Ahhhh, another week has gone by and where does the time go??? I'm a couple of days behind in the posting, just wasn't in a writing mood, but that has past, so we are off and running again. Got a call from Kayla earlier in the week, telling me she had found a really good deal on plane tickets flying right into Amarillo!!! so they (Chris and her) were buying them as we speak. I sure am looking forward to seeing her and getting to know Chris a little better, as I have only met him the one time at Kayla's graduation. Michael is still undecided, a minor monkey wrench was thrown into the works when he unexpectedly got his daughter for the summer early. Tell you what, he is one happy man and a great father!!! Hopefully he will be able to come, but having to get two plane tickets instead of one is a bit more financially challenging. We are hoping for the best as we would love to see him and Charity.

I got an email from Chris with several pictures from Sea World in Orlando, looks like Kayla and Chris had a good time. They were able to pet the dolphins and watch the dolphin show. They also checked out the Bush Gardens area, got up close and personal with Bud the Clydesdale as well as checked out a few of the samples Budweiser is known for!!! This weekend I had to work, I changed weekends so I would not have to work when the kids are here. As you may or may not know, I work every other weekend (actually not bad in the retail business) It was good timing as I will be transferring to the ATV department soon. This weekend the store had a (well what was supposed to be) a big Canoe and Kayak sales event. I spent most of one day setting up a display at the front of the store and then sat back and waited for the customers to roll in and buy us out!! One problem, minimal advertising on the radio, no newspaper ad, or any other promotion lead to ZERO sales of any kayaks, canoes and related products, talk about an anti climax!!! for the store, but I guess that's what happens when no one knows about an event! We've been getting some strange weather here lately, one day a band of showers will come through and then the next day clear sky's and bright sunshine. The pattern has been continuing all week, one day toward the early evening, the rain and sun came together for a beautiful show, a perfect rainbow appeared right out our front door. Being here on the plains it was something to see, and actually being able to see each end on the ground was a sight. The rainbow was so big I could not capture the whole thing in one picture, talk about one of natures wonders and a simple pleasure in life just to behold.....ahhhhh, life is good.
Yesterday was a departure form the norm for me at work, I gave a camping/hiking seminar to a Girl Scout troop. The girls were in the 10-14 year old range and very intelligent in the ways of camping. I talked about each aspect of camping and hiking from campground living to backpacking on their own. Also hit hard on safety and whet they needed should hey get lost. They really appreciated the info, since it came on the heels of the boy scout who became lost in the woods of North Carolina while out with the scouts. I think they learned a lot and it was nice to help them out.
Ok, we are all caught up for the week, I'm awaiting the plumber to show and hopefully get to the bottom of out leaking shower.....so until later, take care and enjoy each day to it's fullest!!!

I'm Baaaaack!!!

Back from Houston, and there's one thing I can tell you, business trips in the corporate world are far different than in the Air Force. We were put up in a hotel with no transportation and with-in walking distance of nothing!!! That pretty much left eating each meal at the hotel, not that the food wasn't good (which it was) just the fact you were stuck there with no way to go anywhere else. The seminars changed at the last minute, so instead of learning about ATV's and the associated paperwork, we had a whole day of sales training (basically, training to be the used car salesman everybody hates) so we came away with a bad taste for the trip. The other seminars wern't to much better, lame presenters, I won't boar you with the details. There was a silver lining though, I did get to meet some nice and interesting folks. While at the hotel lounge, I met a couple who were on there way to Honduras for vacation. They had a house down there and went as often as there business schedule would let them, nice down to earth folks, we talked and traded stories for hours. No pictures of the trip, as nothing was worth the photos.

Sheryl's daughter came in from Oklahoma for the weekend (the little moma the aforementioned and now famous baby blanky was made for) It was good to see here and her little pooch (it's so cute) Saturday they (Sheryl, Kaileigh and Cassie) headed off to Kansas for the weekend and to attend a relatives baby shower while I slaved at work for the weekend!! (notice a theme going on here?? weekend trips seem to happen while each weekend I have to work...Hummm) just kidding...lol.

The weekend weather was great here in Amarillo, probably the nicest so far this year, that made business at work kinda slow, as all the outdoor loving folks were actually outdoors enjoying it!! As it seems true to form, the weekend weather was great while I worked and now on my day off here it is cold and rainy :( as you can tell by the picture out the front window of the house. Something else you may notice is the construction going on now across the street, we were hoping for a few more years of a nice open views across the field out front, but it looks like that will be short lived as more homes are built. So here we are at the end of another week in the life, seems like a lot of ho humm news, but intermixed there are many stop and smell the roses times, as well as enjoying many of the simple pleasures in life...that fist sip of coffee in the morning, a long hot shower or bath, that kiss or hug from a loved one, a certain smell or sound that reminds you of a great memory, you get the picture. So don't forget the simple pleasures of everyday life, until next time...

Headin Out to Houston

I almost forgot, I leave tomorrow morning (0 dark 30) for Houston, TX. for a class on proper ATV sales and associated paperwork. My boss asked me about 2 weeks ago if I wanted to go to Houston for this company sponsored class, and of course I jumped at the chance (heck, any chance to travel is great to me.) The store asked me if there were any other departments I would feel comfortable working in, to expand my knowledge base of the store, I told them I wouldn't mind working ATV's. Well they have decided to move me there, it will be a nice change of pace and hence the Houston trip. That's about it for today, will have an update and pictures when I return. Of course I will miss my honey, but at least it is only for 2 days. OK, until then....

New Blanky and RV Thoughts

Wow, it's been a bit since the last posting, I guess that just shows not every day can be exciting!! Actually not a lot has been happening this week. Sheryl has been sick all week, came down with a really yucky tummy virus, which ended her in the emergency room at work. We finally decided it was a tummy bug as all the tests, x-rays, sonograms and CAT scans came back negative (thank goodness) as we had all kinds of things running through our heads on what it could of been. She was in very bad pain for several days, but has seemed to pull out of it now after a solid week of feeling like yuck.

My honey is sitting in the living room just a working away on her new crochet project for her nieces baby shower next weekend. So she will be off to Hugoton, KS. for a fun filled shower weekend while I slave away at work, missing her dearly.

Last night we did have our next door neighbors over for dinner (Brandon & Julie) the weather is actually starting to change for the good, so of course BBQ was in order for the day. The smell of slow cooking ribs filled the house for hours as the meat became more and more tender. Ribs were rubbed with Cajun seasoning, cooked for 3 hours in the oven and finished on the outside grill with a little BBQ sauce, yummy, yummy, yummy. Some more grilled shrimp seasoned with the same Cajun seasoning made for a nice appetizer. Wine, spirits, good food and great company made for a wonderful evening, this was our first time having neighbors over, and we hope to have more and more good times like these in the future.

Something dawned on me the other day, this site was created to allow family and friends to see what we are up to in our daily life as well as to cronical our move toward full time RV'ing. The thing that dawned on me is, I have yet to mention anything on RV'ing. So with that in mind, I will begin sharing some of our thoughts on the matter. We have decided we want a motorhome as apposed to a fifth wheel or trailer. We like the idea of a motorhome due to all the built in conveniences they offer as well as allowing us to pull the jeep along behind, and it is just a personal thing to us. I wont get into the pros and cons of different rv's as each person is different. Since we decided on the motorhome, now it is a matter of deciding on how much we want to spend and how large a payment we will be willing to live with. A larger payment means more work and less money to spend enjoying our travels. However more spent on the motorhome means newer and potentially less problems with it. An older home would of course come with smaller payments but have the potential for more problems just as with any older, car, home, etc. Though my research however, it seems if you are careful and patient, you can have the best of both worlds, as I said, the potential for problems is there, but that doesn't mean they will happen. All motorhomes have the same basic layout (floorplan) however some brands seem to use the space more efficiently and seem to make the inside feel more roomy. This is what we are looking for, a bright, airy, spacious feel. Even if the inside decor is not to our taste, a remodel is not out of the question, new carpet, window treatment, etc can make a big difference, just as in any home. We still have a couple of years yet to find the perfect motorhome, so these are just some of our early thoughts. Until next time.....Live, Love, Laugh!!!