Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

Thursday, September 21, 2017

New Joy



Monday August 28- Trying to get out and get my walking in. So today was that day. It was a pretty day. I just did stuff around here. Now that the kids are back in school my Mondays are a bit boring. I still take Hailey to gymnastics but we miss out on spending the day with her. I went  and got Hailey from school. We went over and I dropped her off this time. It is 2 hours long and sometimes that really seems long. They spend quite a lot of time on strength exercises. That is not that fun to watch. I decided to go get a pedicure. I received a gift certificate for mothers day and haven't used it yet. The place is close so....win win. It did seem weird all by myself but my toes look good. When I got back to watch Hailey I still had and hour to watch. I missed all those boring exercises. Took her home and then I came home.


 Tuesday August 29- Today Jeff had a massage, he has never had one of those. He found it on groupon and thought he would try it. While he was doing that I looked in a few stores. We finished off this trip with a Walmart stop. I needed to get the stuff for Ashton's birthday cake. When I got home I sat outside watching the hummingbirds. They have started to move on. I still have about 6 or so but nothing like before. While I was sitting outside I thought I would call a local pet store called Pet's Playhouse. We have been there and looked at puppies but they didn't have what I was looking for. We have been kind of looking online for a pomeranian. We haven't had much luck. So I called the pet store to ask if they ever get any pomeranians. They told me they are getting one in on Tuesday September 5th. Well I got pretty excited and thought how long this wait was going to be.



Wednesday August 30-Today laundry day...after we enjoyed a campfire with coffee...it's getting to feel a lot like Fall. Since the weather was so nice it persuaded me to go for a walk. It was really nice. Today we are taking our grandson Ashton to tryouts for hockey. It is about 25 miles away. We left a little early and stopped by Morgan Creek Campground,one we used to frequent before our volunteer position. We like the hosts there and we haven't gone in to say hi yet this year. It was good to see Pat. We visited a bit and we had to take off. Went and got Ashton and off we went. We got him there way early. The ice arena is in a mall, so Jeff, Hailey and I went to look around while Ashton got ready. We also got a bite to eat. We are still looking for a birthday gift for Ashton. I saw something in a sports store I thought he would like. I showed it to Jeff but couldn't really purchase it with Hailey there. Jeff thought he would do some research, we still have time. We watched his tryouts. They only lasted about an hour but could tell he was tuckered out.























After we got Ashton a sandwich, Hailey she wanted to ride on the carousel. Everyone was happy and we made our way first to there house. We had to wait a while for there parents to get home from volleyball. Then we came home.


Thursday August 31- The last day of August....wow time just goes faster and faster. I went up to the shower house to give it a good cleaning. The weekends are always full. There has been a little frog hanging out in the women's shower house. Usually it is behind on of the toilet tanks so I just leave it alone. Today I went to clean the toilet and there it was. I guess he thinks it is his private pool. I figured I better get him out of there. There is the problem. I'm not that crazy about frogs, even little ones. You can't tell where they are going to hop. Well I got him out of the toilet and shooed him out of the shower house. I bet the campers out there had a good laugh cause I was screaming.























We received a call from our niece and her husband, they are in town so we planned to meet them for supper tonight. Both of our kids, Seth, Justin, Katie, and Molly joined us. The grand kids were there too, Hailey had to leave a bit early for gymnastics though. We decided on Mexican and the boys told us about a restaurant that was close to Hailey's gym. So off to Los Compadres. This place was awesome. Jeff ordered a medium margarita. It looked a bit big for a medium. Then after he took a couple drinks here comes a guy with a bottle of tequila. Well you can guess....he added to his drink. It was really friendly and we had quite a large group. The chips and salsa was never ending and they even had a guy coming around making fresh guacamole, he would add whatever you wanted. The place was clean, the service was great, and the food was awesome too.

























We stayed as long as we could then we said our good byes and headed toward home. The sun setting on the way home was super cool. I looked like a giant red rubber ball. We have been getting smoke from the fires in Canada. It sure gives the sunsets a unique look.


Friday September 1- Today is the day we start our dental work. Neither of us are all that excited about this adventure. I needed a couple fillings and repair on previous fillings. Jeff gets prep work for a crown. When we arrived we got right in and they got to work. It was as pleasant as a dentist visit could be. When we left I was so numb it was crazy. I was so thirsty but couldn't get my mouth to work all that good. I guess it was pretty funny. Jeff wasn't as numb as me....his time is coming. We left and stopped at the store before heading home. We couldn't really enjoy lunch all that much. Then Jeff and I went for a bike ride in the park. I got to try my new bike and we went on some of the paths. They are grassy. My new bike is a simple bike, just what I need...I love it.



After our bike ride we came back and watched all the campers roll in. We are going to be full for sure.

Saturday September 2- Today we decided to go to the farmers market in Cedar Rapids. Justin and Molly were going to be manning a booth. It was Hibu...that's where he works. We had to get our cleaning done early. Just as we were getting ready to go Judy called so I got to catch up with her. We found a place to park and went to see what the farmer's market had to offer. Oh and the weather...it was perfect. We found Justin and Molly and talked with them. Jeff found some breakfast pizza, me I picked the hot mini doughnuts. We like to get there early, not so busy. A very popular event for sure. We left and were going to Seth's house to watch the opening game of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Remember that pet store I was talking about? Well we just happen to drive right by it. We stopped in to see what kind of puppies they had. There were plenty of cute ones but nothing I couldn't live without. The good news we got to ask some more questions about this pom puppy they are getting. She is actually there we found out. When they come in they keep them separate for a while. We found out the pup is a girl, she is reddish and very small. That just made me more excited about seeing her. Then off to watch the game. It started kind of slow, but they picked it up and came away with a victory. Home and a yummy dinner.
























Sunday September 3-Today after cleaning we headed to church. Always a blessing. So glad we found a church that makes us feel at home.. Lunch followed when we got home. Jeff got his stuff together because we was going to play a gig with his friend Lenny. So about 1:30 Lenny came by and picked him up. Me, I stayed here and went through some cabinets getting rid of anything that we don't need. After that I got busy making Ashton's birthday cake. He going to be 12 on the fifth, but they always have his party on Labor Day. He was born on labor day. This year its going to be a bit different. He doesn't want any kind of character for his birthday cake. They always get to pick and here is what he picked.




Along with the cake I made a dozen cupcakes too. Jeff and Lenny got back and said the gig was a bust. The sound was horrible but most of the people there was family and friends. I think they still had a bit of fun.


Monday September 4- Today is party day. It is also Justin and Molly's first wedding anniversary, a big Happy Anniversary to them. Our campground is still full and the campers aren't looking like they are in any hurry to go. It was kind of cloudy today, but still really nice. We went in to town after lunch with a cake, cupcakes, and a birthday present. We are ready to party! Ashton was happy to see us and he still is excited to see his cake. Every year he gets really excited about his cake. I have made every one of his birthday cakes. His dad just got a new toy himself. It is a one wheel. He rented one in Colorado and had to get one. Everyone had fun playing with that. It was a small party with just family, his kid party will follow later. We had snacks, cake and ice cream. Everyone had fun and with the weather cooperating it was perfect to be outside.




























After the party we came on home. I'm on a count down to tomorrow at 10 a.m. that is when the pet store opens. I can't wait.

Tuesday September 5- First thing I did was give my favorite grandson a call. I had to sing Happy Birthday to him I can't believe he is 12 years old. Then I got ready to go puppy shopping. Jeff thought we would go for breakfast before. We went to a little mom and pop place that is real close to the pet store. On the way in we ran into some road construction. I was hoping I would be able to get  my breakfast ate before the store opened. The restaurant was American Skillet. Our breakfast was really good with good service as well. We still arrived at the pet store before they opened. When they opened the door I was in, and went right to the puppy window. There she was in kennel #2. I told the lady there that we had inquired about the pom. She brought her right out and that was it. She is just as precious as can be. Once I figured I loved her (about 2 minutes), Jeff took her and it didn't take him long either. Needless to say we walked out of there with a brand new member of the family.





















We made a few more stops getting all the stuff we needed to raise a puppy.  We got a pink harness and kennel. She is a little nervous but she seems to be adapting pretty good. When we got home we weren't sure how Belle would react. She did way better than expected. She is being very patient with this puppy. She has always been with another dog. Soffee on the other hand slept 80% of the time. This puppy is very active and completely different from Soffee.










































Here are just a few of the pictures we took that first afternoon. I can't tell you how much she has changed my mood. I know that she will not replace Soffee in my heart but she is giving me something new to love. We decided to take her in to see the kids. Ashton and Hailey, I thought they could help select a name. We have narrowed it down to a couple. We thought either Lucy calling her Lu Lu, or Miss Ruby. We thought we had it picked.....Miss Ruby. Then my son Justin said we should name her Miss Puffles. Well officially her name is Miss Ruby but a lot of them are calling her Miss Puffles. After we got home I got a phone call from Judy. So I got to visit with her. She will be up to meet our new puppy this weekend. What a great day. I'm so in love with this little puff ball.


Wednesday September 6- I didn't think it was possible but I think that pup got cuter. She did really good last night. She slept in her kennel. I heard her squeak a couple times but I didn't have to get up. She slept more than I did. I was waking up a lot to listen. It's just like a baby. I called the vet yesterday to see if they could take a look at her. So we went there at 9 o'clock. She seems to be healthy. She is 8 weeks old and weighs 2 pounds. We are hoping for a very small pup but at this point I don't think it really makes a difference. Spent the day taking her out and for walks. She walks really good on a leash. She had some accidents on the rug but that's to be expected. Jeff has ordered a pet play pen. This way we can keep her in a confined area inside or out. We are hoping it gets here soon. We went into Seth and Katie's again tonight because they have volleyball. Jeff came with and the kids got to see the puppy again. Hailey is just crazy about her.  Poor dog, she just keeps loving on her. Miss Ruby can't get a minutes peace. Got her home and put her in her kennel for the night. She didn't make a peep tonight.


Thursday September 7- I woke up to check on Miss Ruby at 5:30. She was quiet all night. She did have some accidents in there. She went for a walk around the camp loop. Jeff and I went in to town to fill up the propane. When we were coming out of the propane place we saw a couple baby raccoons out for a stroll. They didn't seem to be very afraid. We didn't get too close. Those two little raccoons stayed pretty close.





















Jeff also stopped at the cupcake store. I got a red velvet and a cherry cheesecake....yum.





















I have had the red velvet before but not the cherry cheesecake. Both were really good. When we got back the kennel was clean...yeah. Belle and Miss Ruby are becoming friends...well we hope. We have been watching the hurricane that is approaching Florida. It looks to be the biggest one yet. They are saying it could effect all of Florida.





















Friday September 8- Miss Ruby wasn't to excited about going to bed at first. She whined a little but went to sleep and was quiet all night. The bonus was a clean kennel. Jeff and I both had to go back to the dentist today. We both walked out of there really numb this time. I'm happy that I'm finished with that, it was my last appointment. The bonus was the weather today, which is awesome. When we got home I decided to give our pup a bath. She didn't seem to mind it. We sat outside and watched everyone show up. This weekend we are all walk in sites. It will be like that until we close September 18th for a electric upgrade. We aren't full but pretty close.



We were sitting outside enjoying a campfire when Judy arrived she got to meet the newest member of our family.


Saturday September 9- Judy and I took off for a shopping trip. Jeff was in charge of the dogs. The Hawkeyes are playing Iowa State  Cyclones. Seth kept me up on the scores. It was a back and forth game with the Hawkeyes winning in OT. As you can imagine there is a huge rivalry....but it's great when your team wins!!! We didn't shop like we used to do. On our way home we stopped at Justin and Molly's new house so Judy could see it. Then home. Jeff had a campfire going and Justin and Molly came out too. I made chili in the morning so our supper was ready any time we wanted. We sat outside and Molly got to meet Miss Ruby.



We had a fun full day. It was nice to finish off the day by the campfire.


Sunday September 10- Got up really early, checked on the pup and turned on the T.V. We have had the television on the weather channel nonstop. That hurricane Irma is a monster and she keeps on destroying. We got ready for church and off we went.


Our church service and worship....top notch. After church and before heading home we stopped at Sams. Had to pick up a few things. Jeff was liking the free samples. We also enjoy these chips...our version of healthy chips.






















Home for lunch then outside to enjoy the rest of our time with Judy. We went down and got her some apples from the apple tree in our loop. That was pretty funny to watch. Jeff would try and knock them down I was under with a bag trying to catch them. Judy tried out my new grandma bike. We took the dogs for a walk too.
























It was a wonderful weekend. Had lots of fun. We even had the park ranger bring us some sweet corn. We sure are enjoying our new puppy. She has really lightened up our home. Funny how much more patient we are now..maybe it's our age. We hope that continues. We now are watching and waiting to learn of what's happened in Florida. We have plans to spend the winter there. We might have to make some changes, but we are more concerned with those that call Florida home all year round. There is going to be a lot of rebuilding. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.



Monday September 11- Oh the joys of raising a puppy. I find myself worrying about lots of things. I listen for her at night. She is getting us up at 5:30 every morning. It's like having a baby. It is worth it to us. Who can look at a puppy and not smile? Today I tried to get some stuff done. I got laundry done and the corn the park ranger gave us...I froze it. Before I knew it, time to go pick up Hailey at school. Jeff and Miss Ruby came with me today. We dropped off Miss Ruby at Seth and Katie's house, then picked up Hailey. We took Hailey to her class, made sure her hair was up and then Jeff and I went to eat an early supper.




When we got back to gymnastics we still had an hour to watch. Hailey was happy that Papa came and told him where he needed to be to see her. When she was done we took her home, picked up our puppy. The kids had her outside playing when we arrived.  We loaded her up and went to Justin and Molly's. Jeff is going to help them fix there T.V. mount that will only take a little while.....well it definitely took longer than that. The good news was they got it done. Miss Ruby got to meet Bella and Barkley too. It was quite funny watching these 3 getting to know each other.





















I can safely say that Miss Ruby is not intimidated by any dog.


Tuesday September 12- Not much going on today. We had tickets to a concert tonight but it got cancelled. We decided to go in for lunch instead. We had a coupon for this Italian Restaurant. Jeff had ate there before and said how good it was. So in we went to Biaggi's for lunch. We used our coupon for a free appetizer. We got fried ravioli, it was really good. It was stuffed with spinach and cheese. The bread was amazing too. Jeff got a seafood linguine and I had some soup. Mine was really good. It was a glamorous chicken noodle and it was great. Finished off the lunch with creme brulee and coffee.






















Oh I forgot to say we actually recieved a check from Fed Ex....both of us were totally surprised. We didn't waste any time in depositing it.


Wednesday September 13- Last night Miss Ruby decided she wanted to get everyone up at 12:30. She sounded like a bobcat caught in a trap. She stayed up for about an hour and I finally got her back to sleep. I hope this is just a one time thing. We are suppose to be moving on Monday the 18th so we have started cleaning out the basement. Putting away some things we can do without. We had some visitors today. Dave and Jane Griffey came out to share with us about there trip west. They had a few things happen while they were out but like the rest of us, its worth the problems. I had to go in, it's volleyball night. After cleaning out our basement I had some things we wanted to store in there shed. When I arrived Hailey wanted to show me something. She has decided she is ready to ride her bike. We have been trying to get her to learn but she is independent and wanted to figure that out on her own. She hasn't mastered it yet but it won't be long that's for sure.




















Thursday September 14- Miss Ruby gave us an early morning wake up call. She woke us up around 5:30. Jeff has his final dental appointment this morning. I decided to stay home while he went. It has really warmed back up here. It feels like summer again. Jeff made it home and he is super numb. He is hoping it is gone soon. We went to watch Ashton's first football game at 3:45. It was so hot. He didn't really get to play that much. He signed up late and only had a couple practices with his pads. We did get to watch him play some. They really got beat bad...it wasn't even close. We brought Miss Ruby with us because after the game and the kids wouldn't leave her alone, she was exhausted.








We left a little before the game was over. Jeff dropped me off at Seth and Katie's and he went to get us a sandwich. The game went longer than we expected. We have a concert to get to. Seth is already downtown. We are waiting for Ashton to get home from his game. We had just enough time to get there. We went to see Get The Led Out. They played at The Paramount. Ashton's first concert. It was good but I think Ashton was tired and I know he was cold. He kept putting his arms inside his shirt.




Seth and Ashton left a little before it was over, Ashton had school tomorrow. We stayed and listened to it all. We saw them last year but what was good is that they played a lot of different songs this time. They say they change up the play list all the time.


Friday September 15- Jeff had planned to get Ashton's bike tire off his bike to get it repaired. He has it bent already. Since Jeff had to drive downtown I called Kathy's Pies to have them save us a pie. Well when Jeff got over to get the tire. Ashton took the bike to school...oops he forgot. Well that didn't make Jeff too happy. He also had to go to Walmart to get oil for the truck. This didn't make him very happy either. It is Friday one of the busiest days there. We had more company tonight. Lenny and Dawn came out to visit. Lenny just got back from a trip to Glacier. It was cut short because of all the fires. We had a nice night visiting.

Saturday September 16- Jeff and I decided to go to the farmers market downtown today. It is the last one of the season. We brought along Miss Ruby and Ashton's bike tire. The market was as busy as ever. Ruby did really good and everyone loved her. She was the cutest doggy there...for sure.








Ruby was exhausted when we left. The bike shop even got Ashton's tire fixed while we waited. Now he will have his bike for school on Monday. A bonus going over to Seth's was Ruby's playpen arrived. We think she likes it.


While we were here in Iowa. Seth and Ashton took a trip to Chicago to the Blackhawk's training camp. They also won a contest so they got special perks. They got to get in early so they sat right behind the ice. Right behind the players. Ashton also got a puck tossed to him. After the scrimmage they got to go out on the ice. It was a really fun day for them.





Well we spent our night watching hockey too. Our hockey took place at the stable here in Cedar Rapids. It was a preseason game, and it was a good one too. The Roughriders took the win 5-2. We went with some friends, John and Janie Dean. It was good to visit with them too. They are parking there 5th wheel this year. We will see them in the Spring.





Sunday September 17- We plan on taking it easy today. Went to church, stopped at the store then came home. We watched as the campers pulled out. Almost all of them left because of the electric upgrade. Well that has been moved back to October 2. We stayed around here and then we walked up to say good bye to Wanda. She is leaving tomorrow. We are getting close to our final countdown. It won't be long before we hit the road as well. Until next time........