The pictures are our progression of our love of camping. We started out in a tent when Ashley was very young. We then went to a pop up for several years and adventures. We moved up to a fifth wheel because our backs couldn't handle a four-inch mattress anymore. We have finally progressed to Glamping in a Class A RV which will be the last one we buy.
This section will be regarding some of the connections that I will truly miss when becoming a snowbird and some releases that I will not miss when traveling. There are SO many connections that we have made in ND, it will be difficult to leave that behind. When we first arrived in Minot, one of the things that was important to me was a good church. The church we belong to has given us numerous opportunities to serve. We have been blessed with an active parish that we are involved with. I belong to a ladies Group St. Bridget's Circle and have made some lifelong friends while serving funerals, special events at the church and doing community service. Some of these ladies are always willing to help and pray for one another. I will miss seeing and visiting with this group.
Another connection that will be missed is my North Dakota Family. We have met a group of friends who we do many activities with from going to church together, sharing many meals, camping together, vacationing together, watching our kids grow up and now watching the grandkids of these families has cemented a bond that has lasted over 30 years. We as a group have some special traditions like all the adults, kids and grandkids making and rolling out Christmas cookies, going to MSU Summer theater productions, birthday dinners to name a few. If I ever needed assistance or just needed a friend, I know they are always there through good times and not so good times. I am afraid with us traveling that I won't make close friends even though I am a social person so I know I will meet many people on the way. When I say I adopt everyone else's grandkids, these folks absolutely allow me to do this and share their families with me. My ND Family holds a special place in my heart.
ND has given me many opportunities to volunteer in my community. I volunteered with Ashley's elementary schools, as a girl scout volunteer from Ashley's kindergarten to teenage years, I was very involved in American Cancer Society's Relay for Life for a very long time until it fizzled out in ND, worked many different positions in the church, with Dreamcatchers a baseball league for special needs folks, (I wish I could do more with them) and am currently volunteering at Dakota Hope Clinic as a Client Advocate for unexpected pregnancies. All of these activities have given me great satisfaction while meeting some incredible people. God has put me in each of the areas where I could be an integral part of important work in others' lives. The chances to volunteer as well as the groups I have belonged to have enriched my life. We joined a camping group in 2021 and have met more incredible people. Our Ramblin Nodaks have a rally once a month during the summer months. There is always many hugs and tons of laughter when we get together. There are stories shared as well as true acceptance without judgement. This group and my good neighbors, you know who you are
All of these special connections will be hard to leave, but it is almost time to hit the road in the motorhome. I need to be grateful and thankful that I have had so many great things in my life.
There are some things about ND that I will gladly release and not really miss: this is a shorter list. I will not miss dressing in lots of layers just to shovel the driveway. Snow is fine in small doses, but the wind in ND is a killer. I will not miss being asked to do extra duties because I have a good reputation for being reliable and doing a good job. You know the saying that doing a good job gets you more work, it is very true. I will not miss packing and repacking the RV every time we go for a weekend trip. This will be eliminated because I will be able to pack it and keep it in the RV.
I am looking forward to becoming a snowbird starting in Mid-September. There will be many more adventures on the horizon for Mark and me. We will be heading East to see family, take a cruise, then see some of the country we have not seen. This year we will focus on mostly the East Coast, next year will be a different plan. Beauregard, the motorhome will be our home wherever we park it.
