Thursday, June 30 - The Search is on (CS, CO)

 

For about one year now I have mentioned to Jesse that I would really like to have a car. He was not on the same page as me, and he was against getting one. Well he has changed his mind and now thinks it would be a good idea.

I want to get a small used hatch back type car, so that there is plenty of room for the boys to move around when they are in it.

After he returned from getting tires for the truck we took off for the Springs to Motor City Way. Jesse has been looking on line for deals. Our 1st stop was the Dodge dealership they had a used Rav-4 we wanted to see, unfortunately they had sold it.

We test drove a 2010 Dodge Caliber. Jesse was not real pleased with it saying it was too noisy and he thought it was not made well.

We moved on to the Subaru dealer and test drove a 2007 Outback. I didn’t think it was a good deal and we didn’t want to spend that much money. Plus David said that Subaru’s didn’t get good gas mileage.

So we called it a night and will continue our search.

We stopped at Pizza Hut and brought home a pasta bake for dinner.

 

Today I did more laundry and started to put some of the inside things away. We are moving on Saturday to a different site one that will have more shade. I have to work so Jesse will do the move all by himself, but I will have everything put away inside.

I went to work at 1pm and closed at 6pm. Things were busy and crazy.

After getting home I had a glass of wine before starting dinner. I grill some boneless pork loins, made noodles and broccoli and a salad.

Afterwards I just hung out in my recliner and watched TV.

Wednesday, June 29 - Great News!! and not so Good News

 

Monday I worked the 2nd shift which meant I closed the office. I was scheduled to get off at 6, but that didn’t happen. As I started to close up everyone came in, guest to purchase items, to ask questions, 3 new check-ins and the phone kept ringing. It was a crazy hour, thank goodness Megan, Mary Nell’s granddaughter was there to assist me (thank you Megan).

Tuesday was my day off. Jesse also took the day off. It was very hot, can’t believe we are in the mountains.

Jesse dropped me off at the shop and I got a mani/pedi. He then continued on to run some errands. He bought replacement bulbs for the RV, and a filter for our drinking water. While he was out he got a flat tire and of course he had to change it, so now we have no spare tire. We knew we needed new tires for the truck so I guess that will be our next purchase.

After changing the tire and fueling the truck he picked me back up.

We headed back to home to use the facilities and pick up the empty propane tank.

We headed back down the road to Michelle’s for lunch and then on to Walmart to get groceries.

We stopped to fill our propane and headed home again. After getting the groceries put away, I relaxed in front of my computer.

For dinner I made Turkey minions, baked potatoes, asparagus, and salad.

Today I opened the office. There was a ton of e-mails to answer and I got them all completed. It stayed steady again today which I really like very much.

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On to the GREAT new! Ed and Marilyn have gotten the okay from the insurance company and now are proud owners of a new 2011 Mobile Suite 5th wheel. We are so happy for them and excited for their new adventure. We are looking forward to seeing them and are anxiously awaiting there arrival.

The bad new: Kelsey has been sick for about two weeks with what the doctor said was the flu…It turns out she has Infectious Mononucleosis. From what I have read the treatment is just what she has been doing, drinking lot of fluids, rest and more rest and take ibuprofen. Hopefully she is on the mend, she said she felt a little better today.

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Jesse left around 12:30 to go get new tires on the truck and I went home at 1pm to have lunch, and do laundry. When he got home he said we had “new shoes” for our truck. I thought that was a funny way to put it.

We have now left to go back into Springs … more tomorrow on why …. ??????

Sunday, June 28 - Time with Friends & Family (CS, CO)

 

I haven’t written since Wednesday, because nothing much has happened until the weekend.

I closed the office both Thursday and Friday. It has stayed steady in the office with guests visiting, phones ringing, people purchasing items from the store and check-in. I like the work, it is not stressful and everyone is just so nice.

On Saturday I worked until 2pm. Jesse also came in when I called to help one of our guest move from one site to another. The guest had an old 5th wheel that was very low to the ground and had problems getting their rig set-up in the site and getting it level.

He also showed some guests to their sites and just helped where needed.

I came home and relaxed for a while before we headed to Boone for an evening with our children.

Beth and DJ were having a fish fry. DJ and Adam had gone fishing and caught most of the fish. It makes Jesse and I very happy to know that our children and their spouses get along well and are close. Although Adam and Beth have always been close and we are very grateful for that blessing.

Back to the fish fry. They fried Walleye, and two other type of fish, everything tasted really good.

They also grilled on wood planks some white salmon, halibut (given to DJ by a guy he worked with that fished in Alaska) and trout. I had never eaten white salmon, it tastes different but still good.

We got home late and walked the boys then off to bed.

Today was a day off for me, so I slept in not getting out of bed until 8:30.

Jesse left about 10am to help David with a trip in town. David needed to make another trip, but Jesse wasn’t able to help him on the 2nd run because we had plans with Tony and Jackie to meet up with Lynette and Greg.

The four of us left the campground around 2:15 and headed for Manitou Springs. We all met at the Stagecoach Inn.

 

None of us had eaten here before. We arrived to find Lynette and Greg there already. We all did hugs and handshakes. This was the 1st time Jackie and Tony had met Lynette and Mac.

We all ordered cocktails and the conversation was continuous. Our waiter was very nice and allowed us to delay ordering our entrée.

The food was nothing to write home about, being very was bland, but everyone finished their meal.  Each couple ordered one dessert, I shared my cherry cobbler ala mode with Jesse, it was very good.

We walked outside and stood in the parking lot for awhile still talking.

 

It was a fun afternoon, good to see Mac and Netters again and try to catch up. We stopped at Walgreens on the way back to the camp to pick-up some items that were on sale.

We just relaxed with the A/C running, because it was a hot day in the mountains, about 95 degrees.

Wednesday, June 22 -

 

Today I got up and stripped the bed. After the sheets were washed I hung them outside to dry.

I played with my new phone trying to figure out the correct way to use it.

I have to go in at 1pm today so I just did a few chores around the house before getting a shower.

I forgot to mention that last Saturday Jesse and I went shopping for furniture to replace the sofa. This is what we found and brought them home. They fit well and are pretty comfortable for occasional chairs.

Now we just need to find some tables that I like.

When I went to work the phones were messed up. The phones were not working correctly, you couldn’t dial long distance, therefore you couldn’t take a message and call someone back. I had people on hold while talking to others on the other line and people in the store…..It was crazy, but good. I didn’t loose anyone and everyone was patient which made it good.

I couldn’t get the 4 wheeler to work so I had to walk people to their sites. Good exercise!!!

For dinner I made Jesse elk steaks and I had hot dogs. We had macaroni salad, 3 bean salad and cucumbers. Watermelon for dessert.

We watched TV and relaxed for the evening.

Tuesday, June 21 - I Phone (CS, CO)

 

Today was my day off and I just hung out at home with the boys. Jesse went to work at 8am.

I gave the boys a bath, did some laundry, I got caught up in my shows that were DVR’d, and watched the food channel.

When Jesse got off at 3pm he got a shower and we were off to the Verizon store. It was time for a phone upgrade and Jesse wanted me to get an IPHONE. I had really not wanted one until I went home earlier this month.

Kelsey showed me her Blackberry smart phone and I got hooked. Now I just need to learn how to use it! The sales guy told me they have free classes to teach you how to use it, so I need to look into that.

After retuning home I prepared dinner and cleaned up the dishes.

We watched some TV until we went off to bed.

Sunday, June 19 - Family Gathers for Fathers Day (CS, CO)

 

Today started like most Sunday’s. A day off to enjoy anyway we want to.

We planned a day with the children and grandchildren.

Just as Jesse and I were going to run up to the store to get some fruit and rolls, I received a very disturbing phone call from our good friend Marilyn of Ed and Marilyn.

If you follow our blog I am sure you have read me write about them many times. They were on there way here to Colorado when they had a blow out on their beautiful Mobile Suites trailer and it caught the rig on fire, and lost their home. She was just devastated watching their rig burn. After she calmed down a little I told her that I loved her and we said goodbye for now.

Jesse and I went into town to pick up the items we needed.

All our family arrived and we enjoyed having them very much, laughing and having a meal with them. We love having them visit and spending time with them.

Grampy

Ryan

Kacie

Gage

Colt

Adam & Kim

Elizabeth

DJ and the boys wrestling

Group hug

It was a very nice day, but our thoughts kept coming back to our friends.

“Thank the lord” they are okay, thank you in advance for saying an extra prayer for them.

God Bless!

Friday, June 17 - Nothing New (CS,CO)

 

Yesterday I worked form 1-6 and I was swamped. I hardly had time to go to the bathroom. The phones were ringing all day long. Many people are now thinking about July 4th weekend, but the are way too late. We have been full for the Holiday weekend for several months now.

I also spent time on the phone moving people around so we can move, their policy here is not to move people without making a courtesy call to see if they are okay with the move. We had one group that wouldn’t move, so instead of moving this weekend we are going to move on July 2. We are not moving too far, just next door.

Our site is really nice and big, but we get NO SHADE. Our A/C runs non-stop and it still gets warm in the middle of the day. The site next door is smaller, but we will have some shade.

After work Jesse and I went to Canon City to do our shopping. We went to Subway 1st to get a sandwich. It was the biggest Subway we have been in, they even had a fireplace in the dinning room (no fire of course).

We then went to Walmart to get some grocery items. I was exhausted by the time we got home at 9pm, so I didn’t put all the groceries away.

We relaxed for a little before going off to bed.

 

This morning I had made an appointment for Mr. B at Fountain Vet Clinic. Jackie had taken Gucci there and she was pleased with them. We thought Mr. B has a urinary track infection and we were correct. We came home with antibiotics for him. The funny part of this visit was getting a urine specimen.

The technician and I took Mr. B outside and when he lifted his leg, she was right there with a cup to catch it. Mr. B was like “what is she doing down there” and he stopped. So we tried again and specimen success!

I like Dr. Graft very much. He was very informative and checked out Mr. B thoroughly. He said Mr. B needs to have his teeth cleaned again, which we knew, so we will have to get that done when this problem is cleared up.

We came home and I washed & packaged the meats into meal size portions and froze them , then put the rest of the groceries away.

I go into work at 2pm, so I will relax until then.

Work was busy again today, we only have a few open spaces for the weekend.

I was very tired when I got home but I made myself some eggs to eat then started to watch the movie “Tron” with Jesse. I couldn’t finish it as I became too tired, so off to bed we went.

Tuesday, June 14 - Errands/Work (CS, CO)

 

Yesterday I also had the day off. I stripped the bed and put the sheets in the washing machine.

Got cleaned up and left about 9am and went to the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs. I was pleasantly surprised that the mall was closer then I thought. I visited a few stores and made a few purchases.

I noticed that they had a chick-fil-a in the food court and I couldn’t resist. (It happens to be the one and only “fast food” place that I really like) I got an original chicken sandwich and water for lunch.

From there I entered Pier One in Hazel (our GPS) and dove over to that area. I didn’t find what I wanted there so then I had hazel direct me to the Super Walmart.

I was not impressed with this Walmart and look forward to going back to Canon City to shop. I was able to get most of the items I needed, then headed home.

I made homemade pizza and salad for dinner. I used an idea from another RV friend Debbie Kendall. I used the Alfredo sauce I made and added caramelized onions and grilled chicken. I also used the bag 4 kind of Italian cheese.. We liked it a lot, thanks Deb for the idea.

After dinner we just relaxed for the evening.

 

Today I opened the office. I was very busy on the phones this morning and I also helped the owner with some bookkeeping. Mary Nell had me scheduled until 1pm and Jackie coming in at noon. It was not busy enough for both of us to be there so I went home when she came in.

I made Jesse and I some lunch, while he walked the boys, then I went into town to get my nails done.

I have not been successful finding someone that does a good job, but I think this girl may be the one.

After returning home I dusted and vacuumed the RV while continuing to do laundry.

Jackie asked us to stop over for cocktails when she got home from work at 6pm. Ken and Jean also joined us, it was nice getting to know these nice folks better and the conversation was non-stop.

I enjoyed playing with Gucci and watching Alessi play with her too. The buck deer also came by to drink from their bird baths and we enjoyed watching them when Alessi and Gucci didn’t frighten them away.

Once we were back home we talked to Beth and DJ who had been trying to reach us all evening. DJ needed some advise from Jesse about purchasing a new truck.

I made us a bagel and we just watched the Food Channel until bed time.

Sunday, June 12 – Trip to Manitou Springs (CS, CO)

 

Today we both had off.

Jesse was up before me even after our late night last night the boys wanted to go outdoors at 6am, so Daddy took them out. I stayed in bed and after they returned and had breakfast they returned to the bed with me. Just the boys’ Jesse stayed up and computered.

I got up at 8am, shortly after Jesse walked down to the office to get coffee and donuts. We serve them to our guests free of charge.

He brought me one, but I didn’t want it so he ate it too.

After we were showered and dressed we went to IHop for some breakfast. From there we stopped at Petsmart to purchase the boy’s some dog food.

Then on to Manitou Springs. It was a beautiful sunny day with clear skies and a light breeze. Just beautiful!!

We strolled up and down stopping in a few stores. Jesse wanted to get a hat to wear while working so his head and ears don’t get burned and we found one at the last store we went in.

I purchased some garlic olive oil at The Olive Tap, and a strainer for the kitchen sink from The Kitchen Shop. I purchased one last year when we were here and I really like it, so I wanted another for the other side.

I also purchased a stained glass piece that has birds on it.

As we strolled we ran into Jackie, Tony and their grandson Alessi. We chatted for a bit while the guys were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over this cycle.

Walking back to the truck through the park we saw some dogs cooling off in the stream.

We drove by Old Colorado City to see if Jorges the Mexican restaurant was open yet. It was still closed for remodeling.

Then we stopped by Safeway to pick up a few items.

I made spaghetti topped with home made Alfredo sauce made with Vidalia onions, red peppers and shrimp. I served a salad and warmed Italian bread.

After we cleaned up the kitchen we just watched some TV and relaxed.

Saturday, June 11 - Sweet Sixteen, (CS, CO)

 

I opened the office today at 7:00 and worked until 2:00. It stayed steady most of the time. The Airstream Group was in and out all day. They really are a very nice group of people.

Jesse came down to the office to visit me, so I sent him out with the camera to take a few pictures.

After getting home I relaxed and freshed up and off we went to Elizabeth’s house. It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to get there, not counting our stop at the bank ATM in Pueblo.

We arrived and I helped get things set up. The theme was black and white leopard print with accents of pink and green.. We covered all the tables with leopard print plastic. It was a real challenge because it was very windy, but we got it done. Beth had made some little flower arrangements for the table. Cute!

Then we set the food out and DJ started to grill hamburgers and hot dogs.

The girls, Kacie is the one in front on the 2nd picture.

Kim our daughter-in-law made the cake. It was just as Kacie designed it and she was very, very happy. It looked like something you see on HGTV cake wars. It was just as tasty as it was beautiful.

Kacie and several of her friends Cheer together, so they decided to show us some moves. Kacie being the smallest, is the one that gets tossed.

When it started to get dark and the wind had stopped some, DJ started a camp fire.

Happy Sweet 16th Birthday Kacie

Friday June 10 - Gooseberry Patch (CS, CO)

 

Today was a normal day not as hot as it has been. I got caught up on my shows that recorded while I was away and just messed around the house.

I was scheduled to work 1-9, but one of the groups that was suppose to come in cancelled, so things were slow and I got off at 6:00pm. Jesse also didn’t work a full day.

He was suppose to have leftovers for dinner, but we decided to go down to the Gooseberry Patch Family Restaurant in Penrose for dinner. We had a very good meal with large servings and priced right. We were too full to have dessert, but we decided to get it to go for later.

Kris left us a message on our blog about water pressure for showers. Most of the time I have no problems with our pressure. Some camp grounds pressure is not the best. I have never used a bath house, but I know many full-timers that do from time to time, so they can get a more invigorating shower. Hope this helps!

Tomorrow should be a little more exciting to write about because we are attending our only granddaughter’s 16th birthday party.

Until then

Hugs to everyone!!

Thursday June 9 - Happy Birthday Blake (CS, CO)

 

Today was another work day, I opened at 8am and it stayed steady most of the day.

An Airstream rally are staying with us for the weekend. There were 7 rigs that came in today, one of which is the wagon master, the rest arrive tomorrow. Roger, the wagon master, is a very nice funny man and it was a real pleasure talking with him.

I got off at 3:00 and came home and made a meat loaf for dinner.

Jesse came in just a few minutes after me. He was very tired and hot and headed right for the shower. He has been clearing brush which is back breaking.

After he was cleaned up he sat and relaxed with a beer. I prepared the rest of our meal and we had some dinner.

I continued to do laundry and we just relaxed for the evening.

I heard that Crystal had her baby boy today!!!!! The baby was 4 1/2 weeks early and everyone is doing good. Crystal is the daughter of my friend Carolee from Las Vegas and I am so happy for her family. CONGRATULATIONS !!!!

Happy Birthday Blake Lewis!!

Wednesday, June 8 - Back to the Grind (CS, CO)

After doing laundry last night, I still wasn't finished so I continued this morning.

Jesse went to work at 8am, but I didn't go in until noon.

I took it easy and computered while having coffee. I watched the "Today Show", it was Meredith Vieira's last day and they had a special for her. She was very emotional which made me tear up.

Work went well and it stayed steady which I like. I enjoy my job and the people are so nice. The work is mostly easy and not too stressful.

I got off at 7 pm and came home to make salad and home made pizza for dinner.

It was a good day back to the grind.

Hugs!

Tuesday, June 7 - A Lot to Catch Up On (CS, CO)

 

Today I flew back from Baltimore. I have spent the last week staying with my brother Gene, SIL Debbie, and Kelsey my niece. The main purpose of my visit was to attend Kelsey High School Graduation. Jesse and the boys stayed home.

I was able to visit one day with Jesse’s family. Kelsey and I drove to Sondra’s and we went to visit with Sondra’s daughter, SIL and 2 grandchildren home for a short visit, then we drove to Pennsylvania visit with Mitch and Margaret, my brother and sister in law.

We went out to eat and then back to their house for some visiting. Margaret had made a jello ring and bought us some gourmet cupcakes ….. They were beautiful and delicious.

Kelsey and I spent a day in Delaware at her brother Brian’s house. We drove 4 wheelers and played in the yard with the girls and the new kittens they found.

It was a wonderful too short visit home with family

But it’s good to be home!!