So Many Things To Be Thankful For

This year I have so many things to be thankful for. First of all I am so very thankful that my sister Debbie and her husband Mike have opened their home, garage, side yard and more to us for a little over 2 weeks. After our stay in Gettysburg, we headed to the Delaware shore. The beaches were beautiful but the towns were pretty much closed for the season and after two nights at the beach, the weather was starting to turn so we decided to head to Debbie & Mike’s a little early. 

We are so very thankful to be in the comfort of a real home. We have been on the road now for almost 3 months and this was perfect timing for us to regroup and reorganize the camper.  We have been able to spread out, box up uneeded items to send home, clean all our clothes, sheets and the camper inside and out. Not to mention sleeping in our own rooms and having a bathroom to use that is literally bigger than our entire camper.  We are also happy to be in a spot where we can get trusted recommendations to get the truck fixed, get our hair cut, fill prescriptions and get flu shots. The girls are also loving the stay here more than ever, not only do they get 24/7 time with their cousins, but they also get the feelings of home as well, running around all day outside with the kids in the neighborhood, visiting school to pick up the kids and even seeing Cousin Zach in his 1st grade performance. We have been treated to fresh baked cookies and crockpot meals, which are things we don't have in the camper. I have also been able to join Debbie to get my exercise in at the super fun Jazzersize in Chesapeake. Siena and I got to celebrate our birthdays here as well, which was wonderful to be able to share our special day with family and friends. My birthday treat was having an adults only, fancy dinner out in Norfolk at the delicious Todd Jurich's Bistro.

Birthday Dinner at Todd Jurich's Bistro

There is a lot to see and do in Virginia, but because we have been here a few times before, we haven’t felt the need to be out sightseeing everyday.  We have been able to visit with our Texas cousins Jennie Ruth and Sam who also live in Norfolk.  On the few days we have ventured out we have explored the Virginia Aquarium and the Virginia Zoo, we ran a 5k to help raise money for Prostate Cancer Research, we got to drive on the Virginia Beach Board Walk and see the Holiday Lights and we are planning to take a trip to visit Nauticus. But for the most part we have been enjoying the comforts of home, relaxing and catching up.

Girls at the Aquarium

Crazy animals at the zoo

Face paint for the kids after the Zero Prostate Cancer 5k Race 

Needless to say, we are so thankful for the hospitality of our family. And as I have mentioned in previous posts, we are super thankful for the opportunity to have this trip, it is a true blessing to be able to travel around the country and visit family and friends we don’t get to see often enough. As the holiday season approaches, this year will be very different for our family. We have prepared our kids that there will not be many presents to open and likely no real Christmas tree to decorate, but we are so very thankful that our both our families are planning to travel across country so that we can all celebrate together in sunny Florida. 

We are concerned we might be getting a little too comfortable here at Aunt Deb's house, so we will head back out next weekend, after Thanksgiving and watching the Cougs in the Apple Cup. I know we will likely have some tears and some struggles getting back into our tiny camper because we have been pretty spoiled over this visit. But we are also looking forward to more adventures, seeing new places, not knowing what the next day will bring us and heading South to some sunshine and warm weather. Life on the road can be challenging, but when we are able to mix in family, fun and comforts of home here and there, we are able to strike a nice balance that will keep us going on this crazy adventure for the months to come.

Holiday Lights on the Virginia Beach boardwalk