New Year, New Changes

1st week of January 2014 -

First off - Happy New Year! Some of our friends have been asking us about the lapse of blog posts, mainly from mid-December through the first few days of January. We decided to truly enjoy the Christmas season and disconnect electronically for a spell. Don't worry - we're still here!

Secondly, welcome this new year without closing the door completely on the old one! We had a peaceful ending to 2013. We awoke early enjoyed a trek out to our friend Cindy's place of work on Christmas Day. We woke up early and took in a beautiful and peaceful sunrise at the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge. While it was chilly, we experienced sights & sounds that we may not have the opportunity to witness again. That evening, we enjoyed a southern Christmas dinner - tasty doesn't even begin to describe it! Thanks Marilyn for the spiced yams!

Third - embrace the new year! We enjoyed yet another southern tradition for the first day of the new year; grilled pork, cabbage, black-eye peas, rice & sweet potatoes called Hoppin' John. Legend has it that this fare brings prosperity. 

We also wanted to pass along these thoughts to you:  
"Finish each day and be done with it. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
 - Two of the most useless phrases in the English language are "what if" and "if only". We waste so much time and energy thinking about we might have done and wishing we had acted or reacted differently. We imagine how things might have turned out. "If only..."
 - All of us make mistakes. To go back and wonder and wish about our yesterdays prevents us from living fully today. Each day is a fresh chance; a new beginning. We can only squeeze what we can out of the moment and let the drops fall where they may.
 - Some will evaporate... some will be rainbows.

A few days later, our friend Cindy made a trek to northern Florida to another wildlife refuge to photograph the Snowy Owl. This bird normally lives in much more northern climates and it's extremely rare to see them this far south. Is it possible that Jill and I are kind of like the snowy owl? With this winter being so brutal (thus far) above the Mason-Dixon line, did the snowy owls have to leave their normal habitat in order to survive better? We realize now that this was true for us. With all the snow and cold temperatures back home, Jill would have not had the right resources in order to survive. This was not a 100% pleasure jaunt - it was a matter of survival.

However, we have been caught in a quandary. While the past is over and the future looking brighter with our acquired job in Maine for 6 months starting in April - what about today? What about until the beginning of April? The generosity of a friend will see us through today - it is what it is. We can't live in the past nor the future.

We shall endure with peace and happiness. Some people say, "That's great - but it doesn't put money in your pocket." However, happiness is a choice. We have to begin somewhere to do the next right thing. We could easily sit and spin and think about how did life get so expensive? When did we acquire so many needs? Why are 400 people applying for the same job as I am? That type of thinking will get us nowhere. Worry and fear does not have to control us. Looking back, would we have done things a little differently? Maybe... maybe not.

Also during the first week of January, we had opportunities to stay in the Brunswick Georgia area - possibilities seemed to be abound. Jill even got word she could show and sell her art at a Farmers Market in the same city. The problem was, with the opportunities came assumptions. All that was dashed one afternoon, by no ones fault. What made it all the worse was that we made the mistake of assuming. We've been taught to never assume - we just make an ass of ourselves (and other people).

For about a day, we went back and forth like an endless tennis match. What do we do now? Do we go farther south? Do we go to the pan-handle of Florida? We made the decision to start in our own backyard - Georgia. We called every campground and RV park in the state. This took the better part of an entire day. Some campground managers didn't have any work, but wished us well. Others were downright rude. Ironically, the very last campground we called had a sudden work camper opening due to another work couple cancelling on them at the very last minute. After a lengthy conversation, we landed a contract until the end of March, work, and a place to hang our head until the end of March.

Our next assignment will be at the Cartersville KOA, about 45 miles northwest of Atlanta. We felt a big
wave of relief. Many of the little inconveniences that seemed to be building didn't seem so inconvenient anymore. Being able to return to this more positive mindset, we can enjoy more of the real-life that surrounds us on a daily basis. Whether it's laughing at a power outage on a day when the laundry must get done, or talking with a local whom we can barely understand, due to the extreme accent and lack of teeth, to attending a local church service that was truly rocking. Never mind we were the only white people in the building! We were still warmly welcomed and met some wonderful people. And yes, the sermon was about change... very fitting.

Until the next "change",
The Happy Campers,
Jill & Dave