“North Pointe, here we come,” Ron said as he clicked the driver’s side front Jack into place on the Atlas, the last thing we needed to do before heading south to Mt. Pleasant to spend the weekend with our Life Community Church family.
Driving halfway on Thursday makes the eight-hour RV trip less taxing. We arrived at North Pointe just after 8:30 p.m., pulling into site E5, the 85 ft pull-through off exit 98 on I-95 in North Carolina, which lets us stay hooked for a quick overnight.
After walking the dogs and watching the ducks, we returned to the road at 8:00 a.m., expecting a 1:00 p.m. check-in to the much-anticipated site B-1 at Mt. Pleasant KOA. Only one site sits on the water with an outdoor deck and exclusive views, and we reserved it for the weekend.
“1:04, right on time,” Ron said, stopping the truck to check in at Mt. P.
“We’re late.”
“On time is late?”
“1:00 is on time, 1:04 is late.”
Ron chuckled as he got out of the truck. With a 1:00 check-in, I didn’t want to miss a moment of what awaited us. Arriving at our spot, the anticipation didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately, the sun’s rays directly on us made it impossible to sit outside for long, but the view from the campers with the shades up let us enjoy the tranquility with a/c.
Ron let me snap one picture of him before I left for Hobby Lobby, which is always a destination for me when visiting Mt. P. While I shopped for crafting supplies, Ron enjoyed the view and relaxed with the puppies.
Time with the Cookes invigorates the soul. Sharing many happy and sad memories over decades develops a bond that doesn’t easily break.
Returning to our weekend spot made me appreciate the moments we shared. Nothing compares to time with family and the strength of unity with others.
Saturday morning came early, eager to take advantage of our beautiful spot, I wanted to make a promo video for my book, Three Word Prayers. Initially, I planned on practicing my Sunday morning message and using it. But as soon as the sun came up, the people came out. Just as I began to record, our next-door neighbors came out to enjoy the morning. Then, young boys fishing along the lake made their way along the shoreline, utterly unaware of their intrusion on my video session.
When I vented my frustrations to Ron, I said, “Maybe God’s telling me not to do this?”
Ultimately, I decided to make a short promo video, which took me much longer than anticipated.
While waiting for the young boys to pass, who did acknowledge my presence with a polite “Good morning,” I watched the turtles swim along the shore.
Finally, I got a video I could use, and I finished just in time to head to the Cooke’s for our morning of golf with Eric, La, and Will.
“I forgot my golf shoes,” I told Ron when we turned onto the Isle of Palm connector.
“Well, we don’t have time to go back for them now.”
“I’ll play barefoot.”
And so I did. The pro shop at Redbank Plantation Golf Course on the naval base had no shoes for sale, so I played the entire round barefoot. I handled the situation well by shooting a 94 on the par 70 course. We all had fun golfing, and afterward, we went to Dog and Duck for appetizers and drinks.
Will dropped us off at the Cooke’s a little before 5:00, and we decided to call it a day. I wanted to do a sunset video from the deck, letting the camera roll for two hours to get a 41-second video.
“Ma’am, are you ok?” Said our neighbor.
“I’m fine. My leg’s swollen and I’m just elevating them to reduce the swelling. I’m sorry I scared you.”
Laying on the cement.patio, in the only sliver of shade I could find, I had my feet propped up on the arm.of the chair to elevate my legs above my heart. While swinging on the swing, I noticed my left foot had swollen, and I knew elevating would help bring down the swelling.
How embarrassing!
Unfortunately, the clouds didn’t shine as I had hoped, but we enjoyed watching the sun go down together, heading to bed soon after.
I slept until a little after 6:00 on Sunday morning. When Sophia jumped off the bed, I knew she needed a potty break, so I got up and let the dogs out while Ron slept. Sitting in the swing, I read my Bible and prayed over the coming day.
Determined to use every seat available on our site, I moved to the lounge chairs, accomplishing my mission and getting every bit of enjoyment out of this beautiful site. If we had found somewhere like this to live permanently, we would.
“You don’t need much water to enjoy the tranquility; a small pond would do,” Ron said while we rocked on the swing.
Yes, dear, I totally agree.
Sunday morning, my nerves tried to rear their ugly heads as I prepared for my talk at LCC. All went well, and I had wonderful conversations with many people who encouraged and uplifted me on my writing journey.
Lunch at Agave on Daniel Island gave us time to catch up with our LCC family, leaving us sleepy and ready for Sunday afternoon naps.
“Pickleball, anyone?” I texted Will, La, and Eric after we woke up from our naps.
An hour later, we found ourselves at Snee Farms having fun with our friends. We enjoyed a delicious and refreshing vodka, ginger beer, grape juice, and lime transfusion after our time on the court.
Eric and La multi-tasked, drafting their fantasy football team with Eric’s side of the family while we played.
“I’ve been in this league since 2005, 19 years,” Eric told us. How fun to start his 19th year with them.
Back at Cooke’s, we squeezed every last minute of time with them. At 9:20, Ron gave me the nod, telling me the time had come to say our goodbyes for now. Always a sad moment, but we already have plans to return in January, making it easier.
We sat out with the dogs at the campground, enjoying our last night at B1.
Sophia woke me again, and after taking her out to pee, I decided to get up and start the day. After finishing my Bible reading around 7:00, I started packing up as Ron cooked breakfast.
Watching the pig-tailed, blond-haired toddler riding her baby doll around the campground as we finished hooking up the trailer gave us one last memory to cherish. Her precious smile lit up my heart.
“8:15, that’s not bad,” Ron said, putting the truck in drive and beginning the journey home.