It has been 8 months since moving out of our house and into our trailer. Honestly if you were to tell me we would be living full time in a trailer with our 13 and 15 year old boys traveling the United States a year ago I would of laughed. When we set off for this adventure, we did it with the thought that if things just didn't work out we would return home asap. In the back of my mind it just seemed like too big of a change, that living in a trailer in such close quarters and leaving everything that was routine and familiar could be a catastrophe. Although living in a smaller space with 3 males has been a challenge at times, surprisingly the change of our new way of living has been refreshing and has brought new beginnings and closeness to our family.
We have met some really nice families over the last couple weeks, and its been a joy to hear their stories and get to know them. A couple of these families have 10-12 children and its been so neat to watch how they live full time on the road, helping out, pitching in and all enjoy traveling together. It has brought new perspectives to both Rick and I and how we may consider to continue living. Our boys are just starting to make more connections a couple days before we are set to leave Florida, but hoping we can stay in contact with these families as we all travel on our own ways.
Being able to stay in the sun this winter has been a special treat. Although we love our home and went through winter withdraws during Christmas time, the benefits of the sun has far outweighed our emotions.
We are thankful for the experiences we have had through the last 6 months of traveling and thank God for His continued provisions. We miss our friends and family back home and look forward to seeing them soon!
As for updates: Rick is still working a contract job that we pray will become permanent this June, Avery is working on giving up his sticks and participating in more things, Devin turned 16, and my back and neck are still an issue that I continue to contend with along with a few other health issues.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Time with some friends back in Orlando area
HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY TO DEVIN!!! Morning breakfast consisted of bacon and a cinnamon roll!
Took Devin, Avery, Stas, Sergei, out for some time. Stopped at Lake Louisa, then out to see the 3D Oz.
Boys had fun with the other fulltime family teens playing water volleyball.
Florida Keys (Feb.16th-24th)
We enjoyed our week in the Florida keys. We stayed at an Rv park in Big Pine Key about an hour north of Key West. We arrived at our campsite early the first day, and after getting settled and having lunch, we took the drive down to Key West. We drove straight to the famous Southernmost Point buoy for a quick pic and then went over to Mallory Square too look around. We ate some amazing Cuban food that night and had some fun watching the street performers.
Our first couple days at Big Pine Key were very windy and cold. Our week was routine with school and work. After school work was finished we did a lot of fishing off the bridge near our park. It was neat to be fishing in the turquoise ocean and see the different kinds of tropical fish we caught (like the pufferfish!!). One of the afternoons while on the bridge fishing, a rainstorm let loose and we were immediately drenched (drops are a bit bigger on the east coast). We made our way laughing and running back to the trailer. We then soaked through all of our towels trying to dry off ourselves, Farley and the floor. 30 minutes later it cleared up and we were blessed with a BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW!! In the middle of the week I took Devin to a turtle research/rehabilitation center in town for some education. We enjoyed their presentation and tour of all their turtles. An extra treat was to see the large iguanas that were roaming the facility.
Our week flew by and the last day we spent there was a fun experience. Rick treated us to a day out on a boat in Key West with activities. (Kayaking, Slide, Trampoline, Jet Skis water skiing, knee boarding, snorkeling) The boat took off from the marina at 10am and came back at 4pm. Once aboard one of the service crew guys asked Rick and I if we had driven Jet Skis before, and if so, if we would be the ones to drive them out to our destination spot. Excited, Rick jumped on the invitation! :) I was a bit hesitant, (so nervous to do anything that would hurt my neck or back again, making things worse then they already were) but being that the wind was down, making the water less choppy, I went for it and enjoyed every minute of it. Its not very often one get the chance to jet ski out in the gulf of mexico in the Florida Keys. We all enjoyed our time out on the boat. Rick skied, Devin knee boarded, Avery did a paddle board, we all jet skied and snorkeled. Aside from Rick cutting the side of his eye when he bailed on the skies no one got hurt and we all soaked up a lot of sun. Once off board we ended our evening watching the sunset at Mallory Square, exhausted, burnt and grateful for our day! :)
Our first couple days at Big Pine Key were very windy and cold. Our week was routine with school and work. After school work was finished we did a lot of fishing off the bridge near our park. It was neat to be fishing in the turquoise ocean and see the different kinds of tropical fish we caught (like the pufferfish!!). One of the afternoons while on the bridge fishing, a rainstorm let loose and we were immediately drenched (drops are a bit bigger on the east coast). We made our way laughing and running back to the trailer. We then soaked through all of our towels trying to dry off ourselves, Farley and the floor. 30 minutes later it cleared up and we were blessed with a BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW!! In the middle of the week I took Devin to a turtle research/rehabilitation center in town for some education. We enjoyed their presentation and tour of all their turtles. An extra treat was to see the large iguanas that were roaming the facility.
Our week flew by and the last day we spent there was a fun experience. Rick treated us to a day out on a boat in Key West with activities. (Kayaking, Slide, Trampoline, Jet Skis water skiing, knee boarding, snorkeling) The boat took off from the marina at 10am and came back at 4pm. Once aboard one of the service crew guys asked Rick and I if we had driven Jet Skis before, and if so, if we would be the ones to drive them out to our destination spot. Excited, Rick jumped on the invitation! :) I was a bit hesitant, (so nervous to do anything that would hurt my neck or back again, making things worse then they already were) but being that the wind was down, making the water less choppy, I went for it and enjoyed every minute of it. Its not very often one get the chance to jet ski out in the gulf of mexico in the Florida Keys. We all enjoyed our time out on the boat. Rick skied, Devin knee boarded, Avery did a paddle board, we all jet skied and snorkeled. Aside from Rick cutting the side of his eye when he bailed on the skies no one got hurt and we all soaked up a lot of sun. Once off board we ended our evening watching the sunset at Mallory Square, exhausted, burnt and grateful for our day! :)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Updates, Status, and Info from Rick
It is my turn to add to our blog once again. I thought I would throw down some updates, what we've been learning along the way, and how we are considering living over the next couple years at least.
For starters, we have been living in approximately 150sf and that has been a blessing! We had many thoughts and reasons and ideas that prompted this trip and we are very happy that some of those ideas are paying off. We've become closer as a family through limited space and because we are no longer so busy with out-of-the-home life even though we have been travelling and sight seeing. It has been easier to form routines with studying Gods word and listening to teaching as a family. We've had time to reflect on our approach on life and relationships while using God's word as our guide. We've come to the conclusion that many have recently, that less is better. Simplicity is better. Less and Simple are better for us because 1.) we get overwhelmed pretty easy :). 2.) our time is available if we are needed to help others or create new relationships. 3.) we don't get caught up in unnecessary 'american dream' activities that are a waste of time. 4.) If God sends trials our way, we are more capable of handling them rightly.
Jenn and I have had a chance to reflect a lot on our lives over the past couple years which has been helpful in a lot of ways. Our marriage has been strengthened due to spending more time together. We've gotten a chance to learn about Gods grace more deeply together through sermons, books, and email and talking about it together. Through studying we've become better communicators and peace makers all the while getting better at giving preference to others at all times. We are starting to see it rub off on our kids :). So, thanks be to God for all of this and much more.
Most of the sermons (that one is from the Liberate conference, from Paul Tripp) we've listened to have been from Coral Ridge Presbyterian about Gods liberating grace. Most of the reading and studying we've done have been about communication, peace making, avoiding conflict, and conflict resolution. We've come to understand more deeply that the freedom we currently receive and have already received in God's grace is a freedom from ourselves mostly. Since Christ was perfect, we don't have to be... which kills self righteousness, defensiveness, the need to be in control, etc... Since God loved us and gave us His son to die in our place for our sins, we are free to love others with similar sacrificial love and give our lives. In other words, it doesn't matter that we ever get what we want (being right, defending ourselves, comforts, ambitions, relations, good kids, reputation, etc...). We don't have to focus on our own needs/wants at all actually. When we understand the gospel, we don't have the burden to earn Gods favor, or anyone else's favor any more and we are set free to fully give ourselves over to God and others sacrificially. Before we were trapped in our own self righteousness, but now the gospel free's us. We have heard and been taught a similar message before but it was helpful for us to hear it from a different angle. This takes time to sink in but it has been helpful for our family. The sermons have been supplemented by the reading of Communication and Conflict Resolution by Stuart Scott. One of the main points in the book is preferring others. We have seen this working out in each other which has been evidence of Gods grace, but there is much more work to be done! We recommend the book for married couples and families. The other book we have been reading is The Dangerous Duty of Delight by John Piper. We haven't read this one in a while but If you have read any Piper, you'll know what I mean when I say this isn't necessarily a book for the whole family as study material....but that's what we used it as. Although some of the points were difficult to grasp we came out appreciating a few main points that were also refreshingly new for us. Piper talks about Christian Hedonism and how it is a good thing, if the hedonism is that we are seeking our joy from doing what God says. Doing what God says is our duty and finding joy in life, for ourselves, is our duty (YES!) , so as christians it is our duty to actually seek out ways to find joy for ourselves....usually this comes in the form of serving/loving others which ties in to the joy of the liberating gospel I mentioned earlier.
On to our living situation. We have met a few christian families who RV full time and have heard about more. Most of those families have a lot more kids than us. A couple of those families have 10 to 11 kids with them! Their kids seem to enjoy it and the families find ways to serve while they are on the road. The husbands and the wives that we've met seem to have close relationships and we have avenues to create relationships and evangelize just as much in this lifestyle if not more. We are considering living in CDA for 4 months out of the year and living in the south during the other 8 months to keep our bones warm :). We haven't determined what we'll do about a local church yet while we aren't in CDA but it is on our mind. We have looked a bit into serving with Samaritans Purse which always has different locations to serve. And, we've met other families that we might try to meet in certain cities and states here and there. So, on to our living situation. our trailer has served us well but if we do this full time we will probably get something a bit more suited to full time, something a bit bigger and more sturdy such as a fifth wheel toy hauler. The toy hauler portion will be where the kids room is and will allow for a bit more space for things like their instruments, games, books, etc...
We miss everyone and we are excited to come home and see everyone again. We expect to be back home at the end of May. We were going to try to make it home for the wedding of Rob Barnes and Lauren Heistuman, but we've decided to take our time back. We are so excited for them!!
See you soon!
-Rick
For starters, we have been living in approximately 150sf and that has been a blessing! We had many thoughts and reasons and ideas that prompted this trip and we are very happy that some of those ideas are paying off. We've become closer as a family through limited space and because we are no longer so busy with out-of-the-home life even though we have been travelling and sight seeing. It has been easier to form routines with studying Gods word and listening to teaching as a family. We've had time to reflect on our approach on life and relationships while using God's word as our guide. We've come to the conclusion that many have recently, that less is better. Simplicity is better. Less and Simple are better for us because 1.) we get overwhelmed pretty easy :). 2.) our time is available if we are needed to help others or create new relationships. 3.) we don't get caught up in unnecessary 'american dream' activities that are a waste of time. 4.) If God sends trials our way, we are more capable of handling them rightly.
Jenn and I have had a chance to reflect a lot on our lives over the past couple years which has been helpful in a lot of ways. Our marriage has been strengthened due to spending more time together. We've gotten a chance to learn about Gods grace more deeply together through sermons, books, and email and talking about it together. Through studying we've become better communicators and peace makers all the while getting better at giving preference to others at all times. We are starting to see it rub off on our kids :). So, thanks be to God for all of this and much more.
Most of the sermons (that one is from the Liberate conference, from Paul Tripp) we've listened to have been from Coral Ridge Presbyterian about Gods liberating grace. Most of the reading and studying we've done have been about communication, peace making, avoiding conflict, and conflict resolution. We've come to understand more deeply that the freedom we currently receive and have already received in God's grace is a freedom from ourselves mostly. Since Christ was perfect, we don't have to be... which kills self righteousness, defensiveness, the need to be in control, etc... Since God loved us and gave us His son to die in our place for our sins, we are free to love others with similar sacrificial love and give our lives. In other words, it doesn't matter that we ever get what we want (being right, defending ourselves, comforts, ambitions, relations, good kids, reputation, etc...). We don't have to focus on our own needs/wants at all actually. When we understand the gospel, we don't have the burden to earn Gods favor, or anyone else's favor any more and we are set free to fully give ourselves over to God and others sacrificially. Before we were trapped in our own self righteousness, but now the gospel free's us. We have heard and been taught a similar message before but it was helpful for us to hear it from a different angle. This takes time to sink in but it has been helpful for our family. The sermons have been supplemented by the reading of Communication and Conflict Resolution by Stuart Scott. One of the main points in the book is preferring others. We have seen this working out in each other which has been evidence of Gods grace, but there is much more work to be done! We recommend the book for married couples and families. The other book we have been reading is The Dangerous Duty of Delight by John Piper. We haven't read this one in a while but If you have read any Piper, you'll know what I mean when I say this isn't necessarily a book for the whole family as study material....but that's what we used it as. Although some of the points were difficult to grasp we came out appreciating a few main points that were also refreshingly new for us. Piper talks about Christian Hedonism and how it is a good thing, if the hedonism is that we are seeking our joy from doing what God says. Doing what God says is our duty and finding joy in life, for ourselves, is our duty (YES!) , so as christians it is our duty to actually seek out ways to find joy for ourselves....usually this comes in the form of serving/loving others which ties in to the joy of the liberating gospel I mentioned earlier.
On to our living situation. We have met a few christian families who RV full time and have heard about more. Most of those families have a lot more kids than us. A couple of those families have 10 to 11 kids with them! Their kids seem to enjoy it and the families find ways to serve while they are on the road. The husbands and the wives that we've met seem to have close relationships and we have avenues to create relationships and evangelize just as much in this lifestyle if not more. We are considering living in CDA for 4 months out of the year and living in the south during the other 8 months to keep our bones warm :). We haven't determined what we'll do about a local church yet while we aren't in CDA but it is on our mind. We have looked a bit into serving with Samaritans Purse which always has different locations to serve. And, we've met other families that we might try to meet in certain cities and states here and there. So, on to our living situation. our trailer has served us well but if we do this full time we will probably get something a bit more suited to full time, something a bit bigger and more sturdy such as a fifth wheel toy hauler. The toy hauler portion will be where the kids room is and will allow for a bit more space for things like their instruments, games, books, etc...
We miss everyone and we are excited to come home and see everyone again. We expect to be back home at the end of May. We were going to try to make it home for the wedding of Rob Barnes and Lauren Heistuman, but we've decided to take our time back. We are so excited for them!!
See you soon!
-Rick
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)