Awww....to be a man!

Here I come beach!!!!

Wow!  I had forgotten how much work it is to go on vacation!  At least it is if you are a woman!!!!  For a woman....her list is something like this:  Do laundry, do shopping, clean house, do yard work, water plants, make sure pets are taken care of, make sure house/pet sitter is taken care of, pack....and I'm leaving off a lot of little items that have to be taken care of as well.  Now for a man.....his list is something like this.....throw clothes on bed for wife to pack, fill car or truck up with gas, go to bed early.  And when you return from vacation, a woman's list is something like this.....help unload car or truck, unpack, do laundry, do shopping, clean house, do yard work, water plants, make sure pets are taken care of and some more of those little items that have to be taken care of.  And again, a man's list is something like this.....help wife unload car or truck, go to bed early because of exhaustion.  

I have a long list of things that I want need to get accomplished before we leave but I'm pretty sure only about a third will get crossed off of my list!  I always have such good intentions but then other things get in the way.....like hair appointments, other distractions!  Oh well, what gets done, gets done and what doesn't....doesn't!  

I did get my errands crossed off of my list this morning....Walmart, bank, Starbucks!  I will need to make another trip to Walmart I'm sure before we leave.  I've also been able to cross off getting all of my trash and recycling ready for the pick up tomorrow!  I have more things in my recycling bin than I have in my trash bin!  That is a good thing though!  I am throwing out some food out of the pantry/freezer/refrigerator.  I don't want our house/pet sitter getting food poisoning while we are out of town!  I need to throw out some more things out of the freezer I think.

I need to go do my Spanish lesson for today!  I don't know why but every time that I try to learn a new language, I forget how to speak English!  I don't know what the problem is but it really messes with my brain!  

Adios!
GiGi

Missing this little angel!  This picture was taken on Craig's sailboat and Chloe was Captain Hook!  She loved playing on the boat and I am looking forward to when she is older and we can take her out sailing for real!!!!  I think she is really into pirates right now.  BJ took her shopping yesterday and she bought a Jack pirate play set....it had a sword, bandanna, a pouch of gold coins, and hand held telescope.  She and BJ were supposed to go to a company outing and go swimming but BJ's truck started acting up (this after it had just been in the shop) so he was afraid to travel very far with it especially with Chloe so he had one disappointed little girl on his hands.  She was looking forward to swimming!  He took her to get some ice cream and then they made a trip to Toys R Us so it was all good!  He is such a good daddy!  I am so proud of him.  I skyped with her last night and she was showing me her new toy and wanted me to come over to her house and play with her.  I wish I could have! She hasn't really figured out yet that I live 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours away depending upon traffic.  She kept telling me to hurry, hurry, hurry!  She kept saying that I could bring Pop-Pop, Olive and Allie but Olive and Allie couldn't eat any of her candy!  I guess she thought if I could bring those three, I could come to her house!  

We have a lot going on for the next several weeks.  Kids are packing and getting ready for their move to Kansas City probably in a couple of weeks.  We have a beach vacation planned and also taking Chloe and BJ to Kansas City for a little mini vacation.  Apparently KC has an awesome aquarium, zoo and huge, huge shopping center!  Am excited to explore KC with Chloe!  The kids will be moved up there so we will get to explore the city with them as well.  And you can't have vacation without lots of preparation and work!  Have cleaning, laundry, yard work to do.....want to prepare some snacks for the road trips, make sure house sitter/dog sitter has food to eat, HAVE to get that hair appointment in.....can't be seen on the beach with roots screaming for attention!  I mean, really, you have to have good hair on the beach!  Sand and surf and wind are enough of a challenge to looking good so need to do all we can pre-trip!!!!  And lists!  Got to make those lists!!!!  Lots and lots of lists!  Packing list, shopping list, to do list, list for house/dog sitter, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!

So I suppose that I should get busy, huh?  I have some Kohl's cash that I need to spend today so think I will get on that right away!  

Not sure when I will be able to post again!

GiGi

 

 

What's up doc?!  It has been a long time since I've posted on my blog!  I really need to keep updated on here so that I can remember all of the fun that I've been having.  Like.....Austin moving back home and renting a UHaul trailer and moving him in the rain!  Or...Ryan and Melissa moving back home and receiving 6 boxes via FedEx and trying to figure out how to make their bedroom accommodate all of their stuff!  Didn't do too well on that one.....still a work in progress!  But all in all.....I have loved having them back home and am treasuring every single day because I know that this is just a 'stopping off' place for 6 weeks and when August 1st is here....we will be loading up all of those boxes, etc. into UHaul trailers and moving them to Kansas City.  I'm not sure how I will deal with them all leaving at once.  On one hand, Ryan and Melissa will be closer this time....instead of Portland, Oregon....Kansas City but Austin will be farther away....instead of Rogers.....Kansas City.  I'm excited for them.  I think Kansas City will be a really fun city for them to live and experience all that Kansas City has to offer!  BUT.....they have to promise to NEVER abandon their Cardinal loyalty and become Royal fans!  Should that happen....well, I just cannot even begin to imagine the consequences!  I just know that it will not be pretty!

Craig flew to NYC this morning.  Was supposed to leave at 6:20 a.m. but American Airlines called during the night to let him know that his flight was going to be delayed until 9 this morning.  We heard his cell phone ring but he didn't answer it (he never does and my thought is if someone is calling in the middle of the night.....it needs to be answered but that is just my thought)!  So...his alarm went off at 3:30 a.m. and at that point he retrieved his message about the flight so crawled back to bed.  We were able to sleep until 7 a.m.!  He said that his flight was crazy....the last hour was very rough and the plane dropped several times!  Hoping the rest of his trip goes better!  

Had breakfast with Mom and Dad this morning.  Had to catch up on their trip to McCook, Nebraska.  Oh to be a fly on that trip!  Imagine Dad on a road trip with Mom and her two sisters!!!!  I remember when I did that road trip two years ago.....the stories that I came back with and the tears from all of the laughing!  I'm glad that they had such a good visit with their oldest sister, Helen.  They said that they sang a lot of old songs and danced!  How awesome is that?!  

I need to water this evening.....lawn guy came and fertilized so will put sprinkler on back lawn this evening and do the front lawn tomorrow.  Would be nice to get a rain shower!  I also need to trim a holly bush and my trumpet vine out back this evening too.  Cardinal game isn't on till 9 o'clock so will need to stay busy so I can stay awake!  May be a good idea to take a little nap before I tackle the watering and trimming.  Yeah, definitely sounds like a plan!

Blessings,
GiGi

Good bye 2012

 
Happy New Year!  One of my new year resolutions is to be a better blogger!  I want to better document things happening in my life because even though I think that I will never forget something.....I do! 

I had the best Christmas ever!  All of my children were home and also spent the holiday with my Mom, Dad and Albie!  Could not have been more perfect!  Melissa had flown in earlier in the week so she was here as well and wherever Melissa is....you can be sure that there will be laughter and fun!  Ryan flew in from Portland on the 20th.  His only request was that Allie come to the airport with me to pick him up so......she did!  I even put a little Christmas bow in her hair which she was a good sport about!  It was if she knew that she was doing it for Ryan because as soon as we were home and he had seen her.....she was determined to get that bow out!  It was so good to see Ryan again.  He and Melissa left on July 1st so it had been a LONG time for this mama!!!! Friday the 21st, we took Ryan, Melissa, Austin and my parents to Cherokee Casino. Ryan and Austin came home winners!!! It was really awesome because out of anyone in that casino, I can honestly say that I think those two needed that money more than anyone else! While there, BJ called to tell us that he and Chloe decided to come up a day earlier and would be home about the time that we would be home! We ran out of that casino so fast! Usually takes a while to get Dad and Craig out of there but when they found out Chloe was on her way.....they nearly knocked us down getting out of that place! Albie came down Saturday so we opened our presents then. Chloe was so fun this year! She totally loved opening the gifts and spending time with each gift before moving on to another one! We had her help pass out gifts and she then helped everyone open their gifts and was so excited about that even! We did try to have Santa come for a visit but that didn't work out as well as we had planned. It didn't work out as well as our worst nightmare even! She was terrified of him! Oh well....maybe next year! Sunday evening we took Chloe down to the town square where she could ride a horse drawn Princess carriage! Oh my goodness! She loved that!!!! She had the best time walking along the rock wall and seeing the ponies. I'm sure it was a night that she will remember and a night that we will remember through her eyes! BJ and Chloe left Monday afternoon. They were predicting snow for Tuesday so to be safe, they decided to head home a day earlier. Which was probably a good idea because I started with a fever Monday night and had fever, chills, body aches. Tuesday was Ryan's flight home but due to weather in other parts of the midwest, his flight was cancelled so we ended up turning around and bringing him back home. He was able to fly out the next afternoon. I was able to spend an extra day with him but unfortunately still had fever, body aches and chills so pretty much ended up sleeping a lot. Thursday I drove Melissa to the airport. My nest was empty once again and I was not happy about it! I think not feeling well just made me feel sadder! I had the fever, chills, body aches for a week so guess it was the flu and it took another week to get my strength back to normal. Note to self....get flu shot next year! I am thankful though that no one else came down with my flu so for that, I am very very grateful! I usually take down all of my Christmas decorations on New Year's Day but that just didn't happen this year. With not feeling well, it took me several days to get everything taken down and packed away. I still have a few odds and ends gathered on my dining room table that need to be packed away but that won't take long so not sure why I haven't done that yet! Mom and I started walking at the Mall yesterday. Our plan is to walk Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays are so busy for me with Adoration that I didn't want to have the whole day tied up without accomplishing anything. And Fridays....just want to leave that day open to get ready for the weekend! I think if we do three days a week....that is a good start!
 

Well, I suppose these dust bunnies will not leave on their own so I guess I need to tackle that to do list!

GiGi

Past due!

Wow! I really need to keep up with this blog!  I know that I 'think' that I will remember everything that happens but I also 'know' that I won't and that is why I started this blog in the first place!  More of a personal journal than anything else. 

October was an extremely busy month!  Went with Mom and Dad to Branson to spend a couple of days with my aunt and uncle from Prim, Arkansas.  The weather was terrible......rainy and chilly but that didn't stop us from shopping and having a good time!  We went up on a Thursday morning.  We didn't do much Thursday other than catching up on visiting and we did watch the Cardinals baseball game.  Friday morning we hit the shops.  We went to Tangier Outlet Mall.  It was raining pretty hard but we were able to still shop and didn't melt when we got wet!  We ate at our favorite place for lunch.....Panera Bread.  Had a bowl of potato soup and with the chilly rainy day, it was so yummy!  Ruth introduced us to the neatest shop.....Mulberry something or other!  Oh my word!  So many neat things and yummy dips!  My new favorite shop for sure!  We weren't able to watch the baseball game Friday night.  Dad just cannot stand the stress....makes his heart hurt.  Craig kept texting to let me know the score.  We were so far behind that we decided to just go to bed and get a good night's sleep!  Well, the Cardinals came back and tied the game!  We hurried up and turned on the tv and were able to watch them win the game!  What an awesome come-back!!!!  Then we were so excited and hyped up that we had trouble going back to sleep!!!!

We were able to keep our favorite little houseguest last week....we met BJ and Chloe in Clarksville on Thursday and got to keep Chloe till Sunday morning!  We had so much fun with her!  I am so in love with that little girl!  She is always smiling and gives the best hugs!!!!  I am always so lonesome when she leaves....I usually leave her toys out for a few days just to ease the lonesomeness! 

This week Mom and I went BACK up to Branson and spent a couple of nights with Albie.  Carol drove down from St. Louis.  And of course, there was not a shortage of laughter!  It is amazing how we can just laugh and laugh and each time we get together, we say that 'this' was the best peep time ever!  It is so good to just get together with my peeps and not worry about anything but having fun!  Whether we stay in and just sit around and talk or if we go out and do some shopping....we ALWAYS end up laughing till our tummies hurt and tears run down our faces!  I am truly blessed with some amazing women in my life who give me unconditional love and support and make me laugh!

Yesterday, Craig took off from work and we early voted and then headed to the lake to sail.  It was absolutely beautiful!  Sun was shining.....air felt warm.....so peaceful and quiet out there.  We saw a deer swim ACROSS the lake!  It was amazing!  And it was not a short distance at all!  I was so afraid that she would get tired and drown but she just kept on swimming!  It was definitely an awesome sight!

We are enjoying the sunshine today with grilling out some steaks, cabbage, potatoes.  I fixed a yummy broccoli/cheese/bacon salad and baked some chocolate chip cookies.  Have Texas Toast to fix when it is time and then we shall stuff ourselves!

With love,
GiGi

Crazy Monday!

Poor Allie's tummy was growling all morning. It was so loud. I thought she was just hungry but when her little paws hit the floor....she wasn't interested in her food at all. She just wanted to go outside first thing. Her normal routine is to eat, THEN go outside, come in and get her treat and dingo bone. This morning she skipped her breakfast and just went outside. After coming in, she didn't even want her treat or dingo bone. Was glad that she had vet appt. this morning. We got there a little early and found out that her ear infection is gone.....she still has some 'stuff' in her ear but it isn't infected so they think if I just put ear wash in her ear once a week and the ear drops once a week....it will dissolve and clear out. Think we will be doing the wash and drops for lifetime to keep her ear infections from coming back. Her tummy was growling while we were at the vets but they thought it was just nerves. She was acting okay so thought once we got home she would eat and be okay. She just doesn't have an appetite today. Maybe she is just exhausted from the busy weekend and I think her tummy is bothering her. She may have eaten too many of 'Chloe's treats' over the weekend too.

Neighbor's mom came over this morning as I was getting ready to get into the shower. She had accidentally locked herself and her little grandson out of the house with the baby inside! She was hoping that I had a spare key for Teresa's house but I didn't. She called her daughter who luckily teaches at the elementary school 5 minutes away. She said that Sarah has been sick with runny nose and cough so she was babysitting for her grandkids. She had just put Sarah to sleep and she was in her little swing. Otherwise I think we would have just broken a window!

Am missing Chloe today. She brings so much laughter and love into our home and hearts! She just says the funniest things! She is so entertaining......I wish that she lived closer! It had been 4 weeks since we had seen the little sweetheart which is the longest we have gone without her since she was born! That was WAY too long!

See that precious little face!? I love every single minute I get with that little girl and it is so lonesome here when she goes home.

Allie is snoring on her little dog pillow so hopefully when she wakes up she will be feeling a lot better and will feel like eating something. For Allie to NOT eat.....is MAJOR!

Blessings,
GiGi

A Mama's heart......

Well, my heart is heavy......I know that it shouldn't be......I KNOW that kids grow up and they are SUPPOSED to leave home and be on their own in every way but I didn't KNOW that sometimes that means leaving home and going so far away! I think it is easier for the person LEAVING than it is for the person left behind. I think maybe because the person leaving is going somewhere new and making new memories. The person left behind is left with ONLY memories......and an emptiness. My family has always been close by....maybe not in the same city or even the same state but always within a half day's drive! Now Ryan is moving 652.59 miles away......mapquest says that is a 10 hour drive from MY HOUSE! I keep telling myself that it could be worse.....he could be moving to California or New York City......and he will be staying with a friend while he is job hunting and once he finds a job....Melissa will join him.....but it still makes my heart feel sad. I need to put on my big girl panties and I need to be excited for him! He worked so hard to get his degree and now it is time for his degree to work for HIM! This is what is supposed to happen I know.......but.....I still think of him as this:

And it seems like just yesterday that he was pretending to go to work doing this:

BUT in reality....he has grown into this:

A young man who has fallen in love with his niece and who will someday be a wonderful daddy to his own children. I can just see a little boy with Ryan's freckles and dimples and love of life!

Okay....maybe a little wine to go with my whining?! Let's see if that helps!

Love,

GiGi

Global warming?

Well, I think I just need to pack up and head South....somewhere warm and sunny and warm! I'm just not understanding this whole global warming thing that the 'experts' say we are experiencing. We have broken records in snowfall this year and broken records in low temperatures....someone just explain this to me! It is almost the middle of March.....Spring is just around the corner and it is 39 degrees outside with a wind chill of 30! I am so ready to get outside and work in my flowerbeds, dig in the warm dirt, plant some flowers, feel the sun on my face! I think March is the hardest month for me. It teases me with warm, Spring-like days and then we are back to bitterly cold windy days where the wind just chills you to the bone and no matter what you do to try to get warm......it is never enough!


See these temps!? I just looked out the window and a whole flock of little birds are lined up on the top of the back fence by the bird feeder. I think that they are also wondering what is going on! At least our extended forecast is calling for sunshine tomorrow and temperatures in the 50s and warming up into the 60s after that!

Craig and I went to 7 a.m. Mass this morning. We sat with Mom and Dad. After Mass, Dad treated us to Susan's for breakfast. Craig had to head off to work so he didn't get to eat with us. Mom and I shared a pecan waffle with strawberry topping and a little whipped cream! It was so yummy!

Stopped at Wal-Mart for a few groceries after Adoration this afternoon and then decided to fill the jeep up with gas. I had to pay $3.45 a gallon this afternoon! That is another thing that I need explained to me.....how gas prices can flucuate from DAY to DAY! Haven't they already paid for the gas that they have in their tanks.....wouldn't the price depend on how much they had to pay the DAY they had to order it!?

Time to get off of my soap box and share a cute picture with you! Ryan had given Chloe a 'few' cheerios one morning while I was fixing her breakfast. As you can tell from her smiling little face....she loves her Ry-Ry!

Just looking at that little face puts things in perspective.....doesn't really matter that it is bitterly cold out there or that gas prices are climbing higher and faster than the thermometer......we have our health...... we are part of a loving family who love spending time together.....we have a precious granddaughter.....our sons are doing well......life is good.....it really is!

Love,

GiGi

Long time since I posted!

I REALLY need to make more of an effort to blog more.....I want my blog to document the special times in my life....in my day. I think I will always remember those times but I don't and I won't. Special times spent with my parents, my husband, my kids, and especially my granddaughter. Since becoming a grandma....I realize how fast time goes.....witnessing this everytime I see Chloe and how much she changes from week to week! Seems like just yesterday she was an infant and now she is running around and talking. A whole year just flew by in a blink of an eye!



Here is a picture of Chloe taken last week when she was here. She is now a year old and is such a sweet little girl. She is so loving and I love, love, love hearing her calling me GiGi! The sweetest sound in the whole wide world! I treasure our time together at bedtime when I am giving her a bottle and rocking her. She just looks at me with those big blue eyes and it is like she can see into my soul and hopefully sees how very much I love her! After she finishes her bottle, she lays her little head on my shoulder and we snuggle and rock until she falls asleep. Doesn't get any better than that! She absolutely adores her Mimi and Poppy. Whenever they come over....as soon as they walk in the front door, she starts squealing and gets so excited! I am so glad that Mom and Dad live so close and are able to enjoy her as much as we do. Craig had to go to Muskogee on Friday so she and I packed up and spent the night with Mimi and Poppy. We had a lot of fun and they were able to see how much she enjoys her bath time and how happy she is when she wakes up! She is happy all of the time but when she first wakes up....she stretches and stretches and it is just so funny! The weather was so warm so we spent a little time outside before we headed back home Friday. She played for the longest time with a fly swatter. She was pushing it all over the back deck, under patio chairs, in the yard......

She keeps us all so entertained! Craig and I met her mommy and daddy in Clarksville Saturday morning. That is about half way for both of us. I love having Chloe but on the days that I have to give her back......it is really sad around here. Just miss her smiles and laughter so much. BUT.....I know that her mommy and daddy miss her too when she is up here so I put my big girl panties on and just try not to think about it so much! I usually take a day or two before I can pack away her toys and pack 'n play......

Mom, Dad and I started back into our walking routine on Monday morning. Dad is doing so much better now. Is able to walk without wheezing and/or chest pains. He is walking fast too! We are anxious for warmer weather so we can start walking outside. Walking at the Mall is nice but it does get pretty boring! We always go out for breakfast after our walk.....I enjoy just spending that hour visiting with them and we usually laugh a lot and solve a lot of the world's problems! It is a very special part of my day and I treasure that time with them.

I just talked to Mom and she said Dad was riding his bike patroling the neighborhood. He is the self appointed neighborhood watch dog! He is 73 so not sure what he would do if he spotted trouble but I'm sure he would do what he could! He kept riding back and forth down the little road behind their house she said. She waved every time he rode by and said he was probably tired of her waving. I told her that he was looking each time at her so probably didn't mind so much. I suggest that she 'flash' him the next time he rode by....she should kind of pull up her shirt! She said he would probably crash his bike! Unfortunately, he was on his last round so she didn't get a chance to do that. I suggested that she do it the next time but make sure it is HIM riding by when she does do her flashing thing!

Craig went to the chiropractor this afternoon. Said he laughed like a girl and could NOT stop laughing when Dr. Santos popped his neck. Said he worked on his back and hooked him up to a machine for his hip. Will go back Thursday. With being hunched over his desk and computer so long every day, I'm sure his back and neck are so knotted up. Next we are going to try to get him into a walking routine. It is probably a good idea to get his back, neck and hip lined back up properly before we do much walking.

Craig and I are going with Mom and Dad tonight to US Pizza.....having that pizza and beer before Lent starts tomorrow!!!! So.....on that note....I had better get ready because Craig will be here soon and we want to go early.

Love, GiGi

TGIF!

Just do NOT have any energy today! If I were really truthful.....I haven't felt like doing anything all week! I think I am still tired from vacation! It is a LOT of work getting everything ready the week before you leave and the day before.....it is like a marathon! Then while you are ON vacation.....you try to cram in as much as you can knowing that you only have a certain number of days there! We didn't really DO that much but I think all of the sun and fresh air and heat is just as tiring. THEN you have the last day of vacation where you are doing the laundry and packing to go home. Not to mention the feeling of sadness that the fun is about over and it is back to the real world! Not that the real world isn't fun but it was so nice being on the beach, lounging around the pool, spending time with family and laughing till you hurt! I think I need TWO weeks at the ocean next time! Then maybe, just MAYBE, I will be ready to come home!

Bud and I went to the casino with Mimi and Poppy last night. They had free rooms and it was Senior Night. Senior Night is for people 50 years and older and I'm not so sure how I feel about being in that 'elite' group now! Was really different gambling in that sea of wheelchairs, oxygen tanks and WHITE hair! I DID feel pretty young though! haha Bud left this morning at 7 a.m. for work.....I think he said it was about the same distance from Siloam to Rogers as from Springdale to Rogers. I know he has to be tired too so am thinking our weekend will be pretty low key with sleeping in and naps on the agenda! The temperatures are so much cooler now so will definitely be taking the jeep down on the jeep tomorrow! Haven't had many days where it was cool enough to do that this summer!

Last week this time, we were enjoying our last day at the ocean! We ordered pizza delivery and were doing laundry and packing. And some tears were shed as well.......I don't know if people who live on the ocean ever take it all for granted but I honestly don't think I would. Each day was filled with new things to see......sharks, rainbows, tar balls (not many though), owls, falling stars! I don't think you COULD take it for granted......and since we went later in the season than we normally do.....the kids were all back in school so we pretty much had the pool, beach and ocean to ourselves. And traffic was nothing! SO NICE!

Probably won't blog this weekend.....will take too much effort and I hope this post is appreciated since I had to move from the couch to the guest room to type this! ; )

Gigi

Hugs from Heaven

I was going to post some more about our vacation but instead I want to share something else. My heart has been heavy lately.....due to personal things as well as things going on in the lives of those that I love. I won't go into all of that but I have just felt overwhelmed at times and I know so many hearts that are troubled and that are hurting including my own. I had a very special relationship with my grandma........and since I've become a grandma......I feel an even closer bond with her. She was THE best! She always had time to laugh, to love, to play....to listen, to hug and she had a wonderful hug! When she died.....there was a special song that kept playing on the radio and for a few months after her death, I would occasionally hear it again and always when I needed to feel her hugs the most! I haven't heard the song in YEARS! Not that I haven't needed to feel her hugs but I just haven't heard it in a long, long time. Yesterday on my way to church for my hour of Adoration.....I gathered my Bible, jumped in my jeep and flipped on the radio which I seldom do and immediately 'the' song came on and I felt those arms hug me and I felt her love so clearly. I needed that more than I've ever needed it before! And during Adoration, I felt her presence like never before. I felt like she was sitting right beside me holding my hand and holding my heart. I miss her so much but I also see her in my mom and my aunts.....that same love, that same strength, that same love of life! I am so blessed.

Not only was she beautiful on the outside, but just as beautiful on the inside! She was a little woman but she had a BIG heart!

Gigi

Vacation anything but boring!

We are back from vacation! We had quite the adventure! I may have to post about our vacation in more than one post! We left Saturday morning at 4 a.m. on the dot! Mimi, Poppy, Albie and Carol picked us up in this!


This was RV's maiden voyage and we were all so excited to be a part of this adventure! We had watched the movie "RV" and knew that we were going to have an adventure for sure but didn't really plan on the adventure that we ended up having!!!! It started out great! We had loaded all of our luggage, food, etc. in the RV the night before so at 4 a.m. we just had to load our bodies and a few carry on bags! About halfway to Little Rock, Albie who was sitting at the table in the RV suddenly announced that she was going to faint! Well, that is exactly what she did! She was out cold! We pulled over a couple of different times.....once when she passed out and another time when Bud and Carol carried her and dumped her little body into the bed at the back of the RV. The little woman weighs as much as a hummingbird and they acted like she was a ton of bricks! They literally 'threw' her into the bed! We were hoping once she was in the bed and cooled off that she would feel better but she was sick and weak most of the trip to Florida! She didn't get vertical until we were in Florida! I think in Maumelle Rhyno started driving and we were driving either into or out of Pine Bluff when we heard this loud crashing sound. We all thought something had fallen over in the RV but Mimi and Poppy came up to the front of the RV and said we had blown a tire! Do you know how hard it is to find someone who will come and fix a flat tire on an RV on the side of a road!? Let me tell you, it is hard! It was an inside rear tire and we were all very lucky that Rhyno was able to keep control of the RV and we didn't crash! Here we are on the side of the interstate with a very sick woman and it is hot, hot, hot and we are waiting for someone to come and change the tire. Luckily we had a good spare tire but the guy said that the other rear tires were not in the best of shape so we needed to be careful! AND remember, we didn't have a spare now! We started calling places to try to find tires for the RV.....even made a couple of stops at tire places. In addition to it being impossible to find tires to fit the RV.....we were dealing with most tire places closing at noon on a Saturday and we were getting close to noon! We didn't find tires and prayed that we would make it to Florida safely! THEN the generator quit working! Did I tell you how hot it was?! No generator meant no air conditioning except for the very very front where the driver and passenger seats were and that wasn't that cold when it is that hot and you are trying to cool a big huge RV! And did I mention that we had a freezer and refrigerator full of food that we had to try to keep cool?! And did I mention how hot it was?! And that we were trying to keep Albie cool who was still feeling sick and weak?! We finally made it somewhere in Mississippi and all of a sudden, traffic came to a stop! No moving and did I mention how hot it was?! We saw some cars turning around so decided to take a short cut on some side roads and try to pass the accident ahead. We used Bud's iPhone.....google maps or something. Well, I guess people thought we knew what we were doing because they started following US! We were going down little country roads which probably had never had anything other than a tractor or pickup truck traveling on! I guess our convoy lost confidence in us because we were soon enough out there all by ourselves. Have you ever seen the movie "Deliverance"? Well, this was Deliverance in an RV! And guess what!? We ended up right at the accident and the police had our way blocked! There was a military truck that had turned over I guess and burned. It had to have been a very bad accident with injuries and we all thought that perhaps the fainting and blown tire had delayed us enough where we weren't involved in that accident! They had that side of the interstate closed down.....and were redirecting traffic on the other side of the interstate. We were able to merge in - thanks to a kind driver who surely felt sorry for this RV trying to get into traffic! We actually didn't merge.....we had to find an opening in traffic going the opposite direction and then find someone who would let us in going in the direction that we needed! Not as easy as it sounds and poor Rhyno was driving and this was his first time behind the wheel of an RV! The generator finally kicked on and we were getting cooler so thought we were on our way! Well, Mimi got up to do something and there is water in the kitchen area! We had sprung a leak in the hot water pipe under the kitchen counter! She and I used towels and after turning off the water, we sopped up the water under the bottom cabinets and floor. BUT we made it! Well, at this time Bud was driving and he turned off too soon so we took a LONG scenic route to our condo! Mimi and I kept telling them that we were turning off too soon but what do we know!? Apparently a lot! haha What should have been a 12 hour drive more or less ended up taking us 16 hours! But as Sonny Bono would say, "It's all good!" We made it safely and checked in! We didn't have to go out for food since we had turkey breasts that Mimi had baked before we left so we had sandwiches, grape cheese salad that I had made Friday night and a pasta salad that I had made Friday night also. Was so good to be able to just be 'there' and not have to go out for something to eat! Will post more tomorrow about the rest of the vacation! Here are a few pictures of our condo where we stayed. It was our second time to stay in this condo and it is our favorite one!


We stayed on the 14th floor. We were the second balcony from the top. Had a huge balcony where we spent a lot of time! If I ever win the lottery....I am so buying that condo and moving there! haha

More memory sharing tomorrow!

Gigi

Getting back to walking!

Got up at 6:15 a.m. and got dressed to go to Mom and Dad's to walk. Decided to check radar and make sure there wasn't rain in the immediate forecast. Well, lo and behold.....radar was showing rain! I decided to LOOK outside and sure enough, it was raining. Not a lot but enough. Took off my shoes and decided walking would not be happening today. Well, as quickly as the rain shower popped up, it pooped out! SO....got the shoes back on and headed out to walk. It had been over two weeks since I've walked. The week before last I had Chloe here and last week, I had a hurt back. I haven't had real shoes on in a long time so my feet were protesting as well as the rest of me! We were about half way into our walk when it started sprinkling. We decided to head back and just walk closer to home so in case of harder rain....we could make a run for it. We ended up walking about an hour and the rain fizzled out again. HOWEVER, on our way home from breakfast.....it started raining again and this time we got a pretty good shower!



Little Buddy is going on a road trip with some friends to Chicago....leaving Thursday. Since I was going to be filling up Little Buddy's car with gas (it was almost empty) Dad put some gas treatment in the gas tank and then I filled it up with gas. He then replaced the spark plugs so Little Buddy should be good to go. We just had the oil changed, tires rotated and balanced last month.



Little Buddy finally finished up his thank you notes for his graduation gifts. They will be in the mail tomorrow! After he finished, he decided it wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be! DUH!



Fixed fried chicken, baked some french fries in the oven and fixed some corn on the cob for supper. Now I am watching the Home Run Derby! I am missing my Cardinal games!



Can't post this without a picture so here you go! This is Bud riding his unicycle! He used to ride all of the time when he was a little boy and says he rode with his brother on his shoulders! He drags out his unicycle every now and then and brushes up on his riding skills!

I was teasing him that I was going to start renting him out for children's birthday parties! He just needs to get his juggling act perfected a little more!

Gigi

Enjoying the rain!

A good day to be indoors and read a book or watch a cardinal baseball game! It has been raining all afternoon and has been in the mid 70s. I have been watching the cardinal game on tv but again....it is not a fun game to watch. Looks like we will lose this one as well. Oh well.......guess I will find a good book to read!

My back was very stiff and sore when I first woke up this morning but once I moved around, it loosened up and I am feeling so much better. I still feel a little soreness but nothing like the last couple of days! Have taken it easy today.....not lifting anything and decided to not vacuum yet today. I think tomorrow I will be able to do anything that I want or need to do! Since we had rain today.....mowing was not even an option. I will definitely be more careful when I'm carrying the yard waste bags to the curb!

My upside down tomato plant is doing surprisingly better than I expected! I have I think 3 tomoatoes on it and several blooms now! It was a little slow going at first but seems to be taking off now! I will have to post a picture soon!

Wanted to post a picture of Chloe with her great-aunts and great-grandma!

Chloe is always so facinated with cameras! She will stop in her tracks to stare at the camera! Once you put the camera down....she is all smiles! When I am able to get a picture of her smiling, 9 times out of 10 she is a blur! She smiles from the tip of her head to the bottom of her toes! Thank goodness for digital cameras!!!!! And as you can see from the above photo, Mimi is also staring at the camera! Once I put the camera down, she and Chloe were all smiles! haha


One more picture of Chloe with Rhyno....she adores her uncles!

We were all sitting outside and it was raining. They look so serious, don't they?!

Gigi

A Busy Summer!

I always think that summer will be a time to catch up on some things, a time my life will slow down a little bit and a time to spend with friends and family. Why do I always think that!? It is already the 7th of July and I haven't caught up with anything----laundry is winning the race! As I said earlier, it is already the 7th of July and summer is flying by! I have spent more time visiting with family so I am happy about that! We also will be going with family to a Cardinal game soon and are heading to Gulf Shores as well with the same group of family.

Mom and I met Little Mama Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m. in Clarksville so that we could get Chloe for a few days! I am very lucky that I've been able to spend as much time with her as I have. I treasure each and every minute. Every time I see her, she is doing something different and changing so much! She is five months old now and has four teeth! She is rolling over, reaching for anything and everything, loves to give kisses and love, is so close to crawling---scoots all over the place, still sleeping through the night, wrinkles her little nose, dances and brings so much joy and love into my life! There are no words to describe it!!!! Chloe is teaching me so much! I see things through her eyes now.....how you can splash water in the bathtub with your hand and when it splashes in your face, it is a surprise! Or feeling raindrops on your little face for the first time takes your breath away! Even something as simple as seeing a shadow move is facinating to you! And when you get out of the tub and see yourself in the bathroom mirror, the squeal of excitement at your reflection.....I treasure all of that! I never ever want to forget any of it. Even when you leave and go back home, the sadness and emptiness I feel.....I realize now how my grandparents felt when we would visit them and then leave. We always cried when we said our goodbyes but now I 'feel' what they felt and I don't think that I appreciated the depth of their love like I do now. I know that I loved them with all of my heart but don't think I really understood their love for me until now.....now that I am a grandma!

Here are a few pictures of Chloe taken recently!

The top picture shows her two little bottom teeth! The last couple of pictures show two of the men in her life that are so crazy in love with her! Will have to post more tomorrow!

Bud has been in Muskogee yesterday and today. He should be on his way home now. I think we have a quiet weekend planned this weekend so he should be able to catch up on his rest. I know he doesn't sleep very well in hotels....he misses his pillow!

Have a great evening!

Gigi

Catching up on life

Wow! I haven't blogged in awhile but have been very very busy with Little Buddy's graduation, Sonny Bono's birthday, yard work and Chloe time. Had a very busy weekend last weekend with Little Buddy's graduation.....our last one to graduate from high school. Of course, I cried when the graduates marched into the auditorium.....tears of happiness, tears of pride, tears of relief (haha), and tears of sadness. Happiness that my family was all together to share in this wonderful event. Proud that I survived getting that last one through 13 years of school and proud of Little Buddy as well! Relieved that I would no longer have to argue with him about skipping a day of school here and there! And sad.....because even though I have been through this twice before......this was my last one.......my little surprise baby. The first two were closer in age so my time was more divided with them. This one was kinda on his own with me......kind of like starting over. Here are some pictures of graduation!

Here are some pictures of our graduate with family. This is Little Buddy with Rhyno and my dad in the background. Love this picture!

Here are some pictures of our family. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get a family picture with Sonny Bono NOT on his cell phone!

Here are my boys with their 'great' aunt and she really is pretty great! She doesn't live very far from us.....about 90 miles so we were so happy that she was able to join us for the graduation/birthday celebrations. She is such an important part of our lives and it just would not have been the same if she were not a part of it all! Isn't she the cutest litte thing? I have to tell you that she is in her 70s and plays tennis as often as she can....she is happiest when she can play 3 times a week and on the other days she is doing aerobics!

Here are some pictures of little Chloe! She is the best baby. She never never cries. Sleeps all night long and was so good during graduation. She smiles all of the time and she was laughing so hard at my mom. She would get a funny look on her little face when she laughed like....did I do that? We all love her so very much and it is always so hard to watch her leave. It seriously feels like a part of my heart is leaving with her which I guess it does!

Here are some random photos of our backyard. We have a banana tree and this is our second year to have bananas!

And last but not least, some pictures of some flowers in my front yard.

I love this time of year when I can get out and work in my yard and flowers. My grandmother passed her love of working in the yard down to her daughters and to me and I'm so happy for that!!!! Sometimes when I am fiddling out there in the dirt....I feel like she is right there along side me and is ready for us to finish so we can have our beer and butter bread! That is something that she always did after working in the yard....would treat herself to a little glass of beer and some butter bread so that is a tradition that I am carrying on in her memory! ; )

Will have to post pictures of Sonny Bono's birthday and some backyard games we played in a later post!

Hugs!

Gigi

An Awesome Weekend

Little Mama ended up leaving Wednesday late afternoon. They were predicting storms for Thursday and she didn't want to be driving home in storms......and I didn't want her driving in bad weather either if she didn't have to. She decided to go home and surprise Sonny Bono and since she was leaving Chloe with me.....she and Sonny Bono were going to have TWO nights all to themselves! I had so much fun with Chloe. She is such a good baby. She never cries unless she is hungry or when she is getting tired....she will fuss a little but not much! Thursday was such a rainy, nasty day. Chloe actually napped quite a bit! She is sleeping pretty much through the night. She went to bed between 10 and 11 p.m. and then woke up between 4 and 5 a.m. She would go right back to sleep and sleep another 2 to 3 hours. Her mommy and daddy came up Friday night and spent the weekend with us. Her mommy and I did some major shopping Saturday. Little Mama needed some clothes......we found her a nice pair of slacks with a jacket and a couple of knit tops. They look really nice on her and we also found her a pair of jeans that look good on her too! We weren't really looking for clothes for Chloe (who am I kidding.....I am always looking for clothes for Chloe) but we found several cute summer dresses, her Easter dress, and some jammies for her. She has outgrown a lot of her clothes and her little closet and dresser drawers were empty!!!!! We went to Mass Sunday morning and left Chloe with Bud. It was so windy and damp so we really didn't want to have to get her out. Bud was getting ready for another trip out of town so he stayed home with Chloe and got packed while we were at Mass. Here are some pictures from our time with Chloe last week and over the weekend.

Not sure if she was super excited to be on Little Buddy's shoulders but Sonny Bono was hoping she would grab a hand full of hair!!!

She is always smiling and so happy!

Chloe with her Mimi!

Chloe with her Poppy!



Another picture of her sweet little face!

She loves to sleep with her little arms over her head! Her daddy always did that too!

I was so lonesome Sunday night. Sonny Bono, Little Mama and Chloe went back home.....left about noon I think. Bud left for Muskogee, OK about 2:00 and Little Buddy went to a movie with a friend so was gone all afternoon and evening. I guess it was nice to have the house to myself but it was sure quiet and empty! I ended up having a good cry......after having Chloe here for 4 1/2 days and having a house full of family all weekend to having nobody here on Sunday afternoon......just felt very sad and lonely. I guess I was just having a very emotional day! During Mass I was thinking about my family.....grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, husband, kids.....granddaughter.....I am so blessed. I have such happy memories of growing up with family always being so important. I want that for Chloe. I want her to grow up with so many happy memories of spending time with us and her other grandparents, etc. And I want her to always always always feel and know how loved she is. I had that growing up and I want her to have it too. And it was so neat to have our three generations at Mass together......my parents, myself and my son and daughter-in-law. If the weather had been better, we would have had FOUR generations there!

Rhyno was sick over the weekend so he wasn't able to spend time with us. Fiance was out of town over the weekend so we kept Olive here. Rhyno just wasn't able to take her out. He at one point had a temperature of 103 and Mimi and Little Buddy took him some Motrin and ibuprofen along with chicken noodle soup, crackers and Popsicles. We kept checking on him because if his fever didn't go down asap....we were going to take him to the ER. The Motrin/ibuprofen kicked in and his fever broke. I took him a Subway sandwich Sunday afternoon and he looked better but was still weak. He went to the doctor yesterday morning and they ran the strep test and it was negative. Said it was viral and not much that they could do but let it run its course.

The girls went to groomers this morning. My helper had out of town guests so was not able to come with me. I didn't have any trouble getting the girls INTO the jeep.....had put their bed inside of the jeep earlier so just had to carry Olive and since Allie was on her leash it wasn't too difficult. Now getting OUT of the jeep.......not so easy! At this point they are both shaking and panting and scared to death. I managed to get out with Olive first and had a death grip on her, grabbed Allie and her leash which at this time is all tangled up around her legs, neck, etc. I tried to get her untangled while keeping Olive in a death grip and trying to pick up their bed and my keys which had fallen in the parking lot......I'm sitting on the ground with Olive STILL in my death grip, working with Allie and her leash, bed and keys are on the ground somewhere! I finally got her leash untangled enough, had Olive in that death grip and ended up walking to the building with the leash tangled around Allie's short little legs barely hanging on to their bed and my keys but the girls were safe and we were mobile! Roger comes out and helps me get into the building. I'm sure I provided the morning entertainment for all of the groomers whose windows face the parking lot!!!! I miss my helper!!!!!

It is supposed to be a really nice, warm day so I am planning on getting some yard work done today! I want to move my plants back outdoors. Thinking that maybe the below freezing temperatures are behind us now?! Then will be able to clean out the garage and my jeep needs a bath too!

Hugs,

Gigi