05/03/2025

50th Anniversary and Easter, Part 3 of 3

We are finally back home! We had an amazing Easter! Being with family in church for such a sacred holiday is priceless. I was able to sit between my two grandsons and loved every second! Then the next Sunday, Bill got to sit between both boys. I didn’t get a picture but the image is forever etched in my memory.

Photo by Life Church photographer. This is part of our daughter’s family by marriage!!! So sad a few weren’t in here….So yes, my daughter is now a GiGi and my grandsons are uncles! Her husband’s son is holding her and her husband’s oldest grand and my daughter is holding their newest, a baby boy! So blessed!

What is Easter or what does it mean? Here in the United States, we take it for granted most know Easter is one of the central holidays, or Holy Days, of Christianity. It honors the Resurrection of Jesus three days after His death by crucifixion. Bill and I believe in and accept these facts as presented in the links. But the most important fact is what Jesus means to us! HE has proven Himself who He says HE is in the Holy Bible. We don’t want to participate in debates, we just live the best way we can to all HIM to use us. We are broken and sinful people so we make a LOT of mistakes….No one is perfect and we won’t be until we get to heaven….and we are banking on that!

We arrived on Friday afternoon, in time to get the boys after they got home from school. They were to spend all weekend with us, which is Easter weekend. Then during the week, we planned to help with them by taking them to and from their respective sports games and practices. Colin is into soccer while Bryce is into football. In the spring, he plays flag football while learning good skills for tackle in the fall. Both boys are athletic. It was such a JOY to watch them, cheer them on and spoil them. (Sorry to their mom but my parents spoiled her!) We squeezed in visits to the skating rink, which is great conditioning for both sports.

The bad news about our Easter was the VRBO we rented. I will not go into all the details but will say simply and it enough, the air conditioner was not working. It was a second floor apartment, above a house. So the heat rose and the sun was SHINING! Yay!!! But it was too hot for us to sleep. A repairman came out Saturday. He showed Bill what he uncovered and how to fix it if it happened again. Long story short, his repair was short lived. It had cooled down Saturday evening enough we made it through the night and all got ready for church. We went out to eat afterwards. Then returned to 80° inside. Sunny again. We texted management and they said no one could come out on Easter. We said we had to move out so we were let out of the agreement and they would reimburse us. We had to take the boys home, which ended a wonderful outing we had planned. AND then we had to find a place with a car full of our things to be in a condo, not a hotel. Well, miracles happen, so we found a wonderful place that suited us. Enough said! To God be the GLORY!

During the daytime, we had to find things to do. Since we love history and taking walks, we looked for both. We found a Civil War museum and a wonderful battlefield 2 + mile area to walk. We also visited a few other state parks to walk. We also have an old friend from our days serving in Christ is the Answer. They lived 30 miles from our daughter’s home. They have LOTS of grandchildren and super fun things to do on their “farm” so to speak. That was what we had for the boys after we ate out Sunday. We had to cancel for our grandsons. However, Bill and I visited with them on Wednesday. A great time to catch up after over 50 years!

We were asked why we’re back home early. Sadly, I said, we were exhausted. Bill agreed but he was really more anxious to return home to finish a “project.” It’s really his hobby, doing things about our home to make it more what he likes and wants. Currently, he is turning our kitchen cabinets from a “colonial” color to “beachy” WHITE! When we house hunted here in Myrtle Beach, he really wanted a white kitchen. So, six years later he is converting it and it is almost done.

So that is the end of our 50th Anniversary celebration with Easter in the midst! We are so blessed and so thankful. A few scriptures we thank GOD for as we have been blessed to enjoy our long marriage. Even if we broke it up for a year….by God’s GRACE, it was restored to stronger than ever! If you are not familiar with our divorce and remarriage story, you can learn about it on our “Marriage” website.

GENESIS 2:24

“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

ECCLESIASTES 4:9-10

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

MALACHI 2:14

“You ask, ‘Why?’ It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.”

04/26/2025

50th Anniversary and Easter, Part 2 of 3

Below is our official “on our actual anniversary” picture! We were traveling from our now favorite hiking location, Sapphire Valley (near Cashiers), NC. to one of our former favorite hiking locations – The Smoky Mountains! Click to read about our last time here, March 2019. Such a great time then but we’ve decided this is probably our last visit here. Why? What happened? Read on…

April 11, 2025, on the road from the Blue Ridge to the Smoky Mountains!

Our first trip we remember to the Smokys in 2012 was to celebrate our daughter’s birthday and our 37th Anniversary. We loved our time there and said we would return! But it was not meant to be until we returned in March 2019. We actually had reservations there while still in our RV, the fall of 2018. We each needed some minor surgery – we are getting older, after all. That caused us to cancel. That was the beginning of our decision to stop living full time in our RV. However, Bill says one time, we can’t recall the date, we meet my mom and step dad there. I ALWAYS take a photo to document such events. But I can’t find it. This was my step dad’s favorite place to visit – and he brought my mom enough that it became her favorite as well. A few random photos below of our April 2012 trip to the Smokys.

When something is elusive, doesn’t it make it more desirable? We started traveling using RCI (Resort Condominiums International) in September 2021. We miss our RV traveling and were looking for a new way to travel and always be in our “home.” This is a good alternative. HOWEVER, we had been unable to get a reservation in the Smoky until now, 2025! So here we are! Our condo:

A few pictures of the Condo, typical but it had everything we needed. We were told we had a view of the mountains, but a tree blocked much of it. Oh well….

We had hoped we could quickly hit the trails. But we discovered, it’s really CROWDED in April. Let me back up. We went into the Sugarland Visitor’s Center to get a map of hikes. While we use All Trails App, Bill prefers a paper version. There, we learned of one change since 2012. From the website: “A parking tag is required on any vehicle parked in the park for more than 15 minutes. Entrance to the park is free, but most visitors will need a parking tag. Parking tags are $5 for the day, $15 for the week, or $40 for the year.” We bought the weekly pass and one map. The parking tags seem reasonable for this most visited National Park in the nation. The website boasts of 12 million visitors a year.

4/12/2025 As it turned out, the map was NOT what we had wanted. While we were acclimating, we looked for something close by and not busy! We found the Trotter Bluff Loop which included the Douglas Headwater Campground. Another easy but lovely short hike. A few photos:

Bill admired this set up, but said, no can’t do it….

4/13/2025 As nice as that “warm up” walk was, we were ready to climb a mountain. Off we headed to Cucumber Gap and Little River Loop Trail. We had no idea what we were in for but it was all good! This tested me but again, Bill seemed to glide up the steep elevation. Immediately after the hike, I posted this in All Trails: “Parking was a bit of a challenge as it’s spring break season. We thought an easy four to five miles. But it turned out to be a relatively steep two mile uphill hike, return for four miles. But we could make a decision after two miles. Make it a there and back with an easy decline back down? Or go on an unknown loop? We chose the later not knowing it was five more miles back with lots of incline, decline and small rapids, well, a fast stream to cross. But we did it as we both felt like we were now back in hiking conditions after a week in Shappire valley, NC.” We inadvertently stopped the app in a few places, but this was well over 7 miles! Here are a few pictures – I was unable to take more because it really was challenging on the way “back”:

We talked a few times with another couple of hikers. The trip “back down” was not so direct. We chatted as one was reviewing directions from a book. It reminded me of our go to hiking expert (from our Shenandoah hiking year, 2003-2004). She said it indeed was one of Johnny Molloy’s books: “Top Trails: Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 50 Must-Do Hikes for Everyone.” I completely forgot I had bought it in 2019 for our return trip here. It’s been collecting dust. So off to the local book store and bought another one.

4/14/2025 Off to Alum Cave Trail to Mount LaConte. We were feeling like we were fully acclimated and ready for another challenge. Maybe it was the difficulty parking, maybe I had not dressed properly, or maybe I needed another day to recover. But I was not able to go as far as we would have liked. Here are a few pictures, in reverse!

4/15/2025 Bullhead to the Pulpit We recalled this hike in 2019. But really struggled locating the same trailhead. What we loved about it was that we were ALONE on the entire trail. That seemed to be our goal in 2019 after sharing the trail with crowds. I recalled parts of it but somehow, we didn’t find the exact trail from last time. But I do have one photo that shows we started at the same trailhead. In my opinion!!! These below pictures are from different points of view. It was a lovely hike.

March 2019 – Bill had to use the log bridge

4/16/2025 Clingman Dome, now called Kuwohi Observation Tower Trail. Of course we had to revisit! It “is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, sitting at an impressive elevation of 6,643 feet. This stunning location is known for its breathtaking views and beautiful natural surroundings….The viewing tower at Clingmans Dome allows guests to see far and wide, often on clear days allowing visibility for more than 100 miles.” Through hikers on the Appalachian Trail make it here. I love chatting with them to hear where they are from! Here we are in 2019 and 2025, some through hikers and a few pictures of the 100 mile views!

4/17/2025 Walker Sisters Home via Little Briar Gap Trail. It turns out our wonderful top trails by Molloy wasn’t as helpful in finding this trail head. We tried the All Trails App to no avail. Talked with a Park Ranger-he was new so couldn’t help. We finally just headed up a hill – turns out it was ONE way to get to the home! It was well worth the extra aggravation parking and looking for the trailhead. Johnny Molloy’s guide book failed us on the directions. But it was one of the MUST do 50 hikes. It was definitely a challenge – and I managed without huffing and puffing! Phew, looks like my health is finally restored. We hope to spend at least another five days after Easter and family time in one other favorite hiking location! A few photos from the Walker Sister’s Home hike, which included a school house and Cemetary.

Their family story is amazing, starting in 1866. From the National Park Service Website: “With the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hundreds of families were asked to move out of their mountain homes. Some went willingly, and others fought against it, but most families moved immediately. A select few, including the six unmarried Walker sisters, received a special lifetime lease—a chance to live out the rest of their lives in the log cabin they were raised in, even after the creation of a national park. Their incredible story is one of strength, hard work, and a love for the land of the Smokies.”

4/18/2025 This wonderful and historical hike ended our time in the Smokies. While we really enjoyed all of our times here, the traffic takes away from what we love about hiking. Solitude and a time to enjoy God’s creation. A bonus is to see glimpses into the lives of those who went before us. Those who helped settle our beautiful country and tamed the wilderness. Next stop Easter and family time. Mainly watching our grandsons play sports!

” In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” Isaiah 2:2

Next up, 50th Anniversary and Easter Part 3 of 3

04/21/2025

50th Anniversary and Easter 2025 – Part 1 of 3

So much to share, BUT where to start??? Since we have a small family and they seem to live all over the country, we made plans to hike and visit family to celebrate. Our two grandsons are our #1 family priority, so being with them, our daughter and son in law (who has a HUGE and wonderful family) trumped going farther than Kentucky. If you would like a snapshot into a portion of our 50 years of marriage, which includes divorcing and remarrying, click here for the Table of Contents to see 26 chapters of our “marriage blog.”

First stop in our celebration was a week in Sapphire Valley, NC. 4/4-11/2025. Less than six hours from our home in Myrtle Beach makes it our closest and the BEST place to hike! Our condo was newly remodeled so was a wonderful blessing as we made it our “home” for a week. We took a short walk, but steep decline and incline back up after a little over a six hour drive. We relived all of our previous hikes so tried to figure out where to go to hike. Bill had been putting in a lot of hours and manual labor changing our kitchen cabinets (we have lots) to white. And Debbie, me, has been enduring some muscle-skeletal issues. Here is a photo of Bill outside our cabin/condo. And then a surprise waiting for us to honor our 50th Anniversary! So sweet!

4/5/2025 Bill wisely said let’s just start with a relatively easy hike around Lake Fairfield. We also need to acclimate to higher elevation since we live at sea level! The lake is in a private community. Our condo has privileges to use the facilities. It has a bit of a rough terrain, slight elevation and was a good workout for me (Debbie). Bill had to slow down a few times for me to catch my breath. We made it 3.68 miles in an hour and 40 minutes. Off this path is a route up to the top of Little Bald Rock Mountain. We have asked others in the area if they have ever been to the top. No, until this day, FINALLY we met one. She’s a very fit young lady. She it’s about the same as the steep hike to the top of White Mountain. Bill had been feeling really fit, so I encouraged him to tackle it. Below is the Little Bald Rock Mountain in the background of where we park. Such a lovely walk/hike for nearly four miles around the lake.

4/6/2025 We’re grateful our church is on-line for those who can’t make it in person. So first we enjoyed our worship service then an outstanding teaching sermon on Daniel.

Then, Bill tackled the Little Bald Rock Mountain trail! It reaches 3,780 feet elevation, but not sure what the elevation the lake registers. He accepted the challenge under the threat of rain and lightening! Did I mention there was a lot of rain during our first few days which limited our drives to trails. This was close by and we knew it could only be but so muddy. We walked 1/4 of the trail around the lake. Not bad, so he decided to go for it while my task was to go back to the car and figure out how to get it close to the trailhead. It was indeed a task but I made it while he continued to climb and feel challenged!!! He did it and it was so encouraging as to his level of fitness. Below is at the trailhead but I didn’t get the actual “sign” – which doesn’t say much. This blue sign does warn to “hike at your own risk.” So we knew there was something challenging about it….He went a total of 4.3 miles and how an elevation gain of 1,014. He was “moving” nearly two hours! So proud of him!

4/7/2025 Due to a lot of rain, back to Fairfield Glade Lake. BUT what a HUGE improvement for me, Debbie! I knocked 20 minutes off of our time around the lake! No stopping and no huffing and puffing. Oh how I have been feeling so much older. A tidbit on our 50 years together. Bill has always stayed in shape by physical labor – like chopping up cords of woods from our property in Virginia. Debbie, by running, started in college, then chose a career where staying in shape was mandatory. I had my own gym equipment set to using gyms to stay in shape. Bill sort of mocked “gym rats” but guess what? He now is one!!! As he ages, he now sees how beneficial it is….And he now can run circles around me. Below is a screenshot of the hiking trail around the lake with our “vitals.”

4/8/2025 Returned to a favorite, Rainbow Falls. Again, due to the rain, but thought this would be OK no matter. And it was! Clearly, I’m still trying to get back into shape. We were here a year ago. I caught a virus so stayed home the last 4 days while sending Bill off to max himself in hiking. He does have to go slower for me. All that to say, he had no problem on this a year ago. It is a pretty steep decline and then incline. I was fine the first time we hiked it. BUT this time, I had to stop and sent Bill on after a little over half way! It took me about 15 minutes, but decided to start hiking towards him. What a laugh as I made it to the waterfall, where he was enjoying a nice long chat with another couple! I was fully recovered and we made it back to the car without too many stops! Here is my view as I hiked up to the actual falls! Note, Bill never meets a stranger!

4/9/2025 Off to the main attraction that brought is here initially in 2019, Whitewater Falls. Bill read “Upper Whitewater Falls is not only the tallest waterfall in NC, but the highest waterfall east of the Rockies, though some may disagree with that title. Regardless of where you stand on that dispute, there is no denying the beauty of this massive 411-foot waterfall. Protected by Nantahala Forest, this waterfall is accessible by a short hike that leads to a viewing platform.” Our first time here, we not only did that short hike, we went on and on and on….via the Foothills Trail. Sadly, this hike was not saved in our All Trails app. But it says it is about 7.8 miles We may not have gone the entire route bit I know we did most of it. I never had to stop – then. This date, we did the shorter hike from the parking lot, to the observation tower, then down to the Foothills trail and back up to the parking lot. I never needed to rest but was ready to call it quits once we got back to the top – and parking lot! First is the view of the upper falls, from the parking lot. Then we walked down 1/10th of steps to the overlook. The young lady who took the picture asked if we wanted to show the falls….not sure why we didn’t take the hint! But I thought the view of the upper falls was sufficient!

4/10/2025 Back to our faithful Fairfield Lake. Again, rain rain go away, come again another day! Another test of my endurance and it looks like I’m ready to tackle the Smoky’s!!! This photo below is from All Trails app that shows a bit of the topography of what became our favorite hike during rainy season!

4/11/2025 Our official anniversary date!f And our travel day from what we say is one of our favorite nearby hiking areas to our “other” favorite area, the Smoky Mountains. Afterwards, we now say our go to and favorite place to hike is here, in Sapphire Valley. But all was not lost. Part 2 of our celebration coming up next!

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

02/24/2014

Starting Adventure Travel

We spent a day at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers, FL

What do you think of when you hear the term, Adventure Travel? For us, it is our post retirement dream!

For us and the purpose of this blog, it is where we are now, more or less! We can finally say we are “really” retired. Isn’t that a common goal for Americans, to become retired? I (Debbie) officially retired from a 20 year career in law enforcement in February 2006, but I ended up working part time for a few years and have been a regular volunteer. Bill said he never wanted to “retire” so his path is a bit different. His goal or end game was to be self-employed. His first full time experience as being self-employed was as a Snap on Tool Dealer, from 1986-1988, too short of a time, but those were very profitable years for him. Sadly, that ended when we divorced in December 1988 (but that story has a happy ending: Found in our marriage book, Chapter 2, “So why share about our marriage?” He formally quit the working world in October 2004. When he quit, he actually had a dream job with Nationwide Insurance as an automotive claims adjuster.

But in 2000, we began working his way back into self-employment as we began our path into retirement. That was when we invested in our first piece of rental real estate. When we moved to Florida in November 2004, he went full board into real estate rentals, peaking at owning six rentals homes, but also caring for our home, his mother’s home and helping my parents out from time to time with their home – all of us in the same town. Needless to say, caring for real estate in Florida is a year around task, especially in the heat of the summer. We sold his last piece of rental real estate in August, 2013 – a dream come true as we prepared for the end game.

My “retirement dream” was to be a volunteer and work in the community to help make it a better place for all to live. But as a workaholic, it was hard to stop working, so I started back to work part time for our Sheriff. That lasted four years and my time there actually introduced me to our community in a unique way. I made connections that helped me become a volunteer and allowed me to work with some of the most phenomenal people I’ve ever met – let alone have the privilege of volunteering with! I was able to do this for several years – and this will be hard to leave as we approach our end game – adventure travel! I’m hoping with technology, I can still be useful!

Bill’s “retirement” dream was to travel all over the United States and Canada in a Class A motor home (one of those big bus-type rigs that pulls your car and tows your motorcycle, also called a Recreational Vehicle or RV). Bill dreamed about this for at least three years, searching websites for the “perfect” RV and we went to many RV shows.

So here we are, months since Bill was officially retired, although he said he’d never use that word. But the other day, he asked me, “We are really retired, aren’t we?” I had to chuckle!

What has happened – why an end game? Probably the greatest thing a parent could ever hope for – we became grand parents! And that has rocked our world in a way we never could have imagined! See, our problem is that we live nearly 900 miles from that precious grandson! So how can we marry our dream goals? Well, we are working on that and so far so good! We are now saying we are adventure travelers – but swinging by our daughter’s to spend as much time as possible with our grandson.

This is a short blog as I prepare to tell more about our transition into full time retirement! But first, I always love to see what the Bible says about whatever we are doing. So here are a few of my favorite scriptures (all from ESV) to read as one thinks about retiring, from Open Bible – retirement:

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Acts 20:24

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

Numbers 8:23-26

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. They minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties.'”

Proverbs 13:22

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

Philippians 1:6

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

2 Timothy 4:7

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Proverbs 16:1-3

“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to theLord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.”

Psalm 1:1-6

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;…

Until next time…

”

Follow the Tumble Lees!

Personal blog by former full time RVers-Still looking for adventure!

travel

50th Anniversary and Easter, Part 3 of 3

GENESIS 2:24

ECCLESIASTES 4:9-10

MALACHI 2:14

50th Anniversary and Easter, Part 2 of 3

50th Anniversary and Easter 2025 – Part 1 of 3