Well, I Spoke Too Soon

Looks like our schedules will be changing a bit. Seems as though Kim (the wife of that workamping couple I wrote about earlier this week) wants to lessen the hours she's working due to family obligations. So, I said I was willing to add two hours to my schedule, which will bring me up to twelve hours per week. I was okay with that because that's what I thought I was going to do when we contracted to work here. I will be working three four-hour days instead of two five-hour days now. It still isn't a bad schedule at all. And Alicia is giving me lots of computer work to do, that is my responsibility, so that's nice. I like having my own tasks to do.

Since Randy also works twelve hours, we have changed his schedule to match mine so we'll be working the same days – Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Yeah, I'm losing my “alone time” on Thursdays, but I'd rather that happen than us working two schedules which cuts down on the amount of days we have off together. This way we'll have four days in a row off. Maybe we'll end up actually doing something!

I'd like to take a couple of days and go back to Alabama to see our friends. I'm thinking we may plan such a trip in early February. We could leave after work on a Saturday and come back on a Wednesday. That would give us plenty of time to visit with folks – and we'd get to go to our church! Yes, I think I like that idea!

The only other news is that Mike & Peggy will be coming through here on their way to the Plantation. YAY! They'll be here Tuesday and stay for a couple of nights. It will be so good to see them. Last time we were together was last July in Maine.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Until the next time. . .

We Came to the End of the Road . . .

. . . and it was in Panama City Beach. :)

Randy & I decided to get out of the RV and actually do something today! When we got in the truck this morning, the trip odometer showed about 180 miles. That is unheard of for us this late in the month! :) We usually put about 600 or more miles on the truck in a month, depending on what we do. This just shows you how we've been sticking close to home these days. And we decided to do something about that today.

Of course, the first thing we did was go to breakfast. :) There aren't many restaurants in this area to get breakfast, and if you've been reading our blog for awhile, you know that's the meal we really enjoy going out for. Of course, we usually don't turn down other meals, either! :) Anyway, we went to a little restaurant in town and it was pretty good. I think we'd go back. When we can eat for less than $15, including tip, the meal would have to be pretty bad for us not to return!

After breakfast, we headed south. Panama City Beach is about 45 miles south of us so we figured that's where we'd go. And the weather was just perfect for the beach. When we got there, the sun had come out and the skies were a beautiful blue.

There was a breeze, too. I was sorry I hadn't brought a chair so I could settle on the beach, watch the waves, and enjoy the day. Maybe next time.

Randy and I walked along the beach a bit and enjoyed being out and about.

Then, we walked through the shopping area, Pier Park. Lots of restaurants, boutique-type shops, the typical beach shops, and some big department stores as well.

One restaurant/bar I was very surprised to see was Tootsie's. Yes, the very same one that's in Nashville. Didn't expect to see that!

By the time we got home, the trip odometer was at 240 miles! The truck was probably wondering what happened!

It was really nice to get out and see a bit of the area. Randy's declared that Wednesdays are going to be our “day out.” :) But, not next week – that's the first of the month and you all know what we'll be doing.

Oh, and our schedules are staying the same. The couple we thought may be leaving has decided to stay. So, that's good for us 'cause we kinda like our hours.

Not much else is going on. That's the reason I've not been posting very much. It's just not fun to read about the mundane, routine things of life. But, rest assured, when something out of the ordinary happens, you'll be the first to know!

Until the next time . . .

We Say Monday, You Say Thursday

Thursday is the new Monday – at least for us. :) After having Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, Randy goes back to work on Thursdays; therefore, Thursday is Monday in our house. Confused, yet??? :)

It was a beautiful, sunny day today, best we've had in a few days. Sadly, there's rain in the forecast for the next several days, though. Whether it actually rains or not is anyone's guess. I'm just glad that so far it hasn't rained on the days Randy works. Since he works outside, that wouldn't be fun.

Last night at choir I found out that we have to memorize our music for the Easter program! Dang, I haven't memorized that much music in forever!! Should be interesting. :)

While Randy was working, I was playing. :) I cross stitched, played my dulcimer, worked on my Bible study and watched American Idol.

Randy & I both work tomorrow. Our schedules could be changing a bit as one of the workamper couples may be leaving the park. We're not sure what is going to happen just yet. But, we're open to anything. Andy & Alicia are easy to work for and the work is not difficult at all. So we'll see . . .

Well, that's about it for us. We really don't have much to share with y'all as our days are not very exciting. :) But, I'll post once in awhile just to let you know we're still alive and kicking!

Until the next time . . .

Getting Involved

Kinda getting more into our routine here. Friday was a work day for Randy and me. Nothing too exciting there. Saturday I worked while Randy got his “me time” day. :) And boy, did he ever get a day to himself! I ended up working an eight hour day. I know!! That was like a real job! ;)

Actually, I had a great day. Alicia has tasked me with entering the daily reports into Excel. I am really excited about that. Yeah, I know that sounds weird to be excited about data entry and such, but it's something that's right up my alley. I love anything administrative-ish so this is fun for me. Also, since my work hours are on the quiet shift, it gives me something to do. I didn't intend to work eight hours on Saturday, but Alicia had to away from the office and I told her I'd hang out at the office until she returned. I was kinda tired when I got home. :)

But, I rallied enough to go out to dinner with Forrest & Gail, one of the other workamper couples here. There's a Mexican restaurant just up the road from the park and it's supposed to be really good. So, I asked Forrest & Gail if they'd join us for dinner there. They agreed, so about 6pm we picked them up and off we went.

The reviews were right on! The food was absolutely delicious. And so much for the price! I couldn't finish my meal, but Randy had no trouble finishing his (is anyone surprised?) AND mine! Forrest & Gail have eaten there several times and said they always enjoy their meals.

Randy & I really enjoyed getting to know Forrest & Gail. While Randy & Forrest work some of the same hours, Gail and I don't. So, we had to get together somehow and what better way than over a meal? :)

Of course, this morning was church. We went to first service and I sang with the choir. I like singing during the first service – it's very informal and NO robes! :) I do like this church, the folks are very friendly.

This evening Alicia and I went to a women's discipleship class. We'll study Scripture, share our lives and how God is working in them and fellowship. It was a good group; a mix of ages which is nice. I'm also going to attend a women's Bible study on Tuesday. That's going to be more structured, with a study guide and such.

Well, tomorrow's another work day for Randy. And while I don't work, it's not an “off” day for me – I gotta do laundry, update finances, and make up the menu for the rest of the month so we can go grocery shopping on Tuesday.

Hope you all have a great start to your week! Until the next time . . .

Laid Back Days

For the most part our days are very quiet – even the ones on which we work!

This past Monday was a busy one for me. Randy worked in the morning and I did three loads of laundry. Then at 2:00 I went to work until 6pm. Usually I only work on Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 2pm, but I worked for Kim Monday. It was busier which is a good thing 'cause I'd rather be busy than bored. And it gave me the opportunity to check folks in because no one comes in before 2pm.

And that was the busiest day of our week!

Tuesday we went out to breakfast and took a ride around the area just to familiarize ourselves with it. Yesterday we just hung out at home. Last night I went to choir at the church we attended on Sunday. Everyone was very welcoming. I look forward to singing with them.

Today Randy worked and I didn't. It's my “me time” day. :) As those of you who live this full-time RV life know, “alone” time is hard to come by. And it's not that I don't love my husband and enjoy his company, but it's always nice to get some time to yourself. And Thursday mornings will be mine. I didn't do much with it today as I woke up with a headache. But, I did work on my cross stitch project.

Tomorrow we both work.

Seems like we're going to have lots of down time the next few months. There's not a lot to do in this area, although the beach is less than a hour south of here. But, since we're not beach people, we probably won't spend much time there. :) And we are trying to save some money this winter, so down time may not be such a bad thing. I'm sure we'll find some things to do, but I'm not too concerned about it. We're very content being in our home. I've got cross stitch projects to complete, books to read, music to play. Randy is very content with his computer and his TV. :)

That's about it for us. Until the next time . . .

Finishing Up the Weekend

We are having a quiet end to a fairly quiet weekend. Just got back from a workampers potluck at the clubhouse. Was nice sitting and chatting with everyone. It's a pretty good group of folks here.

This morning we went to First Baptist Church of Bonifay with Andy & Alicia. It was nice. We sat up in the balcony! I don't think I've ever done that before. :) We'll probably go there while we are here. There's a women's Bible study beginning next week and I'm very interested in that; Alicia is, too. I think I may go to choir rehearsal this week as well. What the heck, why not just jump in! :)

Yesterday I worked while Randy had the day off. You know he loved that! :) It was pretty quiet as seems to be the norm for the mornings and early afternoons. Folks don't start coming in until after 2pm 'cause they are ready to get off the road for the night. So, I made myself busy; ensuring the reservation book was up-to-date and sync'd with the monthly calendar, played with a new design for the park brochure, came up with procedure for taking reservations, and anything else I could think of. I would much rather be busy than not.

We didn't do anything last night. I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and we watched TV for the rest of the evening. Pretty typical night for us.

Tomorrow I need to do laundry. Randy works in the morning and I'm going to work the afternoon shift in the office. Kim, who is supposed to work that shift, has been sick this past week so I told her just to take it easy and I'd work her shift. This will give me an opportunity to see how the afternoon runs. It's good to know!

Hope you've had a good weekend. Until the next time . . .

And It Begins

Randy & I have begun our work routine. Randy's working three mornings a week, four hours each day. I work just two days a week, five hours each day.

This is a very quiet park with campers coming in during the afternoons and evenings, generally staying just one night. Since I work from 9am to 2pm, I don't get a lot of traffic. So, it doesn't seem I'll be very busy. I'm gonna have to get creative 'cause I sure don't want to be bored for four months!

Randy, however, is not bored – at all! With all the trees in the park, he has lots of raking to do. And then, he has to pick up the leaves and get rid of them. And then, there's site maintenance. So, he'll be a busy boy.

Tonight I fixed a brand new dish for dinner – Chicken Caesar Florentine. I got the recipe from Lindsey Domer's blog. It is a definite keeper! Very delicious. I served it with rice as a side dish. Thanks, Lindsey!

I work tomorrow, but Randy doesn't. He's looking forward to that. :) We need to find a church home for the next four months, so Sunday we're going to worship at the church Alicia & Andy (our owners) attend.

Until the next time . . .

Settling In

We've just been getting used to our new “home.” We did meet with Andy & Alicia for a bit yesterday morning; no formal meeting, just a casual chat about what their philosophy is and how we fit into it. Both Randy & I feel like this is going to be a fairly laid back gig. As we suspected, their main campers are the “overnighters,” since the park is less than a mile off Interstate 10. There are several long-term campers here as well. But, for the most part, it's pretty darn quiet here.

Randy will be working outside, sharing the maintenance of the park with another workamper. He'll be working three days a week, four hours each day. I will be in the office two days a week, five hours each day. Tough, I know! :)

There are two other workamper couples and one single workamper. One of the couples has three kids who are homeschooled. They seem to be really nice, polite kids. I sure admire folks who homeschool – it sure wasn't for us!

The women get together Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings to exercise to a Zumba DVD. And I've already jumped right in on that. And with my walking video, we added that to Tuesday and Thursday evenings. So, I'm getting my exercise! I was concerned about that because the closest Curves is 33 miles away! Wasn't gonna be making that drive.

Today we did our first-of-the-month bank and grocery run. Yes, I realize it's not the first of the month, but this was the first opportunity we've had to do it. We had a bit of a drive, about 26 miles or so 'cause that was the closest bank. Of course, we had to stop for breakfast on the way – after all, you can't go to the grocery store on an empty stomach! We came across Sally's Restaurant as we drove to the bank and store. We were hungry, so we figured we'd try it. There were several other vehicles in the parking lot, so it had to fairly decent. And it was. There was also entertainment. Well, there were three ducks that entertained Randy and me. And one of them had a mohawk!! See?

After a couple of missed turns, we found the bank and WalMart. Mission accomplished. We were home around 1pm or so. We did have to go back out to another WalMart, one much closer to us, to see if they had a heater we wanted. They did; we bought it; and came home. A long day.

Tomorrow we have nothing on the calendar. I'll probably go hang around the office for a bit, trying to educate myself on the goings-on. But, I intend to just relax, too. :)

Here are a few pictures of the park and our site.

Until the next time . . .

New Year, New Adventure

Happy New Year to all! Our wish for 2012 is that all of our friends and family will experience contentment and peace in their lives. There's nothing better than that!

A few minutes past 9am, Randy & I were leaving Rainbow Plantation, heading east to Florida and our new job. We had an uneventful two and a half hour trip (for which we are always grateful!) and we pulled into Florida Springs RV Resort a little before noon.

We were greeted by Alicia, one of the owners of the park. We hugged one another and that's always a good sign! She and I began jabbering right away about the park and our place in it. I think it's gonna be good, folks. Alicia introduced us to her husband, Andy. He seems nice as well. Alicia showed us our site and we proceeded to get busy settling in.

The park is a relatively small one. Andy & Alicia have owned it for three years and it was uninhabited for the three years prior to that. And apparently, it was in bad shape when they bought it. But, they have cleaned it up nicely and have lots of ideas for its future. It's exciting to hear their enthusiasm for their park.

Tomorrow morning Randy & I are going to meet with Andy & Alicia to find out our schedule and other specifics of our duties. There are two other workamping couples and one single workamper in the park. There are several long-term campers as well. I'm sure we'll get lots of “overnighters” as the park sits less than a mile off Interstate 10.

So, this is home for the next four months. I'll post pictures soon. Until the next time . . .