Campground Life – Eat Your Paisley

Throw All Plans Out the Window

Posted on June 26, 2017June 26, 2017 by Eat Your Paisley in South Carolina

Just remember I love you

And it will be alright~ Firefall

I struggle to know where to begin this part of our story for the simple fact I wish this wasn’t our story. I know there were good times but all in all, the pain dilutes those moments to a fuzzy grey. We arrived in Cross Hill, South Carolina two carefree kids out on a grand adventure to see the United States in our camper one move at a time. This was our third new place to call “home” for a brief stay and needless to say we left not quite the same.

Moving from an Island in Texas to a rural town in South Carolina would take some time getting adjusted to. I had looked forward to the lakefront campground only to be escorted to the “residential area” nowhere near the lake. We moved because this job was an opportunity to get in with the National Park Service and we were committed to making it work. Yes, we live in a camper so we didn’t have to stay in a place we weren’t happy, but it was temporary and we felt the pros outweighed the cons. When we move, there is always the challenge of work, bills still have to be paid and exploring new areas isn’t always cheap. I was offered a job at the campground while we were parking the camper so that obstacle was quickly out of the way.

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South Padre Island: Dolphin Cove Therapy for the Soul

Posted on September 21, 2016September 21, 2016 by Eat Your Paisley in Texas

I feel at ease and, in an indefinable way, at home, when dolphins are around. I now know when they are nearby before they appear. I dream after they leave.~ Virginia Colye

It was just a normal day in April, on South Padre Island that three full time campers decided to play tourist, we had a great time but one of us was forever changed. Okay, it was me and honestly, typical me, but I fell for the dolphins at the cove. After the dolphin cruise I realized I could just walk over to the cove which was part of our campground at Isla Blanca.

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Island Life

Posted on July 25, 2016August 22, 2016 by Eat Your Paisley in Texas

Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone. ~Unknown

Moving to South Padre Island, Texas we quickly jumped into the work force but always tried to squeeze in a stroll on the beach before work or head to a great spot to watch the sunset and grab a beer on a day off. Our campground Isla Blanca Park offered great beach access and our sunset bar of choice was Laguna Bob’s. Continue reading “Island Life” →

To the Island we go!

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Eat Your Paisley in Texas

I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand
Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand
Life is good today. Life is good today.~Zac Brown Band

When we first left Asheville, NC, where we called home, we had jobs lined up with Amazon before we left and I swore I wouldn’t move somewhere without a job lined up. Never, say never because here we come South Padre Island, TX, jobless. The island is a hot tourist destination and home to a ton of Winter Texans so we crossed our fingers and winged it. We had made reservations just in time, the park was almost full months in advance. We stayed at Isla Blanca Park which was located on the southern tip of the island, surrounded by water on three sides and offered over 600 sites. Continue reading “To the Island we go!” →

Adventures in Austin

Posted on May 20, 2016May 21, 2016 by Eat Your Paisley in On the Road, Texas

A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike.
And all plans, safeguards, policies and coercion are fruitless.
We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. John Steinbeck

“Okay babe, we are headed to Austin, TX, so how do we get there?” Jamie is in charge of driving and I’m co-pilot. What would we do without directions obtained as easy as just picking up our cell phones? My Dad is a retired truck driver and I remember him always mapping out his trips the night before I have no clue how he managed. Granted I still look at a map before we head out but I leave the majority of the planning to my GPS. Continue reading “Adventures in Austin” →

Wandering Through Waco

Posted on March 14, 2016December 13, 2016 by Eat Your Paisley in Holidays, National Parks, On the Road, Texas

Oh I, I want to be with you everywhere. Fleetwood Mac

When we moved to Texas we had committed to a four-month job with Amazon with no idea where we were headed next but that’s the life of a traveler. We have places on our bucket list but since we didn’t win the lottery and are not wealthy people we go where the money is. I swore when we started this process that we would always have jobs lined up before we moved, it was a good plan, just one we decided not to follow. One of our fellow campground friends had spent a bit of time in South Padre Island, Texas and planned to return after our time at Amazon. He spent nights talking about warm winter weather, the beach, and a decently priced camp ground. So with nowhere to go we said why not go to the beach and enjoy warm weather for the winter.

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The End of this Chapter…

Posted on February 23, 2016February 24, 2016 by Eat Your Paisley in Texas

Don’t worry about being worried. You’re heading out on an adventure and you can always change your mind along the way and try something else. Tracy Kidder

Our time here in Boyd has come to an end but it’s only the beginning of our story. August 23, 2015 we hooked up our home on wheels and set out on our big adventure, 1,682 miles, 11 days, 7 states, 2 National Parks, and 3 State parks later we arrived in Texas. We left Asheville, N.C. where we called home and moved to Texas to work for the Amazon Camperforce program. When we weren’t working we spent time enjoying our new surroundings. Deciding where to travel to on our maiden voyage was purely based on securing employment with Amazon. Weather is one reason we picked the Haslet, Texas location and boy did we learn a few things about Texas weather. Locals told us if we didn’t like the weather just wait a few days it would be completely different and they were right. When we arrived in September we were greeted with hot days, warm nights and didn’t see rain for the first two months. When the rain came it wasn’t playing around. Thanks Mom for the rain boots! When we down scaled our belongings I questioned if I would need rain boots which up to that point I had only used for snow boots and I had no plans to see any snow. Our campground was all gravel and nowhere close to level. That being said when it rained we ended up downstream and our campsite became flooded and soon after the rain subsided the sewer backed up, poured out and well… smelled really bad. Continue reading “The End of this Chapter…” →

Let us give thanks!

Posted on November 30, 2015December 13, 2016 by Eat Your Paisley in Texas

Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, and likes that turned into love- Unknown

Today I am thankful for many things. I’m thankful to just be alive. I have a wonderful partner in life, my husband who is truly wonderful. My little girl fairy tale of a husband has been far surpassed by the amazing man I get to spend all my time with now. Living in a camper I now have little desire for items, I’m very thankful to not want things. Don’t get me wrong as we travel we realize we kept things we don’t need, got rid of some things we could have used, and as we travel find things that might make life easier. Continue reading “Let us give thanks!” →

In Search of Treasure

Posted on November 11, 2015February 23, 2016 by Eat Your Paisley in Arkansas, On the Road, Texas

Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles. Thomas Browne

We headed to Crater of Diamonds State Park in search of diamonds to fuel our gypsy lifestyle. It was a good plan, kind of like playing the lottery, but the digging, sifting, and searching was a lot more entertaining. We decided to spend two nights enjoying the park on our way to Texas and spending the days searching for diamonds. We had a great time but man was it hot. Our first night we had a great experience meeting up with fellow travelers, Kenny and Laura, from RVilliage. Kenny was even so gracious to let me test out his scooter. When we arrived we discovered our site was already occupied by a black window and her millions of soon to be babies. We quickly had them evicted and went on to enjoy our day. The second day we bought some steaks to grill and built a nice fire. The campsite was top notch including privacy, a grill and fire pit. Continue reading “In Search of Treasure” →