Urban Pioneers/drat...no sound

Meet Sarah and Eric, our daughter and son-in-law. They are working very very hard in some very hot, humid summer weather to build a home! This is our first visit and we are so impressed by their hard work, talent and determination to make this happen!!! Eric has been in the construction business for many years and knows what he's doing, plus, he also knows others who are super talented...Sarah knows how to work very hard....we applaud them....TEAM CHESSON rocks.

This is my first try at uploading a video from my new Flip. the file is way huge....so sorry...need to figure out how to make it smaller????? taking forever to upload!

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cathy

Number 98

I pulled into the parking lot and found quite a few good spots. After parking and making sure I had my list, I headed for the door past a couple of friendly-looking ladies thanking me for coming out....when I pulled open the door, there were four friendly people, all intent upon....ME, I was the only one there, for a moment, then another "Cathy" walked up. Really, her name was Cathy too, how's that! After making sure I was who I said I was...all conducted in English, thankyouverymuch, I headed over to the kiosk, marked my ballot, fed it to the machine and realized that as of 1pm, I was number 98 voter for the entire day so far! I am so disapointed in YOU guys.
The good news is that the folks I voted for all won! The bad news is that so very few of the voters showed up. Can't think of another clever thing to say. So will say, God Bless America
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cathy

Get out and Vote

Dear ones,
Today is an election day in counties all over the USA. Small beans in the scheme of things one might say...I mean, how important is a seat on the school board???? HOW IMPORTANT! V-E-R-Y. Can I say it more clearly? With this election we can send a message to congress, we not only don't agree with how you're running our country, we will DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. We legally and morally have the authority to do this, so get your umbrella out and go vote (in the rain here in NC). Lots of good people have died so we can do this. Lots of good people sacrificed so we can do this. Lots of good people all over this world would love to be able to do this....we are blessed above all to have this liberty. Shame on all who decide to not participate. How dare you?
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cathy

Making a List!

Good Wednesday friends and family...(not that my family is not "friends"...)
We, Paul and I, have a dream/goal. A dream is something that your heart desires...a goal is the end of a process in which you obtain your dream. Is that clear? Maybe not. Well, a dream is something out there...a goal at the END OF A LIST OF "TO-DOS". One dream was to be debt-free and live on our AF retirement (check!). Another dream is to save all Paul's regular paycheck (check!). And the big dream is to head out to visit every single state in the lower 48 and include perhaps a side trip to Canada a couple of times and perhaps Mexico too...anyhow...a longgggggggggg road trip of at least a year, THEN, head to Europe and spend at least 6 months in Great Britian and the continent....now, here's where the list comes in....
1) get some things fixed up on our house to get ready to sell in January 2010.
a. get yard in shape
b. get ceilings repaired and painted
c. power-wash
d. new counter-tops in kitchen (maybe a new sink???)
2) begin packing/sorting/tossing our belongings with an eye on a long term storage situation. Ask ourselves, "is this something that we will be glad to see 2 years from now?"
3) make long range medical plans
a. Dr. appointments and a full year's worth of prescriptions
b. Dental procedures...and regular appointments
c. Eye exams and new glasses
d. Fiona's shots and such...
4) Make final decision on travel trailer to purchase...think Casita is our choice!
5) Buy Blackberries or IPhones, don't know which...
6) New laptop?
7) Flip thingy for videos
8) Begin a new blog for this adventure
9) Continue to live life normally as we have no idea when the house will actually sell since we have never been able to sell it before!!!

That's the list. That's the plan. That's our dream/goal
So far, we have 3 books on road trips and a nice gps, it's a beginning
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cathy

We're heading back!

Good Thursday everyone!
We are heading back to the "lake" for a fun-filled Labor Day Weekend! Sarah is helping me set up camp today so we can hopefully get a prime spot on good ol Loop 2....usually packed out....we will hope that folks are planning on coming tomorrow and we will slip in ahead of the crowd. Who knows? Some years it is very busy, others---dead. We have rented a pontoon for a morning and that should be fun. Packing light, well, lighter. No AC, no multiple chairs (just our 2), leave a big fan home, and some other stuff. The weather has taken it's cue from the calendar and is just a bit cooler, high in the 80s which makes for delightful camping weather. The nights dip into the 60s so we will be cozy. Celebrating granddaughter Jazmine's 14th BDay. Hooray for J. She is a lovely young lady who is very talented, smart and above all, kind. She is a delight. We love her dearly.
Oh, this camping trip I have made detailed menus in order to avoid taking too much food or not having what I need....since we are going for a short time, I don't want to spend any of it rushing out for an ingredient! I found a neat site here
it is full of good info and recipes and she is fun to watch. check it out! Perhaps I will do a "cooking show" video and share with you on the blog! Well, the sun is shining, the weather is "crisp" and autumn is on its way, another year heading into the stretch. 9/11 is fast approaching. Halloween decor is taking the place of "back-to-school". I was in KMart yesterday taking advantage of the great clearance prices on all things "Martha". I am so sad to see her leave KMart! I bought wonderful blankets, glassware and two sets of dishes all at unbelievable prices....we will use the blankets, the dishes were for Amy and the glassware for Sarah, so I didn't add much to our home inventory. I also began boxing up the summer decor for storage. I am so excited to begin this process which will end with our belongings going into long term storage while we travel for a good long while!
Oh, below is a photo of what 60 looks like.....

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cathy

Today is MY birthday!

Hi there!

Well, Aug. 31 is the very last day of the month...been a bit vacant here on the ol blog...but, since it is my bday, thought I would check in and say hello. Last week Paul took the whole week as vacation and we did a "staycation" out at the lake. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies loaded up in that little red pick up and the black vw beetle...packed so tight that when you open a door something gets flung out with a whole lot of velocity. We certainly had a sweet set-up. It was hot...days averaged in the 90s, but we had 3 fans and an ac unit (no kidding) Nonetheless, we were sweaty. I read most of My life in France, by Julia Child. It is very very good and made me want to read her cookbook, so I bought Mastering the Art of French Cooking (not that I will ever make a single recipe in there, it is just a fun read, seriously). While at the lake we ate, read, walked, swam, and relaxed a whole lot, it was very nice. Paul had his bday while there too. Friday we packed it all up and came home to ac comfort. Saturday we saw Inglorious B*, it as a very good movie. I am now Two for two as Julie/Julia was also good.

I know I have rambled on about "change"....and for certain, it is what life is all about....I am so much more aware of change in this time of my life. When I look back, of course my previous years were chock full of change, but I do not recall analyzing or being even aware of all the ramafications of those changes...NOW is a different story. Change has me captivated. Perhaps it is because I have the luxury of free-time to ponder events??? Whatever, I am scrutinizing the changes happening or about to happen in my life both personally and globally. Thank goodness one thing NEVER changes...that's Jesus. I am so very thankful for the faith He has given me and the assurance that whatever change occurs, it is within His good will for me. I trust Him. Still, facing change can be painful or frightening, or both! A bit over 20 years ago my immediate family was moving to NC from Boston...a change that the USAF dictated and we complied. Not so easy for two teenage daughters and much drama and trauma ensued. Rough going. My parents were also moving...from Kansas to Arizona. A big change moving from family completely....now, that is something WE had been doing for all our married life, but not my folks...another big change and I have to admit I was surprised at them, how could they move away from family???? Well, fast-forward and here I am, 20 years older and contemplating the exact same type of movement...and I now know exactly why they did it, cuz it is why I will do it too. I admit that the dynamics of my family have changed and I will adapt to that change too! I will not sit and moan and resent...I will run, dance, skip to meet the change. I will change too.
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cathy

Still raining in NC

Hello all,
I did not get the Madsen bike...but that's ok. I bet they are expensive. Nie got the bike and she deserves it for sure with small children and surviving an airplane crash and all she has been through. Wow. She is quite an example of strength. Blogland is full of stories of courage and compassion and strength and I really enjoy being part of it all. There's lot of humor and knowledge and good ideas out there too for any and all who spend some time searching a bit using key words. Or, I hop from blog to blog...did I mention I think I might have a bit of a dependency issue going on here? Just finished reading JULIE/JULIA the book about the young woman (Julie) who decided to do every recipe in Julia Child's THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING VOL 1 in a year and blog about it....she then wrote this book which then was made into a movie soon to be released! Now, that is a fairytale. I enjoyed the book altho the author is totally irreverant and cusses a whole lot and her friends are pretty immoral and slutty...now why did I say I liked the book???? I just did. Maybe because she is funny and an excellent writer. I can enjoy stuff without agreeing. She also says some stereotypical stuff about Republicans....which could be said about Democrats as well....but hey, it was her book. I am a bit tired of the cliches tho....they are lame. So, if you can read over the f word, don't mind hearing about women who don't mind having sex with married men and other such stuff...then you will enjoy the book, maybe. Am I recommending the book? With reservations. Will I see the movie? Sure.
Now, on the the TIME TRAVELERS' WIFE what a rare book it was....awesome in it's ability to make sense in the middle of "who's on first, what's on second and I don't know on third!" I mean, half the time I had no idea where the heck the guy was....but somehow it worked and I loved this book/story. How will they ever make this movie???? Am I going to the movie? You betcha!
What do you say?
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cathy