Happy New Year!!!

It’s a brand new year!!! Instead of reflecting on last year, I want to look forward to this year and all that it brings.

I want this year to be different than the last two years. Of course I have the same initial goals that most people have but this year, I want to approach them in a different way. Instead of doing things just to check them off of the to-do list, I want to do things with a purpose in mind.

You may be wondering what purpose I have that could encompass all aspects of my life. Well, my purpose is to improve my health. The end goal is to gradually adapt a way of doing things that will lead to a healthy lifestyle. At least that is my primary goal. Most of which can, or at least should be, easily achieved with diet and exercise. Of course this will all happen in baby steps, but it will happen. Feel free to blame my chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or the years of smoked before quitting in December, 2015.

Like other people, I too want to clean and organize every room in my house. This will take a lot of time and I will only be able to do so much a day. I do not want to do any home improvements like painting and rearranging furniture, but definitely very deep cleaning to begin with.

It is possible that I may decide to relocate my craffice to a different room in my house. But that is a different decision for another day and time. Craffice is the name my husband made up for the room that is used for my work office and craft room. It is very cramped at the moment but that is okay by me.

Before my mother moved to an assisted living facility, she lived independently. We would have a pot luck lunch at her house every Sunday and it was a lot of fun. But now, things are different, mainly because of COVID. I am hoping we can reestablish our weekly lunch with my mom by doing pot lucks at either my daughter’s house or my son’s house. I know how much she like to get out and an outing to my house is too close to count as an outing!

I know that I will be booking a cruise on the Carnival Jubilee when the itineraries open up. Other than that expense, the only other thing I would like to purchase would be a new camera. I have been wanting one for a few years but I’m hoping this year is the year it will happen!

But one of the most important things I want to accomplish this year it to be more mindful of everything in my life and everything/everyone I come in contact with.

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

Thanksgiving 2021 with mom: twice the fun!

On November 18th, Bethesda Gardens allowed their residents to have 2 family members to come have a Thanksgiving dinner with them. When I received the call, I said that I would definitely be there and would ask another family member, likely my daughter, to join us as well. I immediately contacted Kimmie who absolutely wanted to come but I did not tell my mother she was coming.

After I arrived, I told my mom that not only was I going to have dinner with her but that I had a surprise guest coming as well. We made our way to our assigned table to wait. She tried guessing who the mystery person was, but she never got it. She was so happy when she saw Kimmie!!!

Now that we were seated at the table, would could look at the menu to see what we wanted.

The meal definitely much to be desired but just being able to have a meal with her was worth it. I could definitely tell the difference between the current chef and the one that was originally there when my moved in.

After we finished eating, we walked mom to her apartment and went inside to have a little time to visit with her. And to make sure she had everything she needed before we left. We were happy to be able to have this time with her.

On Thanksgiving Day, we took my mom to Cracker Barrel for lunch. What she did not know was that Wesley and his family would be joining us. There was a long wait to be seated but that didn’t matter to us.

Wesley was stuck in traffic! He arrived shortly after we were seated. My mom was definitely surprised to see them!!!!

Time to look over the special menu and make our selections. Half of us had breakfast while the other half had some form of a Thanksgiving meal. Sorry… no food pictures.

While we waiting for our food, Princess Peyton entertained us with her posing for pictures and taking pictures of me with her mom’s phone. That girl is something else!!!!

And just like that, we were finished eating and browsing in the country store. Before we left, we made sure to take a 4-generation picture. Obviously is was a very windy day.

Then we asked someone to please take a picture of the family.

It was definitely a good day for my mom and the rest of us. I hope we can get together more often as restrictions continue to let up.

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 22, Family Edition #5 NASCAR 2007

Something you should know about me. I have loved NASCAR for a long time. So much that I even named our pets after race tracks. Our first dog, I named her Daytona. Why??? Because I thought you looked like the backstretch at Daytona after the big one, all black with some white and brown. Our cat is named Talladega, because he has some stripes. Our third dog is named Cartwright. How does that relate to Texas Motor Speedway? The big screen they show the race on is called Big Hoss and we actually call our dog Hoss. And our newest addition to our canine family is Dixie. There is actually a Dixie Racetrack in Georgia, so that is close enough to racing for us. Now, on with the story for today’s scrapbook page.

For Christmas, 2006, I gave my kids tickets to the NASCAR Busch race. My daughter couldn’t go so her oldest daughter took her place!

It was cold but still an exciting time. I was so happy my oldest son was able to make it! We had a great time. One of these days, we might go to another one. Over the years, there have been a lot of changes in the way the races are run. I’m not saying they are good or bad. I’m just not a fan of them. Don’t get me wrong. I do still love a good race! It’s just that the drivers I followed in the beginning are no longer racing. So, travel opportunities are more of a priority than going to races

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time -Installment 21, Kimmie and Kelly’s Morning Of Fun

There is not a scrapbook page for today but I do have a one photo to share.

Today, my daughter picked me up with plans of looking for a new recliner for my mom. Our initial plans were to go to Big Lots to look at recliners and Joann’s to look around.

Our first stop was to drop off my moms meds snd other items she ran out of, couldn’t find, or just wanted. Kimmie also had a wrapped Christmas present and Christmas card to have delivered to her as well. So far, so good!

We made it to Big Lots but it had not opened for the day. There just happens to be a Target in the same shopping center. So we did what any normal female would do… we went to Target. But there was a bit of a delay getting inside. My mom called Kimmie to thank her for the frame and the card. We changed to topic of the conversation to let her know we were out looking for a new recliner for her explaining the fall risk she has since it swivels. She. Was. Mad. She does not want a new recliner. Eventually she told us that she wants us to get her 2 frames like the one she has for Wesley’s family. She doesn’t know the size of the frame but she has pictures of her other family that needs to be put in a frame. It turns out, the other family is Kimmie’s family!!! We laughed so hard we were crying.

We finally made it inside Target for a little shopping and, of course, a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha and a regular mocha. Followed by stops at Big Lots, Joann’s, and Michael’s.

Overall it was a fabulous day and I can’t wait to do it again!!! But next time, I will not leave my Starbucks Mocha in Kimmies car.

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 19, Galveston 2012 No. 6, Evening in Galveston.

It seems only appropriate after the walking, driving, in and out of the car, that we did it would be appropriate for us to go in search of a place to eat. The dining options in Galveston are endless. The variety ranges from fast food to fine dining. It all depends on what you want at any given time. Today we decided to have a late lunch, early dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack. It’s nothing special but definitely hit the spot. Of course, our travel mascot Fernando deFrog Cruise had to have a cocktail!

A walk along Seawall Boulevard was required after eating. Obviously I was on my way to my favorite shopping spot on Seawall! Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures inside Murdochs but maybe on another trip to Galveston, I will.

Our evening ended with a beautiful sunset outside the condo.

We didn’t know how the evening/night would end, but it ended suddenly. While we were relaxing, we received a frantic call from our granddaughter, Jennifer. My mom fell in the bathroom and she did not know what to do. Jennifer was scared as I’m sure anyone would be at that age (13). We immediately packed up and headed back home. I think we made it to the hospital in record time! Luckily, there were no serious injuries and the cause of the fall was determined to be from a seizure and a small stroke.

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 18, Galveston 2012 No. 5, Some Beautiful Houses

While on our trek to find the tree sculptures, we saw some beautiful house. I thought I should share a few with you.

The Frederich-Erhard House, a historical home we saw. It is beautiful.

Another beautiful house. Just look at the details. Definitely very grand. Vibrant colors. But I can’t get over the details!

Two more houses that really caught my eye. I just love the colors.

The houses have stood against hurricanes and the floods they bring. Most of the house we saw had signs near the front door showing where the flood waters came to on the house.

I think we might be getting a little hungry now so please come back to see what we get into next!

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 17, Galveston 2012 No. 4, Tree Sculptures part 2.

Continuing on our tree sculpture journey.

“Geisha” located at 1717 Ball Street. Artist: Jim Phillips.

“Sister Angels” located at 1717 Ball Street. Artist: Dayle Lewis.

“Tin Man and Toto” located at 1702 Winnie. Artist: Jim Phillips.

“Grandmother Reading To Her Grandchildren” located at 1723 Winnie. Artist: Earl Jones.

“Monument to Galveston Trees” located at 1028 Winnie. Artist: Jim Phillips.

“Mermaid Holding Clam Shell” located at 1408 Church Street. Artist: Dayle Lewis.

“Pelican Sitting On Piling” located at 1618 Church Street. Artist: Dayle Lewis.

There are still so many more I will need to find and I am happy to do that on our next extended trip to Galveston.

We did some some beautiful houses while we were on our tree sculpture adventure. I will share those scrapbook pages in the next installment.

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 16, Galveston 2012, No. 3 Tree Sculptures part 1

On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall on Galveston. Among the destruction Ike caused were beautiful old trees, uprooting and killing thousands. Years later, the tree sculptures were born.

On this day, we decided we would take the list and map we found online and see how many tree sculptures we could find. Although we did not find them all, we could have but our stomachs had other ideas. So, here is today’s tree sculpture scrapbook pages.

“Pod of Dolphins and Mermaid” located at 902 Ball Street. The artist is Earl Jones.

“Dolphin” located at 828 Ball Street. The artist is Earl Jones.

“Squirrel with Acorn” located at 1302 Ball Street. The artist is Dayle Lewis.

“Wildlife Totem Pole” located at 1302 Ball Street. The artist is Dayle Lewis.

“Two Herons” located at 1316 Ball Street. The artist is Dayle Lewis.

“Guitar” located at 1415 Ball street. The artist is unknown, however some website say the homeowner is the artist.

“Toad” located at 1615 Ball Street. The artist is Dayle Lewis.

Tomorrow I will be back to complete the tree sculpture tour.

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 15, Galveston 2012 No. 2

Continuing with SeaWolf Park. Since we were homeschooling our son at this time, we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to visit the Galveston Naval Museum.

We first toured the USS Stewart, a WWII destroyer escort.

Then toured the USS Cavalla, a WWII submarine.

There are truly no words to describe the history we walked through. Photos do not do it justice.

Afterwards, we walked over to a building on the park that was destroyed by Hurricane Ike.

I must confess, I did have to go to Michaels to purchase something I did not have to create my scrapbook pages on the UUS Stewart and USS Cavalla. I initially went to get stickers only, but then I saw the embossed navy blue paper and new it would be perfect for the layouts.

Tomorrow will be another fun day as we go in search of the tree sculptures.

Telling Our Story One Scrapbook Page At A Time – Installment 14, Galveston 2012 No. 1

It’s time for me to put together scrapbook pages for a weekend getaway we took in 2012. We like going to Galveston. It’s somewhat east to get to from our house as long as we manage to avoid the traffic in Houston. That is definitely the worse part of going to Galveston… Houston traffic and Houston road construction. It’s never ending much like I-35!!!

On this trip, it was my husband, our son Dawson, and our traveling frog mascots. Luckily they didn’t get out too much. We used bonus time with our SilverLeaf timeshare so we had a place to stay and didn’t have to worry about where we would be eating. We typically eat at the condo so we always stop at WalMart to pick up the necessary items as we are driving in. Every morning starts the same way… coffee on the balcony.

On this day, we decided to make our way to SeaWolf Park. It is so nice there. Lots to see and explore. I like watching the ships as they pass by. And sometimes, I have even spotted dolphins playing. But not this time.

To be continued