Vacationed Out

Three short trips in two weeks - I'm tired and ready to stay home for awhile!

It was all fun - Vegas, Basswoods RV and Omaha. The best part was our day trip to the Hoover Dam and the lunch cruise around Lake Mead. I never realized how pretty parts of Nevada can be. I would recommend that visit to anyone. And we went the first day they opened the new bridge that spans the canyon over the dam (created to streamline traffic and ease the congestion through the dam).

Tomorrow I take the girls to the KC Zoo for Boo-at-the-Zoo. And then Sunday is Halloween and I'm taking them trick-or-treating. I've no idea what I will do when Krissy gets too old to go door-to-door; I've been doing it almost every year (missed two) since Felicia was 1 (15 years ago!)

Then it's on to Thanksgiving. I didn't do a Thanksgiving dinner the last two years and I think I'm ready to do it again. Wonder who might be interested in coming. Charlie will say he will but then won't. George might be going to Breezy's parents' house (though I doubt it)... guess I'll just put the invite out there and see who bites!

I'm Smart!

Finally got myself an I-phone - now I'm smart! The phone is pretty easy to use - I've already got my Facebook app up and running. And I figured out how to take and send pictures (so I'm sure video won't be too hard, either.) The only thing is that I seem to have lost all the pictures I had on the Razor phone and I would like those. So, I'll have to visit the AT&T store to see what they can do for me. But I'm liking this new phone! $100 and I added a texting plan for $5 - the rest of the plan is in tact so the monthly bill shouldn't be too much higher. I'm betting Shawn gets one soon (maybe for Christmas?!?!)

Tomorrow we are off to Vegas and I think I'm finally getting excited about it. I've just been too busy to think about the trip much. I have a few things still to do today but otherwise, it's laundry and pack! Sadly, I didn't make it to my Vegas weight and, in fact, need to try to drop three or four pounds between now and when we land tomorrow afternoon (good luck with that!). Too much eating lately - and not necessarily good-for-me food. It's so easy to slip back into the bad eating habits; wish it was that easy to accept the new eating habits but those never seem to get easier!

Dino Land

Emily wanted to visit the dinosaurs for her birthday treat so today I took her and her sisters to Union Station to see the very cool dinosaur exhibit. We then hit Science City and on the way home, T-Rex for more dinosaur fun. I mentioned to the waitress while we were ordering desert that it was Emily's birthday so they brought out the desert (a smoking Chocolate Extinction) and sang her happy birthday. She was so embarrassed! I loved it. An expensive day out but so worth building those memories for them.

It dawned on me while I was watching Emmi and Krissy play around the water fountain at The Legends that Susanna would probably love to be able to give her kids what I do. I think even if they did have more money she wouldn't because Gregg would break her down and stop her from trying. Maybe she'll be able to indulge her grandchildren. Maybe.

Tomorrow all the Weissenbachs, Susanna's girls and Tom and his family are coming over to watch the Chiefs game. What was suppose to be a simple get-together-and-do-something with Scott turned into a major ordeal. Lots of money, lots of time has gone in to this. Those Weissenbachs always want to get together at someone else's house. I've been to Scott's house twice (in the 12 years they've been married) and Todd's house maybe 3 times (in the 15 years they've been in their house). They've all been over here at least 6 times, probably more. I don't get it.

I have a big busy day tomorrow so I am hitting the hay. 'Night!

Hit October

Wow, month 10 of 2010 - time is speeding up!

Not a lot to report - Felicia helped me put up my Halloween lights today, much to the dismay of Shawn. I don't know what's happened to him in recent years but he is turning anti-everything. I wonder if it's because I fuss so much about not really wanting to do it but feel obligated (not true, but I DO say that). Maybe he's just turning in to one of those 'old men' that ruin things for everyone (about 98% of all men turn in to those).

Bought myself a pair of sexy 4-inch heel shoes, zebra-print. They hurt my knee and my feet and I'm not sure how far I can walk in them but.... I love them. They are going to Vegas with me, even if it's just to wear for a dinner at the resort. I will have to wear them around the house to break them in somewhat. Better get the foot bath ready!

Been checking out the Disney cruises and have decided we need to book sooner rather than later. I am very excited about our 10th anniversary vacation next year!

Week-End At Great Wolf Lodge

The week-end at Great Wolf Lodge was, for the most part, great. Emily discovered the joys of waterslides and spent as much time as I could accommodate climbing up then sliding down. Krissy discovered how to be a kid of five - it took about 10 minutes at the waterpark to get a smile on her face but once there, it stayed all week-end (pretty much). Felicia passed on the waterpark (I think she was self conscious about her body in a swimsuit) but entertained herself with MagiQuest and the arcade (she was, as always, the most expensive to keep happy).

The exception to the fun was Shawn. He came in Saturday night with a bottle of booze and quickly slammed three drinks before we took Emmi to the waterpark. As the night progressed, so did his drinking until he was stumbling around in his underwear swearing and making derogatory remarks. Fortunately Krissy was asleep by then and Felicia was at the arcade, but poor Emily was scared. It was storming outside and that had her nervous but she was more scared of Shawn, opting to hide out in the 'cabin' until he passed out. I am beyond livid at his behavior and I let him know it today (he conveniently has no memory of what he did and said). I pointed out that it would never have happened if the kids had been Weissenbachs. But because they were not just Hunts but Susanna's kids, he felt it was OK to be crude and crass around them. He will not be invited to join our outings again. I have to protect them from that kind of behavior.

And like always, he seems to think all he has to do is say 'I'm sorry. I love you' and all will be right.

Just in time for our vacation weeks. Like usual.

Life Is Good

Connecting with Shawn is so worth all the time spent away from him. My favorite thing in the world to do is to just sit and talk with him. If we're sharing a bottle of wine or a platter of chicken wings - all the better.

I'm missing my Cujo Baby Cujo Kitten today. I can't believe she's been gone from me for 5 months. I miss her so much.

We've decided Curly Monkey is a boy after all. I guess the vet was just tired or something when I took him in. Granted he's not as endowed as his brother, but there is definitely something between his legs. Poor thing - he has to have a complex by now! I love him regardless of gender - or in the absence of one if that be the case.

Have all the Weissenbach kids' Christmas gifts ordered! I need to figure something out for Shawn - last year wasn't very successful with him. He's a hard one.

Laboring on Labor Day

I went from a three-day week-end to working all week-end! How did that happen?!?! Guess I wanted the boss to think of me as a team player so when the call went out to work (with a floating holiday), I answered. Good for me - and dumb for me! I could have used the time off. (But I sure knocked out a lot of letters!)

Shawn and I went to Holy-Field Winery yesterday for the first time. It was full of folks who had helped 'bring in the harvest'; we were the only ones actually drinking wine! And what wine it was! As normal we split a bottle but this was some potent stuff. We got more than tipsy off it. However, when we went in to buy some bottles to take home, they inadvertently gave us twice the order and we were snookered enough to not notice till we got home. So we hit our own 'buy-one-get-one-free' sale on some very good wine!

We have a busy October lining up - a four-day trip to Vegas, a week-end at Basswood RV (in our own cabin this time) and a two-day trip to the Omaha Zoo. Nothing huge or fancy but enough fun things to make it feel like a real vacation for Shawn. Now we just have to figure out how to pay for it all!