Castle in the Clouds

My girlfriends want to plan a weekend getaway at a Scrapbooking retreat. Before the pandemic, we usually did this twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall.  The last time we went, it was early March of 2020 and the lockdown came a week or two later.  The Scrapbooking Group from 2020 If you've never been scrapbooking, it's pretty impressive how much STUFF each of us brings to the event. Carpooling isn't possible because our supplies take up all available space in our individual vehicles. Seriously. It's a little obscene. Paper. Stickers. Albums. Ribbons. Stamps. Glue. Silhouette or CriCut machines. Pens. Laptops. Printers.  Yeah, it's a lot.  My favorite scrapbooking haul might have been the year I opted to work on editing senior photos instead of scrapbooking.  That year, I only had to pack up my laptop.  It was glorious being able to walk into the building with only one little bag slung over my shoulder.  I'm not sure what tactic I will t...

I love the holidays. While Christmas is my absolute favorite, Halloween runs a close second. This year I celebrated it in a number of ways.  First, there was Halloween trick-or-treating at Krystal Lake Campground. Our little group had four campsites between us; unfortunately, they weren't all in a row and we had to cross a tiny field to visit with each other. We decided to leave two of the four sites undecorated and instead pooled our skeletons, spiderwebs, and lights together. When it came time for the kids to trick-or-treat, we passed out candy two by two at nearby tables. I dressed up as an old witch while Laura was an angel with her sidekick demon hubby sitting nearby.  It was someone's first Halloween camping trip. Also, you can see some of our decorations! Next on the Halloween calendar came Jimmy and Laura's annual party.  They started throwing this little get-together after Jimmy's mom passed away from pancreatic cancer. Her picture used to be on a table by itse...

 The phone call every parent with a child behind the wheel fears came yesterday morning. I was in the shower getting ready to go to work when my phone rang with KC's distinct ringtone. It's that really annoying one that yells "Your son is calling. Pick up the phone now." Given that it wasn't even 7 am yet, my heart dropped and I got out of the shower without even finishing up. I answered and there was only silence from his end. I hung up and tried calling him back. While my call was in progress, his fiance, Allie, called me. I hung up the call I was making and answered her call. I don't remember the exact order of the words but they terrified me. KC was in a bad accident. The car is totaled. While she was talking to me, he called back. I couldn't answer quickly enough. Hearing his voice was so very necessary at that moment. If he's talking to me, he's alive. He might be hurt but he's alive.   He told me his face and hand hurt. He was so upset a...

I had to do the math twice. Probably because I'm really bad at math. Today should have been our 28th wedding anniversary. We only made it to 26, which is so impressive when you consider how many marriages end in divorce.  So, because I have no doubt in my mind we would have been married still today had cancer not taken him, I want to honor our special day. So, here's a Happy Should Have Been Anniversary to my hubby in heaven.  Today, as I recognize what should have been and think about what was, I figured I'd share not only some lovely pictures from our wedding day but I'd explain how this widow plans to move through October 15, 2022.  In just a little bit, I'm joining another Millington widow at a Widow's Luncheon, which is being hosted by the Amish Church in Millington. I'm a bit nervous, to be honest, because I don't know what to expect. On my best days, I consider mys...

Breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron In August, I took KC, Allie, and Riley to Universal Studios for a week of fun and sun. This was the first time Allie and Riley had ever been on an airplane. She was really nervous but they both did great! Riley watched cartoons on his Amazon Kids tablet or slept.  I should say everything went well with the planes on the way down to Florida. The return trip was its own special little adventure. We missed our connecting flight and ended up having to be rescheduled onto later flights that flew into a different city than the one we needed. Our luggage made the flight, though, and was delivered to the same airport where my car sat in Long Term Parking. KC, Allie, and Riley flew in several hours before I did and got picked up first. My ride had to pick me up and drive me from one airport to another in order for me to retrieve suitcases and reclaim my Traverse. Like I said, it was an adventure.  Other than that little fiasco and one shattered phone, th...

I had heard about Faster Horses but this was my first time attending the three-day country music festival. The headliners were Morgan Wallen, Eric Church, and Tim McGraw.  An important note: I was a big country music fan back in the mid-90s and early 2000s. This means I know a lot of Tim McGraw's backlist and was excited to see him perform.  However, this also means I hardly knew any of his new stuff, had listened to only a handful of Eric Church's songs, and absolutely none of Morgan Wallen's music.  I am not a Morgan Wallen fan. Sorry. I tried. I really did. Just not a fan. Eric Church has some songs I enjoy singing along with in the car.  Tim is Tim. He was the musical highlight of the festival for me.  The true highlight of the festival, though, was getting to spend a weekend away with my sisters and sister-in-law. I'd include Gage and Hallie in that, too, but they spent most of the weekend with Gavin and his friends. I think they may have also hung out a b...

 I created a Travel Bucket List post back in March 2014.  The first part of the list was dedicated to destinations outside the US.  Sadly, that portion of the post remains the same.  No travel abroad for me.  However, I do need to update the Travel within the US portion.   Let's dive in! Travel within the US 1.   Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming I've always wanted to visit Yellowstone.  In 2013, we made it happen.  It was a two-week vacation filled with many, many hours of driving.  We drove across the country to get there.  We drove through the park.  We drove through Beartooth Pass into Montana.  We drove down to South Dakota to visit Deadwood, Mt. Rushmore, and the Badlands National Park.  Then we drove home.   I wouldn't change a thing.  It was one of the most beautiful trips we've taken so far.  I'd go back in a heartbeat. 2.  Badlands National Park - South Dakota Another national par...