tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13029653614615079562024-02-20T20:53:40.230-08:00Gallivant FamilyGallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-81094229268025880892012-04-17T19:29:00.002-07:002012-04-17T19:29:12.475-07:00ConnectingTuesday, April 17, 2012<br />
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I have been making a conscious attempt recently to be present and to connect with people/strangers more often. We met a few interesting folks on in our quest to retrieve our bus home. The first opportunity came when we stopped in traffic next to a gentleman on a bike. He had a rather large bed roll on the back, and I wondered what his deal was; Homeless? A vagabond? Taking a trip? Or some other possibility that I hadn’t come up with? I remembered that we had bottled water in the car and asked Joshua to quickly pass one up. We stopped as soon as we could and Noah jumped out to hand it to him. The gentleman made room next to his jar of peanut butter and thanked Noah profusely.<br />
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After taking possession of the bus, we made an impromptu stop at one of those dollar stores (General? Family?) that are so predominant in rural areas because I thought I would be able to get the bus in and out. Once stopped it became a full on “break” and we ended up spending about 45 minutes to an hour. There was a couple, and as hard as I tried to make them fit a type, I just couldn’t. I was curious about them, but I had nothing to ask them about. Finally the man approached us to ask about our Maine plates. (YAY!) Am I the only one with an overwhelming curiosity about everyone?!?!<br />
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This couple was out enjoying life, vagabonding around, although they didn’t use that term. In fact, they were really skilled about not labeling anything. They had been down in the Keys, then sailed back to Miami, and were on their way to New Orleans. They were very excited for us as we step into our new adventure, and I made a disparaging comment about how we had set out to travel and only seen from Maine to Florida. “So just this entire side of the country, this whole coast?” she asked, totally putting it into perspective for me. I have already seen more of this country than a great many people ever get to see, and I’m grateful for every minute of my travels! Chatting with that couple was a really neat experience. I would have gladly taken them with us but they were headed in the opposite direction.<br />
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Later in the evening, with a raging headache, we stopped for gas. I went in to buy some pain killers, but when I went to pay I noticed a surcharge for using a credit card. I just couldn’t pay 50% more, so I put it back and walked out. I went into the bus to close my eyes for 5 minutes while Gary finished pumping the gas. What seemed like a long time passed, so I got up and went to investigate. Gary and the children were just coming out of the store with BAGS full. The manager of the store had given them several packages of donuts that were short dated, free, then handed Gary the painkillers that I had wanted and told them they were for his wife!!! Katherine was sure that our good fortune was directly related to handing the biker a bottle of water.<br />
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We then stopped yet again at a truck stop and met a very nice man who was that night making his final run before retiring from the trucking industry. He was wanting a soda but the change machine was down. We looked and looked and couldn’t find any small bills to offer him, which was disappointing, but we did enjoy chatting.<br />
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The bus ride back was good. I’m impressed with how well she maneuvers, and with how well she stops! She rides really smooth, and my biggest issue was attempting to maintain the speed limit as we drove though the county famous for ticketing drivers who go as much as 1 mph over the posted speed. The posted speed changes every quarter mile, and there is an officer about every mile to enforce that policy! We made it safe and sound, Ms. Bus is home with us, and we are loading up, and getting ready to roll!<br />
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</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-14421204856372531632012-04-10T20:45:00.000-07:002012-04-10T20:45:28.025-07:00Powerful Stuff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I’m excited to share with you that we are the proud owners of a 1988 Silver Eagle Bus! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The way in which the bus came to us is actually an incredible story. We decided that we would start to travel again, but this time do things a little differently We agreed that a bus (think Greyhound or Trailways) was the only vehicle that really made sense for us for a myriad of reasons and we began our search. We figured out how much money we had to spend, which was at the very bottom range of what was available, and not even with much converting done. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was one bus that kept popping up in ads, but I ignored it as it was fully converted, had a custom paint job, as well as solar panels and an awning. Gary finally convinced me just to get a price on it, and I was blown away that it was only slightly above our top dollar amount. The seller and I talked all week, he understood that we were a little short and were working on getting the extra money, and also working out how we would travel to see/purchase the bus (it was a solid 16-18 hours from where we are). After talking all week we got to the point that we needed to wait on Monday to hear about several things. The bus sold on Sunday. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had faith that it must not be our bus, and that our bus was out there somewhere, but losing that bus still stung. The next day I found a bus, not quite so amazing, but still really great and completely out of our price range. The seller did say that he was open to a partial trade and was willing to talk, so I decided to call him and explain about the super special bus and how we only had x amount of dollars. He told me what his bottom line was, how much he had into the bus, and asked if we were a missionary family. I told him that we were not, and for some reason that really bothered me, having to say no. I thanked him for his time and said goodbye.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later that day the seller called me back to tell me that he had been praying about it and the Lord laid it upon his heart that he should sell me the bus for the money we had!!! I was thrilled, but for whatever reason, I hesitated. A very good friend who knew about the loss of the super special bus had sent me a video by Sean Hayes entitled Powerful Stuff to remind me that the Universe is so incredibly powerful and that if we stayed faithful our bus would come to us. She was one of the friends that I shared the pictures and the advertising with and she immediately noticed the musical staff on the side of the bus. Powerful Stuff. The other friend read me back the ad and berated me for not going to get the bus that minute, because it was clearly valued for far more than he was willing to sell it to us for. I took a deep breath, called the seller and told him we were coming to see the bus.</div><br />
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The morning of our trip, I called him to let him know that we were on our way. He shared with me that there was a gentleman from Texas who wanted the bus badly and planned to fly in the next morning if we didn’t take it, and another who hoped to beat us there that day. He told them both that I had first dibs on the bus, and that he had been doing more praying and if we liked the bus we could talk more about what he could do when we arrived.<br />
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I went right into panic mode. In my mind he was going to up his price, he clearly had more interest in the bus and people who could probably pay him closer to what it is worth. (side note: I know a woman was needing a home for one of her children and after working with a family for some time they told her that they had been praying and God told them to charge her three times what they had originally agreed would be fair.)<br />
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As I drove I contemplated calling him back and reminding him that we had limited funds, and zero ability to take on debt, but instead I took deep breaths and believed that everything was exactly as it was supposed to be.<br />
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When we arrived at our meeting place, Gary jumped into the bus to ride back to the sellers home, and I rode behind checking out the lights and lack of smoke (and incredible horsepower!).<br />
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When I got into the bus I found that it wasn’t as nice inside as I had imagined. It needed a lot cosmetically, but the layout was very workable. I was trying to get a feel from Gary, and I was feeling very positive vibes. Then, out of the blue the seller tells me that the Lord told him to give the bus to us for even LESS than we agreed upon! I found out later that he had already told this to Gary on the ride, which must be why he was looking past the cosmetic stuff!<br />
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Wow. Wow. Wow. Powerful Stuff, Indeed! The seller and his family are just genuine super nice people, and once they found out that we wanted the bus started throwing in all kinds of extra pieces and parts for us. He even said he was going to replace the batteries before we took it home because he’d had to jump start it that morning and he didn’t want us to have any trouble, and INSISTED that I call him the minute we arrived safely at home so they didn’t need to worry about us, even if it was 2 am!<br />
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Needless to say we are incredibly excited to make this bus home. I love it already and feel incredibly grateful not only that it came to us, but that it came to us in such an amazing, incredibly powerful way. ☼Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-78106860391628453422012-04-08T18:37:00.000-07:002012-04-08T18:37:31.076-07:00In ServiceWednesday, April 4, 2012<br />
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A few days ago Joshua and I rode to the store to purchase some birthday gifts for a friend of ours. The first two stores that we planned to shop at were closed. We pulled into our third choice store and parked next to a car that looked to be disabled. The hood was up and there was a woman and what appeared to be her teenaged son inside. Joshua was first to suggest that he’d like to help. Joshua was able to tinker for a minute or two but lacked the appropriate tools to do anything productive, so we asked if we could drive them someplace.<br />
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The woman explained where she lived, and I said that I had no idea where that was but that I was willing to take her wherever she needed within reason. I also warned her that I had six children and my van was perpetually a disaster.<br />
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The woman climbed in, and as she handed me her business card said, “With six kids, I’m sure you could use a massage. I’m a therapist and I would like to give you a free massage!”<br />
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I seriously had to fight tears. That was such a HUGE gift to me. I can’t state that strongly enough. We had a lovely conversation as we drove, and when we stopped she encouraged me to call for an appointment. I told her, “this is so huge for me, a massage is something that I always feel that I need and never get. I can’t thank you enough.”<br />
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She responded, “You have no idea how huge this is for me! We had just been grocery shopping and before you pulled up were planning to start walking. We would have walked several miles, I’m not even sure how I would have made it with my medical issues, and I would have lost all the perishable groceries that we just purchased. I can’t thank you enough!”<br />
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Wow. Wow. Wow. Something so simple for me to offer that it barely made a dent in my day, yet profoundly affected another, and her offer, simple for her and yet to me means so very much.<br />
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</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-67705740284362740392012-03-30T08:55:00.001-07:002012-03-30T08:55:13.677-07:00Moving On<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">I apologize for abandoning my blog. When I’m in the thick of things, it’s difficult for my to articulate my thoughts, and I’m always waiting for some what of an ending in order to tell my story. Some things drag on for a good long time with no clear end to the story, and other stories I’m bound legally not to share.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">In order to catch you up to where we are now, we lived with the Ham Family for a good long time, taking a break to visit some friends over Christmas. We came to a settlement agreement with the manufacturer of our trailer, and bought a mobile home in Florida, that isn’t even a little bit mobile.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">Now we are ready to transition to the next level of our adventure!</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-42918804038500770792011-12-01T16:13:00.001-08:002011-12-01T16:13:40.270-08:00Ham Family Bed-n-Breakfast<div><p>We arrived in Florida on Sunday night. When we left Valdosta, GA the GPS said we were a mere 3 1/2 hours from our destination. The more we drove, the further away we seemed to get. It took us more than 10 hours!</p>
<p>On Monday the trailer went into the shop. They found 5 separate leaks, but nothing obvious to cause the mold issues. They also fixed the electric panel, the vent fan, and the slide wall. The dealership allows you to stay in the service bay when the techs are not working, but it became just too stressful to be there. Our friends the Ham Family decided that we could upgrade from the backyard campground to the bed and breakfast section of their hospitable home! </p>
<p>It is surprisingly quiet here, which is such a welcome treat! Christmas movies are playing and Christmas candy is cooling. This is just what we needed!</p>
</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-60677837796185987202011-11-26T21:37:00.001-08:002011-12-01T16:01:04.421-08:00Memory foam<div><p>We are back "home"in the Walmart parking lot. Bone weary from travel and staying up too late enjoying friends, we pushed only as far as southern Georgia before stopping. Katherine has been dying to go to Cici's Pizza all summer so we indulged her tonight. </p>
<p>Robbin braved the black Friday sales to pick us up some memory foam. It makes or beds far too comfortable! I keep thinking how great it would be to pile several on top of one another. I might never get out of bed. </p>
</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-4442209677181942792011-11-25T18:10:00.001-08:002011-11-26T07:45:04.775-08:00Good Friends<div><p>Incredibly, our very good friends Jim and Robbin have family just 20 minutes from Rachel and Michaels family! We are so lucky to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving twice, each time with people we love!</p>
<p>We went over last night to say hello, and on the way I was pulled over by the County police! I was so afraid! I hadn't done anything wrong, the officer had never seen Maine tags so he ran the registration through the computer and our came up unknown (the Georgia system had never seen Maine tags either!). While he was checking on my license another cruiser pulled up leaving me to believe that he had called his buddy over to come check out this vehicle from Maine!</p>
<p>We pulled the trailer over to Robbins parents driveway this afternoon to spend the night with them. It's so much fun to visit with friends! </p>
<p>Tomorrow we finish our trek to Florida. I'm looking forward to having hookups, sunshine, and seeing more good friends that we've missed!</p>
</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-24307775115514565582011-11-25T17:57:00.001-08:002011-11-25T17:57:36.359-08:00Tired<div><p>We made it to Georgia! We arrived well after midnight, I think it was almost two! We plugged right in to shore power and still had no power. We borrowed as many blankets as Rachel had and I went in with the kids to sleep; I just couldn't take another minute. While I was sleeping the power came on. It was just a coincidence that we didn't have shore power...the breakers to the house were off. Sigh. Still there were some parts of the trailer not receiving any power but we had heat!</p>
<p>We had a fabulous time with our "soul family". Rachel and Michael have eight children and amazingly all the children pair up perfectly. They each have one from the other family that they are inseparable from, and Katherine pairs with the three "little girls" who are all ten. The moms can't get enough of one another, and the dads get along too well! The dynamic is truly amazing. The only bad part is having to say goodbye. </p>
</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-69534153516388034972011-11-22T19:20:00.001-08:002011-11-22T19:20:17.478-08:00Problems<div><p>We woke up early this morning in the hopes of getting to Georgia today, but the battery was completely dead. We ran the car for a bit but could not get any charge. Drat. </p>
<p>We couldn't pull the slide in without the battery, so eventually we had Walmart charge it for us, a three hour process. When all was said and done we still didn't have exterior lights. We drove to a RV dealer, arriving at 4:45. They pulled it right in and found a bad fuse. Phew. </p>
<p>We stopped shortly after due to traffic and empty bellies. Within an hour the battery was dead again. Sigh. </p>
<p>I have had two large diet cokes and plan to just keep driving till we reach warmer weather. </p>
</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-33745638265677040012011-11-21T22:04:00.001-08:002011-11-21T22:04:38.067-08:00Stopped for the night<div><p>We left Maine late on Saturday which made for a were hours of the morning arrival in Massachusetts. We visited with friends and family, planning to leave within hours, and instead repainted an entire room for my mother. It set us back a day but the room sure did look nice.</p>
<p>When we got into NY I decided to trust the gps. That never ends well for me. We went under a bridge with a 11' clearance and I mentioned to Gary that we really needed to remember to measure the height of the trailer and actually mark it on the dash so we would have that info handy. Just minutes later I happened to notice an 8' clearance sign and pulled right over. I started to have a panic attack because we were on a busy highway and the only solution I could see was shutting down the high way so we could back the trailer up to the nearest exit. A tow truck stopped and notified the police. We waited an eternity for him to arrive. His brilliant idea? To drive under the bridge slowly. Eeeek. </p>
<p>Apparently we were not even supposed to be on that road with commercial plates and/our towering a trailer. He ran our plates, gave us a hard time about our Patriots logos, and sent us on our way. It seems that they are extremely conservative with their signage as the bridge was well over 10'.</p>
<p>We finally made out into Pennsylvania where we are now parked at a Walmart for some shut eye. We are all feeling incredible grateful to be back on the road.</p>
<p>We have plans to spend Thanksgiving with our soul family in Georgia, and we are thrilled that it's going to work out that way. More good friends will be just 20 minutes away so we'll get to see them as well! Gosh, I sure have missed this nomadic lifestyle! </p>
</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-51416547921993653102011-11-19T06:12:00.001-08:002011-11-19T06:12:30.216-08:00Almost<div><p>We are heading back out today. We had planned on leaving weeks ago, and we still aren't completely ready, but we are leaving today regardless. </p>
<p>We took our kitty in to be micro chipped yesterday. It feels very strange to be inserting a tracking device into something living, but we lost him for a week and it was very traumatic. I think it should have a GPS as well. We are pretty sure out kitty was stuck somehow out in the woods when he was missing, and the chip won't help with that scenario.</p>
<p>We are going to be unplugged for the next week as we travel south. Our route is still undermined as we try to see as many friends as possible on our journey. I'm so grateful to have the new phones to keep us connected. Not so grateful for the bill though.</p>
<p>More later! I hope to be able to report that we made it out of Maine today!</p>
</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-27200614588497255742011-11-17T08:36:00.001-08:002011-11-17T08:36:13.326-08:00I'm back!<div><p>So much has happened, but I'm just going to jump back in. We have real phones now and I'm hoping that it will make it easier to update the blog.</p>
<p>We are still in Maine. We are almost finished working on the house and plan to leave here this weekend. This isn't the first weekend that we have planned to leave, but we need to be in Florida for a service appointment by the end of the month because our trailer is having huge, messy, annoying issues. </p>
<p>Last night we went to the community Thanksgiving dinner. When we lived here it was my favorite thing and I looked forward to it all year. This was the first time they have done it in a few years so it was neat that we were still here. We didn't see many people that we know, but we brought some friends with us, and met the kindest woman. She came over and put her hand on my shoulder telling me how much joy she had gotten from watching our family. She told me that she sees so much negativity toward large families but she really looks up to us. It was incredibly sweet.</p>
<p>We are all looking forward to leaving and to finding some sunshine. I'm looking forward to living at the Walmart! There is talk about buying a house when we get to Florida, but you know how we like to talk! <br>
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</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-49903697439213063172011-09-08T13:25:00.000-07:002011-09-08T13:25:00.595-07:00Friday, August 26, 2011 Part two<br />
We don’t plan to stay in the house but another 2 weeks while we finish up the slight remodel. We replaced the floor in the kitchen, added cabinets and new counter tops, added a dishwasher, removed a kitchen from a bedroom, removed buckets of wallpaper, painted, painted, also did some painting, and enough landscaping to fill 3 trucks loads, if I recall correctly, with yard waste. Phew. The goal is to have renters in within the next 4 weeks.<br />
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We have another house under contract, but it’s a short sale and best case scenario it doesn’t close until sometime in November. That house needs a lot of work inside, but comes with an extra large 2 car garage that we could use for personal storage, and might even be able to add a pad with all the amenities to hook up our camper there for times that we come back to stay. It’s located on a corner lot, so we could make it so that the tenets don’t even know that the property is related.<br />
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We also have an offer in on a foreclosure that will close within 30 days, and that house doesn’t need much work at all. However there were 4 offers including ours, and we still haven’t heard back. The listing broker was pretty sure that they had accepted our offer, but didn’t want to offer false hope. I’m feeling very peaceful about the situation either way.<br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-28540464348575912212011-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:002011-09-07T08:00:08.249-07:00Friday, August 26, 2011 Part one<br />
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I tend not to write when I’m in the middle of something, because when you are a dreamer, like I very much am, you tend to be in the middle of something fairly often, and when it doesn’t come to fruition, it makes you look flakey. I’m not saying that I’m NOT flakey, just that I’m doing what I can to keep that image on the back burner.<br />
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With that disclaimer, we have purchased a house and have been living in it for 2 weeks today. The house is absolutely beautiful. It’s a 120 year old Victorian that currently has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths with an abundance of unfinished space offering the possibility of expansion into potentially a 7 bedroom home.<br />
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The location exceeds my wildest imaginations with a HUGE fenced yard, at the end of a dead end street, and walking distance to everything. I can actually see the library from my bedroom...<br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-17116601740406639642011-09-06T08:00:00.000-07:002011-09-06T08:00:01.803-07:00Sunday, June 26, 2011<br />
We were invited over to hang with a good friend last night. These friends saved Gary’s butt this winter when he flew home to empty out the house. He told them to come take whatever they wanted to do with what they pleased, and knowing that he needed the entire contents of the house removed, took everything. At the time Gary told me that he would never have gotten it all done without them, as they literally took away garbage for him.<br />
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I knew that they had much of out old stuff, as she would periodically say, “OMGosh, we are just loving (insert beloved item here) and are so happy to have it!” but I wasn’t prepared to see my old things in her house. When I walked in, I saw my former beloved bowl, a gift from another good friend, sitting on her kitchen table. It literally took my breath away. It was a knee-jerk reaction, I think because I have been able to believe that all my stuff is tucked safely away in the attic, and this was an in my face example that I no longer own much of anything.<br />
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We ate dinner on my old purple dinner plates and used my old Correlle bowls, and heck even watched a movie on our old television! My friend was so gracious and told me that if there was anything at all that I felt I wanted back it wouldn’t bother her in the least, but truly I don’t want any of it back. I was honestly happy to see that those things were being used and making her happy. What I said to her was that Karmically, that wouldn’t be good for either of us. I wouldn’t trade a single one of my experiences this last 8 months for all the things I used to own!<br />
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</div>Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-31928174670486288402011-09-05T08:00:00.000-07:002011-09-05T08:00:06.896-07:00Birthday Party! (Still August)<br />
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Today was a surprise party for a good friend. There were several people there that we haven’t seen in ages, so that was a treat. The kids had a blast running around together like crazy people!<br />
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I was worried that I wouldn’t get enough social time in Maine, and boy was I wrong! I’m beat! The quantity is much less than I’ve grown used to, but the quality is very different. There are so many people to see and catch up with that it can be a bit overwhelming.<br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-86965246880016636202011-09-02T08:00:00.000-07:002011-09-02T08:00:12.152-07:00Saturday, June 25, 2011<br />
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Being back in town is surreal. I feel kind of disconnected from here, yet without any new connection to compare it to. It feels like where we used to be from, but there isn’t a replacement location. It is kind of neat to be always looking around, knowing that it’s more likely than not that I’ll see a familiar face.<br />
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Everywhere I go I run into someone, which makes me feel bad about not having contacted that person about getting together, but it’s just too much. I did put out a post on FaceBook so I figure that anyone who wants to see us will get in touch.<br />
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I can not get over how cold it is here. It’s summer for goodness sake! The past few days have been rainy and raw. Last night I curled up into as tight a ball as possible and just couldn’t keep warm. I guess my blood really has thinned out. I can’t even imagine if it were actually cold! I guess I’m not a New England Girl anymore!<br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-91012408062665578632011-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:002011-09-01T08:00:06.337-07:00Thursday, June 23, 2011<br />
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Today was another wonderful day. The day started with one of Gary’s friends stopping by to say hello, followed by my super special friend Jen and her super special kids. We caught up and hung out together all afternoon, and even took a ride to the local farmers market. It feels like summer has been in full swing for some time as we have been in the south so it seemed strange that the farmers market didn’t have much available.<br />
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While we were at the farmers market I ran into another friend and chatted for a few minutes. Then we came back to our premium campsite and we all hooped together for awhile. It was a blast!<br />
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Then Jen and crew headed home and our other super special friends Gannet and Ron came over with their super special daughter and they brought us pizza! We had a great time catching up and hung out together all night! The girls decided to have an overnight so they folded the table into a bed. That’s the first time we have converted it. I love that we have enough space to have guests.<br />
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Today was really great, but omgosh so overwhelming. In a good way, of course, but goodness I’m tired!<br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-21555555119234675042011-08-31T08:00:00.000-07:002011-08-31T08:00:07.490-07:00Thursday, June 23, 2011<br />
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As expected our current reality exceeded my expectations! Our friend Tony is letting us stay in the yard of one of his vacant rental properties. We have a nice little yard for the kids to play in, use of the washer and dryer (and the whole house if we wish!) and the best part is that we are on the parade route for the largest 4th of July Parade in the State of Maine!!! Every year we come to participate in the celebration and it’s kind of a pia to fight traffic and find a place to park, so this will be a real treat. We are really looking forward to it. It’s actually a week long celebration with a street party on the 3rd that will be literally across the street from us!<br />
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It’s been surreal being in Maine. Usually we get very excited to see an automobile with Maine plates, and now every where we look we see several!<br />
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We visited with our favorite children’s resale shop and scored a pair of new sneakers for Christopher for $4 and some nearly new sneakers for Molly for only $2.50. I’ve sure missed this shop!<br />
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Of course we hit up our favorite store, Marden’s. I bought a package of diapers for $1.68! I let the kids all pick out new journals. They were a little pricey at $3.99 but they were really nice and I figured that they should have some quality materials to encourage their writing. I read something years ago about how we usually give kids crappy materials to work with and they often get frustrated, so I’ve made an effort to provide them with quality whenever I can, and honestly I notice a huge difference between the cheaper crayons and colored pencils.<br />
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Friends are trickling in to visit so I need to get off! More later!<br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-56776641633603702472011-08-30T08:00:00.000-07:002011-08-30T08:00:12.749-07:00ICE CREAM<br />
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I was three years old and really, really liked ice cream. I may have already mentioned my love of ice cream. Anyhow, I was in the bath tub when I heard the familiar jingle of the ice cream man and I lost my fool mind.<br />
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There wasn’t time to stop and dry off or even time to get dressed, let alone beg for money. The only thing that mattered in that moment was stopping the ice cream man before he drove to the next street. I jumped out of the bath tub, ran down the stairs, out the door and up the street.<br />
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Naked.<br />
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Screaming for ice cream.<br />
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Yeah. I really did.<br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-33618098508422921142011-08-29T08:00:00.000-07:002011-08-29T13:14:19.560-07:00Monday, June 20, 2011<br />
Tonight my mother offered to take everyone out for ice cream to a local dairy that has been providing summer time treats as far back as to when she was a child.<br />
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When I was a child, our neighbors were a family with 4 children. In the summer time they often took a trip to the dairy as an after dinner treat. The father was a rather strict military type, and every time they came out he would ask me, “Kerry, have you had your supper yet?” I would have to think quick and judge if they were on their way to the dairy just yet, because for a long time I would answer in the affirmative each and every time, but on one occasion they were on their way out for Happy Meals first, and I answered yes and got left behind!<br />
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What I find so fascinating as an adult is that it never occurred to me to answer honestly. I don’t’ remember trying to lie, I just never even gave a thought to what reality was, all of my energy went into figuring out the right answer that would get me ice cream and/or a Happy Meal!<br />
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In my defense, I really, really liked ice cream; tomorrow I’ll tell you another story that will put it all in perspective.<br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-83627977484686402712011-08-18T08:00:00.000-07:002011-08-18T08:00:04.826-07:00Sunday, June 19, 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Massachusetts. Twelve hundred miles in two long days. I had many things that I wanted to write about, but I allowed the children to use my laptop while I was driving so the battery was dead when I had a chance to use it. Sigh. I have to laugh at myself here, because in just a few short years of writing on the computer the idea of taking pen to paper doesn’t occur to me.<br />
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We stopped in Hershey, PA on our way from Georgia to Massachusetts because it’s becoming tradition to stop there when traveling through PA. The last time there we were able to resist the World’s Largest Peanut Butter Cup, but this time our will was not as strong, and we succumbed to the peanutie chocolate goodness. I do believe it was the best thing I have ever eaten!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyQeWXEFZVsxbMUsolBCD9-mufr4_ZSQqQjNTHrk5sDoKQ49t9QXHtjdyh0W_S7LPJ8YN5M0Jo6ikwSszj2rJVBBVQCoj3KXnU-_fTYt67cwHV3q6Y6fgH7Ic9iFH3Dsr27s1tST6kMSN/s1600/peanutbuttercup" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyQeWXEFZVsxbMUsolBCD9-mufr4_ZSQqQjNTHrk5sDoKQ49t9QXHtjdyh0W_S7LPJ8YN5M0Jo6ikwSszj2rJVBBVQCoj3KXnU-_fTYt67cwHV3q6Y6fgH7Ic9iFH3Dsr27s1tST6kMSN/s1600/peanutbuttercup" /></a></div><br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-11147767897535533412011-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:002011-08-17T08:00:01.856-07:00Friday, June 17, 2011<br />
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Somewhere in Tennessee. We are stopped for a potty break for the kids and it’s super convenient that McDonalds also has free wifi!<br />
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This morning we had a heck of a time getting out of our friend’s driveway. The end of it is so steep that the trailer was dragging the van right out. The breaks were on and the wheels were turned all the way right, and it was still moving! Thankfully we were able to stop traffic and get it positioned properly, but yikes!<br />
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Then we stopped for gas. I had asked Katherine to accompany Molly in to the bathroom, and she cam out laughing that the fridge door was open and that there were eggs shattered everywhere, and that they were all over the rug. Since this was just about the worst case scenario AND she was giggling I thought for sure she was trying to joke with us. Even though she said, “I really don’t know why I’m laughing, I’m trying to be serious!”<br />
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Sure enough, there were fridge contents everywhere and scrambled eggs all over the brand new carpet. Ugh. I told those salesmen at LazyDays that the carpet was never going to last.<br />
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I know that there are far worse problems to have, and I really am grateful that it was only yolk. I’ll be even more grateful for the ice tea that I’m hoping someone brings me from the McDonalds!<br />
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Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-17476754937899384172011-08-16T08:00:00.000-07:002011-08-16T08:00:11.858-07:00Wednesday, June 15, 2011<br />
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The power is out. It has been storming out and apparently a transformer blew. The kids are going insane. Complaining about how boring it is without electricity. Focusing on all the things that they can’t do.<br />
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When the power went out I was in the middle of cooking dinner, and Rachel has an electric cook top. I fantasized about going out for pizza instead, but since everything was done up to the point of cooking, I figured it was more responsible to head out to my house (the camper) to cook with gas.<br />
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The final game in the hockey playoffs for the Stanley Cup are tonight, and Gary has been looking forward to this for months. He is so into these playoffs that he even paid to stay an extra night in the expensive campground just so he’d have cable for one of the games. Tonight is the FINAL game, with the teams tied 3 games to 3.<br />
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Since the game start time was 8 minutes ago, I’m sitting here desperately hoping that Christopher will fall asleep shortly so that I can take Gary to a sports bar in the hopes that they have power. If baby sleep does not come soon I’ll have to drag Christopher along.<br />
Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1302965361461507956.post-39649178481424948732011-08-15T08:00:00.001-07:002011-08-15T08:00:01.253-07:00Monday, June 13, 2011<br />
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Things have been going really well at <a href="http://tudusamom.blogspot.com/">Rachel’s house</a>. We haven’t set a date to leave yet because we know that it’s going to break many hearts to even hear that a departure is scheduled. I swear, even the dog and cat get along. It’s shocking to me to have two families with so many people (18, to be exact!) be so compatible.<br />
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We really need to be back in Maine very soon to tend to some business, but it’s incredibly difficult to even think about being there. Once we arrive I think that we will need to be there for several weeks, and I just can’t bear the thought. Not that Maine is so terrible, it really isn’t. It’s just that it’s where we came from. I know what’s there. As much as I love and miss our friends who are still there, I don’t expect to spend much time with them as they are busy with their jobs and families. I have gotten very used to having almost constant socialization. We might experience that in a campground environment, but there really aren’t any campgrounds in the vicinity of where we need to be. I’m not even sure where we’ll be staying once we get there as we no longer have a “home” there.<br />
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I know that it will work out and exceed my expectations, I’m just explaining the reasons that I’m having a hard time moving forward.Gallivant Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00774173662044817656noreply@blogger.com0