Well, it has been about 4 weeks since I posted anything on our blog. Not much to report on the RVing scene, but much has happened as far as our family.
We had a very memorable Easter. Our daughter, Lanie delivered our 4th granddaughter by C-Section (she was breech) on Thursday, April 21st. Katelyn Rose weighed 6 lbs. 13 ozs. and has lots of beautiful dark hair. Of course, she is gorgeous!!!! A week before the C-Section the doctor had talked to Lanie and Bob about trying to turn the baby. They decided it wasn't worth any risk to try to deliver Katelyn naturally. We are blessed that was the decision they made, for the cord was wrapped around her neck 3 times! Lanie and Bob also have a 2 year old, Samantha, that Ken and I had at our house from Wed. until the family got home from the hospital on Easter Sunday. We had such a fun time with her and also with our daughter Jamie and her 2 girls while Lanie was in the hospital. Everyone lives nearby and Lanie was in a hospital about 10 minutes from our house, so we were able to visit frequently. We returned Samantha last evening and took dinner for the family. We miss her already, but also are ready for some needed rest. No wonder we have children when we are younger!!!!
Willie, our 5th wheel, is still at the RV dealer waiting for the necessary parts for his needed repairs. But, they did "pound out" the dents so that it is totally usable until the finished repairs can happen. 4 couples are going camping this weekend within about 45 minutes of our homes. We are bringing Willie home tomorrow to get ready for the anticipated camping trip. We have only been home 6 1/2 weeks, but it certainly seems like a long time. We are so ready for a camping adventure and sharing the time with our friends.
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| Big Sister, Samantha |
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| Happy Family! |
We have now been back home for 3 weeks and "home reality" continues. Spending lots of time with our daughters, granddaughters, my mother and father and our friends. It is amazing how quickly you get back into the daily routine. As wonderful as it is to reconnect, I miss spending time in our 5th wheel, Willie.
Due to our "mishap" on the way home from Florida with Willie, it is currently parked at the RV Dealer awaiting parts from Open Range so the necessary cosmetic repairs can be made. I am sure it is typical, but it has taken quite awhile for Open Range and the RV Dealer to come up with the estimate and give it to our insurance adjuster. They are telling us it will take about 6 to 8 weeks for the work to be completed. But, the RV Dealer is making it possible for us to camp in Willie in April and May with them "fixing" the damage as much as possible so that everything is functional and not very noticeable until they can do the total repairs. We are thankful for their cooperation. After all, I am ready to go on some more adventures around our area.
Our daughter is due to have our 4th grandchild (do not know the sex, but probably another girl) the end of April, so we are staying close to home. Wouldn't want to miss that special event!!!! Plus, we will be helping take care of their 2 year old while she is in the hospital and when she 1st returns home. We are excited!
We have planned numerous RV adventures for the summer many being 4 day weekends - Buttonwood in Mexico PA, Cape May NJ, Ricketts Glen, Ferryboat CG on the Susquehanna, and then a 2 week trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan. We have 3 other couples we camp with in the summer - we plan 1 trip for each month. Although it doesn't always suit everyone, some of us get to go. We are going to Michigan with only 1 of the couples.
Currently we are really evaluating and trying to lower our expenses. We want to travel as much as possible and expenses need to be cut if that is going to be possible. This week we changed to basic cable and went from a local Internet cable provider to a MiFi card so we can use it when travel. We also raised our health insurance deductible and those of our vehicle insurance. This week I think we will get rid of our land telephone line. Every little bit helps! Our goal is to travel about half of the year. Maybe in 2012 we will consider selling the brick and stick house, but we would have to find a good alternative 1st. We are going to Linda and Howard's RV Dreams Rally in Hershey in the middle of Sept. to get more info on full-timing. Looking forward to it.
Currently we are Celebrating Life Daily!!!
PS: If you are looking to start recording your daily expenses to get a "grip" on where you money is going, our son-in-law spent several years creating a budget software program that is easy to use and so helpful. He had me use it for the last year to make sure everything worked properly and if I had any suggestions to make it more user friendly. I think he did a great job. If you would like to try it, here is the website for additional information - http://www.betterbudgetsoftware.com/. Happy Budgeting!!!!
