Jelly Stone Whispering Pines RV Resort - July 2020

Back in January, we had booked this trip with friends for the July 4th weekend.  We are grateful that it wasn't cancelled due to Covid especially since we were really looking forward to celebrating our country's freedom on an rv trip, something we hadn't done before.

This Jellystone park is over in the Piney Woods region of Texas near the Louisiana border.  The resort is surrounded by gorgeous, tall pines and a big fishing pond.  There are so many amenities that you can choose to take advantage of.  It really is such a fun park for families. 

                        

We went with another family and the kiddos had a great time.  One of our older daughters (and her friend) joined us for the last day/night.  They absolutely loved it! 

But my word was it humid!!!  Temps hovered near 100 degrees so we spent much of the time in any of the three pools.

We arrived on a Wednesday when there is free ceramic painting for campers 17 and under.  On Thursdays, there was free laser tag.  Stan the man had fun with that even though it was incredibly hot.

The resort had horse shoes, washers, and shuffleboard. 

We can't forget mini golf, tennis, basketball, pickle ball, sand volleyball, and the jumping mattress!

A ping pong table was available and the evening outdoor movies were a hit as well.

On our last day, the Fourth of July, there was swimming, we went to mass in town, cooked out, and the resort ended the celebratory day with a beautiful display of fireworks for all of the guests. 

I think this is a really great resort for families.  By the way, the resort does have cabins that guests can rent.   I'm grateful for the time we had celebrating our great country and the freedom that we all have!

Until the next time...

Patty

June 2020 Photo Dump

Confirmation ~

We FINALLY received word that Stan would be able to receive his Sacrament of Confirmation.  Praise be to God!  The liturgy took place on Saturday, June 20.

He has an amazing sponsor that authentically lives the Catholic faith.

The bishop of Dallas dispensed the duties of confirming onto the parish priests.  We didn't have a mass (which I found very sad).  It was a Confirmation liturgy.  The parish priest divided the class into (6) groups of 20 confirmandes over the course of (2) Saturdays. 

We made the best of the situation and are rejoicing that the Sacrament was administered.  More than ever in these dark days our young teens NEED the grace to survive in the world.

St. Martin de Porres, pray for us!


Father's Day ~

How we love this man!

Patty

Bluewater RV Resort 2020

Gosh!  We are so grateful to have this travel trailer of ours.  We are also grateful that David's business allows him to work wherever we have WiFi.

On June 10, we traveled with our fellow RV friends to the ocean like we do each summer.  We enjoy these trips since our kids all have someone to play with or hang around with and while the adults have plenty of time to visit. :)

Bluewater RV Resort opened up in 2019.  We have passed this resort numerous times on our previous fishing trips to the coast.  It was always rather empty looking.  Thanks to Covid-19, RVing has exploded in popularity and this resort was full! 

This was our first stay at the resort and we would recommend it.  (We are not getting reimbursed for that recommendation either.)

It's situated on an (almost) mile long peninsula jetting into the bay.  Fishing enthusiasts would love this place since there is a boat launch, kayaks and paddle boards for rent, fishing piers along the channel, and a fish cleaning station.

The sunsets are breathtaking!!

One can cross the road to the private boardwalk that leads you onto the beach.  The sunrises were equally impressive!

 The main building on the premises, at the entrance, has a restaurant on the second floor with an exceptional view of the ocean.

 There was a lot of fishing!

Miss Clementine flew her fist kite on the beach. :) 

The dads had plenty of time to try and solve the world's problems.

We all gathered together to celebrate Stan the Man's graduation from 8th grade. :)

My friend Jennifer and I had a drink for the week, Blueberry Rum and Ice Tea.

I really appreciated the sand rinse off shower!!  No one likes sand in their camper.

And that black tipped shark is so delicious!  David always blackens it in butter.  I'm not a fish eater but I will eat that.

We always have one large group breakfast when we are together as well :) The kids love the memories we are making.

We have more plans for July and August coming up!  Both are different from the ocean.  Where there's a camper, there is a way to escape the rat race.  Until the next time...

Patty

May / June Daybook Post 2020

Outside my window ~

The petunias I purchased from Walmart back in March are looking just lovely!!

(Memorial Day weekend)

I am thankful for ~

* living close to a different diocese's border (where the churches are open) and being able to attend weekend mass for the past six weeks.  

From the school room ~

By the grace of God and one amazing assistant pastor, our homeschool group was able to have a graduation mass for any 8th graders in the group.

Three of the six kids gathered together afterward for a small pizza party and cake.  I'm so grateful that they had the opportunity to end their crazy spring on a spiritual note!  Praise God!

What I am reading have read since March ~

Goodbye to Budapest

The Violin Maker's Daughter

In Perfect Time

The Sky Above Us

The Land Beneath Us

From the kitchen ~

S'mores and an outdoor movie night to celebrate Pentecost Sunday!

Around the house ~

* The pool that the Easter bunny delivered on Easter Sunday has been so fun!  Little Miss Clementine is in it almost every day.  For awhile there, we weren't sure if the subdivision pool was going to open.  It did on Memorial Weekend.  That was a so nice to hear but having this little thing in the back is still so convenient.

I took these two photos on our movie night (Pentecost Sunday) because the sky was incredibly glorious.  It looked just like cotton candy.  Clementine swam in the pool while we watched The Sandlot (a family favorite).

* Miss Clementine got her hair cut for the summer :)

* I was so delighted when Miss Mabel painted these two prints with water colors for the small hall bath.

She did such a beautiful job!!

* Stan the Man recently celebrated his Baptism birthday.  We gifted him with this (highly recommended) movie.  It is a true story based on the life and service of Fr. Vincent R. Capadanno.

I am thinking about ~

* how grown up Stan the man is now!  He opened his first checking / ATM.   :)

* He also organized (on his own) a recent get together with his buddies.  They met at our house and walked to a local park to play ball.  

I am praying for ~

* PEACE!

* For Emma who will be taking her national EMT exam this week

* daily growth in my faith

* for the rest of the states to finally open

* for all diocese to open their doors for public mass and the reception of the Sacraments

Coming down the pike ~

We are planning another RV trip to the coast soon.  Looking forward to the surf, sand, sun, and fishing!

A last photo to share ~

Our daughters are working hard for their money this summer.  We are pretty proud of them because their jobs are not easy.  David and I grew up having to work without receiving hand-outs from our folks.  It was THE best thing our folks did for us (next to passing down our Catholic faith), instilling a good work ethic.  

Top left to right ~

Emma has two jobs.  One is at a quesadillas restaurant and the other is an assistant manager with the city pools.

Bottom left to right ~

Miss Mabel work at Hobby Lobby now and babysits for a little girl one day a week.  She is also waiting to be called back as a lifeguard for the city pools.

Sarah is busting her arse getting up at 3am every morning.  She works the 4am - 1pm shift at Walmart stocking produce.

************************************

"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." ~ Mother Teresa

Patty

Camping Storage / Gear I Love - Part 6

Top right  - This Therm Pro indoor thermometer and indoor humidity gauge reader has made a huge difference for us while trying to level the comfort level inside our travel trailer.  Since our air condition unit takes care of the humidity inside, I really found this thermometer useful in the winter months.  I use it with our dehumidifier in the winter months and get our comfort level almost perfect!

Bottom right - My friend, who also owns an RV, had a similar plasticware stand in her camper.  The only difference between hers and mine was that hers was a tri-cup.  That's fine.  (I purchased mine at Marshal's last winter.)  I keep my plastic spoons and knives in one cup since we use forks the most.  It's been so convenient!  At every meal, I just lift it out of the cupboard and place it on the table (or outside on the picnic table).  I need something for the napkins now...

Left - This Rubbermaid stainless steel oven thermometer has been so helpful.  It is hard to maintain a constant oven temperature in the RV.  This takes a lot of the guess work out of reaching the correct temp.  It isn't spot on but you can definitely get a good reading on what's going on inside your unit with the help of an oven thermometer.

For more storage / gear recommendations, check out these other five posts!

Parts 5,   4,   3,   2,   1

Patty

Jamaica Beach RV Resort 2020

Last month we took our camper down to the ocean for one wonderful week and boy did it feel good to be out and about in a normal atmosphere!  We stayed at one of our favorite RV resorts.

The trip had originally been scheduled for April, prior to Covid-19.  The resort had to close down to all short term guests  in April.  I randomly rebooked a week in May in hopes that the governor would open the state by then.  The plan worked!

We have had better fishing trips but we cannot complain too much.  There was enough fresh fish to make a few meals out of.

The weather was so pleasant this time around!  It is hard to imagine being down there with temps cool enough and humidity low enough to keep the camper windows and screen door open, but they were.

This resort has so many entertaining amenities, including miniature golf (free since we had our own club and ball).

Since our last trip here (last August), the owners of the resort extended a walking path to the bay side of the resort.  He opened it up to all resort guests.  Gosh!  The evening walks were so peaceful and the sunsets breathtaking. (They even have cows you can say hello too.)

The two girls and I went into the historic district of Galveston one afternoon.  Things were really quiet down there since stores were only open to 25% capacity at that time.

We only had three of the kids with us on this trip.  The other two held the fort down at home and went on job hunts for the summer.

Outdoor movie night is one of her favorite things to do at the resort.  The movies are ALWAYS family friendly!

We went to mass that Saturday night.  There were only 19 people at mass.  Hopefully folks are realizing it is safe.  (The governor in TX deemed church an essential business.)

This was the night a horrible, freak-me-out storm blew in.  Man!  Thunder is SO much louder on the water!!!

Our last day was one of my favorites.  The weather, the fun, the memories...

I have never been so grateful to have this camper.  Never in a million years would I have thought how much needed relief it would truly bring.  Thank you, Jesus!

We are gearing once more.  The next RV trip will take us back to the ocean with some friends.  We will be trying out a new resort and hope the fishing is great this time around.

Until the next time,
Parry