We picked up Woody from South Carolina the day after Thanksgiving and carefully (like the first drive home from the hospital with your newborn!) drove him to Holden Beach RV Park for a practice weekend. Brandon white-knuckled the whole 45 minutes there. (Shhhh don’t tell him but I actually took some pleasure in seeing cool-as-a-cucumber B somewhat nervous about SOMETHING. But Lord I don’t need to see those nerves again on this adventure. I take it back!)

Oh let me rewind a bit. Before we left the RV dealer they gave us a walk-through and info session. I think it would have been more appropriate for people who, ya know, have ever stepped into a trailer before! We tried to tell young Patrick many times that we know *nothing* but I think he still had some Thanksgiving pie in his system and the extra sugar made him unwilling to undertake the enormity that would be teaching Rookies *everything* about everything. He sprinkled us with the most important information and told us nonchalantly to figure it out as we go. Brandon asked me to take notes. Considering that I have about 10,000 pages of journals and notes that we had just moved into my parents’ garage for storage, you’d think that would be a reasonable request. But, I was too excited. I thought, surely within these 50 pages of paper they just handed us there is the same information he’s telling us! But no, not at all. The manual that came with the trailer is about as useful as giving a “parenting a teen book” to a newly pregnant couple.

I did write down 2 important notes for any newbies out there:

* Do not try to pull the trailer until you’ve attached the trailer to the truck and lifted up the stabilizing jacks

* There’s some sort of valve near the water heater that is a size something 16th something that you may need if you winterize it.

You’re welcome.

What can I say? I was excited. And I didn’t have a pretty notebook and blue pen like I like for taking notes.

Also in my defense, I had no intention of winterizing Woody because freezing doesn’t hit until January when we would already be gone, right? So, my brain carried that information straight to the archives even as I was trying to write it. (Sadly it got to freezing temperatures so we had to winterize Woody as soon as we were done practicing with him!).

We were so grateful for friends that own the Holden Beach RV park so they could be there for our first parking job and hook up!

We spent 2 nights at the park and had such a great time. We learned about every button Woody has, measured and brainstormed storage ideas, and practiced opening and closing every door and cabinet… multiple times. So many times that now only adults are allowed to touch anything in Woody, ever. 🙂 Did you know we even had to learn how to close a travel trailer door? Everything is new! Ha

In my next post I will share some useful tips that I wish somebody had shared with us such as:

* what is an RV? What is a travel trailer?

* what are grey and black tanks?

* how to go #2 in your trailer

Back to the weekend. We didn’t have any tv and hadn’t packed much to do so we were able to be so present with each other and were already awakened to some relationship habits that we are going to have to break in the year ahead! We talked, ate, walked, ate, sat around the fire, ate, and played games. When we live in Woody full time we are going to have to decrease the ate -ing.

My favorite moment was when we went on a little walk and B and I found ourselves just sitting on a bench by a little man made pond. Not having any technology, being separated from the To Do list, just sitting on a bench together – I felt the Lords presence so much and started crying… not shocking. It reminded me of a very poignant moment I had with my grandma Evelyn sitting on a porch swing “just being” together.

It may be true that we lost our house in Hurricane Florence but this healing moment felt more like “home” than I’ve had in a long time. I yearn for this present-ness. I have to fight for that stillness, and this season has made it an even harder fight. I pray that this journey gifts us so many more moments like that one.

Home is where Jesus is.

So we are home wherever we are, because He is here.