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Friday, March 23, 2012

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To See Anabelle

When we were making our mad (happy) dash North to see our new granddaughter, Anabelle, we had to stop for the night.  What better place to stop than Cracker Barrel?  We had a great supper and asked and received permission to stay overnight in their lot.  We went to bed with visions of a Cracker Barrel breakfast dancing in our heads.

The next morning, we made that vision come true and had another great meal.  Going back to the Journey, we started getting ready to go.  Started up the Journey, pulled in the slides, then I went out to the Element and checked everything out with it and got it ready, too.  Part of my pre-flight departure routine is to take a complete walk around the Journey and the Element, double checking everything, slides, awnings, jacks, TV antenna, tow hitch, tires, lights and so forth before we actually move.

As I was doing my walk around, an official looking SUV, with decals on the side pulled up alongside us.  My first thought?  "What did I do to get in trouble this time?".

The driver put down his window and said, "Are you Paul?"  That surprised me, and my mind started a slide show of all the people I know, trying to recall who this gentleman was and where I knew him from.  In a split second, I came up blank.

The gent said, "I love your blog, I read it regularly."  Wow!  A blog reader who I had never met had found us and stopped by to meet us.  He introduced himself as Gary, a fellow RVer.  We had a quick chat and agreed to keep in touch and meet again one day on the road. 

It made my day!  We enjoy writing the blog for a variety of reasons, to keep friends and family informed of where we are and what we're doing, documenting our travels and helping other RVers get an idea of the fulltime life so they can know what it is like.  Meeting a reader is icing on the cake. :c)

Yesterday, little Anabelle arrived home.


In no time she was unbuckled from her car seat,


and the passing her around and her grandma's cuddling began.

The pediatrician recommended 15 minutes of "tummy time" several times a day to help Anabelle develop and learn to crawl, so she was put on the kitchen table with a circle of happy admirers watching her every breath, wiggle and sigh.


Even Cooper, Corey and Amanda's Golden Retriever laid on the floor, close at hand, and little Madison, their pug, stood, ready to watch over their new charge.


Meanwhile, Mike, Amanda's dad and I worked on the Element.  It needed new front brakes, so we took on that job in the driveway.  Corey also pitched in and lent a hand.


We figured we'd stay out of the way.  Smart men know not to get in the way of grandmas and babies.  :c)

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.


14 comments:

  1. Cute blog. Anabelle is not going to want for love. She'll grow up with plenty of it.

    I love stopping at Cracker Barrel but we've never stayed there overnight.

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  2. I hope Amanda takes advantage of the Grandma Brigade and gets lots and lots of rest while she can :)

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  3. It is great meeting fellow blog readers and RVers.

    In the last picture, my first thought was "The brakes arn't under the hood"......lol

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  4. you are a bunch of 'smart men'..good to get out of the way!
    welcome home Annabelle!!

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  5. How are you ever going to drag Marti away from that cute little baby?

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  6. It is really nice when you meet fellow bloggers :)
    Small world, Gary actually flies into the airport behind our property.

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  7. The welcome troops are sure gathered. Lots of help baby watching and help with car repairs too. Can't ask for more than that.

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  8. What a happy child that little girl will be... surrounded by all that love. As for the pre-travel check, we have a laminated sheet that lists everything from hook up procedure to bringing in the outdoor thermometer. And even after 11 years on the road we still check everything off before heading out. Haven't lost the tow vehicle yet ;-)

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  9. Crawling already?? Must be a supergirl! :)

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  10. Yes, the work vehicle gets a few looks from folks I stop and chat with. It was quick but fun for me, I enjoy meeting folks that blog.

    Anabelle is so cute, not sure how either of you will want to get back on the road. ;)

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  11. There is no better therapy then cuddling your grandchild:o))

    From the looks of the faces around that table....It Works!!

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  12. One more reason to always be on good behavior. You never know when you'll run into an admirer :-))) Cutie Anabelle looks like she's holding court. :-)))

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  13. Anabelle, beautiful name. Enjoy your time with her.

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  14. It's always nice to meet your blog followers. Good thing Gary didn't delay the departure of the "Grandma Express" for too long though. :)

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