Celebrating Life at 90!

 Celebrating someone's birthday is celebrating life itself - not only the fact that they were born, but all the wonderful times shared together.  

Depending how old someone is, the celebration takes on a different meaning.  My oldest sister, now my last sibling, is turning 90 at the end of September.  She's healthy, has a bright mind and still a delight, so having a celebration was a "no brainer" as the saying goes.  

Her children jumped right into action, planning, making all the necessary reservations, contacting caterers, musicians, printing invitations (save the date and the invitations), making various decorations, ordering her a special dress, etc.  They made the date a little earlier than her actual birthday for relatives coming in from out of town, so the weather would be better for travel.  

She has a large family, with 4 children, all with children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of their own.  Additionally, we have nieces and nephews and their children as well.  Add friends to all that, and you have a party large enough to fill a barn...which she did!!

 We decided to come three weeks early and spend some time with her and the family prior to the "big event".  I knew it would be chaotic the days before, so wanted to spend some quality time with her alone before that, which we were able to do.  They were just quiet days of playing cards and sharing stories, going out to lunch and cooking together.  Sister stuff. 

She wanted to host a "Thank you brunch" for all the out of town guests the day before the big party so that she could spend more time visiting with each of them, knowing she wouldn't get a lot of time at the actual party.  As usual, she had been pre-cooking and baking for days to put on her usual spread!  It's what makes her happy.  

That Saturday, all the nieces and nephews, along with myself and Jack came over to a wonderful spread of 3 kinds of quiches, 4 kinds of sweet breads, a large ham, brats, 2 fruit bowls, along with a variety of drinks!  Each of us got a "thank you present" of 3 handmade crochet covered hangers. That's my sister! 

The next day was The Big Celebration!  You would never know that lady was 90!  She was all smiles and ready to party!  The place was FULL, she was beaming, people were happy, food was great, music was playing, place looked wonderful and the drinks were flowing.  We even got her up to dance!  I made a short speech, tried not to cry...don't remember much of it,..forgot a lot of what I wanted to say, but I'm sure it didn't matter. She knows I love her.  To say the party was a success, would be an understatement...

When I reflect about this, I think about all birthdays...and how all of us should celebrate every one of them! So much better to celebrate life, than to talk about it afterwards at a funeral...

...on the road again, Marie

Life happens...and then you make U Turns!

 It's a good thing I write everything in pencil!  Life is full of surprises, and you just never know when the next one is going to happen, do you?  We were all set to go to the Escapee's Rally in Tucson, packed, paid for, etc. when Jack came down with COVID - big time.  Instead of of fun time camping, he spent a not so fun time in the hospital!  (Much to our surprise, they gave us a full refund they will have my loyalty forever!)  It has taken him quite awhile to bounce back to his "normal" lively self, so no "trips" for him. 

Me, on the other hand, besides my usual "duties" on the Board here, and the fun stuff of line dancing, swimming at the pool, ladies coffee days, bingo, etc. decided it was a good time to fly off to visit family in Washington!  Didn't want to leave the dear one for to long, so only went for a week...but the family managed to pack a whole lot in during that time!

I no sooner arrived and my sister, niece and her friend whisked me away for a two day visit to Westport Beach - a place I had never been before!  I was "forewarned" that this area only gets "sunshine and nice weather 12 days a year...so don't expect much".  I tallied back that I bring it with me!  ...and I did!  It was cool, mostly by the breeze, but the sun shone both days, and it was lovely!  The tide was way, way out, and we even drove onto the beach.  Sand dollars and jellyfish were scattered all across the sand along with a few shells and driftwood. The clouds left beautiful reflections on the waters edge.

Afterward, we went into the small town and walked along the harbor and watched an oyster boat unload his catch of oysters into a truck.  Westport is known for their oysters and crab (of which we saw lots of crab traps stacked up for later use).  We took advantage of their wonderful fresh seafood at every meal!

That night we were able to find a place that had three rooms, each with it's own bathroom along with a small living room and kitchen.  All for a very reasonable price.  The next day, after having a wonderful breakfast, we continued to drive along the coast and spotted Gray's Harbor Lighthouse.  It was closed, but that didn't stop me from walking around and getting a picture! Pretty thing, with a green top.  Never saw one with a green top like that before.  ;-)

The following day my sister and I were meeting up with one of her friends for dinner, so we had the morning to ourselves, which means, we played cards!  She (and I) love to do that, and every time I come to visit, that's what we do every spare minute.  ;-)   I get up earlier than she does tho, and so does my nephew (whom she lives with) and we talk, and when the weather is nice, which it was this trip, and walk his garden.  He's really proud of the work he does in his garden.  Each year it's fun to see what he's added.  I must admit I miss having one like I used to, one with all the roses and flowers and multiple vegetable bins, but I know in my heart that I'm in a different place now and it's "OK".  

That night we ended up going to dinner at Da TiKi Hut for dinner.  At first our friend wasn't very thrilled with it, as the menu was a little confusing.  But once we all understood it, and even got a sample, we enjoyed it.  It was all decorated in Hawaiian and the food and drinks were Hawaiian (on one side of the menu while the other side were burgers).  It was fun and delicious!

Saturday was one of my niece's youngest daughter's graduation from Nursing School celebration party.  She went all out with fun food and cute drinks and decor!  We drank from "specimen cups" and had drink choices of "Blood Draw", Urine Analysis" or "Code Blue" along with "Rescue Meds" in syringes.  What a hoot!  We are all so proud of her as she starts her new career at Kaiser.

Sunday was Father's Day and my nephew did a wonderful job at the BBQ!  It was chilly, but sunny and we enjoyed the day on his lovely patio playing cards, eating and enjoying each other. 

Monday, my last day (where did the week go?) my other sister's three girls took my sister and I out to lunch out along the dock.  The day was beautiful, the sun was shining, the food was fantastic, the company was wonderful.  We sat there and talked and laughed for hours and hours, then we moved to one of their home's and continued for more hours!  The best way to end my week...

The day I left, it started to rain...

Springtime visit with family!

I haven't been to see my family in Washington in a couple of years, and with my only remaining sister getting on in age (88), it was high time I get up there for a visit!  Jack wasn't up to taking the RV up there, so that left me with flying.  

We usually visit in the fall when it's cold, so I thought it would be nice to see it in springtime when the flowers were in bloom.  I thought May would be nice a break from here and just maybe not to rainy there.  People here leave in April to "go back home", which about 70% seem to live in Washington, so May seemed like a good time to go!  I knew I would miss the tulips in bloom (something I've always wanted to see), but hoped I would catch the daffodils (no such luck).

Being retired, I forget when holidays are, so completely forgot about Mother's Day, and booked the Tuesday after, (thinking that flying on a Tuesday would be less busy).  It wasn't until long after I had booked that someone asked me if I was going to celebrate Mother's Day with my sister?  Ugh.  I ended up calling her and telling her we would have to "do it late"! Sheesh! 

My sister now lives with her youngest son and his wife, and they gracefully made up their spare bedroom for me.  What a lovely room, I even had a mint on my pillow to greet me!

I have to say, Washington was lovely...all the flowers were in bloom, the grasses were green the trees were all in leaf, spring had absolutely come!  I even got lovely sunshine most of the days I was there, and was able to sit outside and have iced tea while enjoying the birds and butterflies fluttering by!  

Of course my sister and nieces had lots of activities planned for me.  The first being a whole family gathering at one of my niece's homes.  A wonderful casual dinner so that I could catch up with everyone and get all my missed hugs and news.  

We went to the movies, out to lunch, and to visit her friend's to see their "project".  They have been covering a tree with crochet pieces!  My sister crochets the pieces (all in different patterns and colors) and her friend Mickey puts them together and attaches them to her front yard tree trunk!  It's called "yarn bombing" and it's very popular in Tacoma.  It's really quite pretty and fun!  

We caught up on the "special occasions" of my birthday and Mother's Day by going to a really nice dinner at The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant that I have wanted to try for eons.  What a delight it was!  The service, the food, the place, everything was fantastic!  What a treat!  Way more food than we could eat...but we sure tried...the valet even gave us warm cookies as we departed, now that's service!

 We also made a trip further up north for the day to see my sister's oldest son and family.  It was a lovely drive, full of sunshine and a nice visit.  We even made time to stop and see some funky art and antique shop in Mt. Vernon on our way home! 

As with all visits, this one ended all to soon, and it was time to go home.  With promises to come again and hugs all around, I headed back on the plane (not my favorite way to travel anymore).  It may be spring in most parts of the country, but in Arizona, it's "summer" as the heat has arrived in full force...the "triple digits" as we call them, are arriving and we are in for a hot one!  Oh joy!

...kicking back in Arizona,  Marie

Family Fun...

 We've been spending time visiting family in Pennsylvania and in New York.  Our first stop was to catch Jack's cousin's daughter's wedding in Somerset PA over Independence Holiday weekend.  We booked ourselves into a campground near them for the four days and caught up with the family as much as we could.  

It's been two years since we've been back here, so in between all the wedding arrangements, we tried to do as much "catching up" as possible.  After the actual wedding, we had a bit more time to spend with other cousins that the guys hadn't seen in years, and ones I hadn't met before, which was really nice.  Weddings are always such a fun time to to get together with old and new friends and family; sharing memories, making new ones...

 Additionally, the bride and groom were going on their honeymoon to locations that Jack and I knew very well (Grand Canyon, Zion & Bryce in Utah) and wanted as much "inside information" as we could give them as neither of them had been outside of Pennsylvania before!  Going there in mid-July was going to be quite a different experience for them!  I loaded them up with as much "advise" as I could think of!  ;-)

I, in turn, learned a couple of new things while here as well!  It seems that Western Pennsylvania has a unique wedding tradition called "The Cookie Table".  The brides family (and some) close friends bake the bride's favorite and/or special cookies and bring them to the wedding for the guests to take home in special bags.  I "Googled" this, and it seems that this tradition started in the Depression when brides couldn't always afford a wedding cake, so family and friends would bake her favorite cookies, ones maybe she would bake with her Mom or Grandmother, Aunts, etc. and have special meaning/memories for her, and that's what guests would have instead of the cake.  

 The tradition has carried on (including the bridal cake now) and people come to really look forward to the cookies more than the cake!  Many, many dozens of cookies, each more beautiful than the next, displayed on tables for the guests to ooh and aah and pack into bags to take home.  Most to (almost) to pretty to eat!

The other thing I got to learn, even though I've seen it lots of times, is the game of Corn Hole!  One night, after a wonderful cookout, the family brought it out and suggested a game.  When I said we'd never played, they taught us...and guess what?  I won!  ...and, of course, I really like the game!  lol  I told Jack he needs to make us one when we get back home!  ;-)  

After we left his cousin's, we headed to New York to visit my son and grandchildren.  I was able to find a campground only about 15 minutes from my son's farm, so I was happy about that.  He works, so we planned it to arrive on a Thursday, so we would have the weekend, then during the week visit with my grandchildren.   My grandchildren live with their Mom and are ages 12-20, so old enough now for me to see them one at a time now, which is what I wanted to do this time.  

Meeting up with each of my grandchildren for lunch and ice cream, a hike, a half-day visit, etc. worked out really well.  We got to have a nice talk without any of the others competing for attention.  Every other time it was always all of them (5 of them) teasing each other, or talking over each other, etc.  The oldest is working now as a welder, so we didn't see him, our oldest granddaughter is going off to her first year of college on a full scholarship and wants to be an elementary school teacher; the next grandson is getting his paperwork all ready as he wants to be a pilot, with the last two entering Jr. High and still in Elementary.  

My son and daughter-in-law just bought two horses, so were super busy with all the challenges that come with that!  She was studying to take her state nursing exam (she passed!!) as she just finished getting that degree, besides working full time!  Busy, busy people!!  

I keep telling her how great it would be to take that new nursing license and get an RV and hit the road as a traveling nurse!  We have friends who do that, not only enjoy it, but make great money doing it!  She's never been out of their tiny, tiny town of Norwich NY!  I told my son to start taking her on "vacations" to places (like Florida) so she can actually see what the ocean (among other things) looks like, etc! 

After lots of long, loving hugs, we left there and drove back to Pennsylvania to visit with Jack's sister for a week.  This was a nice, relaxing "do nothing" week!  His sister spoils him...;-)  She knows all his favorite foods, and makes sure he gets them...fresh, hot (right out of the oven) pretzels, cheesesteaks, scrapple, and Birch beer.  He was in heaven!  We went out to dinner a few times, but he was happiest with his "favorites".   He and his brother-in-law Bob did a "guy day" and went to the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center and viewed all the planes and tanks from WWII to the Vietnam War inside and out.  Kathy and I had planned on going to "high tea" at a local tea house, but learned that it had closed...so, instead, we found a lovely restaurant that she had been wanting to try and went there and had a fabulous lunch!  The rest of the time, all of us enjoyed relaxing and reading.  Some of her friends wanted to talk with us about our travels and our rig, so she invited them over and we had lovely chats with them.  

All to soon, our visit with them was up, and time to head on out.  Since we didn't get much one-on-one time with Jack's cousin, we decided to come back to John and Linda's for a few days before we ended the "family visits" for now.  No kids, just the four of us.  First thing we did was go out to a nice, quiet dinner!

Then, the guys headed out for a full day (just the two of them) to Cabela's!  They had to drive all the way to WV, but they didn't care, those two "gun and knife enthusiasts" would go hours to somewhere and spend hours there...which they did!  ;-)   I baked.  They did come back to take us ladies to dinner tho! ;-)

Of course they had to go try out their "new goods" at the gun range the next day...I cooked.  ;-)  

Life is good...we are off tomorrow to West Virginia en route to Kentucky for awhile...to sit and relax!!!!  

...on the road,  Marie

If you would like to see the rest of my photos, you can on my Flickr at https://flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

Family, Friends and Fun...

 One of the joys of traveling is the opportunity to stop and visit with family and friends along the way.  With our family so spread out, along with all of us being stuck at home for the past year of so, it’s been quite awhile since we’ve had the chance to visit anyone.  This trip is bringing us to a few people we haven’t been able to see in a very long (or ever) time!

Our first visit was to see my youngest grandchildren, in Texas.  At almost 4 and 7, I take every chance I can to see them, as they grow up so fast at that age and then as we all know, are off doing their own thing!  Those two boys are so full of energy and giggles it just warms my heart each time I see them!  We lucked out with the weather and even had a nice sunny, windy day and got to introduce the littlest one to “kite flying”.  He really did quite well too!  They have a rather large back yard, so can let loose and run and go with it quite a bit.  Sometimes just enjoying the simple things brings the biggest joys.  ;-)

After a week with them, we traveled on to Oklahoma where a couple of our friends from Happy Trails have their “other home”.  They hadn’t made it down to Arizona this past season and I really missed them, so we decided to come to them!  They have hook-ups in their driveway, which allowed us to park right there and stay a few days!  Terri and Don were such fantastic hosts, cooking us dinners, playing cards, going shopping and sightseeing.  We just had a ball, and almost hated to leave after our 3 day stay.  

Our next rendezvous was in Louisiana, where my Grandson and his family lives.  I have a new Great-Grandson that I hadn’t met yet and was anxious to meet, so had set up some time for all of us to get together over the weekend.  What a treat that was!  We all met over lunch first.   After all the hugs, I asked if I could hold him (he’s 9 months old).  He came right to me (you never know if a baby will take to you or not), he immediately put his little hands on my cheeks and gave me a big smile!  Well, THAT just melted my heart!  

After lunch we all went to the Shreveport Aquarium.  What fun, Ezra was just beside himself.  I put him next to the big tank and showed him the fish and he began to dance with joy!  He was just so cute to watch, so excited about all the colors and moving fish!  When we came to the tanks that you could reach in and touch the starfish or rays, he didn’t hesitate for a minute!  His little eyes took in everything.  I’m betting he went right to sleep on his way back home though, one tired little guy.  It was a to short a visit, but a wonderful one.

From Louisiana we traveled on to Georgia to see a dear friend I hadn’t seen in over 35 plus years!  Wayne was my “dancing partner” back in my “single days” in San Diego.  We danced together every Tuesday night at a club near where I lived.  He moved back to Georgia to help take care of his parents, and stayed.  A few years later, on a cross-country trip with a friend, we stopped and visited him, but that’s the last time I saw him.  We’ve stayed in contact though and remained friends, so when this opportunity came that we would be this close to where he lives, I wanted to see him (and dance!).  

Wayne is retired, but still works part time as a Columbus GA. Sheriff assigned to a Municipal Courtroom.  He was able to get one day off, but had to attend a class on the second day.  He met us the day we arrived and took us out to dinner and then dancing.  I haven’t been dancing (Jack doesn’t dance) in many, many, many years…but it all came right back!  It was just like old times!  We were the only ones on the dance floor, but we didn’t care.  Damn, it felt good!  We even got a few hoots and whistles!  He said several people were video taping us, so if you see us on UTube, let me know!  lol  He dances regularly and is very good.  One thing I’ve always enjoyed about him is that he is a great lead, and easy to follow.  

Our last night together he came and picked us up straight from work (still in uniform).  Drove us out to see where the law enforcement officers practice their shooting, then around town a bit and then changed clothes and then went to a great buffet dinner.  Afterward we searched for another place to dance, but alas, no luck.  Thursday nights just aren't "the night" for places to have live music, bummer.  All to soon, it was time for us to bid farewell.  I reminded him that he now owed me "two trips out my way" and now that his girls were older, and he was (kind of) retired, "no more excuses!"  He agreed. 

So much fun to have these kinds of visits along the way!  Now it's time to go see the "Gold Coast of Georgia"!  We will be visiting more family in July, but for the next six weeks or so, we are back to doing what we do best...seeing this beautiful country of ours!

...on the road in Georgia,  Marie

Thanksgivng Blessings...

We usually spend the month of November in Washington.  Both our toad and our rig are licensed there, and most of my family lives there.  So, once a year, we, and our vehicles all go there for "annual check-ups" and visits.  Now, November isn't the warmest of times, but, alas, that was when "everything" fell into place three years ago!

Three years ago, last December, we sold our house in record time (two weeks!), found the "perfect" RV (clear across the US) and loaded up what we didn't sell into a tiny storage unit and headed north.  Washington seemed like the perfect "home base" since we knew we would be on the road full time, and my sister was willing to be our mail person.  So, we drove up there, registered ourselves, got doctors, new licenses, etc. and celebrated!  Now, once a year, we brave the rain & cold and visit family and get rewarded with a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast for our efforts!

We started out thinking our adventure would be just for one year.  Jack was new to "camping".  Born and raised a "city boy", his idea of "camping" was "no room service" at a hotel.  I, on the other hand, love it.  This whole thing had been my idea all along, he was just "coming along for the ride...or the drive, actually, since he does the driving.  Now, this being our third full year, with no end in sight, he's the one who is still really loving it!  Probably even more than I, if truth be told!

Every year has been very different from the one before...just like life itself.  We are blessed with good health and this year I was reminded how much that matters as for the last four months I've suffered with limited use of my right arm due to some bone spurs in my shoulder.  I was thrilled that the doctor in Tacoma was able to tell me what all the pain was about and that a simple out-patient surgery will fix the problem once and for all.  I will have to come back in a few months to have it done, but that's minor, and we can go on with our journey from there, no further problems.

I also feel blessed that I have a family that allows us to travel the way we do and understands and loves us.  We don't get to see them as often as we would like.  Our children and grandchildren are spread all across the US and it's tough getting around to all of them very often and still see all the nooks and crannies of the various states, but we try as best we can, but of course, its never enough, and we miss them more than we like.

We are also blessed by the people we meet along the way.  Some are just in passing, but some we've managed to stay friends with, and that's extra special.  People like us who really get this crazy life-style of ours, who love this wonder lust.  This year, several of our friends who haven't been able to RV in a long time due to family issues, now can, are now planning on trips to either join up with us, or travel along with us.  We've always traveled alone, so we are looking forward to doing some "companion traveling" in 2015!

Doing what you love, being loved, and being healthy and happy...that's truly a blessing, ones I wish for everyone!

On the road again,  Marie

Emotions...

What a strange day.  Have you ever felt every emotion the human being possess at one time?  That's what I'm experiencing today.

I had another blog to post today, but I am to emotional and need to share, with you, my friends and family.  We have just left San Diego after a full week of cramming every minute with special visits with our wonderful friends and family.  I'm exhausted, elated, sad, happy, excited, afraid, proud, angry, confused, eager, and numb.

It was so great to see so many of our friends, to hear first hand all the news and successes and get all the hugs in person.  One of our friends has lost over 90 pounds and is model beautiful.  She just beams with her new self confidence.  Another is managing her life with the loss of her husband of many, many years and fulfilling a life long dream of going to Africa and then later this year to China.  One friend has adopted her two little nephews (ages 4 & 6) at an age (in her 50's) when most are looking toward their retirement, not starting the responsibility of a family.  I am so proud and happy for these ladies who have had major challenges and have risen to the top and are beautiful winners all!

It was so great to see so many of my (ex?) co-workers and how successful everything is going, personally and with the Zoo as well.  No surprises there though!  I was able to spend some time with a friend who is getting ready to join the "retirement club" and learned about another one doing the same.  The first one is going back to her "first love" of writing and has promised me a signed copy of her book when it's published, how great is that?  She has ignited a fire in me.  She wasn't the only to encourage me in that area, and that meant a lot to me; it touched me greatly to get such sweet feedback, thank you.

Spending time with my family was very special.  Even when we lived in the same town we didn't see each other enough.  As many of you know, my brother is fighting a loosing battle with cancer, so time with him is precious.  He is my "big brother", the one who was always there for me, teaching me how to dance, how to catch frogs and with no mom around, even how to curl my hair!  He was my protector and my night in shining armor.  He would get up early and take me to the Easter sunrise services I wanted, and I would get up early and help him fold his newspapers for his route.  I don't remember ever fighting with him, but I do remember him tickling me until I wet my pants!  He is the best brother a girl could ever ask for. Everyone should be so lucky.

We are back out in the desert for a few days before we go help a dear friend celebrate her 60th birthday and then we are off and on our way to continue our adventure!  I think this will be an interesting year...as always, thanks for coming along with us...

 

...kicking back in Indio Ca,   Marie

Home for the Holidays...

Spending Christmas in northern CA with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson has become a tradition we enjoy.  This year was especially exciting because it brought us "full circle" from our adventure that we embarked upon at this time last year.


California welcomed us with sunshine and views of green rolling hills and beautiful Mt Shasta covered with snow.  The drive was easy considering others were also en route for the holidays, but seemed to drag on forever as we were anxious to be with our family.

Two glorious weeks went by way to fast.  The first week my grandson (who is almost 4) was still in preschool, so I got to spend a day "observing".  That actually was a lot of fun!  He is in a Montessori school this year, so it was very interesting and amusing to watch the children take out various projects to work on with numerous components, and once completed, putting them all back without the teacher "reminding" them to (like at home).  I was even served a nice tea by two of the students!  Lovely.  Later that week, Our little man completed enough tasks at home to earn the "Bat Cave" he had been desperately wanting for weeks.  He was so excited he could hardly stand it.  The fact that he had earned it was even better, making it his Bat Cave!  That was the beginning of the marathon of hours and hours of Super Hero play between he and anyone who would play with him, which most of the time, was me.  ;-)  I kept running out of the proper expressions like "holy strawberries Batman! We're in a jam!"

The special Elf on the Shelf (aka Holly & joined by his friend Jolly) joined in on the Christmas fun this year.  Evidently, "Elf on the Shelf" has been quite the thing this year with children.  Playing around while they are sleeping, but "watching" while they are awake, to report back to Santa before Christmas Eve.  Lucian is just at the right age to believe in all the wonderment of the season, so our "house elves" were quite fun.  They even had a bit of "advise" to share with him when his actions of the day needed to be addressed a bit.  Each morning our little guy would dash out of bed and run to see where his two elves were and what they had been up to the night before.  It started each day off with a chuckle. 

Christmas soon arrived and was filled with all the laughter and glee that one hopes for.  I got such a kick out of watching Lucian open each present, very slowly then attempting to play with it, not even thinking about all the rest of the packages still waiting to be unwrapped!  He soon got into the rhythm and made a great "mailman" as he called it as he passed out every one's packages.  Afterwards, like all children, he took great pleasure in kicking and tossing all the ripped paper and boxes!  Tradition continued with my daughter and I in making the simple crepes my mother (and her mother before her) made for breakfast.  My son Aaron even sent me a picture & text showing me that he had fixed some too, even tho he was in Texas!  It made my heart smile.

Fun activities were tucked in here and there as well.  We did an all-family outing to see the new Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3-D movie that was a great success with all of us enjoying it thoroughly.  We also had the opportunity to visit the NASA AMES Exploration Center, where Lucian showed me all around and how he is going to go to Mars someday and grow carrots.  We got to see a film about the recent Mars landing along with various exhibits that we could touch and look into.  Very fun.  My daughter and I got to have a special night out together.  First we went to "officially" purchase her new washer & dryer.  They had already picked them out, now came the time to do the actual buying!  That completed, we went to the theater and bought tickets to see Les Miserables.  It wasn't due to come on for another 90 min. so we went to a tequila bar nearby and shared a Margarita, chips & salsa by a nice heater and listened to live music.  Lovely.  We had seen the play together, so had wanted to see the movie together too.  Special night.  Lots of laughter and love = good memories to cherish.  I even got some lovely time with my daughter's friends.  First, tea with her neighbor and then a lovely Christmas Eve gathering.

It seems like every holiday family gathering has to have a hiccup or two as well, so did ours.  Both grandson and daughter have been enjoying running and have entered a few 5k/1k runs.  They had signed up for one to do while we were in town so we could watch and cheer them on.  The run location was a bit of a drive away and very early, so we left at o'dark early.  Once checked in, it was a matter of waiting for the start time, and so a hope for a short nap.  It was raining, cold & windy.  Not what you would call a lovely day.  Top that with an antsy little boy, who just couldn't settle down, mix it with a mom who was tired and what you get is a recipe for failure.  The decision to "go home and forget the race" was made after a lot of tough thought.  Later in the week, the very old plumbing started to show their age.  It seems they do this more in the winter, and more so this winter than ever.  They continued to back up and cause poor Seth (and Alissa) awful, messy work again and again.  It was time to call the plumber and talk about new pipes.  Oh the joys of "home ownership".  Ugh. 

Alas, the time to leave finally had to come...it always does.  One thing I learned tho, was that I can't go a whole year again without visits, so this coming year there will be some short trips (some probably flights) back for the much needed and loved hugs and giggles.  There's nothing quite like it...  

...on the road in California,  Marie

If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/