In A Nutshell...A Little Nutshell

Just to update everyone...(and believe me this is putting it into very short notes)

• We left Georgia Tuesday morning and spent the night in Marion, Illinois
• We left Marion and spent the night in Hays, Kansas Wednesday evening
• We left Hays and made it all the way to Casper Thursday evening
• We got our house keys today, met the new landlord and one of our new neighbors, Dave
• I took my "pee test" and passed with flying colors so now I am officially an employee of Navarro Research and Engineering starting on Monday morning.
• Corey and Ryan are due in this evening and may actually arrive about the same time!

I got all the utilities in our name, but the cable, phone and internet won't be up until the 8th!!! What will I do?!?!?!

It has been snowing off and on here today. In fact, the snow has stuck to the parking lot here at the hotel. It will be interesting seeing B.J.'s real reaction in the morning when he sees it in the daylight.

Thanks for all the prayers from everyone. We cannot complain one iota about the trip out here. It has all gone so well for us. I do miss what I had, but life is an adventure from now on.

The Prodigal Wife and Daughter Almost Returns

When I left Denver International Airport this morning, it was another clear cold day with no snow. Snow had been in the forecast for several days, but I suppose since I was in town Mother Nature decided to hold off - again.

I stayed in a Microtel Hotel near the airport last night. That was an experience. The room was nice, don't get me wrong it was just very, very small. It was just big enough for one person. If I'd had to stay in a room like that for too long a period, it might have driven me crazy. Hence the name Microtel as in Micromini Motel.

No problems with the flights though today. I still am awed about flying even after all the flights I've taken. I just don't see how a plane can fly loaded down with all those people and luggage and the pilot sits way up at the front. It just doesn't seem possible. And, I still thrill sitting on the runway and listening to the engines rev up just before we taxi. It is such an exhilarating feeling.

On the job front - I got a phone call from the oil field company. They are emailing me paperwork and other information the want from me. So, I'm still in the running for that job at this time. And, tomorrow I have my phone interview with the lawyers in Laramie in the morning.

As much as I love travel and adventure, I am so looking forward to being home tomorrow. I've missed Joe more than I ever thought possible and don't want to ever be away from him this long again.

At The End Of A Very Long Day

Here's Joe just getting off at the top of the escalator at the Atlanta Airport. He's looking for me.

Still looking for me. He knows I'll be around there somewhere.
He thinks he sees me now. Doesn't he look cute dragging his suitcase along?
Yep, he found me!!!
You'd be happy to see me too if you'd just traveled from Salt Lake City to Houston to Atlanta ALL DAY LONG!!! (I traveled from Salt Lake City to Phoenix to Charlotte to Atlanta). We finally made it to our hotel about 12:30 a.m. and then went to get some food since it had been about 30 hours since I'd eaten. (Remember, my airline doesn't feed you at all. No drink, no teeny, tiny bag of peanuts).

Heading West Again - Waahoo!

Though our flights (yes, flights - Joe and I are on separate flights) do not leave until early Wednesday morning, we've spent the day getting ready to leave tomorrow morning. I have a doctor's appointment and heaven only knows how long that could last!

The day has been spent packing (see picture), washing clothes, vaccuming, dusting, cleaning, etc. I hate going off and coming home to a cluttered house. Now, that doesn't mean it's perfect even now, but between job searching on line and everything else only so much can get done.

And then, there are the lists of things to do - the things that you have to remember to not forget (got that).

• Withdraw cash from one bank;
• Deposit the withdrawn money into the other bank account;
• Get the oil changed;
• Call the neighbors so hopefully they'll keep an eye on the house;
• Get disks for the camera - gotta take lots of pictures;
• Get 20 $1.00 bills for tips;
• Go by Georgia Power so the electricity won't get turned off while gone, etc., etc., etc.

We took the furry kids to Mom and Dad's this afternoon. They LOVE to ride in the car - B.J.'s jowls flopping in the breeze, Blaze lunging at the passing trucks. They were so excited to see Gmom and Gdad and had to water every bush and tree within a 50 ft. area. Then Blaze was promptly tied up as she loves to explore and doesn't stay around the compound. B.J. knows what he's supposed to do and can run free. Sorry Blaze. You should listen better!

10 Places To See Before You're 10

This is an article that I recently saw on MSN...Top 10 places to see before you're 10 (in no particular order). I thought it would be interesting to see how many all of us may have seen - even if some of us are already over the age of 10. Maybe we should change it to "Top 10 places to see before you're 100"?

American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, with works from self-taught artists (been to Baltimore, but never been to the museum).

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia (Been here when our family lived in Virginia in the early 60's before moving to Japan).

Ellis Island, New York (I was last there in November of 2002. I wrote about it in my blog about 9/11. I would love to go there again and take someone else along with me. It's a really fascinating place. And, I did see it from a distance when I was about 7 years old when our family went to New York to pick up Uncle George and Aunt Lynn and their family when they returned from France. If I remember correctly, we even got to ride on the Staten Island Ferry).

Grand Canyon, Arizona (Our whole family went there on our way to Japan. That was the last time that I was physically there, but I've flown over it several times since on my way to California. Family picture circa 1961).

Niagara Falls, New York & Canada (Corey and I went to Buffalo, NY for a national family child care conference in either August 2001 or 2002. While there, we had the opportunity of going to Niagara Falls on the New York side. We rode on the "Maid of The Mist" boat to get a closeup view of the falls. Everyone is given a plastic blue poncho for reasons which become perfectly clear the closer you get to the falls. You would be literally drenched otherwise. It was lots of fun, but I can assure you that I would never want to be one of the kooks who've gone over the Falls.

Don't we look like a couple of reject Smurfs?

Sears Tower, Chicago (On my last visit to Chicago, I could look out my hotel window in downtown Chicago and see the Sears Tower. Never went and visited it, but I have seen it).

Disneyland, Anaheim, California (Joe and I were in Anaheim in 8/07. We did get to go to dinner at Disneyland with Tiffany and her mom, Mary. We went to eat at the Raintree Cafe and the picture of is of the two of us waiting our turn to go into the restaurant. This was my second visit to Disneyland. I've only gone there to eat dinner and never ridden the rides. It is so much SMALLER than Disneyworld and feels so different since it is so small).

Muir Woods, 12 miles north of San Francisco (Never been there, don't even know what it is)!

Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California (Close to it while out in California, but no cigar).

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles (Passed by it while in California. What's with all the California stuff anyway)?

So 6 out of 10 isn't so bad and I did see three before I was 10.

Moving To Japan Through The Eyes of Mom - 1961

In 1961, Dad received orders from the USAF that we were going to move from Virginia to Japan. Mom was 27 years old at the time (Dad 29) and the mother of four children ranging in age from two years old up to almost nine years old. She had never really been much of anywhere until she married Dad and then her journeys began mostly east of the Mississippi until the trip to Japan. (These are our very first passport pictures for any of us other than Dad. We all look so excited, huh?)
I came into possession of a diary that Mom kept for a while during our trip across the U.S. to California and beyond to Japan. Her birthday is this week and I thought this would be a great time to share this diary with her children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren and those who have married into the family.

So, here goes...(anything written in italics is my commentary)

May 6: Dear Diary, Today I have made up my mind that Missouri isn't a bad place to live. So I must be getting old or some things don't matter as they once did. (Mom was never really crazy about Missouri. I remember her saying one time that she had hoped so never had to live there. However, before moving to Japan, we did go to Missouri so that we could visit with my Grandmother Mix (Cattell) and visit with other family members on my dad's side of the family. This was one of those rare times I can remember visiting that grandmother and spending time with my cousins).

May 7: Dear Diary, Today I cooked dinner for my mother-in-law. Tonight I am keeping my nephew, Larry, while his parents go to the movie.

May 8: Dear Diary, I have come to believe that my step-daddy is crazy as a bedbug. What Mom ever saw in him is beyond me. Such a nut!!! (Yes, that is Granddaddy Bedbug. Seriously, I don't think anyone can remember his name. This picture was made outside Grandmother's house).

May 9: Dear Diary, I had my hair shampooed and set today. The last time I guess in the U.S.A. for a long time. Tonight I felt very tired after cooking and doing dishes.

May 10: Dear Diary, I am trying to get my packing finished. We start on our trip in the morning.

May 11: Dear Diary, Today we left Missouri. After traveling about 400 miles, we are in the great city of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Lots of wheat and oil wells.

May 12: Dear Diary, We are now in that great state of Texas. It feels like summer here. It is wonderful to see all the different country.

May 13: Dear Diary, What a surprise we had today. While traveling in New Mexico, we ran into snow. Quite a change after being where it was 98 degrees the day before.

May 14: Dear Diary, A great Mother's Day this has been. I got to see the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon. It was all very beautiful . (Apparently Mom and Dad took turns taking pictures. I've also noted how we girls seemed to always be wearing dresses, not shorts, while traveling. Notice also that Mom was even wearing a dress).

May 15: Dear Diary, Today we have traveled 515 miles. We are in California and we are all very tired. We are out of the desert. Everything is pretty and green.

May 16: Dear Diary, We are in California now. A very beautiful state. Today I met another of Jim's aunt and uncle. They are very nice. (These were Aunt Ethel and Uncle Earl Hanneford who were my Grandmother Cattell's aunt and uncle. They lived in Palo Alto, California).

May 17: Today we met Lynn's folks. They are very nice. We had lunch with them. (Lynn was the woman who married my Uncle George Cattell. They divorced years later).

May 18: Dear Diary, A very busy day this will be. We will arrive at Travis today. I am getting very tired. I had my hair fixed again. (Travis is Travis Air Force Base near San Francisco, California where all flights heading to Japan began).

May 19: Dear Diary, We took Betsy over today. Sure miss her. Tomorrow is D-Day. I have butterflies in my tummy. sure hope everything goes well. (Betsy was our 1957 Chevrolet station wagon. It took her about two weeks to finally arrive in Japan).

May 20: Dear Diary, Today is D-Day. Wish I felt better. But it won't be so long to wait now.

May 21: Dear Diary, A very short day about 6 hours long. The trip has been smooth so far. Got to Hawaii at last. A wonderful place. (Though it may not be true, I remember being greeted with leis when we embarked and it was rainy and either dark or became dark. We had to stay in the airport terminal for our plane to be refueled).

May 22: Dear Diary, Sure is warm on Wake Island. I wouldn't want to live here. But the water is pretty. (Wake Island (also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll having a coastline of 12 miles in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu. The plane had to refuel, so we landed and were then loaded on a bus and taken to a dining hall where we were fed a hot meal which I remember as odd since it was so hot and I don't remember any air conditioning).

May 23: Dear Diary, I am in Japan now. Sure hope I like it here. The plane trip wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be. But, I'm still tired. (I remember the plane ride as being very, very long and very, very noisy).

May 24: Dear Diary, We saw some of the homes today. Not too bad, but not much of a yard. I'll be happy to settle down again. (The military had a listing of houses that could be rented by military personnel. Before moving into a house, it had to be inspected so that when we moved out, it was inspected again using the checklist).

May 25: Dear Diary, I don't feel too good - I have a headache. The people here are so very thoughtful. I wonder how they were ever in war.

May 26: Dear Diary, Today I did my first wash in Japan. Also had lunch with Edna and family. A real nice day. (Edna's family was our "sponsoring family" who helped us get settled. She was also an inactive member of the Church who took Mom to Relief Society work meetings and introduced her to the Church).

May 27: Dear Diary, Today we walked to the BX (base exchange). Got my first pair of shoes. They are white sandals with bamboo heels. Real cute.

May 28: Dear Diary, What a day. I am so tired of staying cooped up I could scream. Nancy fell off the ladder to the bunks. Took her to the doctor.

May 29: Dear Diary, I went to the BX again today. Put the kids in the nursery. Got myself a new pair of p.j.'s. I think they are real cute. My darling brought me a flower.

May 30: Dear Diary, A very nice day. We took a walk to the library. Got some books to read.

May 31: Dear Diary, The inspectors turned our house down. So I wonder if we'll ever get settled down again.

June 1: Dear Diary, Our house has passed inspection at last. Maybe we'll get settled down again soon.

June 2: Dear Diary, We cleaned our house some today. It's beginning to look real good. Wish I could get a letter from home. Got a gift from Edna.

June 3: Dear Diary, Our household goods came today. Sure was glad to see them again.

June 4: Dear Diary, Today I made curtains for our house. Tomorrow is moving day.

June 5: Dear Diary, We made it. I was so happy I got a new stove. I'm well pleased with our furniture. (If I remember, furniture could be rented from the base since it was difficult and expensive to ship your own).

June 6: Dear Diary, It is great to be back in my own home again. I did wash today. They they dry good.

June 7: Dear Diary, Today I took a trip to Fussa. Got myself lost. But I did enjoy my trip very much. Bought me a large straw bag. (Fussa was the little town down the road from the house. Mom spoke no Japanese at all yet she still managed to purchase an item using foreign currency and find home).

June 8: Dear Diary, I am getting the house to look like a home. It is so good to settle down again.

June 9: Dear Diary, The rainy season has set in. I'm glad I have the house cleaned up real nice.

June 10: Dear Diary, I got my stainless steel set today. It is very unusual. Also my bud vase to match my creamer and sugar.

June 11: Dear Diary, Edna and family and my family went to Tachi today. It was a beautiful day in the 80's. (Tachikawa was a neighboring military base about 5 miles from Yokota AFB where we were stationed).

June 12: Dear Diary, I had the girls hair cut today. All for only 300 yen. It is hard to believe no more haircuts for me. (Don't know what Mom meant here...maybe that she didn't have to cut our hair only more due to the low price).

June 13: Dear Diary, Today I made "Tiger" some p.j.'s and went to the commissary. A very busy day. (Tiger was Jimmy's nickname).

June 14: Dear Diary, Jimmy got his first haircut in a barber shop. 25 cents. I bought Jim's Father's Day gift. Hope he likes it.

June 15: Dear Diary, A beautiful day, but I don't feel much like working. Good news! Old Betsy has arrived. Can hardly wait to see her.

June 16: Dear Diary, I got my maid at last named Kay! So I took off most of the day and enjoyed myself. I gave her a raise already - 450 yen to 500 yen. (That was about $1.23 per day and this was for babysitting).

June 17: Dear Diary, Oh happy day! We got dear old Betsy today. My what a wonderful sight. Now I have to get my license.

June 18: Dear Diary, This is Father's Day. Jim liked his gift. We had dinner at J.A.S. The children were well-behaved. (J.A.S. was Johnson Air Station another base located near Yokota that was about 10 miles away).

June 19: Dear Diary, Summer school starts. The joe-suns are very happy. I guess I'm happy, but I have another headache.

June 20: Dear Diary, I got lost again in Fussa. I began to think I would never find my way home.

June 21: Today we went to Tokyo. I would love to go shopping there.

June 22: Dear Diary, Tonight we helped Edna and Gene celebrate their anniversary which as last night.

June 23: Dear Diary, We had a wonderful time last night. It was nice to get out again. I haven't been anywhere today.

June 24: Dear Diary, Today we go to the Squadron picnic. It is raining. Hope it clears up. (later) What a lousy picnic.

June 25: Dear Diary, What a day. We started out for J.A.S. Wound up near Tokyo. Got lost but we did have fun. Had lunch at Tachi.

June 26: Dear Diary, This has been a busy day. I have rearranged my furniture. Also letting Kay go. (Kay was actually Keiako if I remember. She was the first maid that Mom hired for about $23.00 each week. She would do the cleaning and ironing and babysit for us kids. I think the reason that Mom let her go was that we kids were more than she could handle).

June 27: Dear Diary, Today I told Kay I didn't need her for awhile. She is gonna help me get a full-time maid when I need one.

June 28: Dear Diary, I hope the rain stops soon. (From about mid June, for about a month, it is the monsoon season where it often rains. In September, typhoons are widespread in Japan and occasionally they can cause great damage. The rest of the year, the climate is very mild throughout the country).

June 29: Dear Diary, I sent Kay to Joann's. I miss her too.

June 30: Dear Diary, Thank goodness for paydays.

July 1: Dear Diary, We took the Bears to J.A.S. today. Had dinner at the Club!

July 2: Dear Diary, Jim is working. Guess we'll take a walk.

July 3: Dear Diary, I had my first lobster tonight - $1.25 (oh, my gosh!!!) It sure was good.

July 4: Dear Diary, Jim is working so not much we can do.

July 5: Dear Diary, I forgot to write in you some time.

July 6: Dear Diary, I had my hair fixed today. The sun has shone for the first time all day for quite awhile.

July 7: Dear Diary, Another beautiful day. They are painting our house.

July 8: Dear Diary, Today we got our stereo. I think Jim is happy now.

July 9: Dear Diary, Today we met some old friends from MacDill. The Bole's. We had a nice visit.

July 10: Dear Diary, We saw all the puppies today. All one hundred and one. It rained again this afternoon.

July 14: Dear Diary, I feel so bad. I guess I'll have to get better to die.

July 15: Dear Diary, This is Jim's birthday. Guess I had better bake a cake.

July 16: Dear Diary, The cake was very good - a coconut one.

July 17: Dear Diary, I'm feeling some better today. The weather is a little cooler.

July 18: Dear Diary, We hired another maid tonight. Her name is Emiko.

July 19: Dear Diary, I sure hope the maid works out. She was to work a little early this a.m.

July 20: Dear Diary, Emiko is a jewel. We will be happy with her.

July 21: Dear Diary, Had my hair shampooed again today. I just love all the hair styles I get.

July 22: Dear Diary, Not much doing today. Had blueberry pancakes for dinner tonight.

July 23: Dear Diary, Got two angel fish today. I think maybe there will live.

July 24: Dear Diary, I think all of our guppies are dead. Guess we'll go out for dinner tonight. (Mom and Dad loved having a fish aquarium and loved having it stocked with tropical fish).

July 27: Dear Diary, I got Jim a watchband and box of cigars for his anniversary. (Yes, that is Dad with a cigar hanging out of his mouth and that's me looking at him adoringly because he was and is always such a smart man and knew how to do everything).

July 28: Dear Diary, This is the big day. Ten years. Carol was happy with her radio. My darling got me a big bottle of cologne. We are going out. (This was my pink Bakelite radio that I LOVED. Wish I knew what happened to it - wish I still had it. I used to stick it up under my blankets on Sunday nights and listen to some kind of mystery theater which used to scare me and thrill me. I'd turn it down just low enough to hear it and hope that I wouldn't get caught listening by Mom or Dad).

July 29: Dear Diary, Had a wonderful time last night. The Bears bought me a white carnation corsage. Had a steak dinner.

August 1: Dear Diary, Tonight I won at Bingo - $30.00 but seven of us, so we got $4.30 each.

August 4: Dear Diary, Went to the Club tonight. Had a wonderful time. Saw two men. They were great.

August 7: Dear Dairy, I bought Ruth a necklace for her birthday. Sure hope she likes it!

August 15: Dear Diary, This is my birthday. Jim bought me a box of chocolate covered cherries. I miss Mom's cake.

August 19: Dear Diary, We had a shop picnic today. Did we have a ball!

August 26: Dear Diary, I am now a Brownie leader. Sure hope I can do a good job. Susan is in my troop. I have 18 girls.

August 28: Dear Diary, This is school day. All the girls go. Nancy is a little scared. I think she will be okay. They go to Hamura. Nancy lost her second tooth.

October 19: Dear Diary, Had my Mother-Daughter Tea today for my Brownie Troop. I think it all went well. All the girls were present.

October 23: Dear Diary, We have been here five months today. I am very homesick. I wish it would stop raining.

These are the last of the entries Mom made in her diary for this year. I only wish she'd written more and in detail.

You Saw Who!?! a/k/a my brush with famemonosity

Okay, Nancy threw out the challenge for us on one of her latest blogs to 'fess up on famous people we've met in one way or another. So, I will attempt to delve into the deep recesses of my brain and see who I can recall. I will also name bands/singers I've seen in concert.

Henry Winkler - actor (The Fonz on Happy Days). Joe and I saw him while we were waiting for our plane in LAX, California in August of 2007. We were eating lunch at the California Pizza and he came walking towards and then past me. I saw him coming, told Joe, but decided not to accost the poor man and just said hello. But, as soon as he passed, I was on the phone calling everyone I could think to call.

Lou Rawls - singer ("You'll Never Find A Love Like Mine") I was at a child care conference in north Georgia in 2006. I had been taking things out to my car and a very nice man wearing a cap and holding a small dog held the door open for me. I thanked him and in his unmistakable voice he said I was welcome. He had such a distinctive voice and I knew immediately who he was. I got on the elevator with him, but never acknowledged that I knew who he was.

I met Tina Cole and Don Grady at church girl's conference in Provo, Utah when I was 17 years old in 1970. I had been selected as "Youth of the Year" for the entire Florida Mission and selected to attend this conference for girls all over the United States.

They used to be on the television show "My Three Sons" with Fred McMurray.

This is a picture of me with Joe Frank Harris in 1990 who was the governor of Georgia at this time. He came to Tifton to deliver some speech at the Chamber of Commerce and my office was right next door, so I got to meet him.

Jimmy and I saw Barry Manilow in concert in Atlanta one weekend in the middle 70's. It was in a very small venue so it was very intimate in that he interacted with the audience often.

My biggest claim to meeting fame was in 1971 when we lived in New Jersey. My best friend, Ericka (Ricki) MacPherson was the girlfriend of Jay Osmond. When The Osmonds were coming to Philadelphia for a concert, she and I went and met the entire family and spent time in their hotel room. In fact, we'd even gone a couple of days prior to pick up a birthday gift Ricki had gotten for Marie. We went to the concert and then came back to The Osmonds room afterwards.

Up, Up And Away!

Was this my lucky night or what!?!? I sat down this evening to check emails and happened upon one of my favorite sites clarkhoward.com. This guy lives in Atlanta and is a consumer advocate and gives tips on a variety of subjects, including travel. While browsing, I noticed posted airline tickets from Atlanta to Salt Lake City on Continental at an incredible price. I jumped on that information like a junebug in heat to see if I could find a ticket so that my sweetie could go with me to Utah in October to see our fantabulous grandson. (I already had a ticket from a previous "freebie" I needed to use). The price was so outstanding it was not to be believed. So, I'm typing in all the pertinent information about Joe and payment arrangements with quivering hands and afraid to move my eyes from the screen so as to not make a mistake. While doing so I'm bellowing at the top of my lungs for Joe to hurry and come. I'm trying to explain to him about the unbelievable ticket price and type at the same time urging him to cross his fingers that all goes through. At the conclusion of entering the data, I hit the "proceed" button holding my breath until da, da, da, dum!!!!! it is finished, completed, ended with the desired intentions. Joe is going to Utah in October too!

The downside to this is we won't be on the same plane - not even the same carrier. I will leave from Atlanta to Phoenix to Salt Lake City going and Salt Lake City to Phoenix to Charlotte to Atlanta coming home. Joe goes from Atlanta to Minneapolis/St. Paul to Salt Lake City going and Salt Lake City to Houston to Atlanta coming back. So, I think the Weaver's will have covered most of the United States in October. The fun part will be meeting up with each other at the end of each leg. Knowing our luck, there will be some freak early winter blizzard somewhere in some city and that will add to our excitement of being in the same place at the same time. Oh, and I did buy travel insurance this time just in case Joe decides to take another vacation in the hospital instead of flying.

Needless to say, by this time I am purely giddy with our good fortune of lucking upon this incredible price. I then wonder if that same fare is applicable to May of next year during the time of our annual family reunion. I decide to check it out and YEP!!! it is! So, once again with a dry mouth, heart palpitations, heavy breathing and trembling fingers (sounds a little erotic in some ways), I put in all the information for Corey and Nikki's possible tickets, after hurriedly calling them for how many days they could be gone, and voila I was able to book flights for them and Derek for next year at this incredibly, obscene low price! It's Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for all of us! Thank you Continental Airlines!

So look out everyone at the Family Reunion. My children and fantabulous grandchild will be in attendance this coming year. No need to pass around the obligatory grandma pictures this time around. This could be my best one yet...the kids, Derek, Joe, my family and Aunt Rachel's chicken and dumplings! Could life get any sweeter? I think not. This will also be the opportunity for Derek to meet his great granddaddy for the first time, as well as all the other family members.

P.S. At the conclusion of my ticket purchasing, I called all the other "Utah Moms" here in Georgia. They are the ones who have children living up and down I-15 in Utah while the moms live here. I called everyone to let them know about the great fares and to hop on it quick! A short time later I went back on the website and found out - the fares had DOUBLED!!! Sorry for them, but there is the saying which is...You snooze, you lose! And, WE WON TONIGHT! Yes, it was our lucky night tonight.

Can You Say Jet Lag?!?!

We've made it back from Utah and here it is almost 1:30 in the morning and I should be sleeping - Joe is. Earlier in the day I would have given anything for a hot shower and a nap. So what happened? JET LAG! My body thinks it's only 11:30. Since we've arrived home, I've checked the mail, partially unpacked, sorted dirty clothes into piles, done a load of whites, balanced my checkbook, called the car rental place in Utah to give them a piece of my mind - part two will come when I speak to the manager, fixed a couple of bologna sandwiches, reviewed all my pictures I took on our trip, watched "Men In Trees", changed the light bulbs in the kitchen, figured out what I'm wearing to work in the morning (oops...this morning), printed out some pictures for my "grandma's brag book", etc. Whew, now I think I'm ready for bed. More on the Utah trip later especially about my fantastically wonderful new grandson! P.S. I think my friend Maxine says it best.

Go West Young Girl!!!

Well, it's the last night before the exodus out west begins with Joe, Mom and me. It's after 11:00 when I should be in bed. Afterall, I still have to work a full day tomorrow before we take off to spend the night in Jacksonville. So, why am I still up??? You look at the picture and maybe that will begin to explain why I'm not counting sheep. The bed is covered with a large suitcase for Joe, a large suitcase for Mom and two smaller ones for me. They're still on the bed since I'm still waiting for needed clothes to dry. (It's the last load, thank goodness)! You try packing suitcases for three people who are leaving 70-80 degree weather and arriving in a place where you found out it was snowing today. I figure between the three of us there are: 24 pairs of underwear, countless sweaters, 2 dresses, 1 suit, 2 ties, a couple of slips, a half dozen shoes, lots of socks, 2 large cans of boiled peanuts, presents for Derek, enough medicine to open up a family pharmacy, hot rollers, Joe's special hairbrush, pants, jeans, blouses, shirts, etc., etc., etc. And, remember no suitcase can weigh over 50 lbs.

The dogs, BJ the Dog and Blaze, were bathed by Joe today and delivered to Granddaddy tonight. He figured it was a fair trade to swap Grandmother for the dogs. The neighbors have been told to be on the lookout for persons who might want to invade our homestead while we're gone, the money taken out of the savings account, the post office is holding our mail, and I've remembered to collect all the airline, hotel and car rental confirmation paperwork.

I'm sure this will be a memorable flight for everyone involved. Hopefully, Mother Nature will cooperate, hopefully flights will run on time so we can make our connections, hopefully luggage won't get lost, hopefully we can manage to flag down one of those beeping stretched out golf carts to move us from one gate or terminal to another, hopefully the bathroom lines won't be too long, etc., etc., etc.

I could go on and on, but thank goodness for everyone that the dryer just buzzed!!! :) That means maybe I can go to bed by midnight and get up in six hours.

What A Difference One Week Can Make In Your Life

I started looking at all the family blogs tonight realizing it had been awhile since I'd posted anything. So, I began thinking about what I would write and then it came to me...what a difference one week can make in a persons life.

One week from now I will have been sealed in the Mt. Tippanogas temple for time and all eternity to the love of my life. What a journey that's been and that's a whole different story to write about at a later time. At this point, I can only imagine what the day will have gone like - a mixture of excitement with me most likely shedding tears with mascara running down my cheeks, grateful that someone loves me as much as Joe does, looking around the room and seeing my son and my daughter-in-law, my mother and loving friends sharing this experience with us. And then the next day being able to watch my first grandchild blessed by my son and seeing my husband stand in the prayer circle while I most likely shed more tears with mascara running down my cheeks. Wow, how blessed I will be!

But before any of that happens, there'll be the flight out to Utah with Joe and Mom with the layover in Chicago. I'm sure that will have the makings of another interesting story. At this point, I cannot imagine what it will be like to finally meet my grandchild for the very first time. How will he act towards me? Will he cry when I hold him because he wants someone other than me? What will he smell like? How will he feel when I hold him in my arms? I can hardly wait to get those questions answered. Three days and counting...