When Ordinary Feels Extraordinary!

After 4,200 miles, breakdowns, and months on the road, being home feels like a gift.

The travel trials are behind us for a long time, and we couldn’t be happier.

Making the decision to step away from an RVICS assignment we had committed to didn’t come easily, but it was clearly the right choice. The way things have unfolded since then, we’re convinced God wanted us back home in Smithville and the RVICS Village.

Even with temperatures already climbing into the 80s and humidity thick enough to wear, we’re thrilled to be here.

If you’ve been traveling along with us through RV Living with Jesus at the Wheel, you know we ran into a lot of difficulties. After completing three California RVICS assignments, spending four weeks at our old stomping grounds at the San Benito Thousand Trails visiting family and friends, and another ten days in Northern California doing the same, we finally began our trek home.

We were originally planning to head to Oregon to visit Tommy’s daughter in Eugene and friends in Bend before making our way to North Dakota. When Jean couldn’t fit us into her schedule, we were disappointed we wouldn’t get to see her, but also tickled pink to shave a few hundred more miles off our trip and head home even sooner.

I have no idea how costly it would have been if our motorhome had broken down in California, Oregon, or Washington, but I know it would have been outrageous. If you didn’t read about our troubles, you can read The Worst Travel Day We Have Ever Had here. I don’t believe we found Dosser Garage by accident. Finding a diesel mechanic willing to take you in immediately is nothing short of a miracle.

They took great care of us and got us back on the road within two days. We plugged in at the shop and didn’t even have to pay for an RV park stay. I love doing business with Christian company owners. Their integrity and love for their customers are awesome! I didn’t think Motorhomes of Texas could be topped, but Dosser Garage is now at the top of our list. They even blessed us with a parting gift.

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We left Smithville the day after Christmas and traveled roughly 4,200 miles before arriving back home on May 15th. We would have added another 3,200 miles if we hadn’t changed course. I can tell you with confidence that it would have done Tommy in.

As I explained in my earlier post about our change of plans, my husband is done driving long distances in our motorhome. That final stretch through Austin had him white-knuckled and stressed beyond belief.

Getting back to a normal routine has never felt better. Let’s just say extra showers are now part of the routine. The humidity is worse than I expected in May. I’m also going to have to walk my furry friends earlier to beat the heat.

Bear and Buttercup enjoy their walks with me.

The welcome I received from Bear and Buttercup was wonderful. Dogs remember the people they love, and it feels so good to be back home blessing them with walks and treats.

I’m also back to helping my good friend Cheryl with the catch, fix, and release program she volunteers with. Her heart for animals is as big as mine, and she puts hers into action in a big way. There are hundreds of stray cats in Smithville, and the only way to slow the population explosion is to get them spayed and neutered.

I was honored to join her in taking three young cats to the Essential Vet Care clinic for their procedures.

They supply Cheryl and a few other wonderful volunteers with cages that are set up in areas where many ferals have taken up territory. Often, people have started feeding them so they don’t starve, but can’t afford to have them neutered. They’re always grateful when Cheryl explains what she’s doing and asks permission to place traps in their yards.

This woman amazes me. She’s in the middle of her husband’s battle with pancreatic cancer, and yet she still finds time for these cats.

We dropped them off at 7:30 in the morning. Cheryl and her husband, Don, picked them back up at 3:00 and brought them home. She fed every one of them before we released them back into their neighborhood that evening.

They were thrilled to be free and took off like a shot once they figured out how to get out. It was actually a little disturbing watching them go bonkers in the cages while the doors stood wide open, simply because they didn’t realize freedom was right there.

One of the biggest blessings of living in the RVICS Village is the camaraderie with fellow believers. We have amazing friends here. Sandy and Bill took us out to dinner the night we arrived back in town. It hadn’t been a long drive, but not having to cook after traveling and setting up our site felt like a huge blessing.

We missed our church a lot and were thrilled to watch six baptisms after the Sunday service. An entire family got baptized. It doesn’t get much better than that.

On Saturday, I’m joining our ladies for a Bold and Beautiful conference in nearby Bastrop. Being connected in a local church is important, folks. I can’t stress it enough.

We don’t have any RV travel planned until September when we attend a Campers for Christ rally in Grapeland, Texas. That 165-mile trip is about as far as Tommy wants to go anymore.

I am, however, traveling to Constitution City next month for a Flashpoint event at the Patriot Academy campus, and I’m excited about it. The event is sold out, but I’m sure much of it will be televised. While there, I’ll also be taking part in the Constitutional Defense Program. I haven’t fired my gun in a very long time, and I definitely need the refresher course.

I may be sharing more stories from Smithville than the road these days, but I have a feeling there will still be plenty of interesting and thought-provoking tales ahead. I’m also starting a Flashpoint Army chapter in Smithville, and it promises to be exciting.

So please stay tuned. And if you have questions or comments about my newsletter, I’d genuinely love to hear from you.

For now, have a blessed day and do something nice for someone.

Tonight, I’m fixing my famous chile verde, rice, and beans for some of my favorite neighbors. We’re gathering on our pals’ big deck for food and fellowship, and after the kind of travel we’ve had, it sounds downright heavenly.

After months of travel stress, breakdowns, uncertainty, and white-knuckled driving, this simple life suddenly feels extraordinary.

To me, ordinary has never looked so beautiful.