Holiday Celebration,Farewell to the Post Office, and New State of Residency

(Indy, Rochester, Sioux Falls) We have had a very busy, fun filled week and there hasn't been much time to record all the details. I'll try to catch you up on all the fun.



Wednesday morning the Post Office organized a great retirement party for John.  There was a nice pitch in lunch and a presentation of an achievement award to John from the Post Master.  He received a wide variety of gift cards from the carriers.  I was invited to attend. and found it very interesting watching the carriers case the mail and get ready for the day.  We had a great time and really appreciated the party. 



Evan



In the evening I attended my nephew, Evan's, first basketball game of the season.  They played Culver Military Academy and won their first game. 

Rochester Zebra Cheerleaders



Rochester Zebra's Basketball Team 2010



Evan is a senior this year at Rochester High School and enjoys basketball. He won't get to play much this season but it does not keep him from being a part of the team.

 
 
 
 
 

Thanksgiving was a great celebration spent at my brother and wife's lovely home. Lots of family including Jackie's Mom and her three sisters were able to come.  It was fun to see all the cousins having a good time together.  There was so much great food, and we had a fun time. Here is everyone preparing for the great feast.

 

Afterwards we left for South Dakota. We are establishing our residency in this state.  It has great tax advantages and is a very full time friendly state. 

Our mail service for about six months has been with Alternative Resources in Sioux Falls. After a two day drive we arrived. The staff were very helpful and showed us around the facility.


 

 

 

It was very cold and a winter storm was hustling it way into the area.

 

We did not linger very long, so after obtaining all our required documents (drivers license and voters registration cards) we headed back to Indiana.

We have some last minute details to take care of and then we will soon be "on the road".  We are hoping to leave for North Carolina and visit our daughter on Friday.  Our plan's are coming together!

Free At Last - Living Our Dream

NEWS FLASH!  John officially retired from the Post Office on Friday!  It  was a very exciting and much anticipated day.  He surprised all the letter carriers by coming into work in a tropical shirt and carrying a margarita glass.  Don't get too excited, it only had Hawaiian Punch in it.  He received lots of good wishes.  I'll write more of the details for this week soon. 

John's last day at the Post Office

We are leaving for Sioux Fall South Dakota to establish our residency.  We plan on obtaining our drivers license and voters registration.  More details to follow. 

Happy Trails Until We Meet Again

The past week has been a whirlwind of activity as we wind down our time here in Indianapolis.  Many friends and co-workers have stopped by to see us and there have been several parties and get togethers.  We feel very blessed and have such a great time.  Here are a few of the highlights:

We finished our workamping jobs at the KOA INDY.  We have really enjoyed this experience.  We will continue to stay here until John finishes up working at the post office.  I took a few pictures of the campground.  It certainly seems so lonely now after all the hustle of bustle of the summer.



KOA INDY



We celebrated both of our birthday on the 10th and 18th.  We got lots of funny cards mostly kidding us about being "old". Whatever!

We invited several people over for dinner and I had some great lunches out with my friend Carol and Marcia.  Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of everyone.  One very special evening was spent with Debbie and Laura.  We had lots of fun and tried out a new drink called a Moscow Mule.  It is delicious.  



Debbie and Laura

 

Moscow Mule Recipe

1 ounce vodka

1 tsp. sugar syrup

Fresh lime juice

1/2 cup ginger beer

1 sprig fresh mint

1 slice of lime

Directions

In a copper mug, pour vodka over ice. Add sugar syrup and lime juice. Top with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with mint sprig and lime slice.

Last Sunday my office held a brunch in our honor.  It was held at Karen's lovely home and she cooked a delicious beef tenderloin and salmon for all of us.  It was wonderful and we had such a nice time together.  We received lots of restaurant and gas station gift cards which will certainly come in handy.  Thank you so much!



Community Health Network Legal Department



Our friends from Chicago, Bill and Chris came to visit for the weekend.  I have known Chris since junior high school in Monticello.  She has been such a dear friend.  We have many common interests and have helped each other through some tough times in our lives and celebrated many great moments too.  In addition, a couple from our camping club, Jeff & Virginia, and their grand daughter Drewella stayed at one of the lodges at KOA.  We had a nice time together and hope they will come visit us as we travel down the road. 

Chris & Bill (left) Virginia, Jeff, & Drewella (right)

John joined the Greenfield Elks Club (click on link) this week.  Our friend John sponsored him.  We had heard from other full timers many Elks Club allows their members to camp in the parking lots of their lodges (over 2000).  Many offer full hook ups or water and electric' Each club usually has a nice restaurant and bar and its a great place to talk to locals and find out what to see in the area.  We ordered four guides which tell you about each club and whether camping is allowed.  You can also volunteer to help out with their fund raisers or functions while you are visiting in the area. 

Prior to working at Community Health Network, I had worked for St. Vincent Seton Specialty Hospital.  (click link) Last night one of my co-workers, Jean,  also had a party for us.  It was great to see everyone and they were so excited for us.  Everyone brought a dish to share and Jean prepared a delicious ham.  We received some more gift cards.  We are so lucky to have such wonderful, caring friends.  It was a nice evening and they want us to come back soon and share some of our travels with them.  Can do!



St. Vincent Seton Specialty Hospital



So, as you can see we have had a great week.  John has only three more days of work.  We took our motorhome to Elkart Indiana to have the flooring and carpeting removed and new tile installed.  It should be finished by next Tuesday.  We'll show you pictures before and after in our next post.  Currently, we are staying with our friend Debbie.  

Honoring Our Veterans

Yesterday was a day of honor and remembrance for all the men and women who have proudly served our country in the military.  It is a special day for us.  John served 21 years in the Air Force.  His parents also served during World War II.  His mother was a Marine, which was very unusual at the time and his father served in the Navy. 

Several restaurants in the area were offering a free meal to Veterans.  We took advantage of this nice token of appreciation.  On Sunday, we went to McCormick and Schmidt's, a lovely restaurant in downtown Indianapolis, Last night we went to an Applebee's in Greenfield.  The restaurant was packed and they seated everyone together at long tables.  It was fun to talk to other men and women at our table  who were currently serving our country.  We laughed and shared many experiences and talked about the different bases where each at served.  We certainly appreciate the generosity of these restaurants. 

I received this email yesterday from a friend and wanted to share it.  Please pray each day for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice so  we may have freedom.

It's the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the

Press. It's the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of

Speech. It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

It's the Military who salutes

The flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by

The flag.

Turkey in a Trash Can and Other Tales of Fun

This weekend our Good Sam's camping club (Freedom Travelers) came out to our campground for the weekend.  It was our last camp out for the season.  It was a very special occasion and an opportunity  for us to say good bye to all our friends.  We have been a part of this club for about five years and have made many friends.  One of the highlights of this November camp out is to serve Turkey in a Trash Can.  It's definitely a crowd pleaser and lots of fun.  Detailed below are the step by step directions.  Be adventurous and try one this holiday season. 

Turkey In a Trash Can

You will need the following:

• 20 pound turkey (should not be a self basting turkey ..like Butterball)
• 20 pounds of charcoal
• New metal trash can
• Bundt pan
• Foil
• Charcoal chimney
• Thick work gloves
• Small shovel
• Large metal or wood stake. (You will want a long enough stake to suspend the turkey. The turkey should not touch the ground or the top of the can)
• Timer
• Camera
• Lawn chairs
• Beverages

Pre-burn the inside of your trash can before using. It might be helpful to do this prior to the event. This is done to remove the galvanized paint from the inside of the can. Wash it out completely. We keep this trash can and use it each year.

Wash turkey and remove giblets. Salt and pepper to taste. Pre-start some charcoal in a charcoal chimney (or you can pre-start some on a large square of foil)

Place foil on the ground to extend past the trash can. Put Bundt pan in the middle (this is used to collect juices from the turkey). Put stake through the hole in the Bundt pan and drive into the ground. Cover the stake with foil.

Suspend bird on stake. It is quite a sight!

Place can over the bird and put some of the "hot" charcoal on the top and around the sides of trash can. Pour the rest of the charcoal on top and around the sides.

When the charcoal appears to be going well, start your timer. Relax in your lawn chairs and enjoy your beverage for exactly 1 1/2 hours. Do not peek or lift the can off. Beware...the can gets very, very hot!

After 1 1/2 hours remove the charcoal and carefully remove the trash can (use the thick work gloves)

Enjoy! The turkey will be very dark brown and crispy. Inside it will be moist and delicious. Our turkey got a little burnt at the top.  It was due to the stake being too high.  It still tasted so delicious, but better measurement would be recommended.

We had a great pitch in dinner with all our friends.  Over 35 people were able to attend. We have some great cooks in our club. Everything was so delicious!

We are very thankful for all our friends. This special occasion was a great time to celebrate this friendship and count our many blessings.

 

Saying good bye to everyone was difficult.  We plan to return to Indiana in about two years.  In the meantime we hope everyone keeps in touch, or better yet comes to visit with us.  I put together another scrapbook (Smilebox) for our club.  Click on the play button below. 

This free scrapbooking design made with Smilebox

Dinner and Fellowship With Our NOMADS Mentors

We were contacted last week by a wonderful couple who have volunteered for many NOMADS projects.  They invited us to their home to tell us more about their experiences and to answer any questions that we may have about volunteering.  We spent a very enjoyable evening with them @ their lovely home.  

NOMADS is an organization which provides volunteer labor for United Methodist organizations.  Our first project will be in February in Eustic Florida.  We are looking forward to this opportunity and it was so wonderful to talk to them and hear first hand about their experiences. 

John & Maetta

Maetta had prepared a delicious dinner for us. During our time together they shared many of their experiences with NOMADS.  Most of their projects have been in Texas.  We had the impression John can fix just about anything.  He brings along to the job site a wide variety of tools that he packs in the storage space of their motorcoach. They told us we will gain many new skills and make lasting friendships. 

John and Maetta are not full timers but spend as much time as possible in their Dutch Star motor coach.  We discovered that we have almost  identical models. They certainly have an adventurous spirit and love to travel.  John and I also shared our favorite  "apps" for our new smart phones. Our spouses thought we were a little nuts!

We hope to work on a project with them in the future.  Thank you so much for the warm hospitality  John and Maetta are a shining example of living a life with a purpose

Fun With Friends - Halloween Weekend

We had a great time with friends this weekend.  A very special Saturday evening was spent with our friend Debbie and her family.

She recently redecorated one of her bedrooms and made it into a nice office with a tropical theme.  The walls are painted a very pretty Caribbean blue. 

She hung a very cool wallpaper mural that  goes from the ceiling to floor on one wall.  Check out the cute pink flamingo metal sculpture her Mom found.  The office looks really nice.  Debbie loves the ocean and this office will be a great place to getaway from it all and dream about her next vacation.

Debbie is a great cook!  She prepared one of our favorite dishes - Pork Roast with a  Raspberry Glaze.    She also served mashed potatoes, green beans, and her Mom made homemade yeast rolls.  Dessert was a recipe from Carnival Cruise Line called Warm Melting Cake.  I promise not to talk about food all the time in this blog.  However, this dinner was very memorable.  She had taken such care to make a very special meal for us.  Thanks so much Debbie!

Her parents have adopted us!  We love them very much and have appreciated all their support and encouragement.  They gave us a gas card for our travels. It will certainly come in handy.

Below are pictures of Debbie's son and daughter and their significant others. 

Newlyweds Chris and Carissa

Mandy and Dustin

We celebrated Halloween with my boss, Jackie and her family. They stopped by to trick or treat at the campground.  Their daughter, dressed as an artist, is almost three years old.  They were unable to coax her into her original ballerina costume.  She looked adorable and entertained us with all her new songs.  John gave them a tour of the campground by golf cart, and after some time at the playground we all had some chili and corn bread.  We had a great time.  

Jackie, Kenzie, and Bern