Tag: Traveling

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Poo Poo Chart

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IMG_5285Last week, we returned from a visit to our kids in Dallas. What a great time we had as we celebrated two of our grandchildren’s birthdays. Sevy who is now 13 and Payton, who just turned 3. The trip was a success as we had lots of time this visit with our sweet families and actually made it to almost all of our favorite restaurants which we always want to visit before returning home where there is no Tex-Mex enchiladas ANYWHERE CLOSE TO US!. But upon arriving home, I told Randy that I had seen something in the bathroom at one of the kids homes that made me think of what I will do for him as he ages. Driving through the desert for 2 days after sitting in Abilene for 4 hours waiting for a new battery to be installed in our car, gave me a lot of time to think. As you drive down the highway in the heat, most people see imaginary water on the road in front of them. Not me, I see food. I imagine where I’m going to stop for the next meal. So while Randy sleeps and I drive, I not only think of different meals which we might have on the road, but what will I be writing about on the blog as soon as I get back. It was on one of these “thinking, driving while he sleeps” times that I came up with this great idea.

If you are like us, you probably remember always kidding about talking to your aging parents and when calling them to see how they are, they would sometimes tell you, “well, I’m good today. I had a good bowel movement, remembered to take all my meds and am just sitting down to watch the Wheel” . I have told Randy that I truly never care to hear about his bowel movements, no matter how old he is. So when I saw this chart on the bathroom wall, I instantly thought to myself, “this is great. Randy can just put a sticker on the chart any time he goes and that way I never have to hear about it. I like to think ahead. What if he began to loose his memory and forgot that he had told me that he had a good bowel movement and thus repeated himself 4-5 times a day. This way, he can just put a little sticker on the chart and we both can relax, knowing that nature has taken it’s course.  Really, if 3 year olds can have poo poo charts, why can’t 90 year olds?

Our kids are so blessed to have us as parents! We try to think of everything to help them be able to put up with us as we get to that wonderful age of having to share our daily activities…all of the activities!

You’re welcome!

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Senior Struggles in So Carolina

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Maybe it’s just us, but as we travel along our great Nations byways, we are learning more about ourselves. Most travelers seem to write about the great experiences they have at each destination. We, on the other hand, seem to experience things that just point out that we are not getting any younger. This morning, Randy had the wonderful idea for us to go out by the pool and relax while soaking up some sun. Being the wonderful sport I am, I decided to just put on enough makeup so I wouldn’t scare people walking toward me. We stop by the coffee shop to buy a latte and head outside. We did consider walking a little father to go sit out at the beach, but decided that it was still just a little too cool out by the water, so found two pool chairs and “fell” down on them. Randy noticed that I was shivering just a little and offered to get up to go check out a towel to cover my lily white legs. When he tried to get up out of the pool lounge chair,it was so low that he just couldn’t get up. We decided that we would just stay there until folks left the pool area to go eat lunch so they would not see us trying to get up from the chairs that were so low to the ground that it was not going to be a pretty picture watching us getting up. The sun was shining very brightly and I was trying to read the book I had downloaded on my phone, but simply could not read the screen. I began to get bored just sitting there not having anything to read. Remembering watching others always on their phone and thinking about how they were so addicted to them, they couldn’t even relax by the pool without having their phones in their hands, I decided that I WOULD Not EVEN GLANCE AT MY PHONE. Why is it when you decide to do that, it is impossible to not look? I’m a senior, I should not be addicted to my phone. I should be carrying around knitting or a stack of books or taking naps out by the pool. But…my confession is that I am addicted to my phone. We finally could not stand it anymore and decided that no matter how old it makes us look, we have got to get up and go in. It is now noon and we haven’t had breakfast or lunch and everyone around us is not leaving. They are just having those young little 3rd graders bringing lunch to them from the pool grill. I get up first. Not bad, just took me a minute to get circulation back in my legs from sitting so long. But Randy, poor thing, well, let’s just say that we probably won’t be going back to the pool area for a few days. He just confessed to me that he had devised a plan in his mind that if he couldn’t get up by me pulling on his arms, he had decided that he would pull the chair beside him over and roll over to it on all 4’s using his hands and knees to push himself up. He was afraid that if he just tried to push himself up from his sitting position, he would loose his balance and fall into the bushes which were right beside his chair. So as seniors, it is always best to have a back up plan for times like these.
We will be writing a suggestion that they buy some pool chairs which we “mature” folks can just almost bend our knees to allow us to almost slide onto the chair.
Also, we think that seniors should get the rooms closet to the parking garage. I just videoed our walk from the elevator to our room and it took almost 2 min to walk the hall. I know that doesn’t sound like a long time, but when you are our age and nature calls, Depends only hold so much. Last night, because we are too embarrassed to have the valet guys see the inside of our car (remember we are homeless and living out of our car for a couple of months while traveling around until we close on our new place), we self parked. It took us 3 trips to the car just to unload what we would need for 5 days. Let’s just say that my FITBIT thought someone else was wearing it. We waited until after dark and late in the evening until we unloaded our Walmart bags full of Dr Pepper and candy. We already look like vagabonds and we don’t want to look like we are vagabonds who pack our clothes in plastic bags.
Tomorrow we are treating ourselves to Lady & Sons in Savannah. This was such a highlight of our trip East two years ago, we have to go back. In fact, we finally ate lunch today at 3 p.m. We decided that just having one meal today, and just snacking for dinner, will leave us lots of tummy room for our lunch at Paula’s place tomorrow.
We are in love with Hilton Head. Seeing so many folks riding around the island, we have decided that as soon as we get settled in our new place in AZ, we are going to get in better shape so next time we are faced with pool lounge chairs, we won’t have to sit there pretending to be reading because we can’t get up. But this trip, we are all about eating our way through the East Coast. Will be posting Recipes From the Road, starting tomorrow.

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Arizona, Land of Enchantment, No Wait, That’s New Mexico

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I guess since I’m going to live there, I had better find out what it’s motto is. I bet it is something like, “OMGosh it gets hot here” or “Look at all the old people that live here” Seriously, any time I have flown in there to go see the kids, the rows of wheelchairs waiting to board the planes make you feel like you have just landed in a retirement home. AND NOW WE ARE MOVING THERE!!!! What are we doing? We have only 3 days before the movers come to whisk all of my baking pans and mixer away, only to be stored until we can get in our new house sometime in May. Already, it is exciting to think about some of the first things I will bake in the new kitchen. We are moving to Arizona where the air is crisp, the skies are blue and IT GETS REALLY HOT IN THE SUMMER! Most of my adult life I have dreamed of having a screened in porch where you can just sit in a wicker rocker and gaze at a beautiful green fern (which might have a chance since it will be indoors and not out in the 120 degree heat). Sitting beside the rocker is a plate of sugar cookies with a huge pitcher of almond iced tea (which the recipe is on the blog). So as I pack away all my baking sheets and vanilla, I look forward to what lies ahead. Moving is always so bittersweet. It conjures up so many different feelings; excitement, fear of the unknown, and sadness of leaving family and friends who will be left behind. Moving is easier for some than it is for others. It is interesting that for the first 45 years of my life, I only moved twice. In these last 20 years we have moved to 4 different cities and about 9 houses. I have to admit, I do love to move. It is an adventure to learn new places, meet different people and discover things which are new and out of our comfort zones. Am already planning on going Zip lining with my son-in-law and daughter. Have always wanted to do that.

We are moving to an over 55 community. Never would I have dreamed that we would do that. I always said I would never move anywhere that just had “old” people. But, now discovering that when we were there last week looking for a house, not one person came up to either of us and said, “my but aren’t you to young to be living here”? So we have faced the fact that we are now “one of the oldies” who gets excited about playing Bingo on Monday nights, learning how to lawn bowl or sitting in our new “Arizona Room” playing cards. Randy promised me he would get us a little golf cart so I can run around the community and deliver cookies to neighbors. One of my greatest fears of moving is “will I be able to pass a new Drivers test?” Studying for the California test almost had me on Zoloft. I kept thinking that I might not pass the eye test or be able to remember all the answers to the questions. And that was 6 years ago. The good thing about AZ license is that once you get it, it doesn’t expire for about 20 years, so I figure I won’t be driving in another 20 years anyway. So if I can pass this last time, I have it made. Knowing that AZ has many snowbirds which live there from about Oct to May, I told Randy that we have to do something to not look old, as I just don’t want to look like I “live in a over 55 community” so am thinking that maybe we need to get new haircuts and spiffy up our wardrobes. He has already been instructed that he is not allowed to wear black or white knee socks with sandals. He told me that I am not allowed to join the Red Hat Society. The first time I see him driving that little golf cart through puddles trying to splash someone, we are moving. He does have a mean streak.

We will be leaving for Florida, a few days after the movers pack us up. Since we cannot get in our home until about the middle of May we thought it would be fun to go see our kids in Orlando and then…Paula Deen Country! I cannot get that close to her restaurant and not go back there. From there we will go visit friends in Richmond before heading back West.
So here we go, off to another adventure. Hopefully as soon as I get away from all the wonderful Tex-Mex food, I will shed some weight. Nope, forgot, we are headed to Paula Deen country. Well, maybe when I get to Arizona, the heat will make me not want to eat. Nope, I will just eat more ice cream! Nevermind, I give up! Love me, love my stretch pants!

Daily Thoughts

Vacation Blues & Bloating

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We just returned last night from a month of being in California and Arizona. What a wonderful time we had…but we are back to reality of grocery shopping, washing clothes and going through piles of mail. As we drove through Arizona and New Mexico, we had lots of time to reflect on this past year and a half of living back in Texas and the things that we love about Texas and what we miss about living in California. Of course, we are so thankful to be living near some of our family and precious friends that we missed while living in California. We were excited to come back to Whataburger, Pappadeux and Paciugo! Our home church of Prestonwood has a choir that is makes me feel like I am standing in Heaven and hearing the angels sing. It is nice to be familiar with the area and not have to wonder if we are on the right street for the Driver’s Liscense Dept.

But we were just as excited to drive up to different friends homes out in California, where we enjoyed so many evenings of laughter and fellowship and food, food, food! It was such a blessing to go back to our Sunday School class there in Pasadena and see the people that we love so much and enjoy worshiping together with them. Even after a year and a half, they make us feel like we are still a part of their family. That was a highlight of our trip.

We ate our way through California, Arizona and New Mexico. Of course, we had already sent our list of favorite places that we wanted to go back to while in CA, and everyone there was sweet enough to be sure that we visited each and every place we had listed. Randy told me that if they didn’t want to go to all those places, they should not have ask where we wanted to go while out there. Isn’t he just so precious! So off to New Moon & Panda Inn (the original) for Chinese, Porto’s for the best desserts in Glendale, Guadalupes for Mexican food and Mama Patrillos for one of my favorite salads that is only available during the summer months with awesome pizza and spaghetti.  This time I was sure to buy some of their salad dressing to bring home so I could make my own. It is so interesting that when we moved back to Texas, we both couldn’t wait to get back to Tex-Mex food but after we got here, we both realized that we had really begun to like the Mexican food better at Guadalupes. Their sauce was just so good that is poured over all the enchiladas and then sprinkled with cheese and placed into the oven to melt. It oozes into the rice and beans and just creates this masterpiece of Mexican flavor that we haven’t found here. Isn’t it weird that the slogan, “distance makes the heart grow fonder” is so true. When we were out there, I couldn’t wait to get back here to go to Pappadeux and when I am here, I can’t wait to go back to Guadalupes and New Moon. Because of the extreme heat this summer back here in Texas, we took our time coming home. Some friends offered their home while they were gone to their cabin in the Segoia National Forest. So that is exactly what we did. We “house sat” for them for a week. The weather in California that week was just gorgeous so we would sit out on the patio and have our quiet time, our breakfast and even dinner, all the while teasing our family and friends back in Texas with pictures of us being able to sit outside in August, while they were melting here and not venturing outside until after dark, to try to escape the heat.

We were paid back the minute we arrived to see our kids in Phoenix. We were met with a monsoon, our first night there and then the sweltering heat wave of record breaking heat for the next few days. I won’t ever tease about being “so cold sitting out having dinner that I had to go put on a sweater” EVER EVER!!!! We simply melted. I thought for sure that some of the new found pounds that had poured on during our eating tour of California would have melted off, but NO!!!! this morning, when I got on the scales, I had gained weight this last month. Doesn’t it just seem that driving should burn calories? Or having to hold going to the bathroom, when you didn’t stop at the rest stop and have to go another 120 miles before you see any type of road side rest stop out in the desert? I am telling myself that it is the humidity that is making me fat. Out in CA and AZ, where it was so dry that I had to pour coconut oil over my face just to put my make up on, I could easily zip my new capris.

I already texted our friends who we sit by in church every Sunday that they might need to sit in front or behind us as we will need a little more room on the pew this week. I guess that all of our “oh, I just have to go to Panda Inn one more time and go get a Tiramisu from Portos to snack on in the car” caught up with me. All the restaruants which we have found on previous trips in towns that we drive through and “just had to go back to”…the pounds just kept adding up after each stop. These great little cookies from Paradise Bakery in Phoenix….well, how can cookies so small have so many calories? Where do they put the calories when the cookie is that small? That is a Google question I guess for this evening when I am caught up with all the laundry and am having some of the chocolate that my daughter-in-law sent me from Ethel M in Vegas.

All this to say, that after going back and reading this post, it appears that our lives certainly center around food and special places where we love to gather around the table with friends while sharing some amazing food. Our home in California had an artist that had painted this across the end wall of the kitchen. “Alls Well That Ends With a Great Meal”

That is the best way to describe our lives, no matter the town!

Daily Thoughts

Woad (oops, Road, sorry, Ive been around grandkids to long) Wisdom

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Our friends back in California sent us home with this blessing last week, “we are so glad you are going home before we all sound like Paula Deen”. Seems that our friends there pick up the southern words of ya’ll and all ya’ll quickly. Stopping back by Phoenix to break up our trip, (who am I kidding, we stopped to see the grandkids)I found myself leaving Arizona sounding like I was 4 yrs old again. Randy looked at me kind of funny when I ask him if he wanted me to pack some “sammies” (sandwiches) for the woad. The first 100 miles driving out of Phoenix I was humming “hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog” from Mickey’s Club House. Of course, Randy picked up a few of the grandkid habits also. He wanted to know how old is too old to run around the house in underwear, but I assured him he pasted that age many moons ago. 

We did gather quite a bit of wisdom on this trip. Here is some that you might want to print up to take along on your next adventure around the states.. We traveled another 3600 miles in the last 25 days so we feel that we are almost “travel experts” after having now put about 9000 miles on the car since February. Of course you don’t have to take our advice, but if you don’t you might just be very “sowwie”.

1. Do not spill M&M’s in your car. They might not melt in your hand, but trust me on this, they do melt in the car.

2. Do NOT, I repeat, Do NOT, eat spicy green chiles while on the road, the trip home will take double the normal driving time.

3. Use your grandkids as needed,. I had a chocolate craving while on the road so into Wallyworld we went. When the cashier was checking us out, she stared at me as if to think, “lady, your shorts are already to tight, I don’t think this is really what you should be buying.” To take the focus off me I causally mentioned that we were on our way to see our grandkids, she smiled and said, “of course you don’t want to show up there without candy, do you?” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that that candy, plus another stop for candy would never make it to Phoenix. It wasn’t my fault that she thought the candy was for the precious little darlings.

4. Be sure to pack the next larger size of clothes that you have in your closet. We learned that eating fast food 3 times a day, plus all the snackies that we brought along, does tend to put a few ounces on our well  tuned bodies…

5. When staying with our kids/grandkids, you need to remember that the television will never be tuned to anything but cartoons so have your favorite TV shows recorded at home. You will NEVER have the opportunity to watch them until you return.

6. Eat at all the restaurants that you have been dying to try while driving. Once you get to the grandkids house, you will need to buy TUMS to help digest McDonalds or Taco Bell that completes their daily diet plan..

7. Increase your data plan on your smart phone before leaving. The little sweet darlings only love us for our phones and thus, every game app has now replaced all my exercise and health food recipes app.

8. Take lots of plastic zip lock bags. Because several tubes of cosmetics “blew” driving from 6000 ft down to 1000, we had such fun cleaning up shampoo out of everything in the bag.

9. Be sure you have lots of Kleenix on hand as you walk out the door to head home. No matter the different life style that you have to adjust, it is just never easy to leave grandkids, twust me on this. Maybe singing a little song will help, “hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog.”