Making Memories & Enjoying Beautiful Fall Weather

Wednesday
September 23, 2009

I woke up this morning and while the coffee was brewing I jumped online and read my email and all the blogs that I follow. Gina was waking up by this time and we fixed our coffee and went outside to enjoy some very nice 63 degree weather.

Who Would Ever Believe Gina Would Start Her Morning Off Online

We were soaking up the cool breeze and commenting on what a wonderful change from our usually humid and hot temperatures we have in Louisiana. The days here have been so gorgeous that we have actually had our windows up and not even needing to use our AC at night. I started writing our blog entry for the past two days and then I realized that my last entry was my one hundredth entry. WOW !!!! I was writing when Gina called Sherri to let her know that she would be cooking chili tonight. After I got the blog posted Gina jumped online to read blogs and while she was reading Joe & Sherri’s blog she found out that Sherri just cooked chili last night. So Sherri being the polite person she is didn’t tell Gina that they just had chili last night. Gina decided to change the menu and make some Gumbo along with a blackberry cobbler. She then told Joe that via Facebook that she was doing this and he said “hey we’re Texan's we eat chili all the time”. Gina replied back to him “you maybe a Texan but I’ll give you some Cajun Cuisine”. Now that we had the meal planned for tonight I got to boiling some chicken. Once the chicken was done I cranked up our truck and headed over to Mike and Leslie’s. They climbed up into the truck and we were off to Wal-mart. I picked up an HDMI cable which I had forgot to get yesterday when we were at Wal-mart. We then headed back home so Gina could finish her Gumbo.

Around six o’clock Joe called and told us that Sherri was still not off from work. He told us that we should go ahead and eat since it would be at least eight o’clock before they would be arriving. With that information we all dug in and ate some fantastic chicken & sausage Gumbo.

Enjoying Gumbo While Waiting on Joe & Sherri's Arrival

We then moved out by the campfire to stay warm. Around eight o’clock Sherri called and said that they would be here at nine o’clock. A little before nine o’clock we all went inside to enjoy some blackberry cobbler topped with ice cream. Just as we were finishing our dessert Joe and Sherri arrived. Gina heated up some Gumbo for them and topped it off with her blackberry cobbler over ice cream.

Sherri & Joe Enjoying Gina's Gumbo


Leslie & Mike Our Fulltime Friends From Utah


Me & Angel Relaxing

After they finished eating we all went back outside to enjoy the campfire.

Here We Are Enjoying Our Campfire


I'm Playing In The Fire & Sherri Must Be Looking For A Falling Star

We were having so much fun that we all forgot about the time until we all realized that it was after eleven o’clock. Since Sherri had to get up in the morning and go to work we all said our goodbyes. We had another wonderful day of making memories with fellow RV-Dream’ers.


Thursday
September 24, 2009

We woke up a little late, like 8:30 in the morning. By the time we finished our coffee it was after ten o’clock. Gina called Joe to see if he wanted to ride with us to Sam’s. Then she called Leslie to see if they wanted to go too. After we got dressed we walked over to our neighbors and gave them some Gumbo since they were so nice to give us some firewood for our fire last night. We then headed over to pick up Mike & Leslie and Joe. Now we were on our way to Sam’s warehouse.

Joe Enjoying The Ride


Leslie & Mike Riding In Our Truck


Gina & Leslie Visiting While I Drive

We picked up a few items that we needed along with another 4 foot table that had adjustable legs. We left there and since there was a Wal-mart next to Sam’s Gina decided to walk over there while Mike, Leslie, Joe and I walked over to the Sprint store. Leslie wanted to get an air card so she could get online. While we were there we found out that Leslie was underage and couldn’t sign a contract. LOL!! Finally, after she convinced the person on the phone that the information they had on her was incorrect and that she was of age they let her buy an air card. Now we were off to catch up with Gina at Wal-mart. Gina still had a little shopping left to do so Mike and Leslie ate lunch at Mickey D’s and me and Joe went to find Gina. We got checked out and then we all headed back to the truck. Once we got back home Gina started cooking taco soup. I guess last night Gina convinced Leslie and Sherri that she would cook again tonight. To say that Gina loves to cook and entertain is an understatement. I called Joe to see if I could use his blue boy again and low and behold they were back at Wal-mart. Gina got everything set up outside at about the same time Mike & Leslie arrived. When Joe & Sherri arrived I learned that Sherri had to go back to Wal-mart to make me some special banana pudding without bananas. She realized in the middle of making her dessert that I do not like bananas and she told Joe that they couldn’t come over with a dessert that I didn’t like. Once Joe & Sherri arrived we blessed the food and dug right into some very delicious taco soup with all the fixin’s while we all sat around a nice campfire.

Here We Are Again, Sitting Around A Campfire With Our Stomachs Full

(Life Is Great)

Gina then served up Sherri’s banana pudding along with some very special non-banana “banana pudding” for me. I cannot say for sure that the banana pudding was good but my special non-banana “banana pudding” was great!! Thanks Sherri. We continued sitting around the campfire telling more stories. I think all this fun we have been having was catching up with all of us since around 9:30 we all looked at each other and could tell we were all tired and ready to catch up on our sleep. However, before Sherri and Leslie could say goodbye, the girls had decided that we would meet at Joe & Sherri's for an Italian dinner tomorrow night. So with today's fun ending and tomorrow's fun planned we said our goodbyes to each other and everyone headed home. Gina and I enjoyed another wonderful day with friends and look forward to tomorrow.

Until tomorrow, Gina & I hope everyone has a pleasant and wonderful day, enjoying what our Father has so graciously blessed us with.

Enjoying Our Lifestyle At Hickory Creek

Monday
September 21, 2009

We woke up and had our usual cup of coffee in bed soaking up this wonderful lifestyle. Around ten o’clock I called Joe to ask him if I could use his blue boy / honey wagon before he and Sherri pulled out. He came right over and we got our grey water tank drained into his blue boy and then we headed over to the dump station.

Draining Greywater into Joe's Blue Boy


Only A True Friend Will Share His Honey Wagon
(Gina thanks you Speedy since I was smelling and needed a shower and you know our ladies fill our tanks up quickly)

Once that was done Gina and I took Angel & Zoey for a walk while we let Joe & Sherri pack up for their departure to Tyler, Texas later today.

This picture is for John & Bridgett, this will be your view at Site 39

At one o’clock we got on our bikes and rode over to their house to say bye. Low and behold we almost missed them. They were already in their truck heading toward the dump station. We stopped them and said our goodbyes.

Gina Wishing Sherri Didn't Have To Go To Work

Then we said let’s just follow them to the dump station to see if we might be able to capture Joe creating another story.

Gina and All Of Her Knowledge Giving Joe Instructions

(Ha Ha)


Check Out Speedy's Dumping Attire
(Joe those are some styling knee pads)


This is True Love Going to the Dump Station with Your Friends

No luck today which I’m sure Sherri was happy for that. We said our final goodbyes and they were on their way.

Enjoying Our Bikes on a Gorgeous Day

We then rode our bikes back home so I could jump online to see if any sites had become available for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I found site 92 was available so I reserved it. Gina and I then rode over to find it and saw that it was empty now.

Gina Checking Out Our New Site

It’s such a great site that Gina wanted to see if we could move there today. We stopped by Mike & Leslie’s to let them know we would be staying here until Sunday. Gina convinced me to ask Mike if he would bring me up to the front office so we could see if we could move today. Gina was scared that they may give the site away in the ten minutes that it would take us to ride our bikes up to the office. First, we went back over to our home to grab my laptop and air card so Leslie could get online. Mike and I rode up to the front office and they gave us permission to move today. This made Gina’s day. We then headed back home to load up and get moved. It didn’t take us long before we were at our new site.

Hey, What's This Big Thing Invading Our Space


Our View From Our Back Window

We got all set up at about the same time Mike & Leslie was walking over to return my laptop and air card. I wish we could describe how quick friendships get established in this lifestyle but the words are just not there. Everybody that we meet out here is so laid back and down to earth. After they left Gina jumped on facebook and I went to bed.


Tuesday,
September 22, 2009

We woke up this morning in our new site with such a wonderful view of the lake. The temperature was a very pleasant 63 degrees. It was overcast but it was still nice.

We sat outside enjoying our coffee and watching the ducks and geese.

Gina Waking Up To A Cool Morning


Gina Found Some New Friends


Ok, Now That You Called Me Over, What's For Breakfast?

We were also watching site 57 for Mike and Leslie to see when the camper there would pull out. This site is a first come, first serve site. When he pulled out I called Mike to let him know so he could go up to the front office to see if he could move into it. He was out the door lickity split. He got permission to move. So while they moved sites I decided to install our DirecTV satellite dish I tried to get it connected but just couldn’t get it working. I finally gave up on it since Gina and Leslie had planned on all of us to go get our laundry done. Once that was completed we headed over to Walmart to pick up a few items. Since the weather was so cool we invited Mike & Leslie over for leftover hamburgers and hot dogs around our campfire.

After we finished eating dinner we just sat out by the lake enjoying the warmth of the fire talking about what our extended travel plans were.

Gina & I Enjoying A Campfire


Mike & Leslie Enjoying the Fire


Gina Telling Her New Found Friends Goodnight


Here We All Are Enjoying the Campfire

Mike & Leslie are such wonderful people that we are already planning when we will meet up again. They departed toward their home around nine o’clock. I played around some more with the satellite dish and finally realized the reason it wasn’t working was that I had it plugged into the wrong connection on our home. After I convinced myself how ignorant that was the satellite signal meter read 99 percent. We now had our DirecTV up and working by ten o’clock. Gina was uploading pictures to facebook while I slept in the recliner. Around one o’clock in the morning Gina woke me up to say that she was finished playing on facebook and that she was ready to go to bed. That is exactly what we did.

I’d say a great day camping but I don’t believe very many people would agree that what Gina and I are doing is camping. However, it was a great day sitting and enjoying a campfire with friends. God is awesome to have blessed us with friends and this lifestyle that we are enjoying so much.

Until tomorrow, Gina & I hope everyone has a pleasant and wonderful day, enjoying what our Father has so graciously blessed us with.

A Fun & Wonderful Weekend With Friends

Saturday
September 19, 2009

We woke up and had our coffee while I posted the blog entry. Joe, Sherri & Mike stopped by and we visited for a little while before we all headed off for Camping World. I wanted to pick up a new mount for our satellite dish. While we were there Joe found this neat compact folding chair.

I Got the Chair Open


How Do I Get It Folded Back Up??


Joe Still Trying To Fold Up the Chair

(Note: It took him over five minutes to fold it up, It probably didn't help that we were all laughing our heads off!)

This was our entertainment while we were there. If you ever need a good laugh just bring Joe with you and you're sure to get one. Now if only the pictures had sound. What made it funnier was when Joe saw the price and he let out his birdie sound "cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap" It was a nice chair but he did't believe it was worth the 59.99 price tag. From there we stopped by Walmart. I picked up a new water hose since I had busted one in Shreveport. I didn’t really need another one since I still had three in our home. After Joe & Sherri dropped us off at home Don & Cheryl called to see if they could come by to see our home. They are considering an Excel as one of their choices for a fulltime rig. I put chicken on the grill so Gina could make her chicken enchilada casserole, which by the way is one of my favorite dishes she cooks. Around five o'clock we walked over to Joe & Sherri’s for our Mexican theme meal get together.

All of Us at Joe & Sherri's


Joe Laughing at One of His Own Stories

Sherri, Leslie, Cheryl, & Gina

Cheryl & Gina

After dinner and dessert I asked Joe to turn on his outside TV for a little college football. Then Leslie took out her “Electronic Catch Phrase game” to play. We all got in a circle and decided that it would be the guys against the girls in this game. This was a lot of fun thinking about the phrases. I’m not sure whether the guys or girls won but we laughed a lot and had a load of fun with friends.

Watching A Little College Football Outside

Leslie Giving Sherri Instructions

We had a great time with everyone.


Sunday
September 20, 2009

First thing this morning we got our bikes out and headed over to Don & Cheryl’s since they would be leaving today. We got over there and Joe & Sherri and Mike & Leslie were already there. We watched Don get everything done outside and the girls visited with Cheryl since she had already put everything away inside.

Leslie, Gina, Sherri, & Cheryl


Mike and Joe Watching Don


Don & Cheryl

We thought we would be over there just a little while but we ended up staying at Don & Cheryl’s for over two hours. Gina and I know first hand how hard it is to leave good friends so you stick around as long as you can not wanting the fun to end. Around noon they pulled out heading for the dump station.

We'll Miss Our Friends

Mike and Leslie offered us a ride up to the office to extend our stay but we declined since Gina insisted on us riding our bikes so we could get some exercise. We then rode our bikes up to the office to see if we could stay for another week. Well they said that we could stay until Thursday.

Our Site (Nice Shade)

However, after that the park was full except for possibly some first come first serve sites. We paid our money for another 4 nights and then stopped by Joe & Sherri’s to let them know that we had our site until Thursday. Mike & Leslie were able to extend their stay until Friday. While at Joe & Sherri's we decided to have a cookout at our house tonight. So with the evening planned we headed home. Joe came by a little later and we headed up to Walmart so he could fill up with diesel and I could pick up some ice. We were having just a simple meal of hamburgers and hot dogs along with all the trimmings, i.e.: bake beans, chips & dip, chili and my homemade sweet pickles. After everyone arrived the girls went inside to visit while us guys hung outside and I grilled.

Mike & Joe Visiting with Our Neighbor Jim


All Six Of Us

Once the food was done the girls came outside and we all ate. We were all stuffed and Sherri then pulled out the ice cream for dessert like where are we going to put it?? Somehow we managed to get a little more fuller and of course you can never turn down dessert. Joe & Sherri brought over a board game called “Battle of the Sexes”. A few bugs were coming out so we all decided to moved inside and start the battle of the sexes. However before we could get started Joe called Jenny to wish her a Happy Birthday. Everyone sung happy birthday to her as Joe held up the phone. Now we were ready to start the battle!!

All of Us Battling It Out

It was very obvious that a female created this game since the female questions were easier and the male questions were harder. Around ten o’clock we started smelling something. It didn't take long for all of us to figure out it was a skunk. It was so bad that we thought maybe it had sprayed our home. When I opened the door the smell was so bad that I couldn’t even breathe and Gina's eyes started burning. I told everybody that I hope they weren't in a hurry to get home because the smell was that bad. We continued playing the game and the smell seemed to fade. The girls eventually won the game even though it was skewed toward them. Just kidding, we laughed a lot and had a lot of fun. Once the game was over we escorted Mike & Leslie and Joe & Sherri to their trucks just down the street with our flashlight to make sure they didn't run into a skunk. Gina & I just chilled for a few minutes before we went to bed. We had another great day with our RV-Dream friends.

Until tomorrow, Gina & I hope everyone has a pleasant and wonderful day, enjoying what our Father has so graciously blessed us with.