Christmas letter 2013

We can't send Christmas cards and letters to ALL our friends; otherwise we would go bankrupt!
If you normally get a card from us, you can ignore this. You'll get a hard copy! :-)

Fall in Carlsbad

Lots of things have been happening but I want to focus on today. We were under a high wind advisory all day and the wind is still buffeting our trailer at nine p.m. My phone says the gusts are almost forty miles per hour. Earlier this afternoon however, the weather equipment here at the campground said we had gusts of over sixty miles per hour with sustained winds around forty-five to fifty. Fortunately, we had mild temperatures today in the mid-seventies and the wind wasn't cold. Otherwise it would have been miserable.
As it was though, we had our own version of a blizzard with drifts … not of snow though, but grass seed pods. I heard two different names for this grass, one being buffalo grass and the other needle grass. I haven't been able to determine which name is correct but regardless, it was quite a sight. These grassy seed pods were filling the air today as the wind howled and whipped around the buildings and RVs. Because of the direction of the wind and the way the wind currents swirled around the back patio of the main building, we ended up with a huge, and I mean huge, drift of grassy stuff. Look -- see what I mean? It was crazy!

Visit to Carlsbad Caverns

We finally did it ... we managed to get to Carlsbad Caverns. We had both been looking forward to seeing the caverns for years. Now that we were in the area, we had been searching for the perfect time to go. And it was incredible. Of course seeing the bats fly at dusk was an experience not to be missed too. We couldn't take pictures of the bats ... you aren't allowed any electronic devices. They say it might distract or confuse the bats, but one of the rangers told me that the rule actually is in place simply to help everyone enjoy the experience as naturally as possible.

Here are some amazing pics of Carlsbad Caverns from the very top and then on down over seven hundred feet below ground! It was well worth the wait.

The Natural Entrance (also the bat flight exit)

It winds down and down and down~

Ta-da!

May - June - July~

I don't even know where to begin this post. Life has been so incredibly—um—fun/busy/stress-filled/sad/cool, etc. for the past three months. Just the idea of writing it all down has been overwhelming so I have simply ignored my blog. I know, I know ... that's not the way it's supposed to work. Oh well, sue me!

Where to begin. I guess I'll start with Carlsbad KOA. We came at the very end of April as Assistant Managers and that hasn't changed. What has changed is that I am also the Office Manager. That happened on May 15th when another woman was fired. I truly think she was relieved, at least I hope so for her sake. I sensed the first day I met her that she was in over her head and not at all comfortable. Since being promoted to that role, I am again doing bookkeeping, albeit a very light version of it. Nonetheless, anyone who knows me well understands how happy that makes me. What someone else might find totally boring or even terrifying, I absolutely love.

Anyway, we have both settled in to New Mexico and are enjoying this little corner of the world. It is a nice area ... high desert ... but not so high as to mess with baked goods. It is quite hot but not like the Phoenix area and it cools off at night. It was dry and will be again once we get through the monsoon season. I have to laugh at that. We got about three inches of rain last month and most of that happened during a 48 hour stretch. Rain is prayed for here.

Wayne gets to do mostly everything he likes—escorting, helping campers, mowing, etc. Although he definitely talks with the owner on site to make sure they are on the same page, for the most part he does whatever he sees that needs doing. How bad is that? Of course there are some frustrating things we both have to deal with, but that would be the case no matter where we were. Frustrating we can deal with; difficult owners like we have had in the past are much worse. We don't have that situation here, praise the Lord. We have a good group of workampers and that is another nice bonus.

My copyediting work is coming along nicely. I am still not as busy with that as I would like but that is getting better, slowly. When I am working on a book, I am ridiculously busy though since I put in at least nine hours a day on the campground. Most of the time I am too tired and sleepy to do much when we get home. I just try to get in as many hours as possible working on a manuscript on our days off.  I am learning something new about the craft of writing all the time and I love it. I am not a writer but to be a copyeditor, you have to know how to write well. It's still amazing to get paid to read—that's all I'm sayin'.

Let's see, what else besides work? Oh yeah, our awesome, and very loved and missed, family. Two of our daughter Julie's girls just had birthdays last month. Beth turned nine on the 8th and Emily turned 11 on the 31st. Kaitlyn turned thirteen on April 1st and Josh will be sixteen on October 27th. Where has the time gone? Our son Jon's youngest daughter will be two on the 25th of this month. And then his spunky little Anne will be five on the 29th of December. Of course we can't forget our son Joe's new little guy, Oliver, who will be a full six months old on the 7th. This may sound like all we care about are the grandchildren but that is far from the truth. This mama misses her own children very much. They, their spouses and children are all so special and we just can't wait to love on them next spring.

This fall we are planning a trip to Colorado to see several family members. My brother David and his sweet wife Judy are in Colorado Springs. We were able to see them briefly in 2011 while we were in Maine and they came to the East Coast on a vacation. However we only got to spend a couple of hours together. Definitely not enough. We also want to see my Uncle Gene as well as my Aunt Erma and I am hoping to see several cousins too. Family is very important to me.

Well, this is a pretty good update all things considered. Anyone planning a camping trip? How about New Mexico! We would love to see you.

New Beginnings in New Mexico~

During the third week of April, we had a wonderful visit with all of our kids and grandkids. It wasn't long enough for sure, but it was awesome just the same. Our newest grandson, Oliver, is amazing and we had such a great time getting to know him a bit. Since we likely won't get to see him until next spring, he will probably be walking by that time.

We arrived at the Carlsbad KOA on Friday, May 26th, and hit the ground running. We had Saturday off to get settled and began working on Sunday. When you go camping, you are aware of the fact that each campground has its own unique characteristics and amenities. However, when you work at several campgrounds, the differences are much more apparent. There are always nuances that we have to figure out and learn to deal with. On top of that, obviously the owners/managers and other workampers are different so you have new personalities and quirks to mesh with. It's all good here but it just takes getting used to. One has to be flexible to live this kind of lifestyle.

So far, it appears that I will be the person in charge of the kitchen. Initially during our phone interview, the thought was that I would be responsible for keeping the kitchen inventory stocked. They had already hired someone to be the cook. However, that couple quit just days before we got here due to a family emergency. When we arrived on the scene, I offered to give it a shot. Fortunately the dinner preparation isn't so much cooking as it is assembling. They smoke all the barbecue here — ribs, brisket and pulled pork — portion it and then freeze it. When I realized that we have to microwave each portion to defrost and heat it I was disappointed, thinking it would not be good quality. Boy was I wrong! The meat is absolutely amazing and incredibly delicious. Anyway, we make the potato salad and pinto beans too. Other items are available and are quite good but frankly, anyone who orders something besides the BBQ is just, ummmm, not smart. (My mother told me not to say "stupid.") Although the last couple of days have been very busy, overall I am enjoying the work in the kitchen.

Wayne and I are also in charge of the Sunday morning breakfast. Now that does require actual cooking, and although I am a perfectly capable cook, it is very different making pancakes and eggs to order for several people on a flat top when you aren't used to it. I found it fairly stressful ... hope it gets easier.

On top of the kitchen stuff, I am also in the office covering lunches and time between shifts for some of the other workampers. Wayne is doing what he loves most with mowing, escorting campers, etc. Overall we are pleased with what we have found at this KOA. So far everyone is nice and friendly, and it is great being part of a team again — something we haven't had since the summer of 2011 in Maine.

Eight days left (only six workdays)!

    We are on the final countdown to leaving Casa Grande, Arizona. Overall, it has been a good winter here at Sundance 1 RV Resort. I can't say we enjoyed the housekeeping we have done, but I can say we did the best job we could and got lots of compliments. For the most part, the people here have been very nice and we have made some friends. We have especially enjoyed our church family at Calvary Chapel CG and that is the one place we will miss when we leave.
    Physically this job has taken a toll on both of us. Perhaps we aren't in the best shape but we certainly get plenty of exercise while we work. Actually, I think it is the repetitive nature of what we do that has caused the problems. Wayne's hips and thighs hurt from all the mopping and my hands and fingers hurt from the same thing. We are very ready to be done.
    The highlight for me during our stay was the opportunity to participate in the annual play held at Sundance during the last week of February. The play was called "A Mad Breakfast" and was truly hilarious. Written and set in the 1920s, the play takes place in an old-fashioned boarding house. One of the male residents decides to play a practical joke on the landlady and the other residents. He has invited a gentleman to breakfast that morning, who placed an ad in a newspaper where he requested to be allowed to observe the residents of a lunatic asylum.

Miss Smith trying to demonstrate her acting skills

He lets one of the women in on the joke and together they take each of the others aside individually and tell them all different stories about what to expect from the visitor that morning. They tell the landlady he is an inspector of boarding houses, they tell the resident "artist" he is a millionaire who thinks he looks like Napoleon, etc. My character was a wannabe actress (Miss Smith) and they tell her the gentleman is an agent looking for talent. Of course the hapless visitor is caught in the middle of the chaos as each one tries to get his attention and impress him. He has no trouble believing he is in the presence of crazy people, poor fellow. All in all it was a ton of fun and we were all sorry to see it end.
     Anyway, we will be leaving on Saturday the 13th—sans trailer and our dog Lucy—and making a beeline to California to see our family. We will arrive at our son Jon's house early evening and will enjoy visiting with Jon, Cristen, Anne and Maddee through Monday night.

We will leave on Tuesday morning and head up to the north Bay Area (Sausalito) to see our son Joe, daughter-in-law Daunielle and their new little baby boy Oliver. We can't wait to meet this new little guy.

On Friday evening, our daughter Julie and her family are coming over from the Central Valley to Sausalito so that we can spend time with both families. We will celebrate four April birthdays together: Wayne (12th), Julie (16th), Joe (10th) and Kaitlyn (1st).

    Although we will enjoy our time with all of them, the time will be too short and we will have to say goodbye way too soon. We will head back to Casa Grande on Monday the 22nd, arriving on the 23rd, to pick up our trailer and Lucy. On Wednesday morning we will head east and arrive at the Carlsbad KOA on Friday the 26th to begin our new jobs there as Assistant Managers. We would appreciate your prayers as we travel.

Book Review: The Guardian by Beverly Lewis

This is the first Beverly Lewis book I have ever read and, I guarantee you, it won't be the last. What a joy it was to immerse myself into the world of the Amish (Plain) people of Pennsylvania. I think most of us find ourselves wishing, at one time or another, that we lived in a simpler time or place. As you read this book, you can almost feel yourself relax into a completely different world.

In the opening pages, we meet widow Maryanna Esh and her four young children as they ride home one evening in their buggy. The youngest child, little four-year-old Sarah doesn't make it home, however, and Maryanna is understandably frantic. A massive search is undertaken almost immediately as word spreads throughout their close community but to no avail. Little Sarah is nowhere to be found.

We are then introduced to Jodi, a young woman who is house sitting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for her cousin. She is still reeling from the death of her sister just six months prior and has decided to have nothing to do with God any longer. Although raised in a Christian home and engaged to a godly young man, Jodi finds herself feeling distant from those she loves as they encourage her to pray and turn to God for help. She is just not interested in having any conversations with a God who let her sister die. Jodi's life takes a major turn, however, when she goes out for a run and discovers little Sarah asleep by the side of the road, dressed only in her underwear, with a bump on her head.

When events take place that lead Jodi to the Amish community and Sarah back home, it quickly becomes apparent that God knows exactly what He is doing. We would do well to remember that too. I highly recommend this book.

**I was given an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to give a positive review.**

I have been busy reading~

The Forever Year by Lou Aronica

Having fallen completely in love with two other stories from Lou Aronica (Until Again and Blue), I just couldn't wait to read this one. Here again, this author has crafted an amazing, touching story that will stay with me for a long time. Just like the main character in the book, I too was an "oops" baby, surprising my family with my presence. However, Jesse was a much bigger "oops", arriving twelve years after his nearest sibling. The resulting family dynamics left him feeling out of the loop, so to speak. He and his siblings are too far apart in age to relate and his father, Mickey, just can't figure out who he is or what to do with him. His mother, Dorothy is the only one who takes the time to nurture and understand her young son. Unfortunately she passes away unexpectedly and far too soon, leaving the family distant and disconnected.
When Mickey begins showing unmistakable signs of age, the four children get together to determine what needs to be done. The three oldest are way too busy to even consider anything besides dumping him into an assisted living home. However, Jesse, longing to get to know his father and develop a relationship with him, suggests that Mickey move in with him. Although his siblings dismiss his idea out of hand, he decides this is worth fighting for. When he lets Mickey in on the decision being made by the other three, his father decides to accept the better option and moves in with Jesse.
The remainder of the story follows the two of them as they learn about each other and how to live in the same space. The main focus comes about when Mickey insists on meeting Marina, Jesse's girlfriend. When Mickey recognizes the special relationship they have and yet realizes his son Jesse is too skeptical of the enduring quality of love to take it seriously, he makes the decision to tell Jesse about his own amazing love story ... and this story has nothing to do with Jesse's mother Dorothy. Since he tells the story in stages, as a reader I felt like taking his face in my hands and saying, "Just get on with it, will you?" I don't want to give any more of the story away so I will leave it at that. I guarantee you though that you will love this amazing story.




The Mine (Northwest Passage) by John A. Heldt

I absolutely loved this story, much more than I anticipated. Of course I assumed I would enjoy it; otherwise I never would have bothered to read it at all but what a pleasant surprise!
The story opens as we meet Joel Smith on Memorial Day in 2000. As a college senior just about to graduate, Joel is out celebrating with his best friend Adam, and his typical playful and risk-taking personality leads him to a decision that changes his life. While exploring an abandoned mine much to the chagrin of Adam, he stumbles upon an odd, glowing chamber and emerges from the mine in May of 1941. His money is dated far into the future, his cell phone doesn't work and his options are few. We go along for the ride as this smart, likable young man quickly adapts to his surroundings and turns a potential disaster into a surprising new life. As war threatens those he has come to love, he realizes he too may end up dying in a war that, in his world, is long over and simply part of history. When circumstances present him with the possibility of returning to the year 2000, what does he do? Does he go and lose the love of his life or does he remain and risk erasing his very existence? You'll have to read it for yourself, but I am sure you will not be disappointed. Highly recommended!

Review of "A Cast of Stones" by Patrick W. Carr

As a copyeditor I was too busy to read the advanced copy of "A Cast of Stones" when I received it at the end of last year. I only just got to it this weekend. 

This is the first in a three book series called "The Staff and The Sword." I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed my trip into the life and times of Errol Stone. From the very first pages, I was completely drawn into and committed to the outcome of the story. Each one of the characters in the story is well developed to the point where I could see and hear them in my mind. Patrick's descriptions weren't overly wordy or pretentious as I have found at times in other books but were just perfect to help me imagine the people, the scenes and the locations where the action occurs. And the action? Well, there is certainly plenty of that. The intensity of the fighting was enough to build suspense but not to the point of being overly frightening. I truly cared about Errol and Liam as well as several of the other characters and cannot wait to find out what happens in the next two books. I highly recommend reading this book.

Tyndale Blog Network review of "I Still Believe" by Jeremy Camp

I honestly had not heard this story prior to reading the book and although it was heartbreaking in one sense, it was encouraging in another. 
Born January 12, 1978, Jeremy Camp is a well-known Christian music artist with several popular songs under his belt. Growing up in a Christian family, Jeremy personally witnessed God's grace as a child through his parents' faith during times of intense financial poverty. His father played guitar and often led worship at church, encouraging Jeremy as a young teen to learn to play the guitar.
Without re-writing his story here, the book delves deeply into his struggles as a teen, his sense of God's hand on his life in college and on his relationship with his first wife Melissa. While on their honeymoon in October 2000, Melissa realized her fight with ovarian cancer might not be over and she succumbed in only a little over three months. Around her hospital bed immediately after she passed away, Jeremy's family along with Melissa's family began to praise God for the fact that He is good even in the midst of devastating circumstances, and although crushed, Jeremy joined in the praise. Thus began a long time of grief and healing for Jeremy as he learned to trust his Father in heaven with everything and, more importantly, everyone. Now married for the second time (December 2003), Jeremy tours and shares his story along with his music. More often than not, his wife and three children accompany him. Expect to need tissues as you read his story but beyond even that, expect your faith to be challenged.
Please note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Tyndale House Publishers, in exchange for my review. I was not required to give a positive review.

Thoughts about aging~

If you read this blog, you are no doubt aware we have been in Casa Grande, Arizona working at the Sundance 1 RV Resort since October 1st. It's an interesting place, very busy with lots of activities going on from morning to evening. And of course you can't complain about the winter weather. We have had a few cold (relatively speaking) days, but for the most part it has been great.

Although Sundance is called an RV Resort, I will let you in on a little secret. Lean in close so I can whisper: it isn't really an RV Resort ... it's a retirement community that just so happens to have some RV spaces to rent. My parents used to live in Sun City, Arizona, which is a community basically in the suburbs just west of Phoenix and a little over an hour from here. Most of the houses, at least in the original section, are almost identical. They are all fairly small stucco homes with low-maintenance gravel yards, many with citrus trees and cacti as decorations. There are centralized activity centers with heated pools, hot tubs, billiard rooms, dance halls, etc. That is precisely what we have here only on a smaller scale. There are probably 1200-1400 residents here, most of whom travel to a cooler climate for the summer and return to their cookie-cutter park model homes in the winter.

As you can imagine, Wayne and I are the youngest people here, with the average age probably seventy or so. Almost all of them are very nice and friendly, and although we don't really fit in their lifestyle, they have been very open and accepting. However, being here has brought some less than happy feelings my way. It reminds me too much of my parents, both of whom I miss terribly. The vast majority of these folks could be my parents for heaven's sake. I was talking to one of my favorite ladies just this morning and she made the comment that I am only two years older than her daughter. There you have it.

I have also found that I am having an increasing number of thoughts lumbering about in my head that this stage of life is not all that far away. That's depressing ... well, perhaps that word is too strong but I must admit I am not looking forward to the time when my children have to "parent" me. I have only recently come through that stage myself, as my mother passed away 3 1/2 years ago. I have a couple of cousins who are in that stage right now, and let me tell you, if you haven't experienced it yet, I guarantee you will find it difficult. Although on the one hand I regret losing my father as soon as I did, I am in truth very relieved I did not have to go through that with him. It was hard enough with my mother and I think it would have devastated me to watch him slip into dementia or whatever. Nobody wants to have to be the one to tell a beloved parent to hand over their car keys and thus give up their independence. I was fortunate in that my mother had no intention of driving in California when we moved her out from Sun City so I never had to face that argument. There were other arguments though. Sometimes I had to laugh when she would stick her tongue out at me, but underneath that laugh I was grieving. I don't want to put my children through the very same thing but aside from the unattractive alternative, I don't know how to avoid it. Just the thought makes me sad and I don't like being sad.

Honestly, I can't wait to leave this place mid-April, nice though it may be. It's not good for my psyche. I need to get back to a regular campground with a wide range of ages and lots of noisy children. That's what we like and that's why we embarked on this crazy full-time RVing, workamping lifestyle. Perhaps then I can get back to my happy self. Carlsbad KOA, New Mexico, here I come!

Robert and Nancy Maxwell, Oakridge, TN circa 1946

Robert and Nancy Maxwell, Wyoming, 1982

What happened to 2012?

It's a brand new year with all new possibilities. I'm not sure where 2012 went but I am looking forward to 2013.
We spent most of this past year in three states: Texas, Idaho and Arizona. South...north...south. Does it sound like we are the typical snowbirds? Yep, absolutely. Although winter has definitely arrived here in Arizona, there is no snow and daytime temperatures are usually in the 50s and 60s. Not bad at all—and our water lines haven't frozen once!
My last post was around Thanksgiving and I totally missed December. I suppose it's because Christmastime just isn't the same without family around. This year was better though than the last two years since we left California.
Christmas 2010 was spent in Nashville, TN right after finishing our jobs at Amazon early in the morning on Christmas Eve. We had snow which was cool (literally) but we were both recovering from our physically demanding jobs, plus we were stressed because our black tank split just before we pulled out of our campground in Kentucky to head for Tennessee. It wasn't fun walking through the snow in the cold to the campground bathroom late at night and early in the morning.
Christmas 2011 was the absolute worst though. We were in the company yard in south Texas waiting for an oil rig gate. Gloomy, bored, no way to go to church and running out of money. Not fun!
This year was much better. The RV park we are in is really a retirement community made up of 85% park model RVs (think very small mobile homes) and15% RVs. We believe we are the youngest ones here. Anyway, these seniors get real serious about their Christmas decorations. We had beautiful lights all up and down the streets in the park as well as in and around all the buildings we clean. It gave the park a very festive and cheerful look.

Another thing that made Christmas nice is the fact that I was able to participate with the Christmas choir at our church. We had four performances but I was only able to participate in three of them as I got the achy/fever/congested flu right at the beginning of December. However, I was well enough to go to the convalescent hospital as well as be a part of the two performances at the church. Not only did I sing, but I went WAY out of my comfort zone and signed the whole thing as well. Although I have been learning sign language for the past four years, this is the biggest thing I have attempted to date. It made me far more nervous than singing, but it went well and I learned a lot.

On to this year ... we finally decided to do a little exploring this weekend, so this past Saturday we took off and drove northeast to Theodore Roosevelt Lake. What a beautiful drive! We ended up going through the mountains (I know, I know, those of you from Colorado are laughing right now) and found some surprisingly lovely scenery including a little bit of snow. On the way back, Wayne had determined we would go a different way to see something else and boy howdy was he right! We saw some absolutely gorgeous lakes and mountains, but the road ... the road was twenty-two miles of one-to-barely-two lane, bone-jarring dirt road with a major drop-off on the passenger side. We wanted an adventure and we found one! The washboard road was so bad that it made the truck fishtail even at 12-15 mph which was somewhat nerve-wracking with the narrowness of the road and the cliff edge. However, Wayne was very careful so it really was okay. I wasn't biting my nails or holding onto the dashboard (headrest! - family joke) but poor Wayne got quite tired of it very quickly. It must have taken us over two hours to get back on the blacktop and we were so excited to see it! Here are a few pictures:

We will be here in Arizona through mid-April. At that point we are going to put our sweet little Lucy in a kennel and head out with just our truck to see the family in California. By that time it will have been a full year since we saw any of the kids and grandkids, plus we will have a new grandson by then, courtesy of our son Joe and his sweet wife Daunielle. Once we say goodbye to all of them yet again (I hate goodbyes!), we will head to Arizona to pick up Lucy and then on to New Mexico. We have accepted positions as Assistant Managers at the Carlsbad KOA for a minimum of one year. We are excited to see what the Lord has for us there. Onward and forward into 2013!