Pictures from our trip

Here are some pictures from our trip to Cancun.

View from our deck

gift from the chef made out of food scraps

Art's view from his lounger

Our deck

Art at wet'nwild

the water slide...yikes

waterfall we saw on our boat tour

Birds at XCARET

Art at the romantic dinner on the beach

The show at XCARET

My fancy hairdo

Limo Home

Home

Whenever my parents and my Aunt Betty get together my aunt always requests my parents to play the song I wanna go home. That song has replayed in my head over and over. After our power nap, Art went to the hotel lobby to get us some breakfast while I got ready. It was a typical hotel breakfast. The orange juice was orange but it tasted like water. It was just weird. My darling Art went and got me a Dr Pepper. We headed to the airport. It took us just under ten minutes to get there. The night before it took the taxi over thirty minutes. Hmmmmmmm. Anyway, we checked in and we will fly to Los Angeles and then switch airlines. Because we are switching airlines we couldn't get seats on the new plane until we got to LA. Our hope was that we would be able to get seats on the first flight to Boise. The good thing is we didn't have to claim our luggage, it was booked all the way through.

On the plane to LA a young man (Nick) sat next to me and heard Art and I talking about going home and hoping we would be able to get on the flight to Boise. He asked if we were going to Boise and we said yes. He said that was what he was doing as well. So I asked him what flight screwed him up that he needed to do what we were doing and as it turned out he was on the same flight we were from Cancun. His brother got married on Saturday in Cancun. He is attending BSU. When we landed in LA we told him he could stay with us and we would get everything figured out together. He was relieved and thanked us a few times. The airport in LA is huge. We landed in building one and had to take the bus to building seven. We didn't have much time so we had no time to dawdle. We checked in a got a boarding pass but not a seat assignment. Nick had a seat assignment, so you know me, I was worried we might be standby. We hurried to the security point which was a little hike and oh my the line was really long. Art and I were hoping we could get through in time. After a few minutes in line one of the airline employees walked up to us and said come with me so we walked all the way back to the check in and went to another security check point and got right through. Whew. Once we got to the gate, we went to the airline agent and she asked what our last name was and when we told her she got a funny smile and told us we had seats (yeah) but they weren't together. I asked if it was on the same plane and she laughed and said yes so we said as long as we were on the same plane we didn't care. She said she wish all couples were like us. We said of course we would like to sit together but if it wasn't possible so be it. When we got on the plane we were just across the isle from each other and Art asked the guy sitting next to me if he would trade seats and he was more than happy to. We made it home and the Buddy and Miss R were there to greet us with loving arms. We arrived home safe and sound. AHHHH. You know if everything went smooth what would we have to talk about? This is what makes memories...............right?

Click Your Heels ThreeTimes..........

Click your heels three times and repeat there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home..............nope I'm still not home.

This post is going to be a long one so stop right here and go get something to drink and make your self comfy.

Ready? Here we go.........We were so excited for the trip home for a couple reasons. Yes it is good to be home but Art used our sky miles and got us tickets home in first class. Plus we had some of our palace dollars left so we reserved a limo back to the airport. We were going to go home in style. That helped lessen the sting of leaving paradise. We got up early and had our last breakfast and sat by the pool and said our goodbyes until it was time to grab a very quick lunch and head to the airport. The airport there requires you to be two to three hours early and we have been there that long and barely made it through the lines and security so we knew being there early was important. Our flight was scheduled for 4:00 so we headed to the airport at 1:00. A Lincoln stretch limo pulled up for us. (I will post pictures later). Wow it was fun. I felt so important. We got the airport and when we check in (here is where the fun begins)the ticket agent told us do to mechanical problems with the plane it was still in Phoenix and our flight would be delayed 2 1/2 hours. Oh dear!! We have a connecting flight we told her. She looked up to see what else would be available to us if we missed our connection and that meant spending the night in Phoenix so we really hoped to make the connection. We spent all afternoon in the airport. Sitting in the boarding area I felt something hit my arm really hard and when I looked down whatever hit me cracked the crystal of my watch. Woo dang! We went to Bubba Gumps for a salad and cold drink and watched the Cowboys beat the Giants in football. While there Art got an email from the airline telling us our flight to Tucson would also be delayed. We laughed and said we aren't going to Tucson we are going to Phoenix. A little later one of the men sitting down from us said did you hear customs in Phoenix is closed so we are going to Tuscon. WHAT?! We can't enter the US until we have been thorough customs so at least they found a customs office open. When we got on the plane they told us yes we were going to Tuscon to go through customs and then we would go back to Phoenix. For those unfamiliar with the customs procedure let me take a minute to explain. You get off the plane and go to baggage and collect your luggage drag it through customs, pray you don't get selected for them to search through yours, claim you items, have your passport scanned and send your luggage through a security point to be reloaded on the plane, walk what seems a couple miles back to the real airport, go back through security and reboard. Due to the late hour (after midnight at this point), the folks on our plane were the only ones in the airport. Plus everything was closed. Not even the escalators worked. We even had to use stairs to get off the plane as the jet way was also closed. As you can imagine getting a couple hundred people through this process took a couple of hours. We got back on the plane for a 25 minute plane ride and arrived safely in Phoenix. No the adventure doesn't stop there. They rebooked everyone and gave us a hotel voucher. You can imagine that many folks all wanting the hotel shuttle takes a while. So after picking up our luggage, we went out to join the masses waiting for the shuttle. Standing there Art suggested we just take a taxi. That way we could get there and check in before the big crowd. Thinking what a madhouse that would be all of us trying to check in at the same time I agreed a taxi would be the better plan. So we walked down to where the taxis where and told them we were staying at the Clarion. Our taxi driver Achmed was a foreigner and told us this was his second day on the job. We took off and he said he wasn't sure of where the hotel was. WHAT?!?! Art said you need a GPS and he replied he had one and asked what the address was. We said we didn't have a clue. He then pulled over and looked though some papers then said let me call my boss. His boss didn't answer so he put the taxi in reverse and backed back up to where we started. Got out and got directions from the other taxi drivers. After about 25 minutes of driving Art asked if he knew where he was going. He assured us he did and 5 minutes later we arrived. Some other folks decided to take a taxi after we did and they were already there. After checking in we got to bed a little after 4:00 this morning. Once we got in bed I was so tired and as I reflected on the day all I could do was laugh and laugh I did. We are rebooked to fly to Los Angeles this afternoon and then home tonight. We hope. I may be posting how I spent my vacation in Phoenix. Never a dull moment. Oh!!!!! I forgot to mention we are no longer booked in first class. We went from first class to the back of the plane. I think we may go shoe shopping. I am in need of ruby slippers. My black slip ons are working. Stay tuned we may make it home yet.

Last Day in Paradise

This was our last full day here in paradise.....dang! It was pretty overcast when we got up and it spit a little rain but fortunately the weather cleared and it turned out to be a nice day until about 5:00 and then it rained some more. We spent a good share of the day at the pool. With me in the pool. I even got talked into doing the aerobics class which is another story for an other time. Art held the lounger down. We did manage to take a little walk along the beach. One of the Mexican soap opera's cast came to the hotel for a big photo shoot and to film one of the story lines and then one of the Mexican talk shows came and the soap opera cast was on the talk show. The beach was full full full of people. They brought in extras as well to be in the soap opera scene. I didn't get to watch the talk show though because I went for a massage, manicure, and pedicure at the time they were doing the show. I would much rather do that. We played Texas Holdem and then went to dinner. Art loves the lamb chops here so we went for one last time. He said he has eaten a herd of sheep this week. And it is true. We even went late (10:15 pm) one night so he good have some He really loved them. We were tired after a day in the sun so after dinner we came back to our room and rested and watched some college football. I can't believe the week has gone by so fast. Back to the real world tomorrow. (heavy sigh) But you know what Arnold says...."I'll be back".

Ahhh what a relaxing day.

Today was very relaxing. We ate, relaxed at the pool for awhile then we headed to the beach. We hung out at the beach til lunch then took a very quick dip in the pool and relaxed on the lounger on our deck. I went to the beauty parlor to get some beauty. I had my hair done in a fancy do. It was fun. The folks at the parlor stood around discussing my hair. They all thought is was pretty and were surprised at all the colors. They all wanted to know if I had it colored that way or if it was natural. They were also amazed it was so thick. It was a pretty fancy do. I got a ton of compliments. Then Art and I had a romantic candle light steak and lobster dinner on the beach. It was great. We had planned to go to the casino night but we started watching the game and missed it. Go Broncos!!!! Now to bed. Ahhh what a relaxing day.

Today we went to...............

Today after breakfast we got on a bus and headed to XCARET. We spent the entire day there. It is a fun place and has a lot to see. Personally, I think they are expensive but it is fun and I had a good time. We walked our little legs off though as there is a lot of ground to cover. We played on the beach. We got in the water but didn’t swim…it was a little dirty for me. When Art asked me if I thought the yuk in the water was fish poop…..yeah I was done and so was he. But we enjoyed the beach. We took a boat ride down the river. It just so happened we were the only ones on the boat. Our own little tour if you will. The boat was powered by the guide’s legs. He had no oars and would kick the rocks to propel the boat. It was kinda crazy. We saw lot of animals, watched the dolphins play, saw a huge butterfly refuge. I couldn’t believe all the butterflies. They were really pretty. They also had bats down in a cave but I wasn’t interested in doing that. They also have an underground river that you can swim but it looked worse than the water at the beach. Yikes. At the end of the day, they put on a big show. It is of the Mexican history. I thought the show and music was awesome. My darn camera wasn’t working so I didn’t get a lot of pictures but I did manage to get a few. We got back to the hotel about 9:45 pm and had a little dinner and now we are tired and ready for bed. In fact Art is already in bed and almost asleep. Overall great day.

Disastrous Day Diverted

Last night it started to rain. It rained all night with thunder and lightning. Now let me tell you the thunder has to be extremely loud to be heard over the sound of the ocean. It even woke me up a couple of times. The rain was literally torrential. It was a little reminiscent of when we were here in February. We got up and it was still raining. Dang! We thought maybe we would have to cancel our plans for the day. We had breakfast and went to see our rep about cancelling. She told us she got up at 5: oo this morning and did a rain dance and the rain would stop by 12:00. We told her we were scheduled at 11:00 for our excursion and she assured us it would be fine so we kept our plans and……………..she was so right. Her dance worked. The rains stopped and it warmed up. So we were able to keep our plans.
We went to Wet and Wild and swam with the dolphins. Wet and Wild is a water park. When we got there the first thing Art said was “wow our grandkids would love this.” And he was right. We walked all around and then we went to swim with the dolphins. The dolphin we swam with was a male named Echo. He was a thing of beauty. Art wasn’t going to do it but the lady booking our tours told him he would like it and signed him up. He was a good sport and went. We had a good time. Dolphins are absolutely amazing. After the dolphins we went and played in the park. We rented some tubes and floated the Lazy River three times. We went down one of the water slides. We had to climb A LOT of stairs to get to the top. I got more scared with each step. I repeatedly asked Art if he was sure about it and he kept saying yes it would be fun and I kept saying I wasn’t sure. I thought I was going to have a coronary before we reached the top. We made it to the top and got in a boat and the worker pushed us off. Yes I screamed. We made it to the bottom…whew. When we got out I said wow that was fun do you want to do it again? Art replied No it wasn’t that much fun. HA HA HA we could have guessed we would switch. We spent the day there. The wave pool was fun as well. We gave our tubes away to a young couple when we left. That way they wouldn’t have to rent them. It was our act of kindness today. Art ordered chips and guacamole and shrimp from room service for us to munch on after we got cleaned up. Before dinner we played Texas Holdem. We had a late dinner and are going to watch the show from our deck. That is if we can stay awake. I think I reached my food max today. I am so full I can hardly move. We need to get our rest tonight because we will be doing a lot of walking tomorrow.

Such a Relaxing Day

Today was a very relaxing day. We got up and had breakfast and then went right to the pool. I lounged in the pool and Art lounged in the shade. About mid morning I went and played Texas Holdem until lunch. After lunch I went for the much anticipated hot stone massage. It was so heavenly!!! Then I showered and got cleaned up and went for a manicure and pedicure. Art sat on the deck and read his book while I was gone. We relaxed a little in the lobby bar area and then we played Texas Holdem until dinner. We had a late dinner and now back to the room to relax. The weather was so nice this morning but by noon it was getting pretty chilly. Hope it is better weather tomorrow as we will be out with a really fun activity. Some more folks arrived today but it is still pretty empty. I am just amazed. It didn't seem this bad in February but I can see why they are suffering. I guess the only constant is things change. I am looking forward to tomorrow's activity... should be lots of fun. Stay tuned to find out where we are going and what we are doing.

Monday

The weather today was mucho better. Yesterday it was chilly and rainy but today was sunny and warmer. We had a great breakfast and then went to the Cancun Palace for our presentation. After we finished with the presentation we took a taxi to the Beach Palace. We had lunch on the roof top. They have really good lunches there and normally they give you a lot. Today I ordered a ham and cheese burger with fries. It was delicious but I hated to eat the fries after I named them. Art got a lot and I got a few. I think the cook liked him. Then we hopped on the bus and went to Walmart for sunscreen, vanilla and sunglasses for Art. Then back to our hotel to sit on the beach. There isn’t much sun left after 3:30 so we headed in about 4:00. We have met some nice couples. One of the couples we met..just let me say I think the guy could be a stand up comedian. He was really fun to visit with. Before dinner I played Texas holdem and Art watched and drank a couple bumblebees. It is a new drink he discovered. We had a great dinner. There is a man that sings with his two daughters in one of the restaurants and we just love them. A few years ago we bought one of their CDs. They go from table to table and sing for you. Art always asks them to sing his favorite. I am not sure what the name of it is but it is the same tune as “Aye Aye, Aye, Aye I am the frito bandito”. They are very talented and we so enjoy listening to them. It is pretty obvious that business is way down. We were told that tourism here is down so low that the government has given hotels a stimulus to help them out. At dinner I counted 10 tables that were occupied. Normally the restaurant is packed with a lot of waiters and staff but even the staff has been cut way back. Even with all the cut backs the service and people are so attentive and nice. Some of the staff even remembered us from February. That is fun.
Now let me just say …yes I have green eyes and I am from America.

We’re Baaaaaack.

We’re baaaaaack. Wow we sure had to get up early….4:00 a.m. But it was worth it. MK and Miss R picked us up and we were on the way to the airport by 5:30 a.m. Thanks so much for doing that for us MK. The flights were good. We flew to Phoenix and from there to Cancun. On the flight to Phoenix two soldiers who were traveling together got on the plane. One was seated across and up one from us and the other in the back of the plane. A man who was in first class went up to the one soldier by us and told him he would like to trade seats. He wanted him to have his seat in first class. The soldier looked at him kinda funny and then asked the man if it was OK to give it to the soldier who worked for him. The man agreed. The soldier who went from sitting in the back to sitting in first class just grinned from ear to ear and was thrilled. I was so impressed by the events of kindness.
We were late taking off from Cancun. They had to rearrange the luggage to distribute the weight. Art said someone packed too much and we looked out the window to see our suitcase on the cart to be redistributed. Opps….must have been the extra shoes I packed. Anyway we were about 40 minutes late. I told Art they could make the time up in the air and I am not sure he believed me but we did. We got in on time. I was dreading customs as it took forever when we were here in February but we got through and had our luggage in about 30 minutes. Woohooo!!! We got to the hotel and met with our rep and planned out the week. Our plan to sit on the beach and veg out……….well ………that was a good thought but we managed to fill the week. We have a lot of fun things planned for the week. I am really excited. And the best part is I get to pal around with Art all week. Ahhhh life is so sweet.
We had a nice steak dinner and now we are in our room listening to the ocean eating chips and guacamole and shrimp cocktail. The feeding frenzy has begun. It will be early to bed for us.

I Love Halloween

I love Halloween!!! It has to be my most favorite holidays. As far back as I can remember I loved it. When I was little, I knew two ladies Charlotte Brace and Margaret Wood. They were best friends and crazy fun. On Halloween, they would dress up as witches. They made the best looking witches ever! They looked the part perfectly. They were awesome ladies. On the outside they looked witchy but on the inside they where the most beautiful women. I can't think of one primary Halloween activity they missed. Charlotte taught me how to bob for apples and not gag thinking how my face was dunked in water everyone had basically spit in while they were trying to get an apple for themselves. It was always best to volunteer to go first.

I loved trick or treating. I always had homemade costumes. One year (I think I was 10 years old) I went as a movie star. I wore a formal that my sister gave me and because it was snowy and cold I wore my moms really nice fur (yes real fur) coat. (What was my mom thinking?) I was toasty warm. My mom has since given me that treasured coat and I never look at that coat without thinking how my mom let me wear it dragging through the snow getting candy and all she said when I got home was she was worried I would get cold.

Another year my best friend and I went as Siamese twins. Her sister made the costume for us and we were basically sewn in and stuck in it. We had four arms, three legs and two heads. The worst part is half way through my friend had to go to the bathroom and we couldn't fit through the bathroom door much less be detached for her to go so we had to run all the way back to her house with our three legs. We were laughing so hard that we fell down and rolled half way down the street and lost most of our loot. We were laughing too hard to care about the loot.

As a mom, my favorite was taking my kids trick or treating. I looked foward to it every year. I was so sad when they were too old for me to go with them. Art and I have spent many Halloweens together but I will always remember our first. He went trick or treating with us and then back to the house for hot cider and eating candy. We had such a great time. I remember every moment of that evening.

I just love Halloween.

Thinking Back

For some crazy reason for the past few days I have been thinking about being a little kid. Maybe it is because I recently spent sometime with my grandkids and they always asked me to tell them stories when I was a kid and that caused me to reflect back or because my dear friend that I have known since I was 2 is turning 50 this week and I have been thinking about times we spent together. For whatever the reason, I am really grateful for MOST of the memories. I have laughed and cried (sometimes laughing til I cried) during my stroll down memory lane. While thinking about one instance, it would remind my of another. It has reminded me that one thing is certain, I had fun, crazy, and wonderful friends. I hope when they reminisce, they think as fondly of me as I do them. I think maybe just maybe I will start posting some of the memories..........not that anyone would care but me.............and maybe the grandkids but it would fun for me.

Felt My Pain

Today Miss R was here and she noticed one of my necklaces was broken. I am keeping it to make into a different necklace. Anyway here is the conversation.

Miss R: Grandma is your necklace broken?
Me: Yes it is
Miss R: (with a sad face) Bummer!

It just cracked me up.

Fun Weekend

I had a fun weekend. It started Friday morning when I went to see Miss R's dance recital. It was so cute and Miss R did a great job. Then in the afternoon Art and I drove to Idaho Falls to see my parents. We arrived to find all well. Art had the trunk loaded with goodies. We took flowers, remote controlled boats and a snow blower. The folks were most gracious to accept the goodies.

We had a great visit. Art and I slept out on the patio. I say patio because technically it IS the patio but it is set up like a bedroom.....carpeted and all. It is so cozy and nice and the bed is extra comfortable. Definitely not your average patio. On Saturday I dragged my mom shopping but she was a good sport to humor me. I wanted to get a new pair of pajamas. We went all over. I found the perfect pair. They were exactly what I wanted the only thing wrong with them was the price. I just didn't want to pay what they were asking. I finally decided to go back and get them. I have looked at all the stores at home and couldn't find anything close and these were exactly what I wanted. After shopping, we had a little snack to hold us over until the delicious roast beef dinner was ready. After stuffing myself to the gills Art and my dad went fishing and my mom and I went to the movie theater. Art and my dad caught a lot of chubs (no trout) so I am sure the birds had quite the feast this morning.

I ate way to much this weekend (my mom is a fabulous cook)and had a great visit. Now Art and I are back home reminiscing about the great time and fabulous hospitality. We can't wait to go back. I always enjoy being with my mom and dad. They are so much fun to be around and I don't get to see them nearly as often as I wish.

Today I Was A Goner

Today I had the blessing of attending church service at the nursing home. I have gone many many many times in the past and have watched the residents come and go. There are always a few that really tug at your heart and you can't help but just love. I always reflect on the lives that they had. Everyone of them had contributing productive lives. And now most are in wheelchairs and because of strokes and other aliments they suffer very few can even talk. It makes me sad to see them like this.

BUT TODAY.........today I was so touched. One of the residents is a lady who can't speak and is completely strapped in her chair. I don't know her circumstance but she appears to be paralyzed. The rest hymn was "There Is Sunshine In My Soul Today". It is an upbeat hymn and one of my most favorites. As we started to sing, this sweet lady lifted her eyes up, smiled and in the deepest voice I think I have ever heard from a female tried to sing. It was so sweet!! When we got to the second verse I was goner. I could no longer hold back the tears. To add to it, it totally reminded me of another story I had heard about this hymn.

For those not familiar with the second verse. It is:

There is music in my soul today,
A carol to my King;
And Jesus, listening, can hear
The song I cannot sing.

I knew at that moment Jesus was listening to her and could hear her sing and what sunshine it brought to my soul.

I am so thankful I was able to see that little glimpse of heaven today. What strength it was to my testimony.

Everyone Has a Job

Signs

In a Podiatrist's office:
"Time wounds all heels."

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On a Septic Tank Truck:
Yesterday's Meals on Wheels

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At a Proctologist's door:
"To expedite your visit, please back in. "

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On a Plumber's truck:
"We repair what your husband fixed."

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On another Plumber's truck:
"Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."

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On a Church's billboard:
"7 days without God makes one weak."

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At a Tire Shop in Milwaukee :
"Invite us to your next blowout."

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At a Towing company:
"We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want tows."

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On an Electrician's truck:
"Let us remove your shorts."

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In a Non-smoking Area:
"If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."

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On a Maternity Room door:
"Push. Push. Push."

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At an Optometrist's Office:
"If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."

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On a Taxidermist's window:
"We really know our stuff."

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On a Fence:
"Salesmen welcome! Dog food is expensive!"

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At a Car Dealership:
"The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment."

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Outside a Muffler Shop:
"No appointment necessary. We hear you coming."

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In a Veterinarian's waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"

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At the Electric Company
"We would be delighted if you send in your payment.
However, if you don't, you will be."

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In a Restaurant window:
"Don't stand there and be hungry; come on in and get fed up."

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In the front yard of a Funeral Home:
"Drive carefully. We'll wait."

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At a Propane Filling Station:
"Thank heaven for little grills."

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And don't forget the sign at a
CHICAGO RADIATOR SHOP:
"Best place in town to take a leak."

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Sign on the back of another Septic Tank Truck:
"Caution - This Truck is full of Political Promises"

Great Weekend

What a blast of a weekend. The thunderstorms weren't very fun but the rest was a blast. On Saturday the weather wasn't all that great. It was overcast and chilly. Art had pulled the boat out and had it all ready to go boating. The battery was a little questionable but we decided if we didn't turn it off at all we would be OK. But then with it being so chilly and the clouds looking so threatening, we decided to put the boat away and go to the hot springs instead. We went to Gold Fork. And wouldn't you know it by the time we got there and all settled the clouds left and it warmed right up. It was a warm cloudless day. I guess we just weren't suppose to go boating, But we spent the afternoon there and it was very relaxing and it felt like we were on a mini vacation. Back for a steak BBQ and a movie.

In our spare time we have been enjoying the deck, doing crossword puzzles, and Art has been shooting up the screen with an xbox game. What a weekend!!!

Happy Anniversary ART

Wow 22 years ago today Art and I became a family. In some ways I think my goodness it has only been 22 years but then when I think about all we have done in that 22 years I think my goodness we have been together 22 years. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering a time without him. It seems like we have always been together.

It has been our tradition the past 5 or more years to spend our anniversary just the two of us in Cascade. We take the boat out and just enjoy spending time together. Here we are again this year only this year has the potential to be our last as we have the cabin for sale. NO NO not last anniversary.

We are going to the movies tonight and boating tomorrow. I am very excited. The weather is perfect.

In the words of a song................."Happy Anniversary Baby got you on my mind"

Happy Anniversary Art………………..I am so lucky to have been your wife for the past 22 years. Here’s to another 22.

(Trivia Question: Can you name the band and song)

My Latest Read

As most of you know I am not much of a reader. I think that gene missed me. My sister is an avid reader and so is my daughter. Me I have never been much of a pleasure reader. My sister loved reading so much, I can recall when I was young and we shared a bed, she would read under the covers as she just couldn't put the book down to go to sleep. This desire was so foreign to me. Now TV that is an other story. I love my TV. I am not a very fast reader and when I was employed I read a lot of law and technical material so the idea of coming home a reading a book when I could turn on the TV.............well it doesn't take a genesis to figure out what I did.

I joined a bookclub to broaden my horizon.......OK and to encourage me to read more. On occasion my mom has given me books to read and I will say that I enjoyed everyone that she has given me. I don't remember my mom reading much when I was growing up. She was very busy with raising a family, working, and her church work. Perhaps she felt the same way I do about reading. She reads a lot more now. I do know my son never enjoyed reading and he always thought reading was torture. He reads more now though as he regularly reads to his daughter. I will say that I really did enjoy reading the Twilight series.

That brings me to now. Well.....my daughter told me about a book series I should read. She said she stayed up until 4:00 in the morning reading the first one. She assured me I would enjoy it. I wasn't so sure. She is an avid reader and enjoys reading and I just told you that isn't me. She said she would bring them when she visited but with all the things she needed to bring the books got left at home. I wasn't that disappointed. Well, she knew I would enjoy them so she borrowed them from her sister-in-law for me. I promised I would read them. I read the story line inside the front cover of the first book and wasn't sure I really wanted to read the books. First off it reminded me of a recurring nightmare I used to have growing up but she really thought I would enjoy the series so I started reading. The verdict: I loved them. I read the first one in two days. I found myself thinking about the story when I wasn't reading. I can clearly understand why my daughter stayed up until 4:00 in the am reading. I finished both books and the next book in the series comes out in August. I can say I am looking forward to it. The series is the Hunger Games. I am glad my daughter encouraged me to read the series. I even got my daughter-in-law to read them. Once she is finished we (me, daughter and daughter-in-law) are going to have a phone bookclub discussion. I can't wait. Anyone who wants to join our discussion is welcome.

We're Back

Oh my goodness we had an early morning. We left Tampa this morning before the chickens got up. And believe it or not it was 86 degrees at 5:30 this morning. It will be a scorcher day there today. Our flights were absolutely flawless. The Buddy and Miss R picked us up at the airport about 1:15p.m. Thanks to them! We came home went to the grocery store and are now catching up. Yes, I have laundry going. It will be an early night for us. Here are some pictures of the trip.

Art just loaded sacks of clothes in the rental car

Uncle Red's House

The auction we went to

Art at Homosassa Park

Homosassa Park

This is the boat we were on in the movie we made

This is the awesome stunt car attraction we watched

Me with Budda at the Chinese restaurant where we had dinner

The fun anniversary buttons we wore at Hollywood Studios

Last Day

Today was our last day in Orlando. We spent most of the day at Hollywood Studios. It still has a lot of the same attractions that they had when we were here 18 years ago. One of the first attractions was a tour of the back lot but first they showed the audience how a movie is made. The attendant asked us to volunteer to be in the movie so I said sure. As we were putting on rain gear, Art told me I was no longer allowed to say yes to anything. As it turned out we were on a boat in a WWII movie. We didn’t get too wet and it was actually fun. Whew!!! We had lunch in the Sci-Fi theater and we ate in cars. It was dark and freezing cold but the food was good. Even Art got cold there. Since it is our anniversary, we got buttons that said Happy Anniversary and everywhere we went we were told “Happy Anniversary”. It was fun. My favorite attraction was the stunt cars show. That was really awesome. We headed back to Tampa about 4:30 pm.

We are on hold now with Uncle Red’s estate. Art needs to be appointed by a judge and after he gets the appointment, he can’t do anything for 90 days. Then he will be busy again.

It is early to bed as we have to get up at 5.00 a.m. and that is 3:00 am at home. It will be good to be home again but I will miss hanging out with Art all day. Just 2 more years.

Fun at the Park

Today we went to Epcot. We took the shuttle and got there about 8:30 a.m. It was really fun. Although we walked so much I ended up with a blister on my foot. There were lot of families there. It reminded both Art and I of when came to Disneyworld with our kids. I got sentimental that is for sure. Anyway, we saw everything there was to offer however one of the events got canceled due to technical errors. While we were in one of the shows, it poured down rain. We dodged that bullet. We went to the US venue three times. They had a group that sang 6 part harmony. They were so good we went back just to hear them. Art said they were worth the price of admission and I would have to agree. When they sang “Old Susannah” the guy singing the solo came and held my hand and sang to me. What a way to warm this old ladies heart. We visited with him for just a second after that show. We had dinner at the China venue. We stayed for the fireworks display. It was awesome. I have never seen anything like it. I am so glad we stayed for it. My feet are tired just like the rest of me so to bed for me. Thanks to Art for such a fun filled day.

To Orlando

We experienced thunderstorms all night. That made the humidity very high. We decided that since we were done with things at Uncle Red’s we would head to Orlando. We stopped by Uncle Red's to make a final check and bid our adieus. We got to Orlando about noon. We couldn’t check in our hotel until 4:00 pm so we went to the outlet mall. It was huge!!!!! We walked our legs off. After dinner we sat down by the pool until it started to sprinkle. We are very tired from all the walking we did so to bed early for us. Tomorrow we are going to go to Epcot.

Let me just pause to mention Art and my assessment of the hotels. The hotel in Crystal River needed maintenance/repair. It had patches that needed painted, holes in the walls, holes in the towels to mention some things but......it had the best bed ever. It was so very comfortable and the bedding was clean. It also offered a free continental breakfast, and free parking. The hotel in Orlando is not in need of repair or maintenance but the bed isn't as comfortable and doesn't offer free parking or breakfast. Guess you can't have it all. But we are together and having a blast so how can we complain.

Saturday Auction ?????

Today was a beautiful day. Today is Saturday so after breakfast we went to……the auction. It was just the usual thing to do. This is the farthest distance we have traveled for an auction road trip. Art will do anything to get a fix. Actually, we went to check out the auction company that we want to hire to auction off Uncle Red’s things. It was an estate auction and they auctioned off the property as well. The auction company did a great job and we are convinced they would be right for us. I know the burning question is …what did we buy. Well we did get a bidders number but we didn’t buy anything. I know it is unheard of but we really didn’t. Not that we didn’t want to, we just didn’t want the hassle of shipping it home. Art twitched a few times but he was able to contain himself. At least he got his fix and when we left he had a smile on his face and a hop in his step. Art says the rules of the auction are come early, bring a truck, get a number and stay to the bitter end. Well………………half aint bad. You can figure out which two we did.

We had a lovely lunch and visit with Jay and Marcie. Jay is Uncle Red’s stepson. We took them a small box of Jay’s mother’s things. They took us to a restaurant in Homosassa that is across from Monkey Island. Monkey Island is a small island that inhabits about 5 monkeys. They were fun to watch. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the pool. Don sat in a cabana and read and I worked my crossword puzzles and swam in the pool. It was very relaxing. After dinner Art and I went to a chick flick movie. That was fun as well. Oh that Art is such a sweetheart. Not everyone will understand this but Art is now a Jacob team fan. We really are opposites.

Thunderstorms are a brewing and the humidity is high.

Another Busy Day

Today was busy and fun. We got up early and went to Uncle Red’s. With the air conditioning out, we decided to go early before it got unbearably hot. Not only did we work hard we worked the little shredder to death. We shredded documents that were really really old. The appraiser came at 9:00. He was a nice guy. It didn’t take him long. With the market the way it is here, he wasn’t real optimistic on the value. We got everything ready to be auctioned and that was a good feeling. We were supposed to meet a realtor at 10:00 but she postponed until this afternoon and she was still late. We also went to the store, the post office, Goodwill to take clothes, and had the tires checked.

Later when it got too hot to be at the house, we went and played. We drove to Homosassa (about 15 miles) and we went to the Yulee sugar mill, toured the wildlife rescue park, had ice cream, then went for an airboat ride. It was awesome. The boat ride took 1 ½ hours. We went out to the Gulf of Mexico and back. Neither Art not I had ever done it and as luck would have it, we were the only two on the boat. It was a fabulous time. It was noisy though. We had to wear ear protection. I could write an entire entry about the ride. For those who don’t know what an airboat is, it is a flat-bottomed boat propelled in a forward direction by an aircraft-type propeller and powered by either an aircraft or automotive engine. It was a blast. We went to a restaurant in Ozello for dinner. Dinner was good but not as good as last night’s.

Ahh…… what a great day.



This is Art by the boat we took.

WOW

Wow what a great day. Not only did I get to spend the day with my darling Art but we got a lot settled. We got up early and after the continental breakfast the hotel offered, we went to Uncle Red’s. We sorted through a few things and then went to the bank when they opened. We were able to get a couple of the documents needed and cancel the safety deposit box. The contact at the bank has been so helpful and it was nice to finally meet her. Then back to the house to meet with a man from the auction house. The housing market is really depressed and in the hole here so having the auction company auction the property may be the best option. They will do the contents of the house on site so that is also a plus. The air conditioner stopped working so the house was WOW hot. Tonight after dinner the temp in the house was 99 degrees. Even I was melting. We met with the attorneys this afternoon and got the ball rolling for all the legal stuff. We need to have an appraisal for the house so we asked if it would possible to be done while we are here and as luck would have it worked out. The appraiser is coming tomorrow. Sorting through stuff today we were able to locate the other documents needed. Wow what a relief that was.

We had a fabulous dinner. We went to Cody’s Roadhouse. It was sooooo good. Art said his was WOW!!! His tenderloin was so tender….wow….the salad was…. wow with crack rolls….wow…the lobster was wow…..and mine was wow too. I had bacon wrapped shrimp….wow and prime rib…wow

As I said, the house was too hot to do much tonight so we headed back to the hotel and went to the pool. We met some nice folks from South Carolina. Now back in the room munching on popcorn and reflecting on a great day……wow.

Planes (NoTrains) and Automobiles

It was an early start this morning. Brent picked us up and we were headed to the airport by 5:30 am. Yes that is right 5:30 a.m. We are so appreciative of Brent getting up so early for us. The trip to Phoenix was uneventful. In Phoenix we loaded the plane at 9:00 a.m . The pilot informed us maintenance was changing one of the tires so we would be delayed a few minutes. It really didn’t take long and we were in the air. After about 15 minutes in the air, it was obvious there was something wrong. The pilot then informed us that the landing gear was stuck and they were trying to fix it but if not, we would have to return to Phoenix for a repair. After another ten minutes were we told we would have to go back to Phoenix. The pilot dumped a bunch of fuel and I was concerned it might be a rough landing but really it was a very smooth landing. In fact, one of the better ones I have experienced. I knew Art was concerned as well because as when we came down for landing, we were holding hands and although he didn’t say a word, his grip on my hand got tighter and tighter. We were then delayed for 2 1/2 hours. When they changed the tire, they left a pin in and that is why it wouldn’t retract. For those wondering….yes we sat on the plane that whole time. Let me divert here for just a minute to express the irony of this. We are headed to Florida to settle the estate of Art’s Uncle Red. Uncle Red’s profession was airline mechanic. Here we were sitting on the plane waiting for a mechanic so we could fly to Florida to settle the estate of an airline mechanic. Ok maybe it is just me but I thought it was ironic. Now back to the day……… Our seat mate and the lady sitting across from us expressed concern over being delayed as Tampa was expected to have severe thunderstorms and now with the delays we would be arriving the same time they were expecting the storms. The pilot told us after our second take off that we would be taking a different route as the scheduled route was experiencing severe thunderstorms. My first thoughts were great this is going to be a rough flight but it wasn’t. The flight was good and when we landed in Tampa the weather was clear and nice.
We got our rental car and I was a little concerned. Yes I am a worry wart. The rental place was not at the airport and was…well…. a dive place. The car we got was a Nissan Altima. They are nice cars but this one to put it bluntly is beat to crap. Needless to say Art was not impressed. It made a funny sound. I thought it was the muffler but Art said he thought it was a tire. Art wins. Tonight the tire warning light came on. We will have to take care of it tomorrow. We got to Crystal River about 9:30 pm. We went to Uncle Red’s and checked things out then to the grocery store for a few items. Now we are tucked in our hotel room and ready for a fun filled week.
I must say even with the delay, I had a great day with Art.

You know your hair is long when....

The other night Art and snuggled up to go to sleep and this was our conversation.

me: you're on my hair

art: oh

me: you're on my hair
art: sorry

me: you're on my hair
art: I know I am sorry

me: well get off of it
art: I am trying but I am not sure what to do
me: oh....I am on my hair

It is bad when you realize YOU are the one in the wrong. Sorry for blaming you Art. But..............it was good for a laugh.

New Chapter

Life is full of changes. We are starting a new chapter in our lives. We went to Cascade this past weekend. Oh my gosh...I have never seen so many bugs. When we closed the cabin Art put a bug bomb in the basement and it worked well. But we both grabbed a vacuum and in no time we had it all cleaned. I scrubbed the rest of the house down and boy if I do say so myself, it looked good and even better it felt so clean.

We even planted artificial flowers in the front yard. Art commented that we were Wavie gardeners. For those who don't understand Art supplies my mom (Wavie) with artificial flowers and they are planted in her gardens at her house. She has a knack for making them look real and her gardens are beautiful. You can see from the photos, I didn't inherit the knack but it looked cute none the less. I am sure the deer will have it destroyed by the time we get back up there but it was fun.

So what is the new chapter I mentioned you ask. We met with a Realtor and we are selling the cabin. It has been a bitter sweet decision but after much prayer we are moving on with a new chapter in our lives. We look forward with much anticipation to the beginning of this chapter. But until the time it actually sells we are going to keep going up and enjoying it.

In Honor of Stupid People

A friend sent this to me and I thought it was to good to not share.

In Honor of Stupid People . . . . In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.

On a Sears hairdryer -- Do not use while sleeping.

(That's the only time I have to work on my hair.)

On a bag of Fritos -- You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.

(the shoplifter special?)

On a bar of Dial soap -- "Directions: Use like regular soap."

(and that would be???....)

On some Swanson frozen dinners -- "Serving suggestion: Defrost."

(but, it's just a suggestion.)

On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) -- "Do not turn upside down."

(well...duh, a bit late, huh!)

On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding -- "Product will be hot after heating."

(...and you thought????...)

On packaging for a Rowenta iron -- "Do not iron clothes on body."

(but wouldn't this save me time?)

On Boot's Children Cough Medicine -- "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication."

(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction and auto accidents if we could just get those 5 & 6 year-olds with head-colds out of the cars and off those bulldozers.)

On Nytol Sleep Aid -- "Warning: May cause drowsiness."

(...I'm taking this because???....)

On most brands of Christmas lights -- "For indoor or outdoor use only."
(as opposed to what?)

On a Japanese food processor -- "Not to be used for the other use."
(now, somebody out there, help me on this. I'm a bit curious.)

On Sainsbury's peanuts -- "Warning: contains nuts."
(talk about a news flash- What did you expect?? )

On an American Airlines packet of nuts -- "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."
(Step 3: say what?)

On a child's Superman costume -- "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."

Fabulous Washer/Dryer

The last posts were pretty long so just let me say the new appliances are in and the delivery guys thanked me profusely for being so prepared. I have done three loads of wash. How do I like them you ask.... well........... I LOVE THEM...............and most especially I love our kids for their tender generosity. THANKS KIDS!!!!!!saying thanks just doesn't even come close to how we feel. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Getting Ready for the New Appliances

New washer and dryer coming.......oh dear I need to get ready. Being auction night I prepared for the new washer and dryer. I asked Art if there was a trick or anything I needed to know in removing the old appliances to which he said no. First let me say he can say that as he is so familiar with it, there is no trick or anything to know for him.
I found two handcarts, one completely full of stuff and one that wasn't too full. I opted for the less full. This proved to be a bad choice as it had a flat tire. Well.....I used it anyway. I got the dryer to the door way only to discover it wouldn't fit with the door on. OK now I had take the door off. Of coarse the pins were stuck so after several trips to the garage trying various tools I finally got the door removed. Whew! the dryer was out. Now for the washer. Let me just pause here and say it is probably a good thing the washer is so heavy because I think if I could lift it, I would have pitched it out the window. Anyway after struggling to get the hose connections to the water supply loose I thought I had it whipped. But as I stated the handcart I was using had a flat tire and the washer was so heavy that it tipped and more water came spilling out..............yes all over my drying carpet. In the words of Miss R..."dang it". So I had to clean up that mess. But I got the room ready for the new appliances with much excitement and anticipation. When Art got home from the auction he found me struggling with the handrail so he took it down for me. We are all set.

New Washer/Dryer

So Thursday I knew I needed to get the washer repaired as I do laundry almost everyday and I had rugs and towels that were soaked from the flood and I need to get them washed and I didn't want to get behind on my laundry. I know I am weird like that. Anyway,I called my trusty repairman early but his office wasn't open yet so I left a message. While I was waiting for him to call I researched washers so I could replace the flood causing washer. Then MK called and very stealthy she asked about what my plans for the day were and what I was going to do about the washer. I never tumbled. I told her I was waiting for the repair guy to call and I was just going to get the washer fixed and that was my plan for the day. When the repair guy called and I made arrangements for him to come late morning. Then a very short time later a man from Lowes called to tell me had a delivery for me and it was a new washer and dryer. He said my daughter wanted it delivered right away...................hmmmmmm. I called her to tell her not to do that to which she tried to claim her innocence. Hello!!!!...... I am the master at avoiding a direct answer when I am trying to be sneaky like that so I saw right through her attempts. While listening to her avoidance and denial a call came through from the repair guys office. I was told my daughter in law canceled the repair as I was getting a new one. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I called MK, she didn't deny it and when I tried to get her to cancel she refused and said it was coming and get over it. Our kids (and when I say our kids I include our in-law kids as I consider them my kids and not in-law.)bought us a new fabulous steam washer and dryer to be delivered on Friday morning. What sweet kids!!! Art and I so lucky to have such wonderful thoughtful kids in our lives. We are so blessed and love them so much.

Oh No It is a FLOOD

Wednesday started off as a normal day. On this Wednesday, my Miss R was coming to spend the day. I decided to get the wash started early so before she came I started a load of wash. Even though she was very much awake when she arrived, she wanted to lay in my bed and watch cartoons. This is a favorite treat of hers. So we climbed in bed and watched 2 episodes of Dora the Explorer. Then we had breakfast and played a little. I forgot about the wash.

I told her I need to get Megamans birthday package ready to mail, so down the stairs we went. As I stepped off the stairs my foot was immediately covered in water. I yelled “Oh NO, Oh NO, Oh No”. Miss R asked what was wrong. I told her not to step off the stairs but she did and her feet were covered. I said “on no it is a flood to which she put her hand up to her forehead and in a disgusted voice simply stated “OH DANG IT”. She took the words right out of my mouth. She repeated this several times throughout the day. I ran to the washer and water was pouring out. As you know the washer is suppose to shut the water off after the tub is full. Well it didn’t. Oh horrors!!! It had done that a couple of times before but I caught it before it got bad but not this time and it was bad.

I hurried and picked up things off the floor and tried to assess the damage. Fortunately it only soaked the game room, the bathroom, the storage close,t furnace closet, and the closet in the spare bedroom. But soaked it did.

Art was attending an important conference so I knew I couldn’t call him so I fired off an email asking him to call me first chance he got. He thought someone had died or was in the hospital so he immediately called. I asked where fans could be located as I didn’t want to take Miss R out to the garage maze to look and I can’t even make it to the third bay without having to clear a path first so I was hoping he could tell me where to find fans without having to do that. Success. He said there were two fans in the storage shed in the backyard. Well yes there were two fans but only one worked so I had to keep moving it around the room. I got my carpet shampooer and it sucked the water up out of the carpet. The bad part of that was I could only go a short distance and it was completely full and had to be emptied so it took me about 6 hours. I was praying the whole time I would be able to save the carpet. I also knew some of the sheet rock was wet and I only had one fan so I got the hair dryer out and used it on the sheet rock. Whew it worked, it was just time consuming

Just as I thought it couldn’t get any worse…………..it did. Art said to open the windows so the moisture would have an escape. This was a great idea in theory. When I opened the window in the game room the thought came to me this is a bad idea as there is no screen on the window. But I don’t always follow my instincts when I am stressed. Well as I was sucking water out of the carpet I heard a familiar sound and out of the corner of my eye saw a flutter……………………….on dang it, it was a bird. I grabbed a pillow and started to chase it. I needed it to fly back out of the window and not fly up the stairs. Well when I started to chase the bird, it got scared……………….yes it pooped. I couldn’t believe it. Now not only did I have a flood, I had a poopy flood. Talk about a crappy deal.

Anyway I got it cleaned up and Miss R was so great and made me laugh all day.