SNUG AS A BUG IN A TRAILER

Well, it's not done yet, but we're getting closer. Steve completely closed and sealed the back of the trailer, so now we're moving on to the front end, and then it's my turn...the inside! On sunday night before Steve began tearing up the front, he pulled me inside. He had set up a little space heater in the trailer. It was a cold cold night, so he wanted to test out how warm we could keep it in the trailer. You have to remember, when we brought this little baby home, it was ridiculously hot and now the seasons have changed so we're getting to see just what it's made of.

 

It was nice and warm and cozy. Me and my guy just sat in that little trailer, our little trailer. We imagined how much nicer it would be with cozy blankets, children tucked in, him and I sipping on something warm while sitting at the table. We got excited thinking about the trips to come and our hopes for next summer road trips. The cold air from outside couldn't even touch our dreaming inside. Sitting across from this man i've been building a life with, loving and dreaming with, it was fun to talk about our next adventure. Although we aren't ready for that first adventure in the trailer just yet, it sure is nice to dream.

but there is still work to be done, so as snug as we were in that trailer just him and I, we know that there is an even bigger pay off when we are done! So back to work, we...or should I say he goes

 

Today's Reflection:

Do you ever think about heaven? If I can find this much warmth and love inside a little unfinished, wood rotted trailer, how much more will I find in heaven? The idea of this humbles me. I don't know all the answers or even many of the answers to what heaven will be like. Steve and I sometimes play the "Do you think, there will be ice cream in Heaven" game, you know, when you try to imagine what heaven will be like. Do you think there will be a little trailer for us?  

 

"What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole."

-1 Peter 1:3-5 (The Message)

TRAILER TRASH

You know the saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure?"...what am I saying of course you do...you're my reader, you're as smart as they come!  Well, what I am about to show you may look like trash and you may think to yourself..."what on earth did they do?" but believe me, this is still our little treasure.

 

I thought, I'd give a little trailer update. For my newer readers, you can see the first trailer post here ---> (our little trailer). We (and by "we" I mean "Steve") haven't had much of a chance to work on the trailer due to busy schedules, but now we are focused and back on track...

Steve has been pulling apart the outside of the trailer to repair the wood rot. The windows were taken out and the some of the paneling pulled back. He's been very optimistic, so it helps me stay optimistic. It's more than I had anticipated, but Steve seems to be up for the challenge. He's making a lot of good progress learning more as he goes. He's talked about getting another trailer to restore after this, so that's a good sign that he may actually be enjoying it. I think he likes the feeling of seeing a little hard work and elbow grease pay off.

 

So there is still quite a bit of work to be done...no maiden voyage this summer, so I'm shifting my hopes to the fall...we'll see, either way we're both still exited!

 

Today's reflection:

Sometimes a little restoration takes work.

"And God said, “As of right now, I’m making a covenant with you: In full sight of your people I will work wonders that have never been created in all the Earth, in any nation. Then all the people with whom you’re living will see how tremendous God’s work is, the work I’ll do for you."

-Exodus 34:10

ELBOW GREASE

So the work has begun on the trailer. the last couple of weeks we've been trying to clean it up and fix the things inside that need fixing. My job so far has been pretty easy, I've been doing more of the cleaning which can be a little therapeutic and fulfilling as everything begins to shine like new. My curiosity goes wild with each dent and ding I come across. I start to imagine how it got there, who did it and of course, did they get in trouble for it. I imagine we'll put a few of our own dents in it leaving behind our own story. We've cleared out the storage area which was packed with with more than we expected...

and cleared the way, out with the old and room for the new...

Now, Steve on the other hand, he's been busy working on some of the wood rot. There's not enough to worry me but just enough to keep him working hard...

So there it is, our progress so far, getting us a little closer to shiny and 'like' new.

Today's Reflection:

I'm excited about the restoration of this little trailer. Some of the little dents and dings need a lot of work and quite a bit of elbow grease but I know that those little things won't keep it from it's full glory and being filled with my little family. We just have to put the effort into it.

I think about the 'dents' and 'dings' in my life and how thankful I am that God continues to put a little elbow grease in fixing me. I'll never be perfect, but he has the ability to get me all shiny and new. Forgiving me for the imperfections that happened in my past and will come along, not leaving me in the 'driveway' to rot, but having a plan for me and a use and my own little restoration.

"Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me."

Psalm 51: 7-10

OUR LITTLE TRAILER

Well, we did it! At one point I didn't think this post would ever happen, but here it is. I'm so excited to share with you our newest addition. Please meet our little vintage trailer. It is a 1965 Aristocrat Lo-Liner. I love this little thing, every time I look at it I want to giggle like a little girl finding a brand new puppy under the Christmas tree!

It's not perfect, but neither are we! So it's a match made! For it's age though, its in really good condition, just needs a little love to spruce it up (well, maybe a little sweat too). It's just as cute inside and has some great features, my favorite is the kitchen area with the original stove/oven and icebox...

There are a lot of original touches, which I find quite charming and feels a bit like you're entering a time capsule...

We brought it home on Saturday to a lot of happy faces. The kids love it and have been playing in it calling it their "ship". At one point we were all able to just sit in it and chat, which for me is a great start to this journey...

 

 

  

It's going to take a bit of elbow grease to bring it into its full glory, but already, I'm excited for the memories that lie ahead in this little thing and so grateful that it's finally all ours...

Today's Reflection:

We've been going back and forth on this purchase, weighing the pros against the cons. Sometimes it's easy to just jump up and yell "I'll take it!" but what comes after you have it? We didn't know if our money should be spent on a trailer, we try to be conservative with our money, but we also knew that this trailer would provide a lot of family time opportunities. We were diligent in searching, and took the time to research and look at a few. Even with that, I think our hearts could not be settled on taking this leap until we asked God for a little help. There are the big things that I have always prayed for but sometimes it's the little things that I really need to have him guide me on. My husband is better at this than I am, and he continually prayed that God lead us to the right decision. I feel like God cleared the way for us and lead us to this little thing. I know it can sound silly to thank God for a beat up trailer, but I imagine like any father, he was happy we asked him for help and his opinion. He wants us to come to him with everything, even the things that may not matter much to others, matter greatly to him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

-Proverbs 3: 5-6