Hello, May!!! - Marshmallow Ranch

My, how time flies when you’re having fun! It seems like yesterday when I started my big project while also piecing a king sized quilt. The trip to the beach seemed far away…and now it’s passed. We did have a great time and it’s always sad to be over. We’re already looking forward to our next trip down.

When we went fishing down at the Oregon Inlet last week, we entered the beach right beside a campground. We’ve been down there so many times, but we never noticed there was electric and water service at many of the sites. While we were waiting for my portable air compressor to fill the tires back up, we got on the phone and looked it up online. Sure enough, there were 47 sites with hookups. No sewer service, but that’s ok. Ever since our honeymoon, we love going down to the OBX in October. This time we’ll bring the camper and camp right by the ocean! We made our reservations, as well as a couple more camping trips this summer.

Now that we’ve sold all our extra campers, we’re on a roll and looking forward to lightening our load some more. Mr. FixIt still needs to empty the load of old shingles in the back of his Tundra and get it cleaned up so we can sell it. Then we can get to work on the stuff in the building. I’m telling you…there’s never a dull moment here once the grass starts growing!

We have a wet week coming up so the mowing will have to be done between storms. I mowed about six or seven laps around the big fields yesterday afternoon but it started sprinkling again and I was forced to quit. We also need to mow out at the farm soon. We just need the weather to cooperate. There’s still lots to get done inside so it’s not like we’ll have a lack of things to do.

The bridal shower for our eldest granddaughter is this weekend. We have a camping trip over in the mountains near my uncle and cousins in the middle of May. The wedding is in the first half of June followed by another camping trip with some girlfriends. Then we can head to Colorado to visit the family. We have two camping trips scheduled in September. Being retired means we can camp mid-week while the kids are in school. And our favorite time to camp is in the fall when school has started again.

See? We haven’t even gotten into the real warm weather and we’re already scheduled out into October! It seems like a lot to do but here’s the thing…life is uncertain. We have no guarantees either one of us will be here tomorrow, let alone a few months from now. It’s not the destination that matters. It’s the journey to get there. It’s taking a deep breath and enjoying the process of living each moment the best we can.

That little dash between the dates on our headstones is what counts most. How did we spend that time? Did we love others well? Did we share generously? Joyfully? Did we devote ourselves to others while taking care of ourselves? Did we make memories that will make our loved ones smile when they remember us after we’re gone? That’s what I’m working towards. My legacy may not be a huge house or bank account. It may not be “stuff” at all by the time we take leave of this life. I’m hoping the legacy I leave behind in the words I’ve written these last ten years will be a tangible gift to others that offers hope, encouragement, love, and some laughs.

In that, I am content.