New Granddaughter

My husband and I have a new granddaughter! We actually just got back from the hospital. We went for a quick visit. Our granddaughter is a doll. She is just perfect. And looks so much like my husband's side of the family.

It's always so amazing when babies are born. It's a magical time in life. A new and innocent baby. A miracle. Our family is so blessed today. What a nice new beginning. Our granddaughter brings with her so much positive energy. And we just can't wait to see her grow up into a beautiful soul.

State Fair and More

Today my husband and I went to the Fair. With our Car Club. It was a lot of fun. All of the cars were on display. And people really enjoying looking at them. The day was also really nice. The weather has been somewhat spotty lately. But today, it was a nice day.

We enjoyed lots of time with our friends. And we definitely enjoyed the sights and sounds. The Fair was scaled back this year. Due to the economy. But we still managed to enjoy ourselves. Even if 2 ice creams cost almost $15!

And after a full day at the fair, we went to our friends' jewelry store. They were having a big party. It's an annual party that they have. A BBQ included. Probably not the best time of year for it. But I did manage to win 2 door prizes. And again, we had fun.

To round out the day, my husband and I went to the Casino. Just to play a few machines. Nothing too crazy. We both took $20. We played. Ended up breaking even. And we also had dinner there. Right now, we are just getting home.

Now that I think about it, how did we do so much in 1 day? Especially since we didn't leave the Fair until almost 4pm. It amazes me how much we could get done. But it was a day full of fun and excitement! The only thing missing, was our daughter. Maybe next year she will get the chance to come. :)

Church Fiestas

This weekend our church had their annual Church Fiestas. It was a lot of fun. Even with the very "moody" weather. During the day, it was so hot. In the upper 90s! And in the evening, it would get cool, windy, and rain. Yes, it would rain. Not the best weather for an outdoor fiesta. But it happens every year. And we learn how to sit out the weather.

On Saturday, my husband and I were in the parade. We have an old car. And we really enjoy being in the parade. My brother and sister in law were also in the parade. We had invited a few friends to join us. Unfortunately, they didn't come. But we had lots of family there. And lots of friends too. We always catch up with old friends and family.

The food was good too. And there was some good entertainment. Not as much as normal. But still very good. Same with the food. It wasn't as good as in years past, but it was good. And we ate a lot. I'm probably good for a few days. Do you get that way? You eat so much, in a short amount of time, that you lose your appetite for a few days. That's how I feel.

But we had a great time. We spent most of the weekend at the Fiestas. We ate most of the weekend. And I even managed some shopping. There was a Silent Auction. With lots of nice things. I ended up bidding on, and winning, 5 copper bracelets, a pair of earrings, and a rosary. All for under $50. A good deal, considering I've paid up to $60 for a single copper bracelet, in the past.

We had a lot of fun. But I'm exhausted now. I need a day or 2 to recover. But this is a weekend that we look forward to every year. Just seeing old friends and being a part of the community is so fulfilling. Something that my husband and I definitely enjoy.

A Fun Evening

Yesterday I had a class to go to. It was in the afternoon, for just a few hours. It was for my certification, for our business. So my husband drove me. It was about 30 minutes out of town. I probably should have looked over the books or studied a little. But I didn't. The good news, I past my exam. With only missing 1 question. It felt good.

After, my husband suggested that we go to the Casino for dinner. It was on our way home. We went. And dinner was really good. We finished dinner by 6:30pm and decided to play the machines for a while. Which is always fun. My husband and I don't gamble a lot. Don't laugh, but we like to play the penny machines.

But it was so cold in there! Around 8pm we decided to go outside to warm up. Actually, we thought about going home. Instead, we warmed up and headed back inside. And we played for a few more hours. We won. Not a whole lot. But it was nice to win something.

We got home right before 10pm. Our son was worried. A little panicked to be honest. He called our daughter, who had no idea where we were. But she wasn't in a panic like our son. I think a lot of that had to do with my husband forgetting his cell phone at home.

But we did have a nice night out. Something that is usually out of the ordinary for my husband and I. But over the last month or so, we've really begun to enjoy life a little. And I did enjoy my late night chat with my daughter. I know it was after midnight for her.

Wonderful Weekend

My husband had a really nice weekend. It started out on Saturday morning. With a "Family Breakfast." My husband's sons put it together. It was the 4 of them, 2 of their wives, and a few of their kids. But it was enjoyable. And I really liked seeing my husband so happy.

I enjoyed talking to our daughter in law. She always has interesting things to talk about. And she was telling me about our new granddaughter. Our grandson and his girlfriend are expecting a little girl later this year. And I also enjoyed talking with my granddaughter. We don't see her a whole lot. But she is almost 2. And is really starting to become talkative.

Right after breakfast, we head north. For a 3 hour drive. We were going to a birthday party. For our niece's step son. And it was a beautiful drive. Everything was so green and beautiful! I seen these light-lime green Hollyhocks. I really wanted to stop and pick some of the seeds. I planned on doing it on the way home, but I forgot. And now I'm really sad about that. Hollyhocks are some of my favorite flowers.

But when we got to my niece's home, it was such a beautiful place. We'd never been there before. When she got married almost 3 years ago, we were going. We had reserved a hotel room and everything. But she got sick, and her and her husband just had a small wedding. No one was invited.

I'm very glad that we went this time. Their home is beautiful. Nothing fancy, but very welcoming. And their property is amazing. They live out in the forest. And the stream goes through their property. It was a really nice place. With tons of gorgeous roses.

They wanted us to stay the night. But my husband and I decided to head back. Really, we were hoping to stop by the casino. The one that our daughter went with us to last month. We headed back south. It was about a 90 minute drive.

We had a nice evening. Both my husband and I won. Before we knew it, it was after midnight. Way past our bedtimes! We are usually in bed pretty early, 10pm or so. Because we have to be up early for our business. Now we needed to find a place to stay.

We drove south. Our capital city is about 30 minutes from where we were. We were about halfway there, when we got stopped in a DWI checkpoint. It took almost 90 minutes to get through. We weren't stopped. But there were so many cars there. Just outside of that, the Opera had gotten out. Another traffic jam.

At nearly 3am, we were finally in our hotel room. Completely exhausted! We slept for a few hours, then got up and got ready. And our hotel had a nice breakfast. We had breakfast, and went back to our room. To take a nap. We really didn't get a whole lot of sleep that day.

By 10am, we were on the road again. My daughter had told us about a fiesta that was going on. Again, we went north, but in a slightly different direction. This time, the drive wasn't as long. And the fiesta was nice. It was different from what we're used to. But we had a nice time.

Sunday was a pretty hot day. So we were very happy that the park we were at was under a lot of trees. The music was really good. And we had some delicious burgers. I had a tortilla burger. But the chili was so hot!

Because we were in a small town, I decided to look around some of the shops. Boy were they expensive places! They claimed to be antique shops, but most sold things from about 5-10 years ago. I seen some Avon broaches, selling for $40! And some pretty ugly dolls for $100. I didn't buy anything. I did see a hat from the 40s that I really liked, but it was almost $90.

That was our weekend. We got home on Sunday night around 9pm. We were beat tired! We just took our overnight bag down, and I went to bed. I didn't even hear all the fireworks that were going on in our neighborhood. But my husband said there were a lot of them. We had a really nice weekend. Something that we definitely needed. And so did my daughter.

Busy Weekend

This had to be 1 of the busiest weekends we've had in a long while. A graduation party, a wedding, a baby shower, and a post wedding get together. I'm exhausted just thinking about all we managed to pack into 2 days!

Yesterday started with an early breakfast and quick trip to the tire shop. What a day to decide to change our tires. I know. But we did. I went home and made some salads for my niece. Her daughter's graduation party was Saturday evening. And she was making all the food on her own! Italian food. So I offered to make the salads. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go to the party. There was just too much to do.

But we did go to a wedding. Some of our best friends, friends we've had for well over 30 years, had a son that was getting married. Our kids actually grew up together. And the bride is a really good friend to my daughter. So close, at one time we thought the groom's cousin and my daughter would be married. They dated when they were younger. The bride is one of my daughter's best friends. They were all really close growing up. The 4 "Musketeers."

That's where we were. And it was an amazing wedding! Beautiful, full of love, and so elegant. My daughter was the maid of honor. The groom's cousin was the best man. And those dresses, they were breath taking! I also helped with the food. And spent a goo part of my day cooking. Good thing it was an evening wedding!

We were easily out until 2am. That's how good the wedding was. And some of our dearest friends were there. It was just a nice event. It's incredible to see how much all these kids have grown. They're adults. And in many cases, married with children! I still remember going to little league games. Watching these little boys play t-ball! Now they have sons in t-ball. My daughter was just a little younger than them. The only girl! But they all grew up together. The boys took really good care of her both then, and now.

And today. It was just as full! My husband and I barely made it to church. We were so tired. But we did make it, and then to breakfast. And then off to our friends' home. Since my husband and I got married, it's a tradition to have a post-wedding lunch for the bride and groom. Just close family and friends are invited. And the wedding party.

It's more of a lunch to get to talk with everyone. You know, on the day of the wedding, you're pretty busy! But this is a casual event. And the bride and groom get to open all their gifts. We had a wonderful time. Lots of food, good company, and laughter. It was a nice afternoon and evening.

I had been invited to my Goddaughter's baby shower as well. She just had her 2nd baby on Thursday. But the shower was on Sunday evening. And I didn't make it. On the way home, we drove by my niece's home. And we dropped off mine and my daughter's gifts. I felt bad for missing it. But there was just a lot going on this weekend.

Here it is, almost 10pm, and my husband and I just got home! But it was a weekend fill with lots of love. And so many good people. The celebrations were amazing. And one day, I look forward to my own daughter's wedding. Whenever she decides to tie the knot. (wink, wink. That was a hint.) Until then, it might take until next weekend to recover!

A Little Family Time

On Sunday, we went to the Zoo. It was a lot of fun. There was a big fiesta at the Zoo for Father's Day. And my daughter and I took my husband.

There were so many people around. It was a little ridiculous. So we dropped off my husband near the Zoo and we went to park. It's a good thing we know the area. And we found a relatively close parking. About 2 blocks from the Zoo. We live across the river from the Zoo. So it was a nice to know the area.

Like I said, there were so many people there! I think in the newspaper it said that there were 10,000 people. It was full! And we really didn't do much. It was so incredibly hot out. My husband's leg was still bothering him. So he sat and watched a band perform as our daughter and I went to go look at a few animals. She made it to town this morning and met us at breakfast. It was a good morning.

We didn't see many animals. There were too many people. And it was incredibly hot! The animals were hiding. And in the few cages that there were animals, there were too many people. So we went back to sit down. And the reason we went, for a concert was about to begin. Some friends of ours were playing a mariachi concert. We were very excited.

My daughter had packed a nice lunch for us. Some tuna salad, watermelon, and all the fixings. So we sat and had lunch. Again, it was incredibly hot. So we really enjoyed the watermelon. and the concert, well it was good. We enjoyed the music. Although we didn't really get to see the musicians/our friends. The people just wouldn't sit down. At one point, they stop the concert. It was that bad.

And then the storm started to come. It sprinkled on and off for a while. The wind was incredibly strong. And before we knew it, about 2/3's of the people had left. We enjoyed the end of the concert. We actually got to see a few familiar faces. And just before 6pm, it ended.

We cleared out. My daughter carry our 3 chairs, cooler, and a small cooler bag. I felt bad for her. But she insisted. We came back and picked up my husband and headed to Dairy Queen for a little ice cream treat. It was so yummy! And I'm pretty sure, no positive, that my husband enjoyed his day.

Then yesterday, we were invited to the casino. Our son's girlfriend invited us to meet them for dinner. My daughter, husband, and I left a little earlier than the 2 of them. We wanted to go look around. We had never been there before. Even though, I'm pretty sure it's the closest casino to us.

We did the usual things. Signed up for the player's club, looked around, and found some good machines. We played for about an hour before our son and his girlfriend got there. She also happens to be one of our employees. And is really one of those people you enjoy being around.

We went to dinner. The food was very good. And the company was even better. We sat and talked about many things. Remembering good people. Laughing and joking. It was a nice evening. Then we headed back out to gamble. My husband went back to the machine where he had been winning before dinner. And I went back to mine. Side by side. But it was so cold. So I moved to sit behind him.

Before I knew it, my husband had my daughter playing a machine! My machine. :) She was enjoying herself. And every time she went for change for us, she would tell us about these "I Dream of Jeannie" machines. She really wanted to try them. But we never left our machines. By the end of the night, we had all won a little. I had around $20, my daughter the same, and my husband had about $15. We went to go cash out. And there were those machines. I remember, I had $23. Because I gave them each $1 and we sat to play.

My husband really did good. He must have won $25 in about 10 minutes. Even our daughter won another $21. We decided to leave with our winnings. And our free tote bags. But it was a lot of fun. We got home sometime after 11pm. But we had a good time. We lost our son and his girlfriend during the evening. It turns out, our son had won almost $400. And put it all back into the machines! But honestly, we had a great time. And that's all that counts!

Road Trip Part 3

Our only night at the cabin was fun. We had a nice dinner. Tacos and all the fixings. The food just tastes better there. Believe me. It's like a little piece of heaven. My mom also came over to visit. My parents live across the dirt road from us. It was a short visit. But it was nice to catch up. For most of the evening, my husband, my daughter, and I just sat and talked. We also listened to music. One of our favorite things to do there. The oldies are amazing! And my daughter and I were crocheting.

I have to say, that was some of the best sleep I've had in a long while. And the breakfast the next morning was amazing. My daughter and I also cooked a few things to leave with my parents. I know my dad really enjoys my tortillas and chili. And we made some desserts. Before we left, we sat and talked with my parents for a few hours.

On our way, we stopped at a casino. Honestly, we don't gamble a lot. This is really out of the ordinary for us. But it's summertime. And we're traveling a lot more. This casino also gives you $10 to gamble with for every visit. My husband and I gambled for a while. We were doing pretty well. But we got hungry. And we all decided to go for dinner.

This casino has some of the best food. And I'm glad that we stopped. We had a really nice dinner. It was BBQ night. The food was amazing! Even if we had to wait for it. And wait we did. There were so many people there. But like I said, it was well worth the wait!

After dessert, and watching some sports on their TVs, and we decided to head home. It was almost 8:30pm. By the time we got back, it was late. Nearly 10pm. And my daughter was getting ready to leave. She had to get back to her life. But we really had a nice weekend. And I enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure we all did.

It was much more than the road trip, the shopping, gambling, or even the food. It was about time with our family. Now that our daughter is grown, lives far away, and is on her own...it really is hard to find time to spend together. I'm glad that she still makes time for us. I still can't believe my little girl is all grown up. But she is. So I really appreciate these times together. When we can just be a family again.

Road Trip Part 2

Here's the 2nd part to our road trip...

We decided to head south for dinner. Not far from the church. My daughter and I had wanted to stop at some antique shops we had seen. But we were definitely a little too late. Almost everything had closed. It was already after 6pm. So we just kept driving.

And we ended up at the Casino. We had been there once. For my husband's birthday in 2009. And we had really enjoyed it. So we decided to have dinner there. We pulled up near the doors. So my husband wouldn't have to walk so far. And we seen another lady fall going into the casino. It was not a good day for people walking.

We decided to have dinner first. It was a really good decision. We were so hungry. And the dinner rush hadn't yet begun. The food was really good. And we had an enjoyable evening. Our family likes to eat slow and watch everyone around us. Our waiter also made it enjoyable. He didn't rush us or anything. And after dessert, we all felt like we needed to be rolled out of there.

We headed downstairs. My daughter and husband went in search of an elevator, I went looking for some machines. We did end up getting a little lost. But eventually, we found each other and some good machines. My daughter kept getting us change and drinks. She doesn't like to gamble. But we had a great night.

We did end up losing all of our money. But it really wasn't that bad. About $25 in 3 hours or so. But it was a lot of fun! My husband played a Mayan Adventures machine. And he kept saying that the princess looked like me, and the prince looked like my brother. I do have to agree.

At almost 12:30am, we decided to leave. My husband went to the front door, and we went to go get the van. We had parked clear on the other side of the casino. My daughter and I were laughing so hard. And I can't for the world of me, remember why. But we had a nice time.

It took forever to get to our car. But we made it. And we found my husband waiting outside. It was cold in the casino. And it was a nice night out. My husband enjoyed another nice nap as we continued south. I know that's why he wanted to buy this van. It's a conversion van. Has very comfortable seats, and a TV with a VCR and DVD player. I usually drive. And he relaxes.

It was so dark out. My daughter was navigating for me. And eventually, we made it to our capital city. Really, it's not that far. But it was so hard for me to see at night. But we got a room. My husband got settled in. And our daughter brought us our bags. It was about 2 or 3am before we settled in for the night.

The next morning, my daughter went to get us some breakfast. And we got ready. I really like staying at the Comfort Inn. One less thing for us to have to worry about. They have a nice continental breakfast. Free newspapers included. My husband and I still managed to head downstairs for some cereal. And my daughter loaded the van for us.

By 9am, we were headed southwest. We had planned on meeting our son at our cabin. But 2 things came up. A good friend of ours is a secretary at an elementary school. She found herself with 6 field trips and no transportation. For that morning. I drove, my husband slept, and our daughter worked out the details of the trips. She called the school, our employees, and her brother. And everything was worked out. Except our son's truck, had broken down. So he was fixing it.

Instead, my husband, my daughter and I headed west. We did have to stop for some groceries though. We stopped in a small town about an hour west of our cabin. To pick up the essentials. We were only going to be there for a day. So we didn't need much. But the place was so full of people! Probably because it was a Friday.

But we shopped. We got some things I needed at the cabin. And we bought groceries for sandwiches, tacos for dinner, and some breakfast food. By the time we got to the cabin, we were hungry and tired. My daughter made us some really good sandwiches, avocado and all the fixings. We had lunch. And one by one, we all fell asleep.

Stay tuned for more...

Road Trip Part 1

The last few days have been a lot of fun. For me and my husband. It's always enjoyable to have our daughter home with us. This time around, we decided on a mini road trip. My husband's leg is still bothering him. So we decided that I would drive. And we'd take it easy.

Thursday morning, we went and had a nice breakfast at the coffee shop. One of my daughter's favorite places to eat. She really enjoys a nice tortilla burger for breakfast. My husband and I get the huevos rancheros. And we all split some chicharrones. It was very good.

We headed back home. Which isn't far, a short trip over the bridge. And we packed up. We wanted to head north. To go visit a religious town. But we also wanted to enjoy the trip. So we went the back way. And made a stop in one of our favorite towns.

It was hot. But not as hot as in the city where we live. My husband sat on the deck to these shops. And my daughter and I went looking around. We did bring my husband an ice cream. Actually, we all sat down to have ice cream. They were so big! And very good. My husband likes his in a bowl. But my daughter and I, we got ours in cones. And about halfway through, we were in a bit of a mess. But it was good.

We also did a little shopping. I bought a beautiful copper bracelet. I really like copper jewelry. And I bought my daughter some basket weave earrings. They're beautiful. With gold, silver, and copper in them. Then we got back on the road.

My husband decided to take a nap. And my daughter and I enjoyed the scenery so much! I wish we would have had a camera. And of course, there were snacks. No road trip is complete without snacks. :)

My daughter and I were a bit worried that this specific church we were trying to get to, would be closed. We spent a little too much time in the first town. But we made it. And we learned that the summer hours are a little longer. So we were OK.

Since my husband's leg was still bothering him, we decided to drop him off near the church. It was still a walk for him, but nowhere near the walk that my daughter and I had. We had to park down the hill from there. Then walk across a field and up a steep hill. But we did get to see a pretty horse.

There were so many people that day. In fact, 2 tour buses got there when we were there. My husband met us inside. And we got holy water and dirt. We prayed. And looked at the various shrines. But it was so hot! We decided to go sit outside and enjoy nature.

My husband also wanted to pick up a leg charm. a bit of our religious beliefs. And I wanted to get some powdered chili. I'm yet to find better chili than the one we get there. It was an adventure. My husband stayed sitting under a tree on a nice bench. My daughter and I went shopping.

The man that was selling the chili, he wanted us to try it out first. My daughter was all for it. He opened up some pistachios, handed us each a shell full of chili. And we were supposed to eat the chili, then the pistachio. The red chili wasn't so bad. It actually has a really good flavor. The next red chili, wow! It was hot. And by the time we got to the green one, which was the hottest, I couldn't handle it. I tasted it with the tip of my tongue, and let the rest blow in the wind. :)

Don't tell the man! But I just couldn't handle it. He was super nice. And my daughter loved all 3 that we tried. But we settled on the 2 different red chilis. he opened a 3rd bag of each, and split them into our 2 bags. That's right, 6 bags for about $10. A really good deal.

Then we went across the road. And did some more shopping. We got my husband his charm, and a cross. I bought my daughter a red, heart shaped rosary. And I got a charm to give to my daughter and husband. It reminded me of a friendship charm, but it was for family. We also bought some muerto bead for little Sarita.

By this time, it was 5:30pm. And we headed back to my husband. We had just sat down and were talking about this dog that was lying there sleeping. I really thought he was dead. But my husband was telling us that he had moved. We were just there watching all these people. A little boy was so excited about this book he had just bought.

And this lady, she walked past us. Looked stunning. An older woman. Her makeup was amazing, her hair looked great, she was just beautiful. And about 5 feet away from us, she fainted! It really scared everyone. But she was OK. After they got her some water. And cooled her down a bit. She did get a big goose egg on the side of her head, were she hit the edge of a statue. But thank goodness she was OK!

This is about the time we decided to leave. It was really hot, and we were all hungry. My daughter and I made the long walk back to our van. But I did dip my feet into the creek first. The water was nice and cool. We picked up my husband, and headed south for dinner.

I'll have part 2 later this week. I can't believe how much we managed to do in a few short days. But it was so much fun. And I'm glad we went on our road trip.

Looking Up

Things are looking up around here. My husband's leg is feeling much better. I'm so glad and relieved. Our daughter really does know what she's doing. Now if only my husband listens to her while she is gone.

Yes, our daughter left. I know, she has important things to do. And a great man to support. But it's always hard when she leaves. We do miss her a lot. I know, it's been close to 9 years since she moved out of the house, but she's still out little girl.

Today, my husband and I ventured to the fiesta in Old Town. It was a lot of fun. And we really enjoyed ourselves. Mostly, my husband sat in 1 of our chairs. Because we didn't want him to overdo it. You know, his leg is still nowhere near 100%. But we had fun.

The music was great as always. And the food, almost nothing beats those burgers. They're so tasty! This is definitely 1 of our favorite fiestas to attend all year. And I'm glad my husband was feeling up to it.