We knew it would happen eventually. Akio and Amai finally gave in and snuggled together at bed time. It was especially cute because she curled up in his tail.
There are a few experiences in my life that have confirmed the existence of God and bore firm testimony of my faith. One of them is Ek’ Balam. (I’ll do a post about it someday.) Seeing the total Eclipse was another.
Before the eclipse, I did a little research to find out what was so special about eclipses. Eclipses do happen on other planets. However, on earth, our moon is the perfect size to cover the sun completely to create a total eclipse. If the moon was smaller or the moon was further away or closer, then the beautiful corona (the ring created) wouldn’t happen. In fact, because our moon is slowly moving away from the earth, someday, there will no longer be total eclipses, only partial eclipses. The orbit of our moon and the earth are also special. If our moon was on a different path around our earth, then a total eclipse would not be possible. I definitely see the Creator’s hand here.
Having seen the total eclipse, I will never miss seeing another one where it is possible to see it. It was one of the most remarkable and memorable experiences. And let me tell you, seeing it at 90% or 95% or 99% is not enough. Seeing photographs or videos is not enough. The difference is like a roller coaster. Someone can describe a roller coaster to me or even show me a video of the roller coaster, but until I experience it for myself, I will not truly understand what it is like. The same is true for the total eclipse, until you have experienced it for yourself, you will not know how wonderful of an experience, how beautiful, how mystifying, how magnificent it is.
As I watched the totality, I was impressed to think about heaven. In D&C 137:1-4, the Prophet Joseph Smith describes a vision he has had where he sees heaven. “The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire; Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold.” I love the words he uses to try to grasp in any small manner what he has seen. Until we are able to see heaven, to experience it ourselves, we do not truly understand how beautiful, how mystifying or how magnificent it is.
Next time there is an eclipse, I will make sure all my friends and family are there to witness it. My husband and I were fortunate enough to travel to Casper, WY to be with some friends but our son wasn’t there with us because of his work schedule. It was heartbreaking to think that he wasn’t able to see it. Also, we had several close friends who didn’t get to travel to see the total eclipse. We wish so much that we could have had them all with us. We will definitely do all we can in the future to make sure those we love are with us to experience this.
So, now I am asking myself, “am I doing all I can to make sure my friends and family are with me in heaven?” Probably not. A few weeks after the eclipse I celebrated the 25 anniversary of my baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love my faith. I love who it has made me. I do want to share that with my friends and family but it takes effort.
Lastly, as I mentioned, the totality was the amazing part. I have seen eclipses before – partial eclipses. But totality was something far beyond. It wasn’t just 1% better than 99%. It was 1000 times better than 99% and probably more. I guess that is the difference for us living the gospel at 99% versus 100%. When we live it at 100%, our blessings are multiplied far more than the small difference in our effort.
On our way out west, I decided I wanted a little dog. I started looking for various breeds. I thought I wanted a teacup Maltese but as I looked, I couldn’t find a breeder where I could pick the dog up. Finally I found a teacup Yorkie breeder about 15 minutes from where we were staying in Utah. We went and picked up our new puppy on Thursday, August 24. She was about 2 lbs. and will be about 3.5 lbs to 4 lbs when fully grown. Her mother was 6 lbs and her father was 3 lbs. She had a sister which was about the same size as she is and two brother which were both bigger than she is.
So, we welcome Amai (pronounced a my ee) which means “sweet” in Japanese. She is spunky and loves to play with her big brother, Akio. She loves to run in the grass. She love Honey Nut Cheerios and to steal Akio’s food and run away with it. She went to the vet on September 15 and weighed 2.2 lbs. We have taken her to the groomer twice – once for a hair cut and once for a bath. She loves to play with the bell that we hung in her playpen.
It’s official! I am the worst blogger in the world. I have great intentions but finding time (ok, ok – really this is all about making the time) to sit down and write has not happened. In the last month, we have driven across the country and back, saw a total eclipse, got a new dog, and been through the biggest hurricane in history. So it’s not like I don’t have anything to write about! I am definitely better at posting quick things to Facebook. It’s so sad because my life has actually been exciting the last two months. I should have been blogging! I guess I will write a few blogs to make up for lost time….
We spend a lot of time in our 5th wheel so we have basically outfitted it with a whole set of kitchen and bathroom items. For most trips we simply need to bring food and clothes. We left yesterday and are traveling from Palm Coast, FL to Casper, WY and then to Ogden, UT. We will be gone for 3 weeks and a day so the planning was a little more extensive than usual.
So, what are the top ten things we did to prepare for this trip?
- Meal planning: We always plan our meals when traveling in the 5th wheel. If not, how would we know what food to bring, right? We choose each meal for each day. Peter makes a list of food from there. Then we break that list into two different lists – one for grocery shopping and one for items we already have at home that just need to be brought to the camper. Not only do we have to plan out the meals but we also have to ensure that there is enough room for the items in the camper. That was particularly challenging this trip because of the limited freezer space.
- Reservations for campsites: We made reservations for 10 campgrounds for this trip. On the way up we were concerned about not having reservations because we will be on the path of the Eclipse. Our trip home is Labor Day weekend so that could become an issue as well. I used the Good Sam trip planning page online to find campgrounds that met our needs that were about the right distance for a day’s travel. Peter called each for reservations and then we recorded in our RoadTripper app. I love the RoadTripper app because it is available on my cell.
- Practice runs in 5th wheel: We purchased this 5th wheel in May and so it was pretty new to us. We made several “dry runs” including a few days at a campground in St. Augustine and a trip to South Carolina to ensure we were very comfortable with the hook up and breakdown process. In addition, our dry runs gave us a chance to see what was missing.
- Safety equipment and securing items: I have heard some horror stories about tires on trailers so we got a system called Tire Minder. It monitors the air pressure in the tires on the trailer and we can see this on a device in the truck. If the pressure gets low, the device alarms so we can pull over, hopefully before a disaster. We also ensured that the fire alarm and carbon monoxide detectors were functioning. We have learned a few lessons over the years in ensuring that things are secured properly for travel. If you visited our 5th wheel you might think a child lived here because we have a few baby locks. The overhead cabinets are secured with a baby lock so it will not come open. We have had several items on the floor that were in the cabinet. Also, there are two drawers on the side of our slide outs that we secure with a baby lock. This keeps them from coming out and getting in the way when we open the slide. Everything basically comes off the counter and is secured on the floor near the table during transport. However, we have a candle on our counter top that I secured with Museum Putty. It stays on the counter and doesn’t move! The bed is a pretty good place to put things during transport. May times I will push the pillows around the item to ensure it doesn’t go anywhere.
- List of things to do: One of the reasons I love the RoadTripper app is because it shows sites and things to do near your travel route. I chose several things that I would like to do, especially near our destinations. I haven’t necessarily planned out each day for this trip at our destination because of family schedules of which we are not sure but I have listed the things I want to do. Also, we have found and called a Doggy Day Care to ensure we have the ability to go and see what we want since some things do not allow Akio to come.
- Check in/out list: The 5th wheel is much easier to set up and break down than the travel trailer but we still have a check in and a check out list. It helps us ensure that we don’t miss something especially on those travel days where we are getting in late and/or leaving early. Peter keeps it on his cell phone so he can run through it quickly as he gets things set.
- Laundry: Normally we do not need to do laundry on our trips because we are only gone for a week or so but this trip will require that we do laundry. Almost all campgrounds have coin-operated laundry facilities. We have found when we did need to do laundry that the laundry pods are the easiest things to use. We keep a bag of them in the 5th wheel all the time and also ensure we have enough quarters to do a load if needed.
- Lists and more lists: I love lists. Peter hates lists. But he accepts my need to have things on a list. One of the things that I have learned in camping and preparing for camping is that if I don’t make him put something on the list when I think of it, it will not get on the list and it won’t get done. We have forgotten butter and propane for the grill because of this.
- Entertainment – Roku & Games: Most of our trips are because of my work and I end up spending a lot of time working. If I am not working, we will take walks or hikes or spend time outside. This time, I won’t be working a lot (hopefully). Of course, camping in Florida means not wanting to spend a lot of time outside in 95 degree heat with 100% humidity so entertainment in the 5th wheel is necessary as well. We have a television in our 5th wheel that is probably bigger than the one in our house. Most of the time we use the antenna or watch movies but there is a limit to the number of times I want to watch the same movie and the selection on the antenna can be limited at best. We recently purchased a Roku. Since we have unlimited internet on our cell phones, we can connect and stream. Most WiFi connections at campgrounds are not good enough to stream. We also got a couple of small games like Pass the Pig and Farkle. We are looking forward to some nice time together!
- Campground Review Book: I wish so much that I had started this a few years ago. I put together a campground review booklet that allows us to record information about each campground that we stay in. I can record things like the cost, if they have pull through sites, which sites we like or don’t like and what there is to do. I think it will be super helpful as we plan trips in the future, especially when we are going to the same area.
A friend of mine commented that he expected me to have everything planned out. Not that he was exactly stating that I was obsessive but, he was. That’s ok. I like being organized and detailed.
I guess I better start by explaining the Bug Cart II…. Bug Cart II is the name we have given to our 5th Wheel. We have a 2018 Keystone Cougar 28RKS and we love “glamping.” You will often find us staying in some state park or campground. It has been wonderful for me so we can stay close to wherever we need to stay for my work meetings. For those that may ask, we did have Bug Cart I but upgraded to the 5th Wheel a few months ago.
But not all my posts will be about our camping adventures. We have adventures all the time and I will be sure to post about all of them. But we love our Bug Cart and I’m sure lots of them will be in our Bug Cart!