Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Citrus Bowl Parade

This morning we left a 7 to go to the Citrus Bowl Parade. First we had to make a stop at Duncan Donuts.

The parade was nice and the weather was pretty nice too. The Penn State band gets right with the program! After the parade we went to Zaxby's for dinner. It is a fast food chicken place and was good. Then we can back and some people went swimming and I rested.

Margee and family went to Seaworld again today instead of the parade. Tomorrow is the kids last day here before they head back on Friday. Plans aren't formalized for tomorrow yet.

Have a good day!

Monday, December 28, 2009

To the beach again!

We went to West Palm Beach today. It was a very nice beach, but way too far for me to walk. It took me a long time to get there and back. I really think all the kids enjoy the pool more than the beach. At the pool they can swim much more independently with no danger. Today I even took off my shoes and socks and let the ocean cover my feet. It is really pretty. The water here is a very pretty color. Everyone is really tired tonight. Tomorrow we are going to have a fairly calm day. The kids are going to make a gingerbread house and they may all have a game of kick ball somewhere.

The complex we are staying at is called the PGA Village. Each community is gated and very well kept. We had to have a repairman come to repair the AC and he had to drive an extra 8 miles just to get in because those type of vehicles can't use the main entrance. The pool is supposed to be the best one in south Florida and is heated and can be walked in to from the deck level instead of jumping in or going down steps. They have gardeners who do all the upkeep for the entire community. We are in a condo that has all the condos surrounding a pond that has a nice fountain in it that runs all day and into the evening. Sitting on the screened-in porch is quite peaceful. Quite often there are birds flying in and swimming on it.

Have a nice day.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

And there is adventure and drama!

Well, it's time for another post in the blog. Yesterday Margee and family went to Seaworld since they had some free passes, so the rest of us took a picnic to the beach. First it wasn't too bad for me to walk to the beach along the boardwalk. Then we got to the deep sand. Then we noticed there was no lifeguard where we were, so we had to go down the beach until we found a lifeguard. Asa and I were the last ones to get to the appointed spot. Then I sat in my lawn chair with my jacket on and my afghan wrapped around me. It wasn't really so cold, but very windy since we were on the ocean. It was enjoyable. The kids couldn't go in the ocean without holding someone's hand, so of course Lea thought she should take off at full speed a couple of times toward the ocean with adults following also at full speed. She really liked to just sit down at the edge and let the water come to her. Zoe soon found out why the ocean is dangerous after she got knocked down a couple of times even holding someone's hand. After she got cold she didn't like it. Asa and Judah really liked to play in the sand, but not go in the water. James helped them build a couple of sand castles before Melinda and Jodi burried him in the sand.

Now for the adventure. We stayed up pretty late playing cards and waiting for the Crawleys to return last night. In fact it was 11:45 when I went to bed. Then at 2:45 I heard a horrid series of beeps that were extremely loud. I was tired and it didn't sound like any fire alarm I had ever heard, so I assumed it was some sort of security alarm. I figured the burglars could just take whatever they wanted. But then, of course, officer Crawley came along with Ryan and Zoe and I had to get up and go outside. I was sharp enough to take my purse with my keys and said people could get in my van. It was the only one parked at the condo. So in piled 5 of the 7 kids and one grandma! They were all wound up like 10-day clocks! I ran the van so we could stay warm since it was probably around 60 or so outside. The girls stayed outside with the two smallest kids for quite a while, while the guys tried to get the ear-piercing beeping to stop. They'd get it stopped briefly only to have it start again. Finally it was decided that it was a malfunctioning smoke detector so they took out the battery. Then it chirped. I don't know what they finally did to it, but at last there was silence and we all returned to the condo and back to sleep. In the meantime the others had alternated in the van and finally I convinced the kids to be quiet for 5 minutes. That was nice! It was 4:15 when we returned to bed.

Yesterday we had talked about where to go to church. Margee and Ward were going to a church similar to the one they went to in the Quad cities that was 45 minutes away and the rest of us were going to go somewhere here. Then we had talked about just having our own service here. Then we had the middle of the night adventure and everyone (adults at least) was tired this morning, so I guess we decided to skip church for today.

Right now all but James, Margee, Judah, Asa, and I are at the pool. We are having a turkey for supper tonight. For Christmas day, we had leftovers at noon and grilled steaks and chicken tenders and pumpkin pie for supper.

I hope you're enjoying our adventure and have a nice day. Oh, yes, I looked at the thermometer on the porch a little bit ago and it was 71 and the sun was shining on me.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

So it is now Christmas Eve in sunny Florida. It was 80 or so today and last night it was supposed to get down to 67. It's tough, but someone has to be here in this weather. I personally have been hot, and you know that I rarely am even warm, let alone hot! I wore shorts today and ws still hot! The catastrophies have been fairly small.

Yesterday at a rest area stop, Lea (2) was chasing Judah (1 1/2). Judah tripped and fell in front of Lea and she fell on top of him giving him a goose egg on his forehead. He only cried enough to make himself sick enough to throw up on Jodi and himself. Since then if he sees Lea he cries like he has been hurt badly! She doesn't even have to do anything to him.

This afternoon Margee and family and Melinda and Zoe went to the pool where we are staying. Ryan had a nap with Lea and I did a little tidying up of my stuff. At the same time Jodi and family went to the beach. While there James was swimming and lost his glasses in the ocean! They were able to go to Lens Crafters and have his prescription faxed and he got a new paid. That was very good since he has to have them to drive and I'm sure Jodi didn't really want to drive all the way to Lee's Summit herself.

We just got back a short time ago from a nice Christmas Eve service. At the end everyone lit their candle and the rest of the lights were turned off. Lea, Judah and Asa ended up in the cry room with their dads.

Have a good Christmas and I'll talk to you later!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Tonight I am at a Super8 just west of Baton Rouge. I will never go on the strip of I- 10 just west of here. It was 30 some miles of bridge! I don't like water. It was 55 mph for trucks and 70 for the rest of us. The trucks had to stay in the right lane. First it was a swamp and then a lake and then a bay, then more swamp. It was one continuous bridge. Yes, next time I will look at the map better. But even the map didn't tell me what it would be like! When we went over the lake, it was an extremely high bridge and the railing looked like it was about 6 inches high, but I'm sure it was a couple feet high.

Prior to the bridge I was really enjoying Louisiana. It is very clean and pretty. I - 49 ranges from very good to fairly poor. There are a lot of evergreen trees and the ones that aren't evergreens have lost their leaves for the season. I think I saw a couple semis of sugar cane. At least it looked like dirty cornstalks chopped up. It sort of makes you think you shouldn't eat sugar.

I had the oil changed in a small town that was very pleasant. After I paid, along with my receipt, I got a paper sort of like a tract! The two men changing the oil were quite pleasant (though large). The lady doing the office work wasn't as nice. I also got a free car wash and I was really needing it.

I went farther today than I had planned, so I'm not sure where I'll stay tomorrow night.

Happy 2nd birthday Lea!

Girls, travel safely and I'll see you Wednesday or Thursday, probably Wednesday.

Have a nice day every one!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Sorry, the blog wasn't cooperating last night. Last night it wouldn't take my password, and tonight it is fine. Go figure! I'm in Terrell, Texas tonight. That's just east of Dallas. Tomorrow night I'll probably be in Lafayett, Louisianna. This afternoon I ran my AC for two and a half hours. This morning I went to SS with the Finleys and met a lot of their friends. I had to stop in Abilene for a snack at Cracker Barrell! Yesterday I ceremonially hung my winter coat on it's hanger and will be leaving it there for a couple or three months. I sure hate that too.

Friday I saw stacks of cotton in fields. They have stackers to stack them in similar to what they use in Nebraska for hay. Then they put plastic bonnets on them and later haul them like they haul the stacks in Nebraska. Each of these stacks would be a semi load.

I've seen very few cattle on this trip. Today there were a few cows and Friday one feedlot. It seems like there are a lot of dead animals on the roadsides in Texas. So far on this trip I have seen 5 dead skumks also, not all in Texas. Oh yes, I've seen a lot of oil wells also.

Have a nice day!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Hello from WARM Liberal, Kansas. When we left Wednesday we had had an overnight low or 2 and there was a lot of snow on the ground. In Lee's Summit there was no snow and the overnight low was 28. Today we saw a little snow in fencerows here and there.

For the first time, I saw cotton still in the field. I had seen it after the field was harvested, but not unharvested. It was interesting.

We spent about half an hour in Greenburg, KS. where a tornado wiped out most of the town in May of 08 and they are building back green. It was quite interesting. There were a few houses in the north part of town that weren't new, but everything else is new. There were 3 or 4 old homes left. They had at least a dozen portables for their school and they were just dismissing when we went by. The post office is a portable with a canopy over a bunch of post office boxes. We also saw the largest hand dug well in the world in Greenburg. There seemed to be a lot of empty lots and a lot of old foundations and cement slabs. I can't imagine what it must have been like to come out after a tornado and see the town almost completely destroyed. They had several thank you signs here and there.

We are eating pretty high on the hog tonight. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! We put Dawn's tenderloins in the freezer in our room tonight and last night they were in Jodi's freezer.

That's it for this time. Have a nice day!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Sunday, December 13,2009

It's Sunday afternoon, and I'll be leaving on Wednesday morning for Lee's Summit and on to Midland. Every day is more exciting! Watch me go!