Wind of the Spirit

Branson for Thanksgiving 08!

2008-12-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

We took the long trip to Branson, MO this year to fry turkey in the sun at ABC campgrounds. We visited with family and saw lots of great shows. If you are in the area we recommend:

1. ABC Campgrounds for camping and cabins

2. Legends show

3. Liverpool Legends show

4. Shorty's BBQ restaurant

5. Lamberts in Springfield, MO. We'll wait up to 2 hours for them throw'd rolls!!

Kermie follows Freedom

2008-12-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here's Kermie hooked up to Freedom for the long haul to Branson, MO. He's a wonderful car!

Kermie

2008-12-26T16:21:00.001-08:00

We finally purchased our toad. That's the car we will be towing behind us for use on the road. He is a little green Honda CR-V. We call him Kermie. :) He follows right along behind Freedom as easy as can be. Our first trip was to Branson, MO for Thanksgiving. Supposedly mom is in charge of hooking the two up. Do you see all those wires and contraptions?!

"Freedom"

2008-08-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to name our beloved rig. We wanted something that showed our love for the open road and our heart for ministry. The other day Dad was reading the blogspot and thinking about when we picked her up. He realized we took ownership on July 4.

The name came then: Freedom

Freedom is a blessing. We realize what a gift she is for our family. We can't wait for the next adventure!

Ashes, the RV Dog

2008-08-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

Many have asked how Ashes, our dog, enjoys the new rig. She is LOVIN' it! She took ownership right away. She loves the dash as you can see by the picture. She also likes to look out a small window that is at the passenger feet. She uses that to watch cows. For some reason, she has taken a liking to cows of all color. She watches for them and then goes absolutely nuts when she spots some. She whines and howls and jumps at the window.

Ashes loves the rig so much that when we are home and she is asked, "Ready to go camping?", she jumps at the door and wags her stub of a tail about 100 miles per hour. The other day we took her to our rented lot for a little time at the rig. She was really wound up as we were driving down the lane to our lot. (About 10 miles per hour) She got so excited that she jumped on Dad's lap and then right out the window of our truck!

I thought we had surely lost her. Dad saw her bounce a couple of times and then stagger to her feet in the side mirror. I jumped out and walked to her expecting the worst. She gave me a look that said, "Boy, was that dumb!" I felt her limbs and then picked her up. She was breathing very hard. I walked to our site and put her down to examine her. She immediately had a bowl movement! Dad says that brush with death literally "scared the crap out of her!" She then ran around as usual and never showed any worse for wear. Dumb dog!

Family time at the Yahoo Family Reunion 2008

2008-08-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

Our time in Benzonia was all about family. We had our three rigs lined up on one side and rented a lot across from us for our campfire and dining. Various family members came in to either stay over in a tent or just eat good stuff.

The menu this year included pork steaks over the fire, smoked pulled pork, baked potatoe bar, D's famous beans, Sharle's famous all-day ham and mountain man breakfast. We came back about 15 pounds heavier!

We went to an overlook to see beautiful Lake Michigan. Some of our kids were too busy for pics. They were running up and down the 75 steps! If you ever get a chance to watch a sunset over Lake Michigan, you'll meet God. A most wondrous sight in the afternoon daylight as well.

Yahoo Family Reunion 2008

2008-07-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

About five years ago we started a tradition with Dad's family in Michigan of taking a one week vacation together RVing. We can have up to 20 people at times with 4 or 5 rigs. We travel to various locations in the beautiful state of Michigan. We have done Macinaw Island, Traverse City, Ludington, Houghton Lake and now Benzonia.

Our family can get a little rowdy when together. We have been asked to be quiet in all of the RV parks we have stayed. One year we were called a bunch of "yahoos." We shouted a big "YAHOO!" to that name and it stuck. That is how the Yahoo Family Reunion began. Do you think our trailers might give the impression we are yahoos?

Monmouth memories

2008-07-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

July 5-12, 2008

After picking up the rig and eating a dozen throwed rolls in Sikeston, we traveled to Monmouth, Illinois. K and mom stayed for a week to babysit brand-new niece, Mia and beautiful nephew, Ben.

Monmouth is where mom grew up for 4th grade through college. It is a college town with big Oak trees and wonderful old homes with wrap-around porches and friendly neighbors. It still has a town square and frequent freight trains blowing through. The only downfall...no good restaurants! Not a Chipoltle in sight! Yes, I know, mom could have cooked a wonderful meal in the new rig. First she would have to read the manual. A convection oven/microwave is pretty Star Trekish for this mom!

We parked our beauty at Citizen's Lake Campgrounds right in Monmouth. We had a full hook-up (sewer, 50 amp electricity, water) for $12 a night!!! That almost makes up for the $200 we spent on gas to get there!

Mom and K had a great time. We babysat during the day and watched movies at night with surround sound on. Don't tell dad we also played with all the buttons...awning in, awning out.

If you ever get to this part of the country, go fishing at Citizen's Lake. We saw some big catches. Make sure you bring a frying pan because that will probably be the best food you get! Sorry Monmouth...you still win on best bargain for an RV site however.

The bottom picture is mom with our dog, Ashes, taking trash to the dumpter. You can see the very full lake in front of us. Isn't that green grass lucious?!

Sikeston, MO

2008-07-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

July 4th, 2008
Throwed rolls anyone?

After picking up the new motorhome we drove a short distance to Sikeston. Was it for the easily accessible sites? No. Was it for the lovely firework display? No. Was it the friendly town atmosphere? No. All of this is true but we stopped for Lamberts.

If you have ever eaten at Lamberts, you know why we had to stop 1/2 a mile from one for the night. If you haven't eaten there, we are so sorry. You must stop sometime for a gallon of sweet tea to drink and to catch a hot roll.

Our first night in the rig was a little frightening. We weren't sure if we were doing the automatic jacks correctly as the warning signals were flashing wildly and beeping at us. The noises were all new to us and made us feel as if we were new at RVing all over again. The beads of sweat upon Dad's forehead were finally stopped as he was able to get out of the driver's seat.

We played with all the buttons and found that we enjoyed the 5 disc DVD player the best. We bought some supplies at ...Wal-mart...of course. Mrs. Kimbro had stocked us with TP, chemicals and water. We just needed munchies and a few designer accessories like placemats.

The next morning we were a little daunted by the task of pulling it all together to take off for the next leg of the journey. What had we gotten ourselves into?! But as happens with any new parent, when a passerby mentioned how beautiful our new baby is, we were ready to do anything needed! She certainly is gorgeous!

And so it begins...

2008-07-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

On July 4th, 2008 we picked up our new (used 2005) motorhome in Marks, Mississippi. The Kimbro family had originally purchased this Allegro Bay by Tiffin as a new rig. They put every bell and whistle on her (it is definitely a girl) with the intent of driving her for a long time. They treated her as a princess. Tender-loving care was used on every inch of her. The Kimbros did some wonderful camping in her until their health could no longer be ignored. They felt she was being left alone too much and made the tough decision to sell her.

We found her on the internet and loved her but didn't see how we could possibly upgrade. We have camped in a travel trailer followed by a 5th wheel and startled ourselves thinking it was already time to wanderlust again. We kept looking at her over and over and visiting the pictures of how beautiful the Kimbros had kept her. Finally we made contact. We'll spare you the financial details but just know she is a blessing and a bargain!

So we made the trek to Mississippi and met the nicest couple you could ever buy a second home from. The Kimbros spent lots of time with us showing their baby. She was more beautiful than the pics on the internet. We were in awe! The southern hospitality of the Kimbros still shines in our rig. Little touches of home are there for us to enjoy such as strategically placed lighting and rugs.

It was very heartbreaking to watch the Kimbros part with their baby. We all cried a little that day. As RVers ourselves we knew what it meant for them to give up this part of their life. We will be forever grateful for this gift. It may just seem like a purchase of an RV to others, but to our two families it was a "God-thing." Among our other commonalities, we found we were all believers. Their faith, integrity and love for the open road still rides with our rig. Every day we thank God for the Kimbro Family sacrifice.

That was the start of the journey to follow the wind of the Spirit.