Ever since I met Steph we’ve made trips to Phillipsburg KS at least once a year to see her family that is there. So I’ve been there at least 19 times and Steph at least twice as many times as that. So Phillipsburg almost feels like home. We planned to spend our last few days of this adventure visiting the little town that feels so familiar. Phillipsburg will be our exclamation point of this amazing trip. It was about a 6 hour drive from Kansas City to Phillipsburg and we made the trip without issue. We are staying at the Cottonwood Inn RV park on the east edge of town. We checked in, picked a spot and set Ava up for the last time on this journey. The kids and I put on our swim suits and headed straight for the pool to cool off…it felt great! After dinner Steph’s cousin Tiff and her family stopped by to visit for awhile after they did chores. Dacen and Michael played with Legos while Brielle and Chloe played with Barbies.
The next day I stayed back at the rig to work while Steph and the kids met up with Tiff and her kids to see the animals. They got to groom and bottle feed a couple of calves and then got to slop the hogs. Chloe and Michael are raising pigs for the first time this year. Chloe named hers Pork Chop and Michael named his Abraham….get it? AbraHAM!! After taking care of the animals they went to Tiff and Curt’s house for lunch. They played Xbox, practiced batting outside and had a campfire cake to celebrate Chloe’s 8th birthday! Steph and the kids came back to the rig later in the afternoon and all 5 of us went to the pool to play before dinner. After dinner we went to the softball fields to watch Chloe play in her tournament and then had snow cones afterwards to celebrate her team’s victory. I’m not a huge baseball/softball fan, but I used to go and watch games with my dad during the summer. So that feeling of sitting outside on a warm summer evening watching softball just seemed like the perfect place to be.
Cottonwood RV park
Nasty look
Jumping
Breakfast table
Walking the calves
Feeding Midnight
Feeding Snowflake
Midnight
Chloe's boots
Spoiling Midnight
Brushing
Grooming Midnight
Cousins on the fence
More food for AbraHAM
Feeding Porkchop
Feeding AbraHAM
Xboxing
Campfire cake
Launching balls
Practice
Beachball fun
Pool boy
Fans
Sky box
Outfield
On deck
Here batter batter
Snow Shack
Yum, snowcones
Sidewalk graffiti
Our last day in P-burg Chloe and Michael came to the rig to play in the morning while Tiff did some volunteer work. The kids played a couple games and lots of Legos. There was a short thunderstorm that put the kybosh on our plans to meet Curt out in the field tonight for combine rides. After lunch we all went to the community pool to swim, dive, splash and slide. Afterward the kids were exhausted but we went to the Horseshoe to see Uncle Denny who insisted he buy us a round of drinks (Sarsparillas for the kiddos). It was great to see Uncle Denny even if it was a short visit. I sure miss Grandma Gerry, Grandpa Merl and Aunt Marcia. I remember the first time I met Aunt Marcia and how she made me feel like part of the family by giving me a Kansas cowpie (a giant chocolate chip cookie) as a gift! She was always so fun and full of smiles and laughs just like her girls are. After the Horseshoe we went to dinner then said our goodbyes and headed back home for our last night in the rig…at least on this trip.
We had a dish of ice cream and somehow the kids talked us into also having a piece of Dove chocolate. No joke, the message inside Dacen’s wrapper said…”Go anywhere but home.”
Sorry Dove, but we’re heading home tomorrow…as much as I don’t want it to be over it is time to return home.
Lord, thank you for this extraordinarily amazing adventure and for the best wife and kids ever. You have provided us safety for this entire journey and so I pray again for our safety on this last leg of our journey. It is a long but familiar drive. Surround us with an army of angels as we roll on down the road toward our home in Colorado. God I also ask for a smooth transition back into our sticks and bricks life and I thank you for the friends and family we have there. Amen
Jungle Speed
Flipping
Slide fun
Weeee
Cousins
Tiff and Steph
"Hey man" or Baywatch
The Horseshoe
Belly up
Sarsparillas
Kids with Uncle Denny
Can you believe it?
Last night
This September marks our 4th year anniversary of returning home after our grand RV road trip adventure. The transition back into our stick-and-brick home was easy. And we eventually sold our big rig and dually. But I must admit…I long for the life in an RV traveling across the USA again.
We will miss all your awesome blogs, but are so glad to have you home today safe and sound. The pictures have been outstanding. I swear the kids have grown so much in 5 1/2 months!!!!! Welcome Home!!!!!!