Saturday, February 23, 2008

It was a beautifiul day in sunny Arizona. Jack, Cathy and I went to the Fountain Hills Art Festival and had a fun day. The artists there have very unique products. It's fun to go and see how the beautiful people live and shop!

Friday, February 22, 2008

This day started at 3:15 a.m. for me. I had the great pleasure of dumping the black tank at 3:30. Have you ever seen the movie RV? Last night when I flushed the toilet there was a geyser in the toilet. I couldn't believe it so I flushed it again. It happened again. Then I filled the pot with water and flushed it. That made a BIG geyser (fresh water) and now I was soaked. I called Bruce and he had a few things to say and I didn't like any of them so I went to bed. After I was asleep he called and told me he figured out that the black tank was full. Now it seems funny to me but it wasn't so funny last night. When I woke at at 3:15 I was afraid to flush it again for fear that the next geyser would not be fresh water so out I went. I didn't have any water in the grey tank so I closed it, ran the dishwasher and the washer and then opened the grey valve too. By now I was fully awake so I just stayed up. I went to work at 9:00. I finished writing the contracts for all of next year's entertainers. One more thing off my list. IT IS FINISHED!!!!! Tonight was the last food event on my watch and for that I am VERY thankful. The White team did a superb job with the spaghetti dinner. I had my doubts about 1:00 this afternoon. Oh my. There wasn't enough butter to butter the 24 loaves of bread so I headed off to every stupid excuse of a grocery store in Arizona City. All I could scare up was 3 pounds so I ran that back to the park. Now the people working in the kitchen were all arguing about how to do the bread. We had a little pow wow and made a plan. Next we talked about the way the "expert" told us to do the spaghetti. None of us were comfortable with that plan so we changed the plan. The "expert" said the spaghetti needed to be cooked yesterday and that is what the White team did. Today it looked pretty much like a giant lump of goo and we were scared. They dropped it in boiling water for a few minutes and then mixed it in the hot sauce and kept it hot in roasters. They wrapped the buttered and cut bread in foil and heated it all in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. The salad was all cut up this morning and mixed this afternoon. At 5:00 sharp I said grace and we started serving. The food was GREAT!! The spaghetti was very moist and still hot when all of us slaves ate. Nothing could have been any better and everyone had a good time. We all took the tables down and set up for church. Did I mention that I'm thankful this was the last event on my watch!! Bud and Shelley and the rest of the gang will do a great job without me and in another week no one will even remember my name! Tomorrow Jack and Cathy and I are headed off to Fountain Hills Arts Festival.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Fun Day!! Jack, Cathy and I left the RV Park at 7:00 a.m. for Los Algadones, Mexico. Well, we almost left at 7:00. I had to stop in the office to check something I had done earlier and thought I messed up. It was fine but I just had to know for sure. Anyway we had a nice drive and arrived safely about 10:00. The little VW came through with flying colors. The weather was perfect - not too hot and not too cold - no wind. We shopped and had a great lunch. We got in line to cross the border at 1:55 and did not get to the U.S. until 3:55. ARGHHH!! By then we were hot and tired. That cheap rum I bought got mighty heavy! From Mexico we went to the Peanut Patch in Yuma for some more goodies. Then it was off toward home. We stopped in Dateland, AZ and I had a date shake. Before you say YUCK, I have to tell you that it was GOOD. We've driven past there several times and didn't bother to stop. That was something I thought I should do before we leave the area and I'm really glad I did. I also bought a five pound box of Medjool dates. Bruce will have a nice treat and the rest will be used at the luau here in the park. We arrived back at the RV about 8:15 this evening. We had big news in Arizona City while we were gone today. The very first stop light was installed at the corner of Sunland Gin Road and Bataglia Road today. That was a nice surprise. Tom Peterson babysat for Brandy and Jasmine today. They were both happy as can be when we got back.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

One day closer to seeing the love of my life!! We are just not at our best when we are apart from each other. Having said that, my day was good. My day started off on a shakey note with a complaining resident. I let it bug me for hours until I was so engrossed in the luncheon/style show that I forgot about the complaining. I'm not sure why I dwell on the negative when there are so many positive comments. Anyway, about 9:15 I buzzed over to Liz Clairborne to pick up all the clothes we were using for our style show. When I got back to the park I helped the Blue Team set up for the luncheon. At 11:30 we served pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, chips and cookies to 87 people. We used the pork leftover from Valentine's Day plus one new loin. We covered it with Bill Johnson's BBQ sauce and refrigerated it overnite. We warmed it in big warmers and served it with KC Masterpiece on the side. It was unbelievably moist. YUM YUM. The cole slaw was the kind with the ramen noodles. We used UTZ chips from Sam's. That's the kind with sweet potatoe chips and all different colors. The ladies loved it all. After we ate, one of our residents, Jane Speedy, made a cute "Purse" presentation - how personalities represent different purses. She was good. The models were residents from the park. After the style show I washed the roasters and made did the final cleanup of the kitchen. Then I was off to the office for a lesson with Bub and Shelley on keeping the books. After that I met with Snookie and Marlene to hear a presentation of an idea they've developed for the first week in March. They are putting together a photo scavenger hunt and it is going to be fun. Next, Cathy Montgomery and I returned the cothes to Liz. We eacdh did a little shopping because models got 40% discount on the day of the show. I got a new "basic" black dress. When Cathy and I were almost back to the park I called our friends Scott and Wanda Brady who were coming to visit me. What a surprise I had when I asked Scott where they were and he said they were on Battaglia. I looked over and they were an equal distrance from the stop sign as we were. I led them to the park where we had lots of hugs and Cathy got a tour of their motor home. It is a top-of-the-line Newmar Essex and it is beautiful. Scott and Wanda treated me to dinner at Duffers where we talked and laughed and drank a little too many margaritas (thanks Richard!) Scott and Wanda are the most generous and servant-minded people I have ever met and it was a real joy to spend a few hours with them. After dinner they headed off to Oceanside, California where they have an appointment today. Before Bruce took his job we had both toyed with the idea of hooking up with Scott and Wanda to do serious volunteering with the Spartan Chapter of the Family Motor Coach Association. Maybe later! I'm off to work to see what Wednesday brings me. P.S. Amy found a condo that she loves and the end of March, she will be a first-time homeowner! Congratulations Amy.

Monday, February 18, 2008

This is the best day I've had in a really long time! I went to work and about 15 minutes later Cathy came in and said they were going shopping. I wanted to go but almost decided not to do it. Bud and Shelly encouraged me to go so off I went. We went to Chandler Fashion Mall which has everythong anyone can imagine. Dillards was having their President's Day Sale. I got three pair of shoes at 75% off EACH! Then I found two pair of slacks that were actually my size so I got them as well. Next was a pretty sweater. Cathy wasn't quite as lucky as I was. We walked through the mall and made our next big stop at Harry and David. I restocked my soup supply. We got back to the park about 3:00. Bud and Shelley had a good day without me. They are going to do a great job and won't miss me a minute. The three of us went over and got the meat ready for tomorrow's luncheon. I came home and made shrimp salad for dinner. Bud and Shelley and Jack and Cathy joined me. We had a fun evening of eating and laughing. Amy's got big news but I won't announce it until she tells a few more people!!

Sunday Night, February 17, 2008

Last week I was interviewed for a position at the FAA in Kansas City. I checked the status of the application tonight and learned that I was not selected. I have mixed emotions about that. On one hand I am relieved because after the interview, I knew I really didn't want to do that particular job. On the other hand I don't like being rejected. I want to be the rejector not the rejected! Jack and Cathy joined me for some Wild Mushroom and Leek soup this evening. It was yummy. I made it from a mix I purchased at Harry and David. I'll have to get more of those for the cold nights in Kansas City. Jasmine and I are off to bed so I am ready for my work day tomorrow.

Sunday, February 17, 2009

The sun is shining and the sky is blue. Now we are talking nice weather!

Friday was the first day of the transition of leadership in the Activities Office at Quail Run RV Park. Bud and Shelley Wright are now in full-time training. That is a good feeling for me but not such a good feeling for them. Friday night Bill Rinne treated his lovely wife Donna and me to the seafood buffet at Duffer's. Oh yum. Everything was great. I wish I could have eaten more but I was about to explode after my heaping helping of bread pudding covered with caramel sauce. No Bruce, I have not lost any weight since you left! We got home about 6:45 and believe it or not Jasmine and I went straight to bed. I was exhausted. I tried to watch the Celine Dion special but missed all but the first and last songs. I slept straight through until 6:00 Saturday morning.

Saturday morning Bud and Shelley and I went to Sam's to do major shopping for the ladies luncheon, the spaghetti dinner and the luau. They've got an HHR so we had lots of space for "stuff" and we used every inch of it. When we returned to the park we packed everything away in the kitchen and went over to the office to take care of the week's money. Keep in mind that we aren't supposed to work on the weekend. HA. Saturday night we had a comedy night at the park but I stayed home. I'm glad I did because my brother called and we talked for more than an hour. That was a real treat for me.

This morning Bill and Donna Rinne and I went to early church. We took a couple pictures with the Montgomery's and now Bill and Donna are preparing to make the trek back to Kansas. It has been fun having them here and I am looking forward to being able to see them often in Olathe. After church this morning we talked about the fact that there is no place like home for going to church. Even though Bruce and I have been gone from Olathe for 4 years, we still feel the most at home at Beautiful Savior and we are looking forward to worhipping there often.

Bruce went to the condo at Lake of the Ozarks Friday night. Snow is in the forecast for today so right now he is on his way back to Kansas City. Being tied to a work schedule makes it way harder to enjoy a nice little batch of snow.

Valentine's Day 2008

The Valentine party at Quail Run RV Resort was a HUGE success. I worked 8:00 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. I guess that about does it for my hours this week. hahaha. The Activities Workampers and I served 153 people in 17 minutes. They were absolutely great. I wish I had a video of how that all happened. Things in the kitchen were a little tense until we found our rhythm but boy once we got it we were GOOD! The residents were all seated and we actually plated the food and served them. We served a green salad built on a wedge of lettuce, white and wheat rolls, pork loin glazed with a yummy pineapple glaze, cheese potatoes, green beans dressed with french onions, applesauce, black forest or white forest cake, water, iced tea and coffee. After dinner we raffled off several items and earned $325. YES!! Then we all danced as Ted and Sue Barnes sang for us. Everyone had a great time. It was really fun to be part of such a wonderful team last night. The music ended at 9:45 and by 10:05 the mess was cleaned up, all the tables and chairs were put away and the kitchen was spotless. We were all dead on our feet. I walked home in hopes of getting a great night's sleep but instead of that I was wide awake until around 1:00 a.m. Today I worked from 9:00 to 4:00. How much am I earning? hahaha Aren't they cute? Gary Nottingham and Bud Wright love to clown around. Shelley and Bud Wright are taking over when I leave. Jack Montgomery, Cathy Montgomery, Bill Rinne and Donna Rinne (my personal support team) Barb and Daryl Howard are my favorite Texans. Barb works in the office. Ted and Sue Barnes are from Springfield, MO and they KNOW how to entertain!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Shirley Henderson, Garrett Wolfe, Vince Henderson

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were busy days AGAIN! Sunday, Vince, Shirley and I went to their grandson's baseball game. He did a great job helping his team win. The day weather was beautiful and we had a good time. After the game, the three of us went to Sam's and did more shpoping for the Valentine's Day dinner. We stopped by the RV park on the way home and they helped me unload all the goods. That is a chore I will not miss when I leave here.

Monday was not a good day for me at all. I was stressed over the Valentine's dinner. Luckily Snookie and Lucille (workampers) are taking care of all the decorations, set up and the raffle. The office was busy all day so I had to stay way late to get a few things accomplished. Jack and Cathy invited me over for dinner. After dinner Jasmine decided to poop on the floor and then she decided to pee on the floor at Jack and Cathy's. That was the last straw for that nasty day.

This morning I got up early and went to Casa Grande to finish the shopping for the party. I left at 7:00 and got back about 10:00. I would have been back 15 minutes earlier but I couldn't find the car in the WalMart parking lot. I ended up walking up and down every aisle pushing my overflowing cart. Half the time I was stomping around and the other half I was crying on the phone to Bruce. I was a mess. I got back to the park and put 18 of the pork loins in roasters to cook. Next was the all resident meeting where I got to talk. Another task I won't miss. Shortly after it started the UPS man came to the office with a beautiful boquet of red roses for me from the love of my life. That brightened my day. After the meeting we chopped radishes and green onions. By then all but one of the pork loins was cooked to a perfect 170 so Cathy and I wrapped them in foil and put them in the fridge. It was after 2:00 so I came home. Bud stayed to take care of the last pork loin and babysit the afternoon entertainment. The motor home was a pig stye so I cleaned it up and now it looks great. Jasmine and I are settled in for the evening.

Roses from my lover! Aren't they pretty?

Tomorrow is an all work day and the party is tomorrow night. We'll be cooking for 170 people. Sure hope I have enough meat!!

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Today was a beautiful day in sunny Arizona. Jack, Cathy and I went around the park this morning to the annual patio sales. I found a couple of things that I just had to have for gifts. I came home to clean the RV but I never got around to it. I watched parts of two movies and took a nice nap. I also made ribs and roasted vegetables for dinner. Bill, Donna, Jack, Cathy and I had dinner tonight and then we played dominoes. No work today!!! YEA!!! One week down by myself and three more weeks to go. Bruce spent the morning with his mother. This afternoon his cousin Barry was in Centerville so Bruce got to visit with him for a little while. They hadn't seen each other in years. Melissa flew to Denver today to go skiing. She met her friend Molly and Nathan in Denver. They arrived at their condo about 8:00 tonight. Amy checked out four more condos today but didn't love any of them so she's still in the market to buy. She feels way better today than she's felt all week.

The rest of Friday, February 8, 2008

Tonight was the Rebecca Dawn concert. She is a regular in Branson, MO and travels the Arizona circuit in the winter. She is a fun entertainer and we had a good crowd. I should have taken my camera because there were lots of good shots of her and the men in the park. She's quite a looker and she likes men with bald heads! I got home at 9:45 p.m. and have been working on Activities bookwork until now (11:10 p.m.) I'm TIRED. Bruce is in Iowa visiting his mother. He had dinner with her this evening and visited with his Uncle Bob and Aunt Beverly later. We finally got around to talking about the weather up there. It is supposed to be ZERO in the morning. It is supposed to be 70 here tomorrow. Finally some justice. I just heard on Jay Leno that the whole presidential primary is going to come down to South Dakota on June 3. It's all about South Dakota!! YES!!

Friday, February 8, 2008

The week has been fairly uneventful. I've worked in the office until about 1:30 every day and everything is fine and dandy. Tuesday I went to town and bought another 50 pounds of pork loins to cook for Valentine's Day. Bruce is busy at work and loving it. I was happy to be alone for about a day and I'm ready to have him back now. We are not good apart!! Yesterday I had my interview for an HR Assistant position at the FAA. That was not fun. It is way more fun to be the interviewer than the interviewee. I felt like a babbling idiot with no brain. Shortly after the interview, Vince and Shirley Henderson and I went to Phoenix to watch their grandson's baseball game. Garrett goes to College of Southern Idaho and they are down here for 4 games. Thanks to Gertie the Garmin we made it safe and sound without incident. Garrett's team won 4-1. When the sun went down it got out there. Here are a couple pictures from the game: Garrett is a very quick shortstop. Do you think it was cold out there?

Monday, February 4, 2008

Today Amy turned 25 years old!! Happy Birthday to my baby girl!! Amy, Melissa and Bruce are at Hikari Japanese Steak House right now celebrating #25. I know they are having a great time. Next year I'll be there to help her celebrate too. Bruce's first day at work was great. He was happy and very upbeat when I talked to him this afternoon. He was excited about all the great people that are working for him. Besides all of that it was 65 and sunny in Kansas City today. It was COLD, cloudy and very raining in Arizona. Poor me! My day was a good one. Jasmine and I awakened about 7:15. I worked from 9:00 to 1:45 and accomplished everything on my list. After work I had a hot stone massage. What a treat! This was the best massage I've ever had. My back and neck have been so stiff I could hardly turn my head and she worked that out. I've also got a head full of whatever and she opened that up as well. Thank you Bruce!! Tonight I ate way too much tuna and noodles so now I've got a belly ache. Jasmine and I are going to wrap up in a blanket and spend the night on the couch.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

This was a nice day of rest for me! Bill and Donna and I went to early church and then Bill took us out for breakfast. Jasmine and I had a short little nap when I got home. I spent the day doing laundry, playing on the computer and watching Super Bowl hype. This evening I had dinner with Jack and Cathy while we watched the game. I already miss Bruce and he's been gone only one night. I've only got 25 more nights to sleep by myself. This morning I woke up and started talking to him but he didn't answer. Imagine that! I think he was really happy when I called him at 5:50 a.m. - NOT! This was not a day of rest for Bruce. Todd Black drove him out to the storage unit this morning to get the Envoy. He went back to the condo and gathered up a few clothes to wear to work and headed for Kansas City. He did a little shopping when he got there and then visited with our friend Kari Swan until the girls got back from Chicago. Bruce and the girls had dinner and now Bruce is staying with Amy. Tomorrow morning he starts his new job. We are about to start yet another great adventure!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Jack, Cathy and Bruce enjoy a grapefruit from the tree beside the RV.

Cathy, Bruce and DeAnn celebrating Cathy's birthday on 1/29!

Part of our "herd" touring Shamrock Farms - a 10,000 cow dairy operation

The "spa" for the girls. "Where Luxurious Spa Treatment Produces Quality Milk"

Intersting facts.

The milking process is really interesting. These cows know exactly what to do and when to do it.

Our "herd" watching a movie.

Bruce and Jack driving the milk truck.

A calf that is less than 30 minutes old.

After the dairy tour we stopped at John Wayne's favorite watering home!

Janet and John

As you can see, we've had a busy week.

Bruce and Janet left this morning. Janet is back home in Maryland and Bruce is at the condo. Tomorrow he'll go pick up the Envoy, gather up some work clothes and head to Kansas City. He reports for work on Monday morning. When I got home from the airport, Jasmine and I took a nice nap on the couch. At 1:00 p.m. I started working on my January Activity reports. I finished at 8:00. YUK!!! I will not miss that task. Is it March 1 yet?

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Today is another sunny day in Arizona. Bruce, Janet, 65 park residents and I are going to Shamrock Farms this afternoon for a tour of a 10,000 cow dairy operation. I'll bet we are going to smell what goes with 10,000 cows as well! Tuesday was Cathy's birthday so we went to Picacho Open Pit BBQ for dinner. YUM! Earlier in the day, Donna, Janet and I went to Queen Creek Olive Mill to get some more olives and olive oil. Janet shipped a box home and Donn and I loaded the VW. Back to BBQ. We had steaks that were great. It's a little place right inside the front gate of a 70 site RV park. It reminded me of a the lobster pounds up in the NE but without the lobsters. Not much atmosphere but great food. When we got back to the RV we invited several others over to join us for dessert. Cathy had brought a big chcocolate cake home from Sam's. Shirley Witcher (a park resident) had baked Bruce a homemade lemon pie. I had baked cup cakes. We obviously had way too much dessert for 7 people so we called in recruits. The 13 of us got really cozy in our RV and ate as much as we could. Wednesday Bruce got up early and went to Casa Grande hospital to see Uncle Roger. He was admitted the day before with chest pain so Bruce wanted to go see how he was doing for himself. Janet and I went to the hospital later in the morning. Uncle Roger was feeling ok and was waiting for his 4:00 p.m. stress test. We visited for a little while and then someone came to help him with a shower. We took the que and took Aunt Delores to the Creative Cafe for a delicious lunch. After lunch Aunt Delores went back to the hospital and Janet and I went shopping for the park's craft fair luncheon on Saturday. Oh joy!! After Bruce got off work, Bruce, Janet and I went to Vince and Shirley's for a visit. Shirley made us baby back ribs that were just to-die-for. We overate AGAIN!! Bruce has been working in the office all week. He's got some things he would like to accomplish before he leave Saturday morning but time is flying by quickly. I need a few lessons on things with the RV that I have to do in his absence. YUK! I think we are both still in shock over what is about to happen to our life. Another chapter and another adventure!!

Monday, January 28, 2008

A few days have past and I haven't taken time to post a blog but here I am. Friday I spent the majority of the day working on my job application. YUK!! Friday evening we hosted our first fish fry at Quail Run. We had contracted with someone else to do the cooking. All was well until their burners wouldn't work properly. The food was great and but they finished cooking about 1 1/2 hours after they were scheduled to finish. Several of the residents brought wine to help them pass the time while they waited for their food. That helped! We got the room cleaned up and ended our work day about 9:00 Friday night. Saturday morning we both went to the office briefly but quickly left the office. We went to Phoenix and did a little personal shopping before we picked our friend Janet Nieto up from the airport. We stopped and had a bite to eat on the way home and went directly to the concert. Dave and Daphne played at the park Saturday night. Dave was the lead guitarist for the Doorights (Barbara Mandrell's band). Daphne was voted the female Gospel singing artist several years ago. The concert was a sell out! After the concert we helped pick up the chairs and we were home by 10:00. Sunday morning we slept in and went to 10:15 church. After church I actually cooked lunch. It rained like crazy all day so we just stayed inside. We watched Titanic later in the day. Bud and Shelley came over for cocktails. We talked and laughed a lot. They stayed for dinner. Today Bruce worked in the office all day. Janet and I went for a nice walk. Lounged around and then went to town to buy groceries for the park. We've now got enough Pepsi products to last to the end of the year. We also got more popcorn and several more pork loins for Valentine's Day. This evening Jack and Cathy joined us for dinner. I submitted my job application to the FAA. I also found several more jobs I can apply for if I get ambitious. I don't think I'm too excited about going back to work. I like playing!!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Another day and more changes. Bruce has his reservations to fly home February 2. We also have our reservations at Walnut Grove Campground so we'll have a place to live in the RV when the RV and I arrive there the beginning of March. We had another busy day at work. The Activities group hosted all the resident volunteers for a hot dog cookout today at noon. We made some really yummy baked beans to go with the hot dogs. I have a hot dog recommendation: Oscar Meyer XXL Premium Beef Franks. After we cleaned up the kitchen Bruce and I worked in the office. Bruce remembered to have one of the workampers check the popcorn supply for tonight's Bingo and of course we didn't have enough so we ran to town for popcorn and some more cheap pork loins for Valentine's dinner. When we got back I worked on the newspaper until 8:00. Bruce came over about 7:30 and worked until 10:00. He just got home a minute ago and I asked if he brought the car home. Well he forgot it so he walked back up there to get it. He is way over cooked! He's back and we need to talk!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

This has been one full day!! I went to town today to make a bank deposit, print some pictures, get a hair cut and buy groceries for tomorrow's volunteer luncheon and Bingo. It was my lucky day because everything I need for work was on sale. SCORE!! I even purchased the pork loins for the Valentine's Day dinner. While I was working in town, Bruce was busy putting out fires in the park. That's the mundane part. Now for the meat of the day. Bruce was offered and accepted the position of Contract Site Supervisor for the Washington Consulting Group at the Kansas City ARTCC. In other words, Bruce is going back to work full time in Olathe, Kansas. Last week he accepted a position with the same company but that was a travelling job. Friday he was called about the Olathe job and his selection was announced today. We are waiting for the written offer but everything else is finished. Bruce will fly back to Kansas City the end of January so he can report for duty on February 4. I will stay here and work. Originally our plan was to have me work until the end of March but Bruce decided he didn't like that idea. He will fly back here the end of February and we'll both go back to Kansas City in the RV. Two of our workamper couples have volunteered to be the coordinators for the month of March. All of this will afford me the opportunity to try to go back to work until I am 55 so that I can retire with an annuity at age 55 instead of waiting until I am 62. Melissa actually found me a job opening at the FAA today. I am going to submit my application and we'll see what happens. Is your head spinning? Mine is. Our life is about to change drastically. If you would have told me two weeks ago that we were both going back to work full time, I'd have laughed right in your face. We bot feel like God is directing all of this. We are simply along for the ride.

Monday, January 21, 2008

This day started with a royal chewing from the Park Manager. She was not happy with the performance of some of the workampers. I got too ugly with one of the housekeeping workampers. No excuse - just too ugly. The manager told us she hoped we didn't all leave on April 1. I couldn't help myself. I told her she better not be standing in the driveway! Then Bruce got too ugly with the Activities workampers. No excuse - just too ugly. This was not a good start to the week. We both worked in the office until 4:00 and called it quits for the day. The sun was shining and it was a whole lot nicer outside than inside so we were thankful to enjoy a few minutes of fresh air. Tonight we had a fish fry with Jack and Cathy and Bill and Donna. We ate all kinds of yummy fish that Bill White at Lake of the Ozarks before we left in September. Donna made a great batch of hot German Potato Salad and Cathy made a super duper tossed salad. That was a nice end to a not so nice day.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Wednesday - Saturday were a complete blur here and I can't really remember what went on. Work has been weird. I did take all day Friday off and enjoyed that time immensely. Bill and Donna Rinne, friends from Olathe, arrived on Friday afternoon. Saturday morning Rinnes, Montgomerys and Bruce went for pancakes cooked by the workampers and then we all went to a craft fair and car show in Casa Grande. Later in the day we had 12 people here for drinks and then we all went to the golf course for dinner. That night we all attended the Cancer Survivor's party here at the park. We danced until our feet about fell off. A good time was had by all. This morning we went to church. This afternoon Bruce worked around the RV, I good a nap, we went to a birthday party and then to Charles and Myrna's for dinner. We got home a few minutes ago and are exhausted. Tomorrow morning we have a mandatory workamper meeting at 8:00. That promises to be interesting and we'll likely have news after that!

Monday and Tuesday, 1/14-15/08

Where does the time go anyway? Monday was a whirlwind again. We both worked in the office until about 2:15. The two of us and Snookie Quinn went to Casa Grande on errands. We made a deposit at the bank, printed more pictures from New Year's Eve, went to the hardware store and finally saw the dermatologist. She removed my stitches and my nose looks great. We also had her look at Bruce's underarms. He's got some kind of a fungus and has big red circles under both armpits that itch like crazy. He's got medicine now so he should be better soon. After the doctor visit, we zoomed back to the park for a bite of dinner. At 6:15 we picked up Bob and Elizabeth Higginbothom and went back to Casa Grande for a West Coast Swing dance lesson. That was fun and we sort of learned the basic step. It was sure good exercise. When we got home we did a bunch of paperwork and finally fell into bed. Tuesday I went to line dance for a few minutes but had to leave because the RV WIFI guy that was to meet with the residents at 9:00 failed to show up. We tried to track him down but learned from his business partner that he was in California. Oops. I guess he forgot about us. He's about to get hung from a tree because the wifi service is so bad here. After we found him we met with the park manager for a few minutes and then tried to go to lunch. First, Bruce had to reconstruct a hose in the engine of the car because it was leaking antifreeze. We did make it to the golf course and enjoyed a nice lunch with the Montgomerys and the Wrights. After lunch it was back to work. We both worked on stomping out fires all afternoon. It seems like nothing ever goes as planned. I'm sure this is a good lesson in control and how we are not in control of anything! I came home at 3:00 but Bruce is still up there working. Oh for the days that we only had to work 40 hours a week and work didn't follow us home, knock on the door and hunt us down like rats!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Friday we worked and Melissa laid on the couch nursing her cold. We felt bad for her and she kept insisting that she was ok in spite of all the coughing and nose blowing. She was really a good sport. Friday night the three of us played dominoes with Jack and Cathy in the Cantina. Saturday we had a fun day away from the park. We started with a drive to Camping World. LaMesa RV is across the street and they were having free lunch so we joined them. We decided we are getting to be good "seniors". We can smell a free lunch a mile away! We spent the next 3 hours walking the aisles of the Mesa Market which is a huge flea market. From there we drove to Glendale to tour Ceretta's candy factory. The candy was good but mighty pricey. We enjoyed dinner at a little Mexican place in downtown Glendale. By now it was time to take Melissa to the airport. When she was safely on her way home we headed to Sam's to do the weekly shopping for the park. Jack and Cathy drove their big Dodge pickup so we took advantage of the room in the back and filled her up. Sunday we slept in and barely made it to late church on time. The church was so full that we had to sit upstairs in the choir loft. The singing was GREAT! We had a light lunch and then went to see The Bucket List. Good movie! After the movie we came home and started cleaning the inside of the motor home. Bruce made several trips to the trash dumpster. We enjoyed some good brats for dinner. Tonight we went to a concert in the hall. It wasn't the best one we've had but we survived. Now we are watching Brothers and Sisters. Tomorrow is the start of a new week.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Tues, Wed and Thurs have been kind of a blur around here. Tuesday we worked in the morning. Tuesday afternoon Melissa, Cathy and I went to see "Charlie Wilson's War". Great movie. Tuesday evening we went to a free concert here in the park and had a fun time. We all danced, clapped and enjoyed ourselves for 2 hours. Melissa and I had fun line dancing in front of the whole hall full of people. Wednesday Melissa and I went to Phoenix shopping. At 2:00 we picked up Charles and Myrna from the airport and took them to Coolidge. They have been in Canada for Christmas. We had dinner with Vince and Shirley, Uncle Roger and Aunt Delores, and Charles and Myrna. Thursday Bruce and I both worked all day. Melissa and I went to the outlet mall shopping after work. This evening we have been reading Christmas cards as we received our December mail today. Melissa has a bad cold so she's spent a lot of time coughing this week. She says she doesn't feel as bad as she sounds. Her time with us has really gone quickly. Work seems to get in the way of everything.

Monday, January 7, 2008

It rained today but that didn't bother us at all. Bruce worked in the office by himself all day. Today we had a luncheon and style show. The "white team" and I worked full steam ahead all morning to get ready for the luncheon. We served about 85 people and we recaeied all kinds of compliments. Bon Worth provided the clothing for the fashion show and park residents were the models. Of course we had plenty of chicken salad and plenty of tossed salad left. We got rid of all kinds of leftovers so we were happy campers. The best line of the morning was occured when all of us were dead serious in the last couple of minutes before the luncheon. Bob Timpko was going to get some water and he looked up at me and said, "Where are your jugs?" I just burst into laughter and told him it was really bad when someone had to ask me where my jugs were. After the luncheon was finished and everything was cleaned up, I remembered that the chairs in the hall had to be set up for a resident meeting in the morning. So, the workampers headed back to the hall and set up the chairs they had just taken down. I was not a good boss at that point. I went over to the office and worked a couple hours with Bruce. Bruce was in a really BAD mood this afternoon so we came home and I made him a big drink. That helped. Melissa came to the luncehon with Cathy and then spent the afternoon reading and taking a nap with Jasmine. It was a great ay for napping with all the rain. This evening we went to Pizza Hut with Jack and Cathy, Rick and Wendy, and Bud and Shelley. Seven of us piled into Rick and Wendy's Ford pickup so I'm sure we were a sight when we all got out. This evening I'm doing laundry at the RV and Bruce is up doing the bedding in the laundromat. I'm ready for BED and it's only 7:05.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Today was a rainy day in the desert. That will make for great spring flowers. We all slept in this morning and that felt really good. Shirley Henderson made us some homemade ham and bean soup the other day so we had that for breakfast/lunch. Yum. This afternoon Melissa and I went to town to get the rest of the groceries for tomorrow's luncheon. Bruce did a little work in the office. When we got back from town the three of us chopped approximately 55 chicken breasts and made a really big batch of chicken salad. One of the workampers made lemon bars so tomorrow all we have to do is make the salad and set up the hall for the luncheon. After we finished our kitchen duties we had happy hour with a bunch of the other workampers. We talked a lot and laughed even more. This evening we are taping Desperate Housewives and watching The Wedding Date. We are rested and ready for another work week. My nose feels great and looked a lot better this morning than it did yesterday morning.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Today was a fun day - the first one in a really long time. We all slept in this morning. I changed the bandage on my nose. Melissa had a bowl of breakfast food. Bruce and I went for a walk. About 11:30 Jack, Cathy, Bruce, Melissa and I left for a tour of the Queen Creek Olive Mill. We learned all about EVOO, how the olives are grown, pressed, and made into the oil. We bought all kinds of goodies to enjoy. The next stop was the Pork Shop where we again bought more goodies to enjoy. About 4:00 we finally stopped for lunch at "Cravings" for some great Mexican food in Queen Creek. We could hardly believe how the area has grown in the past two years. We made a quick stop at Trader Joes and Jack got a hair cut next door. We were home about 6:30 and now we are watching tv and enjoying a quiet evening.

This is a picture of the owner of the Queen Creek Olive Mill. He brought trees from an olive farm near Eloy, AZ and planted them on the site of the current olive farm.

Melissa by an olive tree. Jack, Cathy, Melissa and Bruce in front of the mill.

All of these olives were picked from the same tree. The dark olives were the closest to the top of the tree and got the most sun. They are all used in the same batch of EVOO.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Isn't she pretty?? Bruce says I look like I got too close to a zig zag sewing machine.

Friday was the day for the removal of the basal cell carcinoma on my right nasal bridge. We departed the RV about 6:30 in the morning and arrived at the office in Mesa a5 7:45 a.m. Much to our surprise, we joined approximately 20 other individuals who were undergoing the same procedure as me. When I first opened the office door and saw all those people, I wanted to run but I overcame the anxiety and found a seat. My new friend Barbara Howard loaned me her Ipod so I sat and listened to some very soothing music. Before long I was called in for the surgery. I sat down on the table, turned up the music and waited. The nurse shot my nose full of some deadening agent and and I continued to enjoy the music. The good doctor came in, took a quick look, showed me what he was going to remove, told me to close my eyes and enjoy my music. The first pass went quickly and I was back in the waiting room within 10 minutes. I listened to more music and read a magazine for about 40 minutes and they called me in for another pass. That was even quicker than the first pass. I was back in the waiting room with all the others who were doing the same thing as me, waiting patiently. An hour or so later they called me back to sew me up. I again turned on the music and sat with my eyes closed. After about 15 minutes my nose was sewn up and I was on my way. Bruce and I had a nice lunch at Red Robin and did some shopping at Arizona Mills. Bruce wanted to go to Beaudry RV so I sat in the car for a quick nap. The salesman wanted me to look at a couple of RVs because he thought I was the easy one to sell. He was wrong. We left there and went to the airport to get Melissa. Her plane arrived on time and we went to Unos for pizza. Yum. We got back to the RV about 9:30 and we all retired for a good night's sleep.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Greetings,

It has finally warmed up in Arizona and for that we are very thankful. Yesterday it was almost hot outside. Today it was a little cooler but I wore capris and was perfectly comfortable.

The park is filling up but we still have all kinds of spots that are empty. The new arrivals are all coming in to get their event tickets and to find out what is going on in our world.

Yesterday I worked at home all day and it was great. I completed my end of month financial reports for the manager. Bruce worked in the office all day. He was TIRED when he got home. Last night Jack and Cathy, Tom and Sharon, and Bruce and I went to Manuel's to celebrate Sharon's birthday. Manuel's is our favorite Mexican restaurant. Yum.

Today Cathy and I went to Casa Grande. We made a couple of bank deposits for the park, printed the pictures from New Year's Eve and did some grocery shopping for Monday's luncheon. Bruce worked in the office all day and I worked in there this afternoon. Tonight Cathy is making soup for us for dinner. We will go to bed early tonight so we can get up early and take off for Mesa for my surgery.

Happy New Year 2008

The New Year's Eve party was a huge and smashing success!! We have the best workampers anyone could ask for and they worked themselves right into the ground preparing for the party. We had plenty of food, plenty of drink and plenty of fun. Keep in mind that we are working at an RV park full of retired people. The party started at 8:30 and ended at 12:30. At 12:30 we still had 90% of the people at the party. No one wanted to go home because they were having so much fun. The residents showered compliments on the Activities Team. They have started a petition to ask us back for next year. Hmmm. Bruce and I are personally glad to see 2007 come to an end and we are looking forward to many challenging opportunities in 2008. We wish everyone a healthy, happy, prosperous and blessed 2008!