HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD!

MOM CELEBRATED HER BIRTHDAY 8-18-08, BUT SHE WAS STILL SICK FROM CHEMO. WE PLANNED ON TAKING HER OUT THIS WEEKEND, BUT SHE WENT TO PEORIA WITH HER SISTERS TO SEE UNCLE LESTER. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE EARLY SATURDAY AND, I THOUGHT, BACK SUNDAY NIGHT. INSTEAD SHE LEFT LATE SATURDAY, AND IS NOT DUE BACK UNTIL TOMORROW. SHE LEFT ON HER ANNIVERSARY AND DAD HAD TO WORK! GO FIGURE! THEREFORE, I HAD PLANNED ON HER READING THIS TONIGHT, WHEN SHE GOT HOME, BUT ALAS...SHE WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW. KIND OF HARD TO SEND THIS TO SOMEONE, WHO IS NOT GETTING ON THE COMPUTER LATELY AND THEN, NOT HOME TO READ IT! BUT CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU, MOM AND DAD!! WE LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS AND WISH YOU MANY MANY MANY MANY MORE YEARS TOGETHER AND MOM...MANY MANY MANY MANY MORE HAPPIER BIRTHDAYS TO COME!!!!! LOVE YOU!

LIFE AS I KNOW IT! (PART 3)

Well, It has taken me a while to get back to this, but believe me, I have my list! So here goes:

51. Watching my daughter get crowned "May Day Queen". She looked like a Hawaiian princess out on the gym floor with her halo (she wanted a crown!) Oh well, she still looked beautiful and I was so proud of her!

52. Watching Joi graduate from Granite City Senior High School!

53. Seeing Yellowstone for the first time when I was young and then seeing it again last year with Tom. It is an awesome place. Each turn, hill, etc. is more beautiful than the last!!

54. Seeing the "GRAND TETONS". What can I say but "MAJESTIC!"

55. Going to Branson with Sherry Burris and spending the week, renting a boat (we neither one knew how to drive, or how to find our way around, so we just drove it back and forth in the area we rented it!) But, we had a GREAT time!

56. Seeing Joi's face when she came around the corner riding her first go-kart!!!PRICELESS!

57. Going to London with Joi and several of her friends and families. I never thought I wanted to go there, but I would go back in snap. We also seen the city of Bathe (the Roman Baths) and Stonehenge. Joi and I got to see a stone beach, not sand, but round stones. We seen foot paths (sidewalks), car parks (parking lots), minded the gap (watched our step), see the lieu's (toilets), and many many other fun memories which would take forever to write down.

58. Parasailing for the 1st time in Key West, then going again with Joi in Myrtle Beach and again in Panama City Beach! WHEW!

59. Having a surprise birthday party thrown for me by my best friend "Nanette", including being picked up for work that morning by...SURPRISE..a knock at my door, a driver informing me that my ride was here to take me to work and Joi to Happy Day. None other than a gold limousine (Joi was not too sure about it!) Then, well, not so much, but the cop, well I mean the stripper she supplied for the birthday party!

60. Taking my helicopter ride, FINALLY AFTER 3 trips to Hawaii and 3 attempts, around the island of Maui and the Road to Hana and Haleakala Crater!!!!!!! WHAT WORDS CAN I USE TO DESCRIBE SUCH BEAUTY!

61. Joi and I going across the Royal Gorge Bridge to ride the skylift (which we did not do, because the electrical lightening which was on its way), but the whole time dad telling us we were not going, but he would not step out on to the bridge-----he is afraid of heights!!!!!

62. Going to Elephant Rocks and Johnson Shut-ins for the 1st time with Tom. They were beautiful and so close to home! Who knew?!

63. Learning to drive and ride John and Cindy Miller's SEADOO in Panama City Beach. Then having Cindy come barreling in to the shore, yell and me to come on the other Seadoo, followed her out and we rode along beside a pod of DOLPHINS and their babies for a long time!!!! WHOOOPPPPEEEEEEE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

64. A couple of years ago, Tom and I went up along the Great River Road during the winter to see the Eagles and boy did we see the EAGLES. The frozen river and the sounds it made really was awe inspiring too.

65. Receiving my high school diploma.

66. Watching Joi graduate college and having David there too, no less! BONUS.

67. Getting to see Tom parasail with Shane in Panama City Beach.

68. Walking out on the Chain of Rocks Bridge across the Mississippi River.

69. Seeing the Moose and its baby in Yellowstone.

70. Seeing the momma black bear and her 2 cubs in the Tetons, cross the highway right in front of our car!

71. Watching ALL of my daughters several dance recitals (little miss bossy...she knows what I'm talking about!)

72. Buying bikes a couple of years ago and riding the MCT trails with Mom, Dad, Joi, Dave, Tom and me!

73. Seeing Cumberland Falls in Kentucky, last month on vacation. It is actually only about 5 to 6 hours away and it is a smaller version of Niagara Falls!

74. Seeing a COMPLETE-DOUBLE RAINBOW going with Sherry Burris up to Alton Square to pick out a dress to be her bridesmaid. It was enormous and beautiful! God is a wonderful painter!

75. Last but not least until the 4th and final set....... Riding the small motor boats with Joi in Myrtle Beach. We had a blast!

You know what, while thinking up this list and remembering all of these things that I have seen, done, witnessed, lived, etc. I realize over and over again just how wonderful my life has been, how blessed I am, how beautiful this world is and that I have the most wonderful family and friends. I love you all and thank each and everyone of you for being in my life and giving me wonderful memories, whether mentioned above or not. I thank God for my family every single day! Of course, I have to add a picture, but look at the rainbow I captured with my cell phone camera a couple of weeks ago going towork at 6:00 a.m. (it was actually a double if you look close, plus I could only capture one side. It was actually a full blown rainbow. Where is a panoramic camera when I need it!)

DUCHESS OF DISTINCTION
Your home is quite a masculine environment, but it's nonetheless comfortable, with an air of maturity: you enjoy the good things in life, and that includes the furniture and furnishings you like to have around you. What could look quite conservative is, in fact, seriously sleek.
Living Room
Playboy, gent, aesthete - your living room is a shrine to bachelorism. The masculine look finds its apogee in the bachelor pad, and at the heart of every bachelor pad is the living space, with its sharp lines and a hedonistic approach to life that's all about having fun and very little to do with mundane chores. This is the lifestyle of a Gatsby or a 007, and the fact that both are fictional characters says it all: this look is about illusion and seduction and a dash of hustler chutzpah. This is a look that can't take clutter: rustic accessories can work surprisingly well, giving the room a rugged aesthetic -- it's the rough with the smooth, the grit to the mill. Rich, dark colours are generally bold and inviting but can be overwhelming by day, while leather is smart and tactile. After pottering about in the garden, your living room's somewhere to put up your feet and take a well-earned rest.
Bedroom
Your bedroom has that classic look that never goes out of style. Sleep is fundamentally important to our well being. In busy towns and cities, noise can often hamper a good night's sleep. Soft furnishings really do absorb sound, and touch is such an important sense in the bedroom, from crisp, linen sheets to wool or even sheepskin underfoot. Elegance and relative simplicity are keynotes in your bedroom, using rich, chocolate browns to create a warm and cosy escape from the rest of the world.
Dining Room
You're a modern maverick, a supremely elegant entertainer. At home, you have a fresh, contemporary dining style that is versatile and achievable on almost any budget. Keeping the basics simple, try using colour or picking something a bit unusual to add character and to give the dining area some definition. Good design and quality materials can really lift a place setting. When it comes to entertaining, you're pretty casual and relaxed.
Home Office
You have a place for everything and everything has its place. Decorating your home office to reflect the spirit and personality of the rest of your home really does make all the difference - especially when it comes to sitting down and sorting out the filing! The modernist adage that form should follow function is nowhere better demonstrated than in the home office: keep things simple and add your own sense of style by using a splash of colour or a single, well-chosen decorative piece.


Well I did the test! Masculine!?! Oh, well. I took it twice, picked out some different items and both times came out the same. Do you agree?

!!!! ELVIS !!!!!

Yes, the "King of Rock n Roll", Elvis Presley! Just an FYI to all you ELVIS Fans! Elvis is putting out a new album! Can you believe it! Yes, you heard me right! A new album! Well, at least new technology is making it happen. Remember when they had Celine Dion sing with Elvis on the American Idol Gives Back Special? Well, they are at it again, but this time, it will be a re-release of his 1957 "Elvis' Christmas Album". The Jordanaires will still be doing the backgroud vocals and are rerecording them currently. I clipped the article out of the paper and I will be buying the album! I already have the album & c/d currently, but just take a gander at who will be singing with him: "Blue Christmas" with Martina McBride, "Here Comes Santa Claus" with LeAnn Rimes, "Merry Christmas Baby" with Gretchen Wilson, "White Christmas" with Amy Grant and I'll Be Home for Christmas" with Carrie Underwood. Others to be on there will be Wynonna Judd, Sara Evans, and Anne Murray!!! I know I'm excited how about all of you?!! I know, contain yourselves!

AM I A DOG GROOMER, OR WHAT!?

GIZMO BEFORE
KOTY BEFORE
KOTY AFTER
GIZMO-1/2 WAY DONE-He got tired and jumped up and run away-notice one side 2-legs are done, the other is not! hehe
GIZMO DONE

Well, I did it! I gave the puppies haircuts! Yep, I took the plunge, dove right in and gave both Koty and Gizmo their haircuts! I kept thinking about saving $75.00! Then I thought, I can do this, what could be so hard? Well, 2 days later and 4 1/2 hours total, I got them both done, even clipping their toenails (this part, much to Koty's dismay!). But whew, they are both done now. Need I say, I did okie dokie, if I must say so myself. I need to even them up some, but I think I will give them a couple of days rest before attempting this part. Of course, I have pics of the little darlings. What do you think?

!!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY- JOI & DAVE !!!!

Well, it is 3 years today! Congratulations you two! I hope you are as happy today as you were that day in "HAWAII" (just think we were in Hawaii 3 years ago today, on the beach in Makena Cove, with the ocean and the sand and...oh I forgot I am posting a blog-better get back to it). Sure wish we were all back in Hawaii. But to the point, Happy Anniversay from me and Tom. I hope you two have a wonderful day! We love you both and are glad to have David as our son-in-law. Just look and drool again! You do not know just how happy it makes me that you are both so happy. Again, I Love you both!

BACK FROM VACATION!

Lincoln's Boyhood Home National Memorial, Lincoln City, IN
Tom-Being Superman-Metropolis, IL

Tom-Scoping out the Natural Bridge
Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Kentucky

Nada Tunnel-At the End of the Red River
Gorge Scenic By-way which goes around the Daniel Boone
National Forest, Kentucky. It is 12'x13'x900'.

Overlook Restaurant-Sits on Ohio River in
Leavenworth, IN-looking towards Kentucky

St. Meinrad, IN-AbbeyChurch, the town people call it their castle

Of course, me visiting Santa in Santa Clause, Indiana

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Cumberland Falls, KY



Lake and Falls in Natural Bridge State Park

Tom & me on the Skylift up to the Trail for the Natural Bridge

Fort Doneldson, Dover, TN

Exact size replica of the Parthenon
from Greece, in Nashville, TN

Big South Fork Natl Park, Kentucky/Tennessee

Cumberland Gap Tunnel goes from
Cumberland Gap, TN to Middlesboro, KY

Tom and me at the top of the Pinnacle
Overlook for the Cumberland Tunnel.
We are in Virginia at this point!

Well, it wasn't the vacation we had planned, which was to go to Colorado and the mountains, but mountains we did do! We decided just to do a 4 day road trip covering Tennessee and Kentucky. Now this may sound weird, especially since we by-passed Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, but all in all it was a great time and we seen miles of pretty scenery. Of course, you know me, I took some pictures (well, 482 digital and 3 rolls of 35 mm to be exact). And, of course, I am posting some of the spots here for all to see! Go see for yourself! If you like small mountains, the cumberland mountains are very pretty and really "not so small" when you are driving them (well, that is "Tom" was driving them). So take a look at what our past 4 days presented to us! It was VERY HOTTTTTTT!!!!! We did some hiking (not as much as we would have liked to, because of the heat). It really is some very pretty country. We plan on returning sometime in the fall, because of the colors the trees will be. We seen pictures in some of the places and boy, it sure does look pretty at that time of year. All in all, a very nice and pleasantly surprising 4 days, which took us from Illinois to Kentucky, Tennessee, Kentucky again, Virginia, Kentucky again, Indiana and back to Illinois. WHEW......1460 miles!!! Most of which were off of the main highways and on 2 lane back roads...Tom likes them best! Well, we had fun and we are home safe and sound.