Where DID the summer go? Well, I’ll tell you. It went to
spending time with good friends, children & grandchildren, worshipping with
our beloved church family, Share volunteering in the EAA Print & Mail Room
or the Wearhouse and then the Ultralight Fun Fly Zone barn during convention, Bill
volunteering in the Fab Shop and then on the Flight Line doing departure
briefings during convention, birthday and wedding celebrations, grandchildren
sleepovers, taking our motorhome to the RV repair shop too many times (all is
good now), and getting to know our Audrey Park (on the EAA grounds) friends
better. Had a lot of special times, happy times, and a few sad times. All to
say it was crazy busy! Not much different than most everyone’s life these days.
I have to admit, as much as we love our Wisconsin family and friends and our
time at Audrey’s Park, I was ready to hit the road again to a more quiet and
simplified life.
Our next project takes us to French Camp Academy in French Camp, MS. We were there last November and January and were invited back to assist in the construction of a 15,000 s.f. addition on the local church. As the academy grew, they turned the old auditorium into more classrooms leaving a great need. The church addition will serve both the church and the academy. Bill has been very excited about this project from the beginning and had wanted to leave Oshkosh in late August to be there when the first nail was pounded (is that how it’s still done? Good thing, I’m not working on the building part of things).
However, our Oshkosh exit was delayed as we had to stay and participate in a very special, long-awaited final adoption hearing (held Sept 7th) and then to witness his dedicated to the Lord on Saturday, the 9th. We have journeyed with these dear friends through many many disappointments as they prayed, pleaded, and waited for the Lord to bless them with a child. We count it a huge blessing to be called Grandpa & Grandma by this special little boy. Needless to say, we had to stay and rejoice with them at these two major events. Thank you Praise you Bless you Father Son & Holy Spirit.
We headed out of Oshkosh around 3 p.m. on Saturday,
September 9th hoping to make it through most of Illinois. We made
excellent time, had beautiful weather, and were able to pull into an almost
filled up rest area just before 10 p.m. near Waggoner, IL, between Springfield
& St. Louis. It was wonderfully simple…so very convenient and felt very safe. Loved it.
After a quick breakfast of muffins with peanut butter &
jelly, we headed back out by 7:45 a.m. Before we left, Bill was checking the
map as he remembered someone telling him about a better route that was more
direct and kept us away from St. Louis. Well that didn’t work, so the plan was
to just take the 255 By-pass around St. Louis. Well, as some of you already
know from an earlier Facebook post, we made a few wrong turns and ended up
going through downtown St. Louis. God has such a good sense of humor. And, I
was happy to get some good shots of the Arch. It’s been a long time since I’ve
seen it. The other really great thing about this situation, is being a Sunday
morning, the traffic was really light. Bill was more concerned about driving
the rig through the city, than I was. Wow…that was a huge switch. Thank you,
Jesus!
We stopped for lunch in Steele, MO to rest a bit and to
catch some news on Hurricane Irma. Our son and granddaughter, plus several
friends live in Florida and we were trying to keep up with the location and
impact of the storm. Grateful, that everyone is doing well and the impact was
much less than anticipated.
We entered Mississippi before 3 p.m. and Bill was tempted to
keep going even though he was pretty weary. We were only 180 miles from our
destination which initially didn’t sound like much. But, thinking about another
three hours on the road and then having to set up, we both agreed that stopping
for the night was the better option. Plus, we were really hoping to find a
Walmart that had nearby businesses, preferably a sports bar, where we could
catch the Packer game. HalleluJAH!!! I found a Walmart with overnight parking
(Bill does an amazing job maneuvering the rig around parked cars, semis, and
cement curbs and I’m keeping my mouth shut as he does it…another giant Praise
the Lord!) just off the highway in Hernando, MS. Lots of shops and restaurants
nearby, but couldn’t see a single sports bar. Oh, what to do?!?! We walked to a
sports retail shop and asked them as my googling “sports bars near me” didn’t
give us much hope. We weren’t even sure if the Packer game would be on a MS
station but we started walking the mile and a half to the location told to us.
However, we passed by a Sushi restaurant just across from the Walmart parking
lot, and decided to see if they had a television. Well, whadaya know, they not
only had a television, but it was already tuned in to the Packer game. Yippee!
We were the only ones at the bar and that was fine by us. Apparently, they had
lost their liquor license (it seemed like a nice place) and hadn’t gotten it
back yet so they didn’t even have a bartender on duty. No pressure, just relax
and enjoy the game. As the third quarter was beginning to start, Bill suggested
we go back to the rig, fire up the generator, and relax a bit more comfortably
to finish watching the game. He laid on the couch and I laid on the floor
(which was perfect for me as my sciatic nerve was giving me some serious
trouble with all the sitting we were doing). I’m not saying anymore about that.
J Only, we were very happy
to watch them win in the comfort of our own home!
 |
| I'm really bad at selfies; note Packer game is on. |
Bill had trouble sleeping that night which is quite unusual. He wasn’t sure if he was concerned about his son and granddaughter’s safety or anxious to reach our destination; probably a little of both. Anyway, we didn’t get on the road until after 8:30 a.m. But, who cares, we only had three hours to go. Another beautiful uneventful day of driving.
We pulled in to French Camp
at 11:30 a.m. HalleluJAH! Praise the Lord, we love this place! I have to admit,
it already feels like a second home. We made some good friends in our last two
visits and were greeted very warmly by some and quite enthusiastically by
others. Feels real good!
Bill got to work right away and loves it. He does come home pretty
tired every night but that is to be expected…he is such a hard worker and it’s
been rather hot. Thus, a few of the guys decided to cool off in the pool after
working all day. (If you look in the background of the picture, you can see our
motorhome parked just across the road—second from end). It’s a small crew at the moment (four guys,
plus the pastor sometimes) with others expected to arrive later in the month.
Walls are going up and will continue for the next two weeks or so. It’s a big
building! Everywhere we turn people
thank him for being part of the crew. And, we are so grateful to be here and
able to do the work.
Something I have greatly missed as we travel from place to
place is being part of a Bible study. I was thrilled to be invited to join one
within hours of arriving. It is a wonderful study, with wonderful women, and I
was only one week behind. I’m so excited to get caught up on the homework. Yes,
I am VERY excited about doing my Bible homework. I love my daily devotions and
private time with my Lord, but digging deeper with challenging questions, and
then being able to discuss them with other ladies, is such a blessing beyond
belief. Thank you Jesus!!!
With that said, I best be getting’ to that homework, so I’ll
close for now. Be blessed & be a blessing!
