Well it came and went

Christmas came and went with Amanda in attendance. She got to come to Mel's Christmas Eve. We had turkey and green beans for supper. She wasn't feeling all that well so she took a nap and after we opened presents she went to bed early but she was there and I was very happy. She got up early Christmas morning and had to get ready to go in to work but we got to wish her Merry Christmas that morning. She was a busy girl making blankets for me and Mel and mom and she made the boys some pillows which were pretty cool. The fleece kind that you tie together on the edges and they are super warm. I love it.

We then got the food going and got ready for company to get there. Unfortunately Christy didn't quite make it. She had an accident at the corner before she even left home. So she didn't get to come up to Mel's and we missed her and sorry that she didn't get to come because of the wreck. Mom came home with me from Mels and stayed till Thursday. David came to get her after he took Christy to get a loaner car.

Not sure what I am doing for New Years Eve but probably nothing like I have for the last 2 years or more. Hope everyone else has better plans to celebrate the new year.

GOD Bless you all and I love you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR be safe and sensible.

Boring - Boring...gee my life is BORING

wha wha whawha wha wha wha wha....its a Charlie Brown grown up talking. Thats how i feel lately.

I am almost not hurting anymore from my fall. My back still hurts a little but that isn't anything new. And my legs hurt a bit..but thats nothing new either. so i guess everything is back to normal for me.

I can't believe that Christmas is only a week away. Where does time go??? This will be the first Christmas that i won't be spending with my Daughter since she was born. I am so sad. I will miss you kiddo. Love you!!! Hope you don't have to work too hard.

OUCHIE!!

Ok...not to copy anyone...but this morning i was taking Chomper out to potty and not thinking anything about ice build up on the deck or things like that...I put on my shoes i have by the front door that i slip on to take him out. I had him in my arms and opened the door and stepped out onto the deck. Well to my surprise, one foot went to sliding so i put the other one down and it went out in front of me like ZIP...and the next thing i knew i was sitting PLOP on my butt on the deck. I couldn't catch myself because i had him in my left arm but i must have grabbed for something with my right but don't remember. I was in shock for a few seconds. Realizing my butt was cold and getting wet i had to scoot back into the house because every time i tried to put my feet under me they slid away from me. So here i am scooting my way back into the doorway and I cannot get up without something to lean on anyway and Chomper is looking at me like...come on i gotta go....and i have to kinda lean on my elbow to pull myself the rest of the way into the house and he starts thinking i am playing with him and he is jumping on my head. I finally get into the house and the door shut and get up on my knees(and this hurts by the way) to get stood up with the help of the arm of the couch and he has already peed on the carpet. BUT i figured i better still take him out so he can do the other stuff. Found my salt and spread some on the porch before i take each step and i get him out there to finish his business. He went and we came back inside. I thought wow i don't hurt much for falling that hard....YEAH RIGHT...its now about 6 hours later and i HURT big time. Took some advil right after i fell so its not terribly bad right now. Been moving around so i don't get too stiff but its still happening. Also my right wrist kinda hurts from my thumb down and my shoulder hurts on that side too which is why i think i tried to use the right hand to catch myself. YIPPEE for winter...grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Had a really busy weekend planned too but this weather is starting to tick me off cuz most of it is gonna fall through. That and the fall. Was supposed to go with my small group to the pagent but had already decided that i couldn't afford to go out to eat with them and now this fall has made me think i couldn't have gone anyway. Also Sunday is iffy on whether i get to church or not since i don't drive on this stuff and Marcia had a little fender bender this morning on the ice so she is paranoid about driving on it again...We are supposed to make Christmas goodies tomorrow at Marcia's house but if the weather is too bad her sister and niece won't be able to get down here from Raymore to bring all the stuff for the goodies...so that may be on the back burner till next weekend. It's kind of an annual thing for Marcia's family to make fudge, cookies, and other good stuff for Christmas which i was in on last year at this time too. It was lots of fun and hope we get to do it again this year. We shall see tomorrow if the weather is against us or not.

Ok..thats enough rambling for this post. Love you all.

This post was removed by me cuz it was annoying.

WOW what a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

I am so sure that we all know that we had such a wonderful day with family. It has been many many years since we were all together in one place. So cool to see Todd and Vanessa and girls. They have been missed for quite a while now. Ruthies house looked really big till all the people got there...LOL. It kept getting smaller and smaller as the morning progressed. But there was enough room for all and we all had a good day. Good food and good company....you just can't beat it. I still have to get my pictures onto the computer but my program isn't cooperating too well at the moment so it may be a while before i get them posted. Rob...i love the beard and mustache. Makes you look distinguished. It was good to see you and the kids. Kudos Ruthie for all the good food and a kitchen big enough for everyone to be in there and cook at the same time. We may have ran over each other but we got it all done without an injury...HAHA. I think I missed a few hours of the day with my eyes closed...LOL. I couldn't sleep the night before and only got 1 hour of sleep at Mel's house, so i needed a little time out that day.

All in all...IT WAS SUPER!!!

Sunday Marcia (my friend from work who lives about 5 blocks from me) and I went to church and then went to the Chinese restaurant here in town for lunch. Amanda was going to go with us but we left after church and she stayed for sunday school to run the power point for Dennis during class, and she had some stuff to do after she got though so we made plans with her to go up to her house so Marcia could see her place. We went up Monday morning and went out to eat at a Mongolian BBQ place. I have never been to a place like that before...it was very interesting. The food was good too. We then went to Kohl's so Amanda could get some stuff for her naked tree. We used Marcia's old lady discount and got and extra 15% off of the sale prices on the things we bought. We then went back to Amanda's house and Marcia and I supervised while Amanda decorated her tree. It turned out beautiful for sure. (see her blog for a pic)

Still hurting

My back is still hurting and i am still working. We worked overtime this last week and this weekend also...both saturday and sunday. Now its again time for a layoff and we will hear who goes (which will be most of us) and who the few people are that they are keeping for another week or two. A lot of people are wanting to get laid off. This year has really been a strange one for sure. Strange part being that so many people stayed without getting laid off in Sept. and now that so many people were called back to work for this mini peak.....and also that we had overtime at this time of year. Its is all because Philly has closed their office and we got all their work shipped to us and we gained all of their states and all their work.

Thanks to all who came to my party. That stuff is pretty cool. Marcia and i had a $430.00 party and we got lots of stuff free. I have y0ur stuff here and will probably not get it to you all till Thanksgiving...if thats ok..since gasoline has gone up again. sheesh its terrible. Whatever happened to the 1.25 a gallon gas we all loved? haha.

OUCH!

I know how everyone is feeling about their backs hurting. Mine went out on me when i was leaving church Sunday. Went to get into the van and i felt just a small pop. Next thing i know is that it is hurting when i turn a certain way. Had to take some stuff to Marcia's that she bought at Jamie's Lemongrass Party so her and I went out to lunch and by the time we were done eating and she had to go get some stuff at the Mill Walk Mall...i could hardly walk or sit. I came home and took a muscle relaxer and pain pill and slept from about 1:30 to 5 and when i went to get up to go potty....i was bent over like an old woman with osteoporosis (sp?) When i tried to stand up straight a bolt of lightening went down my spine. OUCHIE. For two days now i haven't been able to stand erect or even move without groaning and a pain gouging me when i stand up. I don't know how Rob stood his so long. This is no fun at all. I too hope his surgery helped him escape from a lot of pain. I however can't lay flat on the floor like Stacy so i have to sit with heat and vibration on my back and take meds. I never know when my back is going out or how long it is gonna hurt me. With this spinal stenosis its just a gamble on how much pain its gonna give me. I really don't want to go through steroid shots again but nothing else really helped me. I know these pain pills are a farce. They just put me in lala land and put me to sleep and i wake up still in pain.

On a little brighter note...I go back to work on the 18th. Will probably work through November. Hopefully my back will be better by next week...I know i couldn't have gone to work this week for sure.

OH....our Lemongrass party is Sunday the 21st at 3 o'clock. Hope to see you guys there. You can come to my house and I will take some of you over to Marcia's cuz there won't be a whole lot of room to park over there since she lives in a culdesac circle. Jen and Glo and Christy and Jamie have told me they are coming and Ruth said she couldn't so anybody else needs to let me know if they are coming so i can tell her how many foot baths she needs to bring with her. Thanks. Amanda do you think you may get to come?? I hope so.

Time for a little while off

So instead of being detailed to another department.....we got laid off this last Friday. SURPRISE SURPRISE SURPRISE. The IRS works in mysterious ways. I will go back around the 9th of October so its just a couple weeks and I have unemployment but its just the principal of the thing. Hopefully when those jobs go on the board to bid on i will be among those who will get one of the perm positions...but i won't count those chickens till they start to lay eggs.

It was good to see Amanda last weekend. She came down Saturday and i BBQ'd some chicken on the grill and we had a good lunch. I went to our small group which met early and was home by around 8:30 and we watched some tv together-well she slept most of it....LOL- and then we went to church Sunday and she went to Andrews football game. So i got to spend a little time with her.

I went to a cool home party last night. It was a Lemongrass Spa party. It's kinda like the Arbonne stuff but cheaper. Kinda on the price line of Bath and Body Works. Its lotions, body creams and foot and hand scrubs...mostly organic cept for the scents put in them. We soaked our feet in some stuff and then used a walnut shell sea salt scrub and then a spearmint foot lotion.....ooooohhhh...felt sooooooooooo good. And we used a hand scrub with sea salt in it and my hands felt sooooo smooooth. It was wonderful. I will have a party if any of you would like to come???? Let me know and i will book one.

So much for that detail

They told us today that the job they asked us to volunteer for was only for the Perms. We were like...why did you even bother to ask us to volunteer??? AND they didn't even bother to come tell us we weren't gonna get to do it...we had to go ask. BUT the jobs are still gonna be posted to bid on so we still have a chance to get the job offers. I was kinda ticked but there is still a chance. I am still hopeful to get out of the department i am in. It would be nice. So instead of working till December...it will be more like getting laid off in November after the mini peak. Like i said before...this is a very strange year at the IRS!!!

Very Strange Season at IRS

This season has proven to be very different than seasons before. I am still working which is a huge plus and we were told we would be kept on till after the October mini peak. They finally got tired of laying people off and then having to call them back at the end of the same week they layed them off. So there are still about 60 seasonal people still working right now where usually there are none. We suspect that it is because they are closing down the Philadelphia office and we are getting all their work shipped in. However it is not coming in as fast as they hoped so we get sporadic work loads. Thus the feeling they need to lay off but call back. So instead of laying off they are offering us liberal leave (this is where we can take a vacation day or leave without pay day and not be questioned or penalized for it) on a daily basis from day to day depending on the work load. They will have to call back more people once the Mini Peak in October gets here but for now...they are keeping who they have on board now. And they lay us off after about the first of November.

Well Thursday we had a unit meeting and they are bringing back a department that they had fazed out about 8 years ago. It's called the Under-reporters department. They will be opening the applications for it in October and they are going to hire 150 to 200 people for this new position. Also they have another department that will be opening up also and its called something like RAIVES department (not sure what those letters stand for). This is good news for us. It will be perm positions in both departments i think. This department is the one that needs people to volunteer to be detailed to on October 1 that will last to the end of December. And yes I did volunteer for this job. It will be different than what i do all day now. And change is always good. I will let you know if i got the detail or not and what all i have to do when i find out. AND they will offer OVERTIME in this new position because its stuff shipped to us from Philly and there is a lot of it and it has to be done now. I would suppose that they will put job openings on the board for this job also. OH...and these jobs are a grade 5-6-7- and possibly an 8 also. Which means that it would be a raise for me cuz i am a grade 4 and when you go into a position that has several grades attached to it you have the potential to go through ALL the steps and keep getting raises up to the top grade. Things are really changing at the IRS for sure.

When they first talked about moving us downtown we were all not wanting to do the drive. Now that i have done it....it's not really all that bad when the traffic is not too bad. I just wish i knew a few different routes to take when 71 is at a stand still. And it's much better when you have someone to change off driving with. I am hoping that if i get the detail and when Marcia gets called back to work (she volunteered for the last layoff and then didn't answer her phone when they tried to call her back cuz she had lots of stuff to do around her house) that we both have the same hours so we can still ride together. I would be really bummed if not.

Anyway, thats the news from the good old IRS. Its kinda strange to still be working at this time of year for sure but its also kinda nice. And hopefully maybe i can get one of the positions that will open up soon in one of the two new departments.

Say a few prayers for me that i can get one of these jobs.

Good to see everyone

It was good to see you all this weekend. Lots of birthdays were celebrated. There was enough food and cake for all and we all enjoyed it. Missed not seeing my kiddo though. She was working hard i would imagine though.

We had a layoff at work Friday but i missed getting the ax by a hair. I wasn't on the first list to stay but they revised it and i made the cut. They are supposed to keep us 2 to 4 weeks at least and one of the managers i talked to said her gut feeling was that we would maybe be there through the October peak. Who knows. Its all good. I work for the government where anything can happen and usually does. Marcia layed herself off so now i am going to go to the 4/10 work schedule and ride with April and be off Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday one pay period and Sat and Sun the next. So every other weekend i will have 4 days off and the next one i will have 2. But it will be good i guess.

No other news to comment on i guess, so i will just go water my flowers since it won't rain on them. I have a deck garden. Two rail planters which fit over the top of my railing on the deck and i have two hanging pots on a shepherds hook down beside the steps. Marcia did that for me. She thought i needed some pretty stuff on my deck.

Love ya all.

No new news

Proof positive that my life is boring. I have nothing new to talk about. I go to work, i come home, eat, sleep, go to church, and that is the extent of my excitement.

Hope everyone had a safe 4th. I went to my neighbors sister-in-laws house for a BBQ and then we sat in the yard (in wet lawn chairs mind you cuz it poured for about an hour) and watched the fireworks from the park which is not far behind her house. We just can't see the ground displays from there was all. But what we could see was very pretty.

So bloggers. There you have it. Have a good day and talk to you all later.

Well.....

how is everyone? I know Amanda is busy now at the hospital, and Jen is preggers, and I am still working with no life and boring. What is happening with everyone else? I haven't done anything exciting to write about so I just haven't written.

Marcia and I were trying to think of a business we could start and we came up with something. Actually it was her sister that suggested it. But Inez (Marcias sister) told her daughter about it and her daughter ran with it already. We talked about people that need someone to sit and wait on the telephone man or the cable guy or a furniture delivery or something like that and they can't take off work to do it. They could hire someone to sit for them and wait. It was a good idea. Her daughter is a business minded computer geek with a degree, so she started a web site and got some hits. She made 35.00 an hour and made 150.00 in one day picking up medicine for someone and other errands (she took it one step further) She is now bonded and able to sit at someones house for them. We may work for her and see what happens when we get laid off. OR we will start our own at this side of the city. We will see what happens.

Proud as a peacock

My baby is now an official Doctor!! We went and watched her graduate which was super cool. She had lots of family and friends attend. It was exciting to hear them call her name and watch her walk up on stage and see them put her hood on her. Of course i was a bit teary eyed but ever so proud. It was definitely a milestone to remember. I am not for sure but I think that maybe she is the first doctor in our family ever? Anybody know this for sure? Cool Cool Cool. Love you Dr. Amanda D. Camden DO . That is so cool to write. Did i mention i was a bit PROUD of her? hehe

It was a good day for sure. There was a reception for her at our church on Sunday afternoon. Cake and punch and some snacks were served and some that didn't get to attend her graduation and some that did came to say congratulations and visit for a bit. I was gonna add a few more pics but blogger won't let me...maybe later.

How Come...

you can go along for weeks and months and not be sick or anything and then all of a sudden when you have 2 important weekends coming up you all of a sudden get Giant Swollen Glands in your neck and you start feeling lousy and your eye swells up on you and keeps watering and has a pimple like protrusion and your face hurts under your eye and down to your cheek and you end up having to go to the Dr. and you can't even get in to see your regular doctor so you have to see the nurse practitioner and she takes your temp and its normal and then takes a blood draw and you know its gonna hurt cuz your veins are deep and they roll when they try to stick you and you lose out on days at work right up to the day before you have to leave to go to a family reunion which is a long trip and you know you are gonna fell like crap when you arrive and you are still not sure you even want to take that trip cuz you just feel so LOUSY?

*gasp, choke, breathe*

sorry that was such a long sentence...hehehe.

One good thing about the Dr visit....the girl that works in the Lab at the doctors office really ROCKS when it comes to drawing blood. I was sitting there dreading it cuz i know it takes them forever to even find my veins and when they do they are deep and they roll when they try to stick them so they have to dig around to get a stick. She comes over to me and puts on the rubber band thingy and i try to work up a vein for her by squeezing this rubber thing she handed me and she touches my arm and feels around a couple times. She pulls out the needle says there will be a stick and she is in and tells me to let up on the rubber thing and relax my arm....she hit the vein on the first try..i never felt the needle go in and she was DONE in less than a minute. I WAS IMPRESSED!!! She can draw my blood anytime she wants to...LOL. I had said something to the receptionist about Amanda being there a few months ago working with one of their doctors and she said...."REALLY..she was such a nice person to work with. I never made the connection till now. I bet you are so proud of her." I told her that i was VERY proud of her. They asked me where she was going to do her residency and a few other things. So they really liked you Amanda. I should have the results of the blood test today. Lets hope its all ok. Not sure why i feel so achy in my muscles today. I stayed home today cuz i have just been fighting feeling bad all week and i am just finally not wanting to fight it another day at work. I will stay home, maybe do some laundry for this weekend and try to get to feeling better. I don't feel sick, as like in puking and stuff like that...but just really tired and my muscles ache and my head kinda hurts today. She gave me some Kflex so i hope it helps FAST....lol. I am looking for a miracle drug...lol. Oh...and i took my water pills too so maybe i can get some of this retention off my legs cuz they have been swelling up really bad lately. I can't take them at when i go to work cuz the bathrooms are always so far away from where i sit i might not make it. So I took them since i am staying home and hopefully my legs will go down a bit.

Mothers day was a good day. I love those restaurants where they cook at your table. It's fun to watch. Most of the family was there cept Ruth's side. We missed you!!! Wish you could have come. Bob and Decovin wasn't there either. Hope your day was a good one Ruth, and Stacy and Cindi. I missed out on our group pictures. I had to run to the little girls room and they just didn't wait on me. I was bummed but I got pictures of me and Amanda and Mom together...guess that will have to do. I will post them when I get them uploaded onto my computer.

Not sure who all is going to the reunion this weekend...but hope to see some people i haven't seen for a while. I haven't ever been to a family reunion i don't think so i think this will be kinda fun and nice to see family i haven't seen for a long time. See you there (i hope)!!

For all Mothers out there.....

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO YOU ALL!!!!!

What a Rainy Day

It wasn't too bad this morning when i woke up...but oh my how it did change. Went to church this morning and the sky was blue. Sitting in church during the service...it started to POUR and you could hear it on the roof of the church. We had to stand and wait for the rain to let up so we could get to our cars....which it didn't do and so we got a bit wet (well i did..Amanda had one of the boys run out to her car and bring it up under the awning at the front door of the church. Couldn't hardly see driving down the road. Hit some water running over the road (thank goodness it was only a small amount) and my heart leaped into my throat. So i slowed down even more and good thing cuz more water was starting over the road as i got a little closer to 71 hwy. Slowed down a whole lot and got over to the side of the road that was a little higher than the other so i could get through the water. Amanda is following me. Get to Harrisonville and get off at the 2 hwy exit. I figured that the underpass below my trailer court would be flooded so i went around. Good thing cuz it was and the road was closed off. Got home safely but a bit rattled. It was Amanda's birthday so she wanted to go to Lees Summit for lunch and some shopping. We were rethinking this event but the rain let off for a while.....that is till we decided to go ahead and go. Mel met us at Lees Summit but got there before we did. I hate driving in a downpour of which it did when we left to go naturally. AND 291 is not a fun road to drive when it is dry let alone a deluge of a downpour. I had a white knuckle grip on my steering wheel for sure. The rain did let up a bit when we got almost to Lees Summit. Then started pouring again when we got ready to get out to go into Chilis for lunch. We had a good lunch...good food...then we went to Bath and Body and Lane Bryant. Was going to do a bit more shopping but Amanda had to get back and pick up Marys kids at their grandmas by 4 so we left Mel to her shopping at Target and came home. It rained off and on all day and night....sheesh. AND it's supposed to do this crap all week.

And to top it all off....this weather is reaking havoc on my arthritis.

Will the sun ever shine again? Will these FREAKING ANTS ever go back outside????

And again...HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!!!!

Boring...but busy

Not much happening here. Just working, coming home, falling asleep....and not necessarily in that order...LOL. I think this was probably the last Saturday we will be working overtime now. So I worked it and tomorrow is Amanda's Birthday. Next weekend is Mothers day and then the next one is the family reunion. Then the next one is Amanda's graduation. May is busy busy busy.

Blogger Block

After such a cool weekend i didn't have anything to say that would top it. All i have been doing is working and sleeping. Oh and fighting ANTS....i hate those stupid little critters. I go through an awful lot of Windex killing them varmints. YES Windex will kill them immediately. And it seems that i am sitting on top of a whole village of these annoying little creepy crawlers. I hate this time of year for this fact. And when it rains they seem to take refuge in my house more and more. They are not only in my kitchen but in the bathrooms and living room too since its so close to the kitchen. ugh!!!

Anyway, besides being a bug assassin i have been working. Worked a little bit of overtime this saturday and then went to Jen and Amanda's Pampered Chef party at Tab's house. We had fun and the food was good too. Then when we left there we went to the Auction at our church. It was a charity auction to raise money for the kids to go to camp and on mission trips. Items were donated and there was a silent auction in the beginning, and then we ate a spaghetti dinner while it was going on and after all the tables closed we then had a live auction and they sold some pretty neat stuff. Our Pastor came out on the stage last week in a HUGE afro wig (and if you don't know Jeff he is almost bald with a bit of hair around the lower edge of his head...lol...so this wig was a hoot) and someone took his picture and put it in a frame with the title of WE ARE FAMILY!! (which is the tipic of our sermons right now) This picture was a surprise auction item and went for the amount of around $350.00 They auctioned off cakes and pies and apple butter. They had things like 3dozen cookes a month for a year and a Desert a month for a year. And they also had a beautiful quilt that they auctioned off that went for over $850.00. It was a big success and we raised over $10,000.00. Since our church is growing so much its still not enough to send all the kids to camp for free but its a good start. We all had fun and even got some treasures in the bargain.

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PROUD PROUD PROUD PROUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just want to say that I am SOOOOO Proud of you Amanda. Never in my wildest dreams when you were a baby did I imagine you would be such a great success. and a Doctor at that!!!!! I love you and am very very Proud of you!!!!!!!!!!

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If you haven't noticed i have kinda been at a standstill on the weight loss...actually i had gained a few over the holidays and am trying to get rid of it now. They said i would hit a wall and may not be able to go below it. So i have been going by the Weight Watchers Points system and have actually lost 6 of the pounds that i had gained...when it gets below what i weighed you will see the change on the ticker...so cross your fingers that it happens soon. Love you all!!!

What a GREAT weekend

We started out Friday morning at about 7:30 am. (Marcia, who is never late and most always early....was 30 min. late...lol) We got to Precious Moments Chapel around 9:30 am and walked around there looking at all the cute stuff. We went to the Chapel and listened to their tour and then we went to the gift shop and looked around. We left there around 11:30 and headed for the check in at our motel (or time share place....Falls Village....not really a motel i guess).

We got to Branson around 2:00 pm and stopped at Olive Garden and ate some lunch/supper. We left there and went to pick up our tickets for the Showboat and Dixie Stampede so we didn't have to stand in line to get them Saturday. We checked into our room at about 4 and got everything moved in. The room had a small kitchenette with stove, small refridge, coffee pot, microwave, toaster, blender, can opener, and a big queen size bed and a pull out couch. We got settled in and it was then time to leave to go to Springfield to see the Gaither concert.

I had forgotten to bring some distilled water for my machine so we stopped at Walmart. We also picked up some other stuff like for breakfast and some bottled water. Somehow the time got away from us and we were then running late for the concert. We had planned on getting there by 6 and we were leaving Branson at 6. UGH.. Marcia hates to be late and to be late 2 times in the same day...UN HEARD of....LOL We were not the only ones who were late however. But all the parking places were taken by this time. So Marcia dropped me off at the door and she went looking for a parking place. She found one not too awful far from the place. We went in and tried to find our seat. Well it was only up 5 rows from the floor we went in on and right through the door we came in at...BUT....the stairs were not really stairs. It was like bleacher type stairs with no hand rails...and you know how i am with stairs. There was no possible way i could get up those stairs. So we asked the usher if we could sit in some chairs that were just inside the door behind some people who were in wheel chairs in like kind of an alcove type place (there were two empty seats there). The girl went to ask about it and tell them our situation. She came back and told us to follow her. She took us to an elevator and we went down to the bottom floor. We went out into the area where the stage was and we sat in these chairs they had set up behind the people in the floor area chairs. Well then they came and said...follow this person. So we followed them and they took us clear up front beside the stage where they had set up two rows for some people in wheel chairs and regular chairs. It was pretty cool. We could see everyone up close. The concert was EXCELLENT!!!! Great music and singing and comedy too. It ended around 11:30. I walked with Marcia to the car cuz she didn't want to walk alone and i didn't want to stand and wait alone so we walked. It was only about 5 blocks away. It didn't take us too long. We got back to the room about 12:45 and were in bed and exhausted at about 1:30. What a great day.

We got up Saturday morning around 7 and took our showers and ate some breakfast and had some coffee and left the room around 9. We went to the Stonehill Winery and took their tour. We never got to the wine tasting though cuz we had to be at the Showboat at 11 and the tour was over at about 10:20. So we were NOT gonna be late getting there so we bypassed the tasting. Since i don't really drink wine it was not a big deal.

We got to the boat and had time to look around the shops for a bit before boarding. There were clouds in the sky and the threat of rain but it was not real chilly and the wind wasn't blowing much at that time. But by the time we boarded the boat at about 11:10 the wind was blowing and there were white caps on the water. We got aboard the boat and found our seats and then went walking around the boat. We walked clear around the deck on the third floor and took some pictures. We then went back to our table and waited on the show to start. Our table was again...right up front. We could see right up their skirts...lol...it was actually too close but it was ok. They started the show with the Emcee (sp?) and then they served our salads. The servers come in with their trays over their heads loaded with the salad bowls and they come running down the sides and down each isle in front of the tables setting everyones salad down as they went. Then he told some more jokes and interacted with the audience and they brought out our main course...and he introduced the band and they played while we ate our chicken and roast beef and broccoli and cauliflower and bread. It was a very good meal....too much food for me though. I had to save room for the desert so i didn't eat everything. The roast was so good and tender...it was like the beef they use for like a bbq beef sandwich but it wasn't bbq. It was more like a gravy on it. And the chicken was a breast with like an orange type sauce on it...yummy stuff. Then they brought out our desert...it was like an ice cream cake with a lemon cheesecake center and a raspberry sauce drizzled over it. It was good. We were stuffed.

The emcee came back out and told us there was a 30 min intermission so we could go out and look around and go out on the deck and look around. I went out and watched the boat moving....it was really windy at this time but the clouds were going away. I don't think i would make a very good sailer....watching the water while the boat was moving made my stomach lurch. So i went back in and Marcia was done shopping in the onboard shop then. We went back to our seat cuz they had announced that the show would start in just a few minutes. It was a very good show. They had a Russian couple that did like a ballet from Alladin i think it was. They were sooooooo good. Couldn't take any pictures of them but they were very good. And the main attraction pretty cool. This guy...Todd something...can't remember his last name...sorry. He is a ventriloquist and he has talking dogs. They are real dogs but he has had these faces made for them that have jaws that he works when he talks for them. He has been on TV on different shows. His act was pretty cool and funny. They ended the show with a medley of songs from lots of different shows. It was really cool. Not sure my pictures came out too good of this show....they let you take pics of the regular show kids...but not of the Russians or of Todd. I only took a few cuz we were so close to the stage and a few of my pics were blurred cuz they moved so fast. I finally took a short video on my camera when they did Proud Mary. We docked just as the show ended at around 2:25. We got off and finished some shopping and was then on our way to the Dixie Stampede and yet another BIG meal.

We got back to town and went back to the winery cuz Marcia saw some stuff she wanted but we didn't have time that morning. So we went to the wnery and she got her stuff. By this time it was time to get to the Dixie Stampede and check in.

We got there and only had to wait a few minutes till they started letting people in. We went in to watch the Pre-Show which started an hour before the main show. We got drinks in a free Boot mug (We got strawberry daquiris...non alcoholic which were toooooooooo sweet and tooooooooooo strawberryie). The act was a juggler...very good. When he was done it was time to go get our seats for the main show.

We were on the front row, first two seats looking over the arena. Pretty cool place. Front row was our theme for this whole weekend it seems...lol. They served your meal as the show was happening. They started with a fog machine and filled the floor of the arena. The announcer talked and narrated the beginning. The buffalos came out. They must be trained (if you can train a buffalo) cuz it was like they were correographed in a dance....it was super cool. They started our meal with soup and a biscuit. was yummy. Then they brought out a whole cornish hen per person....and a slice of pork and a half a potato and a small ear of corn. Then they brought out desert which was an apple turnover. This was all eaten with your fingers. no silverware. The kid that was sitting next to us with his parents looked at the waiter when he gave him that cornish hen and his eyes got as big around as silver dollars....it was funny. They came around and asked if we needed a horsey bag (aka-doggie bag) so i brought most of my meal home with me . (I got kinda sick eating this meal. One of those stupid bubbles i get so i didn't eat much and actually had to upchuck to put it bluntly...and the bathrooms were up some stairs clear to the top and around behind everyone....i would never have made it...so i did it in my napkin and my bag they gave me for my take home food. Trying to do it when it was dark and nobody could see me...most of it was phlem anyway. sorry..that was a gross entry.) I did get a new horsey bag. And i ran to the bathroom when it was over and really chucked it. Then i felt better. Aside from being sick and trying to hide chucking.....the show was excellent. We did learn not to go to two dinner shows in the same day with big meals with them for sure. UGH. That was the only negative part of the trip and i apologized to Marcia over and over about grossing her out too. I think it was too much food too close together that got to me. i could have just taken the whole meal home with me and skipped the gross part....lol. anyway....we enjoyed the show.

We got out of the show about 8 and just drove around for a bit looking for some of the outlet shops cuz Marcia was looking for some kitchen appliances for her new trailer. We found one that was still open and she got her Stand mixer and a toaster and a can opener and some other odds and end utensils for her kitchen...she was happy to find this stuff. We then headed back to the room cuz we were pretty bushed and actually went to bed around 9:30 or 10.

We got up early Sunday morning. Took our showers and got dressed and got everything packed up and put in the car and left the room around 8:30 am and headed to IHOP cuz Marcia was craving blueberry pancakes...lol...MORE FOOD...ugh. I had a western omlet and couldn't eat it all.

Then we went to the River Walk.....LOTS of stores with condos above them....and we forgot it was Sunday so none of them opened till 11 and we got there around 10. So we walked from where we came into the area to the end were there were no shops we wanted to go into and turned back and walked back up towards the Bass Pro shop which was clear at the other end from where we were. We just window shopped and looked at everything. She was looking for stuff for her grandsons. The stores finally opened and we went into the Bass Pro shop so she could get something for one of the boys and then we went back up to the Cardinals shop to get something for the other one. We looked into a few more stores and then we were back at the place we came in at and it was time for us to hit the road to get back to Garden City to pick up her dog from her daughters.

On the way home we stopped at the Osceola Cheese Factory and got some cheese and some other stuff and got back on the road again. We got to Garden City around 3:15 and her dog was soooooo happy to see her she about licked her face off. (yuck...lol)

We got to my house around 4 and got all my stuff in the house and she left to get to her house.

**Sigh** there's no place like home....HAHAHA Its good to get away...but its GREAT to get home again.

All in All...it was one busy fun exciting excellent weekend and i am so glad we went. (sorry this was such a long post but i had fun!!!) Pictures are coming also. I gotta upload them first.

Sorry i missed the birthday celebrations here though....Happy Birthday Christy and Jeff. Love you.
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So...how was your weekend?