Our Nephew's Wedding

Our youngest nephew Robert got married on Saturday. He's the last of our nieces and nephews to marry. The wedding was in Waterloo, Iowa. I work Fridays and Saturdays, so I only took off Saturday. We left at 9 am and got to Waterloo a little after 1 pm. We were able to check into our hotel early, change clothes and make it to the 2:30 ceremony in plenty of time.

They had originally planned to have an outdoor wedding at a park. The weather this spring has been terrible, and it did not cooperate for them. Luckily, they had a back up plan at the Waterloo Arts Center where the reception was held.

Here's Robert waiting for the bride. Our great-nephew Nathan, who will be nine in a few weeks, was ring bearer. He wasn't too excited about having to wear a tux, but he did a great job for his uncle Robert. It was great to see that side of the family. It is Kevin's brother's family. We haven't seen some of them in quite a few years.

Poor Brittney was suffering all day. She had surgery on her foot a few weeks ago, and it became infected, so she's been in a lot of pain. She was actually supposed to be on crutches all day, but what bride is going to listen to that.

The happy couple!

Not much else is going on with us. This has been the worst spring weather since we've been working at the park. Camper numbers are down, but even with the lousy weather, we've been about half full the last few weekends. Die hard Wisconsin campers don't let wet and cold weather keep them down.

The above average rain has made the ground extremely soggy, so Kevin has been struggling to get the grass mowed. We are fully booked for the upcoming holiday weekend. Some rain is expected during the week. Hopefully, it won't be too much as all sites are booked and some of them get quite muddy with a lot of rain.

Cold weather is keeping my bird feeder quite busy. I've seen a new bird this year that has not been here before. I believe it's called a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Exciting!

I put oriole food in the hummingbird feeder, but the orioles didn't seem to be able to perch on the feeder. I took the top off and put the bottom part full of nectar on a crate. I added the piece of wood so their feet had something more solid to sit on. That worked great. I've also been giving them grape jelly. I enjoy watching all of the birds at the feeders.

I can't stand the robins. They poop on everything. We put fake snakes on our vehicles, which helps to keep them from pooping on our stuff, but they still manage to occasionally bomb us. Somehow, they even manage to get it on our windows.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Seven Wonderful Years of Wandering

Today is the seventh anniversary of our life as full time RVers. In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that we began this journey. But, when I look back at all that's happened in those seven years, it feels like a very long time. Our previous life seems like another lifetime altogether.

Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't change a thing about our life before becoming full time RVers. I loved the home we raised our children in, and the memories of those first 33 years of our marriage are wonderful. We are so lucky to have had all of those fantastic years, and then to start a second phase in our married life with so many new and amazing experiences.

Here's a picture of our site on May 1, 2010. We are still spending the summers at this same site, but with a new truck and fifth wheel since then. Also, the red car was traded to our son for the green car that first year. He no longer has the red car, but we still use the green car in the summers. It's a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am with over 200,000 miles on it, but it works just fine for us in the summers.

Here we are today. Other than the obvious new vehicles and fifth wheel, what really stands out to me is how much the trees have grown in those seven years. In the late 1990s, there was a severe storm that went through the park and destroyed over 150 trees. These little trees had been planted after that storm, and they sure have grown.

In those seven years, we've stayed in 26 states and been to Hawaii, Mexico, Belize and Honduras without the RV. We've explored many amazing National Parks and Monuments, as well as lots of other interesting places throughout this country. We've had some fantastic times with our family and friends, and are living a healthier life with much less stress. We're so happy with the decision we made, and have no regrets at all.

We lucked into great jobs at Derge Park in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin from the very beginning, allowing us to spend the summers in Wisconsin near some of our family and earning some money as well. Between our jobs at the park, three years working at Amazon in the beginning of our adventure, and my pension; we've been able to earn enough to cover our expenses each year. Can't beat that. I can honestly say we have everything we need, and don't miss a thing (except maybe a dishwasher).

We've had some things go wrong; that's going to happen no matter where you live. The biggest frustration has been when things need to be repaired on the fifth wheel and you live in it. Luckily, we've found some good mobile RV repair people along the way.

We reach social security age in the next few years, so we're dreaming of some changes in our travels in the coming years. Time will tell if those dreams come true!

As you can see from the current picture above, it's raining. It's been raining for about a week. In fact, this has been the worst April weather we've had since we began this journey. Cold, wet, cold, damp, cold, rain, cold; you get the picture. It could be worse. At least we haven't had tornadoes and snow like other parts of the country had this past weekend.

The lousy weather has kept campers away. There have been very few people here since we've been back. This past weekend, we were alone in the park for the entire weekend. That rarely happens. Not good for the revenue of the parks department at the county, but a very quiet start for us. Reservations are coming in strong for May and the rest of the summer, so I'm sure we'll be plenty busy again.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!