Sunday, May 5 - Saturday, May 11, 2019; Sunday, May 12 - Saturday, May 18; Sunday, May 19 - Saturday, May 25 - Highlights of previous three weeks.

Sunday, May 5 - Saturday, May 11, 2019
This is the first Sunday I've been able to "host" our sisters weekly Sisterfest this year.  Cindy was good enough to allow me to use her house for our normal 1-3pm get together.  I made a Cherry Crisp and brought vanilla ice cream.  We had a nice visit and discussed our upcoming family reunion, on Sunday, June 2.

Monday we stopped at our tax preparer's to pick up our income tax forms for 2018.
Once we left his office, we headed back to Grove to meet up with some of our good friends we met through our local Escapees group: Dennis and Pam, Phil & Janelle and Bill and Janice. We first met all three couples when Dennis was President of our Escapee RV Club - held in Grove.  We met them at the Cherokee Casino Restaurant in Grove.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal, and continued visiting for quite awhile afterwards.  Always fun to spend time with friends.

Tuesday I was back at my task to finish cleaning all the storage areas in Bentley.  I'm building a pile of things that will need to go to the storage unit soon.  I'm making good progress.  We walked this morning and I snapped this picture of the Neosho River - you cannot see the dam, due to the high water.  

Tonight we headed to Service Valley Charter Academy (part of the Oswego School District), where our grandson Jaxson attends Kindergarten, to watch the school spring program.  I was really looking forward to it.  

Giving mom or dad a thumbs up!

Jaxson is "Dinosaur Awesome"

I was so proud of this young man.  He sang out, did the hand motions and was just beaming from ear to ear with that beautiful smile of his.  He's really done well and looks forward to going to school.  All of the students did a wonderful job.  What a great job by the staff at SVCA!

Wednesday I visited beautician, Marla.  I definitely needed to see her and I think my hair looked much better when I left with a nicely trimmed do!  Back home I finished the last of the cabinets, drawers, etc. to finish up in the bedroom.
This evening I met with former classmate Jamie to discuss our upcoming class reunion in October.  We are gathering information that will be sent out to everyone soon.

Thursday Dean and I both had dentist appointments.  Fortunately the visit went well and no follow-ups are required for either of us.  Look who pulled in next to us this afternoon!!!!

Friday Dean and I went to Parsons to watch Misti graduate from Labette Community College physical therapy assistant program.  I am so proud of her.  She has worked so hard.  While she still has two months of clinicals this summer and her state exam to get through, I know she'll do great.  

Misti Dawn Blair with Mom and Dean

Afterwards we ate dinner at El Pueblito in Parsons.  They were slammed with graduates and their families.  It was well after 10:30pm before we left - they typically close at 10:00pm. 

Saturday we drove to Joplin.  Dean wanted to stop at Harbor Freight and Home Depot.  We were going to have dinner at Texas Roadhouse but once we saw the line of people "outside"  that were waiting we decided we'd go somewhere else.  Since we were close to Steak and Shake we decided to stop there instead.  We both like their burgers and Dean loves their fries.  We noticed the gas gauge was getting pretty low on the car, so we made a quick stop at Sam's before heading back home.  As we drove back by Texas Roadhouse almost an hour later, some of the same people were still waiting outside to be seated.  So glad we passed it up tonight.


Sunday, May 12 - Saturday, May 18, 2019
Mother's Day Sunday.  Misti stopped by at 7:30 this morning to wish me a Happy Mother's Day.  She was working at the golf course today.  It meant a lot that she came by to visit so early before going to work.  
Jody is having dinner at her house, so we didn't have our normal Sisterfest.  However, Cindy, Crystal and I decided to run to Joplin.  We bought a few things at Harbor Freight last night and Dean changed his mind, so I returned those.  We also visited a few other stores.  We had a nice day together, but we missed our baby sister Jody.
Later in the day Marc called and we visited for awhile, and I heard from most of Dean's boys.  Dean grilled Filet Mignon and I prepared a vegetable stir fry.  It was a perfect meal.  
Monday after breakfast, we packed Bentley up to head south to Sequoyah State Park near Wagoner, OK for our monthly Escapee casual campout.  We were looking forward to spending the next four days with our good friends.  We really love this park.  It sets right on Lake Gibson, where a large number of deer frequent the campsites.  It's also a great place to walk.  I called for our reservation early this year so we could get a good spot close to everyone else.  This year it seems a few procrastinated and we were spread out from each other.  Lol!  All in all it worked out great and as usual we managed to have a great time every day.  

These deer aren't too afraid of the campers in this park.  We love watching them.

We made our annual trip to Lopez Grill, a favorite Mexican Restaurant of our hosts Phil & Janelle.  Dean and I really like it and look forward to going every year.  
Tuesday evening we had our pot-luck.  Phil smoked pork butts (as always, they were delicious) besides the many other side dishes and desserts that were provided.  Yum!  We never go hungry at these get togethers.

Enjoying the campfire!

Are you looking at me?

Wednesday we had leftovers from the night before and just enjoyed spending time with each other.  
Thursday Dean and I had to drive to Tahlequah for my 6 month CT-scan and pulmonary function test (PFT).  I have an appointment with my lung doctor on the 20th.  Fortunately, I was able to get all of the test results to take to the appointment with me on Monday.  We ate at a great new restaurant afterwards in Tahlequah called Newk's.  We had never heard of it before, but we will definitely return here when we are back in the area.

Enjoying the evening

Friday morning came all to soon and it was time to pack up and head back to Oswego.  Couldn't resist this picture at Big Cabin when we stopped long enough to use the restroom (in Bentley, of course).  Big Boy in Big Cabin!

Once home, we quickly got Bentley set up, then changed into old clothes and headed to the garage.  We had a 3 cubic yard dumpster delivered to the house this past Wednesday while we were gone.  Dean wanted to get all of the stuff he had gathered up in bags put in the dumpster before it rained.  The rain started yesterday and continued on through the night and into today, so I took advantage of the time to do a little cleaning and laundry.  
On Satruday, Brett called to see if we'd like to come to his house around 2-3 this afternoon.  He was having a cookout for some friends and co-workers.  I made a dessert, we call Angel Food Delight.  Angel Food Cake torn into bite size pieces, with 1 box of strawberry jello mixed with 1 boiling hot water, stir to dissolve, add a 10 oz container of strawberries (partly thaw an hour or so before adding).  Once strawberries have partly or totally thawed, add 1 carton of Cool Whip - mix well and pour over Angel Food Cake.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.  DELICIOUS!
We had a good time and got to meet several of the people that works for him as well as a few other friends.  I snapped this picture on the way home.

Sunday, May 19 - Saturday, May 25, 2019  
Sunday, after church, our sister Crystal picked us up and we headed to Joplin to see our step-dad and Verna.  Crystal made a dessert and Verna made a couple of treats too.  I only had small helpings, but still, I ate too many desserts.  No more sweets for me for a while.  We had a great visit with them before heading back home.
Monday, Dean and I both had appointments with our primary care physician.  She was happy with both of us on our weight loss and with my blood test results.  I asked her about my left ankle that was swollen.  It has been bothering me off and on for a week or two. She thought it was probably some irritated tendons and suggested taking ibuprofen for a week or two and gave me some exercises to do as well.  Other than that all was good.
When we first arrived in Joplin this morning, we ran my test results by Dr. Slocum's office so he would have a chance to review them before my appointment with him right after lunch.  We had a quick lunch at Golden Corral before heading to his office.  What a great day it turned out to be!  When he walked in to the room, we said our hellos and then he informed me that I stop taking my prednisone immediately.  He told me I needed to have one last follow up testing (ct-scan only - no PFT) in one year and if all is well at that time, I will no longer need to see him.  WOW!  I was so happy.  My first appointment with Dr. Slocum was May 31, 2017 and less than 2 years later I am off the medication.  I could not have been happier.
As Dean and I left his office, we made it to the car just in time.  The sky opened and it poured on us as we drove home.  
Tuesday I was up early to take my cousin Barbara to Parsons for a follow-up after her cataract surgery yesterday.  It rained on us on the way up and the way back.  Her visit with the doctor went well.  On the drive to the doctor's office the roads were clear but when we left 30 minutes (or less) later, we went through water twice, that was within a foot or two from the center line on East Main in Parsons.  I'm glad the heavy rain occurred while we were inside (so I didn't have to drive in it.)
Once back at Bentley, I changed clothes as I am having lunch with my friends Peggy & Linda.  We had originally planned to go to Joplin for lunch, followed by visits to some flower shops.  With the change in the weather we decided to just have lunch.  Our first selection was to try out the Erie, KS Golf Course Cafe.  However, once we arrived we found a note on the door saying it was closed, as their employees were flooded in.  So, back to Parsons we went.  We decided on Ernesto's Mexican Restaurant.  I can't remember the last time I was here, and I wondered why.  It was really good.  We enjoyed our visit together and decided we would try to get together again in June.
Wednesday I contacted LouAnn with RV Insurance Benefits to discuss health insurance options.  After our visit I decided Dean and I should talk it over before making a final decision.  With all of the rain and crazy weather we decided to drive over to the storage shed to make sure no water made it into the unit with the wind we've had recently.  We could not find any signs of it.  On the way back Haleigh called and said the wind was blowing like crazy in Oswego and her mom was in Pittsburg.  We were on our way to pick her up when Misti called to tell me she was heading back to Oswego with some friends.  It started hailing, and a piece of ice hit and chipped the corner of one of the back windows, within seconds larger hail knocked the entire window out.  It was raining and hailing so they stopped at the Kansas Crossing Casino to get out of the weather.  There were employees at the door telling them to hurry and get inside.  A tornado hit just across the road and north of the casino and damaged a number of homes.  I'm so thankful for God's hand on Misti and her friends during this time.  
Thursday was Dean's sister Marie's birthday, and my neice Amy's as well.  Happy birthday to two special ladies.  Even though it is warm outside I had some ham left over from the  smoked ham Marc & Jen gave us at Christmas and I've been craving ham and beans.  We had them for dinner and they were delicious!  One of my favorite meals!  
We walked this morning (a break in the rain) and here are a few pictures of the Neosho River.

The river is out of its banks and in the adjoining field.  Compare to the picture on May 7 earlier in this post.

A close up where the river is so high it is flowing across the county road into the adjacent field

This is the "Danny Elliott Memorial Park" - almost entirely under water now.

Fog on the river!

This was taken from the Neosho River Bridge east of Oswego - that is the train crossing bridge you see.  The water has risen even more in the past few days.

Neosho River - Chetopa, KS

Chetopa, KS River Bridge on the Neosho River

Chetopa City Park east of the River - normally not under water.

We drove north to look at the Neosho River that flows under the bridge east of Parsons.  It was out and into some of these buildings east of the bridge.

Managed to get this beautiful sunset.

Friday was our grandson Logan's birthday.  I can't believe he is 20 years old today.  Time goes by so quickly.  I can still clearly remember the day he was born and now he's off serving our country in the Navy!  I'm so proud of him.
About mid-morning Cindy and I headed to Pittsburg.  I needed to pick up our mail and I needed a few things from Walmart.  Most of the stops Cindy suggested, and I had no problem agreeing with her - Penney's, Gordman's and Maurice's (where I bought a pair of jeans) at the Mall, Big Lots and after Walmart we stopped for a burger at Sonic.  Oh, how I miss our Sonic in Oswego!
Cindy and I have been talking about trying out the new to us restaurants in our area, and decided we should try one for dinner tonight, so we'll discuss it with the hubs when we return and see what happens.
After checking with the guys back home, they were both willing to try a new place.  We picked Elmer & Cindy up and where did we go - but back to Pittsburg.  We had heard about Farmhouse Cafe, especially about how good the fried walleye dinners were.  We decided to check it out.  Now first looks of the outside might make you wonder about it, but the food was really good and the walleye was delicious.  Elmer, Cindy & I all had the walleye (fried) and Dean had chicken fried steak.  We were all very happy with our choices and wouldn't hesitate to return.
We've had rain almost every day this week.  It's getting old and the flooding and tornadoes occurring around us is concerning to everyone.
Saturday, May 25 - They were calling for bad storms in our area this evening.  Cindy invited Dean and I out to play cards with her and Elmer.  Misti and I touched base about the storm and what we would do if we needed to go to a shelter, so we would know where each other was.  Fortunately for us we did not experience any significant weather but a number of neighboring communities had heavy rain and some tornadoes occurred near Carl Junction and Oronogo, MO not too far from us, where some family and friends lived.  There was significant damage in a number of towns, besides the two mentioned.  In addition to the storm damage heavy rains only added to already swollen lakes, creeks and rivers. 
Fortunately for folks living in Oswego, we are located on a bluff above the Neosho River (which often goes out of its banks during these heavy rains).  While it's not a threat to the citizens in the city limits, there are a number of friends and family members who can, and have been impacted by rising flood waters so it is a big concern to all of us when these rains continue on for days on end.

Wednesday, May 1 - Saturday, May 4, 2019 - Highlights

Wednesday, May 1 - Saturday, May 4, 2019
I had an appointment with my eye doctor in Parsons this Monday morning.  All was well and for the first time I saw the result of a cataract.  As he went through the different tests, one had a very definite yellow cast to it.  The cataract is not too bad yet so hopefully I can go several more years before anything needs to be done.  While I needed a change in my lens, I decided to keep my frames for another year as they are in very good shape.
I've been trying to go through all of our cabinets, drawers, closets and under the bed (large storage area) so I worked on this for a good part of the day Tuesday.
On Wednesday, at 5:15 we drove to Columbus to attend the annual FFA banquet at the High School.  Both Tucker and Dacy are officers in FFA.  We happened to set with a former Oswego resident, Tom Fouts.  His wife Patty was out of town but he was their to support his granddaughter Jade Fouts.  We enjoyed visiting with him during our meal.
Speaking of the meal, it was great - pulled pork, cheesy potatoes, green beans, followed by dessert.  After their meeting, each of the FFA students were auctioned off to "work" for various organizations, and/or businesses to raise money for their FFA Chapter.  They amassed some nice funds for the club.  We thoroughly enjoyed our evening.  

Dacy & Tucker standing together under the flag

 

Dacy introducing the Sophomore members (including her brother, Tucker)

Posing with Papa & Nana afterwards. So proud of these two!

Thursday we met with our tax preparer for 2018.  We contacted him in February that we would need to seek an extension.  Today I made a boo-boo - our appointment was at 11, and for some reason I thought it was at 12.  Fortunately Dean happened to look at the calendar.  We were about 30 minutes late, but no one was scheduled after us, so it worked out, but shame on me!  
Friday we drove to Grove, OK to meet up with our friends Mark and Karen Seneker at Honey Creek Campground.  I started following Mark's blog back in 2016 after reading about their future rving plans in another blog I had been following for awhile, "On the Road of Retirement".  We met Mark and his wife Karen at a campground in Jackson County, MO in July of that year as we were passing through.  We met with them one other time a year or two later, and Mark stopped to see us here in Oswego a year or so ago.  They just purchased their brand new Vanleigh RV and are spending a few days at Honey Creek State Park.  We are excited to see their new rig and the chance to visit with them again. 
Of course, they weren't expecting us to drive up in a little white Prius - but when they realized it was us Karen came right out to give us a hug and welcome us to their new rig, with Mark right behind her.  It was so good to see them both.  We got the full tour of "Beauty".  When they purchased their truck they started calling it the "Beast".  She was looking for a name for their rig and in no time the two became "The Beauty & The Beast".  Pretty catchy!
Mark had spent the morning smoking some ribs.  We enjoyed them, along with the potatoes and salad Karen had fixed.  I brought apple crisp....  Dean and I made a quick stop at Braum's on the way into town to pick up some vanilla ice cream to go with it.
We invited Mark and Karen to attend our October Escapee rally in Carthage.  Since it follows the Mount Vernon (MO) Apple Making Days they attend each year, they were very interested.
I cannot believe I forgot to get any pictures!!!!!!, except this one on our way home.

Bernice Point Resort - where we parked our first RV almost 25 years ago.  As you can see the point is under water - this is just the beginning of floods at Grand Lake o' the Cherokees that have taken place during the month of May.

Saturday we started the day by getting up super early to make it to Wichita to see our granddaughter Haleigh participate in the 2019 Speech & Drama State Festival.  
What a beautiful day it was!

A couple of panorama shots in the Flint Hills.  Such a beautiful part of our state!

Her speech, "A Lonely Teenager" was great and she received a II.  This was her first year to do something like this, and we are very proud of her!  

Haleigh (middle), Mom (Misti) and Papa Dean

Mrs. Cathy Campbell - Oswego High School English Teacher

I've known Cathy for many, many years.  Her family moved to Chetopa when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade.  Her oldest sister Theresa and I were good friends and we spent a lot of time together.  All of our kids (Dean's & mine) were students of hers, and Haleigh's brother Logan was too.  She's an excellent teacher and all of our kids/grandkids like(d) her.
Of course we couldn't come to Wichita and not stop to see Jarred and Heath.  Our first stop was at Jarred's, followed by Heath's - to drop off the presents we had for Gideon's birthday.  One more will arrive in the mail next week at his house.  

The birthday boy with one of his gifts.

For our final stop before leaving Wichita, we headed to the soccer field where we enjoyed the last game we'd get to see Roman play in this season.  We left following the soccer game.  It has been a fun day, but we were worn out after such an early start this morning and we still had a three hour drive ahead of us before we returned to Oswego.

April 28 - April 30, 2019 - Finishing out April

April 28 - April 30, 2019 - Finishing out April
I know - it's almost June, but this is for me and any of you who wish to keep up with all we do while we are back in our hometown.  
Sunday, April 28, 2019 

We attended Pathway Church Cafe' where Jarred is Cafe' Lead.  We enjoyed the music, followed by a message from one of the Campus Pastors and a short message from Jarred.  After lunch, we headed back to the soccer field to watch Emerson play.  It is so much fun to watch the grandkids no matter what event they are involved in - let alone when they are all together and just having a good time.

changing shoes before the game

After the game we stopped by Heath's for awhile.  Jarred and Emerson came by too.  We didn't stay too long and returned to Bentley.  I wanted to get as much as possible put up and stored for our move in the morning.  We spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

Gideon loves making things out of construction paper - here's the plane he built.  It flies pretty good.

Uncle Jarred draws a crowd.  All of the kids love him.

Monday, April 29, 2019

We were up early to finish packing the RV for our move.  We headed to downtown Wichita to see about buying a car.  We drove it again - both of us - and made the decision to go forward with the purchase.  After completing the paperwork and having our picture taken with our "new to us" car, we headed back across town to finish the remaining work to Bentley - bringing the slides in and hitching up to the truck.  We left town earlier than we anticipated, and I followed Dean home.

Taken at the dealership in Wichita.

After getting settled at Hillside RV Park in Oswego, and having some lunch, we decided to take a drive.  I called Cindy to see if she was home - no answer, so we drove by my aunt's and sure enough she was there - so we surprised them.  

Misti and Haleigh stopped by Bentley later for a visit.  Always great seeing family!


Tuesday, April 30, 2019

I sent my sister Jody (our insurance agent) a note to add the car to our insurance, as we headed to Springfield (in the new car) for a follow-up appointment with Dean's urologist.

On our way home we decided to stop near Miller, MO at the Hanger Kafe.  We have noticed  the sign many times on our way to and from Springfield/Branson.  I've mentioned to Dean I would like to stop there and he was willing.  We always trying new restaurants.  Today was the day.

I know a couple of grandkids who might enjoy visiting here!

Ham & Beans for me.

Dean's hot beef sandwich.

I might mention this was a bit of an interesting weather day.  As we left Springfield the sky became darker and it rained on us off and on.  It was not raining as we pulled into the airport parking area and drove to the Kafe.  What a neat place it was.  It started to rain while we were there and inside of a large bunker type metal building - it was quite loud, but was interesting to watch the skies as we looked out the front of the building - all glass.  I chose ham and beans and a trip to their salad bar.  Dean chose the hot beef sandwich.  The food was pretty good and we hope to stop there again.  We also found out they have an RV Park on site, so we may just introduce Bentley to it one day.

Stormy skies

When we left the skies became darker and darker.  As we neared Carthage I received a weather alert that a tornado had been spotted near Avilla, MO and we should take cover.  We had passed through Avilla about 10 miles back.  I had the radar up on my phone from then until we returned to Bentley. 
Later we heard that a tornado had touched down near Miller, MO - we felt thankful we were had moved on from both sites before tornadoes were sighted.  The rain really opened up as we got closer to home and we were sure glad to be back in Oswego.

Sunday, April 21, 2019 - Saturday, April 27, 2019 -

May 16, 2019 - Wow, I am really behind and just discovered I failed to post this one.


Sunday, April 21, 2019 - Easter Sunday

I rolled out of bed a little after 5, turned the coffee pot on, and did my exercises.  By that time, there was enough coffee made for me to pour myself a cup.  Yum, I do love my morning coffee.  I recently bought Garibaldi coffee for the first time.  Dean and I both love it.

After getting settled in my recliner I read my Bible.  A little while later Cindy texted me and wanted me to call her.  We talked yesterday about possibly getting together for lunch, then the guys could go play golf.  We confirmed our plans for the day.

Dean and I attended church.  I enjoyed seeing several people I haven't seen or talked to in awhile.  Can you tell I'm a people person?  I guess I have a lot of my mom and dad in me when it comes to that as they both enjoyed being around and visiting with friends.

We ran home after church to get the hamburger patties I made before church and a few other things.  Misti is working at the golf course today and Haleigh is working at the grocery store, so I am taking their lunch to them.  When Dean and Elmer go play golf they can take Misti's, and Cindy and I can deliver Haleigh's.

Lunch was great.  Cindy grilled the burgers and they were excellent!  She bought some of the small round thin breads which are perfect for burgers - so, you get to enjoy the taste of the burger without so much bread.  

After the guys left and we had cleaned up from lunch, Cindy drove me to the grocery store (G&W) so I could drop Haleigh's lunch off for her.  She was very happy to see me, and even more so when she found out what I took her.  I made her favorite meal - chicken, bacon, cheese & ranch quesadilla.

From there Cindy and I took a ride to Chetopa.  We drove by our "Nana & Papa" Blackledge's old house.  It just doesn't look the same.  Then we meandered through some of the streets before turning south toward Main Street.  Of course, we can't come to Chetopa and not make a drive to the Neosho River.  Our Papa and Nana Blackledge took a drive around town or somewhere in the countryside almost every single evening.  Cindy and I would often spend time with them.  Part of their evening drive always included a stop at the river.   Now, it just seems a natural drive when we come to Chetopa.  As we drove by the Community Center we noticed a lot of people outside, then realized it was our Aunt Wilma Nash's family.  After stopping for a few minutes at the river, I suggested we stop and say hello to our Aunt and family.  Aunt Wilma is my mom's sister.  She's the second of five children our Grandpa and Grandma Stapleton had.  It was wonderful to see them all and many of their kids and grandkids.  

After having a great visit, we said our goodbyes and headed back to Oswego.  Back at Cindy's, we visited until Dean and Elmer returned.  Dean helped me load up the items we brought with us and headed home.  Tomorrow is another busy day.


Monday, April 22, 2019 - Trip to Joplin with Granddaughter Kamron & Meet-up with Great Aunt Cindy.

I told Kamron I would pick her up at 7:30, so I was out of bed shortly after 5 to have my coffee before showering and getting ready to head to Parsons.  Dean is playing golf with a group of men that play most weekday mornings, and Elmer is giving him a ride.  It's time like these we could use a second vehicle.  Thanks to Elmer for doing this for us.

We had a nice visit on our ride to Joplin.  Our first stop was Hobby Lobby - Kamron's favorite store!  We spent a little over an hour there, then on to the next stop at Books A Million - her second favorite store!  She loves to read and she found 3 books on sale for slightly over $10....all ones she wanted but didn't expect to find them at these reduced prices.

Great Aunt Cindy was coming to Joplin today too, so we decided to meet her for lunch at Panda Express.  We had a nice visit with her before heading to our next stop at Target, then the Mall for Claire's, Icing, Rue 21 and finally Bath & Bodyworks.  She managed to find a few things at some of these stops.  Our last stop was at McDonald's for small caramel frappes.  I haven't had one all year....we agreed, they were soooooo good!

Having a little fun in Hobby Lobby

We left Joplin around 1:45 because she needed to be home for golf practice at 3:30.  We stopped in Oswego to pick up Papa (Dean) and then headed to Parsons.  We dropped her off at Marc's workplace and of course I had to go inside and say hi to him.  

I had a great day with this young lady!  Thanks Kamron.  I hope you enjoyed the day as much as I did.  

Dean and I made a quick stop at Walmart to pick up a few things then we headed home.  It was a fun day but a long one too.  When I hit my chair that's where I stayed until it was time to go to bed.


Tuesday, April 23, 2019 - Lunch with Friends; Visit with Family

Dean has been working at the garage whenever he gets a chance and that is where he headed this morning.  It started to rain about 9 or so, and continued to rain, increasing in intensity as the morning went on.  There was a break and he took advantage of it to come home.  There was water standing everywhere around Bentley.  It looked like a swamp.

I am having lunch with my friends Peggy and Linda.  We try to do this a few times a year.  They picked me up a little after 11:30 and we headed to Parsons.  We weren't sure where we were going to eat.  We had heard there were a couple of new restaurants so we drove through downtown and finally decided to try the Iron Press.  It is more of a breakfast restaurant (per their menu) but they had sandwiches and a salad bar, too.  Linda chose their cheeseburger and Peggy and I both tried the salad bar, which wasn't too bad.  More importantly was the opportunity to visit with each other.  Fortunately the rain let up while we were eating which made for a better drive back to Oswego.

I really enjoyed spending time with Peggy and Linda.  We have set a date, the latter part of May, for one more excursion before we take off again.

Later in the day I visited my Aunt Betty and my cousin Barbara for an hour or so.  It was good to catch up with them and I really enjoyed the visit.  Aunt Betty is my mom's oldest sister.  Barbara and I are only a year apart in age.  She grew up in Texas, and I always looked forward to her visits to Kansas. Her family always stayed with Grandpa and Grandma Stapleton.  Often I would get to go out and stay for a day or so, to keep Barbara company.  We liked climbing in the apple tree (even though we weren't supposed to) and walking in the field south of their house (loved feeling that soft dirt between our toes, warm on top and nice and cool if we dug our toes in), and of course, we always enjoyed Grandma's cooking!

Megan sent me a text - Josh had received his birthday present from us last night and he is building it today.  She told me he was really excited and kept saying this is super cool!  Lego's are something he is really enjoying now, so we bought him an Incredible 2 Lego set.

While waiting for Dean to return, I made some chili for dinner.  We ate soon after he returned.  I was cleaning up the dishes, when Misti called to see if we wanted to go eat supper.  I told her we had just finished eating, but I had some leftovers, and she was welcome to stop by.  She declined but said she might stop by later. 

I was sitting in my chair; the blind was still up at the back window; when I noticed her car coming down the road toward us.  I stood up, then noticed the white jeep right behind her.  I was elated - it was our grandson Logan.  We were not able to go to his graduation from A-school in San Antonio last week because Dean had his follow-up doctor visits in Springfield & Branson.  Come to find out Dean knew, Cindy knew and they kept me in the dark, but oh, what a wonderful surprise!  It was so good to see him.  I think he is taller since we saw him in Chicago last December - do grandma's/nana's always say that to their grandchildren?
I didn't want to let him go once I hugged him, but wasn't sure he'd want to stay in my arms all evening, so I reluctantly let go.

They stayed awhile to visit!  I just love that young man!  Before they left Papa and Logan set a golf date for tomorrow.  


Wednesday, April 24, 2019 - Health Insurance Meeting; Phone Call with a Cousin

Dean called Logan and suggested they play this afternoon, instead of this morning since it was so wet from the rain yesterday.  

I had Dean drop me off at the City Office a little after 8.  I am still on the city's insurance plan as a retiree.  The city is in the process of changing insurance companies effective July 1.  A representative of the new company met with employees (and me, the retiree) to answer any questions and to complete the enrollment forms for the new plan.  Once I had finished I visited with Carol and Renee for a few minutes before I headed back to the RV.  

We are going to Wichita tomorrow to visit Heath, Jarred and their families.  We haven't seen them since last December when we had Christmas at Heath's shortly before we left for Texas for the winter.

I have been cleaning out cabinets, closets, drawers, under bed and couch storage compartments.  I've accumulated quite a few things I want to take to our storage unit, so we took care of that.  I also wanted to get some laundry done before we left.  In between, I put away as many things as I could in order to make the move go a little quicker in the morning.

After lunch Dean left for the garage to work, so I took the opportunity to call my cousin, Martha to visit with her.  We tentatively made plans to get together in a couple of weeks.  I have some family history questions I want to ask her about and she recently found some pictures she wants to give me.  I look forward to our visit.

This evening Logan, Misti, Dean and I drove to Scammon, KS to Josie's Restaurant.  We all love Josie's, but we were VERY surprised at the price increases.  The servings were close to twice as big - but who needs that much food?  We ordered and everyone but Dean took something home.   My lasagna was huge - clearly it was two full servings.  I ate one serving - which was really too much, but it IS GOOD!  I brought the other helping home (and had two more meals out of it later in the week.)  We had such a nice evening.  I cannot believe I did not get a picture of the four of us!  




Thursday, April 25, 2019

Today is our grandson Joshua's birthday.  He is 5 years old.  I texted Josh (via Megan) to tell him happy birthday, and asked him how it felt to be 5.  She sent a text (via Josh) - he said thank you, and it feels good to be 5!  Lol!

Matt had Josh call us soon after that.  It was good to visit with him for a few minutes.  He was looking forward to his day.

After breakfast we started putting things away and soon we were headed west to Wichita.  We arrived a little before 2.  We hurriedly got Bentley leveled and unhitched, did the minimal things inside and then headed to Emerson's daycare to pick her up for the afternoon.  She made our day when she was so excited to see us.  We took her back to Bentley until Dad (Jarred) got off work.  She's a character and is very creative.  I love listening to her talk to her dolls.  Quite the imagination.  We'll get to see her again tomorrow.

This evening we attended a music program at Gideon's school.  It was really great and we enjoyed watching Gideon bounce a basketball in rhythm with LOTS of other kids without a ball getting loose from the students.  It was really amazing.  They stood most of the time, but towards the end, they got on their knees and then set on the floor, all the while, continuing to bounce their basketballs.  

In the middle - gray and white striped shirt - that's Gideon!

He also participated with several classmates on their ukuleles.  Last time we saw him (December), he played and sang me a song on his ukulele at their house.  He did a really nice job.  

Playing the ukulele, on the right bottom

Kamron played in her last golf tournament for the year today, so I called to see how she did.  She placed 2nd on their home course, the Katy in Parsons.  I am so proud of this young lady.  This was her first year participating in golf at school.  She participated in 6 tournaments, and placed 6th, 4th, 3 times in 3rd place and then today 2nd.  She really loves the game.  

Kamron at her last golf tournament of the year! 

Later, Dean and I found a Braum's for some ice cream.  I had a junior scoop of sugar free vanilla bean.  It was small, but I made it last almost as long as Dean's two scoops.  I just took tiny bites and I felt like I had as much as he did.  Lol!!


Friday, April 26, 2019

We feel fortunate that this weekend is giving us the opportunity to see all of the grandkids in Wichita participate in something either at school or a sport.  Today we are going to Abram's school for a Wax Museum presentation.  Each child has selected a historical figure to portray.  They each prepared a poster board to tell about the individual they are emulating.  Abram chose President Donald Trump.  Each child has a paper stick-on "button" on their hand.  When you press it they tell you about the person they are portraying.  Of course, we stopped to hear Abram first.  He did a great job.  We listened to a few others too before we left to have lunch with Heath & Casey at Pizza Hut in Goddard.  They had a great buffet and salad bar, and we enjoyed visiting during our meal.  They left to return to work and we had a plan for this afternoon.

Dean and I have been talking about buying a used car that we can drive when we are here in Oswego to save miles on the truck.  You might wonder why we sold our van in the first place.  The main reason - we didn't have anywhere to store it.  Misti was good enough to let us put the van in her garage the first winter we were gone, but in the mean time, Haleigh started driving.  She needed that garage space especially during the winter months - and after this last winter I was glad she had it too.  Our van had always been garaged and even though I loved it, we just didn't want it sitting out for several months during the time we are traveling full-time, so....we sold it.

Fast forward a month or two later - we bought a piece of land with a garage on it!  As it was, we could not have put the van or any other car in it over the winter because it had a bad leak on one side, so it all worked out - we have hired someone to repair it and expect to have it done before we leave here the first of June.

When we are in Oswego, especially mornings, we often go separate ways - Dean likes to play golf in the morning, and sometimes I want to run errands, visit friends/family and it has been tough during this month we've been back.  We didn't want a new vehicle, just a good used car I could use around Oswego and the area, and one we could use when we need to run to Joplin, Parsons, etc. just to save on fuel costs and some of the local mileage with the truck.  

We started looking online in the Wichita area a few days ago, knowing we'd have a bigger selection, and since we will be here for several days.  We found a 2008 Toyota Prius.  After talking to my niece who owns one we felt a little more positive about it.  We drove over to Broadway St., near Old Town in Wichita to look it over and drive it.  It was a very nice car - the condition outside was excellent and inside was very good.  We stopped in an empty church lot so Dean could look at a few things and then he drove it awhile before we returned to the lot.  We told them we would think about it over the weekend.  Needless to say, there was a lot of discussion about it over the weekend between the two of us.  Heath and Casey also own one.  We visited with them as well and even drove theirs as a comparison.

After leaving the car lot, Jarred called to let us know Emerson appears to have pink eye.  He called their doctor and they are going to order eye drops for her.  She won't be playing soccer tomorrow morning, since she is in the contagious stage.  Andrea had some plans for the evening, the guys (Dean, Heath, Jarred, and Heath's three boys) all have tickets to see the new Avenger movie, so I offered to watch Emerson for the evening.  She was so good.  I thought she was going to go to sleep right off the bat....but it seemed she just needed a little rest, before she got her second wind.  She kept me in stitches.  About 8:00 she said I want my mommy.  After letting Andrea know we were headed her way, we loaded her and her toys up and we headed to their house.  It wasn't too long until Dean and Jarred showed up and we visited together for awhile before heading home.  It was a long day - a little stressful trying to make a decision on that vehicle, but spending time with Emerson for me and the distraction of the movie for Dean helped us leave it behind for awhile and that was a good thing!



Saturday, April 27, 2019 - A Little Shopping, Visiting and Soccer - Mexican Food!

We had planned to attend Emerson's soccer game this morning at 9, but since she is not playing we decided to have breakfast out and then run a few errands.  After stopping at Cracker Barrel for breakfast, we headed to Sam's.  We eat a lots of mixed nuts for a snack now in the evening.  Even though we limit them to a small container - we seem to go through them quickly.  We buy one of the large mixed nut containers and then mix it with a large container of cashews.  I always buy the ones with the least amount of salt on them too.  Dean loves almond bars and he wanted another box of those.   

Since Sam's is near Menard's we made a stop there as well.  I am still on a quest to find a new toilet seat for Bentley.  The one we have is a very odd shape and we are having a difficult time finding a replacement, and once again, no luck here either.

After we took our purchases back to Bentley we headed over to Andrea and Jarred's, where we ordered lunch from McAlister's Deli.  After lunch, Emerson entertained us with her soccer skills in their yard, and the new bike she got for her birthday just a little over a month ago.  Then we played with the babies (dolls) inside.  She's going to make a good mommy someday!  

Roman (Heath & Casey's youngest son) had a soccer game at 3:00.  Dean and I, and Jarred and Emerson drove separately to the soccer field.  We have had such a good time seeing both families and getting to see Emerson and all of Heath's boys participate in something while we were here.

After the game we went back to Heath's and hung out for a few hours catching up with everyone, before we headed to a Mexican Restaurant they really like for dinner.  Dean and I ordered fajitas to share.  Talk about reasonable prices - $11.99 and we both had plenty, plus we took some home with us!  After returning to their home, we visited awhile before we returned to Bentley for the evening.