----->>> In a Home Named Destiny: Christmas

Our last days in Kentucky were bittersweet. On one hand we were extremely grateful to kiss our jobs goodbye but we were strangely sad when we started to notice our neighbors disappear. Everyone had other adventures planned, family to visit. We did get to say goodbye to some and called others to make sure they knew how grateful we were for all their help. We have grown quite accustom to our little site on the bluff and campground life. The last few nights it got really cold and on the very last night it even snowed a tiny bit! Right as we were packing up to head to Nashville one of our neighbors came over to say goodbye and encourage us. She has been living in her RV full-time for seven years and is very seasoned in this lifestyle. She gave us a lot of helpful tips, uplifting comments and ended up giving us some beer and shampoo (which I actually had just ran out of that day without her knowing). It's the little gifts from people who have nothing more than you do that mean the most! Maybe one day we will be able to meet up with some of our first full-timer friends on the road! Thank you for everything you have taught us and all your kindness.

Destiny's first taste of snow

A last hoorah with some of our friends from Amazon

Margarita celebration for our last day!

God's gift to us!

Holidays have a funny way of bringing out your want and need of family. Yes, we are pretty independent little gypsies wandering the country but one thing we cannot rid ourselves from is our love of our family. No matter how crazy, or wonderful, or insane any of 'em can get- we couldn't love them more. We have been pretty blessed to have such great families... on both sides. We have no fear of the "in-laws." Every Thanksgiving for the past four years we have missed them dearly but this was our first Christmas away and hearts were aching. So when we were invited down to Nashville to spend the holiday with Cody and his mom we quickly accepted. At least it would be with a family and one that we really enjoyed spending time with. Our hearts were very full this holiday season. It's funny that we only met Cody two months ago through Jordan's friend Kuntal, from Fallbrook, who at the time was in Berlin while we were in Nashville. We hung out with them a little bit on the 23rd, then on Christmas Eve we went back around dinner time. I had brought some chicken over and Cody turned it into an amazing Chicken Marsala. It was so wonderful. We just sat around the table and enjoyed the company. We actually almost burnt the kitchen down that night, his mom was toasting coconut for a Christmas pie but the pan was a little too close to the broiler. The flames started coming up through the stove and when we opened the oven door they were flying out. Luckily this is not the first time Cody has dealt with this kind of thing (he is a manager of a catering company)- it was out before we knew it. After all that was over the boys serenaded us with some music. It was almost surprising how well they played together. It felt like they had been doing it for years. One would play a song that he knew while the other did back up. Cody pulled out a harmonica that his mom had given to her father before he passed and was overwhelmed with joy when Jordan played it just like her dad use to. It was a wonderful Christmas eve.

Jordan and I left around eleven to head to our Wal-Mart. We pulled in and just I was putting Destiny into park a police officer came and knocked on our window. Scared the crap out of me! Apparently since Walmart is closed on Christmas nobody is allowed to stay overnight. We were a little confused and frazzled unsure of what to do this late at night so we just turned back around and parked on Cody's street hoping that no one would mind! Christmas morning came quickly and we were just like little kids again. We tried to sleep in longer but we were too excited. I pulled out some apple fritters and made some coffee. We had some presents that people had mailed to us at the campsite. Jordan and I gave each other stockings too. A few days before Christmas we went to Target and had a $40.00 limit to find presents for each other person. We split up and went on a hunt. It was a lot of fun, kind of felt like a scavenger hunt! We are really trying to live small but it is always fun to have a stocking! Jordan's mom also sent us stockings so we actually got to open two- even better!!! After that I made us bacon and sliced up avocado. It was a wonderful morning on a random street in Nashville. The beauty of our little turtle shell anywhere is home!

Around 11 or 12 we headed into Cody's. His mom got us some small gifts and we brought a bottle of wine. For most of the day we sat around the kitchen table again, they were hustling and bustling preparing a big southern Christmas feast and I guess we were the entertainers. We all just told each other stories, laughed, and enjoyed the company. We watched Christmas movies, had wine, and ate til we could not eat anymore. They spoiled us rotten. Cody's mom is a massage therapist so she even gave us all shoulder and neck massages. Just before we left for the evening they let us use their wonderful, hot shower. (We can't have water in the motor home right now because the pipes will freeze and explode! It get's a little tricky!)

It was 9:30pm when we left our friends but we didn't even feel tired. We almost, for the first time that day, felt really really sad that we weren't home. It was only 7:30pm back home and we knew the night was still young there and everyone was awake! But instead of letting ourselves go to that place we decided to go see a movie instead. Neither of us have ever gone to the theater on a holiday but we needed an escape. So the Hobbit in 3D it was. We were anxiously awaiting the movie to start but after 20 minutes the manager turned on the lights and came in to tell us the polarizer for the film and broke and there would be no movie. Although it was Christmas so he let us go watch another movie that had just started and gave us each 3 movie passes to any 3D movie at any Regal theater I guess it was a 1 for 4 deal kind of night. We watch the other movie and made it back to Walmart around 3am and slept with smiles on our faces and full hearts.