Greetings from the road, my dear Siestas! Well, to say that Keith Moore and I are having an adventure is our official understatement of the year. If you watched the SSBS wrap up (Tuesday’s post), you know that Keith and I have done something highly uncharacteristic: pulled out of our driveway in a large rented RV and hit the road with little more than an atlas and two rather sizable hounds.
My coworker, Sabrina, was going over my August calendar with me about a month ago and said, “You have a week of vacation coming up and you should take it. Beth, the rest of us take actual vacations. Some of us even take three weeks a year. Where could I make you and Keith some reservations?”
So I began to think and think and talk it over with my man. Ever since my surgery, I just haven’t been able to work my physical body into the ground like I used to. To tell you the truth, that’s a gift from God. He probably never meant for us to work as hard as I have worked in the last twenty years. This time, I knew I wanted real time off. But where? Keith’s spiritual gift is giving so I knew he’d give me any kind of vacation I wanted but there’s one little factor that grossly limits our choices: we want our two little buddies with us.
That’s when this wild idea hit us. My man has been trying to get me to do this RV thing for years but I couldn’t quite picture, for instance, washing and drying my big hair in it. Believe it or not, that was one of my lesser worries. My greater worries are not suitable for public conversation but as you can clearly conclude, I decided to try my best to overcome personal obstacles. Novices that we are, we’ve had moments of questioning our sanity (like, for instance, at night when we can’t actually sleep in it) but, overall (during daylight hours), we are having a blast! Keith will not let me drive but I am the world’s best map-reader and a sight-seeing enthusiast so we make a great pair.
I will just give you a few highlights (or low lights depending on how much you appreciate trivia) because I can’t stay on here very long. I’m only getting this opportunity because Keith hardly slept all night and has now finally fallen asleep and snoring loud enough, God love him, to rock the entire RV. I may need to take some Dramamine. (Did I spell that right?? Spell check is letting it pass but, for the life of me, I have never noticed the “drama” in Dramamine before. That I have not overdosed on it is a wonder.) Geli and Star are also staring a hole through me like, “Is this what we came here to do? Seriously? Just sit here in the RV? Do you know what kind of good smells there are out there right now??”
We drove over 10 hours on the very first day from Houston to Caprock Canyon State Park in north Texas. At half past midnight, we backed the RV into a space that, lo and behold, had a broken electrical outlet but we didn’t realize that was the problem. We thought either our RV was malfunctioning or, more likely, we were inept. We blessed the other campers by sleeping (all 4 hours) with the generator going. But when we were able to drink enough coffee to peel our eyelids off our eyeballs, these were a few of the scenes around us:
Can you believe that’s in TEXAS??? Absolutely breathtaking. We loved it so much. Then, yesterday we got back on the road and spent all day spying gorgeous countryside on our way out of the Lone Star State and into New Mexico. Geli and Star were in dog heaven. They love traveling this way and, as I tweeted yesterday, they suggested we buy this thing when we get home and drive around Houston in it. Finally, we understand their needs, they said. This was the scene behind us much of the day:
It’s a wonderful thing to have an I-phone on a road trip. At all times I can find the nearest Starbucks. I can also find charming restaurants. This was one of them yesterday.
Keith got a big old plate of beef enchiladas, New Mexico style, with red chili gravy that made your eyes water. I had a hamburger steak because Kimberly, our darling young waitress, said it was good. I had a hard time overlooking the sandwiches because the menu said all of them were made with homemade bread but I’d had enough sandwiches in the RV to let that dream go. As God would bless me, my hamburger steak came with a side of “Texas Toast” (thank you again, Texas!) that was, you guessed it, made out of HOMEMADE BREAD. It was two inches thick and grilled on both sides in butter. I could bawl about it but, of course, I’ve had only about six hours of sleep in two days. I’m telling you it was the Texas toast of my life right there in New Mexico. As we paid out, our waitress said, “Ma’am, can I ask you a question. Is there any chance your name is Beth?” Turns out her Daddy is the pastor of the First Baptist Church in that town. It was a delightful encounter and we thanked God for it.
We made it to our second destination about 9:00 PM last night and will be here one more night. I have on a jacket and I nearly froze to death last night. All my Houston home-girls hate me right this minute.
I’ll catch back up with you in the next day or two but I’ll leave you with the most surreal sight of the trip thus far. We purposely chose the scenic highways that looked like long ropes through ranch lands as broad as tongue could tell. Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado are all famous for those. We saw beautiful horses and tons of cattle and that was just in Texas. Once we crossed the first border, we hit New Mexico where the deer and the antelope play. And seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day. Home, home on the… Sorry, Siestas. I’m just overtired. To get back to my story, before we left Texas, we passed by a typical wide-open pasture with horses frolicking and manes flowing in the wind. Nothing unusual about that except that these were all miniature horses. The kind that would stand about as tall as my waist. No, not Shetlands. Miniatures. Like stuffed animals. In herds. I have never seen anything like it. We weren’t at a place where we could pull of the road with our big Daddy or I would have taken you a picture. It was the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen because everything else about the scene was absolutely normal. It was like the horses didn’t even know they were supposed to be taller than three feet. Suddenly, I pictured a remake of The Wizard of Oz set in Texas instead of Kansas. Pitch those red slippers, my little pretty! Put on some hot pink ropers and follow that yellow brick road, Girlfriend. You’re about to have the ride of your life.
These are the things that amuse me.
I’ve enjoyed saying hi to you, Siestas! My man just got up and, from the look of things, I better put on another pot of coffee. We love you. More than anything, we love loving Jesus with you. I am asking Him to refresh our souls and grant us some sweet revelation while we’re on this trip. I pray the same for you, Darling Things, whatever you may be doing right now. He can meet with us as easily while we fold clothes and wash dishes. It’s all about whether or not we ask Him for eyes to see.
I’ll talk to you soon!
Dear Beth, hope you’re having fun on your trip. I love your blog. FYI: (I’ll keep this short)I run on my treadmill 6 days a week to Beth Moore on DVD, CD, podcast, whatever. Now doing A Woman’s Heart on CD and workbook. (this takes skill on the treadmill!!! ha ha) You are helping this 48-y-o woman TREMENDOUSLY. I am recovering from several mini-addictions (strongholds) and your studies are better than any counseling I’ve ever undergone. Instead of spending $ on therapy I am doing your studies. My faith is not in you, but the Lord; however, God led right me right to your studies so of course I’m a LOUD fan of yours. Praise God for His anointing of you as a wonderful Bible teacher/encourager/exhorter/sister in Christ! Gotta go now and grab my 2 sticks of dynamite!!! Love, Lisa
So thrilled that you and Keith are taking some relaxing, travelling time together! We want to do a RV trip the length of the Skyline Drive through the mountains.
The pictures are amazing. Just love God’s beauty everywhere we look! Star and Geli are just too cute!
I am late checking with you all due to our vacation at the beach with very limited wifi. And, now doing laundry again to pack and leave for Chicago on Thursday, 12 hr drive, but to surprise the boys we have special stops for them: Heinz Ward Stadium on the way up and the NFL Hall of Fame on the way back. Whew! Already tired just typing it:)
Now, off to do my check in with the SSBS.
How fun!
So glad you’re having such a good time.
You both deserve this time together.
Treasure this time and these memories.
Love }}
Beth! Hope you had a wonderful time. Motorhoming is the best! We always talk about selling everything, hitting the road with our kids and homeschool across the country. Dreams….
Also, know you’re working on a study of the book of James. Have been reading that book over the past few weeks and it is so powerful! God is so very good.
Love from Alaska! Come motorhome up here sometime!
I have never written a blog before, so bear with me…My 22 yr. old daughter and I were walking in Red River, NM and we turned around to walk back and we noticed a couple walking their dogs. My daughter commented, “that looks just like Beth Moore”. I laughed and said, “it could be because I’ve seen pictures of their dogs and her husband”. We started joking around about going over and saying “hi, Beth”. But ya’ll were focused on a dirt road that you seemed interested in going down (still not sure if it was you or not). All the way back to our condo we joked about how we could have apporached you or what we could have said. We kind of forgot about it until my Pastor and his wife came to supper that night and we told them we saw you. So…the next morning we headed out for another walk with my pastor’s wife and her sister and my other daughter, in search of you. But we didn’t see you. When we got back home we looked on your blog and realized it probably was you. I wish we would have spoken to you, that much we regret. However, the most important thing to me was that my 22 yr old daughter recognized you. She has seen you in person at conferences and does your Bible studies. It truly blesses my heart, as a parent that she knows who you are and recognizes you. Thanks for you influence on all of us.
My friend and her daughter were walking through Red River, NM August 5th and they said they saw a woman that looked just like you walking your dogs. When they returned home they realized that it probably was you. I was sick that they didn’t talk to you, I could have beat her with a stick, (I know thats not christian). But when would someone ever get that chance again?? It made me think that you probably have passed by our church a time or two on your way to CO or NM. My husband is the pastor of Bible Baptist Church in Dumas, Tx on the corner of 87 and 287. You can’t miss it, it use to be a strip mall. Anyway, I know this sounds crazy but if you ever come by that way again, we would love for you to stop by, (who wouldn’t)! Thanks for your time spent in studying the Word to bring us marvelous Bible studies.
Beth,
I am a fellow Texan and my daughter and I have attended your Conferences from Albuquerque to your last one in Denver.(Deeper Still) Think we have attended about 6 in all. She is a professor at Texas Tech, so imagine our excitement when we heard you will be in Lubbock, TX next Sept! It is an answer to our prayers, Beth. We both have taught your studies, and she has even taught yours on the campus in her office! We want to welcome you to Lubbock and just say how thrilled we are that you are coming here to share the Word of our Lord with some of your “fellow West Texas Women!” Can’t wait. Sounds like you are having a blast on your trip! We usually drive to OKC to see you…or San Antonio…or Houston…or fly to Denver. You know us Texas gals. We will drive 100 miles to get a Coke! Especially in the small town where I live. Love you, Beth.
Oh my gosh I have so missed Siestaville!! I was laughing so hard I cried reading your traveling stories this morning. Love, love, love the internal doggy dialogue and photos.
I’ve so missed being here for summer study but hope to dig into Kelly’s study this fall. I’ve had to be away finishing up my book (hooray Jesus!) and preparing for She Speaks. Thank you so much Beth for your message for our team and our 600 attendees, WOW! You gave us six messages in 12mins and they were just what we needed to hear! I was MCing at the event and got to come up after you and re-cap some things you said. Have mercy, I just wanted to hit replay so our audience could take it all in again and again. Thank you from the depths of our hearts for loving us all so much and for sweet Amanda for making the connection to bring it together. Ya’ll are the best!
Happy trails!
Hi Beth,
Some where between Texas and Tennessee could we plan a weekend conf. and camp. We all love camping here. Love your bible studies !!!!
Thank you for giving me a new desire to be closer to my Jesus with each study.
I love that you love wanting to vacation with your dogs. I, also, have too and so we love to take them…we camp a lot (with a pop-up and a pontoon boat, which the dogs don’t “quite” love yet.
Hola siesta Beth!
Sounds like you might be in our great state of Colorado! My hubby and I recently enjoyed a trip to the soutwest part (Ouray/Telluride/Creede) of this beautiful state. Wherever you are, I know you’re being blessed taking in God’s awesome creation. We are hoping to take our boys with us on an RV adventure through the Nat’l parks of the west next summer.
Thanks for praying for my refreshment…..BTW….I got it!!!! I am so excited AND refreshed…now I know its because you prayed for me 🙂 THANKS BETH!
Beth,
Just wanted to let you know that we are on week 9 of the updated version of “Breaking Free”. When we put the DVD in today, everything was in technocolor, lots of bright pinks, yellows and greens with a little purple and red thrown in for good measure. The picture was a bit distorted so we worked for about 15 minutes to try and remedy the situation to no avail. As we commented on how the enemy was trying to keep us from learning what you would have us hear today, we put the DVD on anyway and heard you talk about how the enemy had tried to stop you all that day with a power outage. We all just laughed and claimed victory over your message. After hearing it, we all know why he wanted to keep you from speaking it and why he wanted to prevent us from hearing it. He doesn’t want the world to know how furious he is or that his time is short. And he certainly doesn’t want us to be on alert for the types of people you warned us about. You’re stealing his joy! I love it! We were all blessed today and thank you so much for your teaching. God, through you,is helping us all to break free!
Much love,
Susie Brewer
P.S.You still looked cute with a purple face, green hair and bright red (and I mean bright red) pants! Too funny!
In honor of your RVing trip I thought I would let you know about a friend who is at the beginning of a grand RVing adventure of Giving:
http://giveeveryday.com/
Dearest Sweet Miss Beth!
I just want to pray God’s incredible blessings on you and your dear ones as you travel and hopefully rest in Him. Thank you so very much for all you do. I came to know you through your Daniel study, and have loved you ever since. I have thanked God for you many times, and will continue as He lays you on my heart. My husband is a pastor, and we love our quiet mornings when we put in your dvd’s and find our sister/friend waiting to visit and teach us. Thank you again, safe travel-denise
At first I wondered why you needed a generator at night. Why do they need one if they are sleeping? Then I realized it was for AC! I am in the Northeast and we need AC for several weeks in the summer off and on. Oh my….
Isn’t it fun having your dogs with you? We just took our mini dachshund with us to Maine for her 1st vacation. We all had fun. We noticed that when you have a dog with you, more people come up and talk to you. We also marveled at the towns hospitality toward our little dog. They gave her biscuits and water through out the shops. They welcomed her into the AC and made a fuss over her. By the time she left, she was strutting around like she owned the place! Boothbay Harbor is a dog friendly community!
Oh, how curious I am to know if you drove your RV right through my hometown of Amarillo, and then right through my present town of Dalhart. I hope you had a wonderful time with your man and plenty of good rest.
Thanks for your example and ministry.
So out there, but you know….I love how this new blog puts pretty quilt squares by our faces instead of the “head”. Love it!!
YEOW! My husband and I just got back from celebrating our 20th anniversary in Lake Tahoe. We decided we HAD to bring the kids back to see that part of the world, Yellowstone, etc. BUT, my husband decided we would rent a camper and load 4 kids and a dog and head off into the wild blue yonder. We are doing it the summer after next so that will give me some time to see how it all works out for you. 🙂
Our oldest child is 14 and when we told her we were renting an RV that said 1-800-SEE AMERICA across the side of it she rolled her eyes and said “no way was she riding in that kind of a set up”. Maybe we’ll just get a plain one then… but the ones we saw in Tahoe with the 800 number and Mount Rushmore across the side … well, they were classic.
Enjoy your time. It was 38 degrees at night in Tahoe and it did this Houston girl a world of good to be out of this heat for a week!
Oh my goodness! I was at Camp Grizzly where we do not have enough bandwidth to watch videos there, so when I saw the title of this post I just about died! I just listened to Get Out Of That Pit on cd at camp, so I know how you feel about RV’s. I was like, “I can’t believe she caved.” You know my grandmother had an RV and she just didn’t use the bathroom. They always hooked up at campgrounds with showers and didn’t bother with the RV bathroom. I remember “camping” with her. It was so much more fun then with my husband. He always made me sleep in a tent! And I do it too. Again, I’m obviously nuts about him! The things I’ll do just to be with him. The only thing he hasn’t gotten me to do is go white water rafting with him. Oh, yeah, and shoot an animal. I have shot targets, though, which was quite an accomplishment, believe me! I was terrified to even touch his guns when we first got married. At first I refused to have them in the house, even unloaded with the safeties on. He had to leave them with his mom for the longest time, so I would sleep. Anyway, I got to tell you when my friend Sherry offered me the book on cd for the summer I was very hesitant. I was like, “I don’t need this. I’m not in a pit anymore.” Um, wrong! I should have known as messed up as I discovered I was five years ago, that I couldn’t get out of my pit in 5 years! Besides the fact that, duh, even the thought of getting a job makes me sick to my stomach because I’m so sure I’d totally fail…..again! I have not had good experiences working. I don’t even try to do my work at home usually because I just know I’ll mess it up and prove once again that I’m totally worhless! I am now. Today, my daughter said, “Finally, we’re a family that cleans up like normal families.” I nearly cried. It’s our first full day back from Camp Grizzly.
Beth, my husband and I were sitting in our home office, he at his computer and me at mine when I pulled up your site. Zeke already had his ear buds in for his Friday nap but I asked if would listen for a minute and he did.
We both saw ourselves as you shared your adventure so many times we just sat here together and laughed. You are a brave woman! God bless.
What a delightful story you shared Beth! Just cracking up about the dogs starring at you and questioning are they suppose to be in the RV the whole time! What a hoot you are, my dear and a dear lady you are. So, what was that last image that you mentioned you were going to post? Anyway, glad yo got away…love those dogs!! Love Allison
I’ve been wanting to write and let you know about Star’s ministry in our family for such a long time now! My daughter, Megan, has a border collie named Tess, who is the same age as Star. She competes with her in stock dog trials and uses her to move our sheep around our farm.
We went to a simulcast together when the dogs were puppies and you told a story about Keith calling the dogs out the back door and how Geli wasn’t paying attention so Star got a stick and went back to get Geli and led her to Keith. You shared with the women that God is calling them and they may have been brought to the conference by a border collie in their life.
We’ve talked about that story so many times as Megan started public high school last fall after being home schooled for elementary and middle school. Almost daily as she walked out to the bus I challenged her to “Be the border collie” and “run her friends to Jesus.” One of her friends accepted Christ at a youth retreat early in the school year and has been coming to youth group and growing in her faith!
With no offense to Geli, I want to thank Star for her role in women’s ministry, glorifying her creator and giving us our own words and beautiful illustration of evangelism – “Be the border collie!”
if you haven’t been there, you HAVE to go to big bend and fort davis. fort davis is a mere 8 hours south of dallas and is the elevation of denver. IN TEXAS!!!!
For Crystal: I think Pyramids Cafe in Columbia Heights is about the only place in the Twin Cities that does real, home made shawarma. Its in a strip mall on 49th and Central, next to the Heights Bakery. Try it!
We just watched session six of James and you had mentioned this trip and I was just about in tears about the humming birds…I love birds too!! My husband and I go camping allot actually…and my favorite part is to sit out side our shelter and take pictures of the birds who come to my “feast” of bread and chip crumbs that I spread out on the ground and picnic table. I have gotten some amazing shots off. Unfortunately no hummingbirds through. (I guess I should bring a feeder next time we go). The story about the two bears rocking your RV was funny too. My problem when we go camping are the coyotes and maybe wolves but my hubby said they are mostly coyotes and wild dogs. When you need to visit the ladies room in the middle of the night and it’s a mile down from your shelter you really have to do some praying that God will keep the mouths of those beast shut like he did for Daniel in the lions den. I usually just pray for morning to come and make haste to that place as soon as the sun comes up 🙂 Anyways I love the story and your bible studies ROCK!!
Thank you for the good writeup. It in truth was a leisure account it.
Glance complicated to
more added agreeable from you! However, how could we keep in
touch?