Cheyenne Visit with Amanda's Boys

Amanda had called and asked if it was possible for Mister and I to come up and watch the boys while she and hubby went away for a weekend together.  Naturally, we jump at the chance to have time with our grands and so off we went.  We flew out of Dallas very early in the morning and this is our last view as we left.

We arrived in Denver early and after picking up our car and grabbing breakfast, were on our way to Cheyenne.  After visiting with Amanda for awhile, she and Trent packed up and headed out for the fun time away.  We were now officially "on duty" and so away we went.   First task, try and get Caleb to eat --- it is a challenge for sure!







Next, establish that we are here to have fun!


We had a great time playing games, reading, tickling, and just spending time with our wonderful grandsons.

On Sunday, the boys had been invited to a roller skating birthday party and as we prepared for it, we discovered that they had never been roller skating.  Okaaaaay.  I guess it was lesson time and so as we got the skates on them and had them try and get to the rink from the seats, we knew this was going to be interesting.  Off went my shoes and I was out on the floor with each of them working with them until they could try and make a circle around on their own.

They did great and soon were zipping around like pros.  It was fun to watch but we still needed to go and do some shopping for Christmas gifts for this household.  The night before Raef, Ryan, and I had gone to the movies to see Rise of the Guardians and when it finished they had drug me into a Game Stop for Kids and given me the idea for the perfect Christmas gift for them.  Woohoo.  So, Mister and I headed there, picked up their Skylanders game, then ran to Target for a tent for Caleb, and finally a stop at BB&Y for Trent to get a Keurig.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten Amanda's gift at home so she will not have hers under the tree with the others.  I will need to ship when I get home.

After shopping, we returned to pick up the boys and then went back to the house for dinner and baking of cookies.  They were so excited to frost and of course  -- eat.  Mom and Dad arrived back home that afternoon and so stories were told all around.

I went to do laundry to get ready for Iceland that night and missed the lower step in the basement and went flying.  Dang -- Couldn't put any weight on my foot and was really worried about the next day.  Figured I would just go to bed and hope for the best.  The next morning, as luck would shine on me, no pain.  YAY!!  Then as I was coming downstairs from the bedroom, I saw Mister sitting on the coffee table holding his back.  I asked what was wrong and he said he had fallen down the stairs onto the main floor and hit his back.  Great.  Here we go again.  We still had to pack up and head to the airport -- not sure if we were going to Iceland or to Dallas.  He couldn't drive and so I took over and off we went.  Next post -- we'll tell you where we went.  All in all --- it was a great time in Wyoming --- love the boys and our times with them.

Thanksgiving 2012

So lucky this year to have both two daughters, son-in-laws and five grands for Thanksgiving.  It was a busy day, but fun and I was so grateful for this time together.  Jen's family spent the night and then headed down towards Houston for the remainder of the weekend to go to a Christmas Renaissance Festival and some other fun as well.  Ah - mia familia!!

New Colors in the Master Bedroom

No words necessary.  I LOVE IT!

A weekend with my girls.

I was so fortunate to have a weekend with all four of my girls.  What a treat.  We were able to wander, eat, shop, sightsee, eat, shop, ride bikes, eat, shop, chat, eat shop . . . . I think you get the picture.  A bit tricky getting all of us at one place at the same time, but we did it -- stayed at a great little boutique hotel aptly named "Hotel Diva".  Highlights of the trip --- A bike ride from Fisherman's Wharf over the Golden Gate Bridge and down into Sausalito.  Then a ferry back to the Ferry Building in San Francisco and a bicycle sprint to return the bikes before the shop closed.  Oh my aching thighs, lol.

Apparently I was the only one to take my sunglasses off -- hmmm.  We also had a great time down in Chinatown shopping and playing around.

What a great time.  Can't wait to do it again on the east coast.  Don't I have the most beautiful girls?

Leonard Cohen Concert in Austin

Halloween night in Austin!  Dinner with Cass!  The Leonard Cohen concert!!  What more do I need to say?  Here are a couple of my favorites from him.  First, a classic.

This next one is the epitome of my sweetie.  Love it.

The man is pure genius.  Everyone should listen -- and enjoy each moment of his poetry and understanding of the world -- both spiritual and temporal.

A Personal Rant

(NOTE FROM DEBI --- A few people have voiced concern over this entry by mistaking my sarcasm for reality.  Anytime you see quotes on here, this is someone else's statement, not mine.  I was trying to make a point with what was being said TO me, not by me.)

With the election only a couple of weeks away, I still have not made up my mind who I am going to vote for and this has some friends shocked.  Why?  Why are you all so quick to decide?  And why are you trying so hard to get me to vote one way or the other?

I am doing my  homework.  Period.  I am not voting on a pet issue, but on what will be of the most benefit to society as a whole.  Isn't that what we all should be doing?  I am not taking what anyone says as the truth because I know it isn't.  They all lie or stretch the truth for their own purposes.  If you believe that your candidate does not do this, think again -- and do some fact checking, because I am stating an absolute fact.

As for my FB Friends and their continuous barrage of items posted to sway me one way or the other, I need you to understand a few things.

To those who are pushing for me to vote because of your Christian beliefs:  Stop.  As I said before, they all lie and so have lost the "moral" edge that you are pushing.

For those of you who are "ex-Mormons", your overwhelming pushing of your ideals is driving me nuts.  Do you not understand that you have lost all credibility with me?  It was you who went into people's homes and bore witness to them that you knew the church was true and that they needed to be baptized.  I was one of those people.  I believed you.  Then you said it was "all a lie" --- that you were "misled".  And now . . . . I am supposed to believe that you have it all figured out again.  Of course you are not being "misled or manipulated" this time around.  Right?  How can I trust you again?  The hypocrisy of it all is mind bending to me.  Oh -- and of course, the opposing candidate is NEVER given the luxury of changing their mind -- really???  Give it a rest.  I am done.  If you wish to unfriend me over this, so be it.

I am not active in church for a reason.  Ask any of my family members and they will tell you that this exact hypocrisy that I am speaking of was the reason I left.  You, my friends, have not eliminated it from your lives -- you have merely moved it and are now pushing your new church.  Stop, please.  You have merely traded listening to one set of "old white guys" to a different set of "old white guys" -- both corporate and both determined to get your attention.  One is a group running a religious organization and the other is a group running the media and various corporate interests.  It doesn't matter that you have a new side you have decided to vote for, you are once again being "misled" by believing everything you hear without any research on your own part.  If you cannot face up to that then you did not learn from your past in which you were so "vulnerable".

I did.  I listened to you the first time.  I believed you.  Now you tell me that you were "mistaken".  As the old quote goes:  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  It is not going to happen.  So please stop trying.  If I believed you once and you tell me you were "wrong", I can never believe anything you say again, as you had such an impact on me and so many others on your first shot.  I hope you remember that always - not just that you were "misled", but that you "misled" so many others and then turned and spit in their face.  And now you are spending all of your time telling us how "wrong" we are.  Really?

Thank you.  I guess in the long run you did do me a favor.  I am a smarter, more thorough person now.  I pay very close attention to what I am being told and doing my own research to validate it.  Actually, your "changing of your mind" has been a benefit in a way - as I am very careful of what I do and do not believe from others.  And I will vote for the nation as a whole, not for your pet issues.

2012 Texas State Fair - Chinese Lantern Festival

We purchased tickets to The Adams Family at the Music Hall at Fair Park during fair week.  The tickets also give us admission to the fair and so we go early in the afternoon so that we can walk around and enjoy the festivities.  One of the unique attractions this year is the Chinese Lantern Festival. We purchase tickets for the evening session and walk through it before the play starts in order to enjoy it all lit up.  Everything you see in these pictures are LANTERNS.  It is full of color, beauty, and playfulness.  Truly fun to wander through the different scenes that have been set up.

There were a few additional lanterns made just for this show.  Check out the Texas Longhorns!

These are all placed out on the water and the reflections add to the magic of it all.

Another one that was done especially for the United States show.  The contrast of the statue and the pagoda creates an interesting visual.  Don't you agree?