January 25-28, 2020 - Wichita Family; Travel Day Holiday Park, Benbrook TX

January 25-28, 2020 - Wichita Family; Travel Days Holiday Park, Benbrook TX and Lake Corpus Christi State Park, Mathis TX.

Saturday, Jan 25, 2020
After waking this morning we followed our normal routine, then made lunch before heading to Heath's around 12:30.  We visited with Heath and Roman today as Casey, Abram and Gideon made a trip to Parsons to see Casey's great-grandma.  We stayed and visited until about 5:30 or so.  Roman is trying to earn money and one of the things he is doing is giving 10 minute massages for $1.  He first gave one to Papa, and then he massaged my shoulders and neck - I'd give him another $1 in a heartbeat.  He did a great job for a third grader.  

Roman likes to wrestle with his dad.

When we left we were both tired and decided to splurge for dinner at Logan's rather than go back and cook something tonight.  After ordering a salad for me and chicken strips for Dean we left with enough leftovers for Dean to enjoy tomorrow for lunch.  I still have my leftover chicken Parmesan from Friday night.  I'm glad we both enjoy leftovers!



Sunday, Jan 26, 2020
We had another slow morning before we headed to church at Pathway, where Jarred is the Cafe Leader.  The past few weeks they have had a series of "At the Movies" and today's sermon revolved around Guardian of the Galaxy.  I've never seen the movie but found the entire sermon to be quite interesting, and how they used the movie to correlate it to God's love and his word.  

Afterwards we returned to Bentley where we enjoyed our leftovers and relaxing for the afternoon.  

Around 6 we headed back to Pathway for a special event this evening, where Jarred's Pastor Ordination Ceremony was held.  It was a very nice event, attended by several of their closest friends and several family members.  We were thankful to be able to attend as it was a very special event for Jarred, Andrea and their family.  We are both extremely proud of him.  

We had the opportunity to visit with Heath, Casey and the boys for awhile afterwards.  We were happy for the opportunity to see them all before heading south tomorrow.

As I mentioned they were having an "At The Movies" series at their church.  They currently have the church decorated for "Toy Story".  I thought this life size Battleship was pretty cool, as well as the other decorations shown below.

We walked out to our vehicle with Jarred and Andrea, wishing them well as we headed back to the RV for the night.  Tomorrow we will begin our trek south.

On the way back we made a quick stop at Dillon's for bottled water.  We will not be hooking up to water after leaving Wichita until we arrive at Mission, TX.  While we will have water, we typically use bottled water for making coffee and drinking when we are not hooked up to water hydrants in a park.  Once we returned to Bentley I remembered I wanted to get three cans of Great Northern Beans for the white chicken chili I made this afternoon.  Rather than go back we'll just stop somewhere tomorrow after we arrive at Holiday COE Park in Benbrooke, TX.  



Monday, January 27, 2020 - Travel from Wichita, KS to Benbrook, TX

We went to bed around 9:30 last night so I was awake shortly after 4 this morning.  I've been trying to do exercises in the morning to help my neck and this morning I felt pretty good.  It wasn't long and the coffee was ready.  It was a little warmer this morning but I'm thankful we are moving on as Tuesday Wichita is expecting snow and much colder temperatures.

We pulled out of the park at 8:31am.  Our timing on the Interstates were great - missing all of the early morning traffic.  It wasn't too long until we traveled into Oklahoma.

I wish I could say it wasn't too long until we reached Texas, but it took several hours before that happened.

Red River -- boundary of Oklahoma and Texas at this point.

Welcome to Texas!

We had a good drive all the way into Texas.  When checking our route to input it in the truck GPS we discovered the exit ramp we needed to take was closed until Jan 28.  So before we left we took time to make some changes in our route.  It would not have been too bad except for two areas.  One took us through a back road/parking lot to another road that required us to turn left on a heavily traveled road with no stop sign.  Even though we had to wait a little longer than at a stop light, we finally had a break in the traffic and were thankful for that.  Our second interesting challenge was being rerouted through Springtown, TX just as school was letting out for the day.  The route took us by three or four schools within a fairly short distance.  There were police officers at every corner along the route, I suppose to keep speed down with all of the schools in the area.   

It wasn't long before we reached Weatherford, TX, located in Parker County.  As you drive through town there is a roundabout with the Parker County Courthouse located in the middle of it.  It is stunning!

Finally, at 4:57pm we arrived at our destination for the evening, Holiday COE Park at Benbrooke Lake, TX.  We stayed here two years ago as we returned from our first winter in Texas.  That is when our grandson Logan called to let us know that he was going to join the Navy.  Now, here we are working our way toward California in several weeks to see him.  

After setting up, we needed to fill up the fuel tanks for tomorrow's drive, and I still needed those great northern beans for dinner tonight, so we headed to Walmart less than 5 miles down the road.  Fortunately, a gas station was next door to Walmart, so it didn't take us long to get both of these tasks done.  After we returned I added the beans to the soup and 15-20 minutes later we were enjoying a wonderful meal.  It tasted better than any other time I've made it.  I think I'll always make it the day before from now on - the ingredients really melded well overnight.  

I worked on our route for tomorrow after dinner then read a book I started months ago for awhile before falling asleep in my chair.  Dean suggested we go to bed and I didn't argue at all.  It was a long day, and we have another long travel day tomorrow.



Tuesday, January 28, 2020 - Travel to Lake Corpus Christi State Park, Mathis TX.

It was close to 5:30 when I woke this morning.  I headed downstairs to start the coffee, then did a few exercises before pouring my first cup of coffee.  

After our two cups of coffee we both started moving around to get things packed up and it was 8:27am when we left Benbrooke Lake COE.

As we pulled on to Hwy 377, it was an overcast day.

It was a nice day and warmed up nicely as the day went by.  We neared the town of Hico, Texas and I had to take a few pictures in the downtown area.  The welcome sign just outside of town says "Everybody is Somebody in Hico".

Loved the use of the old bicycle to hand their sign.

I spent at least a couple of hours writing the blog while we traveled; and now this evening I'm hoping to finish it up and get it posted tonight.

We left Hwy 377 at Hico and transitioned to Hwy 281.  This is a road we've traveled many times since we acquired Bentley and our new choice of travel.  We have always enjoyed the drive.  It passes through a number of nice communities. Several miles north of Marble Falls I noticed a sign for the Blue Bonnet Cafe, known for their pies.  I reminded Dean we had still not stopped there and we needed to do that.  It's pretty tight to try and find a place to park the RV in order to have lunch.  I made a note that next year we should find an RV Park in Marble Falls, so we can experience the home cooking and most importantly the pie!

We stopped for a short break near Johnson City, then ate our lunch on the road.  An hour later and we were at the outskirts of San Antonio where they are doing an enormous amount of construction.  Traffic was slow here but it was always moving.  Here are a few pictures I took as we moved through the area.

Lots of green grass right now.

This flag was perfect for a picture!

Construction several miles north of San Antonio

South of San Antonio we stopped at a rest area.  These pretty little purple flowers caught my eye.

Air conditioning in January - I love it, but it seems odd!  77 degrees, we sure do love the temperatures.

Road to Lake Corpus Christi State Park outside of Mathis, TX - where we'll stay tonight

After getting Bentley parked and set up, we decided to explore the park, before driving into Mathis to get fuel and make a stop at a grocery store for sour cream.  We ran out last night.  It was so good added to the white chicken chili so we wanted more.

Beautiful flowers as we drove around Lake City.

This is Island Road...so pretty with the sun hitting these trees and grass.

Island Road

As we left Island Road there was a nice body of water between Island Road and these homes.  The sunset was so pretty on the water.

Another section where I was able to get a shot of Lake Corpus Christi.

As we left, we saw this Welcome to Lake City sign.

Looks like a ball of fire - beautiful sunset!

Bentley at Site 28 - Lake Corpus Christi SP, Mathis, TX

Each camping site has a similar covered picnic table.

We are so thankful for the safe travels we've had the past several days.  We look forward to seeing our friends in Mission and other areas of the Rio Grande Valley.

January 24, 2020 - Slow Start on Travel Day; Granddaughter Time; Italian Dinner; Emerson Peine on Stage

January 24, 2020 - Slow Start on Travel Day; Granddaughter Time; Italian Dinner; Emerson Peine Onstage

As I mentioned in the last post we pulled the slides in before we went to bed as we were expecting snow and freezing temperatures overnight.  We are glad we took that precaution as the weather prediction was spot on.  Whether it would have caused any problems we will never know, but it was one thing we did not have to worry about for the day.

After breakfast, cleaning up, and packing things for the move, we headed to the garage to store the car for the next few months.  I pull my hair up at night.  I had let it down before we left and it was a little wild, so when I stopped to fill the car up before meeting Dean at the garage, I was not happy when my credit card would not work at the gas pump.  Lovely!!  I had to walk inside and of course there was someone I knew.  The cashier reset the pump and it worked.  Lesson learned - always be prepared to look presentable before leaving the house even when you think no one will see you.  Lol!

With all of the rain we've had lately and the contractors working at the garage, going in and out, the driveway to the garage was a MUDDY MESS.  Because of this, Dean wanted to get the car in the garage while the ground was still frozen.  I parked the car by the road, got in the truck and let Dean maneuver the car through it all and into the garage.  While he tracked some mud in, it could have been so much worse without the freeze overnight.  We will have some rock hauled in next spring, but there wasn't time for that before we left.

It wasn't a heavy snow but enough to make for a pretty picture.

We returned to Bentley to finalize the storing of a few things before hooking up which for the most part went well, but then.....we had a "little problem" - easily handled, but certainly made for a late start.  This morning the slides worked fine putting them out after we got up, and putting them back in before we left for the garage.  When we returned the landing gear did not want to cooperate once we hooked up. Dean had an extra breaker so he changed it out, and managed to get some of the landing gear up, but not all of it, so we had to make a trip to Chetopa RV to get some new breakers and soon we were ready to pull out of Hillside RV Park.

Our plan to leave by 9 ended up being 10:30.  It was smooth sailing from that point on and we were thankful for that.  We made two stops on the way and grabbed a small pizza to share at our second stop from a convenience store.  By then it was past noon, and we didn't want one of us getting h-angry before we made it to Wichita.  LOL!

We arrived at All-Seasons RV Park in Goddard, KS at 2:34 pm.  The office was locked up, however I had asked for Site 7 and since it was empty we went ahead and pulled into it.  While checking to make sure the slides would clear, and pulling forward a bit to level better before putting the landing gear down, I noticed the owner/worker had returned.  We decided to walk up and register just in case there might have been a change.  Nothing worse than setting up, then having to tear down and move to another site.  Fortunately there were no changes, and we were soon set up.  It was nice to just set down and rest a bit before we headed to Jarred's house.

The sun finally broke through as we headed to Jarred's.

Jarred was in their basement playing football - Chiefs vs San Francisco on some computer game it was probably the Madden one.  We talked about how these games have changed over the years.  I think at least one of the boys have purchased the annual football games over the years between them.  Jarred also had a Nintendo game.  He turned it on to show how the first ones were and it was amazing how much it has changed.  It's so lifelike today in comparison.  Then we played a few of the old Nintendo games including Doctor Mario - my favorite.  

Emerson was taking a nap when we arrived.  We had been there at least 30 min or more when Jarred went up to get her.  It took her awhile to fully wake up and then we enjoyed watching some of her gymnastic moves and her online gaming with some of the old Nintendo games too.  Andrea stopped by to visit after work for a short time before she left for a meeting.  

In the meantime, Emerson, Jarred, Papa and I played a few games upstairs at the table.  Emerson received a neat game at Christmas, which I've forgotten the name of, but I believe it had the word discovery in it.  That was what happened when spinning the dial on the spinner board.  Certain sections of the spinner would give you an item to "discover" on the six large card boards with each board having a different setting full of detailed objects.  It was actually a fun game for all.  Next was Alphabet Bingo and it was equally fun.  Both were great learning games for Emerson.

When Andrea returned we headed to a new restaurant they recently discovered called Marchello's.  Dean chose fettuccine alfredo and my choice was chicken parmesan.  They were very good.  Everyone else chose pizzas.  Emerson will not eat the crust so Andrea cut it off and had us taste it.  While nicely browned it was so soft and tasted amazing.  If we return, we definitely need to try the pizza.

Emerson taking a selfie of us in our matching black and white checked shirts.  Unbeknownst to us, Andrea took this picture and shared it with me later.

After returning to their house we visited for a short time, enjoying Emerson's on stage show with her microphone, singing and dancing for us.  

This girl had us clapping and cheering as she sang and put on a show for us.  Hope we didn't get her too wound up before bedtime.  Lol!  

We left for Bentley and crashed soon after.  It has been a long day but a very good one, despite the little issues we had getting started earlier today.

We are so thankful for a safe journey and the time spent with Jarred and his family. 

January 1-23, 2020 - Finally Caught Up

January 1-23, 2020 - Finally Caught Up

Wednesday, Jan 1 I made my annual stew with black eyed peas.  While I don't put much stock in them giving me "real luck", we do like the stew and it has just become an annual ritual.  We invited Misti, Haleigh and my cousin Todd to join us for dinner.  It was fun to visit with everyone.  Todd brought us some lemon cookies that were quite good.  We enjoyed them for the next few days.

Friday, Jan 3, was a busy day.  We met some friends at Downstream Casino for lunch.  After consuming more food than we probably needed, we visited for nearly two hours before heading back to Oswego.  It wasn't long after we returned home that we left for Elmer and  Cindy's to spend the evening with my sisters and our husbands at 5:30.  She made chili with fixings and I made a four layer dessert.  We had a good time visiting.  I don't know why we don't get our husbands together with us more often.


Monday, Jan 6 we drove to Parsons to watch Kamron play basketball against Chetopa (where I lived for 12.5 years).  It's always fun for me as there is usually a grandchild or family member playing on the Chetopa team.  Before the boys game started my cousin Dennis arrived with his friend to watch her grandson play.  It was good to visit with him for a few minutes before we left.

Kamron in the back with the knee braces.

Tuesday, Jan 7 Dean finished the desk he built to replace our table in Bentley.  I went to the garage to help him load it and all of the pieces he needed to complete it once we had them inside.  We were pretty tired by the time we got it in and everything put together.  Here is the completed project:

Great storage area

I love I can get to my Instapot without reaching up over my head to take it down.  It's heavy and I've worried about losing my balance while standing on a stool to do that.  The storage shelf can be moved up or down as needed.  Another drawer above this area is convenient. 

File cabinet and two nice drawers.

Wednesday, Jan 8 I attended our women's BIble Study.  It was great to see these ladies again.  Later this afternoon, Brett called to let us know it looks like Jameson will be here tomorrow.

Thursday, Jan 9 we headed to Joplin about 9:30.  Our grandson Jameson arrived before we got there, although the nurses had expected he wouldn't arrive until closer to noon.  Emilee's parents, her aunt/uncle and siblings were in the waiting room, along with Jameson's siblings Dacy, Tucker and Logen.  No one had met Jameson Nash yet.  It was at least another 20-30 minutes before Brett came back to get Jameson's brother and sisters to meet him.  After they had some family time together, the rest of us were able to go in to visit as well.  It was quite a group heading down the hall to the birthing center - 9 or 10 of us.  However, the room allowed plenty of room for all of us.  Little Jameson met each of us personally and of course there were many pictures taken.

Jameson Nash

Proud Mama and Daddy

Saturday, Jan 11 - this is what we woke up to.

Fortunately, most of it was gone by mid-afternoon.


Sunday, Jan 12 my sisters and I left Oswego at 11:30 and headed to Granby, MO.  We are going to visit a beloved family friend, Joyce McGill.  Joyce and her husband George had four boys that are close in age to my sisters and I.  After George passed a few years ago, she moved to Granby where one of her sons lives.  We had a great time catching up with her and hearing about all of the boys and their families.  We had to take a picture together as well.

Jody, Crystal, Joyce, Cindy and Me

It was pretty tight trying to get us all in a selfie, so Joyce called her neighbor next door.  She was nice enough to come over and take this picture.

Me, Cindy, Joyce, Crystal and Jody.

Monday, Jan 13 was another trip to Joplin and beyond.  We had the oil changed at the Toyota dealer there, stopped at a few stores before having lunch at Lotus Express on 20th Street.  My cousin mentioned this place in a post on Facebook a few years ago and I've wanted to stop here for a long time.  Dean agreed and I'm glad.  The food was amazing and the price was even better!  They have lunch specials for $4 that include your drink.  Dean chose cashew chicken and I had General's chicken.  The gave us nice sized chicken chunks, freshly deep fried, with sauce added as they made up each order, a large serving of rice, and the choice of crab Rangoon or egg roll.  What I loved most was the chicken was nice and crispy since the sauce was added right before we received our meal rather than a soggy coating like it typically is at a buffet.  I could not believe it was only $4 each.  We will definitely go back.

We made a stop at the RV store near Coachlight in Carthage, then stopped at Kentucky Fried Chicken for a quick lunch.  Another place we will visit in the future - as we had a nice meal for $5.99 each.  Chicken strips, potatoes and gravy and a biscuit.  We each had three large strips.  I had to give Dean one of mine I was so full.   Afterwards we stopped at a Dollar Tree in the same area to pick up a few gifts to take to big sister Logen, before we headed to Brett's to spend some time with Jameson and his family.  He is a precious little guy.    

Proud Papa right here!

A little cutie for sure!

After leaving Brett's, we made a stop in Pittsburg to check on mail that might still be delivered.  Except for a few Christmas cards it was all flyers and junk mail.  NOTE:  FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO WOULD LIKE OUR NEW MAILING ADDRESS, PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST AND I'LL SEND IT TO YOU.

You would think we might head home at this point, but not us - we headed to St. Paul to watch Kamron play basketball.  You can imagine our surprise, after Dean paid our entrance fee to discover it wasn't St. Pat's playing St. Paul - instead it was Thayer.  Ah-oh!  The young lady refunded our money and we left just a little embarrassed we had arrived at the wrong school.  Fortunately it wasn't far to St. Pat's, so we only missed the first quarter.  As usual we enjoyed watching Kamron and visiting with Marc and Jaxson.  

It was a long day, but a VERY GOOD one.

Wednesday, Jan 15 we were on the road again.  Before leaving Oswego for the remainder of the winter, we wanted to see Dean's siblings.  They typically get together once a month for dinner.  His brother was not feeling well, so we drove up early in order to visit with Larry & Sandi before meeting his sisters Joyce and Marie and sister-in-law Connie for dinner.  It was good to see them all and catch up with everyone.  I cannot believe I failed to take pictures AGAIN!

Thursday, Jan 16 as I read RV blog posts I discovered that George of the blog Our Awesome Travels http://geosuzie.blogspot.com had passed overnight. He was recently diagnosed with cancer.  I've followed his blog for many years, enjoying his posts on their travels, RV info and the recipes that he shared (a former restaurant owner and cook).  I enjoyed his blog so much and I was looking forward to the opportunity to meet him and his wife Suzie this year as they passed through Branson on their way to Arizona for the winter.  Only a short time before they were to leave he became ill and their traveling days ended.  Even through his short illness he always had a smile, continued writing his blog as long as he could, and then Suzie, his wife stepped up and shared information with us.  George, you were a blessing to me in many ways and I will certainly miss your words and most of all that big smile of yours. 

I had a busy day today, first stop was at Cook's New Looks for a good trim.  Now that I'm letting my hair grow out I will have Marla, my hairdresser, trim it before I leave and again when I return to Oswego.  I am surprised how quickly it has grown out.  

My granddaughter Haleigh recently cleaned out her clothes closets and drawers.  I offered to take the clothes to the church in Chetopa where I've taken things for several years now.  Misti was going to leave the door open for me, but when I arrived it was locked.  It so happened of all days, Haleigh happened to forget her math notebook at home and I don't think that has ever happened before.  She called me around 10:30 asking if I could take her home over the lunch hour to get it and while we were there, she helped me load the clothes.  I took her to Casey's so she could grab a sandwich and we rode around while she ate it.  It was fun to visit with her during that time.  I learned Casey's has more food items available than I knew about.  Good information to know when we need a quick "on the run" meal.  Cindy said she'd ride to Chetopa with me, so I picked her up.  When we returned we drove by our property to see how the garage renovation is coming along.  Our contractor, Broc and his crew started work on the outside several days ago.  They have all of the new windows and side door in, and have started putting the metal siding on.  Unfortunately, there was a mix-up at the factory and the overhead doors will be a week late in arriving.  We are hoping they get the final work done before we leave next week.  After that we took a drive through the park before I took her home.  By then it was time for me to leave to pick up Jaxson at his school.  He is spending the night with us tonight.

Jaxson and I just made it back to Bentley, when Haleigh called to ask if she had left the garage door opener in my car over her lunch hour.  I didn't see it at first as it had fell down alongside the floor mats and blended in too well.  We turned around and headed to Misti's house.  Dean had picked Haleigh up at school, then took her home, so she could drop off her books and change in to her work clothes.  Nana to the rescue!

We had another fun evening with Jaxson.  He drew pictures with his new art set he recieved as a Christmas present.  We colored, played cards, watched The Grinch before bedtime, then finally settled down for the evening.  He sleeps on the couch, so we went to bed early with the idea he would be able to sleep better without the TV on downstairs.   30 minutes or so later I heard him go into the bathroom so I got up to check on him.  Evidently he wasn't as sleepy as I thought as he had been up making another picture for me.  After that he settled in for the night.

Earlier picture

Since he couldn't sleep....why not draw another picture?

Friday, Jan 17 we woke up to some pretty heavy.  Dean rode with me as I drove Jaxson to school this morning, and I was glad for his company.  When we returned to Oswego we stopped for breakfast at Circle C's.  We had a nice visit with Carol and Jerry, then Betty and Dennis came in.  It's always good to see and visit with them.  I discovered that my dad and Jerry were in the Army Reserves together; and they were in Colorado the year we went out with my dad any many of our friend's families during the annual Reserve "Summer Camp".  We no more than returned home than Marc called to see if I had picked up Boog (that's what he calls Kamron).  I said No, I was going to get her on Monday since she's out of school then.  Come to find out she was out of school today as well for Teacher's In-Service and she thought I was coming to get her today.  So, I hopped in the car and headed to Parsons.  We decided for something to do today, we would hit some flea markets.  I am looking for a cheap table to put between our chairs to hold our glasses/cups, remotes, etc.  Despite the rain, we headed toward Baxter Springs, KS first.  Lo and behold, at the second store, I found this odd looking, homemade table that I thought would work fine.  It wasn't real pretty but with a few coats of paint, and a little remake by my carpenter Dean Peine I thought it would fit the bill.  I paid $15 for it and I figured the paint wouldn't be too high - as I only need a quart.

I took pictures and sent them to Dean to see if he could take it apart from the bottom to make the bottom shelf the same length as the middle shelf.  The bottom shelf was way too long for it to work in the space we have.  He said he could do that, so Kamron and I loaded it in the car, then we headed to Joplin.  Originally we were going to a flea market there on North Rangeline, but since I had already bought a table, we decided to visit Bed, Bath and Beyond instead.  We just enjoyed walking through and looking at stuff and we spent an hour or more there.  Kamron thought Dairy Queen blizzards sounded good, so we visited the new one on 32nd street in Joplin.  They were excellent!  Great idea Kamron!

We drove back to Oswego, stopped to pick up Papa and then took Kamron home.  After visiting with Marc and Jaxson, we returned to Oswego in time to get ready to go to Cindy and Elmer's.  This will be our last time to play cards together for a few months, since we leave Oswego next Friday the 24th.  We laughed so hard tonight I wasn't sure I was going to be able to catch my breath a time or two.  

Saturday, Jan 18 Dean took the table to the garage and when he brought it back it was exactly what I wanted.  He's such a wonderful husband!  On Monday I will pick out some paint and hopefully get three coats on the bottom of it.  We'll let it sit overnight before I put three coats on the top of the shelves Tuesday.  I put a tarp down and painted it in the RV.  It dries much faster here than at the shop.  While Dean has a couple of heaters there it is still really cold with the temperatures we've been having.  The shop is too big for these small heaters without insulation.  That will be a new project for this spring.

In the store

After Dean shortened the bottom shelf. (the bottom shelves are the same length even though the picture doesn't reflect that)

Sunday, Jan 19  After  church, I headed to Cindy's for our sisterfest.  Crystal brought homemade chocolate chip cookies - yummmm!  She also had her grandson Dempsey with her today, and we enjoyed his antics during our visit.  Too bad I didn't have Jaxson so they could play together.  She left at 2, and since Jody and I were parked behind her we all left.  I arrived home right after the start of the Chiefs game against the Titans.  I left at 3 to head back to church to attend a 75th birthday party for Bill Hoffman, a good friend and former neighbor of ours.  It's always fun to attend these, not only for the birthday boy himself, but its also good to visit with friends we may not see often. I enjoyed visiting with Steve and Nancy, Donnie & Janie, their daughter-in-law Leigh and their grandchildren, Buddy & Carolyn - my dear friend from High School, and many others.  Back at Bentley, I joined Dean to watch the rest of the game where our Chiefs won ---- and in case you didn't know, THE CHIEFS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!  50 years of waiting for a second chance.

Monday, Jan 20  This morning we received news that our cousin, Steve Nash, passed last night.  We know he is with his Heavenly Father and we are thankful he is no longer in pain. 

We originally planned to leave this Thursday for Wichita, but have decided to wait until Friday for a couple of reasons.  The forecast is for rain all day on Thursday and mostly clear on Friday; and we expect the work on the garage to be completed by then.   Dean really wants to be here to see the finished project.  We'll have to put the car in the garage before we leave, too.

My neck has been bothering me again, so I stopped to visit Dr. Frisbee, before going to the the hardware store for paint this morning.  My cousin Todd stopped by this afternoon and brought cookies - oatmeal and chocolate chip.  Yummm!!!!  We had a nice visit with him.  I managed to get three coats of paint on the bottom shelves of the table.  Tomorrow I will paint the top of the shelves.  

Our move to Wichita on Friday will give us time to visit with both Heath & Jarred's families before we begin our winter travels in the south.  Jarred will be ordained at his church on Sunday evening, Jan 26 and we both felt it was important for us to be there.  Fortunately, the weather has really been mild compared to past January's.

Tuesday, Jan 21  The chiropractor helped but I will be calling tomorrow to have another adjustment.  His office is closed on Tuesday's. My neck is much better but my leg is still bothering me some.  Getting in the truck and driving 350-400 miles a day for two days after we leave Wichita means I need to be in good shape.  Tonight my sisters, my daughter and I went to Chetopa to meet with my cousin Steve's family at the funeral home.  We love this family so much.  We are so sorry for their loss.

Wed, Jan 22  I was back at the chiropractor at 9:30 this morning.  I felt a big improvement after this adjustment.  Since we wanted to check the mail at Pittsburg before leaving - it was just another 20 miles to see Baby Jameson and his family.  How could we pass that up?

Jameson Nash - 13 days old

Notice that red hair?

On the way to Brett's I took this picture of geese on the north side of the road.  

Geese...thousands of them.  There were two large sections, and while I took pictures of both, the first one did not come out.  Too many rain splatters!

It has rained almost all day.  When we left town we noticed our contractor was working on the garage - they just have a small amount of work to finish up outside, but when we returned it was not completed.  I imagine the rain got too heavy to continue, and it was still raining when we returned.  Hopefully, it will clear up tomorrow.  


Thurs, Jan 23

I'm finally up to date.  

Broc finished the garage today:

Quite a transformation don't you think!

I spent most of my day getting some much needed paperwork done, and prepping for our move tomorrow.  Dean needed a haircut so I met him at the garage.  I was surprised how much warmer it seemed inside after the work on the garage has been completed.  I'm sure Dean wishes it would have been done before he started work on the desk.  I know he worked in some pretty cold conditions at times, especially when the wind was blowing.  We decided the hair clippers have seen their last day of cutting hair.  A purchase we'll need to make within a few weeks.  Last time I cut it we talked about needing to replace them and this time there is no doubt.  

Kamron had a basketball game at Chetopa this evening.  Marc and Misti met Dean, Haleigh and I at the Hornet's Nest in Chetopa for dinner before going to the game.  (By the way, for those of you not familiar with Chetopa - the school mascot is the Hornet, hence the name of the restaurant)  We had a nice visit and a great meal.   We left shortly before 6 and we made it just in time as St. Pat's game against St. Paul was just starting.  It was a very tight game and I believe only the five starters played the entire game.  It's possible one might have gone in for a short time, but Kamron never got to play.  Sad for us!  St. Pat's won the game by a few points.  This is an end of the year tournament and they will play again tomorrow night but I'm not sure who with.   We gave the kids and grandkids hugs since we are heading out in the morning and won't see them again until April.  

As we were leaving my cousin Rick Nash, his wife Sherrie and daughter Rebecca came in to watch their graddaughter Bella play.   It was good to visit with them for a few minutes before heading home.

Since it's supposed to snow tonight and get below freezing, we decided to pull the slides in just to be sure we don't run into a problem like we did back in December at Brett's and couldn't leave for a few days.  

Thanks to everyone who has asked if I'm still going to blog and if things are okay.  Yes we are doing great, just very busy the last few months.  I am looking forward to blogging again on a daily basis.  Thanks for following along and I always love hearing from you.