We'll burn in the sunshine...we'll wait in the rain!

At last our long awaited cruise was rapidly approaching...along with a record-breaking arctic blast of a winter storm...dire predictions for an ice/sleet storm and temperatures in the teens with windchill temps in the single digits. And when was this hellacious storm to arrive? Yep, on the morning we were scheduled to leave for Houston. There was only one thing that we could do...start our vacation a day early! So we did exactly that! We left home and headed for Houston on Thursday morning. Our drive was filled with gray skies and rain and temperatures were dropping even faster than predicted but we made it out without incident. We arrived in Houston, checked into our hotel and began the process of killing time waiting for Saturday's departure on the Caribbean Princess for ports 'o call in Cozumel, Roatan, Honduras and Belize City, Belize.

On our way to Houston we stopped in Fairfield for lunch at Sam's Original Buffet. It's a favorite destination of ours. Delicious food that tastes like homemade, yummy bread and desserts to die for. Though we tried not to overdo it we were still stuffed when we left. At dinner time we still weren't hungry so we made a quick Denny's run for some delicious baked potato soup and a salad. Back to the hotel and bed. The next morning, Friday, we ate breakfast at Waffle House and then I needed to get my bangs trimmed...so glad I did. The lady who cut my hair did a great job, BUT...I'm not sure anyone has ever told me that I smell like food before! Yes, that is what she said. I had to tell her that we just left Waffle House and came straight there. She accepted it as normal and went on. WTH?? Afterwards we drove around and went to the Boardwalk at Kemah and then down to Sylvan Beach. We didn't get out because IT WAS 40 DEGREES AND RAINING IN HOUSTON!!! After a bit we went back to the hotel, took a nap and then in the evening we went to TOOKIES for a burger. This place has been featured on one of the Food Network shows for having one of the top ten best burgers in America. They were right! The "Squeeler" which blends beef with ground up bacon was phenomenal! Back to the hotel, showers and bed for departure the next morning.

On Saturday we got up, went for donuts and then back to the hotel to park and leave the car. A shuttle took us to the Bayport Terminal and the fun began. It was funny to see everyone checking in while wearing their winter coats, hats, gloves and cold weather boots! The ice storm was all anyone was talking about. Apparently it affected a lot of peoples' travel plans! Once on the ship we immediately ate lunch and then returned to our room where our bags had already been delivered! We were unpacked and settled in even before the Muster Drill. We spent the rest of the day exploring the ship, having dinner, attending the show and sitting in a piano bar listening to the most amazing piano man sing and play! His name is Seth Gibson and he is incredible! He's got awesome piano skills, a silky smooth voice and a huge repertoire of songs! About 11:00 I crashed and slept like a baby.

Sunday morning we got up and walked out on our balcony to face absolutely gorgeous, warm weather! During the night we had apparently crossed into "Caribbean weather" and it was incredible! We ate breakfast, went to a trivia competition, watched part of the Philadelphia/Washington game being played in a blizzard, ate lunch at a pub and returned to the room to enjoy resting and reading on the balcony. After a bit we went up to the Lido deck where I toop a nap in the sunshine while Ronnie watched more football. We finished the day off with dinner at the buffet and a show in the theater followed by more time with the piano man. Then off to bed for a night of sleep and preparation for Cozumel tomorrow. I must mentioned that since my birthday was only a couple of weeks before the cruise, our travel agent told the cruise line and I awoke to balloons and a sign on the door wishing me a happy birthday! Fun!!!

We awoke Monday morning to stifling heat in Cozumel. It was really only in the low 80s but there was about 100% humidity. We didn't need to do anything more than step out on the balcony to realize we were in the tropics! Once ashore we walked and sweated our way through the shopping area before settling in at our favorite restaurant in Cozumel, Pancho's Backyard. They have reopened at the dock and the service was excellent while the food was delicious! We each had the sampler plate along with some of THE BEST GUAC EVER! The margaritas are strongly delicious as well. We chatted with our waiter a bit about the rebuilding of the restaurant after it was destroyed by hurricane Wilma and the next thing we knew he was surrounding us with his co-workers, singing La Cuckaracha, and giving us free tequila shots! Yum! We made our way back to the ship and collapsed for a nap before showering and getting ready for a night of "tailgating" and Monday Night Football up on the top deck's 22 ft. television (compliments of ESPN Caribbean...seriously). I gave up on the whole shindig at the end of the 3rd quarter when the Cowboys were down 21 points. Bed sounded good to me. Tuesday will put us in Roatan where we will be snorkeling!

We got to sleep in a bit on Tuesday morning since we didn't have to meet our snorkeling guides until 9:15. After a yummy breakfast we headed over to the dock and met the rest of our group. We have been snorkeling several times and I must say that we feel this was the best experience yet. We had a fantastic snorkel guide, Robby, who took my underwater camera and went down to the bottom several times to photograph lobster, starfish, reef formations, etc. that I would never have gotten otherwise. The only problem we had was that neither of us was thinking sunscreen when we left the ridiculous cold of Texas. We both got a tad bit burned! After snorkeling they served us a yummy lunch on the catamaran along with several glasses of rum punch! After a short tour of the island we returned to the dock where we shopped a little bit and then had a couple of drinks at Fat Tuesdays. Back to the ship, a nap and then dinner and a show in the Princess Theater. Afterwards we were exhausted and needed to get up early on Wednesday so we headed back to the room and bed...at 8:30! Lol!

Wednesday found us in Belize where our plan was to go cave tubing and zip lining. Our plan was NOT to get rained on all. stinkin'. day! But that is what happened. Cave tubing was awesome and riding the zip line was tons of fun, but not worth the time spent in line to get to the first platform (over an hour for five minutes of zipping through the treetops!). Our tour ran overtime and we had absolutely no time to do anything else in Belize. We don't really feel like we got to see Belize except from a rainy bus window. Since our underwater camera quit working after yesterday, we didn't even get any pictures! We will definitely go back!

Thursday and Friday were sea days as we made our way back toward Houston. We slept in, ate, played trivia, ate, played bingo, ate, went to the casino, ate, went to the shows, ate and wrapped up our nights in the piano bar. Oh, did I mention that we ate some delicious onboard food?

Saturday morning we were scheduled to dock in Houston about 4:00 a.m. and debark from the ship around 8:00 a.m. We were headed back to catch Trenton's final performance as Fenris Ulf in a production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. We got up at 6:30 only to find that we weren't docked yet and wouldn't even be able to do so for a while. Fog had shut down the port. We ate and got our luggage from the room and sat in the piano bar with half a million other people waiting patiently for the ship to dock. We read, played Skip-Bo, and chatted with other passengers until the ship finally received clearance and docked about 10:45. We were among the first off the ship and by 11:15 we were in our car and headed home...three hours later than anticipated. But it's all good. We made it home in time to shower, change and get to Trenton's performance...which was AWESOME! He did such a great job! No, that's not Nana pride...it's a fact! He knew all his lines and delivered them with feeling. Afterwards there was a cast party at a local Mexican restaurant and then we picked up Beau from Kristin's house and headed for home. We finally made it home shortly after midnight and were in bed minutes thereafter! Now...I need a vacation from my vacation!! Oh, wait...we have a week long RV trip planned for New Year's. 😄

Thankful for Thanksgiving!

This was, for the most part, a very easy and stress-free holiday. By the time Thanksgiving Day actually rolled around my house was decorated for Christmas, my shopping was done, the packages were wrapped and under the tree and my Thanksgiving Day pies were made and chillin' in the fridge! Awesome!!

As we do most years, we were to share Thanksgiving Day with Ronnie's family at the party house in Rosser. This year both of my kids and their families were able to share that experience with us...all except Trenton. This was his year to be with his dad for Thanksgiving. The rest of us, however, made our way to Rosser to stuff our faces, watch some football and laugh and talk the day away.

On THE DAY itself, all I had to do was make my frito salad and my mac'n cheese, throw everything in the car and go. We made arrangements to meet Ryan in Terrell because last year he got lost. Well, he missed the connection and, yes, he got lost again this year. Eventually, however, we were all together and enjoyed a delicious lunch and some great company.

After lunch and a bit of visiting, Ryan and Rich left to do some Doorbuster shopping. A bit later Kristin, Scott, Carter and Tanner left to go home after issuing us an invitation to come over and play board games later in the evening.

I need to point out here that this was Tanner's first Thanksgiving. He is such a happy baby. He smiled at everybody and never once got fussy. This was his first time to meet any of the family but he's going to be one those kids who never meets a stranger. Carter, too, had a great time. When he wasn't playing with my niece's grandkids he was playing games on my phone.

After the third quarter of the Cowboy game Ronnie and I headed home to get Beau and some games and finished the night at Kristin's playing Skip-Bo and Balderdash. All in all, it was a great day!

Random photos of the day in no particular order...

Teaching the kids to play poker

Hangin' out in the kitchen (the nieces)

Chief Cook (SIL)

The hubs

A little foosball

The FIL

Making friends with family

Son and grandson

The SIL

Stealing a forbidden drink

Fun with Nana's phone games

Counting Down 2013

It hardly seems possible that 2013 is drawing to a close. Seems like it was just last week when everyone was worried about Y2K! But as this year draws to a close there are significant events still happening.

On Halloween morning we were able to go to the youngest boys' school and watch the "Pumpkin Parade." All the children paraded around the gym in their costumes and then sang a couple of songs for the parents and grandparents standing around the perimeter of the gym snapping pictures like the paparazzi! It was too cute!! For some reason unknown to me, I actually left the house without my camera (probably because of the early hour we had to be up and out to get there on time) so all I got were some grainy pics on my phone. Bummer because Tanner was the cutest baby elephant EVER and Carter's costume was precious, too. He was Rigby the raccoon from Regular Show and Kristin handmade his costume! It was awesome!

The first weekend in November our Life Group (aka Adult Bible Fellowship...aka Sunday School Class) met at one member's house for a skeet shoot and pot luck chili dinner. It was the first time ever for me to fire a shotgun. Not only did I fire it...I actually hit the first skeet I shot at! I ended up winning "Best Female Shooter!" It was fun to shoot skeet, the food was delicious and the fellowship was AWESOME!! I'm not posting any of the 190 pictures that I took...maybe at a later time!

Yesterday was my birthday. I was overwhelmed with the number of birthday greetings sent by my Facebook friends and family. It made me feel special. Now, only 364 more days until I can feel that special again! Lol!

Last Sunday our pastor spoke on why we should be making an effort to make healthy choices. In a nutshell, we know God values the human body because He became flesh in the form of Jesus. Also, our body is the temple that the Holy Spirit indwells. Therefore, if we trash out our body we are desecrating the temple of the Holy Spirit. Oh. Okay. That message, coupled with my doctor telling me that I needed to start a walking program if I don't want to end up on insulin, got my attention. My blood sugar has creeped up just a tiny bit. Apparently your pancreas likes it when you walk and releases a chemical that makes everything work better. Who knew? So, on Monday I took Beau and headed out to a scenic little park in Rockwall to begin my walking program. It really is a pretty park with a pond, a fountain in the pond, and ducks gathered around the pond. Beau loves it and by now has sniffed every bush, tree rock and blade of grass on the property! I have walked 5 out of six days with Friday being the only exception. Friday was my birthday and Ronnie took me to a movie and lunch so we skipped the walk on Friday. I've also been making an effort to drink water and surprisingly, I have begun to crave water. I have limited myself to 2 Diet Cokes a day and most days I don't even drink that! Those that know me well just fainted at that last statement! My effort to make healthier choices, for the first time ever, is exactly that...an effort to get healthier! Before it has always been about weight loss. This time...no. If I lose a little weight, which I think will probably happen, good for me. If not, just knowing that I am making choices for the right reason is enough!

I had an issue with my car this week. I went to the park to walk one day while Ronnie was at the doctor having a nuclear stress test. I am happy to report that his test results indicated everything is fine, but on this particular day when I returned to my car...it wouldn't start! No warning. No indication of a problem. It just wouldn't start. To make a boring story short, it was the battery. Let me just state here that batteries are not cheap! Anyhoo, one battery later and everything is running as it should again...which is a good thing because Veteran's Hospital is too far to walk! My dad is in the hospital again...for a week already. The weather changed and he got pneumonia again. He also apparently had a mild heart attack on the 8th...probably a result of forgetting to take his medication. When he gets down like this he loses the ability to walk so now we are waiting for a bed in CLC (something about long-term care) so he can be moved there for therapy to get his legs back.

Next Tuesday we get to go to Trenton's school to have Thanksgiving Feast with him. Of course we are going! Trenton still thinks we are cool and likes to have us around so off we will go to spend time with our oldest grandson!

After Tuesday it seems that it is a race to the finish line! We will go one day next week and do ALL of our Christmas shopping in one day. Then it's home to wrap and decorate for Christmas. Then it's Thanksgiving. After that we have a cruise the second week of December and then Christmas and then a New Year's Eve trip in the RV and, voila (wah lah), it is 2014. So, if I don't get around to it before then...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

~cheers!

Takin' It Easy...

We just got back from four days at Lake LBJ in Marble Falls. The idea was to get away for a few days and do nothing. No excursions. No sightseeing. No schedule. Just time to sit back and relax. And we did. We left home around 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. It was a nice, leisurely drive. We hadn't been to this RV park before so we didn't know what to expect. Let me just say up front that it was BEAUTIFUL. It is well maintained and is just an incredibly scenic area. Once we arrived and set up camp we spent four glorious days relaxing. We sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine and breeze. We walked along the lake. We played Ladder Golf and card games. We napped. We read on our e-readers. We rode our bikes. We listened to the satellite radio blasting tunes from the 70s. We grilled dinner each night. We drove into town for lunch at the Bluebonnet Cafe which is famous for its deliciously huge meringue pies. We made the most of each day and before we knew it the time for us to go home was upon us. We will definitely be returning to this RV park. It's close enough that the drive wasn't tiring. It was beautiful. The weather was incredible. It was an awesome chance to relax and enjoy life and we did. Can't wait to do it again! Some of the sights/activities we enjoyed (in no particular order)...

Our next trip is coming up in December...a cruise to Belize, Honduras and Cozumel. After that...and RV trip for New Years. Don't know where yet, but I'm sure it will be fun!

The "firsts" are always so hard...

I apologize up front if this entry is a bit rambly. My thoughts are rambly right now. Most people who read this will already know that one of our sweet little puppy dogs made the trip across the rainbow bridge this week and is running happily through the fields of Heaven. His name is Sawyer...and he has left a huge hole in my heart. Sawyer started off as Trenton's dog. When he and his mommy moved in with us for a while Sawyer came, too. When they moved on, he stayed. He was happy here. Sawyer was a BIG dog. A big old hound dog. Biggest feet I ever saw on a dog. As big as he was, he was just a teddy bear. He could knock you down just leaning on you to have his head petted. He didn't have a mean bone in his body, though. Sawyer became a "shared" dog when he became enamored of a girl puppy up the road. He would spend much of his time with us, but he also spent some time up at the house on the corner. Many days I would leave for work only to pass him lying in the yard just watching the cars go by. I always waved and smiled at him. I mean, how could you not? Many, many, many times we would go out into the garage only to hear him scrambling around to get up and out of the way so we could move our car. When we came home many times he would be at the corner house and he would jog back to the house with us...leading or following, it didn't matter. He would race to the back door and wait because he knew there were treats on the other side of that door. Something I started this summer was freezing a big bowl of water each night and taking it out the next day so Sawyer and Jovi could have refreshing ice water throughout the day. Sawyer would immediately pounce on that bowl of water and lap away till he got his fill. Another thing...Sawyer was Beau's play buddy. He would roll around on the ground with Beau play fighting. Sometimes he would be on his back with all four legs in the air acting like Beau was getting the best of him. Other times he would have Beau's whole head in his mouth. Though Beau got slobbery, he didn't get hurt. That wasn't the way Sawyer rolled. They were buds and they both enjoyed the play. Today I took a bowl of ice water out...to Jovi. Just Jovi. It broke my heart. No scrambling of feet. No big slurpy drinks. We went out to eat. No scrambling to get out of the way...no Sawyer lying in the yard at the corner. We came home. No Sawyer running along with the car racing us home. No waiting at the door in anticipation of that treat. Some people will think I am crazy. "He was just a dog," they may say. To them I say, "I'm sorry for you. Sorry that you've obviously never know the unconditional love of a pet. Sorry that you can't look beyond the fur to see the spirit, the heart, the love inside that four-legged body." That's why it hurts so much. We will all miss Sawyer. Already do. One thing I know for sure, there are a lot of smiles in Heaven tonight as Sawyers comes racing up and leans in for that pet on the head. Godspeed, Sawyer! We love you!

The End of an Era?😢

I am feeling a bit sad...and lost. Yesterday I got a letter...a sweet, sweet letter in the mail. It was from my OB/GYN. He is retiring. While I know that I should be feeling joy for him and this phase of his life, in reality I am feeling a pretty strong sense of loss. Dr. Joseph has been MY DOCTOR for 35 years! Over those years he has become my friend as well. He was there to counsel me when I was preparing for my walk down the aisle. He was there to prepare me when Ron and I talked about starting our family. He was the first human touch that either of my children felt. He worked with me when I had difficulty getting pregnant with Ryan. He was there in the NICU checking up on my son after he was born. I remember that he brought donuts for the nurses and told them to take good care of that McMahen boy. He delivered my oldest grandson. He performed my surgery when I was having problems with anemia. He has aspirated God only knows how many cysts that I have had over the years. He always takes time to talk about any changes in life between visits, so he has shared my sorrow at losing my mom and my brother, he has heard about my work woes, he has celebrated with me the birth of each of my grandchildren and he has shared in the joy of my retirement. Now, it is his turn. Dr. Joseph has delivered countless babies over the years. He has probably lost zillions of hours of sleep. Now, perhaps he can catch up on a little of those lost zzzzs. Maybe he can spend more time traveling with his wife and taking those wine tours they enjoy. Now he can travel to New York with his wife to visit that three year old grandson that I can tell he absolutely adores. He can go to as many Dallas Stars games as he chooses without being "on call" or worrying about having to get up early the next day. As for me...I will find a new doctor and move on...but only because it's the right thing to do. I can't imagine, nor do I expect to find another doctor that I feel as close to. But that's okay because I believe that Dr. J has earned this time. I wish him the best and most joyful retirement and encourage him to get out there and enjoy these days ahead. The best is yet to come, Dr. Joseph. The best is yet to come!!

The "Dog Days of August"...

I really don't realize that so much time has passed between blogs and then I look at the date and...well...it's catch up time again! Not a lot has been going on. Just settling in to a new routine that doesn't involve working outside the home. We've been able to keep the boys for a couple of days and that was fun. We attended most of the Concerts by the Lake once we got home from vacation. We found a church service, and more importantly, a Life Group (i.e. Bible Study class) that we like, and now we need to work on getting the RV serviced. There is a recall that needs attention and we want to have a second AC unit installed. I'm pretty excited about our Life Group. It's people our age and they are very friendly and very social. We already have plans to go out to dinner with them and then the ladies have plans to go to a tea room and they have invited me. Now I need to find a good Bible Study and I am all set! We have booked our December cruise and now all we have to do is book the excursions. We've also booked our anniversary cruise in May. That one is a combination train trip and then cruise to Alaska. We will also spend a few days in Canada. I'm really looking forward to going whale watching!! The heat is pretty much keeping me indoors. I hate the heat and it gives me a headache! Guess I will find an indoor hobby and try to hold on for cooler weather! Till next time... ~cheers!

And life goes on!

I feel like I have neglected this blog, but we were gone on vacation for three weeks and I have been posting daily on my travel blog. (Go to www.movingmedownthehighway.blogspot.com for that information). Instead of feeling guilty, I will simply bring you up to date. I finished out the 2012-2013 school year, and consequently my career in education, in a long-term assignment with one student in ISS at a nearby elementary school. It was difficult, to put it mildly. I really hoped to make a difference in this kid's life, but I strongly suspect his bad habits are too entrenched and next year will find him in alternative school. I won't know about it since I will no longer be subbing, but still... In addition to that, I spent five of the last six weeks in a fracture boot and it made it difficult to be on my feet that much. But, it's done. The last week of school was CRAZY! Talent shows, awards ceremonies, end of year parties, etc. I helped out as much as possible signing guests into the building and that left my student(s) to work pretty much unsupervised. I was only supposed to have one student but ended up with three or four students depending on the day of the week. School was scheduled to let out on Thursday and we were leaving on a three week vacation on Friday. After all day at work I had to come home and pack the RV for our trip. And wouldn't you know it...the day before we left Beau got sprayed by a skunk! Ronnie bathed him immediately, but he still carried a bit of eau de skunk! We left for our vacation and had a fantastic time. We got home on Wednesday in time to celebrate our oldest grandson's birthday at his party on Saturday the 29th. Fun! Then we spent all the next day at Presbyterian Hospital Rockwall with our son, Ryan, who had emergency surgery for gallbladder removal. We brought him home with us for the night when he was released and he went home on Monday. I think this surgery was harder on him than expected because his gallbladder was sooo bad...around 100 gallstones according to his doctor! Since then life has been a whirlwind of getting the RV cleaned both inside and out, getting my car inspected, getting the seemingly TONS of laundry done, keeping the g'sons overnight, painting our living room, and just generally going about the business of life. It hasn't yet become a reality that I am really retired. I have worked since I was 16 years old and this idea will take some getting used to. But I'm excited. In fact, I have plenty to keep me busy. We have already booked a cruise for December and are looking at another cruise for our 35th anniversary in May. We have also talked about a trip to Shreveport to check out the new Margaritaville casino. So much to do...and now the time to do it! Life is good! ...till next time ~cheers!

Another bone bites the dust!

More change. My stint as Nana/nanny was over almost before it began. Ten days keeping the youngest two g'sons and getting to see all three on an almost daily basis was like water to a thirsty soul. I love my boys!! But even though I miss being with them, even I recognize that it is in their best interest to be with other children and to socialize daily. And the icing on the cake is that they love their new school! Time for me to move on. I know that I said I wouldn't do it, but I took a long-term position at an elementary school to finish out the school year. I don't want to work that much, but since it is my last year to sub I figured, "Why not?" Now I remember "why not" but that's another story. What's done is done and in reality it is only about 20 school days. Surely I can do that... I started working at the new assignment on May 1st. I worked two and a half days the first "week" and then came the weekend. Saturday was our 34th anniversary, but we didn't make any big plans because we were supposed to keep the g'sons that day. It got cancelled so we just went out to eat. Our celebration plans were to go to the horse races at Lone Star Park on Sunday. Neither of us had ever been to the horse races before so we were looking forward to it. And, boy, was it fun! It was a gorgeous day...the weather was great. The horses were beautiful...absolutely gorgeous creatures. We had a delicious meal and very quickly picked up how to make wagers on the races. We saw races of several different lengths and just generally had a great time. There were nine races in all. Somewhere around the sixth race we went up to place our wagers and on the way back down the steps to our seats I misstepped and only caught the stair with the inside part of my left foot. My ankle rolled and I started falling. Fortunately our seats and a counter were in front of me so I caught myself before I fell all the way down. But the ankle HURT! I didn't let it ruin my day. We finished out the day of racing and headed home. The more time that passed the more the ankle hurt...and swelled. It was aching so badly by the time I went to bed that I actually took something for the pain. Fortunately I already had a routine appointment with my doctor for the next morning. To make a long story a little bit shorter, I have a non-displaced fracture of the left ankle. Go figure. On the humorous side, my doctor walked in the room, looked at my chart and rolled his eyes! After x-rays and such he asked, "Do you still have a fracture boot or do I need to write you a script for another one?" ANOTHER one? Rub it in, why dontcha! So, ONCE AGAIN, I must wear mismatched footwear for four weeks. The good news? As soon as the boot comes off my job assignment will be over and we will be heading out for a three-plus week vacation through South Dakota and Wyoming. Yep, we're going hiking! ::insert shrug here:: Hopefully I won't fall off the side of a mountain and break my neck! Till next time... ~cheers!