I am sure still thinking about those kids who work the carnival. I have never heard from them so I pray they are doing well. One of the things I noticed is when I originally moved to this small town which is no longer a small town is the friendliness of everyone. I could not walk down the street without everyone knowing who you where. From the public service workers to the business owners, friends all became family. It was a reason for my push for everyone to move to Clayton. I moved away for two years and in those two years the change is crazy.  I really do believe most of the change is this crazy pandemic and people living in fear. It has taught me so much and made me realize that when the end does come I know who I want to be surrounded by and who I want to stay away from. Some people don’t know how to approach speaking to someone. I still love my Clayton but seriously new people moving in have to learn that this is a town of kind hearted, loving people who don’t need your negative attitudes. Speak to people the way you like to be spoken too and listen more.  I guess that can be said for us all and I know we have those moments but I was just disappointed in some conversations I heard. Take off your dam mask and yes I said it and smile and be nice.  If you’re going to die you are going to die and if you are going to Live then LIVE and enjoy life and help others. Life is not all about you. 
For the most part people were friendly and nice but so many I could see are just miserable.  I think workers were overwhelmed and inadequate staffing is a cause for that but people just don’t know how to be nice anymore I have seen.  I am an observer and my daughter sometimes yells at me and says I am staring sometimes I am just listening to things that are said and watching how things are done. 
What happens if the atomic bomb hits?  All I know is I know the fun, living people I want to associate with and help. I know where I am going when I die so Jesus if you want me you can have me.  Well that's my soap box this weekend.  Next week we leave town and I can’t wait!

So Robert checked off something on his bucket list this weekend. Working a carnival. We decided to take a break from flea market duty this weekend and work at a festival in our town called Harvest Fest. 
The owner of the carnival games needed workers and we thought it would be a great adventure. The weekend was long and exhausting but wow this taught me so much about how hard the carnival workers work and the horrible pay they receive.  We were just hired to just work the games and received 20% of whatever they make. We did not have to set up or break down and the hours were long and Robert and I were exhausted at the end of the day but what I found out from the other workers who worked full time was a little disheartening.
The workers who travel with the carnival do not get paid for setting up or breaking down; they just get paid for the money made when the games are played. They receive a daily draw daily when not working and then it is taken out of the revenue from games.  They told me they are lucky if they make $40 a day because of the debt they are in from the draw.  They work really hard and It absolutely made me think differently now when I go to carnivals and fairs. 
The owners of the companies are making millions a year with fairs (prior covid) and they pick up people in the states and offer them a better opportunity but as one worker told me and I quote “I didn’t read the fine print” It really broke my heart because most of these workers are kids. I met an 18 and 22 year old couple who shared they came from bad backgrounds with not great families and the carnival owner found them.
I wonder how that happened? I wonder how bad their life was to just get up and leave with the carnival owner in hopes of finding a better life.  I am so grateful to God for the wonderful life I have had and I had to turn around for a few minutes after speaking to one of the workers to help control the tears I wanted to shed.  I pray God watches over those two and all the other workers who feel like they have no one and leave in search of a better life.  They were all hoping for a better life in Florida and I pray they find that better life and God continues to keep his hedge of protection over them . 
I learned a lot this weekend and I will share more in my next post.  I do have to say God has kept us in town to teach us and train us for what else we will see in this world and I pray that I can learn more and become a better person because the last few years seem to just be making more mean people in this world. My prayer is that God uses me and teaches me more daily.

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What a great weekend we had at Carolina Beach. My hubby decided to surprise me with a Weekend at the beach. We stayed at a hotel and enjoyed walking on the beach. We stopped at a bar overlooking the beach and had a drink. We met a really nice woman. Her name was Kelly who had just moved to the beach two weeks prior from Raleigh. She got us wondering about rental income at the beach and we are thinking about that as another stream of income. We will have to pray on that and see if that is something we should tackle. Anyway after drinks we went to the Shuckin Shack oyster bar where of course we had oysters and Robert had a few oyster shots. Oysters were not as big as we liked but they were good. 

The service was good and what is funny is the young kid working the door heard Robert and I speaking and and immediately said Are you from NY? I laughed because I think my accent is gone but then a fellow New Yorker heard it right away. Usually people say they hear my NY voice when I have an attitude.  Oh well I guess I will always be a New Yorker at heart even if I don’t ever want to go back to that State. So after dinner we went back to the hotel and got changed for my favourite part of the night which as everyone knows me is dancing.  I was so excited. I just love to dance. Even with the judgement I was always given as a child that I have no rhythm and can’t dance I guess. Makes me want to dance more.  I will never say no to a dance floor because the only opinion that matters is my own.  I will dance my way into heaven because God doesn’t care if I have no rhythm.  

So yes we danced all night to an 80s rock band called Conspiracy which was really good. Robert loved it the best because honestly I am a disco girl but I had fun and danced anyway.  I realised that it doesn’t matter if everyone else isn’t having fun but it is my job to have fun and not worry about anyone else.  I can sit and complain about the music or shut up and go have fun. No matter what I am doing when I am with my husband we have a great time. I think we should all just enjoy life and stop complaining so much. Now don’t get me wrong I complain but then I just do something about it.  If you are going to complain and stay complacent then I have no room for you in my life and that may sound heartless but there is a solution to every problem. Find the solution. 

So the next day obviously we didn’t wake up till 12 which was fine. Dancing wore us out and we were at the beach to relax and enjoy each other.  On Saturday we went and had Ida Thai Cuisine for lunch. It was really good. I highly suggest the food and jasmine tea. After lunch we went and looked at some properties for sale on the Island and went to an open house.  We then went to dinner at Michael’s Seafood Restaurant which was fantastic. I highly recommend this restaurant as well.  This evening also began fantastic. We met a group of coworkers who were also from the Raleigh-Durham area and they were so much fun. We told them about SeaWitch and how they have live bands. We were going back there that evening and they said they would also come. 

So after dinner Robert and I left and went dancing again to the SeaWitch and this time there was a southern Rock band called Southern Trouble playing.  Well the group of co-workers also showed up and we had a blast dancing with them. They were so much fun. At the end of the evening we drove them back to their hotel.  
I do have a share a story though one in the group did not want to get in the car she was very hesitant and I so admired her and thought of my daughter. I have always told my daughter never to get in a car with a stranger and I totally understood her hesitation.  It is such a sad world we live in when strangers can’t be trusted and obviously we got them all back to the hotel safely but I am glad she was smart enough to say No this isn’t safe. I pray my daughter will always be safe.  It is so great to be on this journey and meeting new people. I hope and pray that we will all connect again one day and we can all learn to be kind to one another no matter what. So my weekend ends with the most award going to the most amazing husband and Thank you Babe for keeping me dancing all weekend. You know my heart. I don’t need flowers just dancing! May we all dance and have fun till the end.

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So you know the saying, “God’s will is not always our will”? Yes, we are still in North Carolina and yes we are stuck here for another month. The reason is good but I am disappointed. I just want to get on the road already. 

Now, the bright side is I am living in the toy hauler and we are starting our adventures. It’s just not moving quickly enough for me. This time, I am reminded that I need to be still and listen to God and stop rushing and jumping as quickly as I do. 

For those who know me, I am quick to make a decision and move forward without considering all the consequences and mistakes that can happen along the way. I think it is probably due to the fact that I felt like I was always disappointed as a child and I never really had anyone to guide me to slow down and smell the roses. I remember being a really happy child and enjoying life with my mom and then at age six when she married my stepfather all that changed.  I was never a priority anymore. I was the redheaded stepchild. My mother worked so hard to support the family and I just remember my stepfather doing as little as he could to support the family.  My mother worked seven days a week while my step father worked a normal 40 hour work week and played with his baseball cards on the weekend. I remember as a child always saying that will never be me, that I will have a rich white husband because, yes I thought all white people were rich and I wasn’t taught that that thinking was wrong. 

So, I just worked hard for myself and thought I could take care of myself as a child and started my first job at thirteen working at a laundromat for the summer, working 12 hours a day for $2 an hour. Wow, I thought I was rich. I remember I was going to my aunt's wedding and my mom said she couldn’t afford to buy me a dress or shoes for the wedding so I worked hard and bought a $75 dress from Lord and Taylors clearance rack. Wow, I felt so accomplished but the more things I saw I could buy I wanted to make more money so I delivered newspapers too and I was so proud of myself. Well, as usual, I digress. 

I guess this blog shares my stories of adventure but also helps me heal as I remember why and how I became the person I am today. I was told not to write this blog and keep all these things private with a therapist but you know what? I am not ashamed of how I grew up and it actually taught me a lot but my story may help someone and I will share my story and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to read it. So back to my reason for rushing and wanting things, now I guess I am afraid if I don’t make decisions quickly and rush through life it will be gone and that can be somewhat true but I need to learn to listen to that voice inside which I know is God and ask Him first and listen to His voice whether I should move further. 

So, for this month again we are in North Carolina and I am prayerfully asking God to keep working so we can be in Tennessee for November. I am so praying my kids join me in Tennessee for Thanksgiving but we will see and I trust God that he will work all things out for his good. Also some updates to why we are in North Carolina longer than expected is our building we purchased for our business and residence will be going up for permitting sooner than expected and we need to be there. The approval date is hopefully now October 14, 2021 and a home I had under contract is having some issues and the buyers may need to find a new home so I have to stay around till I can find my buyers their new home here in North Carolina.   Well for now I have updated you and I look forward to sharing some more adventures and stories from my past and my present. Have a wonderful week and God bless you all!

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Well good morning! I got my massage last night. 

About twenty minutes later, he figured it out. We have a fully functional toilet bowl now and my hubby will never not put water in the toilet bowl. A great lesson. Well for RV Travel Lessons Number One, it was something that had to happen. We also now know you need to use a propane tank for hot water even if you are plugged in. We are learning that’s okay and I am sure it won’t be the last disaster we encounter.  

We have been working at the Brightleaf Flea Market in Smithfield, NC for the last year and we will be participating in what is called Railroad Days in Selma, NC this weekend before packing up and heading to Louisville, Kentucky for three weeks. We will be at the Derby Flea Market.  Looking forward to getting on the road and doing more sightseeing. 

Today and always so grateful to God for this life he has given me and for giving me such a great husband even though I do mess with him a lot. He is God's greatest gift to me at this time in my life. Thank you for loving me, Mr. Robert Walker!

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