Say What???

Why don't I ever listen...to myself? Just today I attended a mandatory sub meeting for Rockwall ISD. No meeting...no subbing this year. I met with old friends and reminisced about things and people of the past. Someone asked how much I subbed last year and I told them 140 out of 180 days and it would have been more except...well, the coyote encounter. I then boldly proclaimed, "But I'm not doing that this year. I'm not going to sub more than 3 days a week." Famous last words. I came home, piddled, napped, went on the Aesop sub page not expecting to see anything and promptly accepted a job at an elementary school for the next 9 days! What the heck???? Well, at least I can keep cool on their dime...and earn a few dimes in the process (can you say, "Casino?").

On a more positive and exciting note, I spoke with Heather at TTB today. That's the Tobacco and Trade Bureau (formerly ATF). This was my phone interview to verify my license application information for the winery. All I have to do is send her an email with certain documentation and put a lock on the door between the kitchen and the wine room. She is sending my application over for approval!!! Soooo much closer to having a legitimate winery!!! Now, to work on corrections to the state application!

What's New, Pussycat?

And the answer is..."not too much because it's too danged hot to do ANYTHING that requires you to go outside or even move from the recliner." Even though it has been a while since I blogged, there hasn't been much to blog about.

In a nutshell...

My summer has been filled with doctor appointments because of the car wreck. I go back next week to the orthopedic surgeon to check on my progress. I am walking with no assistance at all...no wrap...no crutch...nothing. I limp. It hurts. It swells. Don't know if anything will change that.

I have been seeing a urologist for an obstructed bladder. Multiple tests and xrays confirm that there is a lot of pressure in the bladder and the walls of the bladder are thickening. Why? Good question. What to do about it? Still to be determined. Medication they are trying worked for about a week and no longer works.

Been to the movies more this summer than the last five years. I have seen Super 8 (hokey), Captain America (pretty good), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (good), and The Help (favorite movie ever!). Going to see Crazy Stupid Love tonight.

I finally finished re-texturing the walls of my bathroom that I started before the car wreck. Just felt comfortable for that long on a step ladder. Now to paint and hang decorations and I'm done.

Finally, I wanted one more quick get-away before I attempt to go back to work. I say "attempt" because with subbing you have to be on your feet monitoring. I'm not sure that I can "do" 7 hours on my feet and walk the next day. I really don't think my injured ankle will stand up to that (no pun intended). Will try it and see. That's all I can do. Anyhoo....I wanted to go to Oklahoma to the casino one more time. So, Ronnie and I jumped in the RV and went to Choctaw Durant for an overnight stay at the Choctaw KOA. The gambling itself was uneventful. Lost everything I took. I won't say I expected it, but I'm not surprised by it either. The real focus of this entry is the KOA RV park. It's less than a year old and super nice. They even have a fenced doggie playground which was nice since we took Beau with us. We were really impressed with the newness, cleanliness, and overall prettiness of the park. We were literally picked up by a shuttle at the back bumper of our RV and dropped off at the front door of the casino and then returned to our RV when we were ready to go "home." The drivers were super nice and friendly, too. We swam in their really nice pool (how do they keep that water cool when it's been baking in the hot sun all day?), took Beau for walks, and sat outside at our dedicated picnic/dining table and enjoyed a glass of wine (okay, just me on the wine). Each site is a concrete pad, cable is provided, and landscaped flower beds with shrubs separate each campsite from the ones beside it. VERY nice. Durant is only a couple of hours away. I can see many more trips in my near future...just weekend/overnight trips...but trips nonetheless. Chances to get away. Now, if only I could get the hang of this winning thing...

Registration/Clubhouse/Showers/Gameroom...

The pool...

Our picnic area...


Playing on the playground...

Going for a walk...

Beau is ready to go...

The perfect Nightcap...

A little paint...a little wine...a little more wine...

I returned to Painting With A Twist tonight. I hadn't been in over three months because of the injury to my ankle. I couldn't stand that long without incredible pain and swelling so I waited until now to go back. It felt like going home again. I missed my painting...and my painting friends and family!

Tonight's painting was called "Wine for Two" except I made mine "Wine for One," or, as Kristin put it..."Wine for Me." Instead of painting two glasses of wine within the painting, I put only one glass because, quite honestly, I liked the way it looked better with just the one glass. That's the neat thing about PWAT...they recognize that it's your painting and you can make whatever adjustments you want to make. Tonight's artist, Brian, was great. He not only told you what to do but why you do it a certain way. I like that. It makes more sense that way.

Anyway, here's tonight's activity:





Can't wait to go back again!!

I'm no Superman...

All my life I have been "Ms. Overachiever." Some might have been known to call me OCD (my husband). I'm like a bulldog with a bone...I can't stop until the job is done.

Lately I fail to think how my accident two months ago has changed my life. It may be that I can no longer be Ms. Overachiever ::gasp!!:: I have to come to grips with the fact that I am not the same and might NEVER be the same. I may not be able to do some of the things that I have ALWAYS done...at least not in the same way.

Case in point: My daughter asked me to go to IKEA with her on Saturday. Her husband absolutely refuses to go to places like that on a day when almost everybody else is off work and likely to be there as well. I love IKEA so I readily agreed. Kristin knew what she wanted to get so it was going to be "a quick in and out trip." ::insert ridiculous giggle:: Two hours after entering IKEA we left with her purchases. (And I found some stainless steel wine racks that I am going back for!) Did I mention that all this shopping was done with me hobbling around in a fracture boot and on one crutch?? Thought I would get one of the motorized shopping carts when I got inside but they don't have them. What's up with that? Do Swedes not injure themselves and have difficulty walking so that they need a motorized cart? Whatever...no carts.

While shopping at IKEA alone would not have been a problem, I proceeded to come home and clean out the wine room. All the "extras" like bottles, wine sleeves, shipping boxes, packing peanuts, cases of bottles,etc., needed to come out of that room. It was looking junky. But where would I put all that stuff?

Cleaning out the wine room meant that I first had to clean out a closet that I would be using for winery storage. So off to the front bedroom I hobbled and began pulling junk...um, I mean collectibles...out of the closet and putting them in piles for donation, for garage sale and for trash. After moving all that...stuff...around I then trekked back to get the stuff from the wine room and move it into the closet. Once I was done with that I processed the next stage in three different wines.

Of course, I did all this rearranging after being on a step ladder the previous day and cleaning out my hallway bookshelves...three huge shelves packed with books. I stacked and boxed those books for donation and for a trip to Half Price Books.

All of this shopping, cleaning and rearranging on Saturday took me into the late hours of Saturday night. Literally...on my feet all day. While that would not have been a problem three months ago, the events of April 20th changed my life and it was a HUGE PROBLEM for me come Sunday morning. I literally could not put weight on my injured foot for several hours and when I was finally able to put some weight on it there was indescribable pain. This was a huge setback for me...both physically and emotionally. I have to accept that I am no longer physically able to be an Energizer Bunny. When I overdo it...I will pay for it. That hurts. It literally hurts and it hurts my heart.

I'm still a bit tender today. I have a wine tasting this morning and a doctor's appointment this afternoon. Other than that, I believe that I will take it easy today (this said after being up for two hours...unloading and reloading the dishwasher, mopping the kitchen floor, folding a load of laundry, taking Beau outside for his morning potty break,...you get the picture).

While I have to face facts and admit that I'm no Superman...or Superwoman...that doesn't mean I have to crawl in a hole and die. You never know what, or how much, you can do until you try. I'm gonna keep on keeping on...keep on trying. If that means the occasional "Bad Foot Day" then so be it. Somehow I feel that my crutch and I might be lifelong friends that get together occasionally for bonding time. ::sheepish grin::

It's the little things...

Sometimes the smallest of things...things most of us take for granted when we have them...can make the biggest of differences. I'll explain.

Yesterday I had an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon. He was very pleased with...EVERYTHING! My xrays looked good. I had more mobility and flexibility in my ankle than he thought I would have. I can wean myself off the fracture book within two weeks and don't have to wear it at home anymore. All I have to wear is a small ankle brace. I go back in three weeks and the doctor expects me to be walking on my own by then. But the best news of all...I can drive now!! I immediately drove home from the doctor's office. It was great. With the ability to drive comes freedom and independence. Something that I have not had for nine weeks. Plus...I get to drive my new car...one I have already made two payments on! LOL!!

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate my husband so very much. He took great care of me and took me everywhere I needed to go, but I had to ask him to take me places and I felt like a burden...my doing...not his. Driving represents the ultimate freedom. I can go where I want to go when I want to go and don't have to be concerned that someone is tired or has other things to do but is humoring me. Awesomeness!!

I knew I was better. On this last vacation I could actually use my crutch and get into the RV without having to sit on my butt and drag myself up the stairs. I'm so glad that my doctor order physical therapy for me because I truly believe that I would not be this far along without that help. Dr. Z has cautioned me that I will have relapses...that my ankle and foot will swell and be stiff for up to a year. At least I know what I am looking forward to. And guess who is driving herself to her PT appointment next Tuesday! Life is good.

Disney World 2011

So, we set out last Saturday morning headed to Florida to take our oldest grandson to Disney World. With us are my brother-in-law and sister-in-law and their 11 year old grandson. Keep in mind that we had only spent one night in the motor home previously and that was at the dealership where we purchased the vehicle.

Headed down the highway we played SkipBo and Uno and the boys watched DVDs and played games on the cell phones and DS. That was truly a live-saver. Having an 8 year old and an 11 year old in a moving vehicle for 10 hours could be ridiculously painful for all concerned. As you can see imagine, the boys were able to entertain themselves with Nintendo DS, movies, iphone games, etc. while Carlene and I enjoyed a glass of wine and conversation. The men were upfront with nonsense stuff like driving and finding a campground in which to spend the night.

One bit of advice if you purchase a motor home or travel trailer...take a couple of short trips in it before attempting a longer trip. Get familiar with your vehicle! As we were traveling through Louisiana toward Alabama the temperature outside the RV was 106 degrees. It was at least that hot in the coach of the RV. Why? Because, the AC went out. We traveled on through the heat until I finally called the service department of Motor Home Specialists (where we bought the RV and 8 minutes before closing time) and talked to my new best friend, Tim. He said, "No big deal! (He wasn't in the sweltering heat to realize how big of a deal it really was!). Easy fix. You've tripped a breaker on the generator." When I explained that we had already checked the breakers he said, "Inside AND OUT?" Oh. Didn't realize there were breakers outside...ON THE GENERATOR. We pulled over, flipped the breaker and were instantly rewarded with cool air flowing through the cabin. That's why Tim is my new best friend. Back on the road, we travelled on to Mobile, Alabama, to spend the night at a little campground called Shady Acres.

Once we set up...which involves turning on the automatic levelers and turning off the engine, we fixed dinner. We had Dover's Delicious Enchiladas (a friend's quickie recipe that starts with taquitos), salsa rice and beans. A quick and easy meal that we put together in about 20 minutes. After that it was showers and off to bed.

Okay...Mobile is not a small town. But at Shady Acres they have a small town mentality. When we got ready to leave Sunday morning we could find NO ONE to tell us our cost of stay or take our money. NO ONE. There was a phone number to call for the manager. He hasn't yet set up his voice mailbox! Finally, Carlene found a cleaning lady who told her, "Chuck is at church. Just leave a check for $24 in the office...or run your own credit card through the machine." LOL!!! We left a check and headed out. In 427 miles we were at Fort Wilderness, the campground on Disney property. That's about 8 or 9 hours of driving. When we stopped for gas the boys conned Aunt Carlene into chips, sour candy and a drink. Back on the road, Trenton called his Dad and Scott to wish them Happy Father's Day...and we were Florida bound.

Once we arrived in Ft. Wilderness we again set up camp and had dinner. This time it was my mother-in-law’s recipe for Mexican Chicken. Showers and off to bed.
Day 1 in Disney World equaled Epcott…quite possibly the best of the parks we visited. Day 2 was Typhoon Lagoon, a great little water park with a wave pool which was too powerful for one-legged me, but Trenton enjoyed it. I enjoyed floating down the Lazy River on an innertube. Afterwards we went to Magic Kingdom for a couple of hours where we had dinner reservations. Typhoon Lagoon was fun but all that sun and water wore us out completely. Day 3 took us to Hollywood Studios which, in my opinion, was boring and a waste of our time. Day 4 found us at Animal Kingdom. It was fun. We had a great “Safari” ride and our guide, young Josh, couldn’t give his speech for laughing at our boys’ ridiculous comments. Trenton claimed to have never seen a black or white rhinoceros…only the regular kind. Then he asked Josh, “Is white the new black?” Josh laughed out loud at that one. Day 5, our last day at Disney World, we went to Magic Kingdom where we had spent virtually no time. We did as much as we could do before the torrential downpour hit. Afterwards, back at the campsite, we went to dinner and another thunderstorm came through. I had to ride the scooter back to the RV in the rain. I was soaked and freezing by the time I got there!
We broke camp this morning and are headed back home. We had a great time at Disney World and will do it again in a few years when Carter is old enough to enjoy it. I got to ride several roller coasters…my favorite ride. Trenton got to ride different rides, trade his collector pins and meet his favorite character, Pluto.
I would call this first outing in the motor home a success!

Carefree Highway...let me slip away on you

::sigh::
Another early morning blog coming your way after a fitful night with little sleep. Why does sleep hate me? Seriously, it eludes me at every opportunity. That, however, is not the subject of this blog.

For YEARS my husband has wanted a motor home. For probably 25 of the 32 years we have been married that has been a recurring subject. Years ago my parents had a motor home and we took a few trips in it while the kids were little. Such fun!! Well, my husband's dream of owning a motor home came true this week. We bought one. We drove to Alvarado to look at them because we had seen one on the internet that sounded good. It wasn't. But we found another one instead. It's a 2011 Hurricane manufactured by Thor. It's a 32 ft. class A (means it looks like a bus) that sleeps 6...which is a good thing because 6 of us are leaving for Walt Disney World in just a few short hours. Ron and I are taking our oldest grandson, Trenton, who will be 8 in just a couple of weeks. My BIL and SIL are taking their 10 year old grandson who will be 11 in August. The last time we went to Disney World Trenton's mommy was 6 so it's time to go again!! And this time we are going in style! Check this out...

The Bathroom





The dining table (which doubles as another bed) and kitchen




The driving and living areas





View of the bedroom and then from the front through the bathroom to the bedroom
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We're going to have a blast traveling the U.S. in this baby. Ronnie already wants to go to Yellowstone and Yosemite and Mt. Rushmore and......you get the idea!