We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Through a Facebook post this weekend, we learned of the passing of a very dear friend 😢 Kenneth F. Mott was our beloved Political Science professor. And somehow (fortunately), we became dear friends. Ken was my faculty advisor and encouraged me to seek departmental honors. He walked me through the LSATs. And he understood my decision not to apply to law school. Ken adored Geoff. The two of them would often debate politics for hours on end. At the time, they rooted for opposite parties, but that was a time when you could agree to disagree and still remain friends. Our fondest memory of Ken and his wife, Lovette, was going to the stream. The stream provided a great escape from the Gettysburg College campus. We were free to be ourselves without all the bravado of impressing fellow co-eds.  One infamous weekend we volunteered to bring dinner. We remembered the steak, the potatoes, the aluminum foil. We even brought matches to start a fire and silverware. However, we failed to bring th...

Whew!! Geoff and I are the poster couple for "opposites attract" I am an Enneagram 6 wing 5, which means I am reserved, private, and prefer to spend time alone in my nook pursuing academic interests. I crave security and fear anything that might jeopardize that security. Consequently, I forever mull "what if..." scenarios. I believe if I can plan for the worst, then I will be okay.  I take this one step further and plan my planning sessions 😏 I am a rule follower because I fear the possible consequences. My obsession with organization helps keep my constant anxiety at bay. I avoid conflict at all costs. Can't we all get along? Geoff is an Enneagram 7 wing 8. Life is a party and we shouldn't take it too seriously. He seeks pleasure in the present rather than worrying about the future. Rules are mere guidelines, and too many rules (especially with regards to home organization) can be a real buzzkill. He is an extrovert who craves social relationships. While h...

  Introducing Buddy and Hero Anyone who knows us for longer than a minute understands our deep devotion to our fur babies. Since 2004 we have owned four lovable labs (Ralf, Mia, Bella, and Jude) ... witnessed Mia give birth to three litters of puppies (Jude is one from the last litter) ... and adopted a very stubborn basset. When the basset passed unexpectedly in 2019, we didn't think we could bear the loss of another beloved pet. We decided to hold off adding another dog to the family. But the house was too quiet and I missed my constant companion.  Two months later I discovered a senior dog rescue in our community: Always and Furever (fondly known as the Little Red Barn ). I stalked their Facebook page for weeks before deciding to volunteer. One thing led to another, and soon we adopted Buddy -- a 12-year-old shepherd/chow/lab mix. Buddy came from a rural home filled with 73 cats(!) When he arrived at the Barn he was covered with fleas. But a good scrub in the tub gave him...

Engagement Photo - Spring 1982 To most of the outside world, our decision to purchase an RV seemed spontaneous and rash. After all, our maiden voyage was only six weeks ago 😳 But the truth is... we have prepared for this adventure most of our adult lives. Let me explain. Childhood Dreams I have always loved to travel. In second grade I dreamed of spending my junior year abroad. In college, I contemplated a career as an international flight attendant. As a teacher, I took four groups of students to England, France, and Italy via EF Tours .  European travel wasn't my only dream. When I was in middle school my good friend invited me on a family camping trip. While tent camping was a bit too close to nature for me, I did enjoy the pop-up camper experience. Unfortunately, it rained the entire time and the trip was cut short. In the back of my mind, however, I  always wanted to recreate that experience. While Geoff was never part of the scouting program, he always liked the idea of...

  I am a sucker for a good story. And I am convinced that everyone has a story worth sharing. I might also add, many things have a story worth sharing too. While it would be foolish to make a major purchase based solely on its narrative, I must admit, it made me love this rig even more. The day we went to see the coach for the first time, Geoff and I played our separate roles. Geoff walked around the exterior of the coach with the truck mechanic to learn the inner workings of a diesel pusher. And I made small talk with his wife. One question at the forefront of my mind was ... why did a 20-year-old rig have only 28,500 miles on it? Come to find out, there's a very good reason. Photo credit: Thomas Hawk @Flickr This coach was originally owned by Mickey Gilley - the country music star and proprietor of the famous Gilley's Bar from the movie, Urban Cowboy. He also remains a popular attraction in Branson, MO. He bought the coach to use as his dressing room --  and to allow ...

  We took our first RV trip in September 2021. We rented a 31-foot Coachman from Outdoorsy and traveled four hours to Pigeon Forge, TN. While the first 24-hours were a bit uncertain, we made a few adjustments and discovered we loved the lifestyle.  We returned four days later and immediately started looking for an RV of our own. Our RV Hot Buttons We knew from that first experience that Geoff wanted a diesel pusher. Not only does it provide extra horse-power for climbing hills, but it also provides a quiet ride (the engine is in the back). In addition, it gave us the option to pull a vehicle, if we wanted a car to drive into town from the campsite. We also knew we wanted to purchase a used vehicle. In part because of the price, but also, new RVs require a breaking-in period to work out all the kinks. We would much prefer to know the kinks ahead of time.  And we wanted a larger coach, between 35 and 40 feet. We have two large dogs and they take up a lot of space! We had s...