Brooke & Gary - Aug. 25, 2007

This is the reason we were supposed to go to California in the first place. The marriage of Brooke & Gary on Aug. 25, 2007. Don and I obviously had to go earlier than we had planned because Don's dad got sick and ultimately passed away. We wanted to have the memorial service as soon as possible so that there would be more time between the memorial and the wedding. Brooke has waited a long time to get married. I think if you look at the glow on both her face and Gary's...it was a wait well worth waiting for! She made a beautiful bride and she had a beautiful wedding! Although they weren't there physically, Jane & Earl had a front row seat! :-)

In Loving Memory...

Earl Alexander Leith
May 16, 1918 - August 11, 2007

At long last he's with the love of his life, Jane, once again! We may miss him, but oh, how happy he is to be together with her again! I just know that he will never, ever let go of her again!

I don't know how many of you are aware of it, but Don and I got married on Jane & Earl's anniversary - January 12! I figured it worked so many years for them that it would work for us as well! While we've only got 15 years so far, they had 58 years together!

So...Just what have *I* been up to?

First of all, this house is no longer white, but a nice cheery yellow! It's not our house, but rather, my mom's new house in Fairfield Bay, AR! Ever since we decided to build a home here my mom has been looking at real estate and sending me places to go check out. My sisters really didn't want her to buy something at this stage so when I found this nice little house that had just been completely gutted and remodeled we had to move fast! Rentals around this area go fast and so did we! Based on my opinion and the pictures that I sent her...my mom decided to move into this house! A few days after making this decision...I flew to California to pack up my mom! We didn't waste any time. I had my work cut out for me and work we did! Not only did we manage to pack up all her stuff (she had lived in the same house for over 12 years), but we shipped her car, shipped our boat, rearranged our storage container (with lots of help from my son), had not one but TWO garage sales and were able to fly out on time (on time...that's a later part of this story)!

BTW...see the storage container? That's where all our belongings are that aren't in the motorhome! While it may not look too pretty on the outside, it is so clean inside it's amazing! Actually it really stays quite even temperatured inside as well! It was a great investment instead of paying for storage every month! In anticipation of our move, in a few months (well, o.k. maybe six or so) I had to put everything in boxes and gather up all the "stuff" we had elsewhere! Nathan and I did a lot of packing and arranging to get everything inside so that movers only have to come and load up for the move to AR.

To get the boat ready for transport, I rented a truck (remember I flew here) and pulled it out of the barn it has been stored in for the past two years! Took it to my mom's and cleaned it up a little. The next day it was time to take it to the tire store for four new tires! I told the guy at the tire store that I only "did" forward! I was very proud of myself...never cut any corners too short and was able to back it up, just a little to get it parked while I went into the tire store! Two days later it was picked up and on it's way to Greer's Ferry, AR. It actually made it there before I did!

Moving day arrived and we were ready! The bad news for the day...the load prior to my mom's had taken up more room than they had anticipated. Since they guarantee the pick-up date (and we were flying out the NEXT day), they picked up her stuff, off-loaded it in their storage facility in Temecula and a few days later it was picked up by the driver bringing it to Fairfield Bay! By 2:00 pm we were done, the house was clean and we were on our way! Spent the night at my sister, Kathy's and the next morning she dropped us off at the airport on her way to work!

Since I was flying with my mom's 16-year old cat, Nicole, I flew American Airlines (Nicole flew in the cabin with me, under the seat) and my mom flew by herself on Southwest since it was cheaper! Our flights left within 1 hour of each other. I left first flying to Dallas/Ft. Worth and my mom flew to Las Vegas. We both were to arrive in Little Rock about 30 minutes apart - NOT! I had no trouble with the flight from Ontario to Dallas/Ft. Worth. In fact, even got on the plane in Dallas/Ft. Worth and it departed almost on time! From there, it went from bad to worse! Pull out from the terminal, and head for the runway. The pilot comes on and tells us that there are 10 planes in front of us...it would take about 2-3 minutes each and we would be on our way. Not much later and he comes on and tells us that we're delayed because of weather...and it did begin to rain. A little thunder and more rain and we begin to move. The pilot comes on and tells us that due to the wind change, we are changing runways...from the south runway to the north. Once we all make it to the north runway...no rain! Still didn't take off. The pilot comes on - again - and tells us that the two planes that have left have had to divert quite a bit to get above or around the storm for a smoother flight. Three hours later the pilot once again comes on...we are five planes from taking off...guess what...American Airlines has cancelled our flight! Before we got back to the terminal, I'm on my cell phone trying to get the next available flight out. No such luck! The flight after ours was also cancelled and everything is booked solid! Until the NEXT day! I get a reservation for a flight the NEXT day at 10:30 am. By this time...my mom has already landed in Little Rock and Don is there to pick her up! So, have you ever been in an airport with not one, but at least TWO plane fulls of unhappy customers? We are all wait listed for the next available seat. The bad thing...if you happen to be standing in the right place at the right time, or the staff takes an immediate liking to you...y ou might be on that NEXT flight! To see your name drop from 10th place to 17th place on each remaining flight is a very unpleasant experience! The guy who happened to be sitting next to me in the airplane decided to rent a car and drive back to Little Rock...if I knew then what I would later learn...I would have gone with him! I met three other ladies so it would have been 5 of us (and Nicole)! Anyone that had a Frequent Flyer card, medical condition, etc. took priority and the medical condition I totally understood. American had no compassion for the fact that I was traveling with an animal who had no cat box...and was 16 years old. Oh yeah. While waiting for all the flights, I found an earlier flight...at 7:35 am the NEXT day. O.K. that was better than 10:30 am and would get me back into Little Rock - bad move!!!!

Anyhow, all the flights were running HOURS late...even the next day! After the final flight at midnight left...and none of us made it, we took the shuttle to a hotel that American gave us a "distressed" rate for. Get to the Ramada Inn - South, check-in, fix a make-shift cat box for Nicole and we all went to bed. Remember that none of us knew each other before that ill fated flight at 12:30 pm! It was about 1:30 am when the lights finally all went out! We all woke up very early the next morning. One of the girls mentioned that something had been "biting" her all night. She looked in her bed and there were blood spots all over from where she had scratched herself. Not only that...but there were bugs in the bed! Yuck! Checked out the other bed...and there were a few there as well! Yuck, yuck, yuck! A call to the manager who was there within minutes! Yes, there were bugs...and while he was there...she found one ON her!!! He refunded our money and before he could even return...we were heading out the door. Walking out I happened to notice another bug on her pants leg! Ugh! Needless to say...we itched all day!

So we get back to the airport and go through security for our third time! Now I have a cat and my carry-on bag which has my laptop in it. You have to take the cat out of her carrier AND your laptop has to come out to go through security! Did I mention this was my third time through security? Head for our terminal knowing from the night before that the first flight (remember the one that I changed to at 7:35 am) had already been CANCELLED! By the time I found that out and confirmed a seat, my flight at 10:30 am was already booked. I was able to confirm a seat on the 1:00 pm flight but was wait listed for all that were in between!

One of the other girls got on the 10:30 am flight which was really the 8:30 am flight (I told you they were ALL delayed). Three of us left and we waited and waited! You didn't want to leave the area on the off chance that someone would take a liking to you and get you on an earlier flight. I saw it happen at least four times where someone was at the right place at the right time! The other two girls were on the 10:30 am flight which was now the 12:50 am flight. Before this flight had even arrived they were asking for volunteers to give up their (confirmed) seats for $250 in travel vouchers AND a flight on the next available flight. I didn't think I stood a chance in **** of making this flight! The night before I was #1 on the wait list for today, but after the first flight...I was bumped to #4 and a little later #5! Just didn't make sense! Anyhow, they did end up calling three other people and after calling the next person several times...they finally called my name! Let me tell you...I was never so glad to get on that plane! We took off about 1/2 hour later and I was so glad to arrive in Little Rock airport a little under an hour later! Daughter Kim was there to pick me up and we waited at her house for Don and my mom to arrive. Don had gotten the boat that morning and was putting it in our "new" storage! Indoor storage for a little over $400 - for the year!!! A little late lunch and we were on our way to Greers Ferry!

After our ordeal...Nicole and I were glad to get home. She wasn't too glad to meet that little (o.k. so not so little) black and white thing that lives with us but I know she was glad to get out of her carrier! The next day my mom was able to see her new house and now we're just waiting for the moving van to arrive!

Lightening Strikes - July 9, 2007

Don and I are spending a week at Maumelle Park in Little Rock, AR; a beautiful Corp. of Engineers park not too far off the 430 highway. About the only "bad" thing about the park is the many, many trees that are everywhere. We moved from our original spot because we couldn't get the satellite up...our site was covered by this huge, beautiful tree! One large branch covered the roof right where the satellite is! We looked around and finally found a few sites that we thought might work. (We are here with friends, Bill & Kathy Corroum, and two more motorhomes that belong to friends of theirs).

Yesterday we woke up to the sound of raindrops on the roof. It didn't let up for HOURS! Early in the afternoon the lightening and thunder moved in. A couple of times we had some pretty good (and loud) thunder. It wasn't too long after that when we heard the loudest clap of thunder and felt the bolt of lightening. It made the entire motorhome shake! I had unplugged our computers shortly before that...and decided that it had been an excellent move!


Not long after that I decided that it was entirely too quiet in the motorhome and turned on the Bose system. Guess what...no sound! The Bose system "stores" your CD's so even if you can't get radio reception there is music in the system. Tried FM, AM, stored music, t.v. - nothing! Looked up troubleshooting in the manuals and finally resorted to calling Customer Service. After going through all their checks, etc. it was discovered that the sub-woofer wasn't working. Unplugged it, reset it...nothing. Not even the light was on. Since I was laying on the floor with a flashlight (it's in a cabinet under the table) I had Don check the fuses! Guess as a safety precaution...when the lightening struck and traveled through to the motorhome, that a breaker had popped! Thank goodness...a fuse was easier to reset than having to buy new electronic equipment!


About the same time I was investigating the Bose...Bill came to the door with a tree limb and pieces of bark! Seems that the bolt of lightening struck a tree between our motorhomes. The bark was missing along the entire length of the tree! It was amazing to see! Luckily the strike only hit the tree and not any of our motorhomes! Same thing goes for the tree itself! Luckily it was a small branch that didn't hit any of the motorhomes!


I almost forgot to mention that we are parked right alongside the Arkansas River. It has been above flood stage for many days! I heard that parts of North Little Rock had over 3" of rain yesterday...and I believe it! The river is a murky mess and no small craft are allowed on it at the moment! There are lots of trees in the water and I wouldn't want to go swimming in it...that's for sure! This has been one of the wettest summers around here in many years! Figures! :-)

Proud to announce...

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Leith

and Mr. Timothy Corbett
are very proud to

announce the graduation
of thier daughter and wife,
Kimberleigh Ann
from

The University of Phoenix
with a Bachelor of Science

in Business Accounting
on May 31, 2007!

Happy 4th of July!

A friend of mine shared this and I wanted to share it with you! Hope you all have a safe, fun 4th of July!

"Fourth of July - I can't believe it's already Independence Day! Boy, the time sure has flown by this summer. Well, I hope you're ready to celebrate with me as I celebrate the Fourth of July! http://www.history.com/minisites/fourthofjuly I love the introduction paragraph to this Web site! With its links going directly to the Declaration of Independence, then on to the history of the holiday, it's a real gem. You'll find navigation on the right hand side of the page. The sections are: History of the Fourth of July - Here you can learn about the history of this holiday that started its life as an official holiday in 1941, but got its beginning in 1776. Notice that the menu on the right hand side is a tree menu with even more categories! Did You Know? - In this section, you will learn all sorts of interesting tidbits about America and the Fourth of July. From the cost of fireworks to the number of residents in America at the time of the Declaration of Independence to the number of hotdogs consumed on the Fourth of July, it's all here. Fourth of July Video Gallery - Here you will find 10 videos, all about different aspects of the Fourth of July. From the Declaration of Independence to the Revolutionary War to the Great American Independence Day Quiz, you can find some pretty interesting things in this section. Maps of Early America - Here you can see maps of early America dating as far back as 1776 and as far into 1808. I love the way the maps are set up on these history sites. They are just so amazing and interactive! Discuss the Revolutionary War - This section is a forum where you can discuss the Revolutionary War with other people. You can ask questions or even answer questions that other people have asked. It's a pretty neat forum to be part of. Well, I hope you're ready to head out and see the fireworks tonight or maybe see a parade during the day. I know I can't wait!" (Thanks to Sherry H.)

Don and I hope your day is full of fantastic food, family, friends and fireworks! (Thanks to Von for the great sentiment)!

(pictures are from our 4th of July celebration LAST year in Gillette, WY! We had an awesome rign side seat! I took the pictures with my digital camera! I thought they turned out pretty good! Forgot to bring the camera this year!)

Here we sit...

Well, we actually haven't done too much sitting and we're still in Cabot instead of moving up closer to Greers Ferry! We've been to our lot about once a week, been out to dinner with Kathy & Bill Corroum (other Monaco owners who live nearby in Jacksonville), had several dinners with our daughter and son-in-law and done LOTS of running around!

We've been furniture "looking" (too early to actually be shopping since we have NOWHERE to store anything we might buy)! We've looked at exteriors of homes to get ideas, interiors to get more ideas, riding lawn mowers, doors, windows, pool tables, appliances, furniture etc. etc. etc.! I've finally resorted to bringing my camera with me almost everywhere so I can remember what we saw and what we looked at!

What we've finally decided is that everything moves at a slower pace than we are used to. Might be more typical than we know of since it's been over 30 years since Don last built a house from scratch! We hope to break ground last this week!

Our plans have been drawn and everything's been approved! Bad news for our motorhoming friends! We had hoped to have two full hook-up spots but our lot is only perked for a 3-bedroom house. I guess they "see" motorhomes as having two bedrooms so with two spots that's four additional bedrooms! So forget the sewer! As far as two spots go...our house is very long with the RV garage on one side and the other garage running sideways. One spot is all we could manage because of the same aforementioned septic system, but if we ever have two motorhomes at one time (besides ours which will be in the garage), one will be parked in front of the RV garage with water and electric! Oh well...I know we can all "dry" camp for a few days and heck, the price is right! :-)

This picture shows Greers Ferry Lake. We will live in Emerald Isle. The heading for it is at the bottom left hand corner pointing up. Emerald Isle is on what is known as "the Narrows".

Ashleigh's Dance Recital - June 2007

A few light moments backstage before the recital! I have always stayed backstage with Ashleigh's class (this year her particular class is only 3 girls). It gives me special time to spend with Ashleigh and I know she enjoys it as well! I see her recital from a different perspective (I see it from the side, but up close and personal...behind the curtain)!

The picture above was taken during their dress rehearsal from the front of the stage! I wasn't in any of the parents way while they were watching thier kids perform! :-)

Between dances! The kids are too young to be nervous! I bring coloring books, cards, etc. to keep them entertained! This year they were also entertained watching the older girls warm-up and practice since we were all in the same large room! The oldest girls in the performance were high school. I also change their cotumes, change their hair, fix their make-up and anything else that needs to be done!

This was also taken during thier dress rehearsal. It's part of their dance. I think she's letting go of a bird! They danced barefoot in this dance instead of wearing thir pink ballet shoes!

A Sponge Bob Birthday!

We may have missed getting to Arkansas before Ashleigh's birthday but we didn't miss her 6th birthday party which was the following week! Kim and Tim had rented a bounce house for her birthday and until just an hour or so before...we didn't know if the party was going to be inside or out! A thunderstorm a few hours before the "start" but everything cleared up and dried off in time for the party!

Ashleigh had a great time and got lots of fun presents! I think even the adults had a good time!

A funny story...Kim asked if I would "face paint" the kids at Ashleigh's party, so the day before I pulled out my paints and brushes and came up with some simple "kid" designs. That night I polished my skills by painting all the designs on my hand and then a piece of construction paper so the kids could choose what they wanted! Now, I've painted a lot of different surfaces, but never moving, wiggly kids! Ashleigh was first and choose a ladybug on her cheek! It was to be her first of many! The kids lined up and patiently waited for their turn. Before I was even done with half of them, others were back in line for more! Ashleigh was so proud of her grandma! She told me (more than once) and her friends "my grandma is such an artiste". <-- not artist mind you, but "artiste". She asked me how I got to be so good! It really made my head swell! :-) The face painting was a BIG hit! Some of the kids had 6 or 7 things painted on their cheeks, hands and arms! It was too cute!

Sold!

Here we are in Cabot, AR waiting for everything to "come together"! Our lot is in escrow, we have pre-approval for our loan, the architect is working on our plans (which I did first on the computer...I'm getting pretty good now at "drawing" plans) and now we're just waiting on the builder to come up with the final price (yeah, I know it won't be final until the house is done) after the architect makes the final tweaks on the plans!

Don and I took a drive out to the lake a few days after we got back to Arkansas. We didn't remember all the weeds or the trees at the water line, but guess we can work on that as the house is being built!

We took Tess with us and weren't really prepared! Tess ended up with two ticks on her and a few hours later...even I had one! YUCK! Guess we'll be treating the yard sometime after it officially belongs to us! :-) Tess is now up-to-date on her Frontline as well! And next time...I'll be sure to have shoes, not sandals, and be covered in "Off"!!!