Baby Setting this Weekend

 

We were up early this morning…A non work day! Yes we got up and Sherri made coffee and then we watched the sun come up over the lake and enjoyed our quite time.

We get the kids today for the weekend. Janet needed some time off from them to get some well deserved rest. We have no problem keeping the kids and we enjoy entertaining them. We are here at the COE park on Lake Lewisville. We have plenty of room for them to play and the playground is just out the back of our home.

We don’t pick them up until 4:00 so we have time to get some things done around here. Yesterday we headed off to Whitehouse Texas to deliver some soup racks. That was a 2 1/2 hour drive there and then we had to drive back to Lake Tawakoni to do some wash and pick up some of our RV supplies.

We spent about 2 hours washing clothes and while we were in that area we took a drive over to the State Park to see what was going on. The park was just about full for the weekend. The weather is suppose to be real nice so I am sure it will be jammed before Saturday gets here.

We may be headed toward the lake this Sunday depending upon where we will be working. We love Lake Tawakoni and don’t mind spending time there. They have many full hook ups there and concrete pads with lots of room to walk around your house. This will remain as one of our favorite State Parks in Texas.

Today was dump day too. I had to dump our gray tank to have enough room for all those kid bathes that I know will be coming soon. I have a 35 gallon Gray-Boy and it takes two runs to empty the 70 gallon gray tank I have on board. I got the first tank full and hooked it up to the ball hitch. I started driving toward the dump station and noticed that I was leaving a water trail on the road. Stopped the truck got out and noticed that the hose had come loose from the latch and was being dragged down the road. This of course destroyed the hose. All I could do was rush to the dump before all the gray water leaked out all over the park. I latched the hose back and off again to the dump. Made it just in time to drain about 1/3 of what I had collected.

Back to the trailer for repairs I went. Found my extra hose and began to replace it. Got that done and filled the tank back up for the second run. This time all was well. I put a bungee on the latch to make double sure it did not come loose. Made it there and back without a problem.

Poppa…I think this should go on first…

Your right buddy it was suppose to go on first…My Bad…

By the way I got me a new BBQ grill. Got a Propane one this time for those occasions we don’t have electric. I spent the afternoon putting that together with the help of my side kick. We do just about everything together. I sure wish I could spend some time with my other two grand-boys. I had two boys and they grew up and I sure do miss them. Now I have three boys…two of which live way up in Kansas and I miss getting to see them. I am afraid they will grow up not knowing me…boy will they miss out…HE HE…I too will miss out.

Well Sweet Pea was there too. I can’t forget her….I know Sherri wont. She was up two nights with the baby crying. Teething I think…maybe just spoiled. She would cry and Sherri would pick her up and she would stop. Set her down and she would cry…HUMMMM…more than likely spoiled.

Overall we had a great time with the kids and they seemed to have fun as well. We got our fix for the month and until next time we will have all these memories…

Somewhere in Time

     

Someone we are Very Proud of

 

My Sarah has won a trip to NASA in Houston by publishing the best News Paper at here school. The assignment was for the students to design a News Paper and fill it with interviews that the students did themselves.

She gets all her talent from me!

Sarah’s Mother and Dad are Police and Fireman. Sarah interviewed them for two of the articles and some of the other police and firemen in Wills Point.

I was a little disappointed that she did not interview me…being an old retired degenerate I could have added to the paper somewhat. OK maybe I’ll make the next edition.

Sarah…Maw and Poppa are real proud of you and we hope that your career in the newspaper business makes you famous. Looks like you are off to a good start. When you get to the top and are interviewing the President of the USA please remember your Maw and Poppa and all the encouragement we gave you.

This day is over and tomorrow there will be no work for us. We are planning on relaxing. Well we will be baby setting tomorrow evening. That should leave us exhausted for sure. Stay tuned for that adventure coming soon….

Somewhere in Time   

Historic Gainesville Texas

 

Tuesday morning and we were up with the chickens…no maybe we beat them up? I don’t know… I know it was early. We are staying in Denton and when I woke up I had no idea where I was. I looked around and did not recognize anything. I knew I did not smell coffee brewing so I soon became conscience and figured out I was in the hotel room.

We are working in Sanger Texas this week and then down to Justin so we found Denton to be the central location to stay in.

We left out… down stairs to the breakfast bar and got us some coffee. They had biscuits and gravy and orange juice. WOW…was it good… now I can make it the rest of the day without getting faint. Really the only time I get faint is when I try to bend over. You think it might be the extra pounds that I have packed on when I retired? Well if you said yes you would be correct. I have to start dieting.

After work we decided to go north to Gainesville to find a place to eat. (forget the diet for now) While looking for that perfect place to chow down we drove down one of the main streets in town and low and behold we ran into some of the neatest houses we have seen in some time. 

 

Sherri and I love to drive around these old towns and see the old houses. We happen to find several here in Gainesville. We spent just a short time driving around and then we ran into Chili’s to eat. While eating Sherri and I realized that the WinStar was only minutes up the road from where we were. That led to a road trip to the casino. We spent two hours gambling and broke even. Time to go home or should I say go to the hotel. We had a fun day…aside from the working part…

Somewhere in Time

Monday Move Day

 

 

Today we were up early so we could head to Irving to pick up some soup racks. We have to deliver some soup racks to a store in Whitehouse Texas Thursday. Sherri once again got up before me and went down stairs to fix the coffee. I just could not move that early but soon I smelled the coffee and floated down on the aroma.

We did not spend much time visiting this morning…for we needed to beat the traffic over to the warehouse and get our stuff before too late. Coffee downed and we were both in the get dress mode and racing to get on the road.

We navigated to Irving faster than what we expected and had the truck loaded early. As soon as the boxes were tied down in the back and we climbed into the cab the rain came and I mean it came. Every time we have had to deliver material to a store it had rained…snowed…sleeted or hailed. Well today was no different and we now have water logged boxes in the back and will have until Thursday.

OK we had to run some errands also and pick up some supplies for the RV. One stop was Camping World. Kris broke his RV we had bought him some time back so we wanted to get him another. Well of course they were sold out. We had the lady see if any of the other stores had one and sure nuff the Camping World in Oklahoma City did. They are shipping it to us so we can pick it up Friday in time to give it to Kris when we pick him up.

We then traveled south down I35 to Denton and checked into the Holiday in. A brand new hotel and is it nice. We got settled and then went to the Cracker Barrel to eat dinner. By the time we finished dinner and got back to the hotel we were both wore out. 

Brant and Evan take time…very little…to pose for a picture

Brant is ready for the snow…is he growing!!

I got some more pictures of my little buddies in Kansas and I just have to share them with all the family that read my journal. Sherri and I are hoping we can take a trip up there before the summer. With us working now it is hard to get away that many days to travel. Any how I am going to plug some pictures of my good looking grandson’s in here. I hope they remember Sherri and I. It is worrisome to us that they will never know us. I hope that one day they will read about our adventure and learn what we were all about. Will that be a good thing or a not so good…:)

No matter boys we love you so much and pray we get to see you both soon…

Somewhere in Time

Sunday at the RV Dealership and an Anniversary Day…

 

40 years…and still friends.

Woke up this morning and it is raining again. I don’t remember this much rain ever. We have stayed wet for so long that we are becoming aquatic. Sherri once again was up before me and made coffee. I came down stairs and poured me a cup and sat down beside her. It was so nice not to have to hurry to a job or any other appointment.

We did have plans however…Cheryl and Don wanted to go up to Explore USA and look at the Carriage RV’s. We all planned to go as soon as we were all up fed and dressed. They have been looking at the Mobile Suites. They are smart buyers and want to shop all the high end trailers to be sure which one meets their fancy. By the way today is Cheryl and Don’s 40th Anniversary…Congratulations you two…Thanks for letting us share it with you.

 

Cheryl and Sherri at Explore USA after a long day of looking around

I can’t give any better advice to those looking to buy an RV. When shopping for a home on wheels shop the market for the high end trailers…In your price range…Yes be sure you know what you can afford and then shop the high end in that range. Remember this is going to be your home. Spend some time in it and go through the motions. We did just that with Don and Cheryl.

We sat in the chairs…climbed in the showers…stood in the kitchen…crowded into the bedroom. Yes we put each model we looked at through to the test. Don liked the “Big Foot System” for leveling. Mobile Suites has that too. Each item was evaluated for face value and from that they will make their decision.

We had such a nice visit with Don and Cheryl…Dreamers have a lot in common.

We really enjoyed our time with Don and Cheryl. We left the RV dealership and met back at our house for dinner. We had chili which was apropos for the weather. We visited and really had so much fun telling stories about our families. This is what getting together is all about…learning more about each other and growing closer…as Dreamers do…

Somewhere in Time 

 

What a Surprise

 

Well Saturday morning and Sherri and I both slept in. Yes it was 7:00 am before we batted an eye and Sherri’s eye batted first so she got to make the coffee. I…on the other hand…didn’t awake until the coffee was ready. How is that for timing.

We sat down and had our coffee talked about how soon we could pack up and get out of here. We looked out the windows at the lake as it splashed on the bank and then decided to play on the computers for a while.

We read different journals to catch up to all our friends. We have so many friends out there so many places and every once in a while we have to catch up with them to see where they are and how they are doing. I read where my close friend Jo Wishnie  is not feeling well…Dortha Hall broke a collar bone…and the list goes on. I pray for all of you and hope that good things come of these misfortunes. It is good for all of us to keep up so that our thoughts will be with one another always.

Soon it was time for us to get to work on our expense reports. I had to get the scanner out and get to work scanning our receipts and listing all our expenses that we had incurred over the past month. This is a very time consuming thing but we have to get it done today so we can get it turned in to the home office. This way we get paid for all our travels.

Most of the afternoon was consumed with this task and when we had finished we decided to fix our late lunch. Sherri had purchased some steaks at Albertson’s the day before and she had one marinating in the fridge. I readied the grill outside. I put the steaks on and Sherri fixed us some veggies and a baked potato. We sat down to a real good feast and if I do say so myself the steak was cooked just right.

After eating Sherri put away everything and I did the dishes…paper plates…HE HE. We decided to take a walk when the phone rang. It was my good friend Don Catoe. He started off asking how we were doing and mentioning that we had not talked in some time. I agreed and asked him where they were. He answered by saying if I would look out my back window I might see him….if the trailer he was looking at was mine. I looked and sure nuff there stood Don in the road leading up to our site.

Well…it was not too long we were all together at Don and Cheryl's trailer having the best time. It has been a long time since we had seen Don and Cheryl and it was great catching up with all that has happened since that time.

We had a wonderful visit and then we all loaded up and went to the store to take back our movies. Don and Cheryl bought a few items and then back home. We made plans to meet up tomorrow and head out the the RV dealer up the road to look at RV’s. This should prove to be quite the adventure…

Somewhere in Time

Working in Denton Today

 

 

This is the old court house in Denton….They don’t build them like this anymore.

I do hope this is the last day this week. Sherri and I have been working 5 day weeks…and at this rate we should meet our goal much earlier than expected.

It is real early and I have a little time to drink one cup of coffee before we both hit the road. We will be working up in Denton today and it takes about 30 minutes to get there. Sherri is in the shower now. I have taken mine and turned the coffee on and it is brewing while I type out the first few paragraphs of my journal.

Well the day went rather quickly…We had a pizza set that took us no time at all and before we knew it we were on our way back home. We are just down the street from our home and the drive time was nothing.

Upon arrival we set out to heat up our left over food from Texas Roadhouse. Not bad getting two meals for the price of one and having the company pick up the tab. We finished and then set to task figuring out what we were going to eat the rest of the week.

Before we could go shopping for our supplies we had to do our expense reports. We have to turn them in so we can get reimbursed for all the food and travel that we have done over the past month. This is a time consuming part of our job but a must. If I was more conscientious I would do a little each day and cut my time at the end of the month in half…but…

We got that all done and then took our list of supplies and headed to the Albertson’s. We shopped for all the bargains and ended up only spending $60.00 for food. Is it nice being on an expense report…man you can save some money!

Next week we will be back in a hotel in Denton so we go back on paid time. This will surely expedite reaching our goal and that means we’ll be on the road before we know it.

While at the store we stopped by the Red Box and rented us some $1.00 movies. We watched one and saved the other two for tomorrow. This will give us some time to relax and get ready for the next week of travel and work.

We are really enjoying our time here at the lake and plan on some hiking tomorrow and exploring along the way…

Somewhere in Time  

Packing up and Moving on

 

  We are back in our home for a while. This is at Hickory Creek COE on Lake Lewisville

We slept in this morning. Yes not often do we get to sleep in while on the road. We were up at 15 till 6:00 and Sherri beat me to the shower. I just laid there in bed and waited for my turn.

Sherri was not too long and soon I was clean and shinny. Fresh clothes and a cup of coffee made me feel like a million bucks. We had a spot of breakfast and then loaded into the truck for the ride to Denton Texas. Yes  we were headed to pick up our home but we got a call from our boss who re-routed us to a store in Hickory Creek. Actually this store is right across the street from Hickory Creek COE Park. What luck!..we are only 30 minutes from the dealership and when we get through working we can drive down the street and pick it up and then back the other way to the COE Park.

This all came together just as we had planned and when work was over we were up at the RV Dealership to pick up our home. It sure looked good setting out there on the lot waiting for us.

All the work was done except for a few minor things that we had forgotten to add to our list. Really we had no major problems with the RV just the usual warranty items that most people have after a year of living in their new homes. Carriage comes highly recommended by me and my wife when it comes to quality and durability.

After doing our walk through we hitched up the house and headed for the park. We did not have a reservation so we had to do a walk up only. Lucky for us they had a site open down by the lake. We have a nice view out the Arizona Room windows. The sites down on this end of the park have some of the best views here and we always try to get this loop.

I can almost smell warmer weather coming. The bridge in the background is the I35E bridge.

We got parked about 5:00…just missed the heavy traffic on I 35E. Unloaded the truck…about 2 weeks of motel stays…back into the house and then fell into the recliners for a breather. Sherri mentioned eating at Texas Roadhouse and suggested that we get a move on before the going home traffic jammed up the highway. The recliner was not even the slightest bit warm when I had to drag up and get back in the truck.

The geese are real friendly here but they leave a mark around the trailer that you have to be real careful that you don’t step in.

The traffic was choking about this time and the parking lot at the Roadhouse was overflowing. We were surprised to get seated as fast as we did. I ordered the ribs….full rack and Sherri got the chicken. Needless to say we did not walk away hungry. I have a take home plate that will feed me tomorrow.

We are now back at home playing on the computers. We had first thought we would be off tomorrow but that all has changed. Now we have a short job to get done in Denton and then we have the rest of the weekend off. It will be good to be off on Saturday so I can prop my feet up and relax…count my money and dream of that day we will be headed off to some distant adventure….

Somewhere in Time

Met Richard and Carol for Dinner in Daingerfield

 

We got up got our showers dressed and then headed down stairs to drink some coffee and eat some breakfast. We finished our coffee and got on the road about 6:15.

It was an uneventful drive in and the sun was just coming up. We could see it through the trees as we drove along the highway. The temp outside said 34 and it was dry for a change. I used the cruise going in and just sat back and enjoyed the scenery. Sherri read the map looking for a route to Daingerfield to meet Carol and Richard for dinner. Richard is Sherri’s brother and he lives just outside of Avenger Texas. We do not get to see them very often so this was  going to be a convenient time to meet up with them for dinner and a short visit.

We got off work about 4:30 and called them to let them know we were  getting off 30 minutes early. Being early meant we had to wait a short time for them to get to the Brookshire’s where we had parked to meet them. This gave me time to take a short nap and ready myself for some good food.

They arrived about 10 minutes after we parked and we discussed where we would eat. Richard knew of a good Chinese Restaurant just down the street from where we were so we headed over there.

The parking lot was nearly empty which made me wonder if the food was really that good? Once inside the aroma told me that it was going to be a good place to eat. I was not disappointed either…I ordered the combo plate of chicken and broccoli with rice egg roll and sweet and sours.

We had a real nice visit with them and before we knew it we had to part ways. Hugs were exchanged and so long for a whiles. We have always been a close family and as we all got older we parted ways to live in different parts of the state. Now we look forward to all of us getting back together now and again to visit.

We arrived back at the motel room about 7:30. Sherri took her shower and then we put together a spice rack for practice. Tomorrow we have to assemble several for the spice set at the store. This way we will know how to do it before we get there.

Time to climb into bed now and get some sleep before the trip back to DeKalb. Tomorrow it all starts over for the last time this week. We have one more night to stay here and then back to Lewisville to pick up our home. I can’t wait to get back in my house…

Somewhere in Time

First Day Back at Work

 

Sherri and I were both up at 5:00 this morning and really not wanting to be. We are back in DeKalb working at the same store we were at last week. Not sure how long we will be here at this store but we are both hoping that it will be the last week.

We went downstairs and had our coffee this morning. I had a biscuit with gravy and sausage and Sherri had to show me up by eating fruit and yogurt. I have to have a little more than fruit to keep me going until lunch.

Speaking of lunch Sherri and I had the best BBQ we have had in a long time. We found a place across the street from the store. The name of the place is D&J’s BBQ. Sherri had the one meat plate and I had the three meat plate. She had the brisket and my three meat was chopped brisket sausage and smoked chicken. The BBQ had the best taste and the BBQ sauce was excellent . I would like to suggest if you are ever in that part of the country go by D&J’s and try out the BBQ.

Not much else to write about today. We left work about 5:00 and went straight to Applebee’s for a salad. No we don’t just eat all the time…we actually do other things. Like right now we are watching TV and reading emails and journals.

This is about all for now maybe later I will have a more exciting story to unleash on you…

Somewhere in Time  

 

Back in Mt Pleasant

Arrived in Mt Pleasant just in time to get this much of a real pretty sunset

This morning Sherri was up at 5:30. I was laying there in a comma trying to put together my location. I finally realized that I was in a motel room in Lewisville Texas and we have to get up and get ready to go to my daughter’s house to help her put together a bed and hang some curtains.

We have to drive back to Mt Pleasant this afternoon as soon as we get through with helping Janet. We arrived there about 10:30 and after waiting for a car to show up at the gate…You see this is a gated community and we had no way to get in the gate without riding in behind a card carrying resident. We finally caught one coming in so we burned rubber up behind them and made it just past the gate before it closed.

Janet was not home from work yet but the baby setter let us in and she left us in charge of the kids. We told her good-bye and took over the baby sitting job. The kids were glad to see us and we were glad to see them. We had fun playing with them and then Janet arrived. By that time Sherri and I were hungry so we took Janet’s car to go and get some food for everyone. We had to stop by Wally World before we ate. We needed some grocery supplies and Sherri wanted to pick up a light weight jacket. Kris talked me into buying him some hand cuffs. Yes…hand cuffs! His Aunt Jennifer is a law officer and she has hand cuffs and he wants to be a policeman too.

 

                                                     Kris is ready to do some arresting.

We left there and went to Wataburger to get some food and while there Kris hand cuffed his Maw Maw. He had everyone in the restaurant laughing and Sherri was a little afraid that she would not be able to get out of them. I will have to say it was quite funny. I would have left her there but Kris let her go before we had to leave.

We got back to the apartment and I got started on the things Janet needed done. I put together a bed and hung some curtains. She was real happy getting that all done and I was more than happy to help her out. 

We got it all done by 4:00 and I figured it would take us 2 hours to get to our motel. Sure nuff we left and at 6:00 we arrived at the motel and got checked in. We got the same room back that we had the week before. We liked it so much we felt good about getting back to it. This is now our home for the week. Your correct when you say that not much is going to be going on in this journal this week. I have a tuff time making interesting journal entries when we are working 10 hours a day. I will try to find some tid bit of information that will keep you on the edge of your seat…

Somewhere in Time