12.31.13 Reflecting on God’s Blessings in 2013

Happy New Years to everyone!  My New Year’s resolution is to travel more – I think this is one we’ll keep!

What a year of blessings 2013 has been.  It hasn’t all been blessings but I am choosing to write off the bad things. I’ve forgiven those who have hurt me, prayed for them and now it’s time to put them in the past. The blessings below are just some of what God has provided for us this year but I do want to share these.

-Living in Northern Minnesota for the summer with its magnificent beauty, perfect weather and a new culture for us to learn about.  Living with the loons, chipmunks, lots of wild blueberries and raspberries all near the beautiful lake that is Lake Kabetogama.

-Making friends with Russ and Annie Johnson in Minnesota.  We worked together, shared fun times and we plan to visit them in Florida very soon!

-Making friends with Nichole and  Ron Aschliman’s family in Indiana.  They blessed us so much by inviting us to their home and farm for dinner and fellowship.

-Seeing so many of God’s creations around the USA this year.

  –Being able to take a nap on occasion when others in my pre-RV life were at work.

-Being able for the first time in my life to read and read and read whenever I wanted to

-Being able to spend countless happy moments with my husband Roy in our adventures.

-Being able to come back to Louisiana for Thanksgiving and Christmas and re-connect with those who matter most to us.

-Seeing my son in a wonderful relationship with his girlfriend Kimberly. We are looking forward to seeing what their future holds knowing they are both dedicated to following God’s will in their lives.

-Meeting and getting to know Kimberly’s twin sons, Braxton and Bentley and cuddle and kiss on them.

-Reconnecting with our precious granddaughter Madisyn. Spending time getting to enjoy the growing young lady she is puts a smile in both our hearts.

-Being able to attend different churches throughout the United States and learn about their beliefs, experiencing different worship styles and fellowshiping with other Christians from those different churches.

-Establishing a new hometown in Madison, SD which oddly enough is similar to our real hometown of Hammond, LA

-Receiving personally autographed pictures of Drew Brees!

-Being able to help at Kabetogama Methodist Church’s Vacation Bible School

-Finding our wonderful real estate agent Jamie and her getting a contract to sell our rental house before it ever went on the market – full price and a cash sale too!

-Our son Chip taking care of emptying the rental house, doing repairs inside and outside, going to the Act of Sale for us and much more!

-Jamie also finding a renter for our own sticks and bricks house and finding them to be wonderful renters since then.

-Living in an area for several weeks where the Amish live and getting to see them up close, even doing laundry with them.  Learning about their lives and developing a respect for them.

-Worshiping God again in our home church.  Hearing our choir sing for Christmas was a highlight of our return to Louisiana.

Each of the places below were blessings as we discovered parts of our beautiful country.

Vince Schute Bear Sanctuary in Minnesota where we watched bears in their natural habit quite up close

Soudan Ore mine a mile below the surface in Minnesota

The headwaters of the Mississippi in Itasca State Park in Minnesota

The Corvette assembly plant and national museum in Kentucky

Eating Chicago deep dish style pizza for the first time in Chicago

Seeing pro MLB Louisville Slugger baseball bats being made in Kentucky

Learning about cheesecake making at Eli’s Cheesecake Company and winning our own whole cheesecake in Chicago

Saw a Minnesota Twins game in Minneapolis

Visiting Soldier Field in Chicago

Visiting Wrigley Field in Chicago

Visiting a bank that Jesse James robbed decades ago in Indiana

Attending our first ever Callithumpian parade in Decatur, Indiana and a 4th of July parade in International Falls, MN

Seeing hundreds of miles of corn fields along all of the highways and in any available planting space throughout 3 states

Floating down an underground river in Lost River Cave in Kentucky

Touring both the Winnebago RV and Fleetwood RV manufacturing plants learning more about how these huge moving homes are put together.

Touring the South Bend Chocolate company in Indiana and sampling some of their goodies

Walking the 500 stairs in Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and surviving!

Experiencing a great deal of awe at the Field of Dreams in Iowa

Met Dr. Schnell who treated Roy’s hurting knee in Minnesota

Getting to experience the glorious changing of leaf colors while the new cold weather traveled south with us!

Toured Lake Superior from the water on the Vista Cruise Fleet in Duluth, Minnesota

Toured Duluth, Minnesota by land on the North Scenic Railroad

Toured the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, Minnesota

Took an amazing pontoon boat adventure in the freezing cold in Voyageurs National Park to the Kettle Falls Hotel and Restaurant and the Ellsworth Rock Garden

Ate at the amazing Lambert’s Restaurant in Branson

Saw the production of  Joseph (from the Bible) at Sights and Sounds Theatre in Branson

I am exhausted just listing all that and yet we did that all since May of 2013.  This change of lifestyle has been a huge leap of faith for both of us but looking back on all we’ve seen, done and experienced this year makes me certain it’s the right thing for us to be doing. We’ve learned and done so much and experienced so many adventures that I love writing my blog about and hope to continue to do so!

We’ve stayed in town for the holidays long enough to be here during Mardi Gras king cake season and are enjoying one right now.  We hope to leave Louisiana next week sometime and are starting to make plans for seeing and doing more adventurous things as we continue our travels in 2014.

Links to our Reflections on God’s Blessings for 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2012 are below.

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2012

Ya’ll come back now, ya’ hear!