South Haven, Michigan

This weekend there was a four day weekend for the kids due to a school in service day and Columbus Day. We decided to take a trip with our new fifth wheel. It is about 10 feet shorter than the old one we lived in and also weighs much less. We chose to go to South Haven, Michigan which is about 3 hours from home. 

We stayed at the KOA in Covert so South Haven was only a 15 minute drive. We did not bring the kids on this trip so we were able to do more adult friendly activities. We went to the Arclight Brewing Company in Watervliet, the Great Mead Brewing Company in Bangor, and the Coppercrast Distillery in Saugatuck. There were lots of wineries and vineyards in the area but we decided to still with local beer and liquor.

Besides drinking we went to downtown South Haven, which has a ton of cute stores. We went to the beach in South Haven where we saw the lighthouses. For lunch we ate at Taste, which is known for having small plates. We ordered 5 different plates and shared them. I wish we had went there for dinner because the restaurant seemed like more of a dinner place rather than a lunch place. 

We went to a Chili Cookoff in Saugatuck. For $.50 we could sample chili from each contestant. It was so delicious. We then walked to all the downtown shops in Saugatuck, which were similar to the shops in South Haven. 

We went to ATVing one afternoon. It was $100 a person per hour. Unfortunately I'm inexperienced in riding and I hit the back of Cody's ATV. The damage, which we had to pay for, was $1300. Ouch!  We spent more paying for that than we did on the whole trip. I'm lucky I wasn't hurt. Cody didn't get upset about the cost and we even laughed about it afterwards. I think we were both just thankful that it wasn't worse. The owner said that the amount of damage was in the top 3 that they have ever had there. I don't think I'm going to go ATVing anymore. 

Overall the trip was fun!  It was a few days of relaxing in a very laid back part of Michigan. No stress, no busyness. We will definitely be going back. 

Niagara Falls, New York

Day 1

We left central Illinois and drove about 6 hours today to Cleveland, Ohio.  I sat in the back seat with the kids so that I could take are of the baby while Cody drives.  I'm pretty sure my job was easier than his.  I hate driving.

We have a dear friend who lives here so we were able to park our RV in his driveway and sleep at his house for the night. He has a lovely home and in his basement he has ping pong, a pool table and a bowling lane. Our 8 year old really enjoyed spending time in the basement. We went out to dinner and ate at Carrabbas. I had never eaten there before and the chicken soup was amazing!  I have since looked online for a copy recipe and I look forward to trying to make it myself. 

Day 2

We left from Cleveland at around 10am and started the journey to the KOA in Grand Island, New York, which is about 15 minutes from Niagara Falls. We set up camp and headed out to utilize the hours left in the day. We decided to stay in the area for the day since we had spent so much time driving. We grabbed a few hot dogs for dinner at a place called Buffalo Dogs. They had so many options for toppings. We then went swimming in the heated pool at the campground that also had two water slides. This was the first time our 5 month old had been in a pool. She loved splashing. 

Day 3

We woke up early and after getting ready for the day we headed to Niagara Falls. If you have never been to Niagara Falls then you may not be aware that you can spend the entire day doing everything they have to offer. 

We purchased the Discovery Pass which allowed us to do most of the attractions. We went to the aquarium, the discovery center, Goat Island, the various lookout points of the falls, and the Maid of the Mist, which is a boat that takes you out right to the falls and you wear ponchos so that you don’t get soaked by the water. 

After spending the day doing all the things at the Niagara Falls State Park we went to the Great American Arcade. It was a really nice arcade that has all new games and was really affordable. Afterwards we went next door to The Anchor Bay for dinner. They are known for being the place where Buffalo wings originated from. It was yummy!

Day 4

Today was the day I looked forward to the most. We drove to Toronto Canada, which was about an hour and a half drive. We went downtown to a quaint restaurant called La Pallete. Our sole purpose in going to Toronto was to go to this restaurant because they serve horse. No joke. We ate horse. It was divine!  Seriously, it tasted amazing. Our 8 year old even loved it. We started with the horse tartare (pictured below), which is raw horse and for our main courses we had duck confit and cheval (which is the horse tenderloin). Everything tasted great and it was worth the 3 hours of driving. 

Day 5

Today we started our day by going to Old Fort Niagara, which a fort that is about 300 years old. It was so neat being able to go into the castle and all the buildings. The view of the lake was just beautiful. There are people dressed to look like soldiers and they do demonstrations. It’s just a simple fun place to go. 

We went to the Theee Sisters Trading post to buy a few souvenirs and drove by the Second Coming of Isaiah house (pictured below). 

Next we went to Wilson Tuscarora State Park. There is a small beach on Lake Ontario there that is very quite. There was only one other family there when we got there at 11am. Cody is set on swimming in all of the Great Lakes so this was just one more lake to cross off the list. 

Day 6

Today we set off towards home. While getting the RV packed and ready to go Cody noticed a clog in the black tank. If you know anything about RVs and what a black tank is then you know this is not a fun thing to deal with. Luckily, after a little research, we realized it was just a pyramid plug and he was able to easily unclog it and finish dumping the tank. We headed back to Cleveland to spend the night with our friend again. 

Day 7

Our last day of traveling until we got home. Cleveland to central Illinois. This was about a 6 hour drive. It’s always a good moment when you pull in the driveway of your home after being gone. We had a great trip but I’m happy to be home. 

A Change in Plans

Four months ago we started this incredible adventure of living in a fifth wheel.  There were many reasons we decided to live in a fifth wheel (read about them here), however a few situations have changed and it no longer made sense to live in the fifth wheel.  We have purchased our first home together.  That does not mean our fifth wheel adventures end here though.  We already have a trip planned for next week with the fifth wheel.

Let me explain why living in our fifth wheel no longer made sense for our family.

Our main reason to live in a fifth wheel was to save money.  In the time that we lived in the fifth wheel we saved an additional $10,000 to put towards a house.  On top of that since we bought a house we traded in our 2014 Keystone Avalanche for a 2005 Forest River Flagstaff.  The price difference meant $21,000 in our pocket.  So we had an additional $31,000 saved since May.

Living closer to family was a big reason for living in the fifth wheel.  We did live on the farm with Cody's parents but my parents, two sisters, brother, niece and nephew all lived about 20 minutes away.  We ended up buying a house in the town that my family lives in.  Now our kids go to the same school that my niece and nephew go to and my son is actually in the same class as his cousin.  Family is even closer than I originally thought.

Another reason for living in a fifth wheel was to start planting roots.  We were under the impression that we would be building a house on Cody's family farm however we realized those pans would not be able to happen and rather than continue to live in the fifth wheel and have the kids start school in that town we decided it would be best to look for a permanent house so the kids wouldn't have to change schools again.

Lastly, a goal of living in a fifth wheel was to simplify our lives.  We wanted to not have our lives be consumed by things.  It was such an eye opening experience living in the fifth wheel and seeing how little we really needed to be just as happy.  We will continue to let God fill us up rather than material things.

As I already said, our journey with a fifth wheel is not over just because we don't sleep in it every night.  We still travel for work and we still work remotely so traveling is something that is very much a part of our lives.  We will continue to keep this blog alive and share our adventures.

I Will Not Let the Devil Steal My Joy

Ever since I've been young I have been embarrassed to wear a swimsuit. I don't know why or where this insecurity stems from. I remember being a teenager and loving the pool but hating having to wear a swimsuit. When I bought my first home I purchased a pool so that I didn't have to go to the public pool anymore. Being in a swimsuit in public just made me uncomfortable.

It's not that I'm insecure with how I look. My weight has fluctuated over the years but I've always been happy with my body regardless if I was a little bigger or when I was most fit training for a marathon. 

I sold my house over a year ago so anytime since then I've had to swim in public, which meant being seen by people in a swimsuit. I love my body I just hate swimsuits on my body. Always have. So swimming is always my least favorite thing to do. 

I don't want to be a downer when I'm with the kids so anytime they want to swim I suck it up and put on my dreaded swimsuit and a happy face. The whole time I'm not as happy as I could be. 

I started to ponder why I let myself feel this way. Being insecure in a swimsuit was affecting how much fun I had with my kids. That's when I decided that I WILL NOT LET THE DEVIL STEAL MY JOY.  

The insecurities I had were not coming from God, they were thoughts the devil placed in my head when I was younger and I let those thoughts manifest so much that I was unhappy wearing a swimsuit. No more. I decided I would no longer care how I looked in a swimsuit.

That was almost a year ago and although I still hear the devil try to convince me to care how my arms look a bit flabby in a particular swimsuit or another makes my thighs look big I instantly tell myself that I'm perfect how I am and I will not let thoughts from the devil make me feel any different. 

I WILL NOT LET THE DEVIL STEAL MY JOY!

Myrtle Beach to Charlotte, North Carolina to Homer, Illinois

Thursday was our last morning at Myrtle Beach. We left at 10am and headed for Charlotte for a work meeting.   We went to see one of our manufacturers that we represent and took a tour of the plant that is located in Charlotte. The kids went to a daycare in Charlotte during that time.

The trip from Myrtle Beach to Charlotte was only 3.5 hours but from Charlotte home it was about 11 hours.  Lots of driving but luckily the kids are so well behaved while traveling that it is just long, not stressful.

Our trip was amazing.  We had so much fun.  Thank you Lord for giving us this opportunity to travel and make memories.

We are Engaged!

Cody finally asked me to marry him. He asked me on the beach one evening while in Myrtle Beach. 

 

Myrtle Beach

There are so many fun things to do at Myrtle Beach. Mostly we loved going to the beach at the campground we stayed at. 

Lakewood RV Resort was pretty neat. It has around 1000 camping sites. Two pools. It is beach front so we avoided the public beaches. There is a trading post, a coffee shop, several cafes, mini golf and water slides. It was pretty busy but not so busy that it was uncomfortable. 

We went to Fun Warehouse where the kids played arcade games, laser tag, jumped on inflatables and rode go carts. 

Hudson's Flea Market was like most flea markets, you buy things you don't really need but they are pretty cheap so you buy them anyways. 

The Seafood House was a Buffett style restaurant that had live mermaids. They food was amazing but the atmosphere was the coolest part about it. It wasPirate  themed. The kids thought it was neat. 

There was also the Pirate Voyage. It is a show that serves dinner. Think of Medieval Times but Pirate themed. So much fun. 

We went to Hollywood Wax Museum. It also has a mirror maze and a haunted house in it. 

Broadway at the beach was delightful. We went to Wonderworks. Ate at Senor Frog. Took Old Time photos. Went to the Ripley's Aquarium. 

The boardwalk was also fun. We went to the mirror maze, a 6D movie, Ripley's Believe it or not, rode the Ferris wheel, and watched Polynesian fire dancers at Sharkey's. 

 

Knoxville to Myrtle Beach

Today we got on the road at about 9:30am. We drove for several hours before we stopped for lunch. After getting lunch we were on the road for maybe 15 minutes before we heard a loud noise. We thought we blew a tire but when Cody checked we hadn't. He climbed on top of the camper and saw that the canvas on top had started ripping off and that was what we heard. That is not a good thing but we can temporarily fix it until we are able to take the camper to a a specialist who fixes that sort of thing. 

We stopped at a Camping World and Home Depot to get supplies to temporarily fix the roof. After about 15 minutes in the parking lot with Cody on the roof he fixed it enough that we could keep on the journey. 

We didn't get to the campground at Myrtle Beach until about 7:30pm. We set up and headed for a walk on the beach, which turned into Cody and the kids not being able resist themselves and getting in the water. I loved watching them. 

Thank you God for getting us here safely and for not allowing minor problem to turn into major problems.