Well Its a Monday.....

Well this weekend was great. Friday night I had Scott Air Pack Training and am certified. Then Saturday the Department had 25 from our department and Paradise Department show up for Extracation Training, and we were certified to use the Jaws of Life. That was FUN. Sunday was the usual running to the store and house cleaning, dinner cooking, animal cleaning - dogs in the house that is, and then a couple of hours of rest for the Cowboy game.
Today was the Monday from Hell, and I thought last Monday was --- but believe me this one ran it first place for upset parents and students. Ah well -- another day in Paradise.
So home... dinner cooking, Firehouse paperwork, and a couple of hours of rest before bed. 4:30 sure comes early and 10;30 comes late. Sure do love the cooool weather and having the house open all weekend and today.
Tomorrow may be a bit cool for that though, and Saturday with chance of rain and in the low 50's for Derek's band competition. Bob will be working at the Texas Motor Speedway for the next week so wont see much of him.

Another wonderful day

Spoke with Leeman and he is doing great in his new job. Works from 7 to 3:30 Monday thru Friday and seems so much happier and content. Of course the issue with Cody still has not been resolved. I wish child protective could interviene and make her sign the papers so Shrinters could evaluate him. Sooo lots of prayers.
Well I am now trying to decide if we want to go some place over the Christmas Break. I do have the travel bug. :) Would love to go to Port Aransas to fish some, but probably will be to cold to go to the beach. Soooooo, will just have to contemplate.
Ellen and Kenny and Derek are off to New Orleans for New Years this year, and staying a few days.

Hawaii and back home...

Well our last 3 days were as wonderful as the first few. We enjoyed the beach and more sight seeing and even stumbled onto the area where the crew and actors for Lost were staying. Saw the area where the filming took place and had lunch at the Plaza club where some of the flash backs were filmed in down town Honolulu. Ate shrimp on the side of the road at a converted delivery truck --- place named Giovanni's, that was the best I had ever eaten. Hot and Spicy and that is exactly what it was.
We stayed on the beach all day Friday until time to clean up and leave for the Airport. Had a hospitality suite as we had already checked out Friday morning.
Had one last Lava Flow before we left
Bob and the dogs were glad to see me back. Brought lai's for them both and gave Bob's his at the airport and mom's that night with her candy. She reallllll y liked the candy best.
Have had no fire calls since I have been home and that has been nice.
We still need lots of prayers for Cody- as Karen, his mother, wont sign the papers to let him be evaluated by the Shriners Hospital and won't change his diet as the Doctor ordered-- to remove the iron from his diet. So lots of prayers that she softens and signs the papers and changes his diet, as he is vomiting every day and his Doctor thinks it could be a brain tumor, cancer of the brain, abnormal bone growth in the skull or too much iron in his diet. Lots and lots of prayers please.

Wednesday in Hawaii---

Today we went to the Memorial this morning, Christi and I---while Ellen is working at the club. Had a wonderful time and it is really as awsome as they say. Took lots of pictures and visited with 4 of the survivors of the Peal Harbor attack. Bought a book written by a Dr that survived and Bought a Newspaper copy of the day and the Four Survivors Autographed it for me. Really nice men... and of course wanted hugs to go with the autographs :) Then Christi and I came back to the Hotel and ate a sandwich and went to the pool for a swim and sun bathing. Had another Lava flow and just veged out. Getting ready now to go to the Plaza Club for cocktails and Dinner. Then back here for pool side drinks and Christi has a date afterwards.

We went out to dinner last night to Compadres Mexican Food and Christi's Friend Luavie and his cousin met us for dinner. Seems they are both from Homa Louisiana --- and get this, ---Luavie remembers Mom from when she was Benefits Coordinator for Penroid oil Company coming to Homa to talk about benefits, when he worked for Penroid as a rig worker, and his Cousin works for the company that builds and repairs boats for the Coast Guard. Seems that he has worked on the hole in the boat the my nephew Jason is assigned to. Reallllly a small world. Anyway really nice guys and Luavie is going to give us directions to where he is going to surf tomorrow so we can go over the mountains taking the scenic view to the beach below the golf course where he and his cousin played golf yesterday. Should be beautiful.

Well Dinner tonight at the Plaza Club was awsome... We had Blue Hawaiian drinks to begin--yummy......We were served 4 appitizers; Salmon moose on corn chip, duck spring rolls, eggplant parmasian and crab pancake. I had escargot with mushrooms and mushroom wine sauce. Then Ellen had shrimp in garlic sauce on angle hair pasta, Christi had filet magnon, and I had fire cooked giant prawns and O paka paka baked and covered with cream sauce. Then they served us with 3 deserts... Their signature bread pudding, their signature sorbets--coconut, papaia, and a third that I am not sure the name, but it was as good as the other two. Then they brought us a hot apple crisp in a shallow iron skillet topped with home made vanilla ice cream. Needless to say, we are so full that we cant move. So much for the diet!!!!

Day at the beach and........

We started the day with another trimmer this morning that woke me up about 3:30 with the bed shaking. Then another 3.5 at about 5:40. No biggy there. Well today was a day at the beach. Got to see the surfers Bonzi Pipeline and lots of surfers. Too many things to see and got to take lots of pictures. We stopped at Giovanni's Shrimp place on the beach, a converted delivery truck... and ate some of the most awsome Hot and Spicy Shrimp that I have ever eaten-- brought tears to the eyes and sweat to the brow but ate 10 of those giant shrimp and a couple of Shrimp scampie as we were all sharing two plates. Then we went back to the hotel and sat by the pool and had a Lova Flow and rested. Off to eat dinner with some new friends from the hotel.

Arrival at Hawaii backdated.......

We have been so busy that I have not had time to sit down and write what we have done every day. ----- We arrived at 12 midnight here and got our rental car and headed straight for the Hilton Hotel. Our room is wonderful!!!!! Full view of the ocean and greenery below from the 15th floor. As we are on Texas time, we were up bright and early, 5:00 am. Ellen and I were sitting on the edge of our beds talking and Christi was in the shower. The room begin to sway and the lamp on the table began to tip over. Ellen and I looked at each other and she said "is this an earth quake". "I said yes it is" and we looked at each other and headed for the balcony door to see if we can see anything. Christy is asking if we are having an earth quake and about that time the lights go out and she is in the dark. So I opened the bathroom door and headed for the balcony. Sooooooo- we have 12 hours of no electricity and did have water. They announced that the elevator in each building was working so we rushed to get shoes on and to the elevator. Sure enought there was the elevator but no lights inside, except light stickes taped to the walls. Ahh who cares. So we slooooowwwwlllly moved down stairs and out to get snacks and drinks. Back to the elevator and sure enought, it was out again. So we trecded up 15 flights back to the room. Stopped every 5 floors to take a breath but we did it. Then reading and munchies until we had to light the $15 candled in a can we bought for light. We went on to bed at 7pm when it was too dark to see even with the candle and sure enough --- about 10:15pm the lights came back on. So just stayed in bed and listened to the cheering as each building lights came on across the complex. :0)

Two days to Hawaii

I am so excited. I really is going to happen. Ellen and I and Christi are off to Hawaii for a week of sun and fun. Poor Bob has to stay home and take care of the farm and Mom but he had his two weeks in Spain two years ago. And of course we just got back from Smoky Mountain National Park and Fly fishing and Georges wedding. Almost packed and weather looks wonderful there.

Home Again...

Well we are home again and Mom is well and the dogs are well, and the cows and horses and geese and cats are welll. :0)
Had a great time but ready to go again. But this time to Colorado for fly fishing.
Back to work on Monday and the Hawaii on Saturday for a weeeeeek.
This will mean I have been in 49 states, every country in Western Europe, 3 in Africa, Canada, and Mexico. Alaska is in the future, that is if we can save up for a trip up there. Would love to do a cruise and the cross Alaska train trip. Anyway, have to win the lottery to do that.

Fly Fishing.....

Well we had a wonderful time fly fishing the smokies. We tried every stream that had a pool big enough to get a fly into. Oh we had sooo much fun. Had people stopping if we were close to the road just to watch us fish. :)
Toured a village in the Great Smokey Mtn Ntl Pk and found out if we want to volunteer to the National Park Service, we can travel to different Parks as assigned. Might be fun
While were were in Cherokee we got to see the 2006 Cherokee Fair and it was really wonderful. We stopped and bought some Rat Trap cheese that was to die for. Bob being 1/4 Eastern Cherokee made him feel really good to have been there. Dances and the language was wonderful
Guess I dont really want to go home as the traveling has been in the blood for years but just kept it in check. Now it is all bubbeling again and want to go fly fishing more. :)

David's Wedding

We had a wonderful Friday, and Saturday. David and Anita's wedding was wonderfull. She planned it so well and did it all on the internet. Her dress was beautiful. We got to go with them Friday afternoon to get the license, then to the chapel, and then the chapel office, and then dinner. Saturday was great, as Bob got to play golf with David and David's best man. I got to stay at the hotel and read and wander the shops. Then the wedding Saturday night and dinner afterwards. Sunday was just seeing the Great Smokies and picking out places to fly fish. We checked out today and leaving for Cherokee, NC.