I'm Home!!!!!

Okay, Okay! I know that I said that I would try and blog while I was in Atlanta, BUT I just didn't have the time. Saturday, as soon as I arrived and after we ate lunch, we went to the loft so I could take a look around. Then it was off the Bed, Bath and Beyond. When we left there Crystal and Kim took me back to Crystal's apartment - where I proceeded to take an Imitrex and lie down on the couch. I spent a couple of hours lying on the couch before I took myself off to bed.

Sunday morning Crystal and Kim came over and picked me up around 10:00 a.m. and off we went to IKEA for a full day of shopping (and I do mean a FULL day) and then we were off to Target for a couple of last minute things (I also had to pick up a "roller" suitcase - walking two hundred miles through an airport caring a heavy suitcase if NOT fun!). Then we headed back to Crystal's apartment where I proceeded to watch a couple of hours of Sunday Night Football before I went to bed.

Monday we spent the day at the loft putting the things we had bought away - then Tuesday, while the girls were at work, I spent the day at the loft finishing putting things away. I even put a few pieces of furniture together. While the girls still have quite a bit of work to do - a lot was accomplished in the few days I was there and I sincerely hope that Kim likes the result. There are a couple of pictures of the loft - I think that they are self explanatory -

They have a couple of things left to do- most of those things are downstairs and the closet, but I am sure that they are working hard on all that is left to do - and everything will be done by the time Dan and I get back down to Atlanta in three weeks.

Now, to celebrate (I'm not sure if we were celebrating the work on the loft or that I was leaving - maybe a little of both) we went out to dinner and then to a one woman show called "Changing Shoes". It was really a pretty good show and I think the three of us enjoyed ourselves.


This is the marquee on the playhouse - I don't know if any of you out there watched Guiding Light (you know the soap opera) but the actress that did the show had been on the shows for years and years. Most people know that they (meaning the network) cancelled Guiding Light. Anyway - I enjoyed the show and I'm glad we went. We actually got home around 9:00 and I didn't stay up late - I knew that this morning was going to be an early one and I wanted to get some sleep.

Anyway, around 5:30 this morning (Crystal's clock said 6:00 BUT all her clock's are 22 minutes fast) I was up and in the shower. Crystal was there by 6:45 and were off to the MARTA station. I jumped on MARTA and 20 minutes later I was at the airport. The flights home were much better than the flights down to Atlanta (we had really rough weather on the way down). Dan was at the airport waiting for me (BOY was I glad to see him!) and we stopped for lunch. Back to the campground were we loaded everything up and then we were off to Shipsawana. It only took us an hour to get here and after we set everything up we went out to dinner - we had an excellent waitress and fabulous lemon meringue pie.

Tomorrow we plan on going into South Bend and tour Notre Dame and then come back and shop around town. It really looks like an interesting place and I look forward to looking around (maybe do a little shopping).

Sorry I was not able to blog while I was in Atlanta, but I am home again and I'll be back it every day. Hope all has been going well with you all. I'll look forward to your comments and I'll talk to you tomorrow!

On the Way to Atlanta Tomorrow!!!!!!

Well, tomorrow morning I leave for Atlanta - I am really looking forward to seeing Crystal and Kim and they have reassured me that all will be well - I can just relax and enjoy the one thing that I really miss since we sold our "sticks and bricks" - DECORATING!!!!

You might wonder what the picture is - NO we do NOT own another golf cart - Dale is loaning his to Dan to use while he is in Florida and I am in Atlanta. But the enclosure is our "garage" that we will use for the two bikes when we are in Florida - it will keep them out of the weather and under wraps. We think it will work just fine and I think it is a pretty ingenious idea myself.

Not much happened today - we went into to Wal Mart and returned a couple of things that we had purchased yesterday that didn't do what we wanted it to do. Then Dan wanted to go over to Sam's Club. That was probably a BIG mistake!!!! No really what the mistake was going to Sam's hungry - they were doing demos on all kinds of stuff and we bought a whole lot of stuff - then I had to come home and TRY and find somewhere to put it all. But we did buy the "garage" there and a couple of books for me to take with me to Atlanta.

After we came home I checked the blog for comments - I have to admit that I was somewhat surprised that I did not get more feedback than I did - I really thought I would get comments from everyone!!! Oh well, I guess that means I can ride with no worries. Now, Crystal and Kim, I responded on the comment section on this mornings blog that it is NOT okay to have a motorcycle in Atlanta - it is WAY TOO DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!!!!! Do NOT even consider it!!!!!! We will discuss it further tomorrow.

I also cooked dinner and had Dale down to eat - it was chicken enchiladas, Santa Fe rice, and refried beans - it was really pretty good - even if I do have to say so myself. We are going to meet Dale up at the snack bar for some ice cream at 9:00 - it will be our farewell sorta - we is going to the airport with Dan and I in the morning - and they can spend a little while together just the two of them.

After I cleaned up from dinner I packed - I just hope that I packed the right kind of clothes and that all goes well. I will just have to go with what I have and hope for the best - if it is raining in the morning then I will take my raincoat if not, I won't (that is a smart statement - NOT!)

Well, I don't really have anything else to report - I will be able to blog and I will taking my camera with me so I can take pictures also. I know that I am not going to stay up too late tonight - I have an early morning in the morning. I hope that I will be able to check in before I leave, but if not - I will talk to you all tomorrow!

Now what have we done?

This is Dan on his new motorcycle. I really didn't think that we were going to buy this bike, but Dan had his heart set on it and you know that I can't tell him 'no' - so we have purchased a motorcycle. See the saddlebags??? We will be able to take the bike into town and buy a few groceries - you know, things like milk, eggs, bread, oj. Little things - not the "big" grocery trip - but it will be nice to be able to save a few bucks on fuel. It will also be easier to find a place to park in town. Dan is one happy little boy - as you can probably tell by the smile on his face!





Dale is going to take the bike down to Florida for us - he is leaving Saturday afternoon and has volunteered to trailer the bike down. That takes a large burden off our back (I mean, how could we ever get this down to Florida since we don't have the hitch on the 5th wheel yet.) We are still trying to figure out how we are going to handle this little "gift" after we get to Florida - I (we) don't want to spend a fortune on putting a hitch on the 5th wheel, so we are still in discussion about this issue. We have decided (at least so far 'we' have decided) that if all else fails we will just leave the bike in Florida when we leave in February. We'll see how long this "decision" lasts as that time get closer (those who know Dan will understand this statement - right?)

Now, this was not the only purchase that Dan has made in the past couple of days. What else, you might ask, would he purchase?? And, how could this purchase influence me (meaning me, Carol)????? Well, people that know me won't believe the next picture - I couldn't believe it myself - but I promise you that it is not trick photography. So, what am I talking about????? Look ---------------------------------------------------------------------



Yes, you see right - that's ME on a motorcycle and it's MINE!!!!!!! I can even prove it - Look at this -----------------------------------

Yep! That IS me on the cycle - riding through the yard and I'm SMILING!!!!!! Now, before my friends and family get all upset, I just want to say that this is NOT a regular motorcycle - it is NOT street legal and I'll only be riding it around the parks and stuff. It is only to be used for fun and I will be VERY CAREFUL and I will be wearing a helmet anytime I am on the big cycle. We will not have any problem carrying this one with us because it fits in the bed of the truck - even around the 5th wheel hitch.



I'm sorry I did not get this posted yesterday - or more importantly- last night, but I was having trouble with the Internet service - my air card kept going off and it was a problem - I tried to type this TWICE last night and neither time could I finish. Anyway, I finally got tired and just gave up. Hopefully you guys did not worry about it and you knew that things were okay.

Tomorrow I leave for Atlanta - so today I will do the packing and getting everything ready. I am going to need to be up around 5:30 tomorrow morning (YIKES!) to be able to get ready and be at the airport in time for my flight. I have decided that I WILL NOT be taking my computer with me - it is just too much trouble - but I have been assured that I can use either Crystal's or Kim's computer soooooo I will be able to keep up with the blog. Plus, you guys can see the loft - I am excited about the prospect of doing some decorating again (but to tell you the truth, I am also a little nervous). I mean, it's one thing to decorate for yourself (if you screw up in your own room it's your money and you can start over) but when you are helping someone else you have a whole lot more responsibility!!!! I'm hoping and praying that I don't screw up!

Okay, I am going to sign off for this morning - I will post again tonight. I can't wait to see the comments on THIS post! I'm sure there are going to be some.

Take care and I'll talk to you later today!

Home again 2

Hello all - glad to be back at "home". It is always
nice to go somewhere to visit - but it is always good to get home again. I guess that is what sorta spoils you with this full time RVing - you get to take your 'home' with you no matter where you travel. That means you always have your own bed with you and your own stuff. That doesn't mean I don't like to go visit other people - but it is still a good thing to come home. Now this is a picture of the four of us (Dale, Cindy, Dan and I) at an apple orchard that we stopped at on our way back home from a restaurant Cindy wanted to take us to. More on that restaurant at the end. We picked up some fresh apples - we bought a half peck of an apple I have never had before called Honey Crisp - they are probably the best apple I have ever eaten. If you ever get a chance to have a Honey Crisp try it - I think you will really enjoy it.


I don't know if you can tell it or not, but at the top of this structure is a goat and down at the bottom is a little boy putting goat feed in a bucket - then he raises the bucket for the goat to eat. It is really pretty funny to see these goats go up the ramp as soon as anyone walks near that bucket. The kids really loved it (not any of our kids, just the kids that were there - thought I would clear that up.)

Now, yesterday we drove about fifty miles to be able to eat at this special restaurant - but before we ate we (Cindy and I) went to the outlet mall for about an hour while the guys (Dale and Dan) went to the Harley shop to look around. Cindy and I went to Nautica and Pottery Barn in an hour - I did pick up a couple of white t-shirts and a pull over sweater at 60 percent off - I didn't buy anything at Pottery Barn. After the guys picked us up we went over to Tony's - to have lunch. Cindy and Dale's mom and dad (which was Dan's sister) used to take the kids to this restaurant when they were little - so they wanted to share the experience with Dan. They are famous for their BLT sandwiches. Cindy and Dale kept telling Dan that the BLT's were enormous - and that they put over a pound of bacon on the sandwich - well, we didn't believe them. Well, guess what - they didn't lie -----------

as these pictures will attest to------------

To say we couldn't believe the size of this sandwich would be an understatement. We also brought enough bacon home with us that Dan and I both had another BLT and still had bacon left over. It was HUGE!!!!! (In case your wondering I had a small Dixie Burrito and I brought half of it home and had it for supper tonight).

After we ate we needed to walk off some of the food we ate - so we went back over to the outlet mall and went to GAP for about 45 minutes (the guys went to a CASE outlet store). I did buy an outfit to wear on the plane to Atlanta - I wanted to be comfortable and wanted something that wouldn't wrinkle. It should work.

Tomorrow I am going to go over to Dale's house and do the laundry - I will be getting ready to pack for my trip to Atlanta (I am really looking forward to seeing Crystal and Kim!) I will only be gone for a few days - I leave on Saturday and I will be back on Wednesday. I haven't decided if I will take my computer with me yet or not. In one way I really don't want to have to take it on the plane with me (I don't plan on checking any luggage) but I also don't want to not blog for four days. I guess I'll figure that our later.

I'll have some other pictures for you tomorrow (there are still some surprises we have up our sleeve) but you'll see at least one of them tomorrow. I'll just leave you in suspense.

Well, that's all I have to report on tonight - I hope you all are having a good week. Okay, you've had a couple of days off, so I hope we gets lots of comments. I'll be looking forward to them.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Another day at Dale's

We went on the electric boat again today after lunch - Dale went to church this morning and Cindy and Rod arrived around 11:30 this morning - we hung around Dale's for a little while. Rod and I went downstairs and watched some football (go Brett!) while Dan and Dale grilled out. We had a fabulous lunch - then Rod decided that he needed to go back home. After he left the rest of us went down to the marina and went out on the boat again. This is Cindy and Dan before the ride.

The is whole crew right after lunch - starting on the far left we have Dale, then Bonnie, Rod in the back, Cindy and, of course, my Danny boy! It has been a great day with everyone sitting around and talking about all the memories they have when they were little. It was fun listening to all the stories.

This is a picture of the electric boat as Dale is taking it back around to the marina to take it out.

I posted pictures of Dale's house from the back yesterday - well, this is the front. It is a very nice home and very comfortable.

Tomorrow I think we are going with Dale to take Cindy home - we will spend the night at Cindy's and come home on Wednesday - so I don't think I will take the computer with us. So don't expect me to post tomorrow night - but I will take lots of pictures at Cindy's and have lots to post on Wednesday.

We still haven't decided on the cycle - but it is looking more and more like Dan is going to buy it - we still have to double check the weight - but as long as it will fit on the hitch then I am pretty sure we will buy it. I'll keep you updated.

We've watched lots of football today (yeah!) and had a pizza for dinner. We are back at home now and watching Dallas/NY Giants game. (I doubt if we will make it to the end of the game).

I don't have much else to report -

I hope you all have a good week and I'll talk to you Wednesday

A Day with Dale and Bonnie

Today was a good day with family - this is a picture of Dale, Bonnie and Dan at lunch. We spent some time on the lake again - only this time in a nice little electric boat that a friend of Dale's was promoting. It was a nice time with family and friends.


This is Dale's house - actually the back of his house - it is a very beautiful home and very comfortable - I told Dale that Dan and I could move into his basement and he would never even know we were there - but I would sure enjoy the 62 inch high def TV (which was very nice to watch some football on today!)



This is the motorcycle that Dan is thinking about buying - it is a good buy and it would fit on the back of the 5th wheel (maybe - we have to double check the weight). Anyway, we'll see. It would sure be more economical to do our running around on instead of always going around in the truck - like I said - we'll see. (This is a small bike and we would not be doing any highway driving on it - it would just be something we could take to the grocery store or run to do some sightseeing.) We will see how it plays out.


Now, I'll just show you some pictures of the family ---------


This is Bonnie - Dan's niece (one of his older sister Betty's daughters)

This is Dale - the baby of Betty's family - he is piloting the boat we were riding in.

Tonight Dale grilled hamburgers on his back deck tonight and then we watched some more football - during halftime we sat out on the deck with a fire in the fire pit and had dessert (well, Dale, Bonnie, and Dan had dessert.) I had a pretty good day with football (but I haven't seen the Vandy score - what was it Crystal????) For all you football fans - I hope that your team won today.

Cindy and Rod come tomorrow, but Bonnie has to leave. I'll have more pictures for you tomorrow.

Have a great Sunday and I'll talk to you tomorrow!

Indian Lake Michigan

This was a surprise for me - I really didn't think about it until I saw a couple of billboards for Notre Dame football - when all of a sudden - there it was - the exit to Notre Dame. Pretty cool huh? Well, I have heard that the campus of Notre Dame is beautiful, so Dan says that we will come back down to South Bend and visit the campus one day next week.

We got into Indian Lake about 4:00 and got all settled - Dale met us at the church and showed us where our camp spot was and helped us get settled. Then he took us on a tour of the Nazarene campground. It is very nice. Then we went by his house and looked around - I know where I'll be to watch the football games (he has a wonderful big screen TV down in the basement - Yahoo!). Then we went down to the dining room and ate dinner -not bad and it only cost us $7.00 each for a buffet. After dinner we went back to Dale's to wait for Bonnie to get there.

After Bonnie arrived we went down to the lake and took a ride on Dale's pontoon boat - it was really nice on the lake, but - like a dummy- I forgot my camera. So, tomorrow I will do better with the camera and I'll post pictures tomorrow so you can see what the place looks like. There are a lot of really nice houses and a lot of really cute cottages here. But, I'll show you some pictures tomorrow.

I'll sign off for tonight - Melissa - CONGRATULATIONS on closing on the house - you are now in the ranks of the home owner's (and I now have a place to stay sometimes!!!!)

Talk to you tomorrow!!!