Gina's Jewels

Stranded

We left Spring Branch early on Friday morning.   Not quite as early as we’d planned due to ice on our slides.   Shortly after we got on the road, Stephan had to pull over and address an issue with our brakes but we were still early enough to beat the Houston lunch traffic.  Somewhere around Orange, TX we spotted a station selling diesel for $3.27 pg and decided it was a good place to stop.   We were seeing $3.40+ at the other stations.

As it turned out, the station was next to a McDonalds and also had a large grass area for Elvis to sniff around.  After filling our tank and lunching on burgers and fries, we continued on our journey.

It was all good until we reached the New Orleans area.   The Friday afternoon traffic was thick.  After several stretches of stop/go the freeway cleared up.   We were in the right lane and two cars were entering to merge into traffic.   The lanes were full and we could not change lanes.   The second car swerved in front of us and hit her brakes to provide an opportunity for the first car to enter traffic.   This sounds real nice of her but it caused us to slam on our brakes – probably only missed rear ending her by an inch and we’re thankful that our rig didn’t swing out around us.   It was really turning out to be a stressful drive.

 

We decided to take a break at a Bass Pro Shop and regroup.   While the guys strolled through the store, I enjoyed a hot shower in the rig.   Determined that our trip would improve we cranked up some old rock music and sang our way down the road stopping for the night near the Stennis Space Center in MS.

Anxious to see our FL family, we got an early start on Saturday morning hoping to make it to Phillip’s in the afternoon.  The weather was beautiful and we were anticipating a great day.   Then our engine light came on along with “STOP SAFELY”.  The truck seemed to be losing power so Stephan coasted down the next exit.   As soon as he stopped the truck, the engine died.

 

 

While on the side of the road, we had 3 individuals, a sheriff and a highway patrol officer stop to offer help.  A local man even chauffeured Stephan around to get help.  Then later, Stephan rode in the tow truck to the local Ford dealership.  The earliest they can look into it will be Tuesday. 

 

 

Somehow through all the local offering for help, another gentleman drove over and towed our 5^th wheel to the closest RV park (www.campingandcampgrounds.com/eagle.htm).  

 

Hopefully we’ll get some answers from Ford and our insurance company on Monday!

Sad goodbyes....

 

 

 

Knowing it was our last chance to visit prior to our departure, we all gathered for Aunt Dorrie’s spaghetti on Wednesday evening. 

 

Isn't she pretty?

 

Cathy being introduced to "Halo Reach".

 

Every family has a comedian.

  

Guys and girls

Our “Texas” time is just flying by as we prepare to relocate to Florida.   Stephan was busy responding to emails, telephone calls and telephone interviews in the last week.  .   Our plans are to enjoy Florida during his job search knowing that we might relocate once he commits to a project.   With his current prospects, it seems that changes may occur sooner than we originally thought.   Time will tell.

Stephan and Perry spent Thursday and Friday in Del Rio/Acuna completing their dental work.   Wagner went along with them to ensure it was a fun “guy” trip which included cruising the mall, eating breakfast for dinner at IHOP, watching “The Green Hornet” and other cool guy activities.  

Dorrie and I enjoyed our girl time during their absence which included dining out, beading, watching several romantic comedies and shopping.

Zoo time

http://www.sazoo-aq.org/

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Busy days

It seems that as soon as we committed to returning to Florida in February we had to start crunching to fit things in our calendar.  There are still friends and family we haven’t visited but our schedule has been occupied with school and preparations for our upcoming lifestyle changes.  

Between phone calls, resume updates, rental property lease renewals and relocation planning, we did take time for some shopping with Dorrie.   Stephan endured the outings and looks quite dashing in his new threads.  Wagner wasn’t really interested in wardrobe but we did manage to talk him into new shoes – size 11!   He is really growing up fast.

 

On Friday evening after shopping, we stopped by to see Mom and Cathy.   Cathy made me a delicious plate of nachos and we all spent a little time looking at childhood photos and playing games.

 

On Saturday, we gathered at Emma & Noel’s for lunch.   Emma made a big pot of soup, baked brie, etc. which was perfect for the cold/wet weather.  

 

We also had salad followed by cheesecake for dessert.

 

Stephan and I returned home, while Wagner stayed to watch movies and play games before spending the night with his Aunt/Uncle. 

She is highly recommended

We arrived at Dorrie and Perry’s apartment at 5:45 a.m. yesterday, loaded into Perry’s car and made the 3 hour drive to Ciudad Acuna (a Mexican border town located directly across the Rio Grande from Del Rio,Texas).   Despite what the media has people believing, Acuna is a quiet town.   There are areas in Mexico (just as in other countries) with violent criminals.  Not EVERY neighborhood in Mexico is dominated by drug cartels.  Exaggerated fear has kept tourists away for the last year and local businesses have suffered.   Crosby’s, a landmark restaurant/bar, is even closing its doors.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe9Flj0nVsE)

Martin waited outside on the sidewalk to help us locate the new office.   There is a lot of construction taking place right as you cross the border and around the new town square so this made it really easy for us to drive straight to her private parking area.  

 

Wagner had his exam/cleaning first.  While Perry and Dorrie had their exams/cleanings, Martin drove Stephan and Wagner to an Orthodontist’s office for a panoramic x-ray and consultation.  

By 12:30 everyone was hungry.   We walked over to Manuel’s and enjoyed a leisurely lunch before the Dr. resumed her work.  

 

 

Perry had a wisdom tooth extracted then Stephan and I had our exams.   If you’ve ever had a wisdom tooth removed, you know that it isn’t any fun.   To make it even worse, his tooth was ENORMOUS.   I seriously thought he was joking when he showed it to me.  Removing an enormous tooth naturally leaves a massive empty space which, of course, we teased him about the whole way home.   

I have driven across the country to see her.   She is honest, talented, compassionate, affordable and as you can see from the pictures, also beautiful.

 

http://www.mydentistinacuna.com/about_us

Mom's Day

In honor of my mom’s 76^th birthday, my sisters and I kept her center stage for most of the day.   We met at Dorrie’s house, where she opened her cards and gifts then we drove to the restaurant she selected for lunch.  

Our lunch at Sea Island included fried shrimp, oysters, fish, fries, cole slaw, rice pilaf, spinach, clam chowder, hush puppies, etc.   After eating too much, we made our way to North Star Mall.  

Dorrie and I watched as Mom and Cathy had their hair done. 

 

 

We strolled through the mall showing off their new do’s and just did girl stuff like trying perfumes & lipsticks and looking at everything that sparkled.

New season...

It’s hard for us to believe that Wagner’s 13^th birthday is next month.  We all agree that settling down and re-establishing ourselves in a church/community is important (especially during his teen years).  This decision then dictates securing a source of income and determining location.  

Stephan has started the New Year inquiring on available opportunities, asking friends for their support and anticipating the option to contribute in a worthwhile project.   

Dorrie, Stephan, Wagner and I spent a day browsing around car lots contemplating options for a high mpg 2^nd vehicle which will probably be a necessity when Stephan returns to work.

While we’ve enjoyed the freedom of our RV lifestyle, we are excited to watch God’s plans for us unfold during this new season in our lives.   

We pray your new year is blessed in every way!

 

 

Sometimes we have to browse through this blog just to remind ourselves of all we’ve experienced along our journey.   We learned and did so much as a family during 2010.  Our adventures included:

-       fresh and saltwater fishing trips

-       swimming with dolphins and manatees

-       visiting a berry farm

-       renovating and leasing two homes in Florida

-       touring Silver Springs park in Ocala

-       learning at an agricultural museum in GA

-       river rafting, tubing, kayaking

-       volunteer work

-       Disney in Orlando

-       working at a llama farm

-       participating in small town farmer’s markets

-       visiting sustainable communities

-       MOSI (Tampa’s science museum)

-       Kennedy Space Center

-       Pacific War Museum (Fredericksburg, TX)

-       Touring an alpaca farm

-       Atlanta Aquarium

-       over 3 weeks touring the Yucatan (snorkeling, swimming, exploring cenotes, touring ruins, Sac Be Village, dive lessons)

-       celebrating our 15^th wedding anniversary and my 50^th Birthday!

 

For those of you who think our life is always magical, trust me, we also face many challenges.  Our blog doesn’t always include our challenges but they do exist.   On a few occasions, I asked for your prayers (i.e. when my father passed away in May).  I prefer to reflect on how abundantly we are blessed, the great people we continue to meet and our precious son.

All-in-all 2010 was a wonderful year.   We are anticipating a fabulous 2011 and will post some of our plans in the next few days.