Let’s Go RVing
“Let’s go camping!” my husband exclaimed as he showed me the typical camping gear involving tents and the like. My response was something along the lines of, “Ah, no! My idea of camping is the Holiday Inn!”
Fast forward many years later, add five horses, and we are now officially campers! Happy campers at that!
My husband just said over the weekend that he never would have imagined me … camping. Well, I had to have a purpose. While I enjoy sitting by a fire at night, my idea of fun is not going to sit in a tent in all different types of weather being miserable. I camped in my late teens at the beach – in a tent – in 100 degree weather. This was something I was talked into, and boy was I ever miserable. My earlier memories from my childhood camping experiences involved raccoons that got into our trash overnight in the mountains as we knew nothing about “bear bags” at that point in time. Then, when we tried “camping” at home in our backyard, my dad’s bull dogs got out and decided to fight right outside of our tent! Imagine four 10 year old girls getting woken up in the middle of the night by growling and snarling with dogs pushing themselves up against your tent, then causing it to collapse on you! Yes, this happened, and we screamed bloody murder until my dad woke up and ran outside to see what was going on. We all ended up okay, but the horror of that event lingered on!
So no, tent camping was out!
Then the tables turned as we started venturing out into the horse world. People camp with their horses all the time. Some have tents, some have living quarters in their trailers, and some take a stock trailer and make it to where they can sleep in it overnight. We considered this option, but with three of us, I knew that would not be comfortable. The living quarters in the trailers are really tight spaces. We looked into buying a new living quarters trailer at the beginning of the year. They were nice, but they were also super expensive. You had all the space in the world for your horses, it seemed, but what a tiny living area when you have two adults and a child camping with you! We knew that option just was not going to work. As one salesperson put it, “You have to REALLY love each other to be in that close quarters for any period of time.” We laughed when he said it, until we saw what he was talking about.
When I said earlier that the tables turned, they did because about two years ago, I stumbled upon a good deal on a used RV! My husband was so hesitant about this ole “fixer-upper.” I almost had to drag him kicking and screaming to look at it. We drove a little over two hours to look at this 1985 Georgie Boy RV. While we knew that it wasn’t the grandest of RVs, it was perfect for what we wanted to do – camp with our horses! I remember when we arrived how my husband reacted. He hesitantly got out of the vehicle just to wrinkle his nose. I asked him to just look at it and keep an open mind. He walked into the RV, looked around, and then let me know that he was not impressed at all. That is until the guy mentioned the 454 big block engine! My husband’s eyes widened, and he said, “Hey, we can always take this motor out and put it in my 69 Camaro.” We ended up buying this older model RV for little of nothing. Then we put a little bit of money into it to make us feel better about using it. After a while, we were ready for our first camping trip in it.
The results?
We found out that we absolutely LOVE camping with our horses!!
We enjoyed it so much, in fact, that we decided to explore other options of possibly getting a newer RV. When it was mentioned, I told my husband that if we did get another RV, I wanted one that we would be confident in taking on road trips even without the horses. My goal was to have a RV that we could travel the world with, if we so desired!
And so began our search!
We looked at so many different used RVs. From dealers to individuals selling their RVs themselves, we were just overwhelmed at the RVs and their prices! Yikes! To get a decent one, you had to spend a bunch of money, or you’d be stuck with a fixer-upper like we already had! Even those were outrageously priced! Finally we came upon an older couple that was looking to get out of camping. The couple was in their 70s, and the man had begun to have some health issues to where he did not feel he could continue with the RV lifestyle. His wife was emotional as she showed us the RV, spent time telling us all about it and demonstrating how the different controls worked within the RV itself, and the stories she told of their family trips together. They had an RV as long as they could remember and took their kids on many trips, and then they started taking their grandchildren on trips as well. The newest RV had provided lots of memories, and it was hard for her to part with it, I could tell. But, she and her husband gave us a really sweet deal on the RV, we sold our “fixer-upper” actually making a profit off of it, and paid cash for the new-to-us RV to begin our RVing lifestyle!
We had to pinch ourselves when the couple delivered the RV to our house. After they left, our children rushed into the RV where I fixed dinner and we ate in it the first night we had it! We could not believe this baby was ours!
Since that time, we have gone on numerous trips with and without the horses. I’ve discovered that although “roughing it” is part of camping at times, we do like having the amenities at the RV resorts. We have stayed where there has been full hookups, and we have stayed where we were standalone with our generator and on-board water supply. I do appreciate that we can have the comforts of home now in our RV! And some of the places are extremely nice! I have been impressed! It isn’t a bunch of red necks sitting around a fire chewing tobacco, spitting, and drinking. Not that there is anything wrong with this at all, if that is your thing. We have found such joy in camping in our newer RV that we planned back to back trips not too long after purchasing it! I’m sure some of our friends on Facebook tire of all our pictures that we share, while others have commented that they enjoy our pictures and look forward to them.
Our goal we set is to go on a trip in our RV at least once a month to justify having it. I told my husband when we were considering buying the RV that it would not just sit in the yard unused. And, it hasn’t! We’ve camped with our horses a few times at places like Kings Mountain State Park, Middleton Plantation, etc., but we have also gone to places like Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Thomson, Georgia, Sevierville, Tennessee, and now we will soon be embarking on a trip to Crystal River, Florida! We are so excited!
Now we can hardly wait for the other to say, “Let’s go RVing!”
Life Changing Moment
We stood in the doorway moments earlier laughing and joking.
As the laughter fades and the silence takes over for a moment, he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. Standing next to him, I watch as his index finger and thumb fish for a card in the small leather pocket on the inside. As he retrieved the card, he turns it toward me so I can read it.
“South Carolina Oncology Associates.”
There I stood staring down at this business card in between his fingers in this life changing moment.
I felt anger wash over me instantly.
Never glancing up from the card, I blurt out, “What?!”
Silence followed.
Trying to be strong, I looked up as his eyes met mine. Feeling tears welling up inside of me, I could only manage one word, “Who?”
His head tilted to the side as he says, “Me.”
I fall into his strong arms as he hugs me close to him, tears falling like rain.
Feeling as if someone wrapped their fingers around my throat cutting off my air supply, I’m only able to whisper these words:
“I don’t want to lose you.”
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Please, each and every one that reads this … say a special healing prayer for this gentleman as he begins treatment. God is the Almighty Physician. We are trusting in Him.
19“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask,
it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.
20“For where two or three have gathered together in My name,
I am there in their midst.”
Matthew 18:19-20
Tragedy Struck
While we were away this weekend on a mini horseback riding adventure, my daughter called with such urgency in her voice.
Tragedy struck once again.
First, she informed us of Christina Grimmie’s murder after the concert in Orlando, Florida.
My daughter learned of Christina first from being You Tube famous, then appearing on The Voice. My family and I used to gather around the television on Monday nights to watch the women and men compete. This is such a sad and tragic loss.
The very next day, my daughter called again fed up, frustrated, and scared asking, “What is this world coming to?”
More tragedy struck in Orlando, Florida at a gay club leaving 50 dead and 53 wounded.
A hate crime.
Oh, dear God!
Tonight I shared something on Facebook that said, “If your religion requires you to hate people, then you need another religion!” Immediately two people liked it within seconds of it being shared. It is the TRUTH, though!
I have heard the argument and have seen my share of Christians that have zero tolerance for homosexuals. They take the bible and all but beat people with it, as if THEY, themselves, are without sin. Why condemn people just because they sin differently? Here’s a news flash for you – there is not a single person among us that is without sin. NO ONE can sit on their high horse and honestly say that they don’t have some form of sin in their lives. Whether they lie, cheat, steal, are gay/lesbian, overeat, drink too much, do illegal drugs or abuse prescription drugs, hide in darkness with pornography, gossip, allow jealousy to consume them – the list of sins goes on and on. We just sin differently! Therefore, who are WE to cast stones at others around us?
As Christians, we are to hate the sin but LOVE the sinner. There is far too much hate in this world and too many hate crimes as a result of it! This madness needs to STOP!
Would you turn your back on your son or daughter if they came in one day and announced that they were gay? I would hope that you wouldn’t. This child is STILL YOUR CHILD no matter what they reveal to you. You loved them from the moment you first found out you were pregnant with them, so why would you dare turn your back on them just because they announced they had a different sexual preference than you? You are still called to LOVE them! They are your flesh and blood – they were moments before revealing this to you and they STILL ARE afterwards, too!
Just a few short years ago, my daughter “tested” me on this very subject. She came into the room and said she needed to talk to me. I stopped what I was doing, sat down across from her at the table, and gave her my full attention. She hesitated before going on but proceeded to informed me that she was a lesbian. I looked her straight in the face and replied, “Okay … and? What did you have to tell me?” She looked puzzled, paused and then halfway questioned, “Mom?” I never took my eyes off of her as she asked, “That’s it? You aren’t going to say anything about what I just told you? You’re not mad? You don’t hate me?” I took it all in, but I did not hesitate one second before I responded, “I love you no matter what – my love for you is unconditional. Period!” She stared back at me from across the table in disbelief. Then she said she was only trying to see what my reaction would be – she WASN’T a lesbian after all – she just wanted to see if I would react like her friend’s parents had reacted when they found out about their daughter. From what my daughter said, the parents threatened to disown their daughter. What a truly sad situation! Apparently, though, I passed my daughter’s little “test” with flying colors and left her almost speechless in the process. She came back to this subject matter a little while later, still in disbelief of my response, so I took that opportunity once again to tell her that there is not anything in the world that she can ever do that will cause me to turn away from her or make me love her any less. I am her mother. I may not like some of her choices in life, but regardless, I love her unconditionally. I always have, and I always will.
I had several friends that “came out” to reveal that they are lesbians just a few years ago. They weren’t kidding around or testing the waters, though. One was a massage therapist that I used to go to for quite a few years, actually. She changed locations, and I was trying to save money so I stopped going as frequently as I once had for massages. She feared that I had learned the “truth” about her and that caused me to run in the opposite direction, which couldn’t have been further from the real reason why I hadn’t been in for a massage. She called me one day to ask if anyone had said anything about her to me, but they hadn’t. She took that time to reveal that she was a lesbian and was afraid I stopped coming in for massages for that reason. Honestly, it didn’t surprise me, but it didn’t stop me from going in later for a massage either. As long as she didn’t try anything with me, I was fine with it. It is her life and her choice. It does not affect me whatsoever.
Shortly after this, I had another friend reveal to me that they, too, were a lesbian. They chose to tell me in an email. I read it, and then responded back to them like I normally would have. This did not cause me to treat them any differently. Their sexual preference is just that – their own. As long as they are not hitting on me and as long as they respect ME, I do not have a problem with them.
You see, in all of the above situations where people “revealed” things to me, I did not get all homophobic and start condemning people. It isn’t my place. While their preferences aren’t that of my own, I can still respect them as individuals. We were friends before, and we are still friends after! They trusted me enough to come to me and share with me. What type of person would I be if I started acting hateful toward them and shunning them? I can hate the sin but still love the sinner, and that is exactly what I have displayed for my daughter, her friends, and my own friends that came out about their sexual preferences.
I realize that everyone is different and no two people will have the same exact reaction. What I don’t get is people purposely setting out to HURT other people just because they are different!
While we’re not sure of a motive in Christina Grimmie’s case, it is quite clear why the shooter went into that gay nightclub. He hated homosexuals, and he wanted to do away with them. There they were having a night out on the town laughing, dancing, and just enjoying life. In walks the gunman and starts claiming lives left and right. Shots were fired, people were held hostage from what I’m hearing on the news, and people texted their loved ones that they were going to die. I just read this a few minutes ago, and it hurts my heart so much. I remember seeing a mother on the news, crying … almost begging for her son to come forth as she hadn’t heard from him. He was her only child, I remember her saying through her tears.
Why?
WHY must these types of things continue to happen?
Why are innocent lives being taken?
I do not understand why human lives are NOT valued in this day and age!
This young man deserved to LIVE just like all the others in the nightclub! No matter what their sexual preferences are – THEY DESERVED TO LIVE!
We need to get down on our knees and pray for this nation as a whole. Black – White – Hispanic – Straight – Gay/Lesbian – Transgender – Baptist – Methodist – Catholic – Non-Denominational – You get the idea! It doesn’t matter WHAT or WHO you are – EVERY SINGLE LIFE is important and should be valued!
We are all different – YES – but we all deserve to LIVE!
When will it end? The senseless shootings? The lives that are lost?
Each person on this planet has worth and value. They deserve to live! They need love, compassion, and kindness!
Each and every one!
