Almost Christmas, All is well.

Ben's knees were replaced on Nov 1, 2010. and as of today, I am totally tired. I didn't realize how much energy it would be to take care of my husband at home.

Time Is Not Sitting Still

For the second time, Ben's Doctor has delayed/ canceled the surgery. This time we were given a 3 week delay. Under stress and in pain, Ben fired his doctor and is going to go to a new one. Now if we were to call the hospital and Doctors and give them delays or cancel (the day before surgery) you know that we would be charged for it!!!!

We worked around the house so hard to winterize and secure it. After his knee replacements, who would do the mowing, blow out the water sprinklers, winterize the RV and Central Air conditioner? He paid bills weeks before they were due... so that we wouldn't have to worry about it later. Flustering!

I won't be doing any craft shows this fall and winter. I can hardly plan anything... because of the uncertainty of when he will get his knees replaced, or what his recoup time will be. I can't book a show and expect him to help me when he can hardly walk. Let alone sit with me at the show, help set it up, move boxes to and from the show. There is always next year. I have only one husband.

I have a lot of finished picture mats finished. Beautiful. working on so much, yet the stress has taken away the Joy of making all of it. I just want our lives to get moving. I feel like I am sitting in a time warp. ANY ONE OUT THERE?

Labor Day Outting

Just had to get out of the HOUSE.... cabin Fever or I would rename it .... DEPRESSION>

So we drove up to Bailey to get a hot dog... ha ha... Took over an hour to drive from Denver, a half an hour to stand in line in front of the hot dog shaped building. Barely found parking. 15 mins. to eat the foot long dog with onion rings and a pineapple shake. 2 1/2 hours to drive back in Labor day traffic. IT WAS A GOOD DAY.

I took Riley for a walk... noticed a smoke plum covering the sky. The Sun was RED. It looked like dooms day. Our breathing was heavy, our eyes watered. Riley and I went back home to get inside the house. It is a big fire in Boulder.... which is over an hour away from us.

Pulled out of my depression.... have to get Ben through one more operation and we should be back to normal. I don't know if anyone is reading this. I don't ever hear from anyone. OH well ... if there is anyone out there ... have a good day.

September 2010

This month is going to be a busy one too. Ben's son his somewhat recovered, but that's another story indeed. I don't think he is the same person as he was before his coma... I'm trying to be nice, so that's about all I'm going to write about this.

The Cancer seeds were placed in Ben a couple of weeks ago, and now we have been delayed until the 28th for his operation to replace both knees. He's getting short tempered and sharp with me.... Hummm that's all I'm going to write about this.

I find myself fighting depression and forcing myself to rise above the occasion. I'm tired, simply put. And I'm bored too. I realized that I've forgotten to take my heart pills these last weeks... or is it months? Just been too busy with other worries and concerns.

I don't know what I want right now. May-be I'm due for some Me-time. Yea that's it!

No new pictures to add to the blog. Haven't been anywhere lately.

HOME AGAIN

We will be home for the rest of the summer. After that only the fates will know which way we will travel. Ben's Son, Carl in PR is in a coma and has been for over a week. Our travel and activities depend on his condition and Ben's medical condition and procedures that are coming up in Aug.

I will attempt to install pictures. The last trip we went on included the states of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah. Jobeth was right.... Montana has the Blue Sky... and open spaces... And you don't really know what " Can't see the forest thu the Trees" until you go to these states.

I feel that I am writing into the never-never zone of space. I don't hear from anyone much.... except Anna, Jobeth, and Cathy. (THANK-YOU) Guess I brought that on myself when I had to quit my job to go traveling with Ben when he retired. Now it's 24-7 with Ben ( which I still love) except that I still like associating with other people too.

I got to thinking that if anything ever happen to my husband... I would have to go back to work, volunteer, or something... just to get that human contact into my life. You know.... I must be feeling the sorrow of Carl being sick... his little boy isn't even 2 yet and loosing this step-son would be such a loss.

June travels

We have been in the Badlands, to the Montana lands. and everything in between. Custer's last stand was a chilling...haunting place where the spirits from the past still drill. It was gray and dismal to tour this area. Before the tour... I felt the hair on my arms stand up and I got depressed very suddenly.... It's a place in your mind can see the drama play out, as the blood soaked into the ground. how sad.

We are going to leave the RV here in UT, take the pickup back home. We will check on the house, pick up the mail, take care of some chores... then go back to UT for the RV. We are going to hit Idaho, Washington, Oregon, maybe Canada. There are Amish communities up there and I would love to visit them while we hit some more national parks. Ben wants everyone to know that so far we have visited 60 national monuments.... so far.

Right now we are getting ready to go the the season's last game of T-ball.... where our granddaughter is the star!!!!

Hope your getting my postcards.

Nebraska Tornados

Tornado Alley! Hiding in basements, in state park restroom facilities, watching gigantic cloud systems hover over your head. Golf size hail, wind so strong it takes your breath away... that's our first day here in Nebraska.

We came here so I could get my kid fix with my four grandchildren. They all like the little gifts from Hawaii. Everyone came out to the lake for a picknick... which was interupted by tornado warnings and hail. This morning we see that the forecast is more of the same for the rest of the week. Did we bring this weather with us from Hawaii?? What gives? You know it's got to get better, question is when.

Bottom line is the freedom to travel. I am worried about Ben, it's 9 am and he went back to bed for a nap? He's cold and looks pale. Too much travel?

By the way, I posted over 50 pictures in my facebook page.... I just had bad luck posting them here. GOGRANNYGO on facebook. Check it out if you can.

Love everyone.

Travel Hawaiian pictures

Enjoy... I don't know how many I can get on this posting.

Hawaii pictures

Hooked up to the main computer and downloading the Hawaiian pictures. Having trouble typing because my home office is not set up like my work office. Sometimes I miss the work I use to do. Hope my replacement likes that job. It wasn't a bad job, it had it's challenges and everyday was somewhat different. But it's the people around you that can make or break your day....

What am I doing? Stop it Jacki.... when I get back from this next adventure, I will just have to visit my Fidelity Friends. Meanwhile Live in the present ... enjoy everyday Ben and I share... and thank god for all of it.

Tomorrow we will start another RV adventure to include a 5 state loop. So far we have visited 91 National Monuments out of 388. I'm looking forward to my postcard views as we travel across the highways. Yes, I am traveling it with Ben. We have talked about getting a dog.... but it hasn't happened yet.

We had to postpone our New England trip due to medical reasons.... but that's personal and I don't feel like posting any details here for all the world to see.

I welcome the emails from friends. I also hope that I will be able to write more on my blog as we travel. Hawaii was so hard to get a net connection. Hope that the next couple of weeks it will be easier to post pictures.

First week home from Hawaii

I am so tired this first week. But I have to get ready to go again, may-be I should have married a man 20 years older than me? I'm just getting use to the time change and getting my energy back, as Ben is planning the next adventure. He hasn't even stopped for a breath... as if he did... time might stand still.

As for our adventure in Hawaii... everyone should try it once. We saw so much... yet there was much more that we didn't have time for. It rained almost everyday when we were on the ship... But fear not, I did get 4 days of beach time. The water was so blue. I thought I would have seen more of the island's beaches.... but that simply didn't happen.

We did see Pearl Harbor twice. That meant so much to Ben. It was an emotional journey for him to view the harbor and take a tour down history's past. So many young lives.... such a tragic time... reminds me of our 9-11. Suddenly and tragic for the world to bear.

we have to get some hookups to another computer for down-loading pictures.

ALOHA

Aloha
We overnighted on the island of Maui. We met up with 2 South American Men that speak zero english. Ben has been adoupted as their personal travel guide. Poor guys thought that they had to pay extra for their food.... All of us rented a car and explored the island. Theres so much to see. we explored the vocanos, the beaches, the stores,waterfalls and fish exhibits.

I did do some shopping... always for friends and family. Now we are packing up a box to send some stuff home... and I am not done yet. HAHAHA

hawaian day 3

we just got back from the lula....wow
sunshine is great... water is wet...sand is warm... our feet hurt from all the walking. we are so busy. went to pearl harbor today.

Love swimming in the ocean... make new friends everywhere. Retired people are so friendly. we have a very busy adjenda... our musles in our legs are starting to hurt due to the extra waling and swimming we are doing.

tomorrow i get to do some shopping...YEA!!!

We also have a brand new best friend named eric... hes 5 years old and thinks Ben is his new best friend. An only child that cant get enough attention... and very well mannered... guess we are going to play grandparents here on the island whenever Eric is around.

aloha

ON THE PLANE AGAIN

That should be a song. Tuesday we will take off into the western sky and hopefully stay up there until 7 hours later when we land on the big island.

We are staying at the famous WAIKIKI beach. We land about 3 O'clock, plenty of time to get the luggage... catch a shuttle... check-in the hotel.... slip on a bathing suite (may-be), some sandles and hit the beach.... WHY.... Well Why did the bear go over the mountain? Can't wait to feel the sand on the bottoms of these city feet.

We are taking a lap-top .... just hope I can squeeze in some blog time. I also hope to experience adding photos to it.

If you can read this... drop me a note and let me know... as far as I can tell... I'm writing into space.

trip 1

OK this is such a slow process to get to know this program, and to think of all the computer programs that I do use!!!! Ben and I are back after a two week trip/over 2 thousand miles and 5 states... which does not include Colorado.

Now to add pictures to this blog, and if this does not work then I will think of something else that can be used by all my friends at Fidelity (who can't get into Facebook that has all my pictures posted.)

So bare with me my friends while I learn this new program.

Lots of Loves!!!

Setting up a travel page.

Two hundred pictures later and almost two thousand miles under the wheels, we will be headed back home in the RV. Visiting with my daughter's family is so relaxing and exciting at the same time. The country sounds and smells are just what we needed.

We are eating outdoors at almost every meal.... Playing hard and working hard. Chrissie was about to show me how to load down pictures and music, but life's little demands follow you where ever you go.

Retirement is great, always busy, always on the move.
one more day here with my granddaughter and her parents ... then back home we go.

I was wanting to post my pictures... but every time I find free-time... there is an interruption.
Don't give up on me... I want to get this done like...ASAP.