DAY 213

Note:  Time passes so fast that sometimes good intentions about posting to our blog have to be put on the back burner until later.  Upon returning to Florida Grande in November we immediately left and visited with both daughters and families and enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in Suwanee, GA.  Of course we were interested in how Lauren's new chiropractic office, Suwanee Spine and Wellness, is doing - it's better than she ever anticipated.  And if you are curious as to how "Junque In The Trunk" in Fleming Island is doing, it is the talk of the town, to put it mildly.  We left our coach in FL and drove the car to Atlanta, and while we were very comfortable staying with Lauren and Chris, we were extremely happy to get back to our house on wheels. So leading up to all this..........

This is Day 213, kind of the end of this year's journey, since we left Florida Grande in Webster, FL on April 1, 2012, and it has been an amazing journey.  We had many good times, extremely sad times, glad times and memorable times.  We enjoyed meeting new friends, visiting with old friends and family, and going down roads we had never traveled before.  It was fun getting lost, being found, and laughing til our sides hurt.  We celebrated our five year anniversary in October, 2012 as fulltimers, and if the next five years are as interesting as the last five, and we continue to have our health, we will consider ourselves very blessed. After our last blog post, we traveled to Red Bay, Alabama, for several more improvements on the coach (which have been added under the tab called "Coach Upgrades" above). At Red Bay we enjoyed seeing friends like Wayne and Kathy Page, also having work done to their coach.  Wayne had to be life-flighted to Florence, AL after he had a heart attack.  It was fortunate for him that Florence has one of the best cardiac hospitals in the Southeast. Kathy relocated the coach to McFarland Park in Florence, and after Wayne was released from the hospital, he was able to recuperate comfortably in their coach on the banks of the beautiful Tennessee River near the Wilson Dam.  He is doing fine and we feel sure they are travelling down the road like rock stars, as we speak. Tiffin Service Center - Red Bay, AL Tiffin Service Center - Red Bay, AL  We enjoy returning to Florida as Fall approaches by spending time at the "Redneck Riviera" near Destin and Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Another day is done.... Santa Rosa Beach, FL We stayed at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park for  2 weeks and enjoyed one weekend where Harold, Kristen, our 4 grandchildren, and our good friend, Savannah Benton, visited us to go to the monstrous community yard sale held in the Amphitheatre in Seaside, Florida.   Besides enjoying seeing our family, we also had many good times with friends from Florida Grande, Fred and Evie Wolf and David and Diane Drinkwater. Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Topsail Hill Preserve State Park US Highway 98 may be one of the most beautiful highways in Florida.  Much of the time you are driving parallel to the scenic Gulf of Mexico and you can visualize what old Florida is like.  After passing Apalachicola,  we decided we would take a day trip to St. George Island.  We stayed in Carrabelle Beach and drove our car over to St. George Island after we bought oysters in Eastpoint.  A very long bridge (4.5 miles long - 3rd longest bridge in FL) connects beautiful and environmentally sensitive St. George Island to the mainland.  After checking out the island, the campground facilities and the beach, we've decided to stay on St. George Island next year. U.S. Highway 98 - Carrabelle, Florida In closing, after arriving back in Green Cove Springs, we helped as part-timers on an "as-needed" basis at Junque In The Trunk, Harold and Kristen's new up-scale furniture store in Fleming Island, Fl..  We plan our return every Halloween to see our grandchildren in their costumes (and help them eat their candy).   Kristen and I went to the annual FL/GA Football Game. We probably wouldn't have gone if my brother, Jesse, hadn't gotten tickets for Kristen and I in the Terrace Suites - definitely a great way to see the game!  It wasn't a good day for the Gators, but we definitely enjoyed ourselves. Junque In The Trunk - Fleming Island, FL

MEMORIES

In our last post the highway directed us to Suwanee, Georgia, to assist our youngest daughter, Lauren, to open her new office, Suwanee Spine and Wellness Center. Dr. Lauren Millman's office opened on schedule, but we left one day before opening day.  Guess this picture reflects Lauren's excitement the day the exterior sign was installed.

 Next stop was to help Dr. Kristen (the other chiropractor in our family), and Harold, daughter and son-in-law in Green Cove Springs, FL,  complete their exciting new venture, "Junque In The Trunk", an upscale furniture consignment store in Fleming Island, FL.

Junque In The Trunk - Fleming Island, FL

Upon arrival in the Jacksonville area in mid-July, my stepmother, Doris Knapp, 92 years old, was admitted to the hospital.  After several hospital stays in a very short time, Doris came home and entered hospice care.  Our family, close friends,  and loved ones, were with her until she passed on August 4 at her home.   Her funeral service was a beautiful tribute to a lovely Christian lady who will be missed by all her family, amazing friends, church family, community and Eastern Star (which she belonged 50 plus years).

Doris Knapp Collage

In this same time period, our sister-in-law Sheila Knapp, age 63, Jacksonville, FL, had to come to terms with a progressive, debilitating and fatal disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and died unexpectedly 14 days after Doris, on August 18.  While her family knew Sheila's condition was deteriorating, we felt her doctors could control the symptoms her body was having difficulty handling.  We praise God Sheila no longer has to suffer, but it is hard to believe she isn't with us.  Earlier, Sheila looked radiant at Doris' funeral, and none of us quite realized what an effort she put forth to be present with our family.  A memorial service was held September 15, and she would have been happy with the tribute that was made in her memory.  Sheila and my brother, Jesse, were married 45 years, and have a son, Alex, and a daughter, Kim, as well as 5 beautiful grandchildren.

Kim, Sheila and Jesse Knapp  - 2012

All of us know we aren't going to live forever, but when death occurs in your family, it is always hard to accept.  The reality of dealing with the death of a loved one is always difficult and sad and impacts all of us in different ways.  We must consider our loved one is no longer suffering, that they are in a much better place, and that as Christians we have God's promise that we will be united with them again.  We are incredibly blessed to have many wonderful memories that we can share for the rest of our lives, and although that won't bring our loved ones back, our loved ones would want their memories to be cherished and preserved in a positive and meaningful way.

We are on the road again.  We need time to reflect and come to terms with some things, and it was hard to leave our family, but we will be back sometime in mid-October, and guess what?!  We're going to make some more memories.

RV and MH - RV There Yet?

We're on the way to Red Bay, AL, again.  Yes, again, for more upgrades and modifications.  Today, we drove from Perry, GA, and we are almost to Birmingham, AL, and it's raining cats and dogs outside - consider how easy it's going to be to sleep tonight with our fiberglass roof magnifying the sound of the rain.   Can hardly wait!!