The Kids Sleep Over

How was my day, you ask? Fantabulous! 

Rich and I met Sandee for a late lunch at our favorite restaurant, Cantina Laredo...what a treat, having her all to ourselves for a bit!

We all left the restaurant in time to meet the kids when school got out; we unloaded the computers that Rich brought for the kids and he got Shelby's up and running before we left. The kids came home with us for dinner and to spend the night...how we love them being here!

Shawn was at a golf outing today so we didn't get to see him. As I type this, the kids are in their beds; they and their grandpa are all watching Toy Story. And...I totally rocked NaBloPoMo, all thirty days!

Lovin' Life ~~ In The Best of Times!

Errands Day

This was a busy day with lots of errands that are simply a part of getting settled into a new "home" for the next few months: arranging for mail, motorhome stuff, parts for projects, shopping, getting water...out here there are these roadside kiosks where you can fill containers with filtered drinking water for only 15 cents a gallon...way cool.

No one who knows me well would ever guess why I shopped for closed toe, socks required (ugh) shoes today when everyone who knows me well knows that I wear flips nearly year-round.

I LOVE this tree. It sits behind our motorhome, just across a shallow wash and the tiny light green leaves are such a lovely contrast to the dark, twisted trunk and branches. This is one reason why we kept the same spot as last year.

Sitting outside with Rich and The Girls, our evening sky.

Lovin' Life ~~ Settling In For The Winter

A Most Spectacular Day

It felt so good to be arriving in Apache Junction early this afternoon. We live about 1,700 miles from here but the scenic trip we made this time covered 3,391 miles...what a great trip it's been though!

This morning The Girls seemed to sense that this was a special day; they both wanted the same seat while we were on the road and neither budged for quite some time. Finally Dora laid down on the seat which caused Bella to jump over to the couch.

After he got the motorhome parked and setup, Rich and I visited with our AJ, AZ friends. Next he got the patio rug and fence set up; Dora stayed out there until we left. She loves being outside.

After a few more chores, Rich and I sat outside for a while too. Bella was not leaving his side for a minute though.

Last winter we discovered Rubio's and ate there several times so we were eager to go there for dinner this evening. It was every bit as good as we remembered...just look at those fish tacos on my plate and the steak ones on Rich's...yum, yum!

But the best part of this spectacular day was yet to come. All but Sandee thought we were coming in Friday afternoon so we drove over to surprise them after dinner...and were they ever surprised. Talk about a welcome; it amazes me that we get to be grandparents to these incredibly loving kids.

I'm not a great people photographer but here are a few portraits from this exciting evening.

Here's my favorite photo of the evening; Rich took this one of our grands and me!

Lovin' Life ~~ Thrilled to Be in Arizona!

We're Getting Closer

Or as I posted to FB this afternoon, "I'm getting closer to my [winter] home; I'm getting closer to my [winter] home; repeat ad naseum...sometimes Rich and I will sing that annoying line of the Grand Funk Railroad song until the other one begs for mercy...teehee"

But today that song lyric is so appropriate as we excitedly draw nearer to our winter home, our family, and friends! Here's a look at our today, from sunrise to sunset...

Lovin' Life ~~ As the Excitement Mounts!

Crossing Texas

It was foggy when we left San Antonio early this morning but it lifted just enough for me to get this shot as we were driving out of the city.

For the first hour and a half it looked like this...the fog was pretty heavy at times.

We drove 432 miles today which makes for a pretty long, tiring day. We've covered this territory before so we are anxious to get to AZ now and see Sandee, Shawn, and our grands! I only took a few photos today. There were long stretches of not much to see, but then coming into view would be...

We don't recall ever seeing one of these; we've seen lots of 75 mph speed limits, but 80...yikes!

This last photo of today's I-10 drive was taken about 50 miles from our destination for the night, Van Horn, TX. We'll just sleep and head out early again.

Lovin' Life ~~ Getting Closer!

A Quiet Day at Home

On the seventh day in San Antonio, we rested. Tomorrow we'll continue to Meander west, getting ever so much closer to our grands (oh yeah, and their parents too!)! Today we have done very little...worked a couple of crossword puzzles together, played Farkle, shopped for a few groceries, made dinner, and prepared to get back on the road. The most exciting thing all day was Skyping with Shelby and Dylan! Just how rare and restful was today? I have not taken one single photo...really.

So here is a photo of one of the several different Chick-fil-A billboards that have entertained us along the way. I wish I had taken photos of all of them but only thought of it when we saw this one here in San Antonio. Those big ole 3-D cows working on the billboards are just too cute.

The main reason why I'm posting the Chick-fil-A photo though is that I couldn't pick which of the girls would get top billing and thus appear as the thumbnail on Google Reader. We have to be fair ya know! giggle

These photos were both taken yesterday morning. We have never seen Bella sit like this with her rear up against the back of the couch and have no idea why she did, but she stayed this way long enough for me to get the camera and take several shots. She may have simply collapsed from exhaustion because, here, she spends lots of time standing at that window barking at the many squirrels taunting her from the oak trees outside...giggle! It was so funny!

And Dora was just lying on the floor watching me.

We enjoy them so much!

Lovin' Life ~~ On the Quiet Days Too!

A Riverwalk Evening

We picked Ken and Gail up at 3:00 to spend the evening at Riverwalk. This is such a beautiful place, packed with people and humming with energy on this holiday weekend.

We had dinner at Dick's Last Resort and luckily scored a table right at the sidewalk and river. It's a fun place with rude, sarcastic waiters and great food!

By the time we finished dinner, the sun had set so here are some shots of the holiday lights on the Riverwalk.

From there we walked to Alamo Plaza to see the 55 foot white fir Christmas Tree.

The Alamo

Tower of the Americas in the distance, framed by lighted trees at Alamo Plaza

One final shot of Riverwalk from a bridge at street level as we walked back to our car.

This was such a fun evening. We had hoped to ride a barge along the festively lighted river but the lines for tickets and then to board were incredibly long. 

Lovin' Life ~~ Enjoying the Sights With Friends