Salute From The Iowa State Fair Grounds!!
Greetings from the Iowa State Fair Grounds. A little known RV fact: you can camp at most county and state fair grounds. This is our first time. Actually it’s Pork Expo time in Iowa so we’re surrounded by trailers filled with squealing pigs.
Last night we had some severe weather, and I spent a couple hours fretting, praying, and listening to the radio with a map and flashlight in hand.
It’s quite the dilemma when the radio guy says, “If you’re in a mobile home, seek shelter immediately” which would mean waking 9 people and walking 200 yards in the pouring rain. Fortunate it didn’t come to that and it passed just south of Des Moines.
Things have been pretty uneventful the last several days. We drove from Orlando without incident except that somewhere along the way one of our roof vent covers blew off.
Sooooo in the pouring rain, we pulled over at an RV place, I climbed up on the roof, and I replaced the cover…life on the road.
Today we set up at the Iowa State Homeschool convention where I’ll be speaking for the next couple of days. Sunday we hit the road for Philly, PA and according to my calculations we’re down to about four weeks left on the road.
Kind of feels sad…but I think we’ll be ready when the time comes.
Here are the photos of Katherine after her Princess make-over:
Hope all is well with your family.
Keep your eye on your tail and swing wide,
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Hey there Wilsons! Loved your Extravagant Love newsletter this week! Thank you for encouraging us with truth.
Although God has us in Colorado right now, Iowa is our stomping ground and we miss it so much! Enjoy your time there…and if you get a chance to swing through Cedar Falls, stop at Cup of Joe on Main Street and give a big HONK for us!
Blessings!
The Weavers
Such a cute young lady!
I am waiting to load the van so we can see you tomorrow.
I really enjoy your blog.
Todd,
Way to go on show such love to your girl! Glad to see all is still well with the Wilson clan.
Keep dry 😉
What an incredibly beautiful Princess, your Katherine is. Daughter of the KING of KINGS.
Needed that one! I am cheap with my family so we can be a blessing to others (like taking a family of 10 to whataburger. well, i tried anyway.)
I do good at little things for my kids, like bringing home a bit of candy or the change I found at work to give to them. I have not done the extravagant yet though. I will now!
Dan
Todd,
Thanks for the encouragement. I recently spent $50 to fly standby so I could get back from a business trip and go the the last showing of Prince Caspian on opening night with my oldest daughter. Sure, we could have gone the next day, but she really wanted to go opening night. We had a great time. I will forget the added cost long before she forgets the effort I put forth to be there.
You helped me decide to buy the swimsuit my daughter says she needs this year. It includes some kind of surfing trunks (?).
She is twelve now, call me wierd but I just wish the 1920’s style swimsuit would become the fad.
You are a wise man. Thanks for telling your stories. They always encourage and inspire me to love my kids toward Jesus when I can.
http://kenpierpont.com/2002/02/the-lost-art-of-skipping/
The Lost Art of Skipping
I was in the bookstore and I saw a round headed, clear-eyed little black boy about seven years old easily skipping through the isles. He was an adorable little fella’ and he appeared happy and carefree. He reminded me of an equally cute little guy in our church named Andrew.
Andrew was at camp last week and I was watching him from a distance. He must have had a treat from the Snack Shack in mind because he had a big smile on his face and he was skipping all the way across the campground. He looked happy and carefree. He didn’t seem to have a bit of self-consciousness about him. He was a pretty good little skipper, too. Something in me envies a carefree little boy with his dog on a summer afternoon. That feeling always brings to mind the lines of John Greenleaf Whittier:
Blessings on thee little man,
Barefoot boy with cheek of tan!
With thy turned up pantaloons,
And thy merry whistled tunes,
And thy red lip redder still
Kissed by strawberries on the hill;
With the sunshine on thy face,
Through thy torn brim’s jaunty grace
>From my heart I give thee joy–
I was once a barefoot boy
It’s sad to think that most little boys probably stop skipping by the time they are twelve or thirteen. Soon thereafter they are slowed by the burdens of manhood. It’s good they don’t understand about taxes, unions, retirement plans, tuition, car payments, insurance premiums and co-payments. If we were able to help them understand how short and few their carefree summer days would be they would probably stop skipping sooner. Andrew probably only has about four more skipping summers left. Maybe if we changed the name of skipping to hop-jogging or something, little boys would keep doing it into adulthood. I have a little advice for you Andrew. Skip on while you can little man.
One summer evening on the porch of our country home I was talking with my dad. He got a far-away look in his eyes and made a statement that made me realize he had similar thoughts. He said; “The days you can throw everything you own in the trunk of the car and head off across the country will be gone before you know it. You should enjoy them a little while you can.” He was right.
Some day soon I’m going to find an isolated stretch of beach, take off my shoes and skip for a mile right along the place where the water laps he sand. I just hope nobody sees me.
Todd, God is so good to us, what a great way to affirm your daughter.
priceless.
You really touched her heart with your act of love. It is hard thinking past my wallet but it is always worth it.
Nice to see a reflection of the God who so extravagantly loves us. What a wonderful smile your daughter has.
Keep on RVing!
Todd- You have a beautiful daughter and she has got to be pretty proud to have a dad like you
Even before I read your article I had just done something similar. Step out of the norm to bless your family. This was small but on the same vane. I usually start getting gruff at bedtime when the kids start stalling. My 9 yr old girl is the worst and always comes up with profound doctrinal questions. My folks were in town and it was really getting late and the other kids were already in bed. Seriah was up talking with my mom as she packed. As I rounded the corner, she saw me coming, got a sad look on her face and started to head toward her room. My normal response would be to say “Its late, get to bed now”. Instead, I said stay up as late as my mom is up. She couldn’t believe it. I realized that my mom was leaving the next day, every moment was precious and that she could go to bed on time tomorrow. Seriah couldn’t believe it and asked be twice if I was joking as she gave me a huge hug. I think she likes me…
Katherine looks so great in that picture!