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"!!!

Happy 6th Birthday, Ashleigh!

I'm not sure who was more excited...

Ashleigh for us arriving in Arkansas with more birthday presents or me, for getting to see her and Kimberleigh! Enjoyed a few hours with all of them while Don barbequed some hamburgers for us! Yummy! Ashleigh enjoyed opening up presents, but I have to tell you...I've never seen anyone have os much trouble blowing out 6 candles! Do you suppose it's because of the hole from the missing teeth in front?

Don and I got to spend some time with Ashleigh, Kim and Tim the next day after school and dance! I can't wait to see Ashleigh's dance recital in about 10 days! I'm always amazed at how good all the kids are!

Visiting with friends!

One of the fun things about traveling is the chance to visit with friends! Don and I had hoped to have a chance to stop by and see our friends, Dave & Marie on our way from Arkansas to California in late April but we didn't get the chance since we spent a few extra days before heading out. Since we knew we would be coming back soon, it wasn't hard to realize that we could see them on the return trip! After a few extra days in Flagstaff, AZ with the alternator and our stop off in Fort Worth, TX to see Don's cousin we finally managed to make it to Melissa, TX! It was great to see Dave doing so well (he's been undergoing some recent throat cancer treatment) and Marie holding up as well! I can't even begin to imagine the stress involved when you find out your spouse has cancer and then being there to take care of them 24/7 while they undergo treatment! It looks like Marie has been doing an outstanding job since Dave looked so good! :-) Thought she might be able to use a short break though and left Don in "charge" one day while Marie and I went to lunch! Since Dave has a feeding tube, Marie hasn't really been eating too much since it's not much fun to cook for one! We both enjoyed our lunch and sat there and talked for HOURS! I hope Marie enjoyed it as much as I did!

It rained in Melissa as much as it did in Fort Worth while we were there. We're beginning to think it does nothing but rain in Texas! :-) The next day...in pouring rain, Don and I headed north to Cabot, AR! It wasn't too long before we out ran the rain. It was a pleasant drive with NO surprises or excitement! Thank goodness!

Rain, rain go away....

Don and I arrived in Fort Worth, TX and were met by Don's cousin, Chuck Wheeler at the local Wal-Mart! He wanted to meet us there so we wouldn't have to go through the horrors of downtown Fort Worth rush hour traffic! After visiting for a while he led us to our campground where we would stay for two nights! Talk about great service! :-) Thanks Chuck! Just before we were ready to head to the campground, Kathy, Chuck's wife came over and we were able to meet her for the first time! It really says something when you can talk for hours and not realize how long you've been talking! After parking the motorhome, we went to the stockyards and had dinner with Chuck and Kathy. We finally noticed that besides the "help" who were sweeping the floors, putting up chairs, etc. we were the only ones left in the whole restaurant!

The next day Don and I got a very late start! I guess going through two time zones and getting up at o'dark thirty to hit the road finally got to us! By the time Chuck called us though, we were about ready to begin our day! Chuck came over to the motorhome and since it was raining we talked, shared pictures and Chuck and I tried to fix a small glitch on my computer. (Operative word - tried!) None of us wear a watch and when Chuck asked if we wanted to get a bite of lunch we all agreed and didn't even consider the time! We were almost done eating when Kathy called to find out where we were and Chuck told her we were at Applebee's having lunch! She told him it was dinner time...yikes, it was after 5:00! No wonder we were all hungry! Kathy was able to join us and had her dinner! After that they took us over to their house where they showed us their beautiful home and the area that they live in. Spent a few hours talking some more, sharing stories of their/our travels and Chuck & Don spent lots of time reminiscing and catching up! It had been 24 years since they had seen each other at Rolly's (Chuck's dad & Don's uncle) retirement from Young's Market! (Earl [Don's dad] also retired from Young's Market). Both Kathy and Chuck brought us back to the motorhome and we got to looking up their old homes on "Zillow.com". Zillow is a fun program that gives you an "estimate" of the value of your home (or someone elses) with the tax info and sales history. It also shows you a satellite view of most areas. The more populated areas are more up-to-date than some areas. They had to refine their search a little by viewing the satellite to pinpoint the houses since they didn't exactly remember the addresses! It was fun to see them "spot" the house and talk about things about it! Another day had sped by and it was time to say "good-bys". We were moving on in the morning. I know that Don had a great time and said it didn't feel like 24 years had passed since they had last gotten together! I enjoyed meeting both Chuck & Kathy and we hope to get together again sometime soon. Since we won't be too far from Texas and they travel to Nebraska, it should be pretty easy to meet up again soon!

BTW while at their house I got to have my "kitty fix"! Kathy inherited her dad's cat! He's a beautiful cat that allowed me to have some petting time! Still makes me miss Maggie and I hope to be able to find another kitty sometime soon!

Another Freightliner visit! :-(

This is so not a good sight!

Left So. California on Friday morning, a day later than planned. My sister, Kathy had an unscheduled visit to the hospital via ambulance on Wednesday with chest pains. We didn't want to leave until we were assured she was doing o.k. After an angiogram on Thursday she was released and we went on with our plans to head east.

Since there is so much traffic in the morning we decided to head east to I-10 and then up through Havasu City to catch I-40 ending the day in Flagstaff, AZ where we were meeting friends, Jerri & Lloyd Wood. They were coming west as we were heading east and since we were already delayed a day, Flagstaff worked out as a good place to meet! Once we got into Havasu City Don noticed our alternator wasn't charging - AGAIN! The last time was in Feb. 2006 when we left Oregon and made it to Redding, CA. Monaco gave us a couple of repair shops in Havasu but none worked on chassis'. We turned on the generator to keep our batteries up and headed to Kingman. Once in Kingman, the repair shop couldn't even look at it until 3:30! We waited for a few hours when I called Flagstaff Freightliner to see if they would at least confirm it was a bad alternator. Monaco wouldn't ship one until that was done and the place in Kingman said they couldn't even verify it until 3:30...by then it would be too late to get it shipped out until Monday - anyway! I certainly didn't want to spend the weekend in Kingman when Jerri & Lloyd were already waiting for us in Flagstaff so when Freightliner Flagstaff said they could at least confirm it...we kept on going! Within minutes of arriving in Flagstaff it was confirmed that it WAS our alternator and they told us to come back (without the coach) on Monday and they would get the part ordered. Don was there exactly at 8:00 when they opened and our alternator was on the way! Tuesday morning we were there at 8:00 a.m. and waited and waited and waited! They got the alternator about 11:00 (everytime a Fed Ex or UPS truck would come in one of us went in to see if it was there...I think they got a little tired of seeing us!) and pulled us into the service bay. While we were there we also had them do a lube and oil change. Finally finised about 4:30 so we decided it was too late to head anywhere and ended up parking in their lot for the night! I am so glad that this was a Monaco covered repair...the alternator and labor came to over $1700.00! Yikes! Hope they find out why it keeps happening before we have to pay for the repair ourselves!!!

Left Flagstaff at 7:30 am and put just under 500 miles under our belt! Arrived in Tucumcari, NM about 3:30 and got settled in! (Last time we were here it was WHITE, now as I type this it's WINDY, WINDY, WINDY! Thank goodness were not driving in it though!) We're trying to get to Fort Worth, TX and Melissa, TX to see Don's cousin, Chuck Wheeler and his wife Kathy (Chuck "found" us on this blog and it's been about 21 years since they've seen each other!) and also friends, Dave & Marie Ostrander who are in Melissa, TX where Dave has just finished up treatment for throat cancer that was found just before we were all to head to Florida. We will stay two nights in each place and then it's on to Cabot, AR where we will meet up with the realtor, banker, architect and builder to get our new house under way!

A Day Like No Other...

No pictures to post...my sister wouldn't let me take one! Of course, I only had my camera on my cell phone and she wasn't at her best!

This morning Don and I were supposed to go to Don's doctors appointment and then spend the day with his dad since it was his birthday. After that, we were going to have dinner with Don's dad, sister, brother-in-law, etc.. Tomorrow morning we were going to be heading out and heading east, but our plans changed...pretty quickly at that! It all started with the doorbell at o'dark thirty! We are staying at my sister and brother-in-laws house in thier yard where we've been for a few weeks. My niece and her family (2 kids, husband, 3 cats and 1 dog) are here as well. They are in the process of moving from Hawaii to Virginia and are waiting for escrow to close on their new home. So anyhow, the doorbell rings this morning and it's my niece Katrina. She doesn't think it's anything serious and doesn't want me to worry, but her mom was just taken to the hospital in an ambulance with chest pain! Kathy's husband is already at work, so I got dressed and Katrina and I head to the hospital. I think we arrived there about 6:30 a.m. Once we got there we were allowed to go back and there she is...all hooked up and not feeling too well! Guess her pain started about 12:30 a.m. She tried milk, Tums, etc. but nothing was working. She finally went back to work but woke up a little later still in pain. At 4:00 she got up, took her shower and started getting ready for work . Didn't take too long before she decided that maybe that wasn't the best idea and she woke up Katrina and asked her to call the paramedics. A few minutes later the firefighters arrived followed by paramedics! They gave her some nitroglycerin and transported her to the local hopsital. That's where we came in!

They had already taken her basic history and it was a little later when a doctor came in. That's just about when the fun started! The doctor ordered an EKG and while they were giving that, she had some arrythmias (irregular heartbeats). That got them a little excited so they hung a large bottle of nitroglycerin along with her i.v. Her blood pressure had also been very high the entire time we were there. They started giving her different medications to help with the pain and try to stabilize things while they tried to determine what was going on. Later in the day her blood pressure would go very, very low...that's when they stopped the nitroglycerin. They told us that they treated aggressively if they thought there was a chance of a heart attack or stroke so that they would have a handle on things and if it turned out to be something else they would figure it out as time went on. After another EKG they determined that an angiogram would be in order but this hospital wasn't equipped to do it. The cardiologist said there was some change to the front of her heart. Since her "normal" doctor was actually near her work, she was being transferred about 50 miles to another hospital that could do the angiogram. We were told about 1:00 p.m. that everything was in place they were just waiting for the receiving hospital to call them with a "bed"! Katrina, my mom and I finally left the hospital about 8:30 p.m. and headed home. Jon, Kathy's husband was still at the hospital. She was finally transferred about 10:30 p.m. via ambulance!

**Kathy had the angiogram on Thursday morning and released about 3:00 p.m. She's home, tired and a little uncomfortable but thankfully no blockages that required bypass surgery AND no heart attack!

An upcoming wedding!

While we were in So. California we were able to attend our niece's engagement party! Brooke is engaged to be married in August! We were so glad that we were able to attend! Isn't it nice that they planned it for when we were there? :-) I had never met Gary before but Don had in December. It was nice to be able to spend time with him and also meet his family as well! Brooke is just glowing and will make a beautiful bride!

The bride-to-be (Brooke) with the groom-to-be (Gary)!







Don and his sister, Debbee...







The proud father of the bride-to-be (Craig) and the sister-of-the bride (Ashley)







Lots of family, friends and yummy food!