Thanks so much for visiting our travel blog. We hope that you enjoy reading about our adventures as much as we're enjoying living them. Let us know what you think - leave a comment or two.
. . . literally!!! The deep south has not been warm! Today we had the best day we've had (weather-wise) in about 10 days!! It's either been raining, threatening to rain, or just plain chilly. We have been watching a lot of videos, reading & sewing. Well, I've been sewing, working on a cross-stitch scene for my mom. Anyway, it's been a very mellow beginning to our winter travels. Sorry we've haven't had a lot to share here on the blog. "Guiler Travels" probably needs to be renamed to "Guiler Sits!"
We have had some excitement, albeit not personally. Our son, Kevin, has enlisted in the Army and is awaiting the date for booth camp. While we are concerned about the situation in Iraq, we truly believe that this is a great step for Kev; that he will thrive under the structure and discipline of the service. We also have faith that he is God's hands and that his future has already been planned for him. I have always thought Kev should go in the service, it just took him a little longer to figure it out!
Jason, Lindsay & Reagan are doing well. Reagan is growing and becoming quite an independent little girl. She is giving her parents a run for their money. We love it! Of course, there is some bittersweet emotion in their lives as they continue to wait for a buyer for their home while their new house is going up fast. If you think of them, we covet all prayers that a buyer will be found before they have to settle on the new house.
Here's a couple of the latest pictures of Reagan. Isn't she just adorable!?!?!?!! We're hoping to do some sightseeing next week. There is so much to see in this area. Keep in touch. Take care of one another. Until the next time . . .
. . . and comfortably ensconced in our RV! We got back to Summerdale yesterday, picked up the RV and set up camp by 5:30. Not bad, not bad at all. As wonderful as it was to be in Maryland and Birmingham with family and friends, there's truth to that saying, "There's no place like home." There's just something about your own bed.
We are so very grateful for good friends like Tricia and Dan & Debbie. They opened their homes to us for great lengths of time and made us feel so very welcome. We feel so fortunate to have them in our lives.
Plans have changed once again. We will be sitting still in Summerdale for a couple of months. It looks like we probably won't travel west this year. But, if we have to sit in one place, we love that we are able to do it here. We really like this area and the campground. There are lots of things to do and the climate is not bad. The weather can get fairly cool, but it rebounds quickly. Today was over 70 degrees!! That's the kind of winter weather I can get used to! :)
Hopefully, I'll be able to share the Gulf Shores area with you over the next couple of months. We also have found a church in Foley that we like very much. So, we are just grateful that we have the flexibility to change plans this easily. You just never know the direction God is going to take you, so you gotta enjoy the ride.
Here's a picture of our camp site here at Summerdale. And yes, it is as relaxing as it looks! Until the next time, take a minute and tell someone you love him/her. You'll be glad you did!
The nice thing about being retired is when life throws you a curve, you just try to swing through it! We had planned to be back in the RV by now, but it wasn't quite ready for us. The shop is waiting on a part, so we decided to continue to mooch off Dan & Debbie's hospitality! We could have gotten the RV back and the mechanic would have come out the campground to finish the repairs, but it seemed just to make more sense to sit tight and let the RV stay in the shop.
So, here we are, just hanging out in Birmingham. We'll get on the road eventually, and the blog will get more interesting then, I hope! :)
We arrived in Birmingham around 7pm last night. It was an easy trip - long, but uneventful. God has been so gracious to us in our travels.
It was tough to leave, though. We spent all of Tuesday with the kids and when it was time to leave them in the evening, that old tug of "maybe I can't go" hit me. I always feel as though I am abandoning them. I know that's silly, but the feelings are real so I have to acknowledge them. Many times throughout that day I would find myself just watching one of the kids, Lindsay, Kevin or Reagan. Just watching them, trying to commit to memory the laughter or a certain look. Sometimes I think it's going to be the last time I see them. But, I'm so grateful for who each one is, or is becoming. I think of Ginny, struggling to make ends meet and being a good parent to Tommy. And I reassure myself that, as much as I love each one of them, God loves them more and He is watching over them - and can do a much better job than I!! (Yes, I do know that even though I think He could use my help sometimes!! hehehehe)
Sorry to be so introspective, but these are the many feelings that assault me when we set off on a long trip and it's nice to be able to "share" them. I know that my kids will be okay, after all they're my kids! :)
Here are a couple of pictures taken our last night together. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of Ginny and Tommy when we saw them, so I'll just post a picture she gave me awhile ago. We plan to get back to southern Alabama on Friday, picking up the RV and getting it restocked for the next leg of the trip. Then, next week we'll head west for new adventures. Please drop us an e-mail and let us know what's going on in your lives. We always love to hear from family and friends.
I hope everyone had a wonderful start to the new year! Randy & I had a lazy (what a surprise!) day today, but started it off with breakfast out with Kevin. That was a nice way to start the year - we don't get a lot of time with him anymore. I found out that I really enjoy his company; isn't that a nice thing to know about your relationship with your kids? I think it is.
I hope that all of you have a great year - do something that you've always wanted to do! Don't wait, 'cause you never know if you'll ever get another chance to do it. Don't waste energy on missed opportunities, make new ones! And be sure to tell those you love that you love them.
We leave Maryland early, early Wednesday morning and will spend a couple of nights with Dan & Debbie in Birmingham. Then, Friday morning it's off to Summerdale to pick up the RV. We hope to be on the road middle to late next week. First stop, New Orleans; then who knows!
I talked with Ray & Judy this evening. They're at Frog Creek in Florida with the rest of the gang. Kinda makes me a little sad that we're not going back this year, but I know we're going to have a wonderful time out west. And, we'll see them again on the road or back in Florida another year. It's just nice to be reminded that we've got lots of folks to catch up with in one way or another.
Well, we'll "talk" again soon. Until the next time . . . enjoy!
