The one with one of the best days ever

Have I mentioned how much I love the Universe?  Yes, this is yet another post about my love for the Universe and how it provides exactly what we need when we need it.  Yesterday, when I rolled out of bed, a plain old regular day of work sat waiting for me.  At least that’s what I thought.  The day really did start out just like the majority of my mornings … feed the doggies, take a shower, eat some breakfast and sit down to work.  A couple hours into my work brought a wonderful distraction, although I didn’t know it at the time.I heard John talking on the phone upstairs and then received an IM from him asking if I wanted to take a trip to Medina.  Guilt filled every ounce of me because of course I want to go but I shouldn’t go.  I have work to do.  I couldn’t stand the thought of my doggies in the back of Carrie, John cruising down the roads of Hill Country with everything so green and pretty while I sat here, at the dining room table, working on my code.  Time to compromise.  I’ll take my laptop with me.  That’s the whole point of having mobile computing power … we can work from anywhere!  So we piled everyone into Carrie and set off down the road.  I opened up the laptop about the time we hit the pretty part of  Hill Country and a little voice in my head said “You know, you may never come this way again.  You are planning to leave TX and so this might be your last trip to Medina.”  So I shut my laptop and decided that I was not going to feel guilty despite one wave of guilt after another consuming my entire body.

So we talked and admired the views and had a fantastic time, except for the overwhelming pangs of guilt that kept taking over my body.  “I should be working.  I need to work.  We should have taken this trip this weekend. NO NO NO, you will not feel guilty.  You work very hard, 7 days a week and have every right to enjoy this trip with your pack.”  The guilt would go away.  We’d drive a bit longer, talk a little more, and then BAM … another wave of guilt.  I’d fight that one back and the cycle would start again.  By the time we got to Medina I had fought back so many pangs of guilt that my body actually felt tired.  “Why am I so consumed with having to work all the time?  Well, because you want to move on and if you work harder you’ll get there faster.  Working has become a habit.”  What a sad realization that was for me.  Working has become a habit for me and you know how hard it is to break a habit!  Then … I saw it … the logo for Love Creek Orchards!

Throughout the entire trip my brain was too busy fighting the guilty pangs that I failed to even realize that we were going to Medina, the home of the absolutely best apple pie ever!  The pies are fabulous.  Each and every pie contains 4 pounds of apple, mixed with a bit of butter, sugar and I think their famous apple cider sauce (truly I don’t know the exact recipe) and it’s all surrounded by the perfect crust ever.  It’s not a sugary-sweet pie and the apples aren’t at all mushy.  You can actually pick up each and every piece of apple with your fork and it not only keeps its shape but it also provides a little crunch in your mouth.  Love Creek Orchard makes my most favorite pie ever … in the entire world …. at least the parts of the world I’ve been to and had pie.  And just so that I remember how to get them in the future, when we’re located in various parts of the country nowhere near Medina, TX here is my reminder.  http://www.lovecreekorchards.com/

So that was exciting surprise number 1!  On the way back we’re picking up pie!  My favorite pie in the whole world!  Thank you Universe!  So we continued on past Medina, 7 miles North of Medina actually, to a cute little teal house set back in the trees.  The teal house sheltered the cutest couple named Marilyn and Larry.  We decided to visit Marilyn and Larry because they listed a tailgate on Craigslist that we hoped would fit Carrie.  So we pull up to the teal house and would you believe that next to this cute little teal house sits a monstrous (at least it felt that way) 5th wheel.  Marilyn and Larry find themselves in a situation where they feel it is time to sell off everything they own to live in a 5th wheel.  Seriously?  We knew we would be looking at a tailgate but in no way did we even imagine that we’d have the privilege of meeting a couple so full of RVing knowledge that we could directly benefit from.  The only real difference between John and I and Larry and Marilyn is 40 years.  Now that they are in their 70s they feel it is time to get their life back (they’ve been caring for Marilyn’s elderly mother) and go experience the world before they are physically unable.

Marilyn and Larry welcomed us to their home and very excitedly invited us into their 5th wheel.  They RVed in the past and were more than happy to spill their guts on the things we should consider, the things we should ignore and lessons they’ve learned along the way.  We actually gained some very interesting knowledge that I believe will come in very handy in the future.  I just couldn’t believe that we drove all that way for a tailgate and wound up getting a hour and a half worth of RV training.  Fantastic!  Just being inside their RV and seeing little clues indicating that they’re in the process of loading up, getting ready to hit the road, filled me with so much excitement and anticipation that there was no longer room for guilt.  Who the hell cares if I’m not working today.  I’m gonna buy a pie on the way home AND I got to spend the afternoon in a 5th wheel, learning from old pros.  This is what life is supposed to be about.  Sometimes it’s just a little “coincidence” like meeting Marilyn and Larry, that proves to be such a charge to your batteries that you realize it doesn’t matter how long it takes to get to Section 2.  I will get there.  Section 2 will be a life full of days just like this and that is definitely worth waiting for, no matter how long it takes.  Unfortunately, the tailgate did not fit but the trip was definitely worth it and I had still another surprise to come.

We said our goodbyes to Marilyn and Larry - I have a strange feeling we will see them again one day … kind of a weird feeling but anyway - and drove back towards Medina.  The doggies had been in Carrie since we left our house and we figured they might be thirsty and need a walk so we bought one of my favorite pies ever and then found a picnic area.  We parked Carrie, leashed up the pack and started walking.  There was a little creek nearby so we decided to walk in that direction.   Why not?  As we got to the bank of the river/creek (it seemed bigger than a creek but smaller than a river) Mimi started frantically trying to climb down the bank.  She managed to find her way down to the surface of the water and shoved her little nose in several times.  We thought she wanted to get all the way in but instead she just dunked her nose and came back up.  We walked a bit further and I saw Hermes walk to the edge of the bank and prepare for flight!  “Honey!” I yelled out.  John wasn’t facing Hermes and I saw in my head an image of Hermes jumping off the cliff, pulling his leash and therefore John suddenly sideways, John locking the leash because he’s flying sideways and doesn’t know that Hermes just jumped off the bank and Hermes flying back into the side of the cliff/bank, dangling from his leash.  It was about 5 or 6 feet down to the water so as crazy as this flash of thought was, it might happen.  :)  Hermes didn’t jump that time but when John walked over to the side of the bank with him, he again prepared for flight and went for it.  Unfortuantely, I did not get to see Hermes jump and by the time I got there he was back up on the bank but I hear from a reliable source that Hermes is not a graceful swimmer.  :)  However, as soon as Hermes got back up the bank Mimi jumped and she is a graceful swimmer!  I couldn’t believe it.  They both wanted to swim.  They wanted to get in the water and explore.  Ark did too but the cliff was too high and steep … Hermes and Mimi are young and nimble enough that they can help us get them back up the bank.  Ark is not as nimble.  I’m sure John would have been down in the water, lifting a broken Ark up to me had we let him jump.  Despite the constant stream of stupid things that came out of my mouth such as “Is Mimi’s head above water?” I actually had a moment of just pure enjoyment, watching Mimi swim, watching Hermes climb back up the bank and watching both of them as they pranced off, dripping wet and just as happy as could be.  This is what Section 2 will be like - Wonderful people, fantastic pie, creating truly memorable experiences with my pack … and just enough work to support this lifestyle.  That’s all I want.

So finally we hit the road again, bought some dog food, and then went to Costco.  Again, the dogs had been in Carrie for a while and I bought them some treats at PetCo since it was way past kibbie time, so when we arrived at Costco it was time for some doggie water and another walk.  We walked all around the back of Costco while the dogs snooped, smelled and did their doggie thing.  My mind wandered and pretty soon I heard John shout “Oh Mimi!”  I looked over and there’s Mimi, stuck in some very light brown mud.  It was some of the stickiest mud I’ve ever seen.  She plodded her way out of it but couldn’t even shake the stuff off so there she was, walking around Costco’s parking lot with a set of light brown boots.  :)  She looked so cute with that light brown mud contrasted against her dark black legs.  She looked a little like a construction worker.  By the end of the walk most, but not all, of the mud managed to fall off her feet.

So that was one of my best days, ever.  I realized when we finally drove up to our house that I can wait.  I can have patience and also be content at the same time.  I received a true taste of what lies ahead and I’m more than happy to wait for something that wonderful.  That’s what I want in life.  Simplicity.  Experiences.  Time with my husband and dogs to explore and enjoy life.  I don’t mind working to live but I no longer feel the need to live to work.  In Section 2 we will adjust our work to fit our life.  If we want a little extra money one month for something in particular then we’ll work a little harder.  If we want to take the entire month off, we’ll live cheaper and seek out low cost activities.  I’m just glad I kept fighting the guilt.  Those few hours that I might have spent working could never earn an amount of money equal to the enjoyment I had on our day trip.

This entry was posted on Wed, Apr 01 2009 at 10:25 and is filed under Vanessa's Ramblings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.