Not just another PAD

It’s amazing how you drive into a campground, everything is unfamiliar, you look around for something you can connect with that say’s “Yes, I can call this home for a few days”.  At first it looks like just another gravel slot, sewer hole, and electric & cable hook-up – it’s just another pad.  A week later it has become home.  Rugs laid out, awning balancing to offer shade, table cloth covering the picnic table, pumpkins & candles arranged on top. Camping chairs out, towels hung to dry, dogs leashed outside. We can make home anywhere!!  It’s just the times you go into Wal-Mart that leave you confused. And as you come out you wonder, where the heck am I?  Where did I park? And what car am I driving?! I know anyone can feel that way on any given day.  But it really is confusing when all the stores look the same on the inside and on the outside you don’t remember what town or state you are in, for that matter!  Yesterday we heard the sounds of giggles and splashes in the pool.  Felt the 80 degree warmth of the sun on our skin. And today, sun-kissed & freckled we hooked up Dori again to Maxine and pulled away, feeling a little sad saying good-bye, to ‘not just another pad’.

We stayed in Black Canyon City, Arizona for a whole week!  The longest we’ve stayed in one place.  It’s a local’s kind of town.  Looks like a place you’d find on Route 66.  Old businesses still trying to make it. Beni’s Pizza, Ron’s Market, The Rock Springs Café, which by the way has REALLY good pies! The Cafe is a place the locals come for breakfast, passers-by fuel up, tourists buy postcards and souvenirs.  However, we did learn that people, far & wide, come for these pies they make.  So of course we had to try them!  And YES, they were delicious!  (Boomer, there’s an apple pie coming your way!  You’ll have to put it to the test!) One morning Derek, Kai, Jack & I decided to go for breakfast – that was the place....the ONLY place! The waitresses greeted us with a smile, placed thick brown mugs of coffee in front of us and asked ‘what can I gettchya for breakfast, Hun?’  After we ordered, we heard Kai say “Daddy, look!  There’s a REAL cowboy!”  And sure enough, sitting up at the diner bar was a real cowboy! Hat, boots, buckle & all!  She was pretty excited!  Good local diner breakfast AND a real cowboy….doesn’t get much better than that!

From what we heard, our little campground was just getting back on its feet.  A run-down, drug-busted trailer park/RV park had been revived and given a face-lift just 3 weeks before we arrived. The residents were thankful for the new ownership that had began to give this little community new life, and we were too, because it meant there were clean bathrooms, showers and a pool, taboot! One by one the local residents found our way to our site to introduce themselves.  (they must not get too many out-a-towners!) They’d tell us stories about themselves….and others.  Mostly they just wanted to talk.  They were nice.  We saw snow-birds come and go as they stopped over for the night on their way to greener pastures.  By the end of the week we felt like a local!  People were waving to us, saying good morning, and hanging out a little longer at the pool.  I’m sure we were the talk of the campground and people wondered what our story was.  But I kinda wondered the same thing about them.  How did they get here?  Why did they stay?  Where did they come from?  What was THEIR story?  Everyone has a story.  Everyone is on their journey.  

 Here, in the little unlikely town in Arizona we found rest.  And here are some of our favorites:

Keith – the warmth of the sun, blue sky, soaking in the hot tub, mac & cheese

Diane – Warm. Sunshine. Pooltime. Seeing Derek finish his book.

Kai – swimming, swimming, swimming!  (Kai was super brave and super excited to learn to swim without her floaties!) She also loved riding on the little train at a park we discovered in the next town over. And she loved the HUGE, TALL cactus, the real cowboy, meeting Makenzie,Connor and Clay+ & NO CARDIES!

Jack – swimming, jumping into the pool, playing at a HUGE playground. another tooth poked through--the better to eat with, my dear!

Derek – Laying low, playing with the kids in the pool.  It was like a resort, having the pool almost all to ourselves.  Desert sky – the sunrise & the sunsets were beautiful.

Abby – swimming, laying out in the sun, reading a magazine (you know it’s the simple things!) watching Kai swim, watching Jack play. PS, I was on BEE ALERT!  There were a few buzzin’ around the pool and I look the liberty to decide their fate at any time they were in my or my family’s space.  The problem with THESE bees was that if you killed one, a half dozen more would come for backup.  NOT good when you have a bee’s graveyard under your lounge chair!  I guess they were out to get me…and did.  Those little buggers stung me.  Just one, but it was enough for me to run back for Benadryl and pray we didn’t have another emergency bee sting.  Thank the Lord didn’t I have a reaction.  But it did make me alittle leary of the pool for the rest of the day. =(  

Another highlight of our time in Arizona was seeing friends we haven’t seen in like FOREVER!  I got to connect with an old friend that I grew up with in Colorado.  After 11 years, it was as if no time had passed.  Except for the fact that we were both married with children now!  Thanks for having us all over, Molly!  It was so good to see your family and be in your home.   --- We also got to reconnect with some friends we all met in YWAM.  Great to see you Howard & Sue!  

We also had haircut time!  Everyone (but me) got cleaned up and perdied-up.  Fresh haircuts always make you feel so good!  Yes, I did bring my shears on the road! Gotta keep my family lookin’ good! On another note, Thursday was a sad day when I had to purchase ‘other’ shampoo because I ran out of my AVEDA.  It’s been 10 years since my hair has felt an inferior product!  AHH!  Father forgive me!

Ya know, looking back at my time in the Grand Canyon, I didn’t want to leave such a beautiful place.  The more I saw of the canyon, the more I wanted to see.  I thought how it could get any better! Then we found ourselves in this little stop-over town and decided to stay a WEEK, just because we wanted too.  And THAT was wonderful!  Unexpected treasures of warmth, pool time, and relaxation.  I don’t want to leave THIS either!  How could it get any better than this?!  Lately, I find myself thinking more about what’s next.  What lies ahead for us?  I’m starting to envision where we will live, what our new home will look like, where we will work, who our new friends will be. Where will we be for Thanksgiving?  What will Christmas be like this year?  Nothing will be the same as it was.  Everything looks different now.  But that’s ok.  Because that will be GOOD too.  Whatever is around the corner for us today, or tomorrow, it will be good.  It may look like just another pad, but eventually it becomes home.

Lake Mead & Hoover Dam here we come! Cruising along to the tune of Johnny Cash =)

For pics click: 
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