We Are Home!

Just opened my laptop to work a bit on a few things and decided to hop over here for a quick update. HA! I realized I never posted after the alpacas!

Well, guess what? We made it back to Tennessee safe and sound. It was a busy travel week after the alpaca farm. So now that we're here, what's happening? I should say, what DID happen? 

SOO MUCH!

We lived in a sweet RV park for a few weeks figuring out what's next. We went to the Dominican Republic with my sister and her husband to celebrate her 60th and our 35th anniversary. That was awesome for sure. We moved in with my sister for a short bit, then back on our property in our 5th wheel for another short bit and then into our home with Boo and Grady for a short bit. They found a home they love so now it's just T and I. T's sports car got totaled. The drivers here are scary. And then there was traveling to WA to pick up our new car and getting covid while there. That was fun.😏 After we drove it home, it was Christmas and then the new year! 2025 was a welcome number. Last year had lots more life, and lots more emotion than these few words care to share. 

So moving forward...  Hello 2025! 

We are settling into our new Murfreesboro community. We have a while to go before it feels permanent but were moving that way. Having so many of our children, grands and extended family sure helps. We miss the ones not here, but God has them where they are, for now. 

So what does this year 2025 have to say for itself?

Let's see, we found a church that we are exploring. Waiting a bit longer before we commit to making it our home church, but the teaching is solid, the Spirit of Lord is present in and through the pastor and the people of the church, and folk are saying hello - actually stopping to get to know us. Welcome to the south! Three biggies for me. 

We have a plan for our home which is very good news. After searching tirelessly for another house, not finding anything that checked all our boxes, we truly felt settled in our hearts with our home here as our Tennessee forever home. We love the neighborhood and the yard. Especially the yard! We love the location.  And by golly, we are so done moving. Now to make the actual home something we love instead of something Gramma from the 1980's loved! The bones are good! We are changing things like where the laundry room will be, which wall should come down, all the flooring throughout, etc. So far we have completed things that don't make me feel the warm fuzzies but have been all too necessary. We have a new roof, heater/ac unit, all the hardscape from the driveway to the patio, trees came down, that kind of stuff. The projects that had to happen and before the rest of the remodel. This probably gives you a clear understanding of what we've been doing since we landed in Tennessee last September. I forget how busy we've been, all this planning until I type it on paper.  The big decision was building a garage so we can use the current garage as living space. That began in December. We have a great contractor. He happens to be a friend with our son so that's been fun too. Gabe is involved with the build when he can be, and it's been so wonderful to watch him in his element. Our son has always been good with his hands and now all these years later to see him use his gifting on our home, wow! We're hopeful all of this will be done by summer if not before. Stay tuned for pictures and progress!

2025 also holds more travel in our camper, hopefully mountain biking for T, and the very best of all- a new grandson! I'll be heading to Washington sometime in April to be with Bec, Brock and Valerie for a short while. Can't wait to snuggle with the newest babe! 

For me, well, I am excited to say I will be starting a garden for reals this year and raising chickens. I have so much to learn. I'm scouring the internet, calling people, reading books and have a gardener resource here locally which is my green-thumb brother-in-law Dave. I do hope I can make this happen. 

We are searching for all of the normal things still- favorite restaurants, places to have coffee, doctors, shopping. I am happy to say I don't have to use Maps all the time anymore. HUGE accomplishment for this directionally challenged individual. This part of moving, finding all your favorite haunts, is the part that makes a community become MY community. And this part takes time. A long time really. We became members of a winery here that gorgeous! That's a start. I secretly dream of opening a coffee house and am always on the lookout for a location. Now to find investors!

We are still on a health journey. I am not naive to think I can throw caution to the wind and stay cancer free. So, this month, January 2025, T and I are on a reset. Way too much goodness last fall and my clothes are showing it. Back to the discipline of choosing wisely what to put into our bodies each day. I have continued to purge all the crazy chemical laden products in our home.  We bought a whole house water filter that will be installed with the remodel, and I threw away all my Tupperware storage containers. Let me say, it is not cheap going to glass! That's taking a minute. 

And a bit closer to home, T has been a good sport with losing cycling like he had in Colorado. We are prayerful that God will show us how to include this again in his rhythm of life. And for me, walking the trails was more connected to my heart than I ever realized. The trail system was literally right out our back door. So that's been a huge heart hurt for both of us. And not seeing our friends and community group left a gap that has yet to be filled. I know and believe God fills in the gaps and holes, it just takes time.

So that's all for now. I'll keep writing and filling all y'all in all of our happenings. (How's that for my southern talk) It's not been peaches and creme moving this time around. We're older, we had built our forever home in Colorado and did I mention, we're older. Oy, that has made a big difference this time. We do see God in each step. We do see His goodness and plan unfolding. We do trust Him for his provision, even with friends. He is a good, good Father and said he will never leave us or forsake us. Amen to this. It's so true. 

That's my Reality Check,

Thanks for listening,                                                                                                                               Tina aka Tuna Jones💖

On our way home...Harvest Host

I'm a few weeks off from updating anyone on our trip. We're actually in Tennessee already and trying to sort our life but before I go there, let's rewind to our trip.  

From Park City, Utah to Murfreesboro, Tennessee is a drive. It's even more of a drive pulling a 40 foot RV home behind you. Just now, as I am typing this, am I realizing what we just did. That's a lot of miles for T to drive over a weekend. I took one turn driving for a few hours and that was it. T did the rest! 

We stayed at an alpaca farm one night, a brewery the next night and our friends house the next night.  

It was quite the adventure heading back. Ok that's all you get for this post. HAHA! Enjoy the pictures.

Park City, Utah

 

Sometimes all a girl needs is a McFlurry

Our view one way from the campsite

Our view the other way from the campsite

And here we are in another town. 

We're nearing the end of this part of our journey. Both of us are feeling like it's time to go home and then regroup. I've not been resting well. My emotions are all over the place right now. Processing the loss of Mom is coming in waves. I'm feeling this tsunami of emotions crashing down hard right now that really goes all the way back to my cancer diagnosis last May til now. Lots of life... lots of emotions. I want to call people to say hey but then I'm like, actually, I don't think I have it in me to do that. So there's that.

Park City is a cool town with great recreation. Last time we were here was for a vacation during Covid. T is getting in a few rides and tonight were going to hike. We're definitely missing our outside rec time. The site we're in is funny. It's gorgeous one way and turn 180 degrees and it's a car lot. No for reals. And it's next to Highway 80 so its LOUD. Moral of the story, don't believe the online pictures when your camping! Get on google maps and look where the place is located before booking. And stay away from highways. Our site is big and quite welcoming. But sleeping is hard when you hear traffic. We're learning! That's what this part of the journey's been all about, learning. So when we go back out next time for a stint, I'll know more of what to look for and how long to stay places. 

Until next time...

The In-Between

 

Oh, where to start. 

We left Washington after one more sweet day in Vancouver with our kids and baby Valerie and headed to Boise. My sister met me up there to close a final chapter. 

My folks have had storage units as long as I can remember, like seriously. that long. We tried to help them over the years get rid of the stuff but to no avail. Now that Momma's gone and Dad's in Tennessee full time, we decided it was time to close that chapter and be done. 

I have so many thoughts rolling around my brain. Trying to decide what to write about this finally being done. Some of its too painful to write as of yet, some if it so thankful we never have to go through this again, and some if it is saying goodbye to mom all over again. It's really hard on children to have to make decisions that should have been made by their parents. 

So listen up- don't leave this earth unprepared and don't leave this earth with a hot mess for your children to navigate. It's not that hard people.

Get a trust

Get a will

TALK to your children about what you want, write it down and have it ready for the time you die or get ill.

Give away those special family treasures while you're in your right mind.  Enjoy watching your kids wear that ring or open that book or use a favorite dish that they always wanted. GIVE IT TO THEM or it may find its way to Goodwill when they're having to quickly make decisions. 

I am so thankful for the few treasures I have from Mom and Dad. The beautiful white country dishes they gave me a few years back, the ring that Dad gave Mom on their 10th wedding anniversary, the deer print that hung up in our home when I was tiny. And I know good and well that I can't take any of it with me to heaven, and anyone who knows me, knows my motto is Simplicity. But I am also a person who loves deeply and some of this love is shared through a memory attached to something we physically own. It brings back to mind a sweet time in our life. So why not share that with your kids now and enjoy seeing them celebrate a memory that means something to you both. 

Have your financial house in order. Do not be foolish and think, "Oh they will be fine. They can do what they want when I die." It does not work that way. It's YOUR responsibility to be prepared, and then to SHARE that information with your children. Saying goodbye is already so hard, why on earth do people burden their kids with figuring out all the details to YOUR life?  The last gift you give your kids is gift of preparedness. So don't be lazy and do it. And don't think, "Oh that's private, they don't need to know about our finances." Umm, yes they do. And should. The good, the bad, the ugly. And I'm not just talking to the older people here. I'm talking to young families too. Be prepared.

We do a financial overview with our kids each year. We send them a document, so they know what and where to find everything. Now that we moved, it's time for a refresher. We will update everything and share that with them. Ta da. It's that easy. My husband is super organized, and this is one area he's gifted. If that's not you, then find someone who is and ask them to help you. Just do it, stop waiting for tomorrow. 

So this post is less about the hard time my sister and I had clearing out our folk's storage and more about how to do it right.

Don't be foolish, be prepared and then for God's sake, share it with your children. You will die one day, we all will. Make it a little easier on them. 

Thanks for listening,

Tuna Jones

 

Victoria Island- Buchart Gardens

Sunday’s Beauty!

We arrived early at the port to walk onto the ferry and enjoy the cruise over to Victoria. We were invited to sit with an older couple who had extra seats across from them in their booth and heard their life  stories along the way. I grabbed a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich from the cafe.  It took about a hour and half to go from one port to the other. Listening to the stories of Glenda and Robert made the time pass quickly. Once there, we waked across the street to check in to the shuttle and explore the Empress Fairmont hotel. We hopped on a shuttle a bit later that took us to the gardens. Buchart Gardens is over a 100 years old. When we walked in I was quickly taken back to Disneyland. It feels like Disneyland without the rides and all the beauty. It’s gorgeous! From the minute you reach the entrance there are flowers everywhere. 

The land on which this exists was a limestone quarry and when it was finished being mined, it was bare and ugly. Jennie Butchart took to task making something out of nothing. She must have been an artist herself to envision what we see today. She got the best of the best to help her and went to work. After many years, her grandson took over the task and completed the work. A process that took well over 50 years to complete.  The gardens are still in the family and as beautiful as ever! 

The idea of taking something ugly, bare and what looks to be useless and turn it into something beautiful, blooming and breathtaking is such a visual of what God does to us through our life with Christ. In the Potter’s hand we are made beautiful. The old has passed away and all things are new. Oh thanks be to God for his gracious way of pruning me so I can become more like him by the power of his Holy Spirit. He truly makes beauty from ashes. The process of being pruned sometimes hurts. Ok, all the time. It’s painful to let go of my way, my whatever, to be more like Jesus. I love roses and understand to get more blooms they HAVE to be pruned regularly. The trimmers are sharp and direct. They do the job well. Oy, that’s exactly how it feels to be pruned by the Lord. If I don’t pay attention to what’s happening I’ll spin out of control whining, complaining, and frustrated. It’s not that God prunes everyday, all the time, but in the seasons that He sees the yuck in my heart and my life that’s needs GO, he prunes. My part is to lean in, trust him is the work he’s doing, and allow the Holy Spirit to refine me. God’s desires for me are far greater than I can see. His unconditional love and his saving grace is salve to my soul. For me, God has never let me down. It’s not always easy peasy to allow him to shape this lump of clay, but I’m grateful for his gentle hand and strong love for me. 

Reality Check- 

Are you willing to allow God to prune you? Do you pay attention to that tug in your heart that says something’s not right? Ask the Lord if it’s him trying to take out some old stones and put in a beautiful garden. 

Thanks for Listening,

Tuna Jones

 Buchart Gardens