Live Lightly Tour

After we flew back into Raleigh from Minneapolis, we headed back down to Florence, SC where the RV was parked (see our previous visit here). Becky and Rocky had generously offered to let us park it there for the 2 ½ months that we were gone.

Becky is absolutely one of my most favorite people in the entire world. For those of you who are new here…Becky is the one who did my dreads back while we were in Boulder, CO. She is one of those people who when you are not with them, you really, really miss them deep down in your heart of hearts. She has such a gentle, sweet spirit and is so completely unique. She is a talented artist, a grace-filled mother, and generous friend. She makes me laugh so hard…especially when she is impersonating the Canadian Border Patrol. Oh my word. Every time I watch that now…I can’t watch it without dying laughing, thinking of Becky impersonating him all around the house (“I can’t go back! It’s so cold!”).

We had decided to spend an additional 2 weeks with them in Florence…because we love them, and boy did that time just fly by! I suppose it was probably the closet thing we’ve had to true communal living … and of course that is a dream of mine, so it was delightful. It was so fun to have someone to share every moment with…and yet have our own living space. Bella and Lilli became best of buddies…and even now I catch Bella saying things with a little southern accent, just like Lilli It was great for her to have a friend that we didn’t have to say goodbye to in just a few short days!

In the mornings, we enjoyed our leisurely family routine of making green smoothies together. On several mornings, I would step out our door and into their back door to give the lovely Becky some green goodness of her own. Over the weeks that we were there, Becky and I shared many delicious raw meals together, mock tuna, mushroom sushi rolls with citrus miso dipping sauce, chocolate smoothies, quinoa tabouli…and the infamous “magic carrot juice”. Oh my goodness. Since we’ve departed Florence, Becky has continued on a raw diet and has gone gourmet on me! She taunts (encourages ) me by calling and telling me all of the amazing raw treats she’s making in her dehydrator…but she did say she would mail me a raw care package with some of them! Yay!

Rocky and Matt had some fun times together as well…they both play guitar (Rocky runs a music store), so they had plenty of time to play. They also installed a dishwasher…and only made a few sparks fly (ack!!). They enjoyed some “boy movie nights” together and in general, had fun picking on all of the girls.

Some of our favorite memories from Florence:
• The Rope Swing…this was definitely Bella’s highlight of the entire 2 weeks. She LOVED that thing. Even the adults would get in on the action…Rocky would break out the ladder and we would stand up on top and jump off into a blissful “weeeeeeeee” across the front yard.
• Yoga class with Becky…I had wanted to learn more yoga so that I could use it while we are on the road to relax and stretch. Becky has been practicing yoga for quite awhile and taught me the basics and blessed me with a yoga mat for me and for Bella. We have having so much fun with it!
• The Midnight Rooster…we went here on our previous visit and just had to go back and see the lovely Jessie and her amazingly cool coffeehouse. She serves up a mean salad…yum yum! We had the pleasure of meeting several more of Becky’s friends while we were there. So fun.
• Out For Coffee with The Girls…the night before we left, we headed out with the girls. Becky’s friends Tami and Ranney helped to keep the conversation lively. We talked about raw food, travel, dreams, our futures…it was a night I thoroughly enjoyed. Becky and I also spent another night listening to music and sipping tea at a local coffee shop the week before…laughing so hard and finding the jackpot of all banana hunts.
• The Hammock Chair on the front porch is something that I DREAMED about when I was freezing in the -50 windchills of Minnesota. I love hammocks and I love front porches. I loved to sit here and just think. One day, Becky came out and read short stories to me as I closed my eyes and rested in the sunshine. What a good friend.
• Worship Night…we were able to enjoy a night of worship at Rocky and Becky’s church. It was the first night they had it…a mixture of art, music, poetry, and scripture. Becky did colorful large drawings on stage DURING the singing portion of the worship and it was so powerful and moving. I cried! Matt and I both had such a powerful time with the Lord there…it was such a blessing for us.

It was so bittersweet to leave Florence. On the one hand, we were definitely excited to get on the road again and continue the tour…on the other hand, we had SO MUCH fun with Becky, Rocky, Lilli, and Juniper. We will always remember those days with fondness…such sweet fellowship.

Photo album here.