Thursday, June 28, 2012

Stress?

I was catching up on things at RV-Dreams.com (a forum/site for folks who are or are thinking about full time rving) and saw a post where someone asked it all the stress went away when one finally became a full time RVer.  It got me thinking about how different people deal with life's ups and downs and consequently the amount of stress they feel.


I remember when my mom got really sick over 10 years ago.  It was right before Christmas so everyone headed up to North Dakota to be there.  Looking back I think my coping strategy was to get everything organized and make sure we all had food and the holiday celebration Mom would've expected even though she was in the hospital.  


The other day Kevin said he felt this job was too stressful.  Most days it doesn't seem that way to me.  But this week I see what he means.  Not because I feel like it should be stressful.  Seems some folks deal with stress by looking at everything that could go wrong or building up some upcoming event to a level that makes the anticipation unbearably stressful.  Others, like me, tend to go with the assumption that it will be fun and everything will go fine.  


At least that's how I'm looking at the upcoming July 4th week.  Yes, it will be like having 3 back to back weekends here at the campground.  But everyone will be here to have fun with friends and family.  We're about as ready as we can be and if something goes wrong, we'll take care of it.  So I'll take a deep breath and try not to let other's (and no, I'm not talking about Kevin here) stressed feeling invade my being.  I think writing this has been part of me trying to let it go.  LOL  Besides, we're off the next couple of days!


Welcome to all our new followers, especially Kevin's daughter, Ashley!  We're glad to see you all and ask you to be patient with us as we get into a more regular blogging routine.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Yes, it does get hot in North Dakota

In the past whenever I've mentioned that I grew up in North Dakota, invariably people wonder if it ever gets warm here.  Today the answer is a resounding YES!  The thermometer outside the store read 96 degrees in the shade at about 2pm and the humidity is in the 80+% range.  There were heat advisories out today.  

It's been fairly quiet today guest wise.  I cleaned one condo unit that folks checked out of and then worked on getting things ready for the upcoming July 4th week.  

Kevin made a run to Parshall to pick up propane.  I haven't been there yet.  He just got back -- unfortunately didn't make it there before the Cenex closed.  Guess we'll run to Garrison tomorrow.  

This weekend we're off Friday and Saturday so our plan is to book a nice hotel with a hot tub in Bismarck and relax a bit while we do our shopping.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Happy Belated Father's Day

Since we arrived here at Indian Hills Resort we've been busy with work and trying to learn to fish!  lol  It seems I never knew that much and Kevin has forgotten a lot since he was last able to do any fishing.  The other day I almost caught a big walleye but he snapped the line just before I got him on shore.  I think it was the first time I've ever had a big fish on the line so I really had no idea what to do.  That has been the highlight of our fishing adventures so far.  Other than that, we've mostly lost tackle and done battle with the Shakespeare baitcast reel we bought in Branson.  


So yesterday it was time for an amazon order --- one new Zebco reel to replace the annoying Shakespeare and a collapsable fishing net to snag the big one before he gets away next time!


We both worked on Father's Day.  The park was full, but it was strangely quiet.  I cleaned condos and cabins after folks checked out and then worked in the store till close.  Kevin tried to do some mowing but it kept raining on and off and there were too many people around to do much.  Kevin got a nice card from his daughter and missed family time.  We'll need to plan lots of that when we are back in Kansas this fall.  At least we have guests in the park this week from Missouri so he's a little less homesick.


We did manage to get out and visit Fort Stevenson State Park just down the road last week.  It's a nice park with good spots for shore fishing and a very interesting little museum located in the guardhouse.
Fort Stevenson State Park Guardhouse
We also drove out to Garrison Dam on day.  Hopefully we will make it back and take a tour before we leave.

(Imagine picture here... it's taking too long to get from my phone to Picassa... lol)

One of the things I had forgotten about this part of North Dakota is just how far it is to anything!  We are 33 miles from Garrison, which is a small town with 1 grocery store.  It's expanding, but it's still pretty small.  And it's 75 to 80 miles to the closest Walmart and fast food.  So we're learning to plan better and every day off starts with a run to the "city" for a fast food and grocery fix!  I keep telling Kevin that at least it means we are not spending much money -- except on gas of course!


Today I get off work at 4pm and we're expecting company.  Phyllis and Leonard are staying at Lake Sakakawea COE park across the lake from us and they are coming over to say hi.  We met them in Austin while they were there on a project earlier this year and we once again find ourselves in the same neighborhood.  So we might make a run into Garrison for our weekly stop at Ye Olde Malt Shoppe for burgers and ice cream.


We're off Tuesday and Wednesday so hope to see my brothers since they will both be in Velva for a couple of days.