Who's side are you on???

Happy new year from a small dive bar in Indiana and 10 degree weather!! Wow it's cold! Wherever you are, I hope you're happy and ready for a new year...and eating a bowl of cereal :-)

By the way, is it now two thousand ten or twenty ten? Really, what do you think? Just who's side are you on?

CW

Are you there Christmas???

This is usually the time when our home is filled with Christmas decorations and we're in the holiday spirit, however, this year is a little different.
This year our home is filled with boxes and aside from buying gifts for everyone, I keep forgetting it's Christmas! We've only been in our home for a little over a week and we're leaving to a friends wedding in Indiana next week. With that being said, we didn't buy a tree or decorate since there wasn't enough time enjoy it. Meanwhile, we're enjoying them elsewhere!

I'm excited to report that we had some snow!! It wasn't a lot but just enough! It started snowing in the evening and I couldn't wait to wake up the next morning, look out the window and see snow! There was a lot on the cars and rooftops and little on the ground... so no snow angels or snowmen. It started to melt immediately and we haven't received any since. It's a lot of fun to experience "winter" since we don't get the real deal on the west coast.

I started this post before Christmas and am just now posting it, jeeze cw! We had a great Christmas with all of our family and many festivities! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with the ones you love :-)

CW

The Neighborhood Clique

Yesterday while I was watching out my window I noticed that we have a clique of neighbors who look to be in their 80's. They were chatting out front, observing the neighborhood and seemed to be best friends. And since I'm on the market for new friends I was thinking that I could introduce myself and maybe become a new member of their clique. It seems like there would be a lot of good benefits such as; watching over each other's houses, bingo night which would be exciting, great conversations, trips to the mall and maybe a baked goods exchange. What do you think?

Home Sweet Home!

In case you were wondering, I didn't throw my phone into a swamp even though it's still acting up and I've given it way too many chances!

We made it to our new home on Monday afternoon and let me tell you, we were so relieved and happy to be here after 40hrs of travel! It could have been worse; if we traveled by horse and buggy. We managed to unpack all our clothes, family room and thanks to our family for unpacking the kitchen and buying some groceries prior to our arrival. It's amazing to finally be in our own bed and have our own furniture again!

Tuesday we went to the nearest community college to enroll. I can't wait to sign up for classes tomorrow when we get Internet. After the trip to the college we went to Home Depot with two main purchases on the mind; blinds and new door locks. We walked out with new door locks, an area rug, a 2x4 and realized we were driving my two door car. We decided that Dave should get in first and roll down his window. I then attempted to cram the area rug and 2x4 in the back seat leaving whatever didn't fit in the car, outside of the car which made it a comfortable ride home for Dave. He escaped without any injuries or splinters, phew! We ended the day having dinner with Dave's parents and shopping for fruit to prepare for our 48hr cleanse we planned to start the next morning...genius idea.

Wednesday we woke up and drank our not so appetizing juice which I repeated three other times throughout the day in between eating fruit. I started my first day of work with my sister in law. It probably wasn't a great idea to start the cleanse on my first day of work mainly because, as I was eating loads of fruit and drinking the barf juice, all I could think of was protein while day dreaming constantly. After work I attempted a pilates class which I was in no mood for being that I was ready to chew off my own arm. My patience started to wear thin as the teacher instructed me to tighten my stomach muscles and point my toes. After pilates I met up with Dave. He said "should we go get a salad?" with an enthusiastic smile on his face. I looked at him as if I was about to snap and said "I will be having a hoagie with turkey...you can get whatever you want." So he got a salad and I got my hoagie :-) Goodbye fruit cleanse hello happiness! I decided it wasn't for me since I don't function well without food. He's still going strong on the cleanse and I commend him for it!

Today has been a little bit of a struggle for me. Dave left a few hours ago for work and I don't know where to start to build my new life here. I know it might take a while for me to get comfortable and feel settled but the process is always overwhelming. On top of feeling unsettled I'm trying to find my purpose and individuality which I feel is important. It took me a while to get out of bed this morning. Once I got my coffee I moved to the couch to read and look out the windows. I've been watching the neighborhood and people move around. I'm still waiting for our welcome cookie/cake platters to arrive and wondering who our neighbors are. It's time I stop being so pathetic and get ready for the day. I need music and a little movement. It's so quiet around here right now. I can't wait to start decorating and the first step is getting rid of these hideous drapes! Need to make a few phone calls, eat, run an errand or two then pick up the niece and nephew from school...I'm really looking forward to it!

I hope you're farther along in your day than I am, wherever you are!

CW

The things we do...

Like going on a fruit and juice cleanse for 48hrs! I've almost made it the first day and all I can think about are the things I cannot have. I'm like a dog drooling over every piece of "real" food ready to pounce on anyone who gets in the way. I'm grumpy, my level of concentration is at ZERO and I'm absolutely starving! I want a sandwich tonight and it's going to take an army to stop me...

And I wish I had the patience right now to give you an update but I don't. I'll write you when I've had enough sleep an am not malnourished or drooling which I'm sure you'll appreciate ;)

Cereal {Grump} Writer

Memories and BBQ

We use to live here in Mississippi when Dave's ship was being built and of course we had to stop at our favorite BBQ joint of all times...The Shed. Many memories! Now headed through Alabama.

Tex-Mex and the Alamo

***Warning*** If you haven't read the two previous posts, you might want to do a little catching up...just sayin.
San Antonio is a neat city! It rained all night after we arrived but that didn't stop us from walking the riverwalk or getting ice cream; which are both perfect for my cold. Dave and I shared a 60oz margarita at dinner. After dinner we went to Coyote Ugly and had a couple drinks then headed to a brittish pub called Mad Dogs; where {I} had a great time. The entertainment consisted of two women who are best friends and 40 years of age. Their chemistry was hilarious! Dave implied that I was "old" for enjoying it so much. My father in law ended up getting a lap dance by one of the ladies and I'm still mad at myself for not getting our camera out fast enough! When we got back to the hotel, Dave and I decided to take a dip in the outdoor pool that was closed. So, being the kids we are, we jumped in! Did I mention that it was 42 degrees and raining??? We lasted long enough for Dave to dip his cast in the chlorine water hoping it would take away that funky "cast" smell. Unfortunately for me, it didn't work. I need to confess, I allowed Dave to book our hotel again. I wanted to give him another chance and he did a great job! We slept well that night minus the insects and our gas station attendant roomie.
The next morning we had breakfast at a local joint then went to see the Alamo and take pictures. I heard that Ozzy Osborne is banned from San Antonio for peeing on the alamo but I'm not sure if it's true. Just wanted to throw that interesting piece of info at ya.

Then we hit the road again and this time to New Orleans.

Off to bed now...

PS: The blog app I use on my phone keeps forcing me to close it, really testing my patience since it erases either some or all of my unpublished entry. What I'm trying to say is if you don't hear from me for a while it's because I threw my phone in the Louisiana swamp.

Chose your roomates wisely

This was one of those "blink and miss the whole damn town" places. We stopped there simply because we needed to sleep. Just so ya'll know,Dave isn't allowed to book our hotels anymore. After a night of chasing insects around our room, hearing the gas station attendant that sounded like he was sitting on the edge of our bed all night long and sleeping on paper stuffed with cotton balls, I think we've had enough of his picks. Oh and I failed to mention the bath tub that had "disease" written all over it! Are you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down? Needless to say, we didn't sleep at all and left in the morning before checking out the "free" breakfast. I have to be honest, I knew that if I laid eyes on that "free" breakfast, I was guaranteed to lose my appetite for the day, so we went to Wendy's. That was our Van Horn experience.

On the road again

We left my brother's house about 10am. I felt sad to leave everyone but I find peace in knowing I'll visit often. I try not to look at things as though they're set in stone. We had a blowout in Texas which was scary. We called road side assistance and they sent the tow truck man. He of course didn't see us around the curve. The moment I turned my back on traffic I heard tires screeching so I turn around to see tire smoke from fellow traffic trying to avoid a pile up. He slammed on his breaks and met the curb, jumped out of his truck and said 'That's no big deal...happens all the time' then changed my tire within 3 minutes. It looked like a scene out of Ace Ventura or Inspector gadget. We drove to the tire shop in rush hour. They were about to lock the door and had all the lights turned off. Dave was able to get in just in time, ask for a new tire and told them he'd change it himself. The guys at the shop were kind enough to lift the garage and fix the tire for us. I love people like that! We definitely didn't want to be stranded in that town tonight so we were very grateful for their help. We got back on the road and made it to our final stop for the night two hours later. I hope to get some good sleep tonight. Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow for the next leg of our road trip.

Sweet dreams,
CW

It's not guaranteed

On Friday my great uncle passed away and today was his memorial service. I have so many great memories with him; his laugh, warmth and the times we spent in Mexico and Pinetop. He was such a fun and loving person. We are going to miss him greatly.

On the way home from the memorial, I received a text from a friend saying that one of our mutual friends died last night. I was immediately overwhelmed with so much sadness. She was 27 and just got married a little over a month ago. I have been thinking of her husband and family all day and I cannot even begin to imagine the immense pain they're all suffering. I'm a mess right now and in complete shock! I'm lying here thinking how close in age we were and how she dreamt of all things in life that I dream of. How full of life she was and such a warm person. How do loved ones cope with this kind of pain? When I think of being in her husband's or family's shoes I can't stop crying. I often hear "you have the rest of your lives ahead of you" but I know it's not guaranteed. This is a terrible reminder of just how fragile life is. She will be missed by so many.

Sorry to hit you with such a sad post. I've found that writing helps me sort my thoughts and feelings and brings me peace...lucky you ;-)

I need to get to sleep ASAP! We start the next stretch of our drive in the morning. Not only do I have a lot on my mind but I'm also sick so it's important I get enough rest.

Write you on the road,
cw

Bobbing for Apples

I'm experiencing this overwhelming and anxious feeling right now. I can't really pin point the exact reason because there is so much happening. I have this desire to be home. When I say home I mean being in our home on the east coast, at my Mom's house or with a group of people who make me feel at home. Oh, and a place to put my belongings other than in our cars which is like bobbing for apples every time I want to find something. I am going to read now to take my mind off things, relax then maybe I'll rejoin the party. By the way, the pork shoulder was delicious AND I made special applesauce brownies which were also delicious!

Freezing in this state and I'm not even on the east coast yet!

First State

Good morning! We left my Mom's house yesterday afternoon to start the road trip. I never like leaving my Mom because she gets really sad but I know she understands why we're doing what we're doing. It's just life. I know I'll see her very soon. We reached the first state of our journey back east, last night. Dave's Dad flew in the night before last. We asked him to come out and drive Dave's truck back east for us since Dave can't drive with his arm in a cast. We're very grateful that he was able to come. Our friends held a get together for us as soon as we arrived. It makes it much easier to have everyone come to one place rather than us driving all over town. The get together wasn't your typical get together and it never is with this particular group of friends. There's always a lot of rough housing, drinking games, music and alcohol involved. We had a great time and I was exhausted from trying to mediate all night.
T came into the room this morning to wake us for the hiking trip. Yes, hiking trip, after a night of fun and staying up until nearly 4am! The moment I heard the word "hike" at 9am I immediately felt regret for ever mentioning I'd go along. Who goes hiking after a night of partying? Not me! After Dave and a couple guys left on their hiking trip, I got up to help my brother start the process of smoking a pork shoulder for the BBQ this afternoon. Yummers! I love hanging with my brothers weather they're fixing a car or smoking a pork shoulder :-)

I'll catch up with you later,
CW

The close of another chapter

I just dropped Dave off at his ship. I am happy to report that today they will give him his final tour pin, ding him off the ship and release him. Today concludes another chapter in our lives and we will start a new. Scary and exciting! I am so proud of Dave and his 6yrs of service. Today is a big day for him, us and our future. Wow!

Ms. Grumperton

I met with my good friend "M" yesterday morning at a coffee shop. We were having such a nice time catching up when a woman came and sat down next to us. She interrupted us and said to M, "are you sick because you have a cough?" M said, "I'm getting over a little cold but I'm fine and it's not the H1N1." For the record, M had a slight cough, not a hack. The woman preceded to tell us how the government says that anyone with any cold symptoms should stay home, how selfish and uneducated M is for being out in public with a cough and that it wasn't all about her. We were so caught off guard and who was this woman anyway?! Our lovely meeting over coffee suddenly went sour because of this grumpy woman who decided to butt in to our conversation instead of minding her own business OR, moving tables for that matter. M decided she was done dealing with this woman and got up to leave, I followed her. Sadly, at Ms. Grumperton's age, she hasn't learned that she can't control what others do or say but she CAN control herself...by staying at home. In my opinion, Americans constantly live in fear and that includes me. The flu is the flu and it's been going around for years. We don't need to squabble around as if everyone with a cough or a sneeze is an H1N1 dispenser. Just sayin'.