Monday, Dec. 28, 2009

Got up early (6) and got things going to head over to Lake Charles. Wow we actually left camp at 8:45 AM , could not believe it. Pulled in at my sister's about 1:30. We got set up and went to Wendy's with her grandkids, Jailyn & Hayden , for a treat. Dave hadn't fed me all day, so I was starving. We came back home and finished getting the camper set up. About 6:30 we went over to Jerry and Kayla"s for a steak supper. Ben, Courtney, Daniel, Joni, Randy, Carol, and all her grandkids were there . We had a good time and came home around 10. We were pooped. Remember Dave woke me up at 6 and that ain't even pretty. Tomorrow we are going to Cotton's. Joni, Jailyn, & Hayden are coming with us.This is Daves favorite place. We know he'll have fun at the heart attack city. 2 eggburgers and a LARGE order of onion rings, ((and believe me , he ate it all) I can put this in cause I'm actually writing it on Wed.) Well , I better get off here cause I have things to do, places to go, people to see, and oh yeah, nothing to do. LOL until next time. love ya's

last day in Gulfport, cont.12/27/09

Playing in the white stuff!

on the beach

dandelions grow everywhere!

sunset over the water

it is gorgeous

Wow, hear the sizzle, it hit the water!

After the laundry was done and we got done at Walmart, we headed down to the beach to enjoy the gorgeous 60 something weather. It was a beautiful day, beautiful clouds, beautiful sunset. After that we went to Applebees and ate. A friend gave us a gift card for Christmas (thank you Tasha & Tim) . Well, I'll post some of the pics from today and then I'm off here. Gotta get packed up. We're gonna head to Lake Charles, La. tomorrow mornin'. Can't wait, I love it the ship yard

the last day in Gulfport, Mississippi

We got up fairly early and headed out to a laundry mat and did our wash. We met an interesting character there from La. He had some good stories and made this time go fast and it didn't seem like work. When we got done we headed over to Pass Christian , where the hurricane had took out a Walmart and they had just got it done. It faces the gulf of Mexico and was a beautiful store. This pic is across the parking lot, looking out at the Gulf.

Few pics from Sat.

    the flower bed  - Palm trees

money on the ceiling, and our money!

                       The Shed entrance , alot of junk, built out of salvage.

     

December 26, 2009

Today we got up and headed out for an enjoyable ride over to a small town called Gautier, Ms. There is a state park there that is pretty nice and away from the hustle and bustle of the congested city of Gulfport. Well, maybe next time. When we got done riding around , we went back to Ocean Springs, Ms. We went to this little hole in the wall place, The Shed, very unique place. It is a BBQ & Blues place. Not very big. They say on Fri. , Sat., they have blues bands outside and they have a beautiful pit made for a bonfire to stay warm on the crisp nights. We first saw this place featured on Diners & Dives on the food network. Pretty neat place. The food was good, little pricey, but the place was unique and worth it. Don't know if I would go back again, but it was nice for once . I'll post pics later. Here is a website if you want to see it. http://www.theshedbbq.com/ordereze/default.aspx   . After eating we took a ride down Hwy. 90 which runs all the way along side the gulf. It was a beautiful end to a very nice day.

One of the mansions decorated for Christmas

              

the beautiful Gulf of Mexico

Mr. Pelican

some of our cards

Our tree

Tuesday Dec. 22, 2009s

We got into Gulfport, Mississippi on Monday afternoon about 2. It is a pretty nice park. It has cable and internet and my phone works. woohoo! The weather is great, 60's during day and 40's during night. We had the door open today and yesterday. It was beautiful. We do have our Christmas tree up in the camper and our cards on display. Today we took a ride over to Ocean Springs and went to a campground at the State Park and looked around. Then we drove down 90 to the beaches. Alot of the area is still tore up due to Katrina. I guess it was so massive that it will be yearssssss before it is up and running. Probably at least 10 years to even compare at least a little to what it was before. It is sad cause it was so beautiful and the devestation was so enormous. Please stand in prayer with us for these people. Lord, bless them. We went to Winn Dixie and bought a few groceries for our Christmas dinner. Boy, it is sure expensive down here milks 4.00 a gallon, we pay 1.99 at home, eggs were 1.88 a dz. , Everything was about 2x's much. It is like they are gouging these poor people. They lost their jobs due to their places of employment were distroyed, lost their homes, and then the marketing gouges them. That is awful. Well, Dave & I paid 150.00 to stay here for a week and fully enjoy our holiday and get some much needed rest. I will try to post some pics, but the internet is slow here. We are gonna leave here Monday and go over to Lake Charles for a while . Looking forward to Cotton's (mmmmm)  and to some fresh cracklins. Well, we'll get more posted later. Love ya's and we'll see ya in Louisianna next time.

Friday , Dec. 18, 2009

We got into Mt. Olive,  Ms on Thurs. afternoon about 3.Dry Creek is a small park in the boonies of Ms. It is  80 miles south of Jackson, Ms. and 10 mile south of Magee, Ms. Phil & Phyllis used to live there. Anyway it is only 7.49 a night. We will probably be here for a couple of days because I'm not feeling up to par and Dave now has a slight case of the flu. He is coughing, fever, sore throat, achy, he has it all so we'll hold up here for a bit. We actually stayed here until Monday Dec. 21. We both feel pretty good  now. Dave is still coughing but he will live.

Wed. Dec. 16, 2009

Well we finally got on the road. We left Litchfield around 10:00AM. wow that is early for  us. It is cold outside but it is beautiful and sunny. I think that is what I hate the most about the winter in Illinois. Cold, dreary, dark days. Missouri was beautiful, all the springs were froze on the sides of the cliffs. It was horrible for me, I had a touch of stomach flu and it was bad. We made it to Southhaven, Ms. that evening and  stopped at South Memphis Campground. With our passport America membership it was $20.00, but it was worth it, Dave & I were both sicky and tired. Well, I'll get more added tomorrow.

Here we go!

Well, it is now Wed. Dec. 16, 2009, we are heading to Hillsboro this morning to look at a trailor and then we will be on the road to Mississippi. Finally, 3 days late but we are outa here. Camper was in mud but it is free, truck was buried in mud but it is free, and that calculates to Dave & Pam are free and gonna be out of the cold soon. Well, I gotta get off here and get on that long, long road. Remember to pray for our safety on our adventure and we'll see you all in the spring. You can follow our travels thru our blog. I will update it whenever we have connections. And so, until next time, adios!

13th and I'm still home!

Well, we wanted to leave today, but the best of plans sometimes are delayed. I'm tired, I fell last night in mud and we still had some packing to do. Of course the severe thunderstorms last didn't help either. The mud is terrible. We are praying for a good freeze so we can get our home on wheels out of the yard. Oh my! If it isn't 1 thing it is another. I'm not as sore as I thought I would  be. Guess all that mud made a nice padding. It felt like a bowl of jello! LOL. Of course I came home , stripped , and jumped straight in the tub. Well, we did have Christmas with the Holmes' Friday night and it was a lot of fun. Then on Sat. we had Christmas with the kids and grandkids. We had a brunch and it was great. We had eggnog french toast, bacon, sausage, egg casserole, fresh fruit, American fries. It was good . Then we opened presents. We had a good time. The kids went  together and got us a GPS. Maybe grandpa won't get us lost now. lol. We got a  30.00 Walmart gift card, 25.00 Applebees gift card. Lot's of sweets, A talking picture frame from the great grandkids. They all were saying "we love you gramma and grampa" It is so neat and I'm sure I'll love it on lonely nights. Well, now the wait against mother nature is on. Then, we'll be on the road. I'll be sure and let everyone know when we get to leave this cold climate.  Good night!

So here it is,One week left before we head south,did we mention we are anxious to go. We of course will miss everyone on this end,but winter is coming quickly here so maybe we can get some relief in the south from the cold weather. We are getting ready for church so this post may be brief.Actually there is not much to report other than we did some more packing of the camper this week, so thats it for now. hope to have something interesting to say one week from now.

Phyllis, Carol, Sandi, Pam, Donna
47,48,54,58,57
You have to guess who is how old!

The Lord's Day

Well, it is 2 weeks from today that we are going to leave. Yesterday we went to Granite and visited with 4 of my sisters and their families. We had a blast. Went to the Science Center in St. Louis and then we all went to Golden Corral and ate. It was so much fun visiting with them all. Wish Sheila could of been here, but 5 out of 6 isn't bad. Will try and post a pic later. See ya next time.

17 days til we leave.

We are getting anxious to leave. Today it is very cold and we wish we were in the south. Yesterday was Thanksgiving. We went to Tara's and spent the night. We had so much fun. Then my daughter, who is a fabulous cook, fixed an awesome meal and great pumpkin pies. All my grandkids and great grandkids, except Derek, were there. It was so much fun and I enjoyed it so much. Wish all holidays could be that much fun. Well, guess I'll write more later and let you know how , what, where we are.

21 days til we leave.

We are getting so excited. This week will pass quickly. It is Thanksgiving and we are going to Springfield on Wed. to Tara's. I love Thanksgiving. I love reflecting on the past year and how blessed we are. We are so thankful that we are still a free nation. Free to worship, free to pray, free to read, free to watch what we want. This year more than ever be thankful for your freedoms. They are being whittled away.
Enough on this soapbox! Hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving. We have been busy, still packing away  and writing notes, notes, & more notes. (Hope we can find them all) We are going to be spending Christmas in Mississippi probably. Just gonna enjoy some Grandma & Grandpa quiet time. We are having family Christmas time Dec. 11 and 12.
Well, gotta get ready for church so I'm gonna get off here and I'll write more later when something different happens or when I want to say hello.

26 days til we leave.

It has been very cool, damp, gray, rainy the past few days. We are so ready to get on the road. We are looking forward to a few weeks of just me and Dave and relaxing by the beach and reading a book. It'll be nice. Spent the late evening at the hospital last night. Dave went to the basement around 11:30 as the sump pump alarm was sounding, when he came up he hit his head on the ductwork. so we went and got a tetanus shot and they left stitches up to him ,,,,,so ,,,,,yes ,,,,no stitches. Well, guess that is all  the news here in dreary Illinois and I got to go play Uno with my sis, Carol. More is surely to come so check back.

Veterans Day 2009

Happy Vetrans Day to All, on this crisp fall morning. Let us take time to thank our men and women of the armed services if and when  our paths cross today, or any day for that matter. It is a bright sunny day with a temp of 52 degrees outside. I am happy to see Tara, David and Allie have come down to visit us. Pam Is making pizza for lunch. So all in all it looks like a very good day here in Illinois, yes we are still here but the countdown has begun.

Grandpa and his boys

Davey, Dee, Brett, Haley, Sami, Becca

this Brett and Andrea

Derek, Ami, & Derrick and Derek's little girl Nevaeh

Nikki, Clint, Dominique, DayQuan, & Davion

Tara, David, and Allie Cat

My honey by Lake Erie

Jules, our cockatiel

only 32 days til we leave!

We are getting so excited. I am really figuring out this blog thing.I am happy cause I really am computer illiterate. well, I'm gonna get off just wanted to update this site and see what ya'll think.

The start

Here we are at the beginning, almost. Almost because we are waiting for December to come so that we can have Christmas with the kids in mid-December then we will be on the road again. We have stayed in one place for 2 years and feel it is time to get back to what we love to do, which is heading south for the winter like a couple of snow birds.
We have a couple of places we like to stop in Mississippi before we move on to Florida and or Louisiana. Also there is also Texas which would be nice we have friends in different parts of Texas we would like to see. We can hardly wait to get started, I don't know who's more excited Pam or Pam, I mean Pam Or Me. I hope Hurricane Ida don't do any damage to these or any states.
There is much to be done in the meantime to get ready for the trip.We will be leaving hopefully Dec. 13, as long as the weather cooperates for getting out of the cold. We are hoping to put a garden in in La. after Feb. so we'll be planting some heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans down there. then we'll be back in April or May sometime and put out a garden here before heading up to Michigan and Canada area for a month or so in the summer. So we will post when Internet is available and let everyone know what our days are like.