Kings Mountain National Park - Battlefield approx. 40 miles from Charlotte

 Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013.........Wayne & I eagerly approached this retirement milestone with great enthusiasm - our "lifetime senior passes" for National Parks!  For only $10 we can visit any or all of them in the United States for no additional costs except if we desire to camp at that location.  We are investigating the possibilities of volunteering at the campsites for free board and in turn we will become history buffs in our old age!  We can cross this off our bucket list!

A visit to this National Battlefield is very interesting while exercising!  We walked the 1.5 miles around the battleground and used our cell phone for a "walking tour" along with various reading informational markers.  We have lived within 7 miles of this historic battlefield for just over 24 years and this was Gail's first visit, Wayne's second.  Never realized what happened in Kings Mtn. changed the course of this nation's outcome.  If you get a chance visit and learn something worthwhile.

Strange that we would visit this place just 4 days before Christmas!  Our shopping done, parties over and the weather was in the 60's so why not!  We are fast approaching the big "R" day - 9 weeks and 5 days remaining to hear the alarm go off in the mornings.  The house is now in the hands of a real estate agent and we have already had one interested family.  Now we are waiting on the Lord to let us know his desire and timing for our house.  We continue to rid our place of "stuff" by either unloading on others or selling.  Big tools and furniture from the lower floor are disappearing quickly.  Until the house sells we need to leave the 2nd floor furniture in case we come back between Sower projects.

We continue to anticipate our first project at Camp Horizon in Leesburg, Florida where we will be joining 3 other couples, one is our mentors that sold us on "Sower's".  We really look forward to working with the Lee & Lib Bowling - we hope they will guide us in our first project to be hard working and hospitible to other Sowers.  We are depending on the Lord to lead us to either the same project for another month (to save on diesel fuel) or we may travel to Tampa to work at a children's home - either is fine with us.

Our motorhome is now equipped with a state of the art audio system for TV, radio, both inside and outside.  Now we have discovered that the airbags that lift the motorhome need to be either replaced or repaired - so glad to have learned this before going on our first project.  Wayne has replaced the slides in the desk drawers - now they will stay closed while we travel!

We are also considering Sower On Assignment at the camp that Steven & Heather Brackeen manage in Polkville, NC.  This would allow us to camp and work there while visiting our son's family in NC.  This is a camp that works closely with our home church in Shelby, NC - a good excuse to come back and visit with all our friends and family!

Hope you all experience God's marvelous grace during this special time of year - the celebrating of Jesus's birth, our Saviour and Redeemer.  Merry Christmas and hoping 2014 brings you all closer to Him as we anticipate RVing for Him!

Getting Closer

Whew!  Meeting with realtors and selling a house with all its contents can be grueling.  Currently interviewing 3 with t-minus 15 wks and 5 days of hearing the alarm clock resound!  Time is ticking and we continue to get excited about our first adventure.  Our first project will be at Camp Horizon located in Leesburg, Florida, pulling into our pad by March 8th to receive instructions for the 3 wk stint.  We tend to look at every endeavor in the next 3 1/2 months as "only one more of these", "check that off our list", "finished that commitment", "decorated that for the last time", "hauled that to the dump", "mowed, weeded, raked for the last time", we're beginning to get a faint glimpse of that light at the end of the tunnel!  We look forward to our first project in Florida as it will give us time with Wayne's family on weekends and in between projects - they are located in Ocala.  We have also begun to pack our essentials in the "new home" and learning quickly that we can only take "so" much!  Kids make room for "stuff" coming your way!

Our grand babies (Evangeline and Lily) are turning 1 year old - incredible - they have developed their own personalities so early.  God's creation of the human being and our development through external exposures is amazing.  We are to be responsible with these little ones he has entrusted us with and walk worthy in their observant eyes.  Evangeline is so dramatic with every part of her body to include always standing on her tip-toes, such a vibrant smile and a glisten in her eyes.  Lily is our thinker, eager to explore - already showing excitement in her books, beautiful, soft, happy blue eyes - no one will resist!

Hope to report great news about the house and belongings by the next post.  Only a few months - it's coming!

T minus 21 weeks, who's counting

October 6, 2013
   Wayne is now officially "62" our long arrived destined golden age.  With retirement from our jobs only 21 weeks away we are getting excited about the journey.  Excited and delirious - are we crazy or what?  We have so much to do to get ready to go on the road full-time.  Our belongings are walking out the door slowly but surely with God sending the right person at the right time to buy or "take off our hands" the right thing - His timing is perfect, just keep reminding ourselves! This week we sold our boat. Hopefully every week we will continue to get rid of more items.  I am even having to sell all my large woodworking tools.  Craigslist is becoming my friend and constant companion.  I may have to add ebay items as well for smaller things.
   Our last vacation (OBX) was perfect in every way including meeting new folks that are doing the same things we will be doing in the near future and meeting with a National Park Service Volunteer educating us in that direction to sprinkle our future with serving our country in a small but exciting way.
   Last night we met with our mentors from Sower Ministry of which we will be joining them for our first project assignment in March located in Leesburg, FL - Lee & Lib Bowling.  Just say'n......God even orchestrated that meeting of new friends to encourage us to let God do His work in us in our retirement years.  Right now we feel like our lives are in "roller coaster" mode.......getting fast and furious as start to come over the top of the climb!  Stay tuned...........it'll get better and better.
   Lots of decisions to make yet as we get ready to sell the house, furniture, motorcycle, etc.  We also have to decide where we will call home.  This will include registering vehicles, driver's license, mail service, voter registration, banking, etc.  Just what everyone needs to do as they go into retirement.  Are we crazy?
   We have finished the renovations on the motorhome.  The desk unit is complete after having a Corian countertop installed.  Surface Products did a great job and we would highly recommend them.  We figured we needed a place to use the computer, store files and print items we need.  We also installed LED lights throughout the coach and even had to replace a few fixtures.  The only thing left is to get new tires as we start the new year.  Having worked for Bridgestone Firestone, we are looking at what tires they have, but will probably get the best deal on the best tires that we can find.  This is especially true after hearing about the tire blowout on a church bus this past week that resulted in 8 deaths.
   Stay tuned for the continuing journey towards our retirement. Are we Crazy?  Don't tell us we are, just pray for us!

Getting ready for the Road. We are trying to set up a blog spot for the first time so we can chronicle all the adventures as we are preparing to RV around the country with the SOWER ministry. We will add more after we know this goes through.