Penny's Excellent Adventure

Forget Bill & Ted's excellent adventure....this is about MY excellent adventure!

I did something I've never done before-I went on a long road trip, all by myself. People seemed surprised when I told them I was going to AZ alone to see my niece and her family. I guess it surprised me that others were surprised. I mean, it's not like I'm 92 and doing this...LOL...but anyway, I needed to do this to prove something to myself: that I CAN do things like this. Call me crazy, but I just felt like I needed to do something for myself, and this was it. So sit back and read on:

Saturday morning, 7:15am, I am on my way...whoo-hoo! Pop in a worship CD, and I'm good for the long haul! Hit some sprinkles in Alpine and points east, then wind. LOTS of wind. HARD wind. The kind that makes you white-knuckle your steering wheel so that you don't go flying where you shouldn't go. What a trip! LOL....Up & over the mountains, and down into the Imperial Valley, and the winds picked up, and remained for my entire trip.

I was headed I-8 East....and was to pick up I-10 east, and go to 587 North to get to Willow & Kevin's. Got the first two right anyway. Didn't know that the 587 exits on the LEFT of the freeway, so there I am, cruising along, looking for Hwy 587 North....never did find it, but an hour & a half later, after cruising the freeways of Tucson, I decided to give Kevin a call, because by that point I was 99.9% sure I'd gone to far. But before I could call him, he called me. By now it's 2pm, about an hour or so since I SHOULD have arrived at their house...

K: Hi Aunt Penny, it's Kev...where are you?
P: Hey Kev, I was just about to call you! Ummm....I'm on 10 East still...at Exit 294...I think I went too far Kev, I just drove through Tuscon.
K: Ohhh Aunt Penny, yep, I think you went ALOT too far! Can you turn around somewhere?
P: Yep, I'll get off at this next exit and head west again...what Exit do I want for your place?
K: You want 587 North, and it's just down the road from where you picked up the 10 from the 8...I'll check in with you in a few.
P:Ok got it...

20 minutes later:

K:Hey Aunt Penny, it's Kev again....you want Exit 175 or 177-it'll also say 587 North...
P: Wow! I went a LONG way past where I should've been! Ok hon I'll see you soon!

Long story short, I went roughly 3 hours round trip out of my way to get there, and a total of 10 hours driving time on what should have been a 6.5-7 hr drive, but I made it!

Had a wonderful time with Willow and the family. Everyone was so attentive and gracious, and I loved the time I spent with them.

I left at 6:30 this morning to head for home, and THIS time I got on the RIGHT freeway the FIRST time...LOL...a fairly uneventful drive, but oh the winds! Once I got back into CA they picked up and I again found myself white-knuckling the steering wheel-it was incredible! Hit a sandstorm, and was SO glad I had the van closed up tight!

Got in about 2:00 this afternoon, and am now unpacked, settled, and back to 'normal', whatever that is...

I'd write more, but I think you get the picture. Will definitely do this again-it was fun! BUT....

It's good to be home.

Bit By Bit

Most people have a favorite room or spot in their house. Mine is OUTside. This is my swing. It was a gift from Jim's dad after we moved here 11 years ago. While sitting on my swing, I have laughed, cried, prayed, thought, talked on the phone and rocked all of my grand babies.

It looks alot different than it used to. We recently extended the brick out to the side to give us more room for family bbq's. There used to be honeysuckle all over the frame. Honeysuckle is nice, IF it stays green and lush year-round. Mine doesn't, so it went bye-bye. Eventually we want to put a patio table and chairs out here so that we can enjoy warm summer evenings in the fresh air.

This picture was taken not long after the sun came up. I love it. We still have many plans for this little area, and we're getting there....bit by bit.

Happy Birthday Alissa!

April 6, 1998. 3:09am. Bleary-eyed relatives waiting in a tiny hospital waiting room. Actually, the waiting had begun 3 days earlier, when mom started having contractions. But this was the REAL thing. Auntie Lori burst into the waiting room. 'It's a girl!' Alissa Renae! 7lbs 12oz. Around 19.5 in. long. She was beautiful. Our first grandchild/first granddaughter. Born on our 24th wedding anniversary.

Alissa came into my life at a time when I needed something positive to pour my heart & soul into. I had been taken out of the workforce by a job-related injury, and my mother's ovarian cancer had metastasized. My kids were grown. Well, Shannon was a senior in high school, but pretty much grown up. I felt like no one really 'needed' me. Alissa was that shining star during the darkest of times.

I started babysitting Lissy when she was 6 months old. Daddy would drop her off about 6am, and mommy would pick her up about 4pm, so we had the whole day together. What a joy she was! A beautiful little blond-hair-blue-eyed princess. SO pretty, in fact, that I literally got stopped in stores and parking lots by people telling me what a beautiful baby I had! Of course, I corrected them right away, telling them she is my granddaughter, but oh, those buttons on my shirt nearly burst with pride. And talk about a good and easy baby!

Our days typically began quietly, then got busier as the hours went by. First was breakfast, then a short nap. Time for Teletubbies (her favorite!), Clifford The Big Red Dog, Blues Clues, and of course, Zoobomafoo (sp?)...morning snack, then off to go check on great-grandma, or take her down the hill for radiation. Lunch, then a nap, and then time for Grandpa to come home from work, which meant MAJOR playtime! She even, at a year old, helped Grandpa put in 'her' yard-right out there 'working' side-by-side with Papa, and getting just as dirty!

Lesa quit working about a week before Justen was born, so I had Liss over a year and a half, She was literally a God-send, and helped keep me sane during my mother's final months, and beyond.

I know she doesn't remember any of this, but we share a very special bond. I thank God for her. She was my 'saving grace'. Now she's 11. It's so hard to believe, but it's been such a joy and a blessing watching her grow and evolve into the beautiful young person she is today. I know she has a bright and happy future, and I am eager to share it with her!

Happy Birthday Alissa. Grandma loves you more than you'll ever know.