Brie Gowen

Savor the Essence of Life

Our New Home (for now)

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I wanted to share our new, temporary home with you!

We have made a point to have a good attitude about our most recent accommodations. After all, what good did it do to be unhappy about it? We just kept reminding ourselves it was temporary. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t difficult!

It was very small, yet extremely expensive for the extended stay hotel we were in. I had experienced more trouble than anticipated finding something for a family of five, furnished, and with a short term lease option. We knew our final goal was the RV, and we felt we could deal with anything until then.

But… I’ve kept my eyes open. I mean, we were content with wherever God placed us, but also open if He put us elsewhere. Lol. It wasn’t an unsafe area, per se, where we were staying, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned. Walking to the truck in the morning in the dark made me wary, we forever heard sirens, and I just didn’t feel comfortable. More than that, though, I believe there was something going on in the spiritual realm. I always woke with anxiety and a heaviness I had to pray away. Keeping three kids entertained in a shoebox was hard, and the fact they couldn’t run outside on their own made it worse.

So enter our new digs!

I knew about Thousand Trails parks. They’re popular in the RV community as a great membership to get. They have resorts across the country, tons of them, but I figured this wouldn’t come in handy until we got our own rig. I had no idea they rented cabins! A coworker had suggested looking at mobile home parks. One I contacted didn’t have what we needed, but suggested I contact a local Thousand Trails for cabin rental info. Y’all, I was blown away. The rent was waaaaay cheaper than any apartments I had seen, or other rentals via Airbnb or VRBO.

Turns out there’s a TT resort close to where I’m working. It’s in a gated community, with 24 hour security, playgrounds, pools, activities, fishing, and even our own restaurant and post office. Best news? It’s 3-4 times bigger than the extended stay we were in, plus it’s half the price per month compared to the hotel!

The girls will get their own spaces again and there’s much more storage. Also, it’s like our own little home. No one above, below, or right beside us. The community is super friendly and we feel so safe! Yay!

I’m glad the girls will have a yard to play in, especially with all the nice weather, and there’s so much for them to do here while I’m at work in our only vehicle. That makes me feel better. School can be inside or outdoors on the picnic table. Plus, on my days off I can relax at home and not be rushing to leave as soon as we wake up like we were doing in the extended stay.

We feel so blessed by this experience. We know God has led us right here. We didn’t feel a peace before, but now we do. The next three months here will be wonderful!

Comments

  3. Lisa Pierce says

    God is so Good! Im so happy you all found this place. It looks amazing. Enjoy! As always my prayers are with your family wherever you are!

  4. Denise Bayer says

    Awesome place… Looks very honey. Yes, God is watching over you all! Can’t wait to see your adventures. ?

  6. Dave says

    Praise God! When I first moved our family to Florida we stayed for awhile in a very small one bedroom trailer I was staying in while working out a construction job! I didn’t intend on staying in Florida but went to make some good money and go back to Macon, Georgia! It worked out I got on at Disney as the construction work was nearing completion! We knew Disney was a good job for me with full benefits plus we could go to the Magic Kingdom for free as much as we wanted! So we moved the family down living in this tiny trailer! We finally found a house to rent and getting both of us working at Disney helped our family living experience to thrive even more! Your move reminds me of us! God bless ya’ll in your new venture! I’m excited for ya’ll and it evokes so many memories of the trail we followed years ago! I only wish now my kids could move back to Georgia with us and maybe our youngest daughter and family will! I wish I could of advised you more on the Orlando area but I was more familiar with Clermont and I’ve lost touch with a lot of what’s in Clermont since leaving there in 2005! It has grown and changed so much! Crime is a big worry as the growth seems to breed crimes of opportunity too but glad you found a safer place! Those are precious pictures of your girls! Reminds me so much of my girls when I could give them a hug everyday! Cherish these years!!

  7. Alexandra says

    This looks awesome- are you travel nursing in FL? I’m a nurse but haven’t worked on my feet in quite a while.