A Few of My Favorite Things & More

We have had a VERY eventful week which resulted in our tiny home getting even tinier (well, it feels tinier anyway) and some very unforeseen circumstances.  Honestly, there’s so much to tell that I’m not sure where to start.  So…  I guess I’ll start with the “& More” and then wrap it up with “A Few of My Favorite Things”.

First of all…  Where in the world are we?  I’m starting to feel more and more like a full-timer as more often than I care to admit, I will literally stop right in the middle of whatever I am doing feeling totally stupefied and think “wait…  where are we?  Although we are leaving here tomorrow, we are and have been in Alabama for a full two weeks now and we are staying in…  you guessed it…  yet another state park.  This one is called Wind Creek State Park and it is located in the historic town of Alexander City, which is about 40 miles north of Auburn.  First, here are some pictures from inside the state park.  Remember, if you click/tap on a picture, they will get larger for better viewing. 😉

We have never previously spent any time in Alabama.  Although it still looks very much like the south (SC/NC/GA) it has lots of farmland on gently rolling hills.  It has a distinct country look and small town feel which we love.  Here are some pictures from around this area in general:

Last weekend we wandered down an old dirt road to find the most beautiful picnic spot imaginable.  We pulled off and truly felt as though we were the only people on the planet.  Looking one way we had a hilltop view of Lake Martin and looking the other was an expansive view of the beautiful rolling hills.  It was a moment to remember.

Now to even more of the more…  Last Sunday I ended up driving 5+ hours from Alabama back to Greenville to pick up my oldest granddaughter, Saylor.  Her mom is a single parent and is struggling right now financially and in other ways.  We all three (Greg, Elijah and I) felt the Lord clearly telling us (nope, He didn’t ask – he told) to offer to take her for the summer.  We just finished up with Elijah’s homeschool for the year so the timing couldn’t have been better.  We knew this would give our daughter an opportunity to get back on her feet and to save some money since she won’t have to pay for day care or any care of her daughter for the summer.  So…  I drove down on Sunday and drove all the way back with my granddaughter on Monday.

Talk about an unexpected turn of events!  Now we have FOUR people living in 410 square feet.  Apparently God has bigger plans for us than being able to relax this summer.  LOL  We can clearly see how He had set everything up to make this doable for the summer.  He provided us with the perfect rig for her to live with us without Elijah having to give up any of his space or room as the loft is plenty big enough to serve as her room and she LOVES it!

So, although we are all in need of prayer as this is not going to be an easy task, we know it’s a worthy one and one that God has made clear we are to do.   Here are some pictures of this past week with Saylor:

FINALLY, for a few of my favorite things.  Here are just a few of the things that make this lifestyle not only doable, but AWESOME!

How’s that for an INCREDIBLY LONG blog post?!!?  Prayers are appreciated for us all, my daughter (to be able to get back on her feet); my granddaughter (to have an awesome summer – and to turn into a calm, chill child.  Lol); my hubby, Greg (who still has to work during all this!  Thank God for his private office in the MBR); my son, Elijah, (who has happily and with zero complaints given up his free time, peace and quiet in exchange for lots of babysitting); and finally for me.  With my health issues, just pray that I can handle the additional stress well (give it to Jesus!) without a health crisis.  Also, pray for the energy it takes to care for a five year old 24/7.  Energy is always something I am lacking the most of.  All that said, we are all super excited to have her with us for the summer.  Let the fun begin!

Happy Trails and Sunny Sails!!!