Happy New Year

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today. :( He will be working at the mall for a little while tomorrow. We will be having the traditional New Year’s Day meal tomorrow of black-eyed peas, cabbage, roast and cornbread.

I received a call from a realtor this morning who has a client in town for the weekend searching for a house. She is trying to schedule showings and wanted to know if we would mind her showing ours this weekend. I told her anytime over the weekend would be fine. You never know when the right person will come along.

I baked some goodies to take to the fire station to snack on tonight while we play 10 Penny and ring in the new year. John, a few firefighters and I played 10 Penny until 11:30 p.m. John was about ready to go to bed so I headed on home.

Happy New Year to all our family and friends. We wish everyone health and prosperity in the new year.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy Trails. Stay safe.

2,258 alarms for 2009.

Stay Safe

Mulching leaves.

John off today but he got up early to mulch the leaves in the yard before the rain came.  He took a nap afterwards.  While he was napping I went to my hair appointment.  I had to get some of that gray stuff in my hair covered up. I may be older than John but I don’t want to look like it. LOL

John will be at the fire station on New Year’s Eve to bring in the new year.  I will be cooking our traditional black-eyed peas, cornbread and cabbage for New Year’s Day.  The rumor is that it will bring you luck in the new year.  Ok, I am not superstitious but any help selling this house would be greatly appreciated…..so I will cook and eat those black-eyed peas.  LOL

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

No Country for Old Men

John off today.  He took Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha back home to Crystal Springs after breakfast this morning.  While he was gone I cleaned house and later on  made a grocery run and a trip to the book store.  Gotta have something good to read!!

Later this afternoon John drove over to Dawg’s to get his mower so he can mulch the leaves tomorrow.   I know that is just what he wants to do on his day off.  The yard is so full of leaves every time you open the door they get in the house. LOL

Nothing much going on.  We are chilling out in front of the TV watching “No Country for Old Men”.  It is a very violent movie.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

John finally got his haircut.

John worked a partial shift at the FD today.  Before going in to work he did manage to get his haircut.  His schedule had been so hectic before Christmas he hadn’t been able to find the time until today.

I took the ring John got me for Christmas back to the jeweler today to have it re-sized.  I sure hope it doesn’t take too long! I want to wear it. LOL

Not too much news today. Tonight Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha, Fred the beagle and I are just chilling out and watching television.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Christmas Lights

John off today. Yeah!!!!  The day started off slowly as we all slept late….almost 9:30!!  Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha, John and I  watched a movie called The Contract.  It was fast paced with many twists and turns which kept you interested. 

After watching the movie John went over to the neighbor’s house to repair the worm gear on their garage door opener motor.  I know his efforts were well appreciated as the garage door had been out of service for a few days.

Tonight we took Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha out driving to look at Christmas lights.  There were several with lights that flashed in sync with music. We all enjoyed the outing very much.  

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Christmas Dinner after Christmas.

John off today. Yeah!!!  Since John was at the fire station yesterday we had Christmas dinner with Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha and his sister Mary Lee and her family today.  Our menu included:  Ham, broccoli casserole, carrot soufflé,  green beans, potato salad, rolls and assorted desserts.

Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha will be staying for a short visit and returning home on Tuesday.

Hope all our family and friends have enjoyed their Christmas holiday.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Merry Christmas

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today. :(   After John left for work I cooked a carrot soufflé’  to take to Bob and Marcy’s along with the dishes that John and I cooked yesterday.  John drove over to Bob and Marcy’s and met me for Christmas lunch there.  It was just the four of us but we had good food and a nice time.  Tomorrow Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha and John’s sister Mary Lee and her family will join us for Christmas lunch at our house.

I visited John at the FD tonight and they had their Dirty Santa gift giving party.  It was quite comical as they are a funny group of guys who like to joke around with each other.  It is always entertaining. LOL

We wish all our family, friends and the military men and women serving our country a very Merry Christmas.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy Trails.  Stay safe.

Christmas Eve

John off today. Yeah!!!! This morning started off with a cooking frenzy. John said he would help so that was good. As I was getting ingredients for several dishes together I realized I needed butter and that I had purchased dill relish instead of sweet relish. That was an “OH NO” moment but John, being the sweetheart that he is, said he would go to Wal-mart for me. Is he brave or what? LOL The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent cooking.

Tonight we drove over to Bob and Marcy’s for our annual Christmas Eve party with my family. Marcy, Bob, Annie, Terry, Robert, Kelsey, John and I enjoyed a variety of foods and then gathered around to open presents. Robert and Kelsey left a little early to go over to Kelsey’s Mom and Dads to open presents there. The rest of us decided to play a round of 10 Penny. It was very amusing as it was Terry’s first time to play but he soon caught on. Before we knew it, it was 10:30 p.m. and as John has to work at the fire station tomorrow it was time to go home and get some sleep.

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Burgers and Christmas Ham.

John at the mall today but got off early because it started to rain. Yeah!!!   He made a Wal-mart run for some last minute grocery items….again!! LOL   I think we are keeping Wal-mart in business.

This afternoon John and I went to visit Nicole Jenkins, wife of firefighter Matt Jenkins, who recently had their second child.  He came 2 1/2 weeks early.  They live in Flora, MS which is a 30 minute trip for us so afterward we stopped at a local burger joint called The Blue Rooster.  They have assorted burgers and sandwiches on their menu as well as a “build your own” burger.  John ordered  “The Old Fashioned”  burger.  It had chili and onions along with the other normal toppings on it.  I chose the “build your own” burger.  The food was good but I like the Mug Shot's Grill burgers better. (This is the burger place we ate at with Mike and Leslie when they were visiting)

After returning home John baked the Christmas ham and we chilled out the rest of the evening.  I will be busy cooking tomorrow.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Lunch with friends.

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today. I met with my friends and former co-workers Kay and Amy for lunch today. We had a nice lunch at Alumni House and exchanged Christmas gifts.

Later in the afternoon I picked up my mother and we went to Wal-mart for some last minute gift cards and boxes. That’s right….another Wal-mart trip. Just when you think you are finished you remember something you forgot on the last trip …or something else comes up that requires more stuff. LOL The store was crowed and the traffic was heavy even early in the afternoon.

I brought John dinner to the fire station and I left as they started playing 10 Penny as I had promised my mom and dad I would play 10 Penny with them. Mom won the first round and I won the second. I don't know how the guys at the fire station fared with their games but I am sure they had a good time as usual.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Wal-Mart….grocery shopping!

John off today. Yeah !! We slept in late….almost 10:00!!! I think we could really get used to this. The weather was nice today…..so warm we wore short sleeves.

Later this afternoon John and I ventured out into the crazy shopping world to get a wedding gift for one of the fire fighters and to go grocery shopping at …..WAL-MART… of all places! After purchasing the wedding gift at Bed, Bath and Beyond we decided we were hungry and ended up at a local Chinese buffet. The food was very good and at the end of the meal the waitress brought us our fortune cookies. Mine read, “The winds of change will blow your way next month” and John’s read, “Never give up” I wonder if that means something about the house. I sure hope it does. LOL

By the time we reached Wal-Mart it was after 5:30 p.m. and just in time for the after work rush crowd. What was I thinking???

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Debra, a friend and reader of the blog asked about 10 penny. Debra this is a link for the card game 10 penny. We use 3 decks of cards including the jokers.

Stay Safe

Wrapping Gifts

John at the mall from 1 to 9 today. :( 

This afternoon I picked my Mom up and took her to finish her shopping.  The traffic and amount of people in the stores was crazy!  Afterward I returned home and wrapped all the gifts I had purchased the other day.  Ok, now I am tired of wrapping. LOL

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Shopping, 10 Penny and Christmas lights.

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today.  My sister and I went shopping today and were glad to finally get it all done.  The traffic and crowds in the stores are crazy!  After all that shopping I decided to fix tacos with rice and beans for dinner.  It was quick and I was tired so I chose something easy.

I brought John dinner to the fire station and stayed to play a round of 10 penny.  It was very entertaining as they are all so vocal.

After leaving the fire station I  picked up Bob and Marcy and we drove around looking at all the Christmas lights.  This is something we like to do every year.  We noticed there were fewer people decorating this year and thought it might be due to the economy. 

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Back home…..very very tired.

I arrived back home at 1:00 a.m. this morning. Very very tired. The funeral for my uncle was at 2:00 p.m. with a dinner and slide slow at the fellowship hall following the service. There were relatives I had not seen in 30 years. It was good to see them and see how much everyone had changed since childhood. The sad part of it all is that funerals are usually the only time and place people make the time to get together. It seems everyone has too much to do to keep in touch and before you know it a large portion of the uncles, aunts and cousins have passed away. Mom, Dad and I did not leave until after 5:00 p.m. and we agreed we would drive until we got tired then stop and find a hotel room. We were making great time until we came into Baton Rouge, LA. The traffic was stop and go and we were stuck there for over an hour in the pouring rain but surprising enough we were all wide awake so we decided to drive thru and get home.

John was scheduled to work at the mall today from 7 to 3 but got off early….around noon. Yeah!!!! He ran a few errands after work and since then we have been at home chilling out.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Good Day

Got off from the FD, 11 calls yesterday and last night, then headed to the mall. Usual mall day except we had our Christmas party which was catered by Mint Restaurant. After lunch, much to my surprise they gave all of us a Christmas bonus then had a few drawings for prizes. I ended up with a gift card for Barnes and Noble and a dinner for two at Mint Restaurant, sweet.
I got off at 2:30 and dropped off some of the leftover food at the fire station. I got home and refrigerated what I had then went to Sears to order a microwave/vent a hood. Ours burnt out yesterday morning. Delivery is expected Jan 12th. Left Sears and picked up Fred from the dog hotel and brought him home, he was happy. From there I headed out to Bass Pro Shop to pick up a hand held GPS unit (Garmin eTrex Venture HC) that we will use during retirement. As I was leaving Bass Pro Shop (4:45pm), Bridget called and said they had just finished eating and were getting on the road heading back to MS. They will most likely stop somewhere tonight and arrive tomorrow. I work the mall 7-3 tomorrow.

Stay Safe

Arrived Safely

Today I worked the FD. Bridget and her parents were off to Vidor, TX for a funeral. Her uncle passed away with his family with him at home. He will be missed by all that knew him. Bridget called after they arrived and were checked in to the hotel in Vidor. She was planning to call her cousin Daniel to see if they could get together for dinner. Usual FD day for me, working the mall tomorrow and Friday on the 7-3 shift. Nothing exciting going on here, just ready for the house to sell so we can get on the road.

Stay Safe

Mom Hatch & Aunt Martha’s last day of their visit.

Today is the last day of Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha’s visit.  John was off today and met with the attorney to finalize Mom Hatch’s estate planning.

Bob and Marcy had an appointment to have maintenance work done on their car today and I was to pick them up early this morning.  Afterwards we planned on meeting up with Annie and going Christmas shopping. Annie had an exam with her company first thing this morning.  She passed and was so excited as it will give her a designation with the company.  Congratulations Annie.

By the time Annie met up with us it was lunchtime so we decided to go to Piccadilly restaurant.  I called John and he, Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha had just left the attorney’s office  so they met us for lunch.  After lunch John drove Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha back home to Crystal Springs and the rest of us continued on with the Christmas shopping determined to finish. 

Tomorrow I will be traveling with Bob and Marcy to Vidor, Texas to attend the funeral of our Uncle Ben Wallace. 

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Daughter-in-Law out of gas.

John off today. Yeah!!!!  We woke up to rain and temperatures in the low 60s.  Pretty harm for December.  John fixed us all a nice breakfast of biscuits, bacon and eggs.  It was yummy.

We received a distress call from our daughter-in-law this morning.  She was on her way to work and ran out of gas a short distance from our house. John hurried to her rescue.  It seems her day started out as one of those when you just want to go back home and start over.   I think her day got better though.

Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha, John and I have watched several Christmas movies today. Surprisingly, there are still a few we had not seen.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Sad News

John still at FD today. :(  It looks like the rain may be leaving us today. Yeah!!!

I received sad news today that my uncle, Ben Wallace of Vidor, Texas passed away early this morning.   His wife and eight children had gathered last night to have a family dinner and to decorate the Christmas tree and house as they do every year.   At least they were all together one last time.

Bob and Marcy came over tonight and played a few rounds of 10 penny.  Marcy beat us severely. LOL  I think we need a rematch.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails.  Stay safe.

The rain is back!

John at the FD for the first half of a 48 hour shift.  :(    It has been raining on and off all day long and I think the same is expected for tomorrow.  The good thing about the weather is that it is not really cold.

Not much news today.  Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha entertained themselves watching the game show network while I played bejeweled, wrapped a few Christmas gifts and finished making a Christmas wreath.

Bob and Marcy came over tonight and played a couple rounds of 10 Penny.  It was entertaining.

To our RV friends Jim and Dee, congratulations on getting your new rig.  May you have many happy trials in it.  We hope to see you on the road real soon.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Lunch and a Wedding.

John off today. Yeah!!  I met my friend and former co-worker Amy for lunch today at Alumni House, a local sports grill.  Our other friend Kay was supposed to meet us there but was sick with a migraine.  Sure hope she feels better soon. 

John attended the wedding of Jeff Case, a fellow firefighter tonight.  We wish them much love and happiness in their future together.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

No news on house showing.

John at the FD today for a 24 hour shift. :(   My day consisted of fixing meals, laundry and polishing furniture. So much fun I just can’t stand it. LOL

No news from the realtor who showed the house yesterday.  Hopefully someone will come along real soon and make an offer.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails. Stay safe.

Realtor showed the house today!

John off today. Yeah!!! The rain has gone and the sun is shining bright….temperatures are a little cooler.

Right before lunch we received a call from a realtor asking if she could show our house. Well……of course she can. LOL  This is the first showing so far this month. She said she had a client flying in from Chicago who wanted to buy a house before Christmas.  Needless to day, we straightened everything up and Mom Hatch, Aunt Martha, John and I left and had lunch at Applebee’s.  No word back from the showing.  We are keeping our fingers crossed. This house selling business is tiring stuff.  It needs to sell….we want to be on the road with our camping  buddies!!!!!

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Rain, Rain Go Away!!!!

John off today.  He cooked yummy waffles for breakfast.  Thank you John. 

The weather is definitely warmer today but it has rained all day on and off; sometimes very heavy.  We are under a tornado watch tonight until 9:00 p.m.  Tomorrow the temperatures will be much much cooler.  Sure will be glad when this weather moves on out.

John took Aunt Martha to her follow up dentist appointment this afternoon.  She is having a crown replaced.  You know how it is with the dentist…..they keep you coming back.

I cooked a meatloaf (John’s favorite) with sauced cauliflower (Leslie’s recipe) for dinner.  Thanks to Leslie for giving me this recipe.  Everyone loved it.

Update on Ina Jo:  She will be going home from the hospital tomorrow.  She is so happy that she will be going home for Christmas.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Drizzling Rain

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today. The weather here today is chilly with drizzling rain. Just enough to make the roads a dangerous place for stupid drivers.

John said they had 10 or so wrecks and medical aid calls; not unusual for this type of weather.

I drove Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha to a dentist appointment earlier this morning and the crazy drivers were out in full force. On the way going and coming we saw two cars that had run off in ditches and one guy in a truck almost hit us on the interstate. I was glad to get back home.

Bob and Marcy came over late in the afternoon to visit with Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha. We had burgers and fries for dinner and then Bob, Marcy and I played a few rounds of 10 Penny.

Update on Ina Jo: The social worker met with the family today and it is very likely she will go home this week. Thanks for all the prayers.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Just a regular day….not much news.

John at FD for a 12 hour shift. He is working for someone else today. The snow has all gone away and the sun has been out most of the day. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be rainy but a little warmer.

Mom and Aunt Martha watched the movies Fracture and The Accidental Husband today. They both liked Fracture the best as they love murder mysteries. I caught up on housework and boring stuff like that today. Not much news to tell.

Missing our camping buddies and hope to be on the road soon.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Bye Bye Snow

John off from FD today but has to work at the mall for a few hours.  Woke up to snow on the ground this morning.  There was just enough accumulation to say it snowed.  The sun was shining bright and the snow started melting.  It was pretty while it lasted.

John stayed at home with Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha while I ran a few errands before he had to go to work at the mall.

Update on Ina Jo:  The doctors say she has greatly improved and will most likely go home next week.  Thanks for all the prayers.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Where’s the snow? See below

John at FD for a 24 hour shift today. :( I drove Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha to Crystal Springs for their doctor appointment this afternoon. We were early so they took them early and we were on our way back home in a little over an hour. Pretty good for a doctor’s office.

Since the weather has been getting colder all day I decided to cook some homemade soup and a large pan of cornbread for dinner. Cold weather and homemade soup just seem to go together.

Snow or snow flurries are in the forecast but so far I have not seen any. It is very rare for us to get accumulations of snow here.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

The snow had already started melting by the time I got home about 8:30am on 12/5.

The parking lot and roads were to warm for it to stick.

It was about 35 degrees when it started snowing around 7pm.

Looking toward the road from the parking lot.

Looking back to the trees in the back parking lot.

Front of the station and memorial garden.

The Ram at rest.

Side shot of the Ram.

The forecast started off with snow for southern Mississippi. We were to get a dusting. It started snowing about 7pm at the FD and stopped around midnight. We had between a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch accumulation. A little more then a dusting. It was after 8:30 when it started at the house.

Stay Safe

Added Saturday morning.

Not Much News Today

John off today from both jobs. Yeah!!! The weather here is quite cool but not rainy. Not much news today.

John stayed home today with Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha while I took my mom to finish her Christmas shopping. The stores weren’t too crowded and she was able to get everything done without waiting long in the checkout lines.

For dinner I prepared French fried onion chicken and rice pilaf as well as a spring mix salad with bleu cheese crumbles, glazed almonds and raspberry walnut dressing. Thanks to Leslie for the salad tips.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Leslie and Mike left today…..sad sad!!!

John at the mall 3 to 11 today. :( Leslie and Mike left today to start their journey back to Utah to be with their family for Christmas. We are really going to miss them.

I left early this morning to attend the funeral of John’s niece’s dad who passed away Sunday suddenly. Makes for a sad beginning of the day.

John arrived home shortly after I did with Mom Hatch and Aunt Martha. They will be visiting for a while.

I received a phone call from Leslie letting us know she and Mike had arrived in Shreveport, Louisiana safely. Sure wish we were on the road with them.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Mike and Leslie’s Last Day is Mississippi

John at the FD today for a 24 hour shift. Today will be Mike and Leslie’s last day in Mississippi. We did not have any set plans today and decided on running around and visiting some local outlet and salvage stores. I was looking for some cheap Christmas decorations for staging the house….since it is still on market. I did find some Christmas napkins for the table but still need a centerpiece.

After all the running around we called John and he met us for dinner at the local Applebee’s. John and Mike chose sirloin steaks while Leslie and I opted for the Fiesta Lime Chicken. The food was great. We finished our meal and visited for a long while. Finally, John left to go back to the fire station and Mike, Leslie and I returned to our house. We did make one final Wal-Mart trip so Mike and Leslie could stock up before hitting the road tomorrow.

We will miss them terribly and hope to see them down the road soon.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Mugshots ……. Again!

Mike and Leslie had an appointment at the RV shop today to complete the repairs on their rig. John worked at the mall today but got off early. He got home around lunchtime so we called Mike and Leslie to see if they would like to go and have lunch somewhere. When John called them they had just arrived back at the campground and were ready for some lunch. We decided on Mugshots since John had never been there and we enjoyed it so much the other day. The burgers are so large that Leslie and I opted to split one with a side of onion rings. It was just enough.

After lunch John and I dropped Mike and Leslie off at their place and continued on to pickup our truck at the body shop and to return the loaner vehicle. This meant we spent most of the afternoon driving back and forth across town. :( Needless today it was very tiring. On the way back through town we stopped off at Mike and Leslie’s. They were chilling out in their rv. The weather here today has been really ucky…….rainy, wet and quite chilly. We stayed and chatted for a while ……John even fell asleep in the chair while Leslie and I visited. We were all kind of worn out so John and I called it a day and returned home early. John will be at the FD tomorrow so Mike, Leslie and I will probably find something to get into.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Leftovers and Movies

John off today. Yeah!!!! We did not have any definite plans for the day except to get together with Mike and Leslie and see what we could get into. LOL Later in the morning John made a Wal-mart run to get dog food for Fred…. he was running low and Fred would not be happy if he ran out of his favorite food. Of course any food is Fred’s favorite food. LOL While at Wal-mart John stopped by Redbox and picked up the videos he rented on line; The Ugly Truth and Grand Torino .

I called Leslie to see if they wanted to come over for lunch and to watch movies. Mike and Leslie came over and brought some lunch items. We combined their items with some of our leftovers and had a nice lunch.

Then it was movie time! The Ugly Truth would probably be viewed as more of a chick flick but there were enough funny moments to keep the guys interested. The best movie of the two, I think, is Gran Torino. You just can’t go wrong with Clint Eastwood. In this movie he is at his best as he kicks the bad guys butts and improves the lives of his young friends.

Later on we all got hungry and decided on finishing off the Thanksgiving Dinner leftovers. After dinner Leslie, John and I brought out our laptops to check emails and browse. Of course some of us played a little Bejeweled here and there. During this time Mike was working hard removing some cooked on grime on my stove top that I had not been able to get off. It looks like brand new……. Thanks so much Mike.

Tomorrow Mike and Leslie have an appointment at the Camper Corral to have the remaining repairs made to their rig. We will get together with them later on and see what we can get into.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy Trails. Stay safe.

Burgers

John at FD today for a 24 hour shift. Today was a cleanup day for me. With Thanksgiving over, I spent the morning putting serving dishes and tables and chairs back in their places and straightened up the house.

Later in the afternoon I called Leslie and Mike to see what they had been up to. Mike was busy cleaning the outside of their rig and Leslie was doing some housekeeping. I drove over a little later and we decided to go in search of dinner. After driving by several restaurants and saying Nah…… we came across Mugshots a grill and bar that serves burgers. Leslie and Mike ordered the McDonald burger and I ordered the Middleberger. We had leftovers. LOL This is the best burger I have ever tasted. If you are hungry this is the place for you. All burgers are served with an 8 oz. meat patty with the exception of the Mugshot burger which has three meat patties with six strips of bacon, cheddar and Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato and red onion. If you order the Mugshot burger and finish eating it and the side items in 12 minutes it is free if not, it costs you $20.00 and stomach ache.

We returned to Mike and Leslie’s and watched two movies: Fracture and Fallen. Both movies were full of suspense and many twists and turns.

John is off tomorrow so we will see what the four of us can get into. LOL

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Shopping Day

Today is the day all retailers refer to as Black Friday. It has been a tradition in my family for years to get up early and fight the crowds and shop. Bob, Marcy, Annie and I left a little later this year…. around 7:15 A.M. Yes…. you read correctly….my dad (Bob) joins in on this madness. LOL He enjoys watching all the crazy people and the mid morning snack. By lunchtime Bob and Marcy were ready to return home and have a light lunch and rest so Annie and I dropped them off and headed over to the Renaissance Mall to look through Barnes and Noble and Oswego jewelry store. As we were walking to the book store we spotting John in his golf cart as he was making a trash run at the mall. He asked if we had eaten lunch and since we had not we made plans to meet him after leaving the jewelry store. We met at Biaggi’s, an Italian Restaurant. Annie and I had a bowl of eggplant tomato soup and John chose the half and half (half a roasted turkey avocado sandwich and lettuce wedge salad). After lunch John got off early and returned home for a long nap while Annie and I returned to pick up Marcy to finish her shopping.

I returned home after 4:00 p.m. and found John sitting in the recliner with his laptop reading blogs. We called Mike and Leslie to see if they wanted to go out to eat with us. We chose Cafe Azteca. This is the restaurant we took Joe and Sherri to when they visited a few months ago. It is a unique little Mexican restaurant with good food. Mike, Leslie and John all chose the Pitarillo (don’t know if I spelled that correctly) and I opted for the Azteca Taco special.

On the way back to Mike and Leslie’s we stopped to buy a carton of ice cream and a bag of ice. While in the store, Leslie and I spotted a rack of movie DVDs. I purchased one and when it rang up for $4.98 I just had to have another one. With our purchases in hand we returned to Mike and Leslie’s and settled in to watch Training Day. John had already seen it but said he would watch it again. The movie contained strong language and was fast paced with lots of twists and turns in the plot. Of course we had ice cream and a cookie before the night was over.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy Trails. Stay safe.

Happy Thanksgiving

The day started out with the large turkey breast roasting in the oven and the smells of other side dishes drifting through the house. Ahhhhh it does make you hungry. LOL John and I had planned on 15 guests and borrowed an extra table and chairs from Bob and Marcy. Mid morning Mike and Leslie arrived and brought an extra table to use for the buffet line. They also helped with decorating, table settings, gravy making and turkey carving. Thanks so much Mike and Leslie. Your help was greatly appreciated and your company very much enjoyed.

Our Thanksgiving Menu:

1. Turkey and Dressing
2. Ham
3. Broccoli & Rice Casserole
4. Corn Casserole
5. Green Beans
6. Vegetable Casserole
7. Fresh Green Salad
8. Creamed Potatoes
9. Yeast Rolls
10. Pecan Pie
11. Pumpkin Bread
12. Banana Pudding
13. Apple Pie
14. Yellow Cake with Chocolate Icing

The final count on the guests rose to 18 but we were able to accommodate everyone. We all gathered around as Bob gave the blessing and the feasting began. There was plenty of food to go around. My thanks to everyone who brought side dishes. They were all very very good. Some of us decided to eat dessert right after the meal and others……well……..we had to wait a awhile. LOL

Annie and Terry left early to visit Terry’s mother Ina Jo who has been in the hospital for three weeks with pneumonia and a heart attack. We still pray for her continued recovery. She is in a rehabilitation facility and has had some good days and bad days.

Several other guests also left early to visit with other in-laws. Soon there were only Bob, Marcy, Mike, Leslie and John and I. Since there were just a few of us we decided it was a good time for some 10 Penny. You know the ladies needed a rematch!!!! LOL Unfortunately….. the men beat us again!!!! Oh well, there is always next time.

At the end of the day we realized we were so busy visiting that we forgot to take pictures.

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy Trails. Stay Safe.

The Ham

John at FD today for a 24 hour shift. I went to Wal-mart at 7:40 a.m. to get a few items I needed for Thanksgiving Dinner. This is the best time to go to Wal-mart because it seems the rest of the world has not gotten up yet and you can get in and out of the store in no time at all. LOL By noon I had the dressing and broccoli and rice casserole done. Around 12:15 Marcy and Bob arrived with the 10 pound bone-in ham. I started baking it at 12:30 and it was not done until 6:30. So I guess you can say the ham hammed the day. LOL

As soon as I finished cleaning up the kitchen I drove over to Mike and Leslie’s. We went to Party City and picked up two table cloths and table decorations then on to Kohl’s we went. After browsing around for a little while we all agreed we didn’t find anything we just couldn’t live without so we headed back to Mike and Leslie’s. I visited with them while Leslie prepared her pecan pies for tomorrow then drove back home.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Wine Burgers and a trip to the casino.

John off from work today. Yeah!!! We drove over and picked up Mike and Leslie for lunch at McBs. We all had wine burgers which are a specialty at McBs. Along with the burgers we had onion rings, fried pickles and banana pudding. After lunch we headed to Philadelphia, Mississippi to the Silver Star Casino. Our first stop was the customer service desk where the casino gave us free money to play on. We really liked that. :) With our players cards in hand we were off to the slot machines to try our luck. A little while later John came around and flashed his voucher for $60.00. I decided to try my luck on the same type of machine and won $69.99 but eventually played the $9.99 down so I also ended up with $60.00. Mike played the slots for a while and then went on to the black jack tables…don’t really know the finally verdict on his luck. Leslie, however, was the biggest winner with a whopping $265.00 on the Hot Shots machine. You know after playing we got hungry so we were off to the buffet. Mike treated all of us to dinner. Thanks Mike. By this time it was nearing 8:00 p.m. so we headed home.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Dinner at Mike and Leslie’s.

John will be at the mall today from 3 to 11. The day started out with John working on the brakes of the borrowed car. After lunch Leslie and Mike came over and shortly there after it was time for John to head off to the mall.

We had no particular plans for today so we made a Wal-Mart run and while there made decisions the dinner menu. On the way out of the store Leslie rented the movie “The Proposal” from Red Box. We had seen this movie once before but enjoyed again. For dinner Mike grilled some flat iron steaks and Leslie prepared salad with glazed almonds and a yummy cauliflower dish. Everything was so tasty. Thanks for dinner Mike and Leslie. :)

After dinner we were sitting around chatting and John called to say we had gotten off early. He came over to Mike and Leslie’s and we played a round of 10 Penny.

Our plans for tomorrow: Silver Star casino. Sure hope we have good luck.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

The Accidental Husband

John at the FD for a 24 hour shift today. The weather was ucky today with a misting rain and cooler temperatures. Mid morning I called Leslie to see if she and Mike were up and about and to make some plans for the day. We had talked of going to an area casino today but we decided to wait until Tuesday when John would be off and could go with us. Since the weather was nasty we opted for a movie and popcorn. Yesterday in our ramblings I found the newly released “The Accidental Husband” and I just had to have it because Jeffery Dean Morgan was in it. So, we popped come popcorn and settled in to watch it. It is a romantic comedy and is more of a chick flick but Mike humored us and sat through it. It is a cute movie.

Finally, it was time to decide on what to eat for dinner. I had some homemade spaghetti sauce in the freezer but needed a few other items to go with it so we made a Wal-mart run. Good ole Wal-mart!!!! LOL Our menu consisted of spaghetti with meat sauce, salad with sugar roasted almonds (Thanks Leslie) and roasted garlic ciabatta bread. We had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and were about to head to the fire station to bring John some dinner when he texted to ask if we were on the way. He must have been hungry. LOL

Later Bob and Marcy came over to join Leslie, Mike and I in a couple rounds of 10 Penny. I fared better tonight but the cards weren’t so kind to my dad.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Browsing in the stores.

John at the mall today from 3 to 11. :(  Called Leslie and Mike to see what adventures we could get into today.  I went by their place to pick them up.  We decided to go to one of the new malls in the area an look around.  After browsing through Borders, Belk, Kirkland’s and Hobby Lobby we made a Wal-Mart run for a few needed items. 

Since it was past supper time, we were hungry and started searching for a place to eat.  We chose Penn’s Restaurant.  Their specialty is chicken on a stick, fried pickles and fried catfish.  Mike and Leslie chose catfish dinners and I chose a shrimp poboy sandwich.  The food was very tasty.  After dinner we returned to Mike and Leslie’s and chatted a while then called it a night.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Jerry’s Catfish House

John off today. Yeah! Leslie and Mike arrived at our house around 11:00 a.m.. Leslie and I left soon thereafter and headed over to the salon for Leslie’s hair appointment. Kim, the owner of the shop is a friend of mine and always has lively conversations going on. We all chatted and laughed while she cut Leslie’s hair. My appointment was supposed to be for 1:50 p.m. but Kim realized she had plenty of time to cut mine before her next appointment so I would not have to leave and return. This worked out great as Mike and John had gone to John’s barber for haircuts and arrived home right before us. We decided on hotdogs for lunch since we had plans to go out for catfish for dinner. After lunch we rode over to the Renaissance Mall to walk around and look in the unique shops. We still had a little time to kill before my sister met us at our house to go to dinner so we rode around the area so Mike and Leslie could see some of the neighborhoods. While riding around a realtor called and asked to show the house….No news on that.

Around 5:15 p.m. Mike, Leslie, my sister Annie, John and I headed to Jerry’s Catfish House for dinner. John ordered some fried pickles for our appetizer. Fried pickles are a Southern favorite at several area restaurants. Everyone had fried catfish except my sister who ordered broiled catfish. After enjoying the meal we returned to our house and visited for a while then decided to call it a night.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

I lost at 10 Penny again!!!!!

John at FD for a 24 hour shift today. I ran a few errands this morning then called Mike and Leslie to see if they wanted to come over. Leslie worked on laundry during the afternoon and Mike cleaned our kitchen ceiling fan. Thanks Mike.

I decided I would cook some of by French Fried Onion Chicken along with rice and steamed carrots for dinner. After we had eaten we drove over to the FD and dropped off John’s dinner plate.

Then it was on to Barnes and Noble for some browsing. Leslie and I both found two books that we just could not leave without.

Bob and Marcy called while on their way home from the Silver Star Casino and we told them we were going to play 10 Penny and to come on over. Since it was an odd number of players we counted our scores individually. I lost…….again. LOL

Tomorrow Leslie and I have appointments at the local salon to get our hair cut. After that who knows……we will see what we can get into.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Mama Hamil’s

John off from both jobs today. Yeah!!!  The day started off with John going to give blood at the local blood drive. As soon as he returned home we called Mike and Leslie to make some plans for the day.  It was lunch time so we decided on Mama Hamil’s,  a local family owned and operated restaurant.  Mama Hamil’s serves a large assortment of vegetables, meats, salads and desserts in Southern style.  If you ever travel to Madison Mississippi this place is well worth stopping for. We all enjoyed the great food.

Since we were so full we decided to take a drive up the Natchez Trace and hike up the Cypress Swamp Trail.  The walk was nice even though the weather was cool.  

We returned home and Bob and Marcy came over brought a video of James Gregory for Mike and Leslie to watch. He is a Southern comedian who finds humor in Southern life and traditions. After watching the video it was time for re-match of 10 Penny.  We decided to play partners, ladies against the men.  The men were victorious…..and they gloated. LOL   We will get them next time. Sure wish Joe and Sherri were here to join in on the fun.  We miss you guys.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Meeting up with friends.

John at the mall from 3 to 11 today. We spent the morning taking care of errands before John went to work. Mike and Leslie spent their morning at the Camper Corral seeing about the needed repairs to their rig. The technician fixed their fireplace but had to order parts for the toilet repairs. I met up with Mike and Leslie after lunch and we decided to make a run to Kohl’s. I had Kohl’s cash and it was burning a whole in my pocket! By the time we got through looking around and shopping it was time to find something to eat. We decided on Zaxbys, which serves chicken sandwiches, chicken strips and a variety of salads with chicken. It is a favorite of mine and I thought they would enjoy it. Mike decided on the Caesar salad, Leslie chose the house salad with fried chicken and I opted for the house salad with grilled chicken. The food was very good.

My mom and dad wanted to meet Mike and Leslie so we all met up at our house and played two rounds of 10 Penny. We shared lots of laughs and enjoyed the game. Mike and I unfortunately were at the bottom of the scoreboard. That’s ok Mike we will beat them next time. :) John came in from work while we were playing the second round so he got to visit a little bit before we called it quits for the night. We sure miss our friends Joe and Sherri!

Update on Ina Jo: She was moved to the rehabilitation facility on Monday and is doing quite well.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Mike and Leslie are here.

John at FD for a 24 hour shift today. I met John and some of the old TSC gang at the Grand China Buffet for lunch today. The food was good.

Mike and Leslie made it here this afternoon. Yeah!!!!!! I drove over to see them as soon I heard they reached the Timberlake Campground. It is sure good to see our friends again. We chatted for a few minutes then decided to stop by the fire station to see John. After leaving the fire station we drove over to Camper Corral so Mike and Leslie would know where to go tomorrow morning for their appointment. By this time we were hungry so we decided on Frisco Deli. Mike had a Muffaletta sandwich with slaw, Leslie had a catfish plate and I decided on a Cajun roast beef sandwich. Sure wish Joe and Sherri were here too.

Update on Ina Jo: She has been moved to the rehabilitation facility at the hospital and is doing much better. Thanks for all the prayers.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Slept in late.

Slept in late today….8:30…woohoo!  Fred usually gets us up around 6:00 or 6:30 but today he slept late too.  John finally caught up with the park patrol to pay for our site.  I don’t think they were too concerned about collecting the money.  We stayed until after lunch and then headed home.  The weather has been great this weekend….cool at night warm during the day.

After arriving home my sister picked me up to go shopping. On the way we picked up our Mom.  JC Penney was having a pre-Christmas sale.  I found king size micro fiber sheets regularly $60.00 for $19.99. Since king size sheets are so expensive my sister and I both bought those.  We also found some great sales on ladies shirts.  I got one for $1.97.  Now that was a deal.  Before we knew it suppertime was upon us so it was time to head home.

Our fellow RV Dreamers Mike and Leslie are scheduled to arrive in town tomorrow.  Can’t wait to see them.

Update on Ina Jo: She continues to improve and is scheduled to be moved to a rehabilitation facility tomorrow.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails. Stay safe.

Leake County Water Park Campground

John arrived home from the FD this morning and started getting the camper ready for our weekend trip. We were supposed to go to Lake Tiak O' Khata in Louisville, Mississippi with another firefighter and his family but they have all come down with the flu. So we ended up going to Leake County Water Park which is about a 45 minute drive from our house. The sites are FHU, concrete pads and are far enough apart so that the next camper is not right on top of you, playground and pool. We did not see an office to register and pay for the sites so we picked one and pulled in. Usually in a place like this someone will come around and collect the fees….so far no one has been by to collect. I guess we will find out tomorrow.

Haven’t heard anything from the second showing of the house. Still got our fingers crossed.

Update on Ina Jo: She is improving and will be moved to a rehabilitation facility on Monday.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy Trails. Stay safe.

Leake County Water Park Pictures (Second Post)

The rest of the pictures

Second Showing on House

John at FD for a 24 hour shift.  Received a call from the realtor who showed the house on Wednesday saying her client wanted to come for a second showing today.  This sounds promising.  I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

Met my sister at our local Chinese restaurant for dinner.  After dinner our Mom and Dad and I drove over to her house and played a couple rounds of 10 Penny.  We played partners….Dad and I got stomped.

Update on Ina Jo:  The respirator has been removed and she has improved enough to be moved to a rehabilitation room tomorrow.  This is great news.  She was hungry today and was even able to eat ice cream. 

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Congratulations Annie

Today started with doctor appointments.  I had an appointment with the dermatologist finally. (Scheduled it in August!!!!)  They are really hard to come by in our area.  John took his Aunt Martha to the cardiologist to have her pace maker checked out.  After his aunt’s doctor appointment John repaired a few items at his Mom’s house in Crystal Springs.

Tonight I attended the Farm Bureau Employee of the year banquet with my sister, Annie Grabiak.  Annie has been with Farm Bureau 26 years.  The last five of these years she has been supervisor of the Word Processing Department.  Beef tenderloin, au gratin potatoes, steamed vegetables, grilled shrimp and salad were served.  The dessert was a chocolate pecan chess pie…..It was to die for.  After everyone had finished with their meal, it was time for the awards.  My sister was awarded supervisor of the year.  She was so surprised when they called her name she was speechless.   Congratulations to her on a much deserved award.

Update on Ina Jo:  She is doing much better and may be moved to a room within the next two days. 

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy Trails.  Stay safe.

Veterans Day

Arlington National Cemetery



Remembering my dad and honoring all those that have served and are currently serving our great land. THANKS for your service to our country.

After breakfast we went to Big Lots to look at rugs for the trailer, found one and it is in the living room of the house until it sells then will go to the trailer. On the way home we stopped of at the Renaissance to eat at Mint Restaurant, Bridget had the meatloaf special and I had a pimento cheese hamburger with sweet potato fries. Played on the computer after getting home then went out to the trailer to take a nap about 1:30. Bridget didn't want me messing up the bed in the house she had already made. We had a showing scheduled for 3:30 but they were early, my nap ended at 3.

Stay Safe

My friend Kay received the best news today after undergoing and completing chemo and radiation for breast cancer. Her life has been turned upside down for over a year with this sickness and the treatments. Last month she completed her last round of chemo and this week she had her final scans done and the results were normal. God has answered her prayers.

Update on Ina Jo: She is still in ICU and on the respirator. The doctors said today that she is improving but it will be a slow process. She is 80 years old and still works in her yard, mows the lawn and walks three to four miles a day. The doctors feel that it is because she was in such good health before the illness that she has survived. Thanks again for the prayers.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Realtors’ Open House

John at FD today for a 24 hour shift.  Our realtor held a realtors’ open house today.  Hopefully this will generate more exposure and showings…..and a BUYER!   I received a call from a realtor tonight and she will be showing our house tomorrow afternoon.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Update on Ina Jo:  She is still in ICU and hanging in there. The doctor tried to wean her off the respirator but had to put her back on it because of complications.  She has really been through it.  They are still awaiting the results of a culture to see what type of bacteria it might be.   Thanks for all the prayers.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy Trails.  Stay Safe.

Realtors’ Open House Tomorrow

John at the mall today 7 to 3.  Not much news today.  I made a run to Kroger for groceries and Fred an I got in a long walk.

After John got home from the mall he repaired some grout work on the floors.

We are having realtors’ open house tomorrow.  I sure hope it will generate some showings and a buyer.  I am so ready sell this house.

Update on Ina Jo:  She is improving and the doctors are going to try and wean her off of the respirator.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Delmonico Potatoes and Steak

John got home from the FD this morning and made pancakes and bacon for breakfast.  I really appreciated that….it was yummy.

John worked at the mall today from 1 to 9.  I cooked Delmonico potatoes, steak and salad for dinner then drove over to the mall to deliver it to John.

Update on Ina Jo:  She is still in ICU and stable.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Birthday Cookout

John at FD on a 24 hour shift today. I attended a birthday cookout for my friend Kay at lunch today. There were lots of family and friends and good burgers. After everyone stuffed themselves we all settled into the living room to play some Catch Phrase.

Tonight I attended a reunion with former co-workers from the law firm where I worked for a short time after I retired. We had Mexican Themed food and it was delicious. Everyone had family stories and job updates to share and since some of us had not seen each other for two years it was almost midnight before we all left.

Poor John was left to fend for himself for lunch and dinner today….but I think he did ok. He grilled a steak at the FD for dinner. :)

Update on Ina Jo: She is still in ICU and has had a setback. Her lungs have started filling with fluid again and she has been placed on a respirator to assist with her labored breathing. The doctors said they now think it is a strange new virus and that she is the tenth person admitted with these baffling symptoms. She was tested for the Swine Flu but it was negative. Please continue to pray for her.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Nice Weather & Golf

John off today. He met with a few other firefighters for 18 holes of golf today.  They all had a great time and went out to eat at Cheddars afterwards.  I haven’t heard any bragging about the scores. LOL

While John was away I polished the furniture and caught up on some household chores.  The weather was so nice today Fred and I got a long walk in. The realtor showed the house this afternoon at 1:00 p.m.  We have not heard anything from that yet.  May one of these will be the right one. :)

Update on Ina Jo:  She is still in ICU and improving.  Thanks for all the prayers.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

Another Showing

John will be at the mall today 3 to 11.  This morning I had my annual physical so I played the hurry up and wait came at the doctor’s office. So much fun….Happy Happy Joy Joy. LOL  Blew the whole morning.  When I finally got back home John and I decided to go to a specialty hardware store to look for slides to be mounted in some of our cabinets in the RV so that I can reach them.  I am so vertically challenged! 

Got a call from a realtor tonight.  They will be showing the house tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.  This will be the second showing this week so far. I will keep my fingers crossed. :)

Update on Ina Jo:  She is still in ICU but is slowing improving.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.

French Fried Onion Chicken Breasts & FD

John at FD today so it was just me and Fred at the house. I got a few chores done today then went to fire station to bring John his lunch and eat with him.  From there I decided to go on to Kohl’s and spend my Kohl’s cash before it expired. 

By the time I returned home it was time to cook something for dinner.  Decisions …. Decisions… LOL  I had some chicken breasts and other assorted ingredients so I made French fried onion chicken breasts with rice pilaf and green beans.  It was something new and John really liked it.   After dinner at the FD I stayed and played 10 Penny with John, Dawg and Marc.   It was not my night.  I lost big time. :(   Oh well, better luck next time.

Update on Ina Jo:  She had a good day today and seems to be improving.  Hopefully by the end of the week she will be moved from the ICU to a room.  Thanks for all the prayers.

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy Trails.  Stay Safe.

Update on Ina Jo

John was off today….from the mall and FD. Yeah!!!! Did not set a clock and even Fred slept late. We had a slow relaxing morning reading blogs and playing bejeweled.

After lunch I met my friend Kay at the movie theater. She was already there when I arrived and had purchased tickets to the Michael Jackson “This is it” tour movie. The special effects and dancing by the backup dancers were very good. There were interviews with the young dancers who were chosen for the tour. For some of them it was a last minute decision to audition for the tour; for others it was fulfilling a lifelong dream.

While I was away John drove over to Upton Tire (where our son Robert works) to get an estimate on replacing the struts and brakes on the loaner car.

I returned home and made a large batch of homemade spaghetti and meat sauce; some for dinner and some to freeze for later.

An update on my sister’s mother in law: Ina Jo is still in ICU. The doctors have determined that she did have a mild heart attack. She had fretful night with labored breathing due to the pneumonia and had to be placed on oxygen. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

To our friend Sherri: We hope you are feeling better today.

Remember to laugh everyday. Happy trails. Stay safe.

Bejeweled..A New High Score…248,350!!!

John and I met with my former TSC co-workers for lunch today and caught up on all the news from my old workplace.  After lunch the realtor called and informed us he would be showing the house at 2:45 so I went off to the dollar store and John went to work at the mall (3-11).  No updates from the realtor so I guess no offer.  I just know there is a buyer out there somewhere. :)

Not much going on tonight so I settled in to watch Dancing With The Stars and play bejeweled.  Wooohooo I finally got a new high score 248,350!!!!! (This is a personal best for me) LOL

Laugh everyday.  Happy Trails.  Stay Safe.

Prayers for Ina Jo

John at FD for a 24 hour shift today.  My sister and I had planned to go to Kohl's and bum around together today but her mother-in-law  (Ina Jo Grabiak) was taken to the emergency room with a possible heart attack.  After spending a few hours in the ER and finally being admitted to the hospital the cardiologist said he did not think it was a heart attack but she does have an enlarged heart and pneumonia.  She is stable and in good spirits. Please remember Ina Jo in your prayers.

I went to the fire station and had dinner with John and from there on over to my Mom and Dad’s for another rematch of 10 Penny.  I lost on all games.  LOL

Remember to laugh everyday.  Happy trails. Stay safe.

Wal-Mart and Halloween

John started his day waiting on the Direct TV man.  We were having problems with the dish for the camper so he replaced it.  I slept until 9:00 a.m. and John cooked waffles.  I think I got the better end of the deal this morning. LOL 

I made a Wal-Mart run today for groceries as the cupboards were bare and I do believe everybody and their cousin was in the store.  It was a mad house trying to get in and out of there.  I guess everyone waited until the last minute to get the Halloween stuff.

John worked at the mall 3-11 today so I went over to Mom and Dad’s to play 10 Penny.  Dad beat us both games.  He is getting his practice in before Joe comes back. LOL

I had one large group of trick or treaters tonight.  Still have a lot of candy left.  Need to get it out of the house.

Laugh everyday.  Happy Trails.  Stay Safe.

Rain, Rain Please Get Out of Here

John off at 8:00 a.m. from FD today.  Yeah!  He finally got his hair cut.  I think they almost scalped him. LOL  He also took the truck for a estimate on the truck bed damage and went to the insurance office to get the insurance cancelled on the van he sold back in September.  While he was in the office our agent asked him if I would be interested in a part time job.  I will call him on Monday but I don’t want anything that will get in the way of our travel. 

I met with my former TSC co-workers at a local Mexican restaurant for lunch.  As I pulled into the parking lot a storm moved thru here changing the temperature from 80 degrees to 62 in a matter of 20 minutes.  It has rained so much that the officials may cancel the Golf Classic that is scheduled for this week.  (For some reason it rains during the golf classic every year) The rain is supposed to be out of here tomorrow…..we can only hope!  Oh well,  once the rain finally stops I will be unloading some things from the camper to the house.

Laugh everyday.  Happy Trails.  Stay Safe.

Back to Work

John went back to work at the Fire Department today.  I spent the day doing chores around the house.  How much fun can a person have. LOL  I met my sister for dinner and we went out to eat Chinese.  My parents came over later and learned how to play 10 Penny.  My mother beat us all.  Could it be beginners luck? LOL

Sure wish we could be on the road again.

Laugh everyday.  Happy Trails.  Stay Safe

Back to Mississippi

Started getting the camper ready for the long ride back to Mississippi around 9:00 a.m. John and I walked over to Joe’s to say farewell; Mike was there and Leslie came over a few minutes later. We said our sad goodbyes (Joe even took pictures) and went back over to run the slides in and hook the trailer to the truck. We got away around 11:15 a.m. The ride back was uneventful and we arrived home around 6:00 p.m. After unhooking the camper we drove over to Pizza Inn for some dinner. John is going to bed early tonight as he has to work at the fire department tomorrow. I guess I will be cleaning out the camper refrigerator. Oh happy joy joy. LOL

We already miss our friends and hope to see them again down the road real soon. The ladies must have a rematch on 10 Penny as the men beat us on the last game. LOL

Laugh everyday. Happy Trails. Stay Safe

Last Day at Lake Tawakoni

No rain today! Yea!!!!! Last night Mike, Leslie, John and I had decided if it did not rain today we would go sightseeing and shopping in Rockwall today. Around 11:00 a.m. we loaded up and headed to Rockwall. After dropping off a prescription at Walgreens we drove over to Soulman’s BBQ and Mike bought everyone’s lunch. Thanks Mike. There was a sign on the front of the building as we entered that said, “We are not stingy with our meat.” They really do load you up with meat. Mike and Leslie chose BBQ pork sandwich plates, John chose a rib plate and I opted for BBQ beef sandwich. It was delicious. After finishing lunch we all agreed to go over to Kohl’s to look around. Of course we all bought stuff. Who can go to Kohl’s and not buy something. LOL John ventured over to the kitchen section of the store and found a set of Simply Lite Corning Ware. This stuff is perfect for RV life as it weighs 50% lighter than regular corning ware. John bought a set and so did Leslie. Leslie and I found some items in the clothing section that we just “could not leave in the the store cause the price was so good” as well as finding new purses. Even Mike found a couple of real good bargains. He is now sporting a nice new hat. Leslie and I also purchased three special picture frames that say, “Friends (noun. plural) 1. those cool people with whom you can be yourself, act silly and laugh out loud 2. the people with whom you always have tons of FUN!” We thought it would be cool to take a picture of all of us together and have one of these frames for our campers. We have had such a great time with our RV buddies it is very hard to say goodbye… only if it is just goodbye for now.

Around 4:00 p.m. we decided to head back to the campground to finish getting things ready for dinner. Leslie had cooked a pot roast in the crock pot while we were away and it sure smelled good. John and I headed over to Mike and Leslie’s around 6:00 p.m. with corn and Texas toast to add to the meal. Joe Sherri, and Kris arrived right after us and we all discussed the events of the day. Besides the delicious pot roast that Leslie cooked she also had noodles and salad. Sherri had to work today so we wanted to have the meal ready when she got off so we could all sit back and enjoy our last night with them for a while. After dinner we enjoyed German Chocolate cake, ice cream and key lime pie. Yum Yum. Then it was picture time. Joe set the timer on the camera and jumped into into place just in time to get the snap shot. He is so talented. Go Joe!

Dream Team

Joe, Sherri and Kris left early as she had to get up early to get to work tomorrow so we said our goodbyes to her tonight. It was hard. We will say our goodbyes tomorrow to the rest of our friends. Hopefully we will see them again real soon on the road. Of course we had to stay and play just one more round of 10 Penny with Mike and Leslie. The ladies were doing so well until the second half then the men caught us. We will definitely need a rematch the next time we meet. LOL

Laugh everyday. Happy Trails. Be Safe.

Rain, Dinner and 10 Penny

Woke up to rain, rain and more rain. Sure will be glad to see the sunshine again! Spent all day inside catching up on laundry, watching satellite TV, reading blogs and playing bejeweled on the computer.

Headed over to Mike and Leslie’s for dinner around 5:30 p.m. Leslie served up the yummy left over Bleu Cheese Chicken and rice, carrots and bread. John and I brought over the left over salad and Joe and Sherri brought over a German Chocolate cake and Ice Cream. We all enjoyed the meal and lively conversation. Joe and Sherri left early as Sherri has to work tomorrow.

John and I stayed to play some 10 Penny with Mike and Leslie. The guys won the first round but the ladies mopped the floor on the second round. You just never know how the cards will go. It was fun. Time just flies by when you have fun and by the time we finished playing it was around 12:15 a.m.

Before we left we made plans to go sightseeing tomorrow afternoon. There is no telling what we may get into. I am sure it will be entertaining.

Happy Trails. Stay Safe

Windows Live Writer

Fred woke me up at 8:06 a.m. for his morning walk and bowl of food.  I stayed up and tried to get a higher score on bejeweled but…..no such luck.  John decided to get up around 10:00 a.m.   After he ate breakfast he went over to see Joe about using Windows Live Writer to publish our blogs.  This is the program that Joe uses that allows you to write your blog off line and publish it at a later time when you have an internet connection.  Leslie, Sherri and I drove to Wills Point to Brookshires for a few groceries to complete our dinner menu.  I cooked Cajun Red Beans and Rice and prepared a salad (with help from Leslie), Sherri baked a cornbread and Mike prepared Bananas Foster while we looked on patiently waiting for a taste of this delicious dessert. Everything was yummy.  Joe and Sherri left early as Sherri has to work tomorrow so Mike, Leslie, John and I decided to play a couple rounds of 10 Penny.  The ladies won one round and the men won the other.  It was fun and we shared some laughs.  

It has started lightening here and it looks like we may be in for some rain.  Hope it doesn’t rain too long.

Happy Trails.  Stay Safe.

Bleu Cheese Chicken

Fred woke me up around 7:00 a.m. for his morning walk and bowl of food. John rolled out of bed around 9:15 and we slowly started our day. Made a run into town for diesel and, of course, Walmart. We took a stroll around the park so John could get some pictures of this beautiful park. Around 5:30 p.m. we loaded up the Banana Cream Brownie Squares dessert and drinks and headed to Mike and Leslie's for dinner. Joe, Sherri, Sarah and Kris arrived a few minutes later. Mike and Leslie served a delicious dish called Bleu Cheese Chicken with rice, salad and steamed baby carrots. We were able to eat outside until the mosquitoes started coming out then we moved inside to Mike and Leslie's for dessert. After we had all stuffed ourselves it was game time. We chose to have another rematch of 10 Penny hoping the women could beat the men this time. Yes!!!! The ladies were successful. Who knew you would have so much fun with a card came. We had all laughed so hard our sides were hurting and realized it was 12:45 a.m. so we all decided it was time to go home and get some shuteye. Don't know whether it will be a rematch on 10 Penny or Mexican Train tonight but I am sure there will be lots of laughter.

Happy Trails. Stay Safe.

Awnings, Chili Dogs and 10 Penny

Fred woke me up at 7:48 for his morning walk and bowl of food. While I was out I saw Joe from across the park and waved good morning to him and as I was turning around I noticed pieces of our slide awning all down the street. Oh no! That was not good. Our slide awnings are old and we plan to replace them real soon. When we attended the rally in Kerrville a strong storm came through and ripped the already torn awnings so when the heavy winds came through last night it took a few more pieces with it. After taking Fred back inside I walked up down the road picking up pieces of the awning. What a way to start the day.

John got up around 10 as he is still recuperating from cough and congestion since Kerrville. In the afternoon he cut away the bad pieces of the awnings so it wouldn't look so bad.

Sherri and Leslie came by and picked me up and we made a Walmart run for our meals we plan to have this weekend. John, Joe and Mike went to Joe's barn and Joe did laundry.

We all met for dinner at Joe and Sherri's at 5:30. Sherri and Joe had chili dogs with all the fixins. It was yummy. Leslie and Mike brought over a dump cake dessert. It was yummy too.
After dinner we decided to play 10 penny again tonight. We played two rounds and laughed alot. The women did not have as good a night as last night. Oh well, you can't win all the time.
Tomorrow night we might have a rematch of Mexican Train. It might be Joe's lucky night with the dominoes. He is determined to win. Go Joe!!

It is so much fun to have friends on the road to share meals and laughter with. Through RV Dreams we have found some great friends.


Happy Trails. Stay Safe.

They're Back

Kris and Poppa


Sarah


Bridget was up at 8 and I got up at 10. Bridget made Dutch Babies for breakfast as we waited for the rain to stop. Today was the day that Joe, Sherri, Mike and Leslie would arrive from Seagoville, TX. This park was booked full as the Boy Scouts had reserved an entire campground loop. I went into town and picked up a C clamp and fixed the broken dish arm, we now have TV, internet is still slow as we are in the middle of nowhere. They arrived around 4:30. Bridget and I threw together some BBQ and beans, chips, salad along with the snacks and food that Sherri and Leslie brought over after they set up, needless to say we all were full. After eating, Joe and Sherri's daughter Jennifer and her husband Frank came by and visited a while. There daughter Sarah would be staying with Joe and Sherri along with Kris. Joe and Sherri brought Kris with them. When they left Joe and Sherri took Kris and Sarah back to there trailer. Mike and Leslie stayed at our place and we played 10 pennies. 10 pennies is a card game played with 3 decks of cards, we played 3 rounds, the girls won 2 rounds and we won 1 round. It was around 11 when we finished. We enjoyed learning the new game 10 pennies, thanks Mike and Leslie.

Stay Safe

Rain Rain Go Away

It has rained here on and off all day long. This has really slowed down our internet to a creepy crawl. John drove over to Canton and Tyler today to find electronic parts but had no luck. He was also in search of a fruit and vegetable stand. When he returned he had a large bag that contained tomatoes, peas, a purple onion, a jar of candied jalapenos, and a jar of blackberry preserves. I cooked the peas so we could have then for dinner along with left over meatloaf patties and rice. Since the internet service is so slow we ended up watching one of the DVD movies I had packed away in the rig.

The chance of rain tomorrow is around 40%. I sure hope it changes it's mind and leaves. We are looking forward to see our friends Joe, Sherri, Mike and Leslie tomorrow. I know we will find alot to laugh about.

Happy Trails. Stay Safe

Golf

After breakfast we headed out to the Oak Grove golf course in Terrell, TX. I played 9 holes and shot a 61, the greens were brown and almost like putting on concrete. I did have fun. Bridget went with me and caddied for me. We left there and went back to the trailer for lunch. After lunch we rode over to Tyler to an RV dealership to see if they had satellite receivers, neither dealership did so we came back through Canton and stopped at the Wal-Mart for groceries before heading back. Had supper and are watching TV. Tomorrow we will go in search of a fruit stand for preserves and veggies.

Stay Safe

Check In ... NO...Check Out

Our morning started out rather slow. Fred woke at 7:00 a.m. and wanted his morning walk and bowl of food. I returned to bed and John and I didn't eat breakfast until 9:30. We started to put up things and getting the rig ready and finally pulled out of the park around 11:00. The drive over to The Holiday Villages at Lake Fork was uneventful. After checking in at the front gate we drove around to find a site only to find we really didn't want to stay there. The park was poorly laid out and the sites consisted mostly of grass which, with the amount of rain recently, could mean getting our heavy diesel truck stuck. We quickly drove back to the front gate and checked out. The decision was made to drive on over to Lake Tawakoni State Park in Wills Point, Texas. Joe and Sherri were right.....this is a real nice park.

I fixed meatloaf patties, rice and steamed vegetables for dinner and then we settled in for a quiet evening on our computers.

On a side note, one of my readers last week asked about our EMS (Electrical management system) and I forgot to mention it in my next days post. This is the link to the unit we have. I purchased it from Tweety's and installed it myself. It is the hard wired version with remote display. It has turned itself off in a few parks. Works great and I recommend you have one for your RV.


Happy Trails. Stay Safe.

Camping World, Walmart and a Movie

The day started out with Fred waking up at 7:55 a.m. wanting to go out for his morning walk and then to get his bowl of food. The dog is really spoiled. LOL John slept until 10:00 and by that time I had finished cooking creamed eggs on toast for breakfast. We piddled after that for most of the morning. Joe and Sherri came by to say farewell .... for now. We might get to meet up with them on the road this week. Yeah!! It will be a good time for a rematch on Mexican Train.

Later in the afternoon John and I made a run to Camping World and Walmart. Wow, what would we do without those two stores. After we finished with our shopping spree we decided to go to the movies and see "Couples Retreat". I am a Vince Vaughn fan but I was a little disappointed with the movie. I was expecting there to be slide splitting laughs but there were none. Just a few parts that made you go haha.

We will be pulling out in the morning and heading to Quitman, TX and will be staying at The Holiday Villages at Lake Fork.

Happy Trials. Stay Safe.

Casinos, Dominoes and Laughter

Joe and Sherri came by and picked us up at 9:00 a.m. to go to the Win Star Casino. It is said to be the fifth largest casino in the world. This place is really something to look at. If you go there be sure to wear walking shoes as it is very very large. We all played the machines a little while then decided it was time to eat. Joe and Sherri treated us to a fantastic lunch at the Casino's buffet. Thank you Joe and Sherri. The food was excellent. If you left this place hungry it was your own fault. We stayed and played the machines a little while longer then headed back to the campground. None of us won big but we sure had a great time. When we arrived back at the campground Joe and Sherri dropped us off at our rig and we agreed to get together later that night for another round of Mexican Train (Dominoes).

John and I arrived at Joe and Sherri's around 6:30 p.m. for the Mexican Train Domino rematch. LOL Joe started out great....he was in first place....then things started to take a turn. Sherri took over the lead....then John and I think I was leading for a very very short time. Between sets of dominoes we talked and laughed about things we thought were funny and ended up laughing until our sides hurt. Good times and good friends. It just doesn't get better than this. Before we knew it midnight was upon us and the domino rematch was over. I think Joe will be wanting a rematch.......he came in last. Oh no.

Joe and Sherri will be leaving today to travel on and we will miss them. Hopefully we will catch up with them on the road again.



Happy Trails. Stay Safe

Reminiscing With Old Friends

John and I drove down to Allen, Texas today to visit with a former co-worker and friend of mine, Debra Chisolm. She treated us to lunch at Dickey's BBQ. Enjoyed good food and conversation. John had the rib lunch with beans and slaw and I chose a BBQ sandwich with a side of beans. We left Allen around 3:30 p.m. so we could get back to the CG and feed Fred before heading off to Denton, Texas to meet our former classmate Carrie Acton Black and her husband Tom for dinner. Traffic was heavy due to a football game being played in Dallas. We finally made it to our destination, Texas Roadhouse. Our classmate and her husband arrived a few minutes behind us and we began reminiscing about old times from high school (30 years ago!!) and forgot all about the poor waiter that wanted to take our order. After coming back to the table for the third time we decided we had better place an order. Everyone ordered steaks. John and Tom chose the baked sweet potatoes and Carrie and I opted for regular baked potatoes. The steaks were perfectly cooked everything was delicious. Carrie brought along her high school year book and we took a trip down memory lane while flipping through the pages. Before we knew it three hours had passed and it was time to leave. It is always good to see old friends again.


Carrie


Tom and Carrie

Tomorrow we are going to the Win Star Casino with our RV Dreamer buddies Joe and Sherri. Sure hope we win something.

Happy Trails. Stay Safe.

Piddled

Woke up at 9am with the sound of people talking. It was the maintenance guy changing out the plug. We now have 50 amp service. After breakfast of coffee, bacon, eggs and toast we piddled around on the computer, blogs and bejeweled. After lunch we rode over to see if Joe and Sherri had made it yet, they are here. We chatted a bit then went to Camping World and let Joe and Sherri finish setting up. Made a stop by Walmart on the way back. Bridget is making taters and onions along with chicken from WM, Sherri is bringing veggies and the beer is cold. Joe and I will do our best to take care of it. They should be here any minute.

Stay Safe

What a Ride

Bridget sitting on the picnic table talking with Carrie Acton Black, an old high school bud.

Our site at Hickory Creek COE looking toward Lake Lewisville

We are at Hickory Creek COE after a 4.5 hour trip from Canyon Lake and the rest of the story. We made one stop for lunch at a rest area. We arrived around 3:30 to what we thought was Hickory Creek but the GPS took us to Lake Lewisville RV park which is run by the City of Lewisville. I asked the lady inside where HC was located and she said she didn't know the address but it was the Swisher Road exit and gave me the direct number to the park. We drove up and exited at Swisher and I called the number, the lady answered and I asked for directions. She said which way are you coming and I told her I35 North exiting on Swisher, "Do I turn right or left". She said which way are you coming from, I said Northbound I35 like I am heading to Oklahoma. When I exit Swisher do I turn right or left. She said did you cross over the bridge? You have to cross over the bridge. By this time I had exited and turned left assuming it was in that direction. I then told her I was on Swisher and did not see any signs for the park and she said, Did you cross over the bridge? I asked if there was anyone else I could talk to and she said no. I told her we would drive around until we found it. I called Speedy but got his voice mail. We drove down Swisher and made some turns thinking it would take us close but ended up being a dead end. This bites when you are towing a 36' trailer. Plugged in the original address and got back to the interstate and headed back to Swisher Road exit and turned right. We crossed over a bridge so we thought we were close and drove down and few miles and found the Little Elm police station and turned in. Walked in and asked where the HC CoE campground was located. Answer: Never heard of it. She looked it up and said I needed to go back over the bridge and it was somewhere off of Swisher and gave me a partial printed map. I had to back out of there too. I entered one of the street names and off we went. It is now 5:30 and we finally arrived, 6.5 hours later. Got set up and turned the air on, no power. Electrical management system showed L1 with 127 volts and L2 with 3 volts and a low voltage code. EMS will not turn on in a low voltage situation to protect the electrical system of the trailer. The campground host was not in so I drove back around to the gate. The maintenance people got off at 4:30 but she reported the problem. Should be repaired in the morning or we will be moved to another site. I am currently hooked up on the 30 amp plug. We left out to Walmart for fuel and groceries but on the way Bridget said she was hungry and so was I so we stopped off at a very good Italian restaurant. We are back at the CG. I am still coughing at night so I haven't had a good night sleep in a while. Changed up my meds at Walmart. Hoping for a good night sleep.

Stay Safe