It’s the day before Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for. We are presently at a Corp of Engineers Park, Twiltley Branch Campground, in Collinsville, Mississippi. The temperature is 60 and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. We are sitting on the shore of Okatibbee Lake watching the fisherman out our back window. There are very few people in this gorgeous park so it is very quiet. We will enjoy our view and the quietness for the next five days before heading farther south.
We left Crossville, TN on Nov. 21st after a nine day stay at a KOA waiting for our slide to be fixed. So much wasted time when you have to get the warrantee work approved first. First the dealer has to get the approval and then they can order the part. We were told to expect at least a two week time period. Joe helped the process move a little faster by contacting his buddy at the Lifestyle Manufacture in Elkhart, IN. Rod, warrantee manager, was able to push the warrantee through and shipped the part by priority mail. So the proximity switch was replaced after it had been snapped in half and once again we were on the road. I have to give a “thumbs up” to Lefty’s BBQ in Crossville. We had an excellent lunch of pulled pork, ribs and homemade stew. Great lunch, great staff and owner! We are so thankful that that the slide was covered under warranty and it was a pretty painless fix. While waiting at Crossville the weather got in the teens overnight and we had snow but we didn’t have any issues with our water freezing or staying warm. That is a lot to be thankful for.
So off we went through Tennessee and into Alabama. Found a little campground right off the highway and thought we had a good overnight stay. We parked the 5th wheel and looked for a grocery store. Joe heard a noise in the truck that didn’t sound too good. After a little more checking he decided it sounded like the brakes. We found a Dodge dealer who told us that is would be eight days before they could look at it. Went down the road and found a Goodyear store. They could work on it the next day. We brought it in at 7:30 the next morning told us it would be an hour or two job. Never works out that way. It was a little more than just replacing the brake pads. We decided to stay a second night and get an early start the next morning. While Joe was waiting for the truck he met a local man who told Joe that he had been bringing his vehicle to this Goodyear for 20 years and they did excellent work. We are so thankful that we found a good place to have the brake work done and they could do it so fast but more important we are so thankful that we found the problem while we were parked and not driving down a highway or stopped in a small community where we wouldn’t have known where to go.
We have been so blessed in our lives and are thankful every day for been given the chance to live our dream. We are thankful for all the beauty we see in this great country like sitting on the shores of Okatibbee Lake in MS. We are thankful for our four children and their choices of spouses. We love them all! We are thankful for our friends and family. I am thankful everyday for Joe. He puts up with my crabby days, my bossy days and my homesick days. I think he is thankful for me (at least that is what he tells me). But we are the most thankful for our two grandkids who have brought so much happiness to our lives and who today we miss terribly. I think Joe and I are suffering a little homesickness. If there is a drawback to living our life it is not being able to be with family on major holidays. We feel that today! One month and we will be back in Minnesota for Christmas. Just wait Cate and Alex because you will get tired of those hugs and kisses!
Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends! Count your blessings and look for the good things out of the bad because life sometimes gives you lemons but you can always make lemonade!
Stay safe! Hugs and kisses to our kids and Cate and Alex!