Live Lightly Tour

As we were leaving the Iowa City/Coralville, IA area, we were keenly aware that we were leaving our comfort zone! We were driving towards the unknown…taking off on a great adventure. Up until that point, we had been in cities that were familiar around the Midwest. We were with family and friends that felt like home. But were were EXCITED! We were finally doing it. No more talking about starting the tour, going on the tour…tour this, tour that. Now we were actually starting it.

We had a beautiful drive through the changing leaves of Eastern Iowa and Wisconsin. God’s creation is truly amazing in the fall. The colors all blend perfectly…designed by the Master Artist. It was a relaxing ride. We talked of where we had been and of the future. Bella napped and woke up happy and excited to meet new friends.

As we neared Richland Center, the roads became windy and narrow…we encountered a couple of detours, but Betty came through and got us there in one piece. As we drove down the street, we could see Dan and Alicia Thiede with their family…outside waiting for us! They live in a cute little neighborhood, with a huge corn field in their backyard. Kind of like a farming fairytale.

We jumped out to greet them and laughed at the funny sign on their pop up camper. Clever clever After giving them the tour of the RV and veggie system, we went inside and chatted while Alicia prepared our favorite meal. Hot steamy soup, crunchy green salad, and warm crusty bread with butter. Yummmy! After supper, we sat around and talked about dreams, big plans, and stepping out of comfort zones. Their children were so delightful. Brooklyn is 12 and loves Harry Potter books. She was fun to talk to and was so attentive throughout the whole conversation. Tucker is 9 and really liked his Star Wars figurines! Sawyer is 7 and loves photography. She also was wonderful at entertaining Bella…what a blessing! Angel, 9 months, is their foster daughter and is a cutie pie! They are a homeschooling family and it was fun to see them interact and learn together.

We called it a night and headed out to the RV. We awoke to delicious homemade scones with frosting on top (wow!), great coffee, and more fellowship. Dan took the morning off, so we were able to sit around and chat for awhile longer. We had to leave around 11am to make it into Madison for our next stop. We were so sad to leave their family…we had so much fun in the short time we were there. We share similar thoughts about life and faith…and it was such a blessing to be with them. We made plans to meet up on Sunday at their church in Madison…and for a picnic in the afternoon. We’re looking forward to seeing them again.

Photo album here.