My fork in the road in Austin…

Our family traveled to Austin, TX over Easter weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed the state’s capitol city and sight seeing. There was one small moment during our trip, when everyone was tired, cranky and just like every normal family… a moment of crabbiness shined through all of us. While we were driving, I saw this beautiful field of wildflowers and a path and asked my husband to pull over. While the rest of the fam stayed in the truck, I decided to take a stroll down this path ALL BY MYSELF 🙌🏼🙌🏼. (All caps is on purpose 😜).

This time alone was brief, but the view was beautiful and my conversation with the Lord was just what I needed. 

I cried out to the Lord to help my family in those moments of weakness, when we are tired and hungry and allow the flesh of selfishness creep in. I prayed to the Lord to help my husband lead our family well and daily become more and more the spiritual leader in our “home on wheels”. I begged God to help me raise my children in a peaceful home (I know we will still be loud 🙉) but I want my tone with them to be peace filled. I want our tribe to love each other well and to speak in kindness. 

As I walked along the pond and prayed (for my 2 minutes of alone time 😉)… I turned the corner to head back to the truck and to my little family that I adore… and saw this scene. I had to stop and snap a photo. What I saw was a fork in the road. And in that moment I had a choice to make.

We all have a choice…

we can choose the desires of our flesh or walk in the Spirit.

Often times, we only think this way when we have a BIG decision to make like taking a new career path, deciding to sell our home, making a large purchase, should we sell everything and travel the US in an RV,  etc.

But really, this scene occurs in the day to day, mundane, tiny detailed moments of our lives.

When our kids are arguing… we can choose peace or yelling (Phil. 4:8).

When anxiety consumes us… we can choose to allow it to control or claim Phil.4:6.

When people say hurtful things to us… we can believe the lies or know who we are in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

and the list goes on and on and on in every single fork in the road throughout our day.

In the big decision moments and the tiny ones… will you follow Him, allow Him to restore your soul…

as He leads you on…

the path of righteousness…

for His name sake (Psalm 23:3)?

And while you’re here… enjoy these pics of our trip to Austin…

I recently read there is a couple who travels in an RV and paints these greeting murals on walls in cities throughout the US… I have no idea if they painted this one… but if you ever find yourself in Austin, I would for sure stop for a great photo op…

When we were in Amarillo, TX, we took a can of spray paint and headed to Cadillac ranch (google it, such a cool place)… I had no idea Austin had a similar area… they call it Grafitti Hill. From what I read, this was an old condominium establishment that never materialized and over time it turned into an art district…

Take your own can of paint… and if you forget, there are usually street vendors there with cans for sell (and an ice cream truck). 

Our kids have checked off many state capitols during our 2 years of travel… so stopping by Austin’s capitol building was a must. You can even take a tour of the building… but we stopped by on Easter so obv offices were closed. 

Just outside the city (about 20 miles) is a fabulous restaurant called The Oasis. The drive through “Texas hill country” as it is referred to, was breathtaking. I seriously felt as if we had left the state of Texas. The restaurant is one of those… you won’t believe it until you see it kind of places…. but here’s a few pics of our time there and the beauty as it overlooks Lake Travis. If you go, be sure to drive around and check out the gorgeous mansions nearby. 

If you are in Austin and are looking for a great church, we recommend, The Austin Stone Community Church . I asked FB land for church recommendations in the area and had many options posted… we decided to go with this church because it was the closest to our hotel. The sermon was on point and the church was alive! They have several campuses, we attended the main campus in downtown, Austin. Check it out if you are ever near by and want to hear the Word preached in a powerful way. The lead pastor, Dr. Matt Carter preached the day we attended and was fabulous! 

If you are in Austin in early Spring, Google wildflowers near Austin and take a drive to see the beautiful flowers and the Texas state flower… the bluebonnet/ Lupinus texensis. 

Texas does everything big… and the rule applies to their wild flowers! Here’s a few pics of them and my little princess posing in a patch…

Warning… if you do make the wild flowers a photo opp… make sure you check the ground for ants and snakes. Thankfully we didn’t see any… but was thankful for the pre-warning. 

The yellow and red flowers (Indian blankets/ Gaillardia pulchella)were found on the campus of St. Edwards University. 
Speaking of campuses… hello… we had to stop and see the University of Texas! Hook ’em horns! Thankfully my hubby wasn’t wearing his Baylor hat at the time ;). 

And last but not least… we waited on Congress Ave Bridge (with a couple hundred other curious minds) to watch the famous bats come out at dusk… sorry I don’t have pics of the actual bats, but trust me, there were thousands of them… but I suppose they were full on Easter candy and didn’t come out at dusk when the photo opp would have been perfect… it was really dark when they came out so the pics just didn’t turn out. As the story goes, a colony of about 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the bridge and come out at dusk for their evening meal between the months of late March to November.  I’ll post a pic of us waiting on the bridge to watch. Other viewing options are the  lawn just below the bridge or in a boat on Lady Bird Lake, which flows from the nearby Colorado River. Many people observe from their personal boats and kayaks, rent them or take a boat tour on the Lone Star Cruise line or Capitol Cruises to watch. It is for sure a sight to see… although we had never even heard of this concept until we started our travel life and began following other traveling families online. 

We really enjoyed our quick trip to Austin. There are signs, tshirts and souvenirs everywhere that says “Keep Austin weird.” Well, Austin made the word weird a positive one for us, as we for sure enjoyed our time in this artistically colorful, eclectic city!

Unexpected blessings…

Ever had an encounter with someone and you knew it was a straight blessing from the Lord? 

Our family ventured up to Cheyenne this summer for Frontier Days and if you read my previous post, you would read of a precious little girl that I encountered there.  This little girl was one of several precious people I was blessed to meet there.

During our day, a crazy hail storm decided to greet us and our family scattered and took cover in the Indian village.  I had my oldest 3 munchkins with me and we jetted to a little covered area where you could purchase beautiful dream catchers and other gifts. No pun intended, but these dream catchers, caught my eye. They were beautiful and reminded me of my Aunt Doris. I knew I just had to purchase one for her because she collects all things Native American. 

As my daughter and I peeked through their supply of handmade dream catchers we found the one that we knew would be perfect for my Aunt. 

After my purchase, the hail storm decided to linger a bit… And lasted just long enough for me to have the most amazing encounter with the two sisters who hand made all of the merchandise in this particular booth. We thought we were only coming to this booth for protection from the storm… But received so much more. Coincidence? I think not! 

These sweet women showed me all of their beautiful goodies and went on to tell me a beautiful story. And if you have been around the blog for long or know me well… you know I am an absolute sucker for a good story… and if the story is about history… well we might as well pull up a chair! 

These lovelies shared with me the story and legacy left behind by their mother, a beautiful Indian woman. 

Their mother was an Indian from a tribe in North Georgia.  Hearing the word Georgia for sure filled my heart with JOY because I am a Georgia girl myself.  I couldn’t believe I was about to hear a story about an Indian woman from Georgia while I attended Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. 

These ladies proceeded to tell me their mother ran away from home, along with her brother, when she was only 19 years old. They left Georgia and ended up in Colorado. She hid her Native American heritage from anyone she ever met, thinking they would think it to be a disgrace and embarrassment.

 She ended up marrying and growing a beautiful family. It wasn’t until she was well in age that her children even discovered she was part Indian. They took great pride in their Indian heritage and now make beautiful Indian heirlooms and gifts as a beautiful way to keep the legacy of their mother alive. 

These two sisters are absolutely blessed with amazing talent and carry on their mother’s legacy in such a beautiful way. 

I was all ears as they continued to tell me about their mother. 

One sister continued with a story of Berry College. I absolutely love Berry College, located in Rome, Georgia. The campus is stunning and full of history. 

Martha Berry, founder of Berry College, actually took in their Indian mother when she was a child.  I am not certain if this was more like an adoption, but their mother lived with her for several years.  Her name is even mentioned in Martha Berry’s book. She was cared for by Martha Berry until her older sister from her biological mother became ill and needed her assistance.  

Their mother helped care for her older sister for many years and when she was 19 (as previously written), ran away to Colorado and began a new life.

Unfortunatly, those are the only details of the story that I can recall as I didn’t come straight home and blog about the story as I had hoped. I suppose, you could create the ending in your mind and dream a beautiful dream for this Indian woman and her family. 

She lived a courageous life, I am certain and the Lord called her home when she was in her 90’s. Her family lives out her heritage and will continue to bless others for generations to come, that I am sure. 

Thank you to these two sisters who blessed me and my love for story…

A blessing in Cheyenne…

I love the idea of community. 

The book of Acts explains in great detail the type of community I long for. 

When Peter addressed the crowd of followers on the day of Pentacost, 3,000 believers were added on that day… Talk about a mega church plant overnight!

3K heard the Word, believed and decided to be followers of Christ. Now that’s church.  The number was astounding… But while studying the birth of the Christian church from the book of Acts, what filled me with joy more than the grand number was the huge sense of community. 

Acts 2:42-47: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 

In the beginning, the idea of community was established. It’s such a beautiful thing. I have always been intrigued by other cultures and their sense of community. During my years as  a pediatric oncology nurse, I had the blessing to really get to know several Hispanic families as I cared for their sick little ones.  They always had a large family and community to help them during thier time of need. 

And now that we are a traveling family, we have had the opportunity to engage in many various communities across the USA. I am forever grateful for this season in our lives. Although community looks different for us now that we travel, perhaps we aren’t able to engage in the same community on a daily basis, we are blessed to meet so many people throughout the country and establish community whether we are. 

You may have read this before in a previous blog or on social media, but one thing I am constantly praying over our family is that we live out Matthew 5:16 (shine His light) everywhere we go and that we have open hearts and open hands. I never want us to miss an opportunity to be a blessing or to be blessed. If our heart and hands are constantly open, the Lord is able to work in our midst and allow us to shine His light to every community we embark upon. 

Having this mindset has allowed us to invite a homeless man, Mr. Jack to a Chris Tomlin album release party at our church in Atlanta and watch as he worshipped the Lord with tears streaming down his face. 

We have been able to buy dinners for people whom we felt we needed to in a restaurant, we have been able to pour the love of Jesus to other families and invite kids to church that we have met at the campsites.  My daughter and I even had the opportunity to lead a precious little one to Christ! Open hearts and open hands… Community! Community can happen wherever you are planted, rather you have a large tribe or a small one and regardless of the amount of time you have invested into an area. 

Last month, our family drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming to spend a day at Frontier Days.

I highly recommend this fun event if you are in the area next July. 

And even there, we desired to live out Matthew 5:16 with open hearts and open hands. Except this time… Instead of striving to bless others… We were blessed beyond measure…

  
This beautiful little one filled my heart with such JOY! 

As I was ordering my Indian taco (because everyone raved about the Indian tacos at Frontier days… And it did not disappoint), this little sweetie came up to me and said “I like your necklace. I like your shirt and hair and jeans and shoes.” Wow! Talk about making someone feel good. Then she goes on to say, “Girl, you are just gorg…e…ous!” With the gorgeous drawn out and exaggerated. I thanked her, we giggled a bit and I begged her to come home with me for my daily dose of much needed encouragement. 

Throughout the day, we continued to encounter this precious one and she would always say to her mom, “Look! There’s my best friend!” She was such a doll.  When we met once again near the petting zoo and horse stables, I had the best conversation with her and her mom about being a blessing to others. She for sure blessed my socks off and filled my love tank that day with all of her compliments.  I was able to share Psalm 139 (being fearfully and wonderfully made) with her and explained how that scripture was speaking of her. As I walked away from this precious one, after numerous encounters throughout the day, my heart was filled with JOY!

We had many other beautiful encounters like this one during our day at Frontier Days. I will share those a little later in another blog post. 

I love that church can happen anywhere you are.  As followers of Christ, we are church… And church can even happen in the middle of Frontier Days in the middle of Cheyenne, Wyoming! 

Here are a few pics from our fun day…

   
    
    
    
 

Overcoming fears…

From the moment he was old enough to be afraid, my first born had fears.  

When he was 2 and in preschool, he would go to the directors office when his preschool teacher vacuumed after lunch because he was afraid of the loud noise.

When someone pulled the fire alarm at church and his children’s class didn’t follow procedure like he had been taught (to go outside), a fear of fires was born in him. 

When we had to grab the children and head to the basement in the middle of the night because of a tornado warning, a fear of storms was created. 

Fears

We all have them

We can’t deny them

And the way our current world seems to be filled with such darkness on most days, fears are legit and understandable.

But

Can we allow them to lord over us? 

Can we use them as a crutch to never enjoy life to the fullest? 

Can we hide and live in fear forever?

Is that what God wants for us? 

Did God create us to fear the things of this world? 

NO! 

Were we made for so much more? 

Does God tell us to fear Him and nothing else? 

Does God have greater plans for our lives than to succumb to our fears? 

YES! 

  This is a picture of our family at the very top of Pike’s Peak. And my son… My first born who has many fears… With the fear of heights being one of those… Is in the photo with us! What an astounding accomplishment! We were so proud of him to come with us as we traveled the 14K feet in elevation and the fact that he even got out of the truck and walked around by choice, was a miracle in itself. 

    

Jonah, we are so proud of you! 

He has come so far! Not only has he overcome his fear of loud noises, fires and heights… He is daily growing in the Lord and is trusting His life with the Creator of the Heavens and Earth! 

The Lord has big plans for my boy’s life! I love watching the Lord pursue him and draw him unto Himself.

Just this past Winter, we saw a first hand glimpse of God doing just that. 

We were visiting my husbands parents and my best friend in Nashville and spent a day exploring downtown Franklin, TN. 

We had a beautiful encounter with God in this store called Philanthropy. God was showing off for my son and it was wonderful for this mama to have a front row seat. 

When we walked into the store, Jonah noticed this metal cross. And without a doubt in my mind, and regardless the cost, I knew we had to buy it for him. 

You see, he is somewhat of a private individual… And like many men, his walk with the Lord is somewhat private. Now my second born son, we call him “preacher Jake” because he has proudly worn a cross necklace for years and is quick to want to purchase a cross or anything else that displays his faith in Jesus. 

Jonah, on the other hand is more private. We know he loves the Lord and has a personal relationship with Jesus, but he isn’t as quick to “display” it. 

So when he eyed this cross in Philanthropy, carried it around the store, and continuously spoke of how fond he was of it… We knew we would be purchasing it. 

During our time in the store, we had a lovely conversation with a precious woman who worked there, and spent a few minutes writing prayer requests on their prayer wall.

   

After spending time in the store, my husband went to the register to pay for the cross for my son Jonah. And that was the moment we witnessed the Lord show off for my son. The precious lady that we spent so much time talking with, was also the cashier, and she told us, she felt as if the Lord wanted her to purchase this cross for our family. 

Wow! I was in tears! She had no idea the fears my son carried with him, the shyness of his heart and that his wanting this cross was such a big deal. She didn’t know, but God did! God loves my son so much and through this cross displayed His love!  

(Below is a photo of Jonah and the sweet woman who paid for his cross). 

  

And to this day, my son has this special cross displayed over his bunk in our camper. It is a beautiful reminder of Gods love and perfect plan for each of our lives! 

  
Jesus paid it all…

He paid it all so that we won’t have to 

Worry

Doubt

Live in anxiety

Have fear

Jesus paid it all…

So that we can be set free

Walk in faith

Trust and obey

And just like my son on that beautiful afternoon on top of Pike’s Peak…

Jesus paid it all so that we all can be an

OVERCOMER! 

  

Thank you Jesus for creating my son to be an overcomer so that he can enjoy the beautiful display of your splendor! 

And for your enjoyment, here are a few pics from our drive up Pikes Peak… 

  
    
    
   
  

Is our choice to homeschool ruining our kids lives?

“You have HOW many kids?”

“Really, and they are ALL yours?”

“You know what causes this don’t you?”

“And you homeschool?”

“Seriously, they aren’t gonna be socialized if they aren’t in real school.”

“How long do you plan on homeschooling?”

“There’s no way you can continue this when they get to high school.”

“You did what??”

“Are you crazy? You rented out your home and now travel in a home on wheels?”

“What about all of your things? You need your stuff.”

“And what about the kids toys? I just feel so bad for them without all of their toys.”

“So you mean to tell me you roadschool? Like you travel the US while teaching your children?”

“And you chose this life? Like it wasn’t just bad luck that you and your family ended up this way?”

“No way girl. Not me. I wouldn’t want your life. You must be a much better mom and wife than I am because I certainly wouldn’t say yes to what you have said yes to.”

Those are real statements that I have had spoken over me. True story.  

But thankfully, those words have never come from those who mean the most to us; from those who are most important in our lives. Our friends and family have always applauded us, cheered for us, encouraged us and rallied us along during all of our “crazy” choices to have more than the traditional 2 children, homeschool (and now roadschool) our kids, rent out our 4K sq ft home and trade it for a 4 hundred sq ft home on wheels.  Perhaps some of them have thought some of the above comments but have never acted on them or judged us in any way. And for that, we are grateful. 
Those words may have come from acquaintances and complete strangers… But in reality, the enemy speaks those same thoughts (lies. All lies) over me almost every day. 

The enemy wants me to believe that I am crazy…

That I can’t handle having 4 kids… And the idea to foster/adopt a slew of them one day when we stop traveling is even crazier. 

That I am incapable of homeschooling our children. 

That they are going to grow up dumb and not be able to function in society. 

That I am ruining their lives and future of ever obtaining a college acceptance letter or even a job for that matter.

That I am the worst mom and teacher ever.

That living in a camper is completely insane and that yes, they need their toys and I need more stuff. 

Lies. All lies. 

Because when I scrolled back through my paul6homeschool 2015/16 school year hashtag on IG…

I saw life

I saw love

I saw learning

I saw creativity

I saw smiles

I saw growth

I saw adventure

I saw 4 children creating memories and dreaming dreams that could never be accomplished if we did life any other way. 

These kids have schooled in about 38 States, too many national and State parks to count, numerous museums and aquariums, and tons of libraries.  

Book work? Yes, they did book work. 180 Math lessons to be exact. Yes, they read books and sat through many grammar lessons. Yes, they are up to par in comparison with others in their age group… 

But those things pale in comaparison to the journey and adventures made. Nothing can top going to the top of the Empire State Building, putting their hands on the real Plymouth Rock, studying mammals and wild life at Yellow Stone National Park, being in awe of the Grand Tetons,  doing their copy work down by the river in Colorado, learning all about sea life in Florida, fishing in the Great Lakes or learning all of the US State capitals by actually putting their feet on the ground in those states instead of only staring at a map.

So get behind me Satan. Move over. This mama and her 4 munchkins (along with their hard working daddy) are exactly where God wants us to be. He’s got this! He’s leading the way, guiding our path, and as we lean into Him… We will follow whichever path He has designed for us. We will take the good days with the bad and make lasting memories. 

“You have 4 kids, live in a camper and roadschool by choice?” 

Yes, yes I do. 

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

 Here’s a little glimpse into their homeschool journey this past year.   

    
    
   
So if you are a homeschooling, Roadschooling, unschooling whatever you want to call it schooling mom… Stand strong. Hold your head high. March forward. Press on. And trust the plan God has mapped out for you.

You are strong and courageous.

You are more than conquerors.

You are free from keeping up with the Jones’ and living a cookie cutter life. 

You can be different and look different and go against the norm. 

Stop comparing your life to those around you and stare straight at Jesus, keeping your eyes on Him and He will not let you down. He’s got this. And so do YOU! 

If homeschooling is what God has called you to… Then Go FOR IT!

No. You are not ruining your kids lives… And neither am I. 
Psalm 127.3: “children are a heritage from the Lord. “

Proverbs 22.6: “train a child up in the way he should go… “

Philippians 4.13: “i can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” 

Proverbs 3.5-6: “trust in the Lord with all of your heart…”

Romans 8.37: “we are more than conquers through Him who loves us!” 

Dwell

  

“How lovely is your dwelling place,

    Lord Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints,

    for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and my flesh cry out

    for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,

    and the swallow a nest for herself,

    where she may have her young—

a place near your altar,

    Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

    they are ever praising you.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baka,

    they make it a place of springs;

    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,

    till each appears before God in Zion.

Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;

    listen to me, God of Jacob.

Look on our shield, O God;

    look with favor on your anointed one.

Better is one day in your courts

    than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

    the Lord bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

    from those whose walk is blameless.

Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you” (Psalm 84).

  

 I can’t even believe this is the majestic view I woke up to outside our camper window this morning. My aunt and uncle have graciously allowed us to park our “home on wheels” on their land in beautiful Colorado until a campsite opens up for us next week. 

We had an adventurous and crazy 4 day drive here from Florida and got here later than we had planned last night due to car problems. All the kiddies are still sleeping, because we are all a little confused with the time change (EST to MST), and I rejoice that I have these few moments to study God’s word and bask in the beauty that surrounds me by looking out this tiny window. 

And this view reminded me of one of my most favorite Psalms. I have come to Psalm 84 on some of my lowest moments and on some of my best days…

and here today… My heart was drawn to it once again as I cannot get over the beautiful picture God has painted right before my eyes. Oh Lord, how lovely is your dwelling place.
I don’t know what your view looks like today, if you are on a mountain high or sitting in the middle of a valley. But my prayer for you is that you find Him wherever you are. 

Find beauty in the change.

Seek Him in the hard.

Praise Him on the mountain top.

Bask in His goodness.

Trust Him with the unknown.

Dwell in His presence today. 

  

In the middle of nowhere Texas

If you are wondering if there really are any good people left in this world. There are.If you are wondering if God really does answer prayer, work miracles, and sometimes answers those prayers in a matter of minutes? He does.

Yesterday was living proof of both statements above. We have been traveling the past 4 days from Jeff’s previous job in Florida to his next assignment in Colorado. 

As we were driving through middle of nowhere TX, like nothing but a bull and an oil rig in sight, our check engine light came on and our car started smoking a little. 😁

Paul6 went into holy hands raised in the air, Lord we need a miracle, kind of praying. 🙏🏼🙌🏻

We were able to pull off the interstate and onto a side road before it completely went kaput. We just so “happened” (coincidence not) to pull behind a family who had pulled over to check their boat trailer. 

And it just so happened that something told the wife of the family that they needed to pull over (coincidence not). God did that for us! 

And it just so happened (coincidence not) the husband of the family works on cars for a living. He took one look and saw it was a heater hose that broke which was causing antifreeze to leak and our car to over heat and smoke. They cut the hose, wrapped it with mechanical tape and cable ties, added antifreeze and water and we were good to go. 

We headed to the next one horse town and are now at an auto parts store to get a better hose… And little did we know, the family followed us the entire way and the husband is now helping Jeff work on the Yukon at the parts store. 

    
Yes. There are good people in the world and God still answers prayers. He worked a miracle right before our eyes today and what a testimony of Gods provision and protection for our kids to witness. Thank you Jesus for Mr. Cody from TX. May you bless him for blessing us.

In the name of Jesus, we will make it all the way to Colorado without another problem and then… Will be buying ourselves a truck that is actually capable of pulling this house on wheels of ours. 

 There are so many “ups” to this adventurous life… But I always want to make sure to share those “downs” too. But either way we will choose JoY!

Amd this signed soared high over the auto parts store…

  

And even today, when we had to pull over because the Yukon was overheating, the kids made memories and explored. Regardless the circumstances… We must choose JoY! 

   
   

  

Paul 6 cruising the Bahamas…

I have not been the best about actually  blogging our traveling life. I post tons of travel pictures on Instagram (@paul6adventure) but not as much about actual traveling is on the blog.  I started the blog many years ago as a means to share what Jesus is doing in and through our lives and to encourage others in their walk with the Lord. I guess I wasn’t really sure how to mix blogging about our travels into that… 

What in the world was I thinking! Hello! Jesus is in the middle of our travels. Jesus is the reason we travel. Jesus shows up everywhere we go because He is already everywhere we go…

So… I decided to start blogging more about our traveling family and will continue with devotional type blog posts as well. And what better time to start than now, as our family just returned from a cruise on the Carnival Cruise Ship, Senation and sailed to the Bahamas!  So come on… And take a little travel with us via pictures and blogging…

 
My hubby surprised me with this trip for my birthday! He initially booked the cruise just for the two of us, but I was a little unsettled with the idea of being without my kids for 6 days, and not being certain to be able to contact them, so he kindly (and unfortunately with adding lots more money 😜) booked a spot for all 6 of us!  I know. I know… Call me crazy that I didn’t accept a trip alone with my hubby for 6 days… But I’ve never left them for that long and the thought of doing so for the first time while out in the middle of the ocean… Well… I just couldn’t handle it… So crazy mom or not… We all went and this mama’s heart was very happy because of it! 

We set sail out of Port Canaveral, Florida and the weather for Florida was unusually cold. It felt kinda strange to get on a cruise ship with pants, jackets and long sleeves… With the exception of my first born, who would wear shorts while living in an igloo if we gave him the option. 

  
 The kids faces had the biggest smiles painted on them and there were squeals of JOY when they saw the ship for the first time and they were beyond excited to board the ship and run around seeing all it had to offer! 

  

One of the best parts about being on a cruise is being served. When you are mama of 4 and you are used to serving others all.day.long… It was a treat to have your room cleaned 3 times a day and to be treated like a princess during meals. 

  
   Speaking of princesses, I shared a room with my little princess! It was so much fun to have all of that extra girl time every evening.

  
 The kids loved the towel animals that were on display in the cabin every evening! 

  
   
And this little guy loved that we could call for room service 24 hours a day! 

  

 We had the best waiter! Rayon (Ryan) was from India and we learned so much about his culture. When you are a homeschooling mama, you are always seeking learning opportunities for your children, and every night at dinner we got a glimpse of what it is like to grow up in India. Ryan is from Goa, India and grew up about 10 minutes from the Arabian Sea!  We learned that although a majority of India is Hindu or Muslim, the Southern area of India is a former Portugese colony and the majority of the people that live in this area are Roman Catholics.  We loved having Ryan as our waiter and will for sure miss seeing him every night for dinner. 

Day 1 at sea was filled with touring the boat, fun games with the kids, and entertainment by the cruise staff.  

    
     

    
  

 
 
Jeff and I tried escargo at dinner. Jeff was very reluctant at first, but was brave and conquered his fears!  Dinners on the cruise were the best! Not only was our waiter the best ever… The food was fabulous! We all loved the fact that we could order as many varieties of the food choices as we wanted and we tried new things that we never would have otherwise. 

Day 2 was at Freeport. We didn’t do a whole lot at this port. Freeport is more of an industrial port and you basically have to take a taxi (and not the type of taxi you are used to in the States) if you want to actually do anything at this port. Our kids were a little freaked out and overwhelmed with all of the locals coming up trying to talk us into taking a taxi. Instead of taking the taxi, we decided to peek into a few of the shops and decided to spend the remainder of the day swimming ( I mean, freezing).  The water was too cold for Jeff and I, but the kids certainly didn’t seem to mind it one bit.  It was so nice to lounge by the pools, and relax while staring out into the beautiful ocean. 

  
And the big kids braved the huge water slide!   

The dinner for night 2 was a little more formal. It was nice to actually see our family get all dressed up and go for a fancy dinner. We even used this opportunity to teach the kids about table manners and how to properly use the table settings. This was a huge difference from our normal, eat on paper plates because we live in a camper, dining that we are used to! 

  
  
Emma Rose even matched her AG doll, Grace and brought her to our fancy dinner. The family who sat beside us each night for dinner was from Argentina and they were mesmerized by ERP and her doll because they don’t have dolls like that with matching clothes where they live. Perhaps we should move to Argentina and start the Argentina Doll line! 

Day 3 was in Nassau! We really enjoyed our time at this port and met many of the locals and learned of their culture. 

  
 
We did some shopping at the market and met two sisters named Raff and Cheryl.  

They were so generous and kind. Before leaving them, I felt the need to ask if we could stop and pray with them. Raff began to cry and told us of her son and his problem with drugs. Drugs are a big problem on the island. It was an honor to pray over these two women and their families. They are such hard workers and graciously do all they can to help provide for their family. What began as a prayer over them turned into a beautiful praise service right there in the middle of the market! I love that church can be anywhere, anytime and with anyone who desires to call upon the name of the Lord! As believers, we are the church, and the Lord was certainly in our midst there in the market in the middle of the Bahamas. 

We bought most all of our souvenirs from these two women. They were so kind and gave each of the children a Bahamas bracelet and Cheryl gave Emma Rose a straw doll that she had made by hand earlier that morning. She said the Lord must have had her make the doll just for Emma Rose and wanted her to have it. 

We also met a woodworker who was very skillful and talented.    

We noticed he had his BIble with him so we asked his favorite scripture and he told us it was John 3:16. He and the kids had a good time quoting scripture together! 

Little girls can’t come to the Bahamas and not get their hair braided! Here’s a pic of ERP having her hair done by a lady named “Navy, as in Old Navy.” Those were her exact words when we asked her name. 😉    

   
We also spent some time at the beach that day. Again, it was too cold for Jeff and I (the downfall to being old) but the kids embraced the cold and splashed away!  

 
   
 
  
We really enjoyed the colorful city of Nassau! 

 
    
  We felt fairly safe with all of the officers walking around the city!   
    
 
Many memories were made on this trip… We will always remember the time our quiet and shy, Jonah was asked to go on stage and play in the Hasbro Family Game  night… 

 
Emma Rose and Emory were part of the staff dance one night at dinner…  

Emma Rose even lost a tooth on the ship!   

We also participated in a digital family scavenger hunt…  

 We had to take a pic of 2 family members doing the chicken dance in the atrium.

  A pic of the parents making silly faces with the ship’s funnel in the background…

Oh yea… And we won the scavenger hunt and even got a trophy and medals!   

We had a “funtastic” breakfast one morning with Dr. Seuss! Everyone enjoyed their green eggs and ham!   

We were so grateful for a wonderful family trip making memories that will last a lifetime! 

Before leaving, we had to find our dinner waiter, Ryan (our favorite person on the ship) at his breakfast area for one last pic!  

 
We loved our trip and would totally recommend cruising with kids! If paul6adventure can do it… You can too!  

  

 

Remember

It is hard to trust a known God with an unknown future,

But it is easy to remember all the ways He provided in the past. 

It is hard to close your eyes and simply follow the Lord and His plans for your life,

But it is easy to remember that His promises have always been true. 

It is hard to see and understand the big picture, 

But it is easy to remember the simplicity of right now…

Remember. 

Remember… that word was poured over me like a plentiful drink offering during my last Bible study with my sweet Minnesota girls.  

There we were, huddled together, forming a circle in Julie’s sitting room. Seven women sat digging into and discussing  a study on the Proverbs 31 woman… when the Holy Spirit prompted Cheri’s heart to ask me how I was doing with this traveling life that my family and I were on. 

She knew. She had heard my story.  I was transparent as I spoke to them about the ways our family had to simply trust the Lord with our unknown future. She knew that my husband’s contract in MN was soon coming to an end… And that we had no idea where we were going next… And she knew. She knew it was best to ask “how was my heart in all of this.”  

The asking of this question created a complete heart examination for me.  

My heart. Where is my heart in all of this? Am I trusting or stressing? Am I patiently waiting or anxiously trying to get ahead of God and figure out a plan of my own?  Am I sitting, resting and allowing the Lord to go before me and lead the way or am I taking matters into my own hands and getting ahead of what God has planned?  Those questions, were the ones I asked myself as I pondered the reply to her question about my heart.  And I suppose, I could ask the same questions to you… How is your heart?

Are you trusting instead of stressing…

Patiently waiting instead of anxiously planning…

Are you sitting…

Resting…

And allowing the Lord to pave the way? 

I have to trust God. I have to wait.  I have to rest and allow the Lord to lead us to what is next on the agenda for our adventurous life.  Resting and waiting comes with the territory of my husband’s line of work as an independent insurance adjuster. He is not given a new assignment until the current assignment is over… And if there happens to be any form of catastrophe i.e. flooding, a hurricane , a blizzard or hail storm… Then everything is on hold until it is determined if the storm becomes a natural disaster. For us, my husband just finished his 4 1/2 month Minnesota contract and now we are in a period of wait. 

When Cheri proposed the question regarding my heart… She also told me the Spirit was stirring her heart to tell me the word remember. 

I love it! Thank you Cheri for being open to the stirring of the Spirit of our Lord. 

During the wait I will rest and will remember…

• The beautiful lakes and scenery MN offered us.  The pictures will be present in my mind…permanently etched in my heart. 
• The quality time I shared at the campsite with my children on nature walks and swims in the pond. 
• Laughter, smiles and joy that was felt as treasured new friendships were established.
• How the Lord sent us to a church that not only would my kids love… But would say yes at to following the example of Jesus in baptism.

“Remember these moments.  Remember the now.”  Those were the words spoken over me that night in Bible study… and I am clinging tightly every word. 

And as I cling to those words of remember… I will rest, be still and trust the Lord to lead the way, to go before us and provide my husband’s next job. And in the middle of the wait… we will have joy in the journey. 

    

Psalm 46:10: Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the Earth. 

paul6adventure

“Home is where the heart is,” it’s so cliche, but point on for our family.
If you know us personally or have been following #paul6adventure on social media… you have already figured out that we are a camper life family.

2015 started a new life… a new journey for our family. After much prayer, my husband decided to open his career up to travel opportunities and for him that would mean 3 or more months at a time on the road. I really didn’t want to be a single mom and daddy didn’t want to miss out on being a dad/husband… and since we had already homeschooled our children for the past 3 years… and planned on continuing to do so, we packed our bags… bought a travel trailer and hit the road.
Since January we have lived in West Virgina, Boston and are currently in the land of 10,000 lakes (Minnesota). My children have already seen more of the country and visited more historical sights than they probably would have in their lifetime had we not said yes to this adventurous life that the Lord had prepared for us in advance.
So that catches you up with where we are currently…
We have been called many things since embarking upon this life… adventurous, crazy, gypsies, obedient, faithful, “out there,” etc. etc. etc. All out of love, of course! at least I hope so 🙂 We truly have had so much support and love from all of our family and friends. I know we are not living the traditional “American Dream” kind of life… but who says you have to? The Lord opened up the door for us to embark upon this journey… and we decided to follow! This crazy life has its ups and downs… highs and lows… good days and bad days… just like any so called “normal” life. I am sure it won’t last forever… as our long term desire for our family is to one day settle down and live on a piece of land and open up a foster/orphan home so that we can love on little children for years and years to come. So, in the mean time… we are open for whatever and where ever the Lord would lead us.
In June, the door opened for us to rent out our beautiful home in Georgia. As hard as it was to fly south and pack up our things… I know it was from the Lord and something we needed to do. Financially it just made sense. Here are a few pics of the kids and I on our last night (for a long while) in our GA home that we love so much!

   
 
While the kids and I were home moving out of our GA house… daddy stayed behind in MN to work… and bought us a big surprise while we were gone… a new camper! We figured if we were permanently living/traveling and on the road… that we might as well have something that could feel a little more like a home. 

  

 We like to give a name to everything that we own… simply because that just makes life fun. So we would like to give you a tour of “Lighty”

The name couldn’t be more perfect. Our family scripture is Matthew 5:16 (NIV): In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 

 With Matthew 5:16 being our family verse and our new camper is a 38ft LIGHT by Open Range… so the name LIGHTY is just meant to be!
I have the word LIGHT hanging over our new camper door as a reminder that every time we enter in or leave… we are to “Shine the light of Jesus” everywhere we go.
  
I found these little tin letters in an adorably, quaint shop in Tybee Island, GA and just had to bring them with us to hang over the door in our new home too!
So now that you’ve come through the front door… Let me give ya a little tour… Remember it is a 38ft camper so the tour won’t take long. 🙂 

 Entertainment center as you walk in the front door.

This is our kitchen. We are so thankful for the island. Our GA home had the best kitchen ever so we are blessed to have a nice kitchen in this camper too!   

    

  

  

  

 Our living room. Having this much couch space in a camper is quite unusual so we are happy! The table can come down and be stored under the couch or you can pull out 2 tables and use both. 

  Doorway leading to the kids bunk room. 

 
The kids each have their own bunk and the bench/table can be lowered into a bed as well. It will come in good use for our little guy down the road… But for now, he is still in the pack n play at night.  We will do a majority of our schooling at the table! So glad we have a separate area for school and are no longer taking up the kitchen table!  

  

    
  

The kids have loved decorating their bunk area with their favorite things! 

And at the other end of the camper is our bedroom and the bathroom.

   
 Notice there is only one bathroom pic. That is because we only have 1 bathroom. Yikes! So far it really hasn’t been a problem though. And the Lord willing, our adventurous camper life will be over by the time the kids are teenagers! 

We wanted to decorate with a few little things that help make our camper feel more like a home and allows for the presence of the Lord to be felt.   
  

My girl and I were shopping in Michael’s one day and for no apparent reason, we were very silly and giddy. We laughed at anything and everything. Prior to leaving, I saw this in the clearance section and had to purchase it as a fond reminder of our special date together. It now hangs on the kids bedroom door.

  

A sweet friend made this chalkboard wall hanging for us before we left for this adventure. Our family’s theme song is Oceans by Hillsong so for the time being, I have some of the lyrics to the song written on the board as a daily reminder of our trust in the Lord. 

I won this little wood sign at a friend’s adoption fundraiser.  It is a great reminder to pray for several friends and their adoption journey, our desire to one day run an orphanage and to simply remember the truths from Matthew 17:20 (NIV): Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Thank you for touring our little home called LIGHTY!  We hope you will follow our #paul6adventure journey through this blog or by connecting with us on social media.  If home is where the heart is, I am learning that it really doesn’t matter the size of the home, the amount of money in the bank or the accumulation of things… But what matters most are the memories that are made and the amount of love that is shown… And in our little home… We will love well and SHINE HIS LIGHT!