REFLECTIONS OF 50 YEARS OF MARRIAGE ~

The Many Places we have Called Home ~ Part VI

As I prepare to wrap up The Many Places we have Called Home I’m just curious how many places you have called home? When we share how many places we have lived in people are so surprised! What about you?

Our 38th move was during the week we were celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary. We had left Yoakum, TX on December 10, 2020 and headed to North Carolina. We spent a few days traveling through Louisiana, spending three days in New Orleans. We then continued our journey through Arkansas and Alabama where we visited with long time family friends, Jerry & Lynda C. We then made our way through Georgia where we visited with our friend Merel and her mom, Annelle. We have known each other since both her and I were pregnant with Brandon & Jeremy respectfully. On 12/20/20 we stopped to get gas in a little town called Lugoff, SC only to find ourselves stranded again due to car issues. We ended up purchasing a new to us 2018 Ford F150 and finally reached Shallot, NC. We worked at Providence Home, an emergency teen shelter in Southport, NC. We loved the area and the people who we worked with and for but something just didn’t seem right.

39 & 40 After lots of prayer, a trip to FL to see Brandon & Danalyn and the kids we applied for a house parent position at A Kids Place in Brandon, FL, arriving there on June 15. We started out at Bethesda RV Park in Seffner, FL. It was a bare bones campground and we really wanted to have access to a swimming pool so we moved to Wesley Chapel and Little Flamingo RV Park. It was about halfway between AKP and B & D’s home.

Our 41st move was to Camp Sparrow RV Park in Gaffney, SC. which was bought out shortly after we arrived and became Spacious Skies RV Park – Peach Haven. If you don’t know, Gaffney was featured in the Netflix series “House of Cards.”
1. Through all our travels we tried to find a church home wherever we landed. We finally found one that fit us perfectly: Love Springs Baptist Church. From the first time we walked through the door, we knew we were home! A feeling we hadn’t had in a very long time. We were blessed to be a part of LSBC for six months before we felt the Lord leading us to Kentucky.

42. We moved to Big Creek, KY to fulfill one of our big dreams ~ work with a Christian organization serving local families and to be able to share how Poppa God was an integral part of our lives. Big Creek Missions serves families and children in many different ways including a food pantry, repairs to homes and ministering to one another by sharing the love of Jesus. One of the many groups we served along with at Big Creek Missions.

Our 43rd move was an adventure filled with challenges and blessings. After leaving BCM we made the decision to move to NJ to work alongside friends we had worked with in Gaffney, SC. We began the move by taking a road trip from Kentucky, via Tennessee to Florida to pick up our newest family member: Charlie!

While traveling during March 2023 we had a lot of flat tires along the way. The worst was when we were on the side of the freeway and Ron was laying on the ground and asked me to hand him something…while walking over to pick up the item I tripped over Ron and we both ended up on the ground. Two days after the accident, Ron’s leg looked like:

We travelled from Florida to Tennessee, through Virginia, West Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware to New Jersey! We were exhausted and excited to finally have landed! Two nights after arriving in NJ Ron’s leg looked like

and we made the decision to go to the ER. We saw Poppa God’s handi work over the next five days in ways we could never imagine. The infectious disease doctor treating him said we got him to the hospital before the infection spread…after five days in the hospital Ron was released but told he couldn’t work for 12 weeks. UGH What we were supposed to do? We were staying with our friends D & A with the expectation that we would both be working and now Ron was told absolutely no work for 12 weeks ~ while in the hospital we spoke with our kids and their spouses’ multiple times and the decision was made we would travel back to Florida allowing Ron time to heal and for us to regroup. On March 28, 2023 Ron was discharged from the hospital and we made plans to leave NJ the morning of March 30 and head back to Central Florida. We arrived at Lake Bambi RV Park in Land O Lakes, FL late in the day on April 2, 2023. Poppa God protected us time and time again, we had NO flat tires the whole trip, we were both able to drive so we took turns so Ron could elevate his leg every few hours. Our kids had found a campground just five miles from their home and with their help we were able to get the trailer set up and we began to settle in.

After a couple of doctor appointments and the quick healing of Ron’s leg which we attribute to not only the good medical care he received but Poppa God’s healing powers.

Once Ron had the clearance to return to work he took a job with Amazon at the same place he had worked in 2021-22. He liked his job at Amazon but really wanted to have a job where he had weekends off so we could do things with B and his family. In August 2023 he was hired on by the Pasco County School District as a custodian and in November ’23 I also accepted a job with the Pasco County School District as the secretary to the District School Psychology Supervisor.

In December 2024 we decided we really wanted to be in a campground that had a pool and other activities. Lake Bambi was a small campground with no amenities so in January ’25 we made our

45th move! To Winter Quarters RV Park. We are about 11 miles from B & D, and within 10 miles of both of our jobs.

Technically we have made our 46th move in 50 years when we purchased a new to us 2019 Coleman travel trailer otherwise known as Little Home on Wheels #2…we are still at Winter Quarters here in Lutz, FL.

With the same beautiful view (and yes we do have an alligator who lives in the pond)!

We hope you have enjoyed our trip down memory lane and getting a glimpse of all the places we have called home.