Kelli and the Powell parents come to Kentucky

Last Wednesday my little sister Kelli came to visit. She is planning on staying with me while Meric is deployed. Then on Thursday Meric's parents came to visit. It was a full trailer but we made it work just fine.

On Friday we started the sight seeing with a visit to Lincoln's birthplace. 

Meric and his dad

On the steps of the Lincoln monument

 

It's a Kelli size cabin!

Notice the window by the chimney.

After that we headed to Danville. (Danville, KY, not Danville in the "tri-state area")

 Meric's dad served his mission in the Kentucky/Tennessee area and Danville was one of his areas. As we reached Danville we asked Meric's dad if he knew where the house he lived in was located. Without hesitation he rattled off the address like he had lived there just yesterday. We went to the house, which was still standing, and Meric and his parent went to check it out. The house had been remodeled and the door that Meric's dad use to go home to as a missionary no longer existed but they got some pictures of where it use to be. 

Standing right in front of where the door use to be

Saturday Meric and his dad headed out early to do some work on his truck at Fort Knox. I know that doesn't sound like much of a vacation but I was glad Meric got to do some automotive work with his dad. It was some good father-son time.

 After Fort Knox we all headed to Glendale for some antiquing and good food at the Whistle Stop.

Sunday started early for all of us with church. After church we got together with the campground owners and there kids to do some shooting. In Kentucky it is common to go shooting on your land out in the country. Since it is off season for the campground we just did the shooting there.

Meric and his mom

Kelli's 1st shot

Kelli waiting for her next turn

Meric instructing his mom

Which is bigger: Kelli or the gun?

Say hello to my little friend

 

Kelli and Meric cleaning the guns

 We all had a lot of fun shooting and even got Meric's mom to try it once. Once we were done shooting we all had an impromptu potluck and enjoyed talking and telling stories. Meric's mom really enjoyed listening to every one's accent and southern talk. 

Monday we set out to try and find some Amish shops and people. Meric's parents really got a kick out of asking the locals for directions. They loved the accents and how open and friendly everyone was. We found a little shop ran by the Amish. Half of the store was a regular looking hardware store and the other half was a gift shop/grocery. Some of the things in there were homemade or locally canned.

Amish horse and buggy sign

 Later that night Meric received a blessing from his father. It was one of the things Meric really wanted before he "went off to the war". After the blessing there wasn't a dry eye in the house. It has been getting harder and harder for me to keep it together the closer we get to Meric's deployment.

Meric's family flew out on Tuesday. I was really glad they were able to come visit us. Our original plan had been for Meric and me to drive up to Washington but at the last minute we changed our mind. I was glad the Powell parents (as I like to call them) were able to have a good visit with Meric, see Kentucky and visit Meric's dad's mission.

Now I have just a few days to get ready for Meric's deployment.

Winter... in a Trailer.

Even though Meric and I bought our trailer in January, we didn't move into it until April. So as November approached we got our trailer ready for our first winter living in it. One of the first things we did was "winterize" our water spigot and hose. We got some heat tape and wrapped it around the spigot and along the hose. Then we covered the heat taped hose and spigot with pipe insulation and wrapped the whole thing with duct tape. One particularly cold morning we woke up to no water. We checked the spigot and discovered that a section that the heat tape wasn't touching had froze. After an easy adjustment we fixed the problem. We also covered the spigot with  a plastic bag just to help trap some heat around the whole spigot.

We also wrapped some heat tape around some of the hoses housed in the underbelly of the trailer. Our trailer is designed to keep those hoses from freezing by the heat ducts that run along next to them. When the weather is freezing the under belly stays warm as long as we run our propane heat often enough. We have a fireplace electric heater in the back section and a portable electric heater that help heat the trailer, but we keep them on low so that the propane heat will still turn on from time to time. Between the electric heaters and the propane furnace, we stay pretty toasty inside.

Since the weather has turned colder I also like to heat the house by cooking more. The oven like the furnace runs off of propane. Our trailer comes equipped with two 30 lbs tanks for propane.

30 lbs is equal to about 7 gallons of propane

Heading into winter Meric and I knew we would start going through propane a lot faster than we had been. Since April we had only used about one and a half of our tanks. We asked the campground owner were the closest place was to get our tanks filled and after she told us she also told us about a local propane company. She told us that for $50 and the cost of propane they would rent to us a 100 gallon tank and keep it full for us. We got the tank installed just before Thanksgiving and have used about half the tank so far. It has been really nice to not have to make several trips to get our tanks filled. It has also been nice to not worry about running out of propane.

Another thing about propane is that it is a moist heat. Also, cold weather plus trailer living equal condensation. Even though we were aware that condensation is a product of wintering in a trailer we were not fully prepare for how much condensation there would be and all of the issues that come with it. We were starting to find mold and puddles of water around the window sills. At the beginning of the winter there was a period of time where everything just seemed damp. We have found a few solutions that seem to help.

1. Shrink wrap/bubble wrap over the windows: Some trailers come with dual paned windows. This is a great feature because it decreases the amount of condensation greatly. Our trailer doesn't have this feature. I got some shrink wrap to put around the windows. It works okay but the tape doesn't stay 100% and it isn't easy to put on all of my windows because the blinds get in the way. So I got some bubble wrap and covered some of my windows with that. It doesn't look as nice but they both serve the purpose of creating an extra barrier between the warm inside and cold outside.

You can kinda see the shrink wrap plastic on the top window and
totally see the bubble wrap on the bottom.

2. Dehumidifiers: Towards the beginning of the winter we bought a small dehumidifier. It worked great but after a while we realized we needed another one, a bigger one. Now we have two, the small one for the bedroom and the larger one for the living room. They are quiet, don't take up a lot of space, are easy to empty and work great.

3. Damp Rid: The dehumidifiers help but there are some nooks and crannies that need more to get rid of the condensation. We use Damp Rid products to help that extra little bit. There are several option to choose from too. For the closets they have hanging bags that collect moisture. There are also little packets and bucket type containers to draw in extra moisture.

4. Keeping things open: Even with all of these measures there is still some condensation to deal with. Ventilation is important. We keep our closets open and a few cabinets too. Also we keep our ceiling vents cracked. It seems a little counterproductive with it being cold outside, but it works well and we stay plenty warm.

All of these measures have helped us survive our first winter in the trailer. Winter isn't over yet but we have gotten a good handle on the issues cold weather provides. We have learned a lot and continue to learn better ways of doing things.

Happy Holidays!

Our first Christmas in the trailer turned out to be really nice. The Wednesday before Christmas Meric and I decided to make cookies and candies for goody plates for his home teaching families, co-workers, and some of our neighbors. We made almost candy, 5-chip cookies, and soda cracker candy. I have really gotten use to how my oven cooks things and have no problem using it but it  is small. I can't fit a regular sized cookie sheet in the oven so instead of baking 12 cookies at a time, I can only do 6.

Once the cookies were started, I decided I wanted to decorate the trailer for Christmas. We decided to decorate our back "TV room". I draped strings of lights around the room and from the ceiling and hung our stockings next to the fireplace. (Meric actually got his own stocking this year thanks to Lissy's Christmas present.) Then Meric decided he would go out and try and find me a little table top Christmas tree. He came back with a little potted living tree covered with fake snow and sparkling decorations. It was perfect! We hung lights from the tree too and piled presents around it on the table. It was nice to have one room that looked like Christmas. 

Friday before Christmas we went out to give our neighbors the goody plates. Our last stop was to the owners of the campground. They invited us in and offered us some goodies that they had made. They had peanut butter no bake cookies, just peanut butter. I had never heard of doing those cookies without the chocolate. They say you make them just the same as regular no bake cookies but you leave out the chocolate and add more peanut butter. The cookies were really good. Then we sat a chatted for a while, 5 hours! I really like the owners and their family. They are good people.

On Christmas Eve we decided to try making cornish hens. I have never had them. We got 4 and made them in my roaster pan. They turned out really good. I even made gravy from the drippings, another 1st for me. Later that night we tried to talk with Meric's family online. I say tried because it was kinda crazy at Meric's parents house in WA, we couldn't always hear Deric's family in AZ and Briton's family in the Marshall Islands were having troubles getting on to oovoo with the rest of us. Briton's family was able to get onto Skype so Meric and I decided to switch over and just talk to them. It was kinda nice to see and talk with them again.

On Christmas morning Meric and I opened our stocking presents and watched Forgotten Carols while we ate fruit flautas. We then talked with my family online and watched as everyone opened presents. Later we called Meric's family again and chatted with them and opened more presents. I love technology and the fact that Meric and I in KY can talk with all of our family wherever they may live. It really was an enjoyable Christmas holiday.

Meric took the whole week after Christmas off. We spent most of the time eating and playing games. The owners of the campground told us about a Christmas light display in town that we went and checked out. There is a lake recreation area in Etown that puts on a gigantic light display you can drive through every year. Buisnesses and churches all contribute their own displays. It was really a cool display. One even had you tune your radio to a certain frequency and their light display flashed insync with the music. It is definitely something we will do again next year.

For New Years Eve some of the seasonal campers came back for a get together. We spent the evening hanging out by the fire and talking with our neighbors. It was a lot of fun and nice to get to know more people better. I can't believe that 2011 is gone, it went by so fast. I know that 2012 will hold some challenges but I look forward to the adventure!

The Heart of Christmas

Paper wrapped presents. Sparkling lights on trees of green. Fresh falling snow. Sugar cookies and gingerbread men. Hanging stockings. Candy canes. These are a few of the things that come to mind when we think of Christmas. Sometimes we get so caught up in all the decorations and shopping that we forget the real reason for the holiday, Christ was born. (Now I know that Christ was really born in April but His birth is still the "reason for the season"!)

This year has been especially difficult for me to remember the real reason for Christmas and even Christmas itself. With Meric set to deploy in February and it being our first winter in the trailer, other issues have been distracting me from enjoying the Christmas season like I normally do. There is a part of me that feels decorations would just be clutter. Looking for presents was more difficult and getting them sent off felt more rushed than usual. I am just finding it hard to focus on Christmas.

With all that being said I need to share a recent experience I had. Just after Thanksgiving I was busy getting ready for a visit from my dad and sister, Lissy. I was cleaning and organizing things I had been procrastinating doing for a while. As I was doing this I discovered a problem... mold. The mold was a result of condensation which is a common problem in winter trailering. Meric and I knew there would be a problem with condensation but were still figuring out the best way to combat it.The mold wasn't out of hand by any means but it was still a problem that needed to be remedied. Also I discover that the carpet on the bottom of our bedroom closet was wet. Not just damp from condensation but soaking wet from the rain outside leaking in. For a while there it seemed like everything was constantly damp. On top of all this Meric was getting mixed information about WHEN he would deploy. We were hearing everything from January 14th to March 3rd and with the holidays coming fast it was hard to schedule or plan for anything. Needless to say I was feeling a little stressed.

It was Monday night and my family was to arrive that Wednesday afternoon. It had rained non stop since Saturday night and the forecast was 90% chance of more precipitation until Wednesday afternoon.  I was beginning to hate the sound of rain on the roof, the exact same sound I once loved. With 3 dogs and no fenced yard I have to take them when they need to go outside. The constant rain had made it difficult to let the dogs go out and do anything more than just their "business". No play time had gotten old for the dogs and me too. So that night when I said my personal prayers I asked Heavenly Father for no rain the next day. As I laid down to go to sleep this thought went through my head: "Who am I kidding? There is no way He will stop the rain just for me." And with that I forgot about it as I drifted off to sleep. The next morning started early for me and I had lots to do. I took the dogs out to do their business, ran Meric to work and made an "early bird" stop at the commissary for groceries. As I walked out of the commissary and headed to my car a ray of sunshine peeked through the clouds. I had been so focused on everything I needed to do that I hadn't noticed until that moment that it wasn't raining. My first thought was "so much for the weather report" but then I remembered my prayer. All of a sudden I was filled with warmth and love and could almost hear a voice saying "see, I do love you". Standing in the commissary parking lot I started to cry. It was such an overwhelming feeling of being loved and know that my Father in heaven is aware of my needs. The rest of the day was still very busy and stressful but it didn't rain. I was able to take the dogs outside a few times, watch them play and enjoy the fresh air. I know it didn't rain that day because I needed it. All of my trials and stresses didn't go away but I could handle them better because of the moments I was given to take a break and go outside.

So what does this all have to do with the Christmas holiday? Nothing. It has to do with Christ. I think that the best thing about Christmas is Christ and I wanted to share my testimony. I know and am very thankful to have a loving Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus Christ was born, that he suffered for not just my sins but all of my pains, died and was resurrected. I know that prayers are heard and answered. I know that, even when I am by myself, I will never be alone. I know that I will have some difficult and lonely moments while Meric is deployed but I also know my Heavenly Father will take care of me. I know that my trials will not go away but I also know that trials are given to me by a loving Heavenly Father who knows what I need to become stronger. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and the gift of repentance.

Christ was born. Christ suffered for us in Gethsemane. Christ died on the cross. Christ was resurrected. Christ loves us. Christ knows specifically who I am and loves me. What more could you ask for? Merry Christmas!

Dad and Lissy come to Kentucky

Proof that Emmy DOES like Dad

This past Wednesday my dad and sister Lissy came to Kentucky to visit me. They are the 1st visitors we have had in Kentucky and in our trailer. I was very excited to have them coming to visit but at the same time a little nervous. I was worried that they wouldn't like our trailer, worried that they wouldn't be comfortable or warm enough while sleeping, worried the weather would be too rainy and cold etc. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. (that is usually the result of my worrying) My dad chose to sleep in the back room in one of the recliners. I didn't need to worry about how cold he would get because, as he discovered, our electric fireplace is very warm. Lissy slept on the bed made out of our kitchen table and benches. She stayed nice and warm and learned the true meaning of "three dog night".

The beasties really enjoyed cuddling with aunt Lissy. Also the weather was beautiful for their visit. The sun came out Wednesday and lasted until Sunday giving us gorgeous days with only a slight chill in the air.

On Thursday we went to nearby Glendale. We had lunch at the Whistle Stop, a local restaurant that has great home cooking and famous desserts. After lunch we wandered through some of the little shops in Glendale and Dad got some good "Kentucky made" souvenirs. Next stop was Lincoln's birthplace. Here we were at Lincoln's birthplace and my dad discovered something he called amazing. There is a nice wooden walking path through the woods with garbage cans along the way. He discovered that if you lifted the lid and let it go, the garbage can lid went down slowly instead of slamming shut.

"That's AMAZING!"

Yes, that is what my dad found amazing. We wandered around there for a bit before coming home for dinner and pie.

On Friday we spent the morning trying to get some good family pictures of Meric, me and the dogs. The dogs were a bit wiggly and I am not sure any of the pictures turned out, but we tried.

Lucy's face in this picture makes me laugh.

We also got some pictures of Dad, Meric and me.

Then we headed to Fort Knox. One of the reasons I wanted my dad to come to Kentucky was because he had done his basic training at Fort Knox and hasn't been back since. Of course his basic training was a long time ago so most everything has changed. We also wandered through the Patton museum and Lissy and Dad got their pictures taken with some tanks.

Saturday we headed to Louisville. Lissy wanted to go to Churchill Downs and the Louisville Slugger Factory/Museum. Those are two things I have been wanting to do and haven't done yet so it was fun to play Kentucky tourist as a group. Churchill Downs was very interesting. Admission to the museum includes a 30 minute walking tour of the race track. I learned a lot about the track and the Kentucky Derby. For instance, did you know that the Kentucky Derby is the longest continuously running sporting event? It has happened every year for the past 137 years.

Lissy and the Kentucky Derby winner's circle

Lissy and I picked out each others jockey outfits

We then headed to Lynn's Paradise Cafe for lunch. It was recommended by one of Meric's co-workers and was a very quirky and delicious suggestion.

After lunch we went to the Louisville Slugger museum. We took a factory tour and learned a lot about the process of making baseball bats. Of course Lissy and I were in heaven with all the baseball stuff.

Then it was home again, home again and since we were all still full from lunch we had the rest of the pie for dinner while we played games. Not too shabby of a day.

Sunday was a bit more relaxed. We went to church, came home, had some chili and cornbread and then watched a movie. Up until Sunday the weather had been perfect. It waited until Sunday to rain and then rained all day Monday. Monday Meric went back to work. Dad, Lissy and I spent a lazy morning just talking and hanging out until their flight that afternoon. All and all it was a very good visit, we had a lot of fun and I miss them already. The beasties miss them too and all the extra attention they were getting. They most especially miss Lissy and cuddling on the kitchen table bed.

Thankfuls: Day 7

Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Freedom: I am very thankful to live in a country that allows me to be free. I am thankful for all of the men and women who have sacrificed so much so that I can enjoy that freedom. I am thankful for my agency and the freedom to choose.

2. GPS systems:  How on earth did I get anywhere before I had a GPS system? I love our GPS for the car and also our GPS that we use for geocaching.

3. Flip flops: I am thankful for shoes that are easy to put on and take off. They are handy when I don't want to put shoes on to take the dogs outside.

4. Amazon.com: Is it bad the the UPS man knows exactly which trailer is ours? Amazon.com is great when you need a specific item that you can't find in stores near you. I am thankful for a website that makes shopping super easy.

5. Heat/AC in cars: I am so grateful for heat and AC in cars. I am thankful that I don't have to freeze or roast when driving. Since living in the south, I have gained an appreciation for AC in cars especially.

6. Sharp knives: We have some good knives and some not so good ones. I am so thankful for the sharp ones. It is amazing the difference. I always thought that cutting up raw chicken was really hard until we got good knives, it is actually really easy. I am thankful for good  sharp knives.

7. Recycling: I love recycling. I hate feeling wasteful. I am thankful that I live some place that makes it so easy to recycle. I am also thankful for my canvas shopping bag that fits nicely in my purse.

8. Space heaters: I am so thankful for space heaters that help keep my house warm.

9. Internet: I don't know what I would do without the internet. I love to be able to watch my TV shows whenever I want to. I love that I can shop, look up recipes, and get new craft ideas and help on the internet. I am even more thankful that it is easy to keep in touch with family and friends who are far away. I am thankful that we can talk face to face even when we are across the country or even out of the country. I am thankful that I will be able to actually see Meric even when he is deployed. The internet is such a tool of convenience but more importantly it is a tool that helps me stay connected to those I love.

10. Snow: I haven't seen a lot of this in the last few years and I miss it. I love snow and how beautiful everything looks covered in a layer of white. I also love playing with the dogs in the snow.

So this is my list of thankfuls and there are countless others that should be on these lists. I am so thankful for all of my many blessings. I take so much for granted. Since this is the last day of my thankfuls and also Thanksgiving, I want to do one more.

11. Holidays: I am so thankful for all of the different holidays. I really love that Meric gets time off for a lot of the holidays. I am also thankful for how the holidays make us remember. New Years is a great time to reflect on what we have accomplish, to set new goals and to celebrate a new beginning. Valentine's day reminds us of the love we have in our lives and that we should express our love to others. The 4th of July reminds us of the blessing of freedom. Veterans day reminds us of all those who have sacrificed and those who continue to sacrifice for our freedom and country. Thanksgiving of course reminds us to be thankful. Christmas reminds us of Christ's birth and that we should be more Christlike and charitable.

Thankfuls: Day 6

1. Home: I am very thankful to have a warm safe home. It may be unconventional but it is mine and I love it.

2. Food: Not everyone has enough food or even access to food. I am very grateful that I have the means to get the food I want and need. I also am thankful I have the ability to cook. There is also a lot of healthy food that tastes great available now! I am also thankful that food likes me. I have not allergies and can usually eat whatever I like eating.

3. Vehicles: I am very blessed to have great vehicles. I love my truck and car. I am very thankful to have vehicles that run great and will take me where I want to go. (especially when I want to drive to Washington!)

4. Febreeze: With 3 dogs and a husband, Febreeze is a life saver. It works great and helps my home smell fresh.

5. Floss: Who likes having stuff stuck between their teeth? Floss is amazing and helps avoid cavities.

6. Geocaching: I am thankful for geocaching because it is a cheap activity I can do with Meric. After the initial expense of buying a GPS unit, we can plan an activity that is fun and doesn't cost a thing.

7. Lint rollers: With 3 dog lint rollers are a necessity. They are quick easy and super handy.

8. Music/Radios: I am so thankful for music. I am very thankful for radios especially car radios. I drove Meric's truck a couple of times when his radio wasn't working and it drove me crazy not having music. I also love XM radio. I love that I can drive across the country and keep my radios stations.

9. Carpet cleaner: Once again with 3 dogs a carpet cleaner is essential. (yes I am still thankful for the dogs.) It has been a life saver when we were renting. It saved me a lot of stress just the other day when I needed to clean a mess. (Not the dogs this time.)

10. Bug spray: When I lived in Spokane I rarely got bug bites. Since we have moved south I can't go outside in the summer without bug spray. If I forget the bug spray I look like I have chicken pox. I am thankful for all the different kinds of bug repellent.