Honeymoon/Birthday!
11 years ago
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Good news...Bad News!
The bad news is...maintenance is taking place on the train tracks between Dallas and Austin so the first leg of our anniversary vacation is to begin with a bus trip from Dallas to Austin where we are to board the train for the remainder of our trip to Seattle. Ugghh! Not a good way to begin! The good news is...we were able to reschedule our departure date to the previous Saturday...making our trip two days longer...and avoid the bus. Apparently there is no maintenance work on Saturdays!! Cutting to the chase...we get two extra days in Seattle! So, the countdown has sped up. Now only 20 days until departure and a full three weeks on vacation! Getting anxious!! I've already begun setting things aside to be packed. We have our excursions picked for each stop and now it's just a waiting process. Waiting...the hardest part!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Counting the days!
I've never been good at waiting! I'm impatient at best. Waiting for a special holiday has ALWAYS been excruciating. As a kid, I thought my birthday...or Christmas...or Valentine's Day...or Easter...or whatever special event or holiday would never arrive. Waiting for ANYTHING has always been hard for me. I can't tell you the numerous times when I have had a gift for someone that I just couldn't wait until the specific date to give. So I give the gift and then end up buying something else to give on the gift-giving occasion! You get the picture, right? I don't do well with waiting! That being said...it's 66 days and a few hours until our next "big" vacay!
We do have a couple of small get-aways planned before our trip to Seattle, Alaska and Vancouver...but the anticipation is already starting to get to me. I guess I will have to occupy the time with a couple of trips to the casinos for concerts and gambling and a couple of nights out at Stars games with Ronnie and/or "the girls." We've also got a couple of fun outings with our Life Group at church coming up before the trip, but still...
Eve wonder how time can drraaaaagggg by when you are waiting for something to happen and then blow right past you if you blink your eyes? Guess I'll have to learn to be more patient (yeah, right!) and relish the anticipation.
We do have a couple of small get-aways planned before our trip to Seattle, Alaska and Vancouver...but the anticipation is already starting to get to me. I guess I will have to occupy the time with a couple of trips to the casinos for concerts and gambling and a couple of nights out at Stars games with Ronnie and/or "the girls." We've also got a couple of fun outings with our Life Group at church coming up before the trip, but still...
Eve wonder how time can drraaaaagggg by when you are waiting for something to happen and then blow right past you if you blink your eyes? Guess I'll have to learn to be more patient (yeah, right!) and relish the anticipation.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Jamaica...no, the beach in Texas!
We just returned from a week-long RV trip to Jamaica Beach in Galveston. We left the Saturday after Christmas and spent seven days at the coast. I don't know what I was expecting, but I WASN'T expecting it to be cold and windy. We didn't have any specific agenda but the weather definitely impacted how we spent our time. We spent more time in the RV than we usually do, but we were still able to get out some and have a good time. When we first arrived it was warm and calm enough for us to be able to sit outside in the sunshine and listen to music. We grilled out a couple of times, went to the ridiculously huge spa a couple of times, and took several walks around the RV park. I was able to work in some nice, long naps and we took several long walks along the beach. Beau loved those because we let him off-leash and he was able to chase the gulls, smell all the foreign smells and hike his leg on EVERY clump of seagrass, rock, shell or microscopic piece of debris in the area. We drove the full length of Seawall Blvd. One evening we even met some friends at our favorite restaurant there, Tortugas. While inside we were entertained by a New Year's Eve/Day marathon of Walking Dead.
The RV park hosted a New Year's Eve appetizer and game night and we met new friends and played games. Later we went outside to launch Sky Lanterns. These are like miniature hot air balloons. They were really cool looking as they caught the air currents and lifted off! A few nights later there was a pot luck dinner where we met even more new friends. The park hosts seem to work really hard to provide plenty of opportunities for guests to mingle and have a good time. We met several families that are staying for a prolonged period of time...several weeks or months! We had a good time and I feel certain that we will go back...maybe when the weather is a bit more favorable.
Some random pics in no particular order:
New Year's Eve Game Night
Dinner at Tortugas with Mark & Kenna Kirkscey
Running with the gulls
Checking out the shells
Ronnie and Beau
Jamaica Beach
Jamaica Beach RV Park
Spa
The RV park hosted a New Year's Eve appetizer and game night and we met new friends and played games. Later we went outside to launch Sky Lanterns. These are like miniature hot air balloons. They were really cool looking as they caught the air currents and lifted off! A few nights later there was a pot luck dinner where we met even more new friends. The park hosts seem to work really hard to provide plenty of opportunities for guests to mingle and have a good time. We met several families that are staying for a prolonged period of time...several weeks or months! We had a good time and I feel certain that we will go back...maybe when the weather is a bit more favorable.
Some random pics in no particular order:
Monday, December 16, 2013
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. 😄
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. 😄
Friday, November 29, 2013
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
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
Saturday, November 16, 2013
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!
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!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
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!
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