Relaxing weekend

Thursday at 5am, we left Bajada Drive for a 7 hour journey via motor home to Jamul, CA to stay at Thousand Trails Pio Pico. We made 2 stops along the way, one at a Rest Area on I-8 and one in Yuma to fill our tanks with gas. It was a great day for travel. The dogs did really well. We got set up and decided we all wanted pizza so we went into town to Filippis pizza. It was delicious! The beer was good, too. Thursday evening, we sat under the Easy-Up around the fireplace to stay warm and dry. That's when the rain started.....

Friday it rained on and off all day. Any dry opportunity we had to take the dogs out, we took advantage of. Each time we brought them in, we'd give them a little rinse on their undercarriage. They tended to pick up a lot of road dirt! Lori, Marilyn, Dennis and I went into Chula Vista on Friday to get some necessities at Walmart and then even more necessities (wine) at Trader Joe's. The rest of the day was spent inside, eating and drinking and eating. Oh, and drinking. We tore up the wine on Friday!

Saturday our friends Dave and Bill stopped by - they lease a spot at Pio Pico and came over for the weekend since we were there. We met them over Christmas up at Verde Valley. We had a margarita brunch, talked, and played Sequence. It was a lot of fun! After they left, we had a sandwich and then watched a couple of movies - Defiance and Alien v Predator - Requiem. I snuck in a few naps, too. As evening approached, Dennis was feeling cold and run down, so he stayed in with the dogs and I went over to Dave and Bill's coach and had a glass of wine with them. It was very nice to spend more time talking and getting to know them. Such fun guys!

Today it was another early rise - 5:15am PST. We were packed up, loaded, and hitched and pulled out of the park at 7am. It was a nice trip home. We drove in snow, rain, fog, sunshine, clear, cloudy/overcast....we saw it all on our 7 hour drip home. We stopped at a Rest Area at the top of the mountain and then in Yuma to fill up with Gasoline. We arrived home around 3pm. It was a very relaxing, enjoyable weekend. It was great to connect with Lori and Dave again as well as Dave and Bill. The only thing that could have made it better would have been dryer weather and about 5 more days!

Lyn & RJ and Lylah arrive from Ohio tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to their visit. Dennis got to see them a few weeks ago, but I haven't seen them since Kate's wedding in November. We're going to have a great time! Enjoy the week! I would love to hear your comments and reactions to my blog. Feedback is always welcome!

Friday.....night

Well it's Friday night and much has happened since Wednesday morning. Wednesday evening I can't remember what happened. Thursday night, the boys and I went for a ride to Walmart to get some eggs and a Cardinals t-shirt. They love going for a ride in the car, even if they don't get to go inside once we get there!! I got some eggs, a Cardinals t-shirt for $14.82 and a "crock" for the boys' cage that fastens onto the wire sides so they can't tip it over.

The trip to Walmart was followed by me frying up some tofu, throwing in some spaghetti sauce, and cooking some pasta. Dinner was fabulous! I've officially decided to give up on the vegetarian eating style because of the effect it has on me. I tried for 2 weeks, and it really didn't work for me. So I'll eat meat but try to eat less of it. I threw in some falafel "meat" balls and my dinner was fabulous. After dinner, I made a pan of 2 boxes of brownies and another pan of 1 box of brownies for our "Cardinals day" tailgate on Friday. I sat down to Facebook with a glass of Glenlivet to watch American Idol and HDNet Fights. It was a fabulous evening!

Today, I bought pizzas for my whole team for lunch. I love CostCo pizza! The team loved it too. Who'd a thought that $97 could buy so much employee satisfaction! After work, I straightened up a bit and then Marilyn invited me and the boys down for wine. She made some (get this) pizza for dinner which was fabulous. We had about 4 bottles of wine (that was after the 1 they had before I got there). Ron's friend Scott, who's in town for business, stopped by to have some wine and pizza with us. The boys love Ron & Marilyn's back yard and their house. They definitely got their exercise! Now they are both sleeping like babies.

ADT's coming tomorrow, then we are going for a Polaris ride. I think Chris at the end of the street and Bondy on the next street over might be going with us. It'll be fun! I'm calling Lyn & Dan in the morning ot see if they want to venture out again. Last weekend was a TON of fun!

I hope everyone has a fine Saturday. Take care, and I'll blog more later!

Busy Fun Weekend

Dennis arrived safely in Ohio where it's very cold. He is enjoying spending time with him mom and both his and my family.

Saturday, after I got home from work, I went for a Buggy ride with Ron & Marilyn. Lyn and Dan came along with me. They had a great time, and so did I. Here's a picture of our buggy on top of the mountain that we climbed. It was a beautiful day for a ride!

After I got home from that, I took a shower and sat down to relax. I called Ray & Mary to see what they were up to and they invited me and the boys over. I decided to take an overnight bag and some wine. I had some pizza with them and we had a few bottles of wine. We were all tired and called it a night about 10:30 or 11:00. The boys didn't sleep so well in Ray & Mary's suite. They kept getting up, getting off the bed, and waking me up. About 5am during one of these incidents, Brother Boy caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the arcadia door and let out a few loud barks. I quickly quieted him and we went back to bed.

I took the boys to Wag N' Wash this morning to get groomed. While they were there, I went to FEZ on Central to meet Terry and Cindy for bruch. It was delicious! I then went to Target, Ana's Linens, Walmart and PetSmart to get rugs and dog food. I'm now home, blogging, and the dogs are sound asleep. Below is a picture of them post-grooming. They look a little foofy right now, but it'll grow out and they'll look masculine again. They smell so good!

Drama's on the left if you were wondering. He's the one with that 'woe is me' look on his face. They are such great dogs! We love them so!

I hope everyone has a great week. I'll blog when I can. Dennis comes home Sunday. I hope he enjoys his week there. We are anxious for his return to Phoenix!

Monday 12/22/08

We had a fabulous weekend in Verde Valley. Friday we arrived just before dark and finished putting together our patio heater. We ended up sitting outside, under 2 patio heaters with a propane fireplace in the middle with Ron & Marilyn and Dave & Lori (and Cheye) and drank a box of wine. Yes, I said it. A box of wine. It was Black Box Cab and it wasn't half bad. It was good enough to keep us warm. Well, that and the company. :-) Dennis had some beer and Hogue Late Harvest Riesling. When we woke up Saturday, EVERYTHING was frosted over - including the empty beer bottles and wine bottle. It was beautiful. The boys didn't quite know about the crunchy grass. But, they managed to do their business so we could go back inside!

Saturday was a nice, sunny day. It was still cold but when in the sun, it was warm enough to be outside. Marilyn, Lori and I found a wonderful little shop in Cottonwood called Gingerbread House. It was like a Hallmark store on CRACK! Plus they made their own fudge. It was delicious. After blowing all of our time there, we had to make a quick trip to Walmart. That was nearly impossible, given it was the Saturday before Christmas. The parking lot was PACKED! We divided and conquered inside the store to save time and met up at the checkout. We got all of the essentials - liquor, hot cocoa, and food. Three of the 4 food groups in cold country. While back at camp, we had chili and cornbread for lunch. What a great cold country meal!

Saturday evening brought a fabulous potluck dinner. Marilyn & Ron made an incredible prime rib. Dennis & I brought rice & beans as well as steamed broccoli & cauliflower. Dave & Lori brought Caesar Salad and a fantastic bread pudding with chocolate sauce for dessert! Yum! It was an early night for everyone as we'd had an exhausting day shopping, drinking margaritas and enjoying the sun like lizards.

Sunday morning brought more frost and another cold morning walk with the boys. The boys love the cold! After getting ready to leave, we said goodbye to our new friends Dave & Lori and Cheyenne. We wish them safe travels, good health, and prosperity. Their stay in Arizona is coming to and end and we hope to see them again soon. It was a nice drive back to Phoenix. We had Burger King, and fed the boys a hamburger after which they both went to sleep. It was precious! Enjoy the week, Merry Christmas, and more to blog when I have time.

Here's a video I took while we were leaving Thousand Trails. The mountains in the distance had snow on them and were beautiful. Enjoy!