Happy Anniversary...

Do you ever feel like life is passing you by? The older I get the faster it travels. Does everyone feel that way? It is hard to believe I have been married to my best friend for 3 years. It seems like yesterday we were just computer buddies. But last Wednesday we celebrated 3 years of happiness. To celebrate we enjoyed 3 nights in Eureka Springs, AR, where we met each other the first time. Let’s rewind a few years…

Stan and I were online friends. We chatted with each other online every evening. One evening I informed him, I would be gone for a few days, my cousin had invited me to join her in Eureka Springs, and I had accepted her invitation. Stan’s reply was, “Why don’t I meet you there and take you out to dinner?” I was speechless… I thought, Oh jeesh, what have I done? I finally found my voice and said “OK I guess that would be OK, if you don’t mind Kathy joining us. Needless to say, we hit it off and the rest is history…

We had a wonderful 3 nights at the Coyote Moon Bed and Breakfast. This place was beautiful. It was a little A-frame cabin with a hot tub on the balcony under the stars (unfortunately it was overcast). A lot of privacy, beautiful surroundings, flowers, trees, coyotes howling at night. It was so nice, we just relaxed, no phones, no computers, just us. Carl is a wonderful cook; he brought us breakfast every morning, which was delicious. The cabin was beautiful, with the elegant furnishings. I got spoiled to the crushed ice at the refrigerator…lol. (For more information about the B&B click on the link above.)

Life is good!

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

On The Road Again...

Sorry I did not keep my blog updated during our adventure. On my update I stated that it was worse than what we thought. Well… lets think about this a minute. The mechanic informed us that we might as well get plane tickets back home because we would never make it out of state. He basically told us the motor was shot. I have to admit I got a little nervous in the beginning, but after we thought about it…just did not make sense. How can the motor be shot when we were averaging 24 miles to the gallon and it was not using any oil? So we got a second opinion.

After a new radiator (cracked in 2 places), new hoses and thermostat we were good to go! No more overheating… yeah! And we did enjoy the rest of the week at Grand Sierra and in Reno! Meetings were over early on the last day, so we decided to drive over to the Ponderosa where Bonanza was filmed. The road was extremely steep going over the mountain, but was beautiful. I asked Stan to pull over so I could take a few pictures and when he did, alarms started going off on the car, and it said “NO OIL PRESSURE”. Thank God we pulled over. We called another mechanic and they said to let it cool down for about an hour then turn around and come back down the mountain. And we would have to continue to do this if it happened again. I am so glad there was a shade big enough for both of us to get under…lol. Praise the Lord, it did not happen again, so we knew it was not the oil senders. We talked to his friend Lino and decided it was the thin oil that they put in it at home when it was changed. When it got hot there was nothing there for pressure. So the next morning, we changed oil putting a heavier weight and a bottle of Lucas in it. Meanwhile, as we were waiting I decided to call the motel in Bishop CA and cancel our reservations, but guess what they did not have any record of them… so I guess it was a good thing we decided not to go.
After the oil change we headed towards Las Vegas.
What can you say about Vegas…unreal! The lights were something else…the people were something else! No one ever goes to sleep. It was an experience.
We also went to Hoover Dam while we were in the area. Amazing, simply amazing! Beautiful area. We spent 4 nights in the Vegas area, and then were off to Williams Arizona.

If you ever go to the Grand Canyon, Williams is a wonderful town. We stayed at the Comfort Inn and they were wonderful. It is the neatest little town. They even have a gunfight on the streets at night. It was cute! A lot of neat shops there. And the food was great. We stayed here 2 nights, the first night we ate at “Cruisers Café 66 Bar and Grill.” The 2nd night we ate at “Pine Country Restaurant.” I highly recommend both of these. We spent one day at the Grand Canyon. It was beautiful. It amazes me how it changes hour to hour. We watched a storm come through…it was so awesome! We were thoroughly blessed while we were there (in more ways than one). There is no way you can look at your surroundings and not believe in God… It amazes me how he continually watches out for us also. Guess what…of course we had to have some more car trouble…what else… right? The heater core blew out on the car…yes steam started coming through the vents and antifreeze started pouring in on the passenger side. What a mess, at least I did not get burned. Stan immediately pulled it over by a bus stop. While I was on the phone trying to call someone, he flagged down a park ranger. The ranger told him how lucky he was…50 ft behind us was the gate to the only garage in the entire park. How blessed we truly were! So they bypassed the heater core for us and got us back on the road. We enjoyed the canyon the rest of the evening then headed back to Williams.

After leaving Williams we drove through the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert.

It was interesting. Amazing how the trees turned into rocks. Our last night out we stayed at Sleep Inn in Shamrock TX. It was very nice! It was quite a little town. Like Williams part of Route 66 ran through it. The Smoked Brisket Plate at the Texas Road House was wonderful, melted in your mouth! If you are ever in the area, don’t pass it by. Next stop, Hector, AR And all of you know what we did there...had to see those grandbabies!

We did make it home a week ago today. And guess what...we are off to Eureka Springs for 3 nights and 4 days. Celebrating our 3rd anniversary, there is a little bed and breakfast A-frame waiting on us. Praying that it will stop raining so we can enjoy the hot tub. Catch you guys next week...

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Psalm 23:6

Beautiful MESS – The Story of Diamond Rio

Beautiful MESS – The Story of Diamond Rio by Diamond Rio with Tom Roland is my first review for Thomas Nelson. Beautiful MESS is the story of 6 talented men who through their trials and difficulties made it in the music industry, from the Opryland Amusement Park to country music stardom. Each story is told individually and then as a whole. Through the good times and the bad times they have been there twenty years for each other. The book includes individual pictures along with group pictures, a list of their Top 20 Country Hits, and a list of their major awards and nominations.

If you enjoy country music or inspirational books, don’t let this one pass you by. It was hard to follow in the very beginning, but I am glad I made it to the end! A joy to read!