Punched in the stomach

Did any of you watch that game between the USA and Portugal? Yeah, that one.  USA held the lead, and everyone assumed we won the game. Then it came down to the last thirty seconds, just enough time for Portugal to score, ending the game with a tie. It felt like a kick in the gut, or as someone posted on Facebook, like being punched in the stomach.

We've all felt like that in our house this week. The story starts something like this:

For the first time in three years, we had no plans to go to Colombia this summer.  Actually, we had no plans to even leave the state of Texas.  Mike and I agreed that we wanted to go camping, so he scheduled a week of vacation in June and then another one in July so we could go camping as a family.  We usually borrow a friend's pop-up, so we're a little spoiled.  No tent camping for us. 

We considered it a blessing when one of Mike's old coworkers approached him at the end of May to offer him his camper for a great price.  For the first time ever, we actually had the available cash, so we jumped at it.  It's something we've always wanted, but we never imagined actually being able to buy one. If you know me, you know that spending money on "stuff" pretty much terrifies me, but the timing really seemed to be God.  

We loved our little house on wheels--fully stocked with a fridge, freezer, oven, stove, microwave, sink, lots of cabinets, and a great air conditioner.  We even had a bathroom with a working toilet and shower!  By the second trip this summer, God replaced my anxiety with peace, showing me how good our little camper would be for our family, to help us with connection with Juan David, to help with late-night bonding for the guys, and it would be great for our marriage for whenever we just wanted to get away.  We started dreaming of all the places we could visit and of the people we could invite to camp with us.  We had three areas for sleeping, so another family could easily join us if we brought a tent for the boys.  

I still struggled with having spent that available cash rather than saving it, but we talked about the fact that the camper would be easy to liquidate if we had an emergency. We decided it was our 15 year anniversary gift to each other.

Here are pics of our cute little home on wheels and the memories we started to build together with it: 

                            

                    

                     

                      

We had such a great time camping together on both trips, so much fun that we already started to plan for Labor Day. I felt so relaxed by the end of this last trip after being able to disconnect from life for a few days to just relax and chill.  In fact, this is what I wrote on Facebook on Wednesday morning right before we pulled out to head home:

Packing up to return to the real world, where clocks dictate my day and I actually have to wear make up. Thank you, God, for the chance to disconnect from daily life in order to recharge and reconnect with my family for a few days.

We felt so blessed, and we really felt like we'd made a wise investment for our family.

Sadly, we won't enjoy any more trips together in our house-on-wheels. We made it back to the first exit to get off in Garland when an uninsured motorist rammed into us, destroying our little dream.

                               

We're all just walking around with our heads held low, like we've been kicked in the gut. It literally makes us sick. 

We're all safe, along with the three people in the vehicle that hit us and the two people in the vehicle in front of us that the first car pushed us into. Our truck is fine, too. Money and stuff can be replaced.  But it still stinks. Big time. 

Trying to be thankful for the positives, to be grateful for even this trial.