Pat's Birthday

Wishing Pat a very Happy 39th Birthday January 31st. Hope you enjoy it with your family and friends. I won't be able to make you a Jello Cake this year so I have included a picture of one. Next year the big 40 and then there's no more turning back. Don't take any day for granted because it goes by really fast.

Saying of the week:

WE DO NOT STOP PLAYING BECAUSE WE GROW OLD;

WE GROW OLD BECAUSE WE STOP PLAYING.

First Movie in Mesa

Hi everyone that's following my blog. We haven't been up to much in the last few days. Thursday we went to our fist movie in Mesa. Saw Sherlock Holmes pretty good movie after you get into it. Friday was our Country Store day so we spent most of the day there. Afterwards Punch and I went for a swim, hot tub and layed in the sun till around 5p.m.
On our return we sat down with a nice glass of wine and played some board games. Not to late to bed since Punch as to be at his show for woodcarving early Saturday morning. The weather is starting to co-operate so we will be enjoying the sun for awhile.
Nat informed us on her blog that she is now number 77 on the adoption list from Ethiopia. She might be closer, it all depends how many people wanting boys are on the list. Wishing her the best. She arrived safely in Florida yesterday and will be returning home next Friday. Have fun Nat. Hope you get to see a bit of Disneyworld while your there. In a few years you might be able to visit with Chris and Kaysen.

Missing Charlie

Today the weather is getting much better. We should be in the 70 degree temperature by Saturday. We just got back from a bicycle ride around the park which is 9 miles long. Not bad for old foggies like us. While we were out we saw quite a few dogs and it made me miss Charlie very much. Not that I don't miss the kids but you know a dog is a good friend also.
We have had Charlie for 12 years now and we miss is presence in the house. Natalie left for Alliston today and is heading out to Florida tomorrow for a week. Have fun Nat and be carefull. Renee and her family are busy moving to a new home and I wish them all the best. Hello to Den and his little family and a great big kiss to Owen.

We will be going out to see a movie tonight. We haven't seen one in months. A good day to all.

Our return to Arizona Jan 2010

Hi again everyone. So far we haven't been getting the best weather since our return but we are making the most of it. Punch and I joined a Bocci Ball team and are also subs for other teams. So far we have been playing at least three times a week. It's a lot of fun and our first time at it.
We did go a day excursion to the Salt River Canyon. It's a small version of the Grand Canyon. We really enjoyed the trip and were planning to go to Tucson for a three day weekend sometime in February to see a rodeo.
Punch and I also volunteer since October at the Friday Corner Store which serves lunch for all the park. We get to meet different people and make some friends. We have also gone dancing but one or two dances and Punch can't do more. Well it's better than what it was before. He couldn't dance anymore at all.
Last weekend we went to a post football game party and then came home to cheer for the Minnesota Vikings. They lost but it was a very close game. We decide that we will cheer for the New Orleans team in the Super Bowl. Punch also does woodcarving every Thursday and plays pool in Mondays when he can. Now we haven't had time to golf yet but we are going to do so next week.
We were hoping that my brother Rock and his wife Nicole would be able to join us in February but due to some complications they won't be coming. It's to bad since we would have like to show them around. Maybe in November or early 2011. Yes we will be coming back next October.
I have included a few pictures and the red ball closest to the small white one is mine. Not bad for someone that never played before.

Picture of Salt River Canyon taken by Punch

Our Adventure Begins

Today I'm starting my new blog. I will try to give you a small preview of what we did from October 2nd, 2009 till January 9th, 2010.
October 2nd, 2009 we left home for our adventure. We had never done this before but like we said we have to try it. The first day we made it to Grayling, Michigan. We got a lot of rain crossing the MacKinnac Bridge and had to be escorted over since the winds where really high.
We stayed at a very remote campground that night but the owners were really nice even offering us a free stay.
October 3rd we travel through to Louisville, Indiana and stayed at a KOA for the night. The highways are so nice to drive that you don't mind travelling 8 to 10 hours a day.
October 4th we past through Kentucky and ended up in Nashville, Tennesse. We stayed at another KOA for two nights. We went on a tour of the Grand Ole Oprey, Country Music Hall of Fame and a few other attractions. On our second day we explored Nashville on our own and then we went to see a Tribute to Elvis Presley. Next day we went to see a concert at the Grand Ole Oprey. We saw Charles Daniels, Hal Ketchum, The Whites, Little Jimmy Dickens and a few more country singers. We really enjoyed our stay in Nashville.
October 7th we drove down to Memphis. Camp at the Graceland RV campground. We were next door to Elvis's home and museum. We visited Graceland which was really great since it brought back a lot of memories since we grew up during the Elvis era. Visiting Beale street downtown Memphis was also very nice. We got to visit the street of the Great Blues singers like B. B. King. Great time. A little to much beer for me though.
October 9th we drove to the state of Oklahoma and stayed at the Cherokee campground. Had a nice supper and then retired for the night.
October 10th drove through the state of Texas and New Mexico. We stopped after driving for 11 hours and stayed at the Roadrunner KOA in Alamagordo for the night right on the border of New Mexico and Arizona. We did get to stop in Roswell the town where they say that a UFO landed years ago. A lot of the building are painted with UFOs and Aliens pictures. Interesting to see.
October 11th drove to the state of Arizona. We will be staying at the Mesa Spirit Resort in Mesa, Arizona till March 2010. It really is a nice place. Gated community, lots of pools, spa and all kinds of different activities. Got ourselves a bike. We had not been on one for at least 20 years. Like they say you never forget to ride a bike. We are meeting different people from a lot of places every day. So far so good. Visited some places of interested and enjoyed all of them.
November we went to Las Vegas for our 39th anniversary. It is a nice place to visit. A lot to see which was good since we are not avid gamblers. We took in a show and did quite a bit of sightseeing. We had fun and we are planning on returning. After our three day stay we headed up to visit the Grand Cayon. It was cold up there since your 7500 feet above sea level. We stayed over for one night and got to see it during the day and at night. It's easy to have fun when your with the right person.
December 2nd took a flight from Phoenix to Toronto for Christmas. Stopped in to see Denis my son and is family. Laura and Denis were proud parents of a little boy in June 2009. Little Owen is now 6 months old and really is a joy to be around. He is a good and beautiful baby. Mind you I am the grandmother so I might be bias but I don't think so. Headed down to Val Caron to visit with the family around there. Natalie still lives in Val Caron where we have our granny suite but Renee has moved to Kamloops, B.C. October 3rd 2009 so her family was really missed during the holidays. It ended up that Nat's husband Chris also offered a job out there so he was not around for the New Year. Nat will be moving there as soon as she sells her home and we will spend our time in our RV most of the year. Visiting between Kamloops and Alliston will keep us busy. Great holidays but Punch found that the weather was really bad for his back. Next year we will only go home for two weeks.

Baby Owen
Renee, Sam, Jessie and Dan

January 8th flew back to Mesa, Arizona after visiting with baby Owen, Den and Laura. Sad to leave them but glad to be going back. The weather though as not been cooperating. It's been cold and wet but I know that the weather will get better soon. I have included a small video for everyone to view. Enjoy. Please press play to view pictures.