It has been several weeks since I have posted anything. No excuses except lazy, I guess! We continue to enjoy remarkable weather, as it has been our warmest winter yet. I hate saying that when all my family and friends seem to be enduring their coldest winter. :-( I simply cannot believe the weather in other places. Pipes bursting, roads a mess, school cancellations mounting. I hope spring comes to everyone very soon!!!
Mark and I still haven't golfed yet. We went to the range once and I was so awful I don't need that frustration anymore in my life. Ha! I have decided there are other things in my life I enjoy more....like hiking in the mountains and desert.
Sister Sharon and Arne came from Florida at the end of January for their grandson Aaron's wedding. They stayed with us Monday-Wednesday and we enjoyed their company. We went to the Desert Botanical Garden on Wednesday and beauty was everywhere. Famous glass sculptor Chihuly's works were on display throughout the garden and they were amazing. We were so glad we went!
Thursday they left for a resort close to Aaron's wedding venue and they were staying until Monday morning. On Sunday Mark and I drove to the resort. I am glad we did as we were able to see nephew Erik and his three children. I had never met his youngest son Jeffrey. He is definitely a little Erik! Gracie and Kadin are growing quickly into beautiful young ladies. Nephew Aaron and his friend Emily drove down from Jerome so it was fun seeing them. We also saw niece Lisa and her sons Aaron, Nick and Taylor.
I am flying to Peoria on Valentine's Day...just because. : -) Ryan is at an age that every month brings huge changes and this granny doesn't want to miss out on any of them! I will see them again in a month when we go with Matt and Megan's family on a spring break trip.
Mark and I have also been doing a few landscaping changes. We took out everything "bush like" and put in items that do not get out of control while we are in Iowa, namely cactus and agave. No more bags and bags and bags of trim when I get back next October! Yay! Another upside to that is less water. Water is getting scarce in the west and southwest so we will do our tiny part to help conserve!
Well, that catches us up on our comings and goings! Here's hoping spring comes any day now to everyone.
The geraniums are really starting to put on lots of blooms now
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Spent an afternoon in Cave Creek....I wanted one of these!
The Town Dump. Fun place but we found a better one down the road!
Erik and Mark watching the kids swim
Mark with Erik's son Jeffrey.
Great time at the Phoenix Open. This picture does not do justice to Ricky Fowler's pants!
Beautiful day at the Phoenix Open.
Chihuly glass sculpture at the Desert Botanical Gardens
This saguaro is huge so you can tell how tall this sculpture towered over the desert.
Mark patiently waiting for his Oregano's pizza.
I enjoy this view with my morning coffee.
A day at the races with friends. We usually go there once a month because it is fun and a pretty setting.
We have had beautiful weather in Phoenix and we both are greatful for our good fortune to be out of the wintry blast many are experiencing. I worry about my friends and loved ones driving in that nasty weather. Stay safe!
Mark and I have had a fun few weeks. We spent three days in Laughlin, NV for a nice getaway and a little gambling and really great food. We try to do this once every winter as we do enjoy it!
We are looking forward to a visit from sister Sharon and Arne at the end of the month, as well as our visit to the Phoenix Open at the same time. Last year we went to all four days but don't know about this year. We will play it by ear. It is "the greatest show on grass" as they say. :-)
We continue to go the fitness center four times per week. I am not positive I am getting any stronger but we enjoy it. I also try to hike several times a week and that is a huge enjoyment for me. Lots of beauty in the desert and mountains!
Needless to say, I am lonesome for my three grandchildren. So lonesome that I bought another plane ticket for a quick Valentine's Day visit. :-) Mark is holding the fort down here in Phoenix while I fly to Peoria. I think our Xmas plane ride was plenty for him for awhile. :-) We will also be traveling with them and Matt over the kid's spring break so we are super excited for that trip.
Some random pictures from our days in the desert....
Just mowed lawn.....takes me longer to roll up the cord than it does to mow!
A view of the CO River from a bar in the Golden Nugget, Laughlin
Beautiful "forest" and waterfall inside the Nugget
On the drive to Laughlin
Very interesting drive
We met friends at our favorite horse track
Trying to get 20 minutes of Vitamin D per day. :-)
Mark and I flew to Peoria on Dec. 30th. Was it cold when we arrived? Yes! Did we care? No! Megan, Drew and Kayley were waiting for us at the airport! What more could we ask for, accept perhaps Ryan, but he was waiting for us at home with his dad.
Matt came the next day and we all had a great time. We opened belated presents from Grandpa and Grandma and Matt. We played all kinds of games, sports and puzzles. Never a dull moment.
On our last Saturday we had an early birthday party for Drew. (Real birthday on Jan. 15) He opened presents from Matt and us and we had cake and a dinner out. Fun day.
The weather outside was frightful.....don't recall in recent memory it being this cold but I am sure it was! Guess it was that Polar Vortex. :-) Drew and Kayley were outside more than Grandma thought was necessary but they survived and had a grand time!
We had to depart on Monday, the 6th, but that was an ordeal in it's own right. We were scheduled to leave at 11:15 a.m. That was changed to 11:15 that evening. Our pilot steered the jet into a snow bank and we waited a LONG time for airport workers to get something started in those cold temps to tow the plane out of the bank. Finally they did....we walked into our Phoenix home at 5 a.m. IL time.....long, long night. It was all worth it seeing our family.
A video collage of our time in Peoria and stills of the same follow. Happy 2014 to everyone!
I spent a week in Peoria and a great time was had by all! Megan picked me up at the airport around noon and we drove downtown to the Cat headquarters so she could return to work. I took her vehicle home and around 2:00 went to the daycare to get Ryan who was running a temp. So glad I was there to be with him so mom and dad didn't have to leave work early. He actually seemed fine but they can't be running a certain temp and remain at daycare. Around 3:00 Ryan and I jumped back in the car and drove to Drew and Kayley's school to get them. They were very excited to see me and the feeling was quite mutual!
Tuesday Ryan and I stayed home and the other two rode the bus home from school. They love doing that because it doesn't happen very often as they usually must stay at the child care at the school.
Wednesday I had all three home for the day. We roasted our turkey and cut bread, celery and onions for the stuffing. They were a big help to grandma. (They enjoyed the preparations much more than the actual dinner on Thanksgiving!) :-) That afternoon grandpa arrived from the farm and Matt arrived around 6 pm so we had everybody together for the holiday.
Thanksgiving Day we had dinner at noon. Drew and Kayley helped with the potato and vegetable peeling. We just relaxed after dinner like millions of Americans, watching football and playing board and card games. It was a very nice day!
Friday was another play day. We went to Carlos O'Kelly for dinner that evening. Saturday we took Drew and Kayley to the movie Frozen. Drew doesn't much care for movies but he agreed to go if Matt went. Matt is probably not a fan of cartoon movies but he graciously said he would go so that Drew would go. I would say neither child enjoyed it very much. Kayley cried several times when she thought the heroine had died, which she didn't but it appeared she had. All in all, grandma probably could have saved her $75 and put it into their college savings accounts. :-)
Saturday was a very nice day and Matt and Drew played ball outside and Andy put up the house lights in shirt sleeves. I know the weather will change but it was pretty nice while I was there!
Sunday was time for everyone to go home. I was supposed to fly out at 12:25 but was still sitting in the airport at 3:00. (Maintenance issues). I finally walked in to my winter home around 8 p.m. It was a very long day!
Some pics and a video from our days together:
In this video, Drew and Kayley are playing the XBox Adventures and Ryan gets into the act.
Very good stuffing makers
Kayley at her dollhouse
Kayley helps grandma clean the vegetables
Drew peeled the potatoes
When Drew found out the Hawks were on TV, he ran up to change clothes!
I made my final trip to Peoria to see the grandchildren before I
begin my drive to Arizona. I had signed up to be the Mystery Reader in
Drew's first grade class and had a ball doing that. Drew was very
surprised that I did this! During the week the teacher would read a
"clue" from the mystery reader and the kids try and guess who it might
be. He thought several times it might be grandma but all the other
first grade children thought for sure they knew who it was so he started
second guessing himself, according to his teacher. My final two clues
kind of sealed the deal for him, I think. :-)
I had
planned to come home last Monday but they didn't have school on Columbus
Day so I stayed and watched them and left on Tuesday instead. It was
hard saying good-bye to them, knowing I was going so far away! But, I
fly back for Thanksgiving and then Mark and I are flying back there
together on Dec. 28th and spending a week so that will certainly help!
Mark
has been busy trying to harvest. Due to our very awful growing season
they are having a hard time deciding what fields are ready, which are
still too green, etc. Our yields have so far been disappointing but not
unexpected. Huge ponds drowned out from too much rain last spring to
NO rain after that leads to poor yields. The life of a farmer....
I
plan to leave for Omaha and Matt next Wednesday. I will spend the
night with him and then leave early on Thursday for my longest stretch
of driving, around 800 miles. Ugh. The second day is shorter and I
should be at our Phoenix home by 2 p.m. on Friday. Sharon is flying to
Phoenix on Saturday so I will arrive just in time to pick her up at the
airport. I look forward to spending some time with my sister.
Hopefully we will get to do some mountain hiking.
I had a grand time with my three grandchildren and here is a video and pictures to prove it. :-)
Drew and Kayley gave Ryan gator rides
They dearly love their neighborhood park!
Ryan learning to slide with dad
We spent a lot of time at this park!
Another trip to Costco and this time Kayley wanted in on the posing
Drew's pose?
This looks like a pose!
My sweet Kayley
Drew and the peaches
Lots of time also spent on this huge pile of dirt by their house. Drew is certain he found some dinosaur fossils here.....
is Drew?! After a game, we went to Costco. While Megan and Kayley were busy shopping, Drew wanted to have his picture taken at various Costco displays, just for fun. We did have mindless fun! :-)
Andy had to go to Australia for work so I decided to head to Peoria and help Megan with the kids during his absence. I helped get them to practices and other obligations. I know Megan appreciated having a helping hand with her three little ones and I was more than happy to do that! It meant some quality time with my grandchildren before I head back to AZ for the winter.
We did lots of fun things while I was there. A visit to Tanner Orchard on a beautiful Sunday was great fun, so much fun that I took Drew and Kayley back the following Wednesday because they had an early school dismissal. Tanner has lots of stuff for kids their age.
Our two days at Tanner Orchard in about one minute:
I also was a chaperone for Drew's field trip one day. It was fun and
very educational for the first graders, BUT, it was unusually hot that
day! Those six year olds were pooped by the time 2:00 rolled around.
This sixty something gal was a bit pooped, too!
Candle making around a fire. The fire did not feel great since it was about 90 degrees outside!
A hay rack ride!
Learning all about living in the 1800's
Lunch and water!
I was also able to attend three football practices and two games for Drew. These boys are so cute to watch as they run around trying to get touchdowns and pull flags. I will brag here and say that I saw Drew get 3 touchdowns. He has never had a flag pulled in a game yet when he gets the ball. He is obviously a lot speedier than his grandma!
I spent a lot of time with Ryan and took lots of pics and videos so I put them all in a video.
We spent Labor Day week-end at Lake Okoboji with our dear friends Jim and Nancy. The weather was perfect, our hosts were delightful and the fun never stopped! A huge thank you to the Houchins for their generosity and friendship. Our entire family was there, including the dog. Drew, Kayley and Ryan had such a great time but I think Megan, Andy and Matt rather enjoyed themselves, too! We played in the water, rode all the rides, shopped at the Emporium, the boys fished and we toured around the lake by car. Megan and family had to return to Peoria on Monday for school and work but Matt, Mark and I spent the day with Jim and Nancy and returned home on Tuesday. It was a memorable week-end!
Now it is back to reality and our continuing quest to remodel the house. Outside is done, flooring is done....all that remains is the bathroom remodel. They had a bit of trouble getting a new shower in the old spot but it will suffice with some creative dry walling. We are still waiting for the shower door and vanity top to arrive at the plumbing store and then we will be finished. This could all take some time, due to dry wall and plumbing. It will be worth it in the end! We also had a new refrigerator delivered on Thursday. I was so glad to be rid of the puny fridge we had! It didn't come close to holding all my garden produce! :-)
A short video of our week-end follows and I also included some video that Matt shot while taking Drew and Kayley on rides that they probably really didn't want to ride! I include them mainly for the kids but you might get a chuckle out of Matt teasing poor Kayley. :-) If you click on the You Tube icon in the lower right corner it will open up that site and the videos are larger for viewing.
I am back on the farm after a week in Peoria. It was great fun seeing Drew and Kayley begin their school year as a Kindergarten and First grade student. They both did so well getting on the bus and through their first day! Of course, now they have gone an entire week so I will assume all is still going fabulously.
This past week has been busy, hectic and rather frustrating! The good news, the outside of our home is entirely finished and the bay window set and stained and looking majestic. :-) It truly looks like a brand new home although I am having to get used to our gable color choice, as it is a bit redder than I recalled from the sample but it still looks great compared to what was "dangling" up there!
The frustrating part has been our flooring. It was supposed to be finished on August 3rd and would have if we hadn't started finding flaws in the tiles. They started pulling damaged ones, replacing and re-grouting and ordered more. So we waited another week to get them. Upon arrival, many of those were damaged and we told the installer to forget it, I was going to go have a visit with Joe Redecker, the owner of the store. I should have gone with ceramic tile but I have read so many great things about luxury vinyl tile and how easy it is to care for, etc., that I wanted that and it is a bit cheaper, too. They told me to go look at the Armstrong tile display (I had Mannington....don't ever get it) and brought some tiles home. Mark and I selected one and had him order it. The installer was going to come by some evenings, when he could, and do the floor. We told him we wanted a full crew and to get this done, not piece by piece. Another visit with Redecker's and we now have a full crew coming this Wednesday and they will be done Friday. Please make it be true. We have toilets sitting out on our front landing for days. If this were Phoenix, those pots would have been long gone but thankfully they are still there in all there glory.
Enough of all that! Mark and I will welcome our Labor Day visit to Lake Okoboji and our great friends Nancy and Jim. I cannot wait to see them, it has been too long. Megan and family are joining us there, as is Matt, so a great family time for us all. Nancy is a saint to put up with us all. :-)
I had some left over pics and videos from my Peoria visit so will post them now. The first video is our visit to a Japanese restaurant with the kids. Drew's face is fun to watch.
Perhaps the following video is only funny to Grandma but I thought it pretty hilarious. Kayley wanted to read a book to me "in Spanish" after her very first day of Kindergarten and having her first spanish lesson. Drew and I chuckled but we told her to go for it. Drew and I actually sat there rather dumbfounded listening to Kayley's "Spanish". :-)
Beautiful day to swing!
Am I excited for my school meeting tonight?
At Monkey Joe's for some jumping
More Monkey Joe's
It is finally here! Our first day of school.
Everyone thinks he smiles all the time.....
Most of the time
Ryan loves to be outdoors
East side of the house...new door and windows
The board is for our deck. Note nice new deck lights!
