December 6 people 12 times project

(Taken on New Years Eve before our lumberjack party, this might be my fave photo from the project)

When we went home in November one of our goals was to get rid of our car (we hated it) and find something that we could still tow but that we liked a bit better. When we went on the road we got rid of our Yukon XL and we missed that thing so much. (I'll own another one someday. I loved it that much.) While we were in Wisconsin we bought a GMC Envoy and as luck would have it it ended up in the shop getting a new head while we sat in the cold and waited.

In the midst of that I had a gem waiting for me in Chicago. I had met Kristen through twitter and fell in love with her funk immediately. When we knew we'd be heading that way we began to scheme a meeting. Every time we had to wait another day for our car I would text her with tears and tell her we wouldn't yet be coming through. I was worried it wasn't going to happen. It turned into a late night meeting at O'Hare airport at Starbucks where we sat until 1 in the morning. She is like a long lost sister to me and I can't wait to be closer to her. She has such a fire for what she does and what she believes and it inspires me so freaking much. I can't wait to see her when it warms up. Our pipes froze that night in Chicago or I would've hung around just to be near her longer.

On our way to Texas AND the sun we stopped at the Lende's, near St Louis, for a night in their driveway. We had been through St Louis last year but haven't been able to explore a lot, however we found Whole Foods and got to have dinner there. I love listening to Nick and Dan share stories about the work experiences and Stephanie is such a tender loving mama and I could talk with her for hours. Definitely one of the best connections we've made this year!

Our next stop was in Oklahoma, we had hoped to just push through but it wasn't possible. We found a Passport campground and spent a whole $12 on our site for the night. It was along old route 66 which is high on our list of travel goals. The manager at the park was slightly drunk when we pulled in and highly entertaining. It was nice to have full hookups for the night so every one could shower before we saw our friends in Texas.

We arrived at Hillshade RV Park and it was a full on celebration. The Moers are our people. We fell in love with them before we even arrived here last March. We spent 10 days here then, it was a small taste and we promised to come back. All summer we knew this is where we would end up when Dan was laid off. Christine has talked me through some really rough RAD moments. But it's more than that, she gets me. I can show up at her house in my pajamas and a cup of tea and sit for hours with her. It's easy. And this time Dan and her Michael were able to get to know each other. They have become the best of friends. And then, there are the kids. They are like the cousins you only saw in the summer, you hadn't seen them in a year but you just pick up and play all day, every day. That's how it is with the Moers, for all of us.


December for us not only means Christmas, it also means birthday's for two of our girls. My beautiful redhead turned 16. I knew being away from her friends would be so hard. We decided to throw her a surprise party outside under the fairy lights. (Having a December birthday and being outside in a t-shirt for your party is a huge deal when you've lived your life in WI) She was surprised and so very sweet and happy. I know it didn't heal the fact that she missed her friends but it was a salve for sure. I can't believe that she is 16, I'm trying to slow time for the next few years and yet wanting to prepare her for life as much as I can.

Our littlest also had a birthday in December. We pulled a renegade birthday on her and didn't tell her it was her birthday until we were on the way to lunch out. She does best like this, if she knows something good is coming she will do all she can to sabotage. She is 4 now. She is no longer a toddler but a little girl. Her favorite birthday things were Tinkerbell and Olivia. She loves to jump on the trampoline at the park and we are finding it a great way to exhaust her. ;)

We spent our first Christmas away from family and it helped a lot that we had just been home. We celebrated with a simple morning in the RV, opening gifts and then hanging out with the Moers in the afternoon.

More December highlights:
~ a date afternoon to Austin with Michael and Christine, where we had lots of gluten free food, shopped for manly shoes, and laughed until it hurt,
~ Just Dance competitions where I dropped out early, clearly not my thing,
~ Sunday brunch with the Hillshadies. Every Sunday. It's high on our list of favorite things, you have to experience it, really. I can't do these moments any justice.
~ Thai food in New Braunfels before grocery shopping. Amazing Thai food. I think the best green curry I've ever had and they add extra eggplant for me,
~ Lumberjack party for New Years Eve with all of us in flannel,
~ Girls trips to Austin to meet new friends,  whom I love very much and it has nothing to do with their beautiful children, well it has something to do with that but serious love floats through that house when they open the door. Must see that fambly again before I leave.

Texas winter agrees with us all. I'm not sure I want to stick around for the summer, from what I hear it's nasty. But winter yes. I could be a snowbird for sure.