and things can change quickly.

Other things we've discovered living in a rolling home?  Well, some of the roads in the US are in really deplorable condition!  We literally had the back splash shake off the wall! We can last about 10-14 days of dry camping.  Sometimes it's tricky to find places to park for the night when traveling.  Yes, Walmart and some other places let you stay overnight there...but.... one of the things no one talks about is that Walmarts are often in heavily populated areas.  We are 41 feet and then additional tow length and though Jay is an excellent driver, he doesn't love getting into congested areas that he's not familiar with.  While the parking lots themselves are usually big enough, the ways to get in and out of them are not always big rig friendly! We have actually found some very nice parking places (free) that are away from the beaten path, but it's not something that is guaranteed and  probably not something everyone would be willing to look for.  Staying someplace unexpected for free not only helps the budget, it's one of those cool things about this life. ;)

So,  we will be looking for some part time work, and enjoying the family and Maine for a few months.  If you know of someone hiring in the Augusta area for a part-time, temporary job let me know! :)  We will be continuing to carry on as long as we can.  Please feel free to add us to any prayer chains, and of course, if any of you out there win powerball and want to donate to us, we'd be happy to accept! ;)

Talk with you again soon! Don't forget to hydrate!
...and as always, thank for following along!

~Mikki

May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift...

Ever think you had prepared for something and then find out it was a much bigger situation than you thought?

Hi guys! Sorry it's been so long.  I hope everyone out there is doing well.  Let's talk weight first...
the desert has continued to do it's job.  I'm sure the walking 3-5 miles a day keeps things moving. I'm down to 130 lbs as of this morning.  Never thought I'd see that again!  ;)  I've been struggling lately to get water in.  Can tell I'm not hydrated enough.  Woke up with a headache in the night.  Gotta go back to making sure I'm sipping throughout the day!

Speaking of water, I'm going to vent for just a moment so bare with me.  I'm pretty sure I explained when we came to La Paz that first month we had to work on installing an extra water holding tank.  It was 1100 gallons and more than doubled what had previously been here.  We were excited when it was done and water flow has been great.  Part of managing an RV park is filling the sites and since January IS the prime season here, we are full!  Downside?  We ran out of water.  Yep, having all these rigs here sucked down that 2000 gallon supply we had plus drained the wells.

Jay and Phil have been working their butts off to coax more out of the wells, but there comes a point when you have to shut down the pumps and let them rest.  In the meantime, one of our wonderful residents helped us out by bringing us a tank of water! Two more of the guests stepped up and helped re-plumb the new pressure pump we bought so we could transfer the water.  It was only 950 gallons and was a stopgap for now, but helped those who were completely without water. So why you ask would I vent?  Well, besides the stress of feeling responsible for making sure all of these people having water in the desert, we got our first two star review.

I understand you can't make everyone happy and things do happen.  But the gentleman in question admits in his own post that he had 3/4 of a tank of water when he came in.  He has a motorhome so that probably means at least 75 gallons.  He is in a 50 Amp site which I don't have a lot of, and he is hooked to sewer.  We are not a resort.  We are in the middle of the desert and our prices reflect that at $25/day at peak season.  Places in town are charging up to almost twice that.  The only complaint he seemed to have was the water and if he had an empty tank maybe I would be more sympathetic, but people who did have empty tanks have been so supportive it makes me grumpy.  Sorry.  I know that is not showing much grace.   As my birthday approaches tomorrow I'm trying to work on that.

"May God bless and keep you always 
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others 
And let others do for you"

Today, that gentleman is leaving, and though it's only in the 50's the sun is shining!  I got to help a lady a couple days ago that needed help with her propane tank.  Her husband is very, very ill.  He will be leaving us some time this year and she held my hand, tried not to cry and thanked me for bringing her dinner and just being there for her and I had this feeling inside that came up and told me "this is why we are here".  There are some tough days.  Then there are days that are just amazing.  We are so blessed with this life. Speaking of blessed, I was thinking last night about how blessed I am to have both of my parents still here.  I got birthday cards from them both and I know many of you would love to have yours with you.  💖

"May you grow up to be righteous 

May you grow up to be true

May you always know the truth 

And see the lights surrounding you

May you always be courageous

Stand upright and be strong

May you stay forever young"

We're having a potluck bash tomorrow to celebrate my birthday! And the managers from one of our sister parks has invited us to come to their gospel music concert tomorrow night.  Should be a great birthday.   

Paris and Dobby say hello!  They are still loving the RV life.  Their new "cage" that is huge is a big hit because they can sit out with us and not have to be on their leashes.  It's been colder than I like and we had a huge rain storm last night. (That was good for the well) So they went out and did their business pretty fast and came back to snuggle under the electric blanket for the night! ;)  I think they love that blanket almost as much as I do!

I've gotta wrap up now and go to work.  Still working on the water situation and electric bills went out yesterday so I'll have people wanting to pay.  :)  I hope you all have a wonderful day.  Get your steps in and remember to hydrate!  And remember, no matter where you are today:

"May your heart always be joyful 
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young"

Thanks so much for coming on the journey with me!

~Mikki