The simpliest things...

Sometimes

we should all

just take time to

find the joy in the simple things!

Cara's scanned vacation photos #3 - Los Angeles, CA

We flew in 1998 to California for Tom's brother's 40th birthday.  It was a surprise and the whole Boos family flew out to celebrate.  We spent several days there.  I had never been and the one thing I kept telling the family was that I wanted to see a star, preferably one from General Hospital.

We went into the city and I had everyone on high alert to find me a star.  We did all the tourist things.

The Hollywood walk of fame, the Chinese theater, Rodeo Drive, and Venice Beach.  We had lunch there and we walked and walked and walked.

But there were no celebrities wandering the streets.  I was very annoyed.  There was also no where to use the bathroom unless you purchased things.  We finally ended up going into a Starbucks for drinks so that we could use the facilities.  Tom's sister, his brother, Madison and I went into the Starbucks and got into line.  In front of us was a man and his son, a child about the same age as Madison.  The two of them stared at one another and then began babbling in the language that two year olds understand.  I think the boy liked something Madison had in her hand, and she was offering it to him as she always did when another kid wanted something of hers.  The father turned and spoke to the two kids, telling Madison she was a sweet child to share her things.  It was then I noticed the father was Jonathan Frakes.

Me: (whispering)  "OMG! That's Jonathan Frakes"

Beth:  (whispering)  "Who?"

Me:  "Jonathan Frakes.  He's married to Genie Francis.  I wonder if she is here.  Why isn't she here? OMG! Genie Francis would be such a huge star for me to see."

Beth:  "I don't know who these people are.  Who are they?"

Me:  "Genie Francis is from General Hospital."

Beth:  "But who is this?"

Me:  "Oh, I don't know, he plays on Star Trek something or other.  I don't watch it.  I just know that's him and he is married to Genie Francis."

Beth:  "Are you sure?  No one is acting like he is a celebrity."

Dick:  "She's right.  It is Jonathan Frakes.  I know who he is.  He's the commander on Star Trek Generations."

At that point I'm sure he heard us whispering.  He patted Madison on the head, smiled at me and told me she was a great kid, and then moved up to the bar to place his order.  As he exited the Starbucks with his son and drinks to get into his car that was parked outside he stood and looked around.  I felt a tad sorry for him at the moment because I think he had heard our conversation and was looking for someone to recognize him.  Someone did and pretty soon he was signing autographs for a small group of people wandering into Starbucks, and I got to go home and tell people I saw a star and that he talked to my daughter.

The rest of the vacation was spent celebrating Dick's birthday, once at the Cheesecake Factory and once at his house in Redondo Beach.  He was very surprised that we had all made the trip, kids and all.

Madison enjoyed herself as always.  We took her everywhere we went so she can at least say she visited these famous places and saw a star!

Connie foot update

The Foot God actually came into the room and instead of his usual, "Looks good" or "That's looking better", his first sentence after his greeting was, "That's closing up!"  I took it as a sign, but Connie and I are still not jumping for joy.  That we will do when the thing is completely healed and she is back on her feet.  I did think the tissue around the wound was the healthiest I had seen it.  The wound itself had closed a tad in the two week time span so the boot and the hyperbaric might just have been the answer.  Who knows.  Either way no surgery at this time.

Happy Memorial Day

My father was a United States Marine.  In 1945 he was stationed in China.  He was 23 years old and from a small farm in Indiana.  The world was at war.  I can't imagine how that must have been for him.  I wish I had asked more questions.

I asked him once if he had killed anyone.  Before he could respond, my mother whirled around and pointed her finger at me and said sternly, "That is NOT a question you ask of a soldier.  Do you understand?"  I never asked him again.  He never volunteered the answer.

He talked of that time of his life some.  He enjoyed China.  His brother Juke, in the United States Navy, shipped in once and they were reunited for a day or so.

He had good stories of his time in WWII like the time he was checking out a girl as she walked past and he turned his head to follow her as he walked around a corner and bumped right into General MacArthur.  Terrified he saluted and awaited his punishment for knocking into a general.  Instead MacArthur said, "I would have have been looking at her too soldier."  And he walked past my Dad.

I wish I had listened more to the stories.  I wish I had recorded him talking about the war.  I wish I had thanked him for his service to our country.

Today we do thank them.  Each and every military person who defended this country.  Thank you to all those who fought, sacrificed, and died for our freedoms.  Thank you to those who still do fight for us today.  Thank you too to my Dad who did.

Out of the mouths of my babes

When I was working for the city in the recreation department, back in the day, the pool where I worked was open from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM.  The first activities in the morning were swim teams and lap swimming and our morning guard came in at 5:30 AM to ready the facility.  From his lifeguard stand he had a great view of the huge parking lot and the recycling area in said parking lot.  There were several bins for various recycled items; one for paper, one for glass, one for plastic, etc.  There was also a trash bin.  Each week a city trash truck would pull in to the parking lot in the early morning and empty the trash bin.  It would then go down the line and empty the recycling bins...INTO THE TRASH TRUCK.

Ever since my husband heard this story he has not been a fan of recycling.  He doesn't believe that the trucks that come through our neighborhood really recycles the items.  He doesn't believe that we should recycle, despite the fact that it is included in our garbage pick-up, that we have a container for recycling, and that all we have to do is haul it to the curb once a week.  The only item he would recycle was the newspaper and mostly he would only do that every month or so instead choosing to empty the recycling bin of newspapers into the trash can on trash day.  Any time I put plastic containers or glass into the recycling bin it ended up in the garbage.

Recently we switched garbage companies and Tom opted not to sign up for the recycling service.  We are one of three neighbors who switched companies so the rest of our neighbors still put out their recycled goods in the bin at the curb once a week.  Because we go through water bottles at an alarming rate, I decided to try to recycle them by putting them in a bag I had out in the garage.  My thinking was that on Friday I would dump them in my neighbors recycling bin and help the earth.

Me:  "Darcy, can you please take this big bag of plastic bottles and put them in Bonnie's recycling bin across the street?  Today is the pick-up day for recycling."

Darcy:  "You recycled these bottles?"

Me:  "Yes.  We go through these things like, well, water and I'm tired of throwing them away when they are perfectly recyclable."

Darcy:  "Mom?  Are you recycling behind Daddy's back?"

Cara's scanned vacation photos #2 - Cape Canaveral

Darcy recently toured the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral on a field trip with her class.  They participated in a special education program with an astronaut, and got to ride in a rocket simulator, which Darcy announced wasn't as good as the one in DisneyWorld.  As I went through my category of "vacations" in my photos that I'm scanning, I came to a pile of pictures of my various trips to the Kennedy Space Center.

Our later trips to Florida always coincided with my brother's golf tournaments during Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring breaks.  We liked traveling through Cocoa Beach, Florida to see the Atlantic Ocean, and because the Kennedy Space Center isn't too far from there it was our first site seeing stop for educational value, of course.

It has been years since I've been back to the center, and it is one of those trips I keep suggesting we make with the kids, so these pictures are just re-enforcing my enthusiasm.  But in looking at these older photos I'm sure things have changed a lot.  I don't really remember any of this trip with my family. 

The next time I went I went with a high school friend named Tammy, but I didn't take any photos at the Space Center.  We stayed at  Cocoa Beach and drove over to Ft. Wilderness in Disney so that she could ride a horse...not a favorite thing of mine to do.  The next year I went with my neighbor and friend Michelle to the same place.  I did take photos on this trip, and actually remember a bit of the trip.

It wasn't the best trip because I was overwhelmed with responsibility and grouchy.  I was the older one and it was my car we drove down in so I was too worried to relax much on the trip.  I don't know what I thought was going to happen to us, but her mother made me promise to take care of her and I took that literally.

Back then they had tour buses that would take you out to the launching pad so we signed up for that.  I think Tammy and I did that as well, and I think the time she and I did it there was actually a space shuttle on the pad.  I don't think they do this tour any more, or if they do they don't take you as close to the pad as they use to.  But I don't really know any of that for sure, and I don't trust my memory.

I think that was my last visit so I'm definitely do for another one.  Perhaps I will schedule some Florida week day trips with the girls this summer.  If so, I'll be sure to photograph and blog!

Internet info

I have Yahoo as my main browser setting, and I love the headlines of articles you can read if you choose.  This morning's fun article was "The Weird Reasons You're so Tired" and because I am always tired I had to read it because the article promised to solve my sleeping issues.  Below is a summary of the article and my take on things in italics. Thank you Dr. Oz.

1. H. Pylori bacteria in your stomach - Over 4.5 billion people have this stomach mucus destroying bacteria in their bodies.  It can cause ulcers or sores on the lining of the stomach allowing acid to escape and travel up the esophagus.  This in turn causes a sore throat which can lead to a restful night's sleep.  A simple breathing test can tell whether or not you have this bacteria and a simple antibiotic can cure it. - I bet I have that for sure and it is the cause of my acid reflux and not the chocolate, pizza, garlic, and soda my doctor said caused it.  What a relief to know it is something simple.  But my doctor is going to have me breath into her nose to sniff out the bacteria.  I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that.
2. Phlegm - Each night as you slumber phlegm is building up in the back of your throat blocking the oxygen pathway from the nose to the lungs, causing you to breath through your mouth.  A big no no in getting a good night's sleep.  Breathing through the mouth leads to a lower blood oxygen level and this in turns causes fatigue.  Dr. Oz recommends using a mouthwash or salt water rinse every morning to remove the phlegm to boost your energy. - At first I thought that morning use was a mistake.  Why wouldn't I use that at night before I went to bed?  But then I realized my energy would be boosted and thus I wouldn't get a good night's sleep.  I know I have phlegm (who doesn't?) so I'll give this a one a try.
3. Morning Coffee & Tea - Bad for you!  Bad for you!  Coffee causes you to be up, up and then down, down, and the caffeine dehydrates you.  Solution?  Drink a cup of water with your coffee and drink in moderation. - I do this already so obviously this isn't a source of my fatigue.  I drink a bottle of water every morning before I do anything else, and Dr. Oz gives me thumbs up on this because my body has gone 8 hours without water while I slept and replenishing it is key.
4. Comfy Clothing - Apparently wearing sweats and t'shirts sends the wrong message to the brain.  It makes us comfortable which causes us to relax and slouch, and that puts more pressure on the muscles which in turn causes a decrease in the flow of oxygen.  The solution is to dress up every day because this gives you confidence, increases blood flow, and stimulates the adrenal glands. - I wonder what category scrubs falls under?  It certainly makes me feel professional and isn't that the same as having confidence?  Obviously, I need to wear those things daily!
5. Wrong Clothing Color - Black, navy and brown clothing stimulate the secretion of melatonin, the chemical that makes you sleepy.  Wearing white suppresses it and stimulates serotonin.  Wearing red gives you an aggressive energy, and wearing yellow stimulates the brain, gives you confidence, and encourages optimism.  - Now I know how Kelly does it!  Yellow is her favorite color.  Unfortunately, black is mine.  The other day I wore pink and someone said to me, "I've never seen you in anything but black". This is obviously my main cause of  fatigue.   I guess I should look for some yellow scrubs.

The rest of the article dealt with some cures that Dr. Oz offered up to battle fatigue. 

1. Eggs & Cantaloupe - A protein and a complex carbohydrate, these foods help absorb sugar and sustains energy all day long. - This I could do if eggs weren't on my list of shameful foods that raise my cholesterol, and if I spent the summer in Indiana where cantaloupe tastes right.
2. Cordyceps Mushrooms - This type of mushroom is found on the head of caterpillars and improves metabolism which helps give you energy. - I  went outside immediately to see if I could find some on the heads of the caterpillars that roam my screened in porch, but alas, they all must be at a conference today.
3. Nopal Cactus -  This is known as the prickly pear and is found in jams or you can get it dried or fresh. It has lots of antioxidants that help detoxify the body. - My local restaurant sells a prickly pear margarita so this one should be easy for me to get.
4. Walrus Exercise - To do this exercise you lie down on your stomach, arms stretched out in front, palms down.  Push down with your palms, use your core, and move forward across the room like a walrus.  The exercise helps stimulate the brain and works obscure muscles.    - Reading this made me realize I haven't a clue what a walrus looks like walking so I've observed some via the Internet and shall work on this exercise diligently.  Mostly when others are around.

Uh, yes?

Madison and I walked outside and a gentleman approached and offered us menus from a local Chinese restaurant.  He told us to check it out.  We thanked him and started toward our car.  He turned to the place we had just exited and asked, "Is this the Hair Salon?"

We told him "yes", and secretly I thanked him for my next blog entry.

Thursday's 10 random tidbits

1. Not much blogging going on as I'm involved in helping put together my younger daughter's school musical.  Years ago I took over the talent show at the school and now I get roped in to helping with the plays and musicals.  I secretly love it.  I was born for drama.
2. The drama director is a young kid who has acting credits on iCarly.  He is talented, but hasn't learned to delegate.  
3. Connie's birthday was yesterday.  Kelly and the kids and I went up with cake and dinner.  We forgot her presents.  Well, Kelly had hers, but we forgot ours.  Sigh.
4. Why does everyone have graduating kids this year that costs me money?
5. I'm trying to work out logistics for my summer Indiana travels.  It isn't easy when everyone is spread out all over the state.
6. I got beautiful flowers for Mother's Day that make me happy every time I look at them.  They are purple.  And what's not happy about purple?
7. I need a new camera.
8. The end of school is nearing.  Darcy gets out a week and a half before Madison.  She reminds Madison of that fact daily.
9. The last two weeks of school always fly by and everything is just a haze as it does.  Why do they cram so much into the end?
10. The weather here is already miserably hot and we are already complaining.  Now it's time for the people up north to laugh at us.

Connie Foot Update

It has been two weeks since our last appointment with the Foot God, who sent us home the last visit without scheduling surgery because the wound was no longer tunneling and was smaller.  I hadn't expected much, and perhaps this is the new way of looking at it, but the wound was THE SMALLEST IT HAS EVER BEEN...in twenty months.

Of course, all that calloused area around the wound makes me wonder if it will allow the wound to close, but I was too excited by the smaller wound to ask many questions.  Again, we go home and wait for two weeks, putting off surgery since the wound is healing on its own.  Connie thinks the 40 days of being in the hyperbaric really jumped started the healing process.  Who knows.  I'm slightly optimistic.

Here is what she started with:

Here is what she has been in limbo with the past few months:

So this is certainly an improvement:

Thursday's 10 Random things

1. I don't know if it is because I find him very sexy and attractive, but I love Adam Levine's voice.  At least he is older than Zac Efron.
2. Are there any payphones anywhere anymore?
3. I carry around an appointment book for teaching swimming lessons.  I prefer having the insert monthly calendar as opposed to a weekly or daily one.  I use to be able to buy blank calendars and fill in my own days and years, but companies got smart and quit selling those.  I went to find a new insert this year and all the discount stores calendars started in June.  Huh?  I had to pay $9.00  for a 3 1/4" X 6 3/4" calendar at Staples.  $9.00!  I could have purchased a whole appointment book for less than that.  But I need pockets and my insert pouch.
4. Why isn't everyone on Facebook?  I'm always surprised to hear that some people aren't.  Pooh.  I like keeping in touch with old friends far away.
5. Madison just gave me an invitation to a high school awards ceremony where she will be honored (don't ask me for what as it is a secret or something).  It is, of course, the same day as Darcy's school's 8th grade graduation in which Darcy will be speaking.
6. Going through and scanning old photos makes me nostalgic.   I was so young!
7. How are the writers of Revenge and Once Upon A Time going to continue season after season?  Maybe for quality television viewing writers should sign on for one season only and wrap up the story.
8. Darcy accepted a ring from a boy, although it was purchased by two of her friends while in China.  He got down on his knee to give it to her.  Tom is having some trouble with it all.
9. Who eats chicken waffles?
10. Am definitely going to have to check out Johnny Depp in his new movie.  That guy is numbero uno in the biz as far as I'm concerned.  He can flat out ACT.

Internet Info

One of Yahoo's lead stories today was "What not to give for Mother's Day".  Thought I should peek in on that article to see how accurate it was.

1.  Gag Gifts - According to Yahoo Mother's won't get excited over bacon flavored icing.  True that for this Mom, but I was thinking that my niece would probably love it!
2.  Anything As Seen On TV - When we were young this was one of the greatest ways to shop for our parents.  My brother and I loved finding odd gifts on commercials that aired on Saturday mornings in between our cartoons.  I remember getting my mother this glass bowl that had two glass birds on either side that you filled with colored water.  In the middle of the bowl was some of those lighted strands of plastic made to look like a fountain.  When you plugged it all in everything was so colorful and the birds moved up and down, dipping their beaks into the bowl as if drinking its contents.  My mother pretended she loved it and sat it in her dining room.  It was probably five years later that I realized she didn't really like it or want something like that.  I, however, on the other hand love crap as seen on TV.  I proudly wear my Genie Bras daily as well and have wrapped myself in Darcy's Snuggie several times.  While I haven't used my vegetable strainer yet I would love to try some pajama jeans.
3.  Diet Books - Yeah, that is something that would probably hurt my feelings unless I asked for a certain book.  Once I got the Wii Fit and I was not a happy camper about that one.  Then I popped it into the Wii and realized how much fun it was!
4.  Spanx - Are you kidding me?  I've been wanting a pair of these things since our local girl invented them, but I refuse to pay the big bucks.  I wouldn't be offended by a pair of these babies.
5.  World's Best Mom Necklace - Yahoo didn't like the style of these necklaces, but it isn't about that Yahoo.  My daughters gave me one of these necklaces that they picked out at Target and I wear it proudly.  I'll keep it forever because I remember that excitement of picking out a gift that I was so sure my mother would want....fountain with birds.
6.  Wrinkle Cream - Only because I don't wear gunk on my face because my beauty is so sensitive in that area.  Creams and lotions on my face make me crazy except for sunscreen so it isn't something I would want, but seriously?  That stuff costs a fortune so why not as a gift if you use it?
7.  Smart Shopper 301 Grocery Organizer - Okay, I hadn't a clue what this item even was so I Googled it.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  This is definitely what I want for Mother's Day, along with my Steelers shower curtain.  This is an electronic, voice activated shopping organizer.  Run out of milk?  Toilet Paper?  Let the organizer know and it will add these items on a list and categorize them and then PRINT THE LIST out to take shopping.  In my life I could use this little organizer.  It was quickly added to my Wish List in Amazon.
8.  Household Appliances - My mother-in-law said her husband once gave her a vacuum for her anniversary, and while I agree that isn't the time to give that gift, why not at Mother's Day?  My vacuum is gross and I'm so ready for another one.  And if my daughter hadn't gotten the Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas I would have taken that puppy in a heartbeat.  Do you have any idea how easy it mixes? 

This article was written by Kaboodle which appears to be a site that sells fashion items like nail polish, boots, and purses so you can see why they don't recommend these above items, but for me, a Mother, I liked several of them.  Mother's Day is about honoring your mother, and if you can get her something that makes her day to day life easier then why wouldn't you give her that on Sunday?  I can just see me on Monday talking into my Smart Shopper 301 Organizer and adding some Spanx and a vacuum cleaner to my Target list!

Weekend in photos

My cousin in Indiana called me Friday.  His mother, who lives about three minutes from my house in a mobile home park, had called him frantic because her ceiling had caved in.  She had hired a guy to seal her roof, something she does yearly, and while he was doing his sealing her ceiling began to buckle.  She ran outside and told him to get off the roof.  He didn't.

The ceiling collapsed.  She called her son, my cousin.  He called me.  I drove over to survey the scene for him and to take photos.  It wasn't as bad as I expected.  I thought the man had fallen through the roof so this damage looked good compared to the damage I had conjured up in my head.

His mother was calm by the time I arrived.  She called her insurance company.  I gave her the name of a contractor.  Looks like the insurance company isn't going to pay up because the adjuster saw some "water damage".  Not sure what the insurance does pay, but my contractor gave her the names of some mobile home roofers who came out and were super sweet.  Hopefully, she will get it all worked out.

Darcy and I signed up to help Kelly clean six bathrooms at her church.  We agreed to each take a task.  Kelly cleaned toilets, Darcy cleaned sinks, mirrors, and surfaces, and I did the sweeping and mopping.  It took us one hour and 45 minutes to complete.  We found 1 roach, 4 wads of chewed up gum, 1 clogged toilet, 4 screws in a toilet, and 1 test tube in a urinal.

We are still pperplexed about the screws and test tube, both of which were in the men's restroom.  The packages where the screws once resided were on the floor next to the toilet, and try as we did we couldn't comprehend why someone would wander into a bathroom, open a package of screws and dump them into the toilet.

We didn't choose to speculate about the test tube.

It is corn season in Florida right now.  Connie said the corn was good, but I waited a week.  The first batch was 4 for $2.00 and tasted like what I imagine munching field grass would taste like.  The next batch was 6 for $2.00 and was tasty.  It comes in yellow, white, and bi-color.  I always get the white.

It ain't Indiana corn, but it is a vegetable my kid's will eat and we haven't had corn since last summer.  Still I'm amazed that it tastes nothing like Indiana corn.  Maybe Connie should think about adding corn in her plantation.

I awoke one morning to this little message from the President.  It was in my kitchen, and it refers to the time, while Obama was campaigning for the Presidential election, when he stopped in our area to deliver a speech and worked out in my gym.  My friend and I worked out right next to him on the elliptical.

I wrote about that experience here.  He obviously didn't have his speech writers write this note as the first word needs some work.

Cara's vacation scanned photos - Trip out west #2

My new project for the summer is to get some of my photos scanned and organized into the computer.  There is really no reason to have print photos and they take up tons of room, but more than that I did not do what my father lectured on for so many years.  I did not write on the pictures.  I did not put dates or places or names.  Now I wonder about the pictures.  So this project hopefully will have me not only reminiscing, but will have also educate me as I dig back into history, mine and the places I have visited.

Years ago I organized all my print photos into categories and boxes and typed up explanations of the photos on index cards thinking that some day my kids would inherit these photos and wonder about them.  I pulled out the box labeled "wedding" and "vacations" as it was the box that weighed the least.  I thought the vacation pile would be more historical and entertaining and so far I'm right on the money in that.  I should have probably started with the smallest category of vacation pictures and worked my way up to the largest pile, but instead I just grabbed a pile.  It happened to be another trip out west, this time with my mother and my friend Kim Smith.

 And since I'm going to all this work I want to have something to blog share with my blogging friends the photos from my past.  This was my second trip out west.  It was spring time in 1989 and Kim was living with me at my parents' house.  Connie wanted to visit her sister in Arizona, and Kim was a world traveler and a great driver, and so we headed out to explore the west.

It was just me, Kim and Connie in the green station wagon.  I can honestly say that until we reached Arizona I don't have much memory of the trip.  I don't know how long it took us to reach the state of Arizona.  I don't remember stopping along the way in motels, but I'm sure we did that.  I vaguely remember doing some driving and then being relieved and sleeping in the back of the car.

Of course we stopped at the Grand Canyon and explored.  I'm not sure if Kim had been there or not, but it had been 17 years since Connie and I had been there.  Words can not describe the beauty of the Canyon.  It is something everyone should see in his life time.

I took hundreds of photos which I have in an album somewhere in my house.  I suppose that will be a project at some point, but for now these photos that didn't make the album (and are probably extras) will be on my computer until I get to the others.

On the South Rim of the Canyon is a structure called Hermit's Rest that was built in 1914.  It's main structure was designed by architect Mary Colter and represents the western terminus of the Rim Trail.  It was built as a rest area for coaches operated by the Fred Harvey Company which took tourists to what was once the Hermit's Camp.  I researched this information in looking for the answer to this picture.  I found the information on Wikipedia, so thanks to them for the above info.

In searching the above information I read that Mary Colter had built four buildings as a set that are now on the National Register of Historic Places.  Since I also had the above photo and no clue as to what it was I searched the other three buildings and found that this one was one of the set.  This is the Desert View Watchtower also located on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  It is 70 feet high and was completed in 1932.  Mary was employed by the Fred Harvey Company so that is how she got the job of creating these buildings.  The Watchtower was the last in her series of buildings.

After the canyon we headed to Tucson.  Or maybe it was the other way around since I really don't remember, and Connie's mind isn't too helpful at this stage of her life.  Kim probably remembers everything about the trip as she has one of those minds that remembers practically being in the womb.  She is one of three people I would go to for information of the past, the other two being my Auntie Marilyn and my daughter Madison.

Connie did remember that the ghost town that I had pictures of was in Tucson so I started there in my investigation of the above photos.  There are quite a few ghost towns in that vicinity so it took some time and some great help from Yahoo in locating this information.

Turns out this wasn't a ghost town but an old movie set called Old Tucson Studios.  It was originally built in 1938 by Columbia Pictures and was built as a replica of the 1860's Tucson for the movie Arizona.  

 

Several movies and television shows were filmed here including one of my favorites, Little House on the Prairie.  The place became a tourist attraction in 1960 complete with gun fights in the streets.  I remember the re-enactment of the gun fights because I thought that was cool to see after being a big Gunsmoke fan.

After this trip I do believe we visited and met Auntie Marilyn on the campus of the University of Arizona.  We hooked up with Maya and then followed Auntie Marilyn out to where she lived and taught school on an Indian Reservation.  Those pictures are in an album and not on tap to be scanned any time soon so the next vacation photos will be of various trips I took to Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Brownies + Anniversary = Delicious

My anniversary was last week.  In the beginning of our marriage we did things for our anniversary.  For our one year anniversary a guy at work told me to take Tom to this fancy restaurant in Tampa for brunch so I booked us a hotel and we spent the weekend there.  The brunch was fabulous complete with champagne and so much food we waddled home.

We talked about going to Hawaii for our fifth anniversary.  Then along came the children, and it was more like, "Is it our anniversary?" and "When is our anniversary?"  For the longest time I kept forgetting if it was the 23rd or the 24th.  In this marriage it is my husband who remembers and enjoys planning surprises for celebrations.

This year, our 18th, was one we both remembered.  We talked about what to do, but there were play practices, work activities, and school projects due.  I wanted to go see the Modern Family cast who were in town for a stand-up show, but I have a hard time spending big bucks for a couple hours of entertainment.  Instead I cooked a wonderful meal at home and we exchanged simple little gifts.

A few days later the mail lady brought us this:

It was from my sister-in-law and brother. They are involved with a company called Send Out Cards where you can design your own cards on your computer and the company will sign, seal, and deliver it to its destination.  There are also gifts to be delivered as well, and I can say that these little brownies hit the spot.  It was a nice gesture of love from my sis-in-law and one we appreciated tons!  Thanks Suz!