Wednesday, January 14, 2015

And Now We are Settled!!

Bet you thought you would never see those words
on my blog 

But its's true

at least for right now.

Hopefully in about a month we will move over to the 
RV sites that are being built which
are across from the Admin Building, the Guard Shack
and the main entrance to GUMI.

Back to  where we are now....

...After a run to the store to buy
cat & dog food, some groceries
and a couple of things to level the rig

this is what we did,
well what Ron did
...you see our levelers won't go down,
so we have to try the next thing


and then we check the level





Ooops...well that didn't work.

And so Ron got out two hydraulic jacks
and put one in the back
and one in the front

and now we are level,
well as close to level as we are going to get today
and today that is good enough!

After Ron got us level
he put our awning out and secured it.
Because we are on dirt,
we wanted to make an area 
that is covered so we don't have to stand in the rain
going in/out of the rig.

We are going to get an area rug
for outside so that we can put a tote outside
with our shoes and slippers in it 
along with our lawn chairs 
so we won't be dragging lots of dirt (or mud)
into the rig.
(I will get outside pictures tomorrow)

After getting that all done, Ron headed off to feed the cows, 
get water for the animals
and feed the kittens and Winnie (the dog)
While Ron was busy with the outside stuff
I worked on the inside

sorry about the sun coming in the windows
but you get the idea
since we don't have satellite or cable out here
there is no need to put the TV down
so it works real nice to put the fireplace up on the dog house.

See that plant in the bottom left corner of this picture
I have since moved it into the corner behind the bears
...going to see how it does in that corner.
Moved it because it was awkward to get around the kitchen.

The blue light/ring is our new clock,
it glows in the dark and makes a great night light.
I did move the printer off the passenger seat and set it up
in the living room where it is easier  to access it.
I did put my bamboo plant in the corner behind the
printer and in front of the window.  
It is leaning a bit so I need to figure out how to 
make it stand straight.

Ron says he will make me a board to go across the dresser
that holds my craft stuff for the printer and bamboo
to sit on and be level.  

We don't use the table that comes from the wall
as it takes up way too much room so I now use a 
TV tray as a table for my laptop.

Here is the plant behind the bears...
not sure if it is going to work or not.


Another view of the passenger seat with the babies,
I now have three!!

The kitchen sink area...needed to wash up the dishes from dinner 
but you can see how close the cabin is to the rig out 
that window.  

Thankfully the cabin is just sitting there and not being used
right now.  

This is looking from the living room
down to the bedroom.

I put my Christmas cactus on top of the toaster oven.
You can't see it very well but on the counter to the right 
of the toaster oven is our salt lamp
...it makes a beautiful night light.
And yes, there is still a strand of Christmas lights 
up in the kitchen area,
they make a nice night light too.

And once again,
our bed is ready for us.
We had to move it back onto the 
base as it kind of slipped last night 
with the tilt we had.


This is opposite the bed.
I used the little contact stick 'ems to hang my
bracelets...it works pretty well.

The bathroom
is finally getting organized.




Close up of my earring holder that Ron made me.
It is a sheet of plastic canvas between two boards
and then screwed to the wall.
Works great!!!


Hope you enjoyed this little tour of our home on wheels.
It feels great to be settled once again!

And as they say...


for tonight...will write more tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

We Finally Arrived at


Woke this morning to beautiful sunshine
and cold weather...like 16' outside.

And we readied the motor home 
inside and out, did two loads of clothes,

Posted this on Facebook about  10:30 this morning:  
Feeling a bit anxious while doing the final stuff to get on the road
..laundry, stowing etc...and so I opened my devotional and this is what it had to say:
Prayer is the mortar that holds our house together.
There had never been such a day before, there has never been another since, 
when the Lord stopped the sun and moon ~ 
all because of the prayer of one man! Joshua 10:14
So I ask in Jesus name...
calm my anxiety, give me peace as I do the things I need to do 
and trust in You to bring all things good to the glory of your name. Amen.
and then I gathered my plants from the office at BVC
and then got ready to head out.

Gave thanks that the motor home started right up
BUT
the motor home wouldn't go,
nope, wasn't moving an inch,
Ron and I chatted..asking now what??
I said "I Quit!

and got in the Explorer
(remember it was below freezing out there)
and opened my hands and said 
"Lord, I take my hands off of it"
yes I shouldn't have said I quit
but one can only handle so much frustration.

And while I was sitting there,
Ron started moving in the motor home.
I started crying and said "thank you Jesus"
and followed him.
Called him on the phone when he got to the exit
and said Stop...you are dragging something.

I got out and checked, the cord to plug in the lights to 
our tow vehicle was dragging on the ground.
I wrapped it around the tow bar
and off we went!!!

We both realized the transmission fluid had to warm up to 
get moving so the motor home would move...duh!

Left the campground at 11:08 this morning
and pulled into the driveway at
GUMI
at 12:43...had to drive a bit
slower as the motor home does not like hills,
never has and probably never will.


This is where we want to back the motor home in...
the building is our little A-frame barn.


This is the first stop of the motor home,
not good,   Ron pulled in and then started backing up
but with muddy, soft ground 
things did not go well.

So we did what any American couple 
would do, we jumped in our Explorer
and drove into Cedar Creek (4 miles)
and ate pizza for lunch
and got to chat with some new friends,
bought some transmission fluid
because Ron thought it might be low 
and maybe that was why it would not go into reverse.

We came back to GUMI
ran the rig, added transmission fluid
and 
voila, it started to move
right next to the tractor
so
jump the tractor to get it out of the way



so thankful for the sunshine!


Okie dokie - got the tractor moved, 
the jeep moved 
and the truck out of the way.


and immediately got stuck


so we put down some boards,
got said motor home on the boards
and stuck again

so out comes the trusty truck
(Thank you Tim for having it here :) )



and if you look real close 
out the side window you can see how close the truck got to the cabin
and yes, I Ali, was driving the truck forward and
pulling the motor home
up closer to where it needed to be.


Doesn't that look fun...NOT!


And then we got it in place,
well at least for the night.

Ron drove the truck out


and I opened the door to the motor home
well things look like they survived the ride 
from Branson to Cedar Creek

Well not everything....
my side of the bed


and Ron's side of the bed


And remember how close we were to the corner of the cabin
not any more !!!


And Ron got the steps out and in place


And I got the coffee maker ready to go,
doesn't my Christmas cactus look nice...
just have to find the right spot for it,
here we can't open the k-cup drawer


And just putting a few things out
my plant from the ladies at Forever Friends on the corner
and my bamboo from Sherry & Curt Sevage
(it has to move too because I can't get the plates out of the cupboard :( )


And that folks is how far we got today

We are at GUMI
thank you all for your prayers and ecnouragement
as we worked our way
and made our way out here.

Tomorrow the plan is to move the motor home
over about 4' and back about 5'
and get her level!!!

And then the real work will begin
...fixing the cows fence
and planning
and building 
and getting 
GUMI Camp USA
ready for our grand opening 
Memorial Day Weekend.

Stay tuned!!
for our journey we call
Life!!!

And remember
there is never a dull moment when we are around!!!

Monday, January 12, 2015

A New Day, A New Week


Well we made it through the weekend, 
faced some surprises
but through it all
we keep smiling and trusting God.

And He hasn't failed us yet.

January 10th Devotion

Trials are not enemies of faith but are
opportunities to prove God's faithfulness.
Trust the Lord and sincerely worship him;
think of all the tremendous things he has done for you.  I Sam 12:24

January 11th Devotion

I find that doing the will of God leaves me no time
for disputing about His plans.


I am so thankful for the encouragement that
God has sent my way over the past week...
...it amazes me every day how He meets me right where I am.

Today was no different.

Our plan included Ron heading out to GUMI
to feed the animals early this morning but the weather
was super cold and icy roads were being talked about on the news.
Ron woke me up about 7:45 to say he wasn't going out 
till after the mechanic came at noon.

Guess what, Nick, the mechanic called and said he would be here about 9:30
...good thing Ron wasn't out at GUMI

Being Monday it was time for 
So off I went to pick up Norma
and head to Golden Corral.
We were a small group again,
just 5 of us,
but what a great time we had
sharing about the Lord working in our lives,
sharing prayer requests,
encouraging one another
and most importantly praying for each other.

When I got back to the rig
Nick was gone,
the motor home is fixed
and yet Ron was a bit concerned...
the amount of money to fix the motor home
was more than what we had on hand.

I said "It's okay."
and I handed him a check that was given to me
and it was just what we needed to cover the 
unexpected cost of a part for the motor home...
thank you sweet friend
for blessing us unexpectedly
and so wonderfully.


And with a smile on his face,
Ron headed to the bank and GUMI.

And my devotion for today ~

Timely good deeds are nicer than afterthoughts.
The smallest good deed is better than the  intention

You are probably 
wondering what are plans are now...
well tonight we hope to get a good nights sleep
and 
in the morning,
empty the tanks,
fill the holding tank,
pull up our jacks
and head out to 


in Cedar Creek, MO

Thanks for following along on our
journey...
...stay tuned to see what happens next!!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Watching the Seahawks, Trying to find my Web Camera and plodding along

It's time for some
football.

We are sitting in the Activity Room
watching the football game.
Sure hope this games turns out better than the
maybe next year Ravens!!!

And trying to Skype with our son Brandon and his family
but something happened to my 
WEB Camera 
on my laptop.

Who knows what happened to it???
I think I will need to call my computer guy, Larry,
next week to see if he can find it.  
I miss not being able to Skype with
my grands!!!

Oh, 

the motor home you ask,

Well yesterday, Friday, Ron talked to Nicholas,
the Mobile RV guy,
he was going to be here today,
Saturday, about noon.
but this morning
Ron got a call...
Nicholas was having issues with his heater
so he is now coming on 
Monday, January 12th
and should be here about noon.

And so we continue 
moving one foot in front of the other,
not moving the wheels on the bus motor home
but being reminded by God as I shared this morning on Facebook

And a new day is off and running...not going as we planned but going just as the Lord has it all figured out. This was the little devotional for this morning: Trials are not enemies of faith but are opportunities to prove God's faithfulness. And the prayer was 
"Trust the Lord and sincerely worship Him; think of all the tremendous things he has done for you.' 1 Samuel 12:24 TLB

This was great for me, as many of you know we are trying to move out to GUMI CAMP USA where are new adventure is waiting for us...but alas this past week has been one thing after another and even today...got a call from the mechanic saying he was having heat issues of his own so would not be able to be out here till Monday to work on the thermostat ~ we think that is the final issue...but who knows. As I have been saying over and over...Our God is an AWESOME God and meets us right where we are!!! Blessings to each of you today as you face opportunities to praise our wonderful Lord.
and you know what
it has been a great day
I was able to get all the Taxes done for BVC,
now just need to meet with the accountant 
and then we can send those off.
Went grocery shopping and got some good deals.
Had dinner out thanks to Jason & Liz who gave us a gift card to Chili's
and an evening watching football with my sweetie
and talking with Brandon & Danalyn
and the little boys.
It was great to hear of his promotion
and the offer to go to some training's on their $$,
to hear how the Lord made it possible for them to get another car
and hear about their 
for the future...excited to hear excitement in their voices.

And through it all
feeling such peace and calmness 
in my heart and my life.

Tomorrow is a new day
and I am excited to see
how it goes...
...always remembering
God is Good All the Time...All the Time God is Good!!!


Friday, January 9, 2015

I Peter 5:7


Dear Lord
Your WORD tells us to cast all of our anxiety onto you,
that you are strong enough,
big enough 
and more than capable to handle all of stuff.

Lord, this morning I had a good time with you, 
I felt encouraged
and that You are in control
and that it is YOUR timing 
not mine

So Lord I am coming to you right now,
this very minute
11:25 a.m.
first I am asking for 
PEACE
for both Ron and I...we are at a loss
regarding our motor home.
Ron has found out the thermostat is bad,
he is calling Bob, our mechanic, to see if he can fix it
and if not then he will call Rex.
Lord you know our financial situation
that we have spent what we had in savings to fix the 
two leaks, buy the antifreeze and
then fix the power issue in the motor home
as well as pay for propane so we could stay warm.
So Lord, I am asking you,
to please give us peace and calmness,
and somehow have the right person
be able to help fix the motor home
so we can get out to GUMI
where we believe you have opened doors for us
to serve You and others.
Now Lord, I am going to go back to working
on the reports for Branson View Campground
and doing laundry and continue
on with my day...and each time the Devil starts to
jump into my thoughts I am going to say
"Devil get outa here, God is in control and He will handle this."
Amen.


Boy it's Early

I woke up at 3:09 this morning and laid in bed till 4:19
and decided if I was awake I might as well get up
and start my day.

I began with reading the devotional for today out of the 

I know I say it A LOT - but God always meets me right where I am.
This morning is no different
The theme for January is GRACE
Today's scripture is found in 
Job 40:1-5

Job demonstrates restraint by putting his hand over his mouth ~
this is a reminder to me to stop looking for fault but to 
look for good things to say.

Yes, things need to be done correctly and mistakes will be made
and yes they need to be mentioned and corrected
but the words need to come out of my mouth in a pleasant tone
and not sharp or condescending.

Lord, help me to speak love not negativity,
help me to lift up and not tear down.  Amen.

I have been looking for a devotional/study book for this year
and I found one tucked away on my bookshelf, not sure when I bought it 
but I know I have carried it in the motor home for awhile.


There are 62 topics on spiritual discipline
and as I read through the first few pages of the introduction
I marked seven...
1.  Control the Tongue
2.  Humility
3.  Practicing the Presence
4.  Prayer of Recollection
5.  Self-care
6.  Slowing
7.  Unplugging

My first idea, you know I have to have a plan :), was to do one topic a week
but God reminded me I need to do things on His schedule not mine.
So I decided "Control the Tongue" went right along with the scripture from Job
and I sort of chuckled as I just know that God is looking at me and 
laughing...silly girl...my timing not hers.

As I continued reading in the introduction

was quoted...Jesus tells us to come to him, follow him,
walk and work with him and he will guide us.

I want to "keep company" with Jesus ~
in relationships if we want it to grow we keep company with that person,
spend time with each other, 
not rush through a cup of coffee but to drink it slowly
and share about our lives with each other...

...and that is where and how I need to be in relationship with Jesus...
...keep company with Him,
not rush but to savor my time with Him.

And so today I move slowly through the introduction,
not rushing

and the question is asked by Jesus


And He asks over and over in

Matthew 20:21
Mark 10: 36, 51
John 5:6

So instead of just racing through the book
I want to Keep Company with Jesus,
seeking what God wants me to focus on
and praying, reading and writing.

What do I want?? Jesus asks.
I want to be the princess of the king,
the best wife, mother and grandmother I can be, 
to be loving and kind, an encouragement to others,
to enjoy each moment of every day 
and not rush through things just to get them done,
just to check them off my To Do List (I love lists)
and I want to be an example of Christ's love
with all I come into contact with.

And if Jesus thinks I need to get up at 3 a.m. every morning
to have uninterrupted, unrushed time with Him
then so be it.

My prayer today is for me to 
be present in the moment,
speak in love
and cast all my anxiety upon Him!!  1 Peter 5:7

Our plans for the day
~ Ron fix the air bubble in the coolant line
~ Ali work on taxes at Branson View Campground
~ Go out to GUMI to meet up with Tim & Angela
and maybe, move the motor home out there

and then tonight I am having dinner with some Forever Friends girlfriends
and play some Scrabble.
Ron will be fending for himself for dinner
so he will probably have something like this
 minus the lettuce & tomato

So my question to you today is 

What do you want?
And do you know what to do to get it??

Have a blessed day!

Talk to you soon.

Blog Address Change!!!!

Well I took the plunge and moved my blog over to WordPress! Below is the link to my blog. All of the blog posts I have written sinc...