Life Changes

Happy birthday to my wonderful husband, Randy! He turned 62 years young today and each year he just gets better and I love him more. And now we get to buy the National Parks senior pass!!! :)

We didn't do much to celebrate Randy's birthday today because he just doesn't care. I know many people say that, Randy truly doesn't. His feeling is that it's just another day, no big deal. So trying to do something special for/with him isn't easy. I guess I shouldn't complain – he could be a diva with lots of demands!

Oh, but I guess only one of those is allowed in the family. :)

We ended up going to lunch with Lindsay and Reagan which is always a treat.

The only other errand that we ran was to our doctor's office to pick up some medical equipment. I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Thankfully, my numbers are low enough that at this point I am able to go without medication or insulin and just manage it with diet and exercise. So, I picked up my glucometer and its accessories along with a nutrition booklet that details food allowances.

Life will change for us now that I have this diagnosis. I will have to be much more conscious of what I eat. Ugh. Again, it won't be so very difficult, I just have to watch my intake of carbs and sugar. And it could be so much worse, so I am thanking God for the early catch.

Another month is gone. Hard to believe we are almost halfway through 2011. Amazing.

Until the next time . . .

Remembering and Celebrating

Like many other blogs will do today, I want to take a moment to remember what this “holiday” is all about. It's not about the picnics or the sales events at the mall. It's about taking the time to honor those military personnel and their families who have made the ultimate sacrifice in keeping our country free. Their sacrifices allow us the freedom to go about our lives doing the things we like to do. And for our family, that does not go unnoticed.

THANK YOU to all who have gone before and fought the fight, sometimes to the point of not coming home. THANK YOU to those who are still fighting to preserve our freedoms. We appreciate your willingness to give up many creature comforts and time with your families. To the families of soldiers, thank you, too, for sacrificing time with your soldiers. You are heroes, too.

A big shout-out to our soldier, Kevin and his wife, Sam. Thanks, bud, for your service. We love you.

Tomorrow is Randy's birthday, the big one – 62! Why is that the big one you may ask? Well, any full-timer knows the answer to that! It's the age at which one can get the America the Beautiful Senior Park Pass for just $10! You can bet we'll be doing that within the next week or so.

But, today we celebrated with Jason, Lindsay & Reagan by going out to lunch for Mexican food. We had a very tasty lunch and Randy was serenaded and given a bowl of ice cream in honor of his special day.

After lunch we went to Bass Pro Shop to walk off lunch and browse. Love looking at all the animals as well as the aquarium. Reagan even got in some shooting practice!

On our way home we got caught in three mile traffic back-up. Took us two hours to get to our exit. Whew. And people are crazy when that happens. Too many cars were driving up the shoulder of the highway because they were too important to wait in the traffic like the rest of us. I really don't understand how people think sometimes. Ugh.

We finally got back to Jason & Lindsay's. We said our thank yous and good-byes and came on home. As usual, it was a great day with the kids.

Tomorrow it's back to Curves and a doctor's visit for me. More on that later.

Until the next time . . .

The Weekend

As expected, the campground began filling up late Friday afternoon. Families set up for the long weekend, looking forward to some fun. While some full-timers don't look forward to weekenders “invading,” I enjoy it. Long before we were full-timers, we were weekend campers who totally enjoyed the memories we made while camping. And watching these families doing the same, brings back those memories and makes me smile.

Of course, I won't deny that come Monday afternoon when everyone has packed up and gone home, I will enjoy the quiet that will prevail. :)

We had no specific plans for this weekend, for as I said in my previous post, our weekends are seven days long. :) Saturday morning we did go out to breakfast with Barry & Penny to a new-to-us diner, Lotus Diner.

Their sign also stated they have the best breakfast in town, so we figured it must be true, right? Well, I don't know if it was the best breakfast, but it certainly was good. And the price? Now, THAT was the best in town. Before tip, our meal totaled $11.88. Yeah, you read that right. And Randy and I both had big breakfasts; pancakes, eggs and meat. None of us walked away hungry, that's for sure. The service was really good, too.

We've had rain off and on the past couple of days, accompanied by thunder and lightning at times. Thankfully, the storms didn't last very long at all. And compared to what the midwest has been going through, I'm not complaining a bit!

This morning we visited another church, but I don't think we'll be going back. The people were very, very welcoming but there were no young people or families. It's a much older congregation and I want to be part of a church in which all ages are involved. Trying to find the church where God wants you isn't easy sometimes. But, we're gonna keep looking. I just want to find a church home here as well as in Alabama. It's pretty important to me.

In between everything else, we've been walking Blackie, relaxing in the RV with A/C on, and just hanging out. I'm very excited that my cross stitch project is almost done. Once it is, I will post a picture.

Tomorrow we are spending the day with Jason, Lins & Reagan. That's always fun.

Hope life is going well in your world. Until the next time . . .

Not Much Going On

The title pretty much sums up our days. That's why I haven't been posting every day. We tend to be much lazier here in PA than we are in Alabama. Therefore, we have don't have anything exciting to share with you!

Monday we did have an unexpected task – I got a text from Lindsay about 6:20am telling me she was really sick and asking if we could come over. Well, YES. That's one thing I love about being here; we are available. So, I blew off Curves (which made me so very sad – NOT!) and Randy & I got over there by 7:30. We spent the rest of the day letting Lindsay rest and taking care of Reagan.

Yesterday Randy was industrious, doing several chores including mowing our site. I, on the other hand, stayed inside cross stitching all day. I am very close to being done with the stitching and can get started on the detailing.

The rest of the week looks about the same as yesterday – hanging out at the campground. Of course Memorial Day weekend is coming up, but for us retirees our weekends are seven days long! :) I'm sure we'll participate in a few of the campground activities and visit with friends. But that's about it.

Hope you're week is going well. We continue to pray fervently for those in the storm-ravaged midwest. Very grateful that our son and daughter-in-law are safe so far.

Until the next time . . .

Weekend Wrap-up

The sun is setting on another good weekend. Is that redundant, “good weekend”? Isn't every weekend a good weekend? Hmmmmm . . . just a thought to ponder. :)

Anyway, Friday morning I hit Curves, then hurried home to get ready for my “appearance” at Reagan's school. I had the privilege of being a guest reader for her class. I was so excited. Lindsay thought I was crazy to be so excited, but I thought it was an honor to be allowed to do this.

Randy & I drove to Lindsay's and then we all got in her van to go to the school. We arrived about 15 minutes before the end of class. Randy waited in the van while Lins and I headed into the school. Apparently, Reagan was pretty excited about me being there, too, because she hurried right over to me as soon as her teacher told her we were there.

The kids were such good listeners! Reagan had picked out a Strawberry Shortcake book for me to read. And they were all very polite and listened attentively. I had a great time!

After school we went out to lunch. We'll take any reason to go out to lunch!

The rest of Friday was spent at home, just relaxing.

Saturday morning I was up and out the door early again! I had to be at Lindsay's by 8:30 as us three girls were going to the local community theater, Dreamwright's, to attend a playlet and breakfast. The playlet (just a scene or two of the entire play) was Cinderella and breakfast was cereal and doughnuts. We did get coffee, thank God!

In addition to breakfast, the kids made a craft of a crown, decorated with their names and however else they wanted to color or “bling” it up.

After the playlet, the kids were brought up on stage to parade around the stage area with the cast. Then, the cast members stayed afterward to meet the kids, have pictures taken, and get autographs. It was definitely a kid-friendly morning and Reagan thoroughly enjoyed herself.

After I got home, I got some lunch and settled in for the afternoon. I even took a very long nap – most of the afternoon, in fact. And since I only got about two hours sleep the night before, I didn't feel the least bit guilty about it. :)

We spent the rest of the day as usual. Dinner was cheddar chicken pasta.

This morning we went to a new church, St. Paul's Wolf's Evangelical Covenant Church. Since we've been going to an ECC church in Alabama, we thought we'd see if we could find one here. And we did. Our neighbors, Dick & Darlene have belonged to to this church for years. It's much more formal than the one in Alabama, but the pastor had a good message. I'm sure we'll be going back.

Once again, the plan for the rest of the day was just hanging out at home. I continue to work diligently on my cross stitch project. I need to get it done before we go to Maine in June. Judy is going to back it for me, so it needs to be done. Randy napped in between watching TV. :)

Dinner this evening was crockpot pepperjack chicken. It was pretty tasty. And now we're catching up on some shows we've DVR'd.

That's it from Dover, PA. Hope your weekend was good, too.

Life is Good

I know I usually post daily, but I'm thinking that's not going to be the case over the summer. The days are just not that exciting. :) Of course, neither was our winter. But, I figure you don't want to read about us sitting around, watching TV and relaxing, so I'll post every couple of days just to let you know we're still kickin'.

Yesterday we did have a very busy morning. It started at 6:30am when we left home to get lab work done. Nothing serious, just the annual blood tests to be sure there's nothing serious. :) And since we were to fast before the tests, we wanted to get there as early as possible. Heaven forbid we should miss a meal!!

We got to the lab about ten minutes before they began taking patients. Once they started, we were in and out of there in about 20 minutes. Not bad.

And then we were off to get breakfast. Like I said – we're not gonna miss a meal! We had a yummy meal at Bob Evans. We had lots of time to kill before my 9am eye doctor appointment. So, we enjoyed our food and chatted about the summer and what we might be doing. It was nice. I know. We're together all the time, so what could be so “nice” about sitting at Bob Evans, chatting? I don't have an answer for you; it just was.

Finally, it was time to go to the doctor. I was having a follow-up visit after having some tests done last week. I was hoping the tests would show that I wouldn't need to continue the eye drops I started a couple of years because of a diagnosis of early glaucoma. Unfortunately, that wasn't the news I got. While my eye pressure was the best it's been in a very long time, one of the tests showed some nerve loss, so I will continue the drops. The drops aren't a big deal, but it would have been nice to be able to stop them. I'm just grateful for the thoroughness of our eye doctor and that he is on top of this. Because of that, I'll probably never experience some of the more devastating effects of glaucoma.

We also picked up Randy's new glasses and ordered mine.

From the doctor's we went to WalMart for a grocery run. We didn't have much to get, but it was still a necessary stop.

And finally, we were on our way home. I was beat. An eye doctor's appointment always wears me out. The lights that are used for examination just kill me; I walk out with a headache and very sore eyes. So I was glad to get home, put on my “muu muu,” and settle in my recliner.

Today is chores day. I go to Lindsay's to do laundry while Randy cleans at home. Usually I just hang out at Lindsay's, get the laundry done, and come home. But, today I was treated to lunch at one of Lindsay's friends. Pam included me in the lunch invitation, which was so nice. Pam has had a heck of a couple of years battling cancer. But, she endured many chemo treatments and after a stem cell replacement, she is doing great! She is a wonderful friend to Lindsay and I appreciate that so very much.

Randy & I had a lazy afternoon (what's new about that!). I made chicken biscuit pot pie for dinner and now we're just watching TV. The rain seems to have moved out for the time being, thankfully. It was a bit torrential this afternoon. I am very ready for some sunshine.

Tomorrow I am privileged to be a guest reader at Reagan's school! I

Until the next time . . .

First Sleepover of the Summer

We were surprised with some beautiful sunshine yesterday. Wasn't expecting that since the 10 day forecast was for rain, rain, and oh! some more rain. :)

Randy & I had our annual physicals yesterday. Seems we're in pretty good shape for the shapes we're in. (Thanks, Darrell, for that one!) We do have to have some lab work done; you know, the typical cholesterol, sugar, etc. But, we don't expect any surprises there. Hopefully.

After our doctor's appointments were finished, we headed over to Lindsay's for a visit and dinner. She fixed us spaghetti and meatballs with a salad. Very yummy.

However, our main purpose for going to Lindsay's was to pick up Reagan. Last night was the first sleepover of the summer! YIPPEE!! And Reagan was as excited as I was. :)

Reagan is truly an easy kid. We got home last night with just enough time for about an hour of quiet time. So, Reagan and I laid in our bed watching TV and talking before it was lights out. She's great about going to bed; just hugs and kisses and prayers and she's down for the night.

Poor Randy gets kicked to the couch when Reagan sleeps over. But, being the great Pop that he is, he doesn't complain. Reagan could sleep in our room in a sleeping bag on the floor, which would allow Randy to be able to sleep in his own bed, but he snores so loudly that I'm afraid he'll wake up Reagan in the middle of the night! Thus, he gets the couch. :)

So, Reagan and I sleep together when she's here. And that's okay.

About 7am, I was nudged awake and told it was time to eat. :) Reagan wakes up starving. So, it was up and moving for the rest of the day.

We had a GREAT day. We played cards. I may never do that again, though! Reagan and I played 12 games of UNO, of which I won two. Yes, that's right. Two. And no, I didn't let her win. We also played Go Fish and I won those games. Yay for me. :) We also had a hair styling session with Beautician Reagan styling my hair. Pictures were taken, but they are not for public viewing. HA! We watched TV, too.

All in all, we had fun. So much so that Reagan didn't want to go home this afternoon. That's a nice review for a sleepover, isn't it? I figure there are more in our future.

Until the next time . . .

Good Weekend

Friday was a dreary day, weather-wise. I did get out to Curves, but then we just spent the day inside doing the normal stuff which you can probably recite by now! :) Yep, TV and cross stitching.

Saturday was still dreary, but we were getting together with family, so I was excited. We started the day with breakfast at The White Horse Diner, one of our favorite local joints. Penny joined us.

That afternoon we drove with Jason, Lins & Reagan down to Columbia for our grandniece, Ryleigh's, first birthday party. Aren't those the best! I love the first birthday parties. This was my sister, Paula's, youngest's daughter, Megan's birthday. (Did you follow that??)

This was the first time we've seen the rest of the family since we got back to PA. It was sooooo good to see my folks as well as Paula and her husband, Lou. And all of her kids were there; including Joe, our nephew who lives in Los Angeles. That was a huge surprise. It was great to see him. He said he couldn't miss his niece's birthday party. I know Megan was thrilled to have him there.

Here are some pictures from our day.

The birthday girl

My folks with Lindsay & Reagan

Ryleigh with her mommy, Megan

CAKE!!

My favorite picture of the day – four generations of McNeil girls!

Today the real rain finally came. Randy and I attended a breakfast the campground hosted and then we've been catching up on some shows we had DVR'd. I even got a nap in. :) And yes, there was cross stitching involved as well.

Hope you had a good weekend, too!

Until the next time . . .

The Day After

NOTE: this post was written on Thursday, but wasn’t posted until now due to technical issues with Blogger.

Well, it was back to reality today. No more “it's all about me!” (I hate when that happens.) And since it's Thursday, that means laundry day. So, off I went to Lindsay's to complete that chore.

Randy stayed home and mowed the lawn, in addition to his regular chores. :)

I got home about 3:30. Made chicken enchilada casserole for dinner and we are now relaxing in our recliners for the evening.

A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-out to our nephew, Joe, who lives in Los Angeles. Joe is a phenomenal musician. He has formed a group with his buddies, Dylan & Marlon, called BOOM BOOM BOOM. They play all genres of music and are very talented. Check out their Facebook page here, and if you're in the LA area, look 'em up!

I'll leave you with a few more pictures of our wonderful picnic yesterday. :)

 Until the next time . . .

Happy Birthday to ME!!

I am not ashamed to say that I love my birthday!! I love being the center of attention (yeah, like that's a surprise to anyone!) And I am grateful to celebrate another year of living a fabulous life!

I started my day with a session at Curves. Later this morning, Randy took me to the eye doctor as I had to take a couple of tests to see if my eyes have changed any in the last year. The doc wants to see if I can go off the glaucoma drops. That would be nice.

For lunch, we had a picnic with Lindsay and Reagan to park that sits along the Susquehanna River. What a beautiful setting! And a perfect day to be outside – again, low humidity, sunshine and temps in the 70s. Reagan enjoyed the playground and we adults enjoyed the sunshine and watching Reagan.

Lindsay invited us to go to Red Lobster for a birthday dinner for me. Of course, the answer was yes! But, first, Randy & I needed to to home for a bit so that Blackie wouldn't feel abandoned. :) We both even managed to grab a short nap. :)

We had a nice dinner with Jason, Lindsay & Reagan. Red Lobster is one of my favorite restaurants. I know it's not the best seafood in the world, but it's tasty and reasonably priced. Plus, anytime I can be with my kids is a good thing.

And I can't let my birthday end without a shout-out to all of you who emailed me and posted comments on Facebook wishing me a happy birthday. I was overwhelmed with all the love. Thanks!!

Tomorrow it's back to reality – it's laundry day! :)

Until the next time . . .

Settling In

After a busy first week back home last week, we are settling in to somewhat of a routine. Yesterday, I got back to Curves and then we spent the day at home, enjoying the gorgeous weather. I made chicken pesto pasta for dinner and that was about the most exciting thing of the day. :)

This morning I drove down to our old hometown, Columbia, MD, to get my hair trimmed and permed. It's crazy that I do this because it's a 150 mile round trip! But, Patty has been doing my hair for 20 years and she's also a friend. I hate to give that up and since I only get my hair done every six months, I figure I can justify the cost of fuel for the trip. Well, at least that's what I tell myself. :)

After my hair was done, Patty and I grabbed some lunch at Uno's Chicago Pizzeria. It was good to catch up with what's happening in her life.

While I was getting beautified, Randy was home cleaning. It's good that I'm not here when he gets into his cleaning mode, 'cause I really just get in the way. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, he's the only person I know who can take four hours to clean a 450 sq. ft. RV. But, it sure looks good when he's done!

Well, another gorgeous day is about over. And it looks like we're going to have another one tomorrow. I sure could get used to this – sunny, low humidity and temps in the 70s.

Tomorrow I've got to have some eye tests and then we're having a picnic with Lins & Reagan to celebrate my birthday. I am such a blessed woman!

Until the next time . . .

And It Ends Well, Too

What a lovely weekend we had. The weather couldn't have been more perfect – low humidity, sunny, just gorgeous.

The major event yesterday was getting the leak in our water heater fixed. Thankfully, it was actually the water heater, but a connection that had gone bad. Greg, campground owner, recommended Millers Service Center, to us. I called them Friday afternoon and arranged for them to come out Saturday.

Millers was great! Not only did they come out quickly, they were personable and knowledgeable. The cost was so dang reasonable as well. Since they had other calls in the area, we weren't charged the full service call fee. Isn't that great?

If you are in the York, PA area,and need a mobile RV tech, be sure to call Millers at 717-633-6331. They are a small operation, with no website, but truly deliver on service.

We spent the rest of Saturday relaxing, much of it outside. I made a stromboli for dinner. We also visited with Penny & Barry for a bit.

This morning we went to the campground's church service. As expected, the message centered around moms. Afterward, I settled into my lounge chair outside, reading and cross stitching. Randy put everything back in the storage that he'd taken out so the water heater could be fixed. He also put out our yard banners and the bird feeder.

Eventually we came inside to watch a little TV. We also made plans to have dinner with Jason, Lins & Reagan at a Japanese restaurant.

I am so fortunate to be loved by so many – in addition to seeing Lindsay, I heard from Kevin & Sam and Ginny. I also got Facebook messages from my sister and my mom. I talked to my mom, too. What a good day.

Happy Mother's Day to my friends. I hope your day was as good as mine!

Nice Way to Start Mother’s Day Weekend

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the Mother's Day brunch at Reagan's preschool. This is the second year I've done so. The children's classes make different dishes to share, sing songs, and present their moms with handmade gifts. After brunch is over, a video is shown in which the kids share their love for their moms. Very cute.

After the brunch, Lindsay & Reagan gave me my Mother's Day gifts. I loved them!!

Lindsay created a scrapbook of my life – from birth to the present. I couldn’t believe all the things my mom had saved and gave her to include in it. Brought tears to my eyes. Lins makes such beautiful scrapbooks and I am thrilled to have one more of her creations.

Then the three of us went shopping at Kohl's and out to lunch at Chili's. It was a fabulous way to start Mother's Day weekend.

Becoming a Card Shark

Gosh, we woke up to very different weather today! Yesterday we had the A/C on and this morning we had to turn on the heat!! What's up with that? It's been rainy and chilly all day.

In spite of the ugly weather I got myself out the door and went to Curves. I was a little disappointed as their Zumba class is very different that what I was used to in Alabama. But, that's okay, it also costs more so I'll just go back to my regular Curves workout. No problem.

This evening Randy and I went to Jason & Lindsay's for dinner. I invited ourselves over because Lins and I were going to her friend, Dori's, for a card party.

Now before you get to thinking I've turned into a gambler, it's not that kind of card party. Dori is a Stampin' Up consultant and she hosts a card-making party once a month in her home. For just $15 you get to make 15 cards, 3 designs of 5 cards each. Dori is a fabulous hostess and a warm person and I am thrilled at the friendship she and Lins have grown. She's even got her own website – check it out here.

Anyway, I am not a crafty person at all, so making these cards is always a challenge. But, Lindsay is good to me and takes pity on me – she helps me get through the tougher parts of the creative process. And Dori makes it so easy! She has all of the pieces cut out for you, for the most part, and has a sample in front of you to follow. She even gives us snacks! :)

I love the card designs.

But the best part of the night is spending time with Lindsay. I am grateful that she includes me in her activities. It is a gift that my daughter has become my friend, too. She is a lovely young woman and I am so proud to be her mom.

Randy had a nice quiet evening at home, which I'm sure he enjoyed. :)

Tomorrow is laundry day. I get to go to Lindsay's for that. Gosh, is there a theme here? :)

Until the next time . . .

A Good Day

Yes, even though our day included going to the grocery for our first-of-the-month run, this was a good day. :) We woke to the sun shining and that always makes me smile.

Before we hit the grocery, we stopped for breakfast at Randy's favorite local diner, The White Horse Diner. Everyone knows you don't go to the grocery on an empty stomach!

We got back home sometime after 11:30 and began the arduous process of putting the groceries away. I think I like that less than I like shopping for the groceries. But, I do like to eat, so . . .

This afternoon I met Lindsay & Reagan at the library for storytime. Reagan loves to attend and this was the last one for the season. “Miss Ellen” did a great job of engaging the kids. I so enjoy watching Reagan being enthralled with anything educational. And what a reader she has become! Oh, my. She loves it and does so well. As a voracious reader myself, it delights me that she loves to read, too.

While I was out, Randy started cleaning up our site. He so good about that stuff.

We spent the remainder of our afternoon catching up on DVR'd shows and just relaxing. Yeah, we're back in the routine. :)

Until the next time . . .

There’s No Place Like Home . . .

Yes, I know – as full-time RVers, our home is where we park it. We always have our home with us. Our dwelling. BUT. Home for me is really wherever my family is. I am at home in Kansas when we're are with our son or when we're in Pennsylvania where one of our daughters lives. And Pennsylvania is right next door to Maryland where the rest of my family lives – our eldest daughter, my sister and her family, and my folks.

So, I am home. And it feels good.

We left Dumfries, VA yesterday morning about 9am, thinking we had a 3.5 hour trip ahead of us. As we neared the Washington Beltway, I mentioned to Randy how the GPS was taking us to PA. He said that was out of our way so I revamped the itinerary to how Randy wanted to go and that shaved an hour and 40 miles off the trip!! I really don't understand how a GPS works sometimes.

That change in itinerary allowed us to arrive at the campground at 11:30. How nice.

And what a welcome we received!! I cannot tell you how cared for we felt. When I walked into the office to check in, everyone stopped what they were doing to say hello and hug me. How great is that! And when Randy came in, it started again. The owners of the campground, Greg & LeAnn, have always made us feel like family. That's one reason we come back year after year – this is our fifth summer here at Cedar Lake.

We got ourselves set up and settled for the rest of the day. We had no plans to see the kids as they had a function with Jason's family. But, about 6:30, Lins texted me to say they were on their way home and did we want to meet them there. Well, yeah! So, we did.

It was great to see Jason, Lins & Reagan!!! That Reagan has grown so dang much, I can't stand it. We had about an hour or so with her until it was bedtime. But, we helped put her to bed with promises to see her the next day. We then spent a couple of hours catching up with Jason & Lins. Wonderful.

This morning we went to the bank to get our monthly influx of cash and then over to Lindsay's so we could go with her to pick Reagan up from school. The four of us went to lunch at Olive Garden, did some shopping at Ollie's and then we brought Reagan home with us for a bit this afternoon.

Have I said it's good to be home? :)

Tomorrow is grocery day. Ugh. My least favorite day of the month. But, it's gotta be done.

Until the next time . . .