One month

Wow…its been a month since we began this adventure.  In some ways it feels like its been a long time but in other ways it seems like time has flown by.

Here are a few interesting statistics:

• 7 states (including CO)
• 13 campgrounds
• 4 Jr. Ranger badges
• 13 state/national parks/historic sites
• 3,911 miles driven
• 6 beaches
• 18GB of metered data
• 120lbs of propane
• 2 caves
• 1,821 photos and videos captured

Here are a few things I’ve learned:

• The pile of stress and worry that built up leading up to the trip dissipated much more rapidly than I imagined.
• There is a growing collection of things that we realize we don’t need.  I only brought a fraction of the clothes from my already thinned wardrobe.  Still, I don’t think I’ve worn half of them (yes, I where shirts and shorts more than one day and no, I won’t tell you how many).
• We’ve found that our grey/black tanks will last longer than I thought, making the higher priced full hookup sites unnecessary for stays up to 5 nights.  And dealing with tank dumping is not as hard as I thought.
• Backing up is not as hard as I thought either…just take your time and have good spotters.

Here are some people we’ve met:

• We’ve made new friends: Glenn and Melinda, the Boyinks and the Longneckers.
• We’ve met up with long time friends/family: Tom Bemis, the Millers and Sidney
• We’ve been helped by:  Mr. Lopez, veteran in New Orleans, Mr. Barry, and many others

We’ve tried interesting foods: jello shots (Steph only), gumbo, jambalaya, beignets and boiled peanuts.  We’ve seen  rivers, bayous, lakes, lagoons, bays and ocean.  We’ve had challenges, frustrations, excitement and amazing experiences.

My only wish is that we could slow down.  I’d like to be able to spend longer at each place.

Heavenly Father, wow, wow, wow!  What an amazing corner of earth you created.  As I see different trees, plants, insects, birds, lizards, people, beaches, shells, sand, dirt, water formations, stars, clouds, sun rises and sun sets….I am amazed by your off-the-charts creativity!  Thank you for the opportunity to explore your creation and meet new people.  Thank you for my adventurous Stephanie and these 3 awesome kids who each bring something unique to each experience.  And thank you for continued safety…for the army of angels I feel certain are surrounding and protecting us.  Amen