Finally, where we want to be-Moving again

Well I recently wrote a post about having moved several times, and to be honest I am losing track. When I told you I had moved just recently, it was true and as of three days ago I moved again!! So eleven times if I counted right! Eleven times in the last 18 months. That is crazy!

We are back in one of our favorite areas of California, Oakhurst. Just south of Yosemite National Park. I am not a city person and this is like my ideal town. There is a grocery store, a pharmacy, a gas station, little boutiques, a Starbucks, Jamba juice, McDonalds and the fast food people require (not me) it’s a normal little town. Population is quite small, a lot of amenities as it is a major tourist town/stop through going up to Yosemite. It is the only big town within 60 miles so it has its fair share of tourists but mostly during summer months. But it still is not as busy as you would think. We are right off the main highway at the local rv park/campground. It is technically not in season yet, so it is not that busy but we have to be out the first week of April or moved to a different spot because it gets way crazy busy apparently. We will see. The view of the mountains is my favorite as always. The sound of the Fresno river slowly passing by (it’s more of a creek) and the little waterfall created by natural rock formations is so peaceful to listen too at any time of day, throw in our favorite feature that they have a permit to have camp fires, and it is close to HEAVENLY! Surprisingly most campgrounds/rv parks in California do not let you have campfires, and we love having fires. It’s our way of relaxing at night! Bitter sweet memories in this park, its where I got the phone call that my infant sister had passed away, the road I drove in on, was the same road, I was just about flying down (a curvy mountain road) going way to fast just trying to get home which is 3 hours away, but yet when I came back as much as I remembered that I remembered how much sitting out on the side of this small mountain next to a waterfall how peaceful it was. I believe being out here really helped my grieving process. It is just such a wonderful place.

I was so depressed in Merced just because of how much we didn’t like that town, and I’m very aware of how you control your own attitude. And feelings and if you want to be happy you can be happy despite the fact you hate something, But I was just depressed in Merced and that wasn’t going to change. As soon as we got up here, my whole mood was different; this was where I wanted to be. This was where I needed to be. It wasn’t just about Merced; it was about being in concrete RV parks in the middle of a city for the last 5 months. That can kind of put a damper on your mood. I am such an outside, mountains, kind of nature person.
My lineman specifically requested the job out here and knowing people helped him get it, when you are in the trade long enough you have some perks  he knew this is where I wanted to be as well as where he wanted be! We are already so much happier, not that we weren’t happy before, we just weren’t as relaxed. A little more tense. A little more stressed. And this is just the perfect place to unwind after a long day, take a walk by the river, a hike up the mountain, or just grab supper at the local diner.

I know it won’t last long, rumor has it only 3 weeks or so, and even when we leave I won’t be mad, that’s how this life goes, we don’t always get a choice, and I am very thankful and lucky that we got to pick here, But I have said it before and I will say it again, there is nothing I would trade, not all the money in the world or the fanciest of things would make me give up living in a 5th wheel trailer, on the road, constantly moving. NOT a single thing could make me want anything different than what I have right now. I am completely peacefully content with myself and my life. I love this beautiful and sometimes crazy life of mine, and it’s not always easy but it’s always worth it!

Sometimes, where we go has nothing to do with the job

We were 2,380 miles away in Hope, NJ when I received a call from my step-mom that my dad’s health was rapidly declining.  He had adrenal gland cancer that metastasized to his liver and the lesions were increasing in size and number.  My lineman and I had discussed how this scenario would play out when that call came. Fortunately, work had slowed to a crawl given that it was January in New Jersey and he was offered a layoff so that we could return to New Mexico.

We took a few days to pack up the Sanibel. Robert having to work in below zero temps to dismantle the porch he built for me, at least enough so that he would be able to pull our rig out of the space we occupied for six and a half months.  A lineman’s wife friend claimed the porch and she says her husband needed three friends to move it up to their space.  My lineman builds to last; campers and tramps will be using that porch for the next twenty years!

There are not many campgrounds in New Jersey and even fewer that will stay open in the winter for traveling workers.  Ours doesn’t advertise being open in the winter; it’s by word of mouth that tramps find out. If you’ve seen my dogs, you know that we have two large Labrador Retrievers, a 110 pound black male and a 70 pound yellow female.  Normally, they would be sitting outside enjoying the warm sun, but after moving, we haven’t set up any kind of a run for them.  The park in New Jersey has acres and acres of trees and primitive camping as well as sites for seasonal campers. The dog walk is in a clearing just about 150 feet from the site we occupied.  Being well-trained Labs, ours would walk themselves over to the clearing and take care of their business in the tall grass then come home.  My “supervision” consisted of standing on the porch and watching them so that they didn’t stop short and go potty where the men park the trucks.  Being one of six total people living at the park over the winter, I was alone most days with the dogs, so we could drive over to the primitive sites and hike up the hill and back down to stretch our legs and smell all the new smells. Nice, huh?

Fast forward a month and we find ourselves in a giant gravel parking lot with electric meters and water hookups every 35 feet.  There are trees in the old part of the RV park but who wants to be at the front where every car passes at least twice a day?  So monthly campers go to the back of the park…no trees…no grass…just gravel.  Deming, New Mexico.  I guess I will be thankful that there are no goathead thorns and tumbleweeds which is what we have encountered everywhere else in New Mexico.  Side note: I grew up in Deming and finally remembered that our campground was formerly the drive-in theater.  Would have been kind of cool if they could have left the movie screen up and showed films on the weekends.  We could sit on the roof of the Sanibel and watch…now, that would be unique!

That was a few weeks ago.  We got to Deming on February 2 and brought the rig down on February 7 when my JL got the call for a distribution job changing crossarms, working 6/10s for now.  The job allowed us to stay together while he works and I helped with caring for my Dad.  I still remember my Dad putting his hands together in prayer, hoping for my JL to get the call, not realizing that we were there to stay until the end regardless of a job turning up in town or not.  It is a bittersweet perk of line life; not always possible but a God wink can make it happen.  My brother moved up his visit as well and we were both able to be sitting at Dad’s side when he breathed his last breaths.  Thanks to the life we live, I was able to have my LM, my husband, by my side for every awful/wonderful moment of the last 14 days I spent with my father.

This life can be both a blessing and a curse, and I thank the dear Lord for every blessing that comes along with this life.  I give Thanks for a wonderful husband and LM (who wants to remain nameless in my blogs) for going from supervisory and training positions the last four years and then back into his tools, so that we could make my Dad’s final wishes come true.  After thirty years of marriage, I certainly knew what an exceptional man my JL is, but I don’t think my Dad did until that moment when he knew we were here to stay.

Love you always! Robert Bowen 5/4/1940-2/20/2014

A Very Happy New Year

Well first I would like to say Happy New Year! A very late one! Lol. After my two week vacation in Kentucky I needed an extra week to get myself back into a normal routine and take care of some things! I hope to be back in full swing by the end of this week! I have had a lot of time to think about things, and especially the past year. So for my first post of the new year I would just to like tell a little recap about everything we did last year, and what I learned and hope to do for this new year!!

We went to the George Strait concert, yes his cowboy rides away tour! And it was Awesome!

My infant sister passed away, and my lineman was the biggest support to me and my family during that time.

We moved 5 times. Lived in 3 different states, California, Kentucky, and Ohio. Drove across the country three times.

We had a new trailer custom built for us in August. And sold our old trailer! We LOVE our new trailer by the way 😉

We celebrated two big milestone birthdays, my 21st, and his 30th!

We spent 4 months living with his parents waiting for our new trailer to be built, and I must say I enjoyed having 4 months to get to know to his parents in every way. I love them to death.

My best friend flew 2600miles to come see us for a whole week! And we had an awesome time showing her, his (my linemans) home town and all the fun exciting things to do there!

We went to a bengals game and quite a few reds games! And we went to the casino. My first time at a casino, and its safe to say I am really good at roulette 😉

We did so much this past year, those are just the big events! And I can only hope that this year will be as much fun as last year. It seems like we were always on the go. And the last three weeks we have taken time to slow life down a little bit and look back on all we did. Which I think was good for us to take that time. Talked about plans for this year, but yet just decided to take things day by day. Losing my baby sister was probably the hardest thing I have ever gone through. As Her first birthday quickly approaches in February, it makes me realize even more how precious life is. Life soars by, and I think even more so for people like us who live life on the road. It made me appreciate the little things. Not everything we did was important. It was the little things that I didn’t mention that were so much more important… all the memories we made, the little things we did, that made last year the best year so far. This year I promised myself I would always take a minute each day to appreciate the little things, and to better myself, and all my relationships with the people in my life who truly matter. I think all of you should take the time to spend a little more time with the ones you love. And appreciate every minute you have with them. Think about the little things in life and how much those little things matter. How much they make you happy. And try hard this coming year to better yourself, better your relationships with everyone that matters, and always be thankful for what God has given you. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and have a very Happy New Year!

Our Visit Home: The decision is made!

The decision to home school has not been an easy one. I felt led to do so, but really lacked the confidence in myself to even attempt it! I cherish every second that I spend with my husband- as most LW do- but we weren’t together that often. We would seriously go months with out seeing each other. So, this summer the kids, and I packed up and joined our LM on the road!

With my curriculum in tote I decided to “practice” this summer. Giving HSing a trial run would give me a better understanding of my abilities. The Man Upstairs was NOT joking when he laid this heavily upon my heart HAHA! And the little trial run I began has turned into a solid decision to HS our kids until the traveling is over, and we can settle down!

As for my LM- he was pretty opposed to the idea… at first! I am the type of person who thinks about things, weighs the pros and cons, thinks a little more, still questions the idea after thoroughly discussing it with my LM, and then hesitantly makes the ultimate decision. EVEN if I feel 100% confident it is the right choice! My LM had the common reservations… ‘Lack of socialization!’ ‘Lack of extra curricular activities!’ ‘OUR KIDS WILL BE WEIRD!’ I won’t lie… I too worried, but after a little… Ok a lot of rationalized thinking, and an emotional dinner date conversation with my husband this weekend here are the conclusions I have come to:

Lack of socialization – I still socialize with our friends. The kids play and interact with other kids! They just won’t spend most their day in a classroom.

Lack of extra curricular activities! Our community offers baseball and soccer. These are separate from the school system! Furthermore, (in our case) our kids will be back in public school before they start sports, music, etc!

OUR KIDS WILL BE WEIRD! Ok first off… We are not socially awkward people, and our kids do not lack the ability to socialize (Ask anyone who knows them!). Moreover, the idea of weird is becoming an extremely foreign concept HAHAHA! Everything goes now a days!

Homeschooling will allow me to REALLY continue to instill and engrave our values in the hearts of ours kids. They are still extremely impressionable, and picked up some bad habits from Pre-K that really left me feeling a bit unsettled! I will also be given the amazing ability to not only mold their hearts, but I also get to see their minds and abilities unfold first hand! As a mother there is no greater joy then knowing you have successfully given your child the knowledge needed to be successful. I also get to help hands on expand their minds with knowledge that will lay a foundation for their future goals and education!

The education of a child is not something to be taken lightly, but either is the morals that are taught to them. If you are considering homeschooling or just trying to find a better way to spend more time together as a family figure out what really matters most to you, and set your priorities. Always remember your children are your legacy!

I believe in faith, family, and all else will find its places!
~The Triple L