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Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance—a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved. —Augusta E. Rundel

The above quote rings quite true for us. During the holiday season our thoughts turn to our loved ones who mean so much. It was a wonderful yet emotional year as we said goodbye to a dear family member and welcomed three new members to our extended family. Through all these changes we are thankful for the friendship, love and support of our friends and family. While RVing certainly has its challenging moments this lifestyle has made it possible for us to spend precious time with our friends and family that are scattered across this amazing country.

This past March our good friend Lisa joined us in Austin for a long weekend. We caught several live bands, explored the area and enjoyed some great Texas BBQ—and a good time was had by all. In April we stopped in Arkansas to visit with Erin’s old friend Jenny, husband Kevin and daughter Ella. Except for a brief tornado scare we had a lovely time catching up and we fell in love with Jenny’s fabulous Chocolate Gravy!

By the middle of April we were in northern Georgia visiting with Lance’s Grandma Ruth, Aunt Chris, Uncle Gary, Cousin Katie, her husband Ryan, their towhead of a son Kaden and soon-to-be Cousin (by marriage) Ashley. It was Erin’s first meeting with many of these family members and a week just didn’t seem long enough.

In May we were in the Raleigh, North Carolina area where good friends Hector and LeeAnn live. Everyone’s busy work schedules lightened up which allowed us plenty of time for catching up—it had been five years since our last visit. We won’t wait that long for our next visit, especially if they promise to make their delicious samosas again.

A short drive north landed us in Washington D.C. Though our time there was cut short by the passing of Lance’s Grandpa Remington Erin still managed to meet up with her friend, Debbie. Talk about lucky: Debbie’s husband Andy was working at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and he gave us a behind the scenes tour!

For the last part of May and most of June we were in Rhode Island spending time with Lance’s Grandma Edna, Aunt Lois, Uncle Rich, Cousins Ben, Paul, Laura, Karla, Dan, Carol, John, Valerie, Everett, Great Aunt Fran and Great Uncle Ray. Since we made it to Warwick in time for Grandpa Remington’s memorial service we were also able to visit with Lance’s mother Libby and his Uncle Russell from California. We squeezed in a quick trip to Orange, Massachusetts to see Lance’s sister Adria and her husband Joel off for their move to Tucson. It was hard to drag ourselves away from the clan in little Rhody but right after the Fourth of July we headed north.

Our northernmost destination was Maine, a first trip for both of us. We spent most of a month exploring the rugged coastline before turning west. Before leaving the state we caught up with friends and fellow RVers John and Marlene. As we swapped RV stories we realized that even though they’d been on the road longer they are still as enthusiastic about the journey as we are.

In New Hampshire we met up with Lance’s Cousin Rich who leads tours up Mt. Washington. The peak is known for its high winds and freezing temperatures year round and our day was no exception. The warm and sunny weather was swept away by gusts of cold wet, wind as we neared the top. Rich loves it there, he has been there for years and has no desire to leave any time soon.

Speaking of leaving, the bright fall foliage and cool temperatures soon encouraged us on our way. By the end of September we were in Ohio. Our three weeks flew by as we tried to keep up with all of Erin’s extended family: Uncle Lance, Aunt Sharon, Cousin Rusty, his wife Angelika, their three beautiful girls, Sarah, Megan, and Ronja, Cousin Shane, her husband Steve, and their adorable daughters, Frankie, and Gracie, and let’s not forget Erin’s Great Aunt Jo, Cousin Joy and her husband Steve. We said a reluctant goodbye to Ohio and followed the warm weather as it receded south. In a few weeks we reached our old home town of Tucson.

These past two months in Tucson have been restful but not boring. In between attending to our annual doctor appointments, working and running errands we have been spending time with family and friends. Lance’s family is all living in one town for the first time in years so visiting with Tom, Libby, Cammy, her husband Hank, Heidi, husband Jed, son Andrew, Adria and hubby Joel is an extra special treat.

Erin has made several trips down to southeastern Arizona to visit with her Grandma Eileen and Aunt Paula (and their boyfriends Tom and Harry, respectively). We’ve also shared some memorable dinners with Aunt Coralie, Aunt Shirley, Erin’s sister Desiree and her husband Scott. Last but not least are all the friends we’ve been able to reconnect with: Tori, Lori, Bev, Rafael, Collin, Debbie, Danny, Geoff, Lauren, Sam, Face, Aaron, his wife Jenny, and their son Nate. To make it even better the weather has been mostly warm and sunny—truly a wonderful place to finish out the year!

We hope that this holiday season provides you with a few moments to reflect on all the wonderful and special moments in your life. Our heartfelt wishes to all of you for a fantastic New Year full of adventure, love and laughter!

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ‘till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. —Dr. Seuss