Trials and Tribulations

My week has been...interesting in many ways:

• Lightening struck a tree perilously close to our motor home. 
• My laptop screen is on the verge of death, and I'm ready to euthanize it!
• My daughter (Emmie) lost all of her shorts - it was 85 degrees most of the week.
• We carried a few "hitch-hikers" back from Florida - ants and lizards.  
• The radiator in Emmie's car  (our only other set of wheels) blew up.  :(

 
On the positive side:

• Jim & I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. 
• My new laptop should arrive next week.  :)
• Emmie passed all of her spring classes - even Chemistry II!
• Our house is almost ready to move back into for the summer.
• I ran into several old friends while running errands.

I think the worst is behind us now. Three people living together in a 24-foot camper is difficult at times. Each one of us has had a minor melt-down within the past two weeks. Although we don't like troubles pressing in on us, we know they are temporary, and we are going to keep moving forward.

 

Prester clipart
from Clker.com

The week in review

We have been working diligently to clean out our old house in hopes of selling it in the near future. It is a decision that that we postponed until we were certain the full-time RV lifestyle would work for us. To that end, we are continuing to live in the motor home during the project. This will be interesting with our daughter arriving home from college on Saturday. She has spent up to three weeks in the RV with us over her winter break, but this will be a more intense adjustment for her.

I will be writing more about our first year as full-timers soon. In the meantime, I've been busy writing a guest post for my friend Lorraine Reguly. Please stop over to her blog to take a peek at it:

 Using Social Media to Preserve the English Language

Loraine has recently started a blog dedicated to her poetry, which she has also written about in her upcoming book (soon to be published). I'm sure she would love to have new visitors. I think you will be pleased!

Poetry Perfected

~ Aleshia

A Different World

Now that I'm back online, I am working on catching up with many things! It is a bit overwhelming, but at least I'm starting to feel settled. I always warm up by writing poetry. And this is my latest:

"Buddy"   Photo by Aleshia Clarke

Coming Home
   My journey is complete,
 or so it would seem;
I'm back to the familiar,
the home, and the dream.

With grass overgrown,
and the house in a mess,
tears overwhelm me -
the return of my stress!

Feeling quite empty,
all alone in the sticks,
not knowing where to start;
there’s too much too fix.

I want to go back
from where I just came.
I knew this would happen;
it is just not the same!

My sweetheart comforts me,
saying “wherever we roam,
as long as we're together,
we will always be home.”

Follow @aleshiaclarke
 

Greetings from West Virginia!

Blue Ridge Plateau, NC

New River Gorge, WV

We are having an exciting time traveling through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains!

The scariest part of the trip was the climb up Grandfather Mountain in Blowing Rock, 

North Carolina. 

In the midst of rain, fog, and road construction, we were only inches from plunging over 
the side! 

But the views are absolutely breathtaking, and I'm glad we chose this route.

New River Gorge Bridge, WV

Blue Star Memorial Highway Sign, SC

Mystery Hill Vortex Room, NC

Charlie Napping