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Top 10 Events for the Dad Olympics

How about a good match of “CHUBBY BUNNY”? Add one big size (not mini) marshmallow in your mouth and say, “Chubby Bunny”. Then add another big size marshmallow, and say “Chubby Bunny”. Keep adding marshmallows until you can’t add anymore and everyone rolls in laughter!!!!

Tim Barker
Lancaster, PA

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Here are a few Dad Olympic events that I came up with…call it the Dad Pentathlon

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Good-bye to an Old Friend

Well, after a long wait and amidst the worst time in the world to sell an RV, we’ve sold the Familyman Mobile 2. It was kind of sad as fellow familyman Kris Ruble pulled out of my driveway.

After all, we’ve had a lot of great memories in FM2…including multiple towings, a turkey that flew through the windshield, gashing a Mercedes, getting lost in Boston, and traversing chunks of the great old USA. In fact, one of my children got his start in FM2. I know it is just an RV, but it sure holds a lot of great memories for our family, and I’m sure it will do the same for the Ruble’s.

With that, we close the books on the 2008 RV Blog.

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Head to head with Mr. Gnarly

Hey Dad,
Well, the battle continues. Remember last week I told you about the expensive fix on my car due to the destructive eating habits of a big rodent? Well, we set out the ‘live trap’ and caught a…cat.

After extensive questioning, the cat was released and the wire-gnawing bandit was still at large. Then I saw something that confirmed my suspicions. We were dealing with marmota monax, the common groundhog.

The family and I had been away from home for several hours and I had just dropped them off at a neighbor’s house for desert. Alone, I made the short trip home to let our dog out for a bathroom break before heading back to the neighbor’s home.

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Home Sweet Home!

Hey Dad,

Last time I posted we were in Newport News, VA waiting for my wife to finish the laundry. Well, she did finish it, but when I went to start the RV…nothing…nothing…nothing. Luckily we had our home with us so we spent the night in the parking lot. The next morning bright and early, I shimmied under the RV, smacked the tar out of the starter…and it started.

Not wanting to press my luck or God’s goodness, I drove it directly to a Cummins shop and spent the entire day parked in their lot while they replaced the starter. My kids and wife were real troopers because I know they would have rather spent the day at the beach looking at the ocean instead of sweating in the RV watching Lone Ranger videos.

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Surfs Up, Dad!

Hey Dad,

Since leaving Philly, PA we spent the weekend in Sumter, SC where I was able to speak to a bunch of dads and moms. Sumter wasn’t the sightseeing capital of the world, but we did stop at the legendary South of the Border on the NC/SC border.

We’ve read the billboards and passed the big sombrero many times as we’ve driven up and down I-95 on the east coast and now we’ve done it. One word sums it up—tacky. But I kind of like it.

Last night we spent the night at First Landing State Park near Virginia Beach, VA and today we stopped in at Jamestown Settlement.

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Been Here Done That!

Hey Dad,

Things couldn’t be going much better. My wife is radiant, but I’m starting to run down. I’ve spoken to thousands of dads and moms, driven thousands of miles, and said at least a thousand times, “Settle down back there!”

Just a couple more weeks. I think I can…I think I can…I think I can.

Last week we enjoyed the Philly, PA area, although my GPS took me about 30 miles in the wrong direction because I typed in the wrong town. The road kept getting narrower and narrower until I finally had to stop.

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Howdy from Intercourse, PA!

A big howdy from Intercourse, PA. You heard me right. The people of Intercourse seem to be able to say the name without smirking, but I feel like my Mom will wash my mouth out with soap if I say it. It is a nice town, and in fact, the town scene in the movie The Witness, was filmed here.

We had a great time in Des Moines, IA, although the weather was crazy. Out of the four nights we were there, we had severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings on three of those nights.

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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.

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From the Magic Kingdom

I think it was Dorothy Gail from the Wizard of OZ who once said, “There’s no place like…Florida.” For this Indiana boy and his family, it truly is the vacation state. Not that it has all been vacation, but it sure is good to be back in the sunshine state.

It’s hard to believe that we only have a few more weeks of traveling left. This past weekend we were at the Florida state homeschool convention, which is the Cadillac of homeschooling conventions.

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