I ask you. Do you want to know about my week? Well I have exciting news for you, my week was great! I had fun playing outside, I had fun, even in the field. As we all know in the park Delhi there is a big giant field. I played there today. I also liked the times when we were playing hide and go seek when I try to trick Jesse or David. But when I am in bed I lay there thinking, I think about that we aren’t getting younger, we are getting older. I think about the times when we play with the toys. I was thinking about my trust worthy friend Fargo. That is my best horse. If Fargo got lost I would never buy a new one. Well I did want to buy a lot of stuff. I did my bible study during the week too. I did two journals a day. One for night and one for day. I had a lot of fun during the week. All I could do was thank the Lord today. But you know what? There is always a new day to have some fun! Even for David my brother that does not always want to play outside! And for three days there was a cool breeze through the summer air. I want to go to the pool again though. Ha! I never thought of that till now! Ha!

This week has been fun, tiring, relaxing, scary and my family all did a lot of work. The day that Mom and Dad hitched the fifth wheel up was the scariest day of my life. Because, if it was not hooked on right and they pulled out of the back yard it would fall, either on the next door’s house or on our house. That part was scary, but the Lord got us through it. But then, there was fun this week to. We had fun playing in the pool and meeting new people. And I, my brother and sister rode our scooters on the gravel road; that was fun. I sometimes fell off my scooter, but I did not care. I just went on playing. And from all that fun we had relaxing as well. On Sunday this week we had quiet time after church. My brother and sister slept while I pretended to read. But quiet time for me meant I could think about anything. I thought about the future and what could happen, but that lies in the Lord’s hands. And I thought about all the friends Iv’e made. But we all did a lot as a family. In the first hour we arrived we started to work. Me and my brother and sister started to build a canopy the hour we arrived. It was an exciting week for all of us. And there were kind people who helped us park our fifth wheel the right way. And we celebrated fourth of July together. And at night we had to go to sleep because church was in the morning. And church is more important than fireworks. Well have a good week, reader!

As I sit in my quiet living room, looking around at the (nearly) empty space, just two days before we begin the first leg of our grand adventure, I realize I am mourning the loss of stuff.

Now, before anyone jumps to remind me that “it just STUFF”, understand, I already know. I KNOW. I came to that conclusion a year ago. It is that conclusion that allowed me to facilitate the sale of our house and begin purging a lifetime of belongings.

Much of the “stuff” held sentimental value to be sure. But, if I am honest with myself and my family, MOST of it was a way to try to fill a void. It was also a way to try to fit in as I attempted to figure out where I fit.

Who really NEEDS thousands of dollars (not hundreds…THOUSANDS) worth of scrapbook and rubber stamping supplies? Apparently, I believed I did. Who NEEDS to have a spoon collection AND a nativity collection AND a Beanie Baby collection…shall I go on? I think you get the picture. I had bin upon bin upon bin of STUFF.

I have come to terms with the fact that if we are to make our dream of full time travel a reality I have to let go of my need of stuff. I need to grab my husband and my children and hold onto them even tighter than I held my stuff. I need to take them by the hand and let them know that our family’s well being is FAR more important to me than any material possession will ever be.

As I said earlier, we are just two days away from beginning the adventure of our lives…on Monday, June 29, 2015, we will load the last of our belongings  (now pared WAY down, of course) into our fifth wheel, pile the kidlets and the dog into the truck and head off down the road.

Won’t you join us on this adventure? We’d love to have you come along!

Have a blessed day,
Jennie

Wow. Where do I begin? The last two weeks since I posted have been quite a ride.

We’ve taken a few baby steps on our journey toward growing our business. We settled on a web host; decided on a tagline for our company; came up with a working design for our business cards; ordered said business cards and I attended a few networking meetings.

We have continued working on getting our children into a better daily routine. Not an easy task to say the least. Those checklists I mentioned a while back…they only work if the children actually read them. We have had the problem of the lists not getting checked off. And…we’ve also had the problem of them being checked without the task having been completed. So, yeah, we still need to work on getting the kiddos to READ the lists. The work will continue…

I have had lunch with a dear, dear friend. My week is always enhanced when I get to spend time with her.

The kiddos and I have spent time in my happy place: Pottery Magic Modesto, painting ceramics. I also had the joy of attending a Ladies’ Night event at Pottery Magic Modesto with some of my favorite ladies!

We prepared for our vacation trip to Northern Oregon: Laundry, packing, getting the oil changed in the van, purchasing long pants and long sleeved t-shirts for the kiddos (because you know, in the central valley of California, it’s still rather warm at this time of year) who have outgrown EVERYTHING from last winter, getting my fur-baby’s vaccines updated so he could go to the kennel (I hate leaving him…), dropping my fur-baby off at the kennel (did I mention that I HATE leaving him?), getting a much needed pedicure. Oh wait, that last item had nothing to do with vacation prep…but I do LOVE a good pedicure.

All of the above led up to our departure on Friday, October 24th, for VACATION!

We decided a while ago to use our exchange week from our timeshare to take a trip to Oregon. My husband, who is from Tasmania, Australia and our children have never been that far north. So, ROAD TRIP!!! After a fairly sleepless night, we were up at 2:40am; packed the van and on the road by 3:15am…a full 15 minutes ahead of schedule! The kids were tucked into their seats with their travel pillows and cozy blankets. I was enthroned in the passenger seat with my crocheting, kindle fire, smart phone (I had to keep all our Facebook friends up to date on our progress, of course) and an ice cold soda. My ever enduring hubby was at the wheel.

We passed the exit for Old Sacramento at 4:30am. I posted on Facebook asking if anyone was ready for a trip to the California Railroad Museum but curiously, I got no takers. I just couldn’t imagine why no one was up and raring to go so early. Just kidding!

A little after 7am the sun had started to show itself which meant the sleeping beauties in the back of the van had begun awakening and expressing a need for sustenance. So, we stopped to refuel the van and to feed our little brood. Our little princess decided she wanted lunch and ordered accordingly while the rest of us ordered breakfast. We had the usual conversation about how much longer we were going to be on the road before arriving at our destination.

Back on the road, the kids buried their little noses in movies while my hubby continued to forge ahead on the now sometimes foggy, damp road. It was weird, sometimes, it was bright and sunny; other times, it was misty. The nice thing was the traffic was GREAT! At one point I felt like we were in Tasmania where there is seldom more than a handful of vehicles on the road. At about 10am just before the exit for Klamath Falls, I posted a photo on Facebook of a completely empty highway. It was awesome.

We decided to stop in Bend Oregon for lunch and fuel (again…it’s amazing how the van just keeps drinking that stuff…). We were looking for a local restaurant because when we are on vacation we prefer to try local places instead of the usual chains that we can choose from at home. We ended up at Johnny Carino’s instead. The kids had never been there and my hubby and I hadn’t been in a few years.

On the road again…Needless to say, it’s been very dry in California the last few years. It was so nice to get wet every time we stopped anywhere because the rain began pretty much once we crossed the border into Oregon and only let up once in a while.

We finally arrived at our destination: Whispering Woods Resort about 5pm. What a beautiful sight. Green, green and more green. Pine trees are everywhere! The staff is super nice and helpful.

The back of our two bedroom condo looks out onto a golf course. We’ve seen several deer already and we’ve only been here a couple of days.

Friday evening was pretty low key considering we had been on the road for 14 hours (including stops).

On Saturday, once we had gone into town to buy groceries, the kids participated in a scavenger hunt put on by the property. Nothing extravagant but they had so much fun looking for fern fronds and license plates; counting stairs and chairs and checking the temperature of the pool. They were given their choice of “prizes” for completing the hunt. Jesse chose funny glasses…you know the ones…the kind with the big nose and fake mustache. David chose a toy snake and Princess Veronica chose purple vampire teeth of all things! While at the clubhouse, we rented a few movies and checked out a few jigsaw puzzles. We are looking for quality family time on this trip…well, we got it!

We spent the afternoon working the puzzle Jesse chose that is a picture of several Oregon lighthouses.

After a yummy dinner made in our trusty crock pot (yes, I took our crock pot on vacation with us), we settled down for Family Movie Night (our Saturday tradition at home). The wind from the storm outside picked up quite a bit. We didn’t think anything of it. Then the power began to flicker. It went out for a few seconds four or five times. Then, it went out for around three HOURS. No movie night this week. No big deal. My hubby went over to the clubhouse to find out if they had any idea how long these outages usually last. They sent him back with no estimate, “This is life in the woods,” and a glow stick that should last up to twelve hours! So, we sat in the dark and the kids took turns telling silly stories. It wasn’t the plan for the evening but the kids had fun giggling all evening.

Then, at bedtime, we sent Veronica upstairs WITH a flashlight to the bathroom to get ready for bed. The next thing we hear is, “MOM! The bathroom light won’t turn on!” Now remember, she has a flashlight IN HER HAND and we had been without power for at least two hours at this point. She had the flashlight ON to go up the stairs. I think Bill Engvall would be proud.

This morning, Jesse came downstairs to do his Bible reading, prayer and write in his daily journal. I couldn’t help but snap a photo of him sitting at the dining table looking so serious as he’s writing, while WEARING the funny glasses from the day before. Love my kiddos.

After breakfast, we decided to take the kids up the mountain to Timberlodge to take the Magic Mile Sky Ride. Unfortunately, we got within about 10 minutes of our destination and decided it just wasn’t safe to continue. There was too much SNOW on the ground. We don’t own chains (we live in the central valley of California for heaven’s sake) and don’t have snow tires on our minivan. Apparently, the storm last night dumped more snow than we could have expected. So, after carefully turning the van around, Ian decided to pull over and let the kiddos out. They have never been to the snow before. Today, they got to touch it for the first time ever. They were SO excited. Touching it. Tasting it. We figure once the snow let’s up and we regroup a bit, we’ll head back up the mountain and let them play in it “properly”. On our way up, as soon as they realized they were seeing snow, they began singing Christmas carols. We heard, “Let it Snow” several times.

After getting back to the condo, we let the kiddos play outside in the rain. They had been asking to do so since we arrived Friday evening. Somehow they managed to play tag in the tiny area behind the condo without going out onto the golf course. There was a lot of slipping, laughing and tagging. Then, after hot showers, we all had hot chocolate (okay, coffee for my hubby) and got to finish watching our movie from last night. The kids continued working on the lighthouse puzzle.

Now, we are heading out the door to the clubhouse for “Dessert Night”. We are going to each build our own ice cream sundae. And, no, we haven’t had dinner, yet! We ARE on vacation, after all. I love that this property has activities.

So, on that note, I think I’ll end this already long post.

Have a blessed day, y’all!

Jennie

This has been a really good week:
• My hubby and I decided on a name for our new business.
• I applied to join a second networking group with the hope the veteran members will allow me  to pick their brains about what works and what doesn’t to promote a new business. If the first meeting I attended this week is any indicator, it’s going to be a good fit.
• We tried a new “Daily To Do List” format with the kiddos which, although it needs a little tweaking seems to be headed toward overall success.
• Had a good marketing meeting with three friends who also small business owners. They tried to help me create a tag line for the new business. We haven’t quite settled on one, yet. But, stay tuned. I’ll let you know…

Now, I just need to keep plugging away at getting stuff ready to sell. Our eldest son and I made a complete list of ALL the movies our family owns. Holy cow! That was eye-opening…I thought I had gotten rid of all the duplicates. I was wrong! There aren’t many but, it really makes me feel dumb for having wasted money buying something twice because I didn’t realize I already had it. This is just one more in a LONG list of reasons to simplify! I mean, really?!? Does anyone NEED 301 movies? REALLY? And that doesn’t include the instructional DVDs I’ve purchased for use in home educating our children.

So, I have my work cut out for me. I need to figure out the best way to sell our stuff that won’t involve endless yard sales. I loathe yard sales. I don’t have the patience to shop them and I certainly don’t have the patience to hold one let alone many.

Now before anyone tells me about all the great finds they have obtained by browsing yard sales, let me just say, “I detest shopping of any kind.” Clothes shopping…shoe shopping…grocery shopping…I don’t like ANY of them. So, you see, it’s not just yard sales. It’s any kind of sale. I know if I had the patience to shop the clearance rack and yard sales and spend hours in the thrift stores I could get some really great deals. I know. I have several friends who are REALLY good at bargain hunting. I’ve often suggested that I give them my list of needs and money and let them enjoy the thrill of the hunt for me. Curiously, I haven’t had any takers.
I have no doubt we will be donating a lot of stuff as we approach our anticipated launch date. But, for now, I’d like to recoup a little of what we have spent if possible to help fund this new journey. Oh well. It’s off to eBay I go to study the ins and outs of internet commerce once again. I suppose it’s either them or craigslist.

And the journey continues…

Have a blessed day y’all,
Jennie

Well, there you have it. I have admitted to the public that I procrastinate. Okay. In reality, those who know me best already know that I am a procrastinator with a capital P!

So, if you don’t mind, I am not only going to use this little blog of mine to keep friends and family informed of all the ups and downs of our new journey. I am ALSO going to use it to ask those same friends and family to keep me accountable… Will you do that for me? Will you walk this journey with my family and me? I would SO love to take you all with us literally. But, since that isn’t very realistic (you know, there’s only so much room in one truck!), I will take you along figuratively.

So, where shall we start? Hmmm… I know. I REALLY need to get crackin’ on selling all our stuff! I know, I know. Some will read that and think, “She’s lost her ever-lovin’ mind!” But, you know, I had what I like to call an epiphany (no, not a feast… an aha moment) this summer while the kids and I were at church camp. No matter what memory might be associated with any item, it’s still just stuff. It is stuff that takes up room. It is stuff that needs to be dusted. For the most part, to be honest, it is stuff that has lived in plastic totes for years! Why? We really don’t have anywhere to display it. I mean, do I REALLY need 80+ nativity scenes? No, I don’t believe I do anymore. I collected them for years. I had wonderful family and friends who bought them for me as gifts or as souvenirs from trips. Trips they had taken, mind you, not that I had taken. I finally realized that a picture will take FAR less storage space and won’t need to be dusted!

More importantly… I have simply come to the realization that we put far too much emphasis on material possessions. I should know. I’ve been guilty of doing just that for a very long time. I have been reading the blogs of other wonderful women on the internet for more than a couple of years and have been thinking about how great it would be to simplify our home. How wonderful it would be to finally empty all those plastic totes that are just taking up space.
NO MORE PROCRASTINATING!!! We are GOING to simplify our lives in so many ways. We may complicate it a bit too, along the way but that’s okay. It’ll be fun! I need to go get the camera and back drop out and begin taking photos so I can post them on eBay. Maybe I can recoup just a little of what I have spent over the years… Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it just needs to GO!

Have a blessed day, y’all
Jennie

What exactly is a ‘Red Letter Day” you may ask? Well, I decided to look it up to be sure I was using it correctly. According to Wikipedia, “in Australia, it is used to describe a special day, day in which something special has happened.” Well, when I read that, I knew I was on the right track. You see, the love of my life was born and raised in Tasmania, Australia. So…

Yep! I’m claiming it as a “red-letter” day for me!

In my very first post, I talked about the terror I’ve been feeling about beginning this blog and the fact that eventually I will be responsible for earning THE income for my little family’s financial well-being as we embark on our new adventure of touring the United States.

Well, today, I did something about it… First, I actually published that first blog post and received a few positive responses from friends. (Thank you by the way!) Second, I talked with my hubby about a name for our new business venture. We decided on M5 Media Marketing Management. Third, I BOUGHT my domain name! http://www.m5mediamarketingmanagement.com So, it’s official. I am going to offer my services to the WORLD (okay, not really but it sure sounds grand, doesn’t it?) as THE Social Media Maven. I’ve taken the first steps. Now, onward and upward as they say. (Who exactly are THEY anyway? Does anyone really know?)

And, on the domestic front…it was a good day as well.

During our Little House on the Prairie Co-op (yes, we dome educate our children…more on that in another post) this morning, I successfully helped our students create tepees. They had a great time learning about the Native American homes, simple machines, Pony Express  and food the riders may have eaten. Did you know the youngest Pony Express rider was only 14? 14! That’s only two years older than our oldest son! There’s no way he’ll be mature enough in two years to take on that kind of responsibility!

And, the day ends on a high note… I just put together four yummy meals of sausage and peppers for the freezer! Whoo Hoo!!! I LOVE my freezer. It’s like magic. I pull out a bag. Empty it into my slow cooker. Turn it on. And, bam! Eight hours later dinner has magically cooked itself! Yeah, you’re right. I’ll still have to cook some rice or something as a side dish. But, hey, the hard part is done.

So, on that note… I am claiming this day as “A Red Letter Day for Mama!”

Have a blessed day, y’all!

Jennie

My hubby and I have come up with a new dream for our family: we want to HIT THE ROAD! Yep, that’s right. We have decided to sell just about everything we own, including the house; buy a 5th wheel and truck and see the world! Ok, so, at this point, it’ll only be the states but it sounds so much more dramatic to say we’re gonna see the world.

As we embark on this new adventure we decided to chronicle our journey by publishing, dare I say it? A BLOG!

I know, I know. The title of this post is “This is Terrifying!” You’ve probably read this so far, and wondered, “what’s so terrifying?” I know I would. Well, to be honest, I’m terrified of writing this blog! I’ve toyed with the idea for a few months. I think it will be a great way to let friends and family know where we are and what we are doing. However, I am truly afraid that I have nothing to say that will interest anyone. What if… I write something and people find errors? What if… my post offends someone? What if… I give out too much information? What if… I am too blunt? Or, what if… people actually WANT to read what I have to say?

There are those who might read that and tell me to quit being so hard on myself. Or, stop being silly. But then I am sure there are others who read it and think, yep, she’s right. She’s just not that interesting.

Another reason I am terrified: we have begun a new business in order to finance this new dream of ours. I recently took on managing the social media (you know, Facebook, twitter, emails, etc.) for a friend who owns a paint-your-own ceramics store (Pottery Magic Modesto). And, as my hubby and I were discussing some details of our dream, we were working on the financial side of things and decided to turn that position into a business. Ian said, “You know, with a few more clients, we could hit the road as soon as we sell everything.”

So, here we are. Not only do I have the terror of writing a blog and putting myself out there for all the world to see (ok, maybe not the whole world, but my little corner of it anyway) but, now I have the terror of trying to financially support my family of five while we live on the road! Oh, yeah. THAT’S where my terror comes from.

Well…here goes. I’m gonna publish my first ever blog post and on I go to writing the second one about our new business venture.

Have a blessed day, y’all!
Jennie