Christmas Has Come and Gone

We celebrated with our family on Christmas Eve. Our daughter and son in law got this neat toy (Dragonfly) for DH .. Everyone enjoys it.

They got me a nice collection of Blue Diamond Almonds, more Christmas jewelry, sugar free cookies and apple pie. A few good books to read.

Our son and his girlfriend gave us a coupon for a free wash and wax of the truck and a wash of our travel trailer .... I'm looking forward to redeming that coupon .. and also a box of sugar free jelly bellys.

We had a great time and great food. Christmas Day we celebrated with our life long friends. Another great time and great food.

I topped off the holiday with a visit to Curves.

Hope everyone has a great holiday and be safe in your travels.

Nothing to report

Life has been same ole same ole. I'm off work now until next year. That also means no income so we will pretty much stay home .. except to go to Curves. I'm still going 3 times a week. The first week in January I will have my official weigh in.

Christmas is Thursday. I hope everyone has the merriest of Christmases ... and be safe .. watch out for the other guy. We will celebrate with our family Christmas Eve and friends Christmas. We haven't celebrated with them since Dec. 2003. It'll be great to be together ..

I'll have pictures for you later in the week.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hello everyone ... sure hope you all had a great Thanksgiving .. ours was wonderful .. it's been 4 years since we spent the holiday with my family.

Our daughter, and our son's girlfriend went over and beyond when it came to food and deserts .. oh my .. thankfully I didn't stuff myself. In order to eat desert my husband and I shared everything. YUM-O

We had 24 people and that included children. Sadly my cousin and her family were unable to make it due to their pets. I understand that cause we have 2 dogs and 3 cats. If they don't go we don't go.

Christmas Tree

We haven't had a Christmas Tree since we went full time. We found a tree that fits on the wall then decorated it.

Beautiful Weather

A cold front has moved through Florida with another one right behind it and that one will bring colder evening temps .. I call this perfect weather .. the kind you wished would last year round.

The windows are open (saves on the electric), cats in the windows. They are enjoying all the sights and sounds ..

I don't know if this weather will last through Thanksgiving, but sure hope it comes back for Christmas.

Spam

I decided to start downloading my yahoo email account to Outlook Express .. oh my goodness the amount of Spam is over whelming. I did some research and I joined Spam Cop and I have been filling up their site with all the header information regarding this junk .. I've also been blocking them and blocking all the assosiated domains .. don't know if it will help, sure hope so.

Bullet Wound

The night of the election I was watching TV and heard a loud explosion. Long story short (cause you would think I was nuts if you heard the story) the next morning DH found a bullet on the kitchen counter.

Visit my web album to see the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/forty4san/BulletWound?authkey=fe7p-QTPgN8#

Curves Update

Friday night I had my monthly weigh in and measurements .. I'm very pleased to say that after 15 30 minute workouts I've lost 6 pounds and 9 inches.

I'm not all that sure the measurment loss is correct. When you are measured you need to be sure they put the tape on the same area each time. Current measurements state that my abdomen has gone down 3.5 inches .. that could also mean that the swelling from the surgery has gone down.

It's been 3 full days that I have not needed to take Motrin for pain ... that is a big relief do to the fact I was eating Motrin like candy.

A Quick Update

It's been awhile .. sorry to those that have been following my postings.

I'm still going to Curves and still having pain from my surgery. Not sure if Curves is the reason why. I'm going to the Primary next week and hope he has some answers. It maybe nothing more than it will take a long time for me to heal.

The little RV park we are in is full. Another place west of us is closing down so some came here, towed in. I think about 7 rigs in all.

Two Canadian families in motorhomes showed up on Friday and one said we need to leave, this is his spot. I tried to get in touch with the property manager but he has not returned my calls and has not been home. DH is quite concerned cause they told him they paid for this spot in advance. Sure hope we don't have to move, cause there is no place to go. I feel if anyone needs to go in order for them to have our spot (if indeed they did pay in advance) would be one of the 7 rigs that were towed in here. They just arrived and we've been here for months.

I'll let you know what happens.

12/2/2008 We are still here

My Father In Law

:Like his son I don't know him very well. DH was not raised by his mom and dad, but by his grandparents.

Yesterday morning he was able to call 911 (he had called DH's sister in law the day before to say he didn't feel well) but in a matter of hours he was air lifted to a larger city and put of life support.

As of this morning all test results are stating there is no brain activity. DH's Aunt is unable to say it's time, nor can any of her daughters. There are 2 stepsons with him and only one is mentally capable of saying it's time (there is a DNR on file). I believe they are all waiting for the results of another test regarding brain activity.

We are to far away to do anything, as well as DH's brother. We pray for Dad and his family that is there with him.

When DH last spoke to his father (less than a week ago) he did say he was at peace with everything.

UPDATE: My Father In Law passed on at 5:13 pm central time 10/11/08

No real changes

I'm still going to Curves .. I've been going every day except weekends .. I'm actually enjoying it .. It the short time I've noticed a difference in my flexibility .. I'm more flexible.

We have been having allot of hard rain and more expected tomorrow with continued local flooding.

So glad we have a Dodge Diesel truck. DH tells me that I'm high enough off the ground that the flooding won't bother me and because of the type of brakes, (I think he said disc) they will still work after going through high water .. Of course I'm not going to fly through the water ..

Curves

I don't have nice looking curves .. but who knows, maybe I'll get some .. Our new health insurance pays for us to go to certain gyms .. so I figure they are paying for it I'm going to join.

I've been sedentary all my life and it shows .. I've never worked out so I'm approaching this in a very positive attitude.

I'll keep you posted .. be sure to check back often.

Steps with lights

I finally got my good camera out (Canon G7) and took a picture of the steps with the rope lights on.

Oh no! Stuff Again

It's bad enough we have to much STUFF, but we just gained more .. I'm not talking about the steps .. a neighbor in the RV park where we are located gave us a stand alone ice maker .. We really can use one since the top shelf of our freezer is ice cube trays and a holder for ice cubes ..

It does need to be rewired cause someone cut the electrc cord off of it and we need to hook up the water line .. but wow the thought of having freezer space is exciting.

We are going to be here for quite some time so I don't consider it .. STUFF .. it was free and we can use it .. when the time comes and we are able to move on we probably won't take it with us but offer it to our daughter.

The Steps are Pretty Much Complete

Still no steps

He started to make nice steps to go in and out of the trailer. They didn't turn out like he wanted so he started again.

Didn't like that and tried again .. he stopped .. long story short it's harder for me to get in and out now than it was when we were using the trailer steps.

I understand it's hot out there, but he's lost the umph to do anything.

Maybe over the weekend he will finish.

New Steps

It seems I'm getting new steps .. nothing wrong with the steps on the trailer but they aren't made to hold up to constant in an out day in and day out .. I don't know what the new steps look like but will share with you when the job is done. Hubby is building them from bricks he got from our son.

No real news

There's no news here from SE Florida ... I continue to take it easy, no lifting and healing good. I do notice if I do to much.

I have however been glued to FOX news and the internet to monitor IKE. I have many online friends that were in his path .. many have been accounted for, others are now going through the storm as they are further inland.

Winds of Ike

Ike is going over land right now, Havana Cuba. He is close enough to give us high winds. Winds are not as high as what we experienced at Lake Mead, NV .... but steadily strong, about 30 mph. I don't know if we will get any rain from him. The keys are under tropical storm warning so they are getting hit hard and bands are going over S. Florida.

I'm so glad he did not come here and I hope he is the end of storm for the season.

BTW, winds are strong enough to move our dish for DirecTV and I even feel the trailer moving.

No IKE for us

Thank goodness we are not going to get IKE, but tomorrow (Tuesday) we should have some rain and a bit more wind than we have today. It's been what I call breezy, but not windy.

All our awnings are in just in case. I'm so pleased we didn't have to evacuate. I was not looking forward to it.

The whole idea of being full timers (wait I've already said this, haven't I?) is to move when you don't like what's going on. We've put our self in a situation where we can't go anywhere.

Thank goodness winter time in S. Florida is nice.

Still watching IKE

Although we have no warnings for Broward County we are continuing to watch the path of IKE Due to his size it looks like we could get a few feeder bands, which brings rain and winds.

There is school for Miami-Dade and Broward county tomorrow, Monday. According to online weather sites we could get gusty winds and due to that information we have brought out awning in. I'm a big help ... NOT

I'll let you all know how our weather is as IKE continues to pass south of SE Florida.

Watching Ike

Dodge Ball

As most of you know it's hurricane season and close to the peak dates. The tropics have been quite active.

We've managed to dodge Gustav, Fay and Hanna, although we got feeder bands from all three.

Ike on the other hand is one we need to be very concerned with. The cone is changing as he gets closer .. instead of heading straight at SE Florida he's now heading for the Keys (although he can go anywhere within the cone) putting us on the right side of the storm which means the wrong side.

As the weekend gets close that cone will change. I can only hope and pray he stays on a south westerly course and go through or below Cuba leaving Florida alone.

We have our plan ready. Because we are in an RV we will have to evacuate with our animals and valuables. I've made a list of what to take and we will film later today or tomorrow all our stuff for insurance purposes.

Magnesium Supplement

I started taking magnesium supplement since returning to Florida .. on the advice of my podiatrist.

He said it had many benefits .. one of course was for my sugar levels .. I've been reading on the internet where we all know we can get so much information, sometimes to much.

I can't remember where I read it but it mentioned skin tags, and I'll be darned if my skin tags are disappearing. As a child I called them Grandma Fuller moles.

I remember my grandmother having them.

What I wasn't told was when you first start (at least for me) the magnesium affects the bowels. Don't need any prunes, if you get my point.

I'm taking 250 mg twice a day.

Two steps backwards

This afternoon we went to put out our awning to protect the trailer from the afternoon sun (hoping it will help with the electric bill). The strap that is used to pull the awning broke so Ken asked me to help pull on the awning arm .. NOT a good idea .. I felt the pain immediately in the lower right side .. guess pulling goes with no lifting ..

Thank goodness I still have a few Percocet's left. Took one and here I sit doing nothing.

We are going to have to spend the money to drive out west, go to the RV supply store and buy a new strap, but due to fuel prices we are waiting till we have a reason to go. It'll be a gallon of fuel to go out and back.

Photos

I haven't learned how to link my Picasa Album to my blog so the best I can do is put in the link. Photos of our current location.

Went to the surgeon

Saw the surgeon today for my 1 month check up .. He's released me but said no heavy lifting for 2 more weeks.

He said that the cyst and ovaries were benign, I had a little bit of cancer in the uterus which went out when the uterus went out. Also removed 39 lymph nodes and all was OK. See me in 6 months.

Of course I still have the occasional stabbing, dull burning pain which will subside as time goes on.

Pretty much moved in

We are snuggly tucked into our RV spot .. DH redid the stabilizers. Made all the hoses and electric wires look good .. even hid our surge protector so you can't see it.

We still have a little wiggle giggle when he walks, but not as bad as other times. Nice and level too. Normally we have to use a bungee cord to hold one of the doors open but not now. And that same door will latch closed, been along time since we were level enough to do that.

We purchased the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaning Gel Interesting stuff .. with an RV you can't hang smelly things on the toilet or put blue stuff in the sink .. so DH wanted to try it .. Not an easy find, tried 3 different stores finally found it at Winn Dixie. I can say it smells good.

We don't have a problem with the funky smell, and we also don't use chemicals, I just wanted something that smelled nice .. I tried Renuzit that you put down and lift it up and it's supposed to put smelly stuff in the air for about 30 days. Never worked. Tried other smelly things too that didn't work.

I'll keep you updated on this product.

The Move is Done

Between feeder bands of Hurricane Gustav and the help of our son, we have moved into a RV/Mobile Home park .. it was a tight fit getting in with allot of going forward and backwards moving this way and that.

We are in and here we will stay until it's time to leave Florida. To much work to get this rig out of here. Once the season starts there will be more RV's .. ones that are called Snowbirds. Come down here to SE Florida to get away from the cold of the north.

There is nothing fancy about this place. Just a place to park with full hookups. We pay a monthly rate for rent plus the electric. I'm hoping the electric won't be more than 100.00

Things are looking better

Better for me. I don't want to jinx myself. I have been feeling good all over for 3 days now.

I'm able to sleep on my side (I'm a side sleeper) and turn over on my own. I'm able to get in and out of bed with no help. I can even get up from a sitting position without holding onto something, so things must be better.

I haven't been cleared to drive, yet. I have no problems with that since I barely drive anyway. DH does pretty much all the driving.

Tonight I cooked the entire meal, which is the first meal I cooked since surgery. I have been doing the dishes most nights. Since I cooked I didn't wash the dishes.

I'm only folding and putting the clean laundry away and DH makes the bed. One thing that bothers me is not being able to vacuum. Thank goodness for the Roomba. He doesn't get the carpet as clean as the Oreck but it's better than nothing and I feel better knowing it was cleaned (ok, surface hairs were picked up).

I see the surgeon on Sept. 2 which makes it 4 weeks since my surgery. I will probably be released to drive but I believe the other restrictions will still stand.

Today was a better day

I had trouble sleeping last night due to the dull burning pain on my left side. I sat up putting moist heat on my belly. Oh, it felt good. By morning the pain was finally gone (for now).

Had an appointment with the podiatrist. Got my toe nails cut and he said everything looks good.

Came home and took an hour nap. Surprising how I still need a nap after almost a month.

Today has been a good day when it comes to pain .. there really isn't pain just mild discomfort.

I survived the weekend

Thanks to a product called AZO, I was able to make it through the weekend from the pain of the UTI ..

I went to the Dr. this morning and he prescribed an antibiotic, reminded me to drink lots of water and 100 % Cranberry Juice ... between the juice and the antibiotic I must closely monitor my sugar. The cranberry juice will make it go up and the antibiotic will lower it.

I never want to have a urinary tract infection (UTI) again .. the pain is horrid .. I think it was worse than my surgery.

I slept on my side

For most of you that's no big deal.. but for me it IS .. I'm a slide sleeper but since the surgery I've been sleeping on my back. I slept but not sound. Last night I tried my side. With the help of a pillow I was able to sleep the entire night. Didn't even hear my husband get up this morning and leave.

Well on the road to mending, UNTIL I got up and went potty .. I think I either have the start of a bladder infection or a UTI .. thankfully I had 100 % cranberry juice so all day long I've been sipping on a glass and I do feel better. BUT what that does is couse my sugar to go up, and that causes other problems. Boy will I be glad when I can say I'm healed.

I can't complain as it's been less than a month and I'm moving around so well with less pain.

Walking Better

Went to the bank today and was quite surprised that I was walking a bit faster with a little less pain. I'm so surprised at what I feel is the speed of my progress.

I still have some kind of tape covering the incision which is slowly dissolving. I believe once it's all gone I'll be doing much better.

I know it' s only been 3 weeks so I'm still taking it slow and easy. I have not yet been cleared to drive, which is just fine with me.

Tropical Storm Fay

All day today we have been dealing with rain and a little wind from Tropical Storm Fay .. as the evening goes on the winds are stronger as is the rain. A tornado touched down in our city of Hallandale Beach. My daughter had minor damage .. a tree limb (family members feel it weighed about 800 pounds) was removed, it hit the house then landed on and broke the seat of a cement bench. She said the house shook and they heard the sound of a train just prior to the house shaking.

Got the staples out

Wednesday went to the surgeon's had had the staples removed .. stung a bit on the right side but all in all not bad. Another strip of disposable tape was applied over the incision.

I've continuing to feel better every day. There has been no nausea for 3 days now which is great.

I'm still moving slow but surprising faster. If that makes any sense. Not a good idea though to forget I just had major surgery and try to do things at the speed I used to. I do get reminded when I've done to much.

Not sure if related but I've had no migraines since the surgery .. sure would be nice if the two were related.

I go back to the surgeon 9/2, probably for my final release.

Got on the scale

Went out today for the first time since the surgery. Had to do a fasting blood sugar.

I've been reading forums and blogs from other women who have had hysterectomy's to understand what I'm going through.

One such reading was about the lack of no weight loss but weight gain after loosing so much of your insides .. I must be one of the few exceptions .. I've lost 2 pounds 11 days after the surgery.

I'm not complaining .. Nope not me. I'm surprised myself at how well I'm doing. I move around fairly well (slow of course) and the pain (for me I have zero tolerance ) has been there but not as bad as I thought it would be. I don't know what the future holds in this department.

Each day is a new experience for me.

Moving along

I can not believe it was just a week ago that I came home from the hospital after having a complete abdominal hysterectomy.

I feel for a 55 year old, over weight and not the best of health woman I seem to be right on schedule with many other women I've read about online that are younger than me.

I have to thank GOOGLE for helping me as I progress .. any questions I've had I just google it. Don't think I've had any questions that weren't answered.

For one .. numbness in the abdominal area. It's normal and will go away with time.

Although I walk slowly I am able to get up and down on my own. Still need pain medication but not like I did when I first came home.

I'll be getting the staples out this week. I'm looking forward to seeing a difference in how I feel.

It's been a week

Hard to believe a week has gone by since my hysterectomy.

When I first came home I was feeling really good, how little did I know I was going to go downhill a few days later.

I had a set back (low grade fever) which lasted about 48 hours. Thanks to my primary I bounced back quickly.

I'm now feeling better and moving better. Still slow but better.

No one told me how sore this was going to be. I have a very low tolerance to pain so to me it's probably not as bad as I think.

I having been taking the prescribed pain medication. I'm not sure if that was the reason I got sick. Mind over matter.

Would I do this again, heck no .. but I don't have to worry about it cause the surgery is over and the cancer is gone.

It's a hurdle

I felt really good when I came home on Sunday .. but not so good today .. actually that's not true. I feel good I just hurt like crazy.

I've been eating a high fiber diet as suggested but needed help using a product Peri-Colace

I'm able to get up and down pretty good but not doing so good getting out of bed.

All in all not bad for someone who had major surgery 4 days ago.

I couldn't believe that I was allowed to take a shower today, even though I have staples in my belly .. the incision appears to go from hip bone to hip bone. Medical technology has come a long way.

I looked up my Dr. (after the surgery) and found him. He is an awesome Dr.

Home Again

Arrived at the hospital about 8:30 am. Ken and my daughter stayed until I was in recovery.

Dr. told them there was just a little cancer in the uterous but it's all gone when he took everything out.

I'm moving slow but moving around the trailer better than I thought I would. Actually getting out of the bed in the trailer is easier than the hospital bed.

Dr. said I can take a shower but will wait until tomorrow .. Really looking forward to washing my hair.

Having Surgery

We came back to Florida thinking I was going to have a Dusting and Cleaning .. guess what .. wham bam thank you mam but I'm have a complete abdominal hysterectomy. It appears I got a mess in there and don't need all that stuff. Park of this mess is a 7.3 cm cyst on my right ovary.

Dr. will remove everything and do some tucking, tightening up a few things that have come lose such as my bladder.

I've had lots of blood work and I'm happy to say that my CA125 is well within the normal range.

Surgery is this Friday, August 1 .. I will report in just as soon as I can.

Where Have I been

Quite a few places since we left KY .. what happened to us? I blew up 2 computers one right after the other. I had to wait until we reached S. Florida to turn one in (Toshiba) under warranty and have the hard drive replaced.

It'll be easier to tell ya where we went once I get the pictures off my camera.

It took us exactly 2 months to reach S. Florida. Left NV May 5 and arrived in Hallandale, FL July 5.

We visited family and friends along the way, even some site seeing, continued on 2 lane roads .. we also spent 2 weeks at what we call Camp Monaco.

Monaco Coach Corp. has a factory service center in Wildwood, FL ... made an appointment to have some warranty work done. Wildwood is on the way to our home in S. Florida.

Thank you for wondering where we've been .. just sorry I had no way to let you know.

Medical News

In late 2005 we came to Owensboro, KY due to DH's father having lung cancer. We stayed here 3 months while he recuperated.

On our way back to SE Florida we stopped off to visit, only to find out that DH's Dad has a suspicous spot on his lung. He's already had one test, which tells him it's suspicious. Tomorrow (Thursday) he will have a PET scan .. Now the Dr. said they may still not know if the spot is cancerous after doing this PET scan.

DH asked the Dr. (which seemed to be a primary) so what happens if the PET scan doesn't tell you what you want to know? The answer, we do a bipopsy .. Excuse me, but why not do the biopsy and forget the PET scan. This man is in his mid 70's .. it will be a week before he gets the results of the scan. I do not know what we will do.

We still need to go to FL. I'll let you know when I know. I do know we will be staying in DH's Aunt's yard until after Memorial Weekend.

We've slowed down

We've been staying in Owensboro, KY for a few days .. stopped off to get rid of stuff we left here when we passed through a few years ago. Didn't even look, just took it all to the Salvation Army .. DH said that it was clothes, sheets and towels .. we've done without them all this time so we don't need em now. Hopefully someone else will get use out of the items.

Tomorrow Wednesday we will head a few miles south so DH can visit with is father and Aunt. We will be staying on his Aunt's property until after Memorial Weekend. Weather permitting our next extended stop will be North Georgia.

Ramlins

I sure did miss everyone .. as most know my Verizon data card died a very quick death .. Only I didn't know it .. I knew I wasn't getting a data signal but figured it was due to the remote areas we were in. I suspected something was wrong when we stayed in Golden, CO. I had 1 green bar and I thought I should do better than that as Golden is a suburb of Denver. But I confirmed it's death while in St. Louis, MO ..

We finally stopped at a Verizon store in Evansville, IN .. replacing my PCMCIA Data card with a USB Data connection .. which is newer technology.

Our travels were fairly uneventful and wonderful .. we pretty much stayed on 2 lane roads .. you see so much more and the difference in fuel mileage was about 1.5 mpg less than if we were on the interstate .. but we wouldn't have seen such great things and our travels would be over sooner.

Now finding diesel, hmmm .. prices sure did vary, so we'd go by the higher priced stations hoping to find less, which we usually did .. or we'd find a good price only to find we couldn't get in and out. One time we found a good price, did a U-Turn got in, only to find out it was off road diesel. This was on a main street in a big city.

At one point in MO we thought for sure we weren't going to find a station. I could not believe for over 100 miles no station. We were in farm country and you'd think they used fuel. Ken said since most owned farms they probably had their own fuel so they could fill up their farm equipment. We finally found a station. We took 33.5 gallons and we have a 35 gallon tank .. talk about close.

After we pulled out of that station we found 4 more, one after the other.

Our trip isn't over but it is sadly winding down. I don't have more oddities on my list to see, but that doesn't stop me from looking. I will continue to shoot as many pictures as possible. Most of them being shot through the windshield of a pick up truck.

I'm so pleased you have enjoyed our travels and the pictures I've taken. I've sent out many albums and have more to send.

If you've missed any, you can go to this link and see all the albums.

What a difference a day makes

Yesterday, Saturday .. we left Moab, UT for Golden, CO the weather was perfect. Not to hot, not to cold. We traveled Scenic Byway, Hwy 128 NE to Interstate 70 ... this area was home to many ranchers .. Some 7th generation. Many movies were filmed at many of these ranches.

We stopped for Breakfast at Red Cliff Lodge, where MANY films were filmed. Westerns, commercials and other modern movies, such as Thelma and Louise. What a beautiful setting for breakfast.

We passed Historic Dewey Bridge .. only there was no longer a bridge (suspension) due to a recent fire set by a young boy playing with matches.

It's been awhile since we've driven on an Interstate cause you see so little .. as we reached the higher elevations, just west of Vail, CO we could see stormy weather .. there was a little snow on the ground. As we got further east and higher elevation there was more snow on the ground .. until finally it was snowing .. and the temps were dropping .. I believe it got as low as 24 .. and I was in shorts.

I believe I got some beautiful photos (through the window of the truck, since it was to cold and windy to get out) and will get them sent soon.

We were going to drive a long day today .. well over 300 miles .. we pushed it .. not only on time but on fuel .. Mapping software said we had 24 miles to go, trucks fuel computer said 17 miles to empty (this was going into Golden, CO) but the fuel light hadn't come on. All we could do was laugh cause the information kept changing .. not how far we had to go but how much fuel we had left. At this point we were no longer on the Interstate but on a 2 lane road .. called mountain miles .. we arrived at our destination .. a VERY expensive campground filled up .. Paid 4.09 for diesel .. haven't paid so little in a long time .. Truck took 30 gallons and we have a 35 gallon tank ..

Our plans were to stay in Golden, CO for 2 days .. we are here to see the Colorado Railroad Museum and the Coors brewery, but the brewery is closed on Sunday's. No since staying here. We will leave in the morning with the trailer (a VERY VERY dirty trailer, thanks to the snow) visit the museum and head on east.

Arches National Park, UT

Today we spent the day enjoying Arches National Park in Utah. For a country that has high fuel prices I can not believe the amount of people and vehicles (especially rental RV's) that are on the road and visiting our National Parks.

The weather has been great. Not uncomfortable in any way. I'm even surprised that I've been doing so much walking and around 5000 feet and not winded ..

I'm so glad I got my brain back (never did find out where it went). Makes it more enjoyable.

I highly recommend when you travel remember not to drink the water. I know better, but drank a whole 1/3 cup of the campground water to take my medication. I didn't think it would hurt, after all the water is filtered coming into the travel trailer and out of the faucet.

It's not fun to get Montezuma's Revenge AND in a national park which has very few bathrooms and what they have are far and few between. And pit toliets.

I've sent out the link to the pictures of this beautiful place. In case you didn't get it, here it is again.

Pictures from Arches National Park.

Oddities

I looked online for weird things to see along our route. Maybe some not so weird but different. We stopped at our first Oddity today. Just south of Moab, UT on Hwy 191 is Hole N The Rock.
Click on the link above to read more and see pictures.

Pictures were not allowed inside the home which I believe was 5000 square feet. Started out as a diner for the miners. Hand built by the Christensen's.

Monument Valley

I'm a big time Western Movie fan, so knowing we were going to Monument Valley was the best thing ever ... and seeing it in person was just like the movies only in color. Pictures just can't do justice. While looking at all the formations I started thinking that if Earth is still here many formations will either be gone or drastically changed. There is a rock slides every day some where and previous slides are quite obvious.

The drive through Monument Valley is gravel, and can be quite bumpy in areas, so empty your bladder before you start.

We camped across the highway at Gouldings Campground. There is a museum there which is housed inside the original building of the Gouldings Trading Post

Behind the museum was the building used in the film "She Wore A Yellow Rose" starring John Wayne.



I will upload more pictures to Picasa and share the link when ready.

Zion and Glen Canyon, NRA

Before I begin I must tell you my husband is a SAINT .. I really need to go to the ER cause I've lost my brains only don't know where.

I'll try to make this short but that isn't going to happen.

Travel time and road conditions just fine .. We left Lake Mead, NRA about 8:30, drove through the park and came out at Overton. Just as we reached Overton the Pressure Pro let us know it was there .. and one tire is reading 60 .. pulled over ASAP. Come to find out the monitor had come loose allowing air to leak out .. DH said it probably happened cause he didn't tighten it enough .. stopped just down the road a piece at a tire store .. all better.

Arrive at Zion NP without reservations .. NEVER EVER go to Zion without reservations. We get a spot but only good for 1 night (I wanted to stay for 2). They had 3 of us in a site big enough for 2. We were so close to the neighbor on the door side that when I fell out the door I used that rig for support.

Going through Zion on the way to Glen Canyon was in my plans so that we could go through the tunnel, then onto Glen Canyon .. Guess what? We can't go through the tunnel .. we are to long .. I SWEAR I did all my homework. I knew we were ok for height and width. No where did I read that there was a length restriction. Single vehicle can not be longer than 40' and combined vehicle can not be longer than 50' .. We can't turn around .. so we stayed .. Price was ok, electric only 18.00

30 amp service, our trailer uses 50 amp .. guess what DH says we don't have an adapter .. WHAT? We've been doing this for 4 years he should know better .. he rigged up something .. but only the AC would work .. no biggie we can use 12 volt .. then I remembered in my electrical box (I USED to be in charge of all electrical, just for this reason) I had an adapter .. sure enough .. now we are in business.

Zion is a hikers dream place .. we are not hikers. We took the free shuttle all the way to the end of the canyon (that had a road). Took lots of pictures through the windows of the shuttle and then got off at various stops and took more pictures.

We didn't bother to check if there was availabilty for the next night. Left and double back cause we can't go through the tunnel .. arrived at Wahweap campground, which is inside the Glen Canyon, NRA .. it's a full hookup campground .. GUESS WHAT .. they had a price hike since I checked it in April .. wen't from 34.00 a night to 43.00 .. see what I mean about losing my brain .. I never thought to ask them if they increase their prices as the season begins.

We are here, and it is beautiful. We have room all around us. At least we can breath.

We drove over to Antelope Point. It's a marina that leases their houseboats from Forever Resorts. Beautiful place, very modern.

On the way back to Wahweap we stop at the Glen Canyon Dam, I go to get out of the truck and trip .. I got tangled up in my GPS wires .. dropping one of my cameras .. it seemed to continue working. After I type this I will upload pictures.

Where is my brain? Not on my shoulders .. I cooked dinner tonight .. rice was part of the meal. I always add less water .. just a smidgen less .. called for 2 1/4 cups water .. I read the package 3 different times .. didn't want any mistakes .. so I put in 2 cups .. when the timer went off there was nothing but cooked rice floating in water. Drained off the water and said nothing to DH .. when we sat down to eat (lovely view from the picnic table) I told DH what happened then realized I had used the 2 cup measuring cup. Meaning I put in 4 cups of water. Said I need to go to the ER when we hit a major city cause I've lost my brain.

OH .. before we left our 12 volt ceiling fan stopped working which would make camping without hookups hard. Without the fan we can bring enough air into the bedroom cause we have no cross ventilation. After dinner tonight I open the vent and just for the heck of it turn it on .. and it works .. DH says maybe this is a sign of better things to happen to me.

Tomorrow is another day and we are off to Monument Valley .. I'm hoping for a much better day.

Our driving days have been short .. LOVE IT .. less than 150 miles a day. Makes for a nice time.

Here are a few pictures. Don't want to over whelm you.

This IS not funny

If you are familiar with an RV you understand holding tanks .. such as black water and grey water.

Black is your stinky poo, gray is your shower and kitchen sink water .. there are gauges that you can look at to tell how full they are getting. For the most part the black water gauge (factory) never works right .. but you know when it's full. It begins to come up and meet you.

When the (in our case we have 2) shower gray tank gets full you'll be taking a shower and the shower water no longer drains. I know, ask DH. Got his butt out of bed at 1 am to pull the handle.

NOW in our case the kitchen sink gray tank gives you NO WARNING what so ever. No gurgle in the sink, the water doesn't back up into the sink .. want to know where it goes? All over the DANG floor. Under neath where for the most part you can't reach and then onto the floor you walk on and becomes soaked up by the carpet.

I know all this cause it just happened to me. It's not (oh how to word this) a defect. Well it is in the engineering. DH showed me on the piping for the washer outside in the shed. Some type of breathing vent hole ... You can be assured that the service center in Wildwood, FL will hear what I think about their lack of engineering.

I can't take the risk of this happening again, so as long as we are hooked up I will be leaving the kitchen sink valve open just enough that the water can trickle out.

I'm so glad we had gone to Lowe's and bought a Wet/Dry Shop Vac when we bought this trailer.

I don't know if I'm angry or pissed. Maybe they are the same thing.

It goes with the territory. Whether you own a home, a boat or an RV .. if it isn't one thing it's another .. it could have been worse.

Tomorrow is the big day

We are leaving Callville Bay tomorrow, Monday .. and with that I have mixed emotions .. I sure am looking forward to being on the road again.

I say we are going camping, others say we are RVing .. doesn't matter what you call it we will be on the road, seeing the sights as we head south.

Our wallet will get thiner and the fuel companies will get richer .. Oh well .. gotta do it.

We are ready to roll with the exception of those last minute things you can't do until "the last minute" ...

Looking forward to the adventure .. Stay tuned.

Breaking News

If you hear on the news that the wife of a Florida couple who are full time RVers has been arrested for the death of her husband (probably should put this on the blog) .. that would be me.

How long has the trailer been here? December .. he tells me today that before we leave we have to put this silver stuff (has bubbles in the middle for a heat barrier) in the cabinets in the front of the trailer .. BEFORE we leave.

EXCUSE me .. I'm not like you I don't wait till the last minute .. everything would have to be taken out of the cabinets, the stuff would have to be cut to fit .. EXCUSE ME! .. 2 days before we leave .. I don't think so.

So in his pissy type voice .. "fine I'll just throw it all away" (we used it on the old trailer to keep the heat out) ... I'm thinking fine cause I'm NOT going to do it when I had months to get it done.

Be curious to see what he does with the stuff .. it's on the expensive side so throwing it away (large roll) is money .. BUT at the same time it doesn't get as hot in FL as it does out here ..

How can people wait till the last minute to do things? I'm sitting here finished with what I need to do, except wash the clothes tomorrow so we will leave with all clean clothes .. clean our tanks .. and secure all the loose items ..

Procrastinators !

Follow our Travels

Although I may not be able to post everyday .. due to no internet access or just plain tired ... you will be able to follow us from NV to FL .. Rather then send out email's to all our friends and family it will be easier if I post here .. I will also be posting pictures to my Picasa Web Albun and will include links.

I do hope you remember to check here often.

We will be leaving Lake Mead, NRA Monday morning, drive north through the National Recreation Area, through Overton, NV connecting with I 15 North. Our first days destination is Zion National Park. Our plan is to stay at Watchman Campground.

We are looking forward to our travels east and hope you visit here often.

Raisins

DH and I both agree the raisins are working .. for me as I've been saying all along that I have strength in my left hand .. My thumbs continue to hurt .. but I think it's because I use my laptop so much and it's sitting on my lap. I thought that's what you wre supposed to do.

DH says he can lift his arms further over his head .. he actually had to take a mental note, because he honestly didn't know if they were doing anything .. that's how it is .. you just start doing things you weren't doing before or had trouble doing.

Closer to leaving Nevada

We've been at Callville Bay Resort and Marina for 2 years. Tomorrow, Tuesday is DH's last day.

We took our 2 Honda EU2000i generators into an authorized service center, and surprisingly they were repaired in record time. Dropped them off on Friday and they were ready Monday. The company is closed on weekends.

The problem was one generator would not hold a load. In order to run either AC in the McKenzie Starwood we need both generators running at the same time.

We could be leaving here as early as Friday but chances are good that we will wait until Monday.

Our first stop is Zion National Park. I believe we stand a better chance of a river view site if we do not go on the weekend.

Check back occasionally as I will update the blog about our travels.

Raisins

We have been eating our 9 gin soaked raisins for 8 days ... one thing I noticed. Prior to eating the raisins I had little strength in my left hand. This situation was new for me. Couldn't pick up a fork, it was strange. I never told DH .. didn't want to worry him.

Now my hand is just fine .. don't know if the raisins are the reason, but I'm a positive thinker so I'm gonna say yes, the raisins are working.

DH isn't sure, but he remembers to eat them every day.

3Totes

Our stuff is in allot of totes .. The other day DH said there are 3 totes outside. 2 with blue lids one that is green. Mentioned something about a dog tote and that I probably could throw everything away.

One by one I went through the totes. Sure enough in the dog tote I was able to throw much away. Found a few things that we can take to the Salvation Army.

In another tote was a box full of baseball hats. For 4 years I've only seen a few of the hats. I'd say there were about 25 in there. I kept 3. One from Hensley hitch, another from the Viper Room (once owned by Johnny Depp) and one that I got when I volunteered as the campground host at Callville Bay, Lake Mead, NRA.

In the last tote I found heavy duty rain coats and rubber shoes .. not in the greatest shape. Along with shoes that belonged to DH.

Although I wanted to throw it all away figured I'd leave them as is, tell DH what was in there so he could toss everything out. (all that stuff is the kind of stuff that I complain about lugging around for the last 4 years) .. Come to find out I was NOT supposed to touch the totes with the blue lids. DH wants all that stuff. Why is beyond me .. I would not want to put those stinky yucky raincoats on my body .. and those hats .. in 4 years they've never been worn ..

Is there any hope of getting rid of the useless stuff? I'm beginning to think not.

STUFF

Proposed Route

Something new I'm going to try. Posting a picture directly into the Blog.

Waterproof Wallpaper

No, I don't think such a thing exists .. but while taking a shower in the RV I was looking at the water as it was attaching itself to the wall, along with the glass shower and shower walls. I got to thinking (that is very dangerous) what all that water will do to the walls surrounding the shower. I started looking at all the RV cleaning stuff I have.

I'm spraying the glass shower with Gel-Gloss which is helping big time with the water spots from the lousy water out here. For the walls I sprayed with 303 Protectant .. I'm impressed with both. Hey it's something I have in stock and they work. I'm thinking that WD-40 would work also.

Wish there was one product that worked for everything, but then there wouldn't be so many things to buy. Just like software .. I remember in the beginning always hoping for one program to do it all. I've got past that, which is why I have so many programs.

About 16 more days till DH's last working day.

Gin Soaked Raisins

An online friend told me about something she heard to help with aches and pains .. Golden raisins soaked in Gin. I searched Google and found positive comments so I figure what the hey .. Give it a try. I bought a large box of Sunkist Golden Raisins (they MUST be golden) and a small bottle of inexpensive gin. But big enough to cover the raisins. I have a Food Saver with canisters.

Friday I dumped the box of raisins in a canister and poured gin over them then sucked the air out .. I read they need to soak for 1 week. Today, Saturday 1/2 the gin has been soaked up by the raisins. Next Friday my husband and I will eat 9 raisins a day. I've read 7 to 9 .. we will go for 9 raisins a day. I'll keep ya posted on how this works ... I'm hoping it works for my husband as he's feeling the aches and pains from all the years of squatting at work.

The letter N

If you type at anytime and have a letter that is not working, that is when you notice you seem to use it all the time. Earlier I stopped blogging due to the stoppage of my letter N .. I think it went on strike. I push it, nothing. I pound on it, nothing. I even started beating on it and it still didn't want to work. I kept saying I'd get out a can of air (can you imagine, all the air we breath and we have to buy air in a can) and spray the laptop. Never did get around it. I just kept typing away. My husband tried to tell me that it was probably part of a pop tart or some other piece of food .. I don't know why he would think that .... Maybe it was the crushed gummy bear on the laptop screen.

The N is now working as it was before it mysteriously stopped .. I'll be back with more stories, soon.

Reason for no updates

I have a very good reason for not adding anything .. the N on my laptop is sticking and not working .. so it's a pain to type. To many corrections needed.

Also been very busy downsizing again. We will be hitting the road again very soon and there is a shed behind us with so much "STUFF" that used to be in our other TT .. Ken brought me in 2 totes today .. WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO PUT THIS STUFF? Looks like the Salvation Army will be getting some good stuff .. I mean .. there goes my iron .. 4 years .. haven't used it so off it goes .. Now to open the totes up and see what else I can get rid of.

Products we use and like

I got to thinking. My husband says that's dangerous cause that's when he smells the most smoke.

Advertising by mouth is the best advertising. Why not let others know a few of the products we own, others that we use and wouldn't hesitate to recomend or buy again.

Our RV is a McKenzie Starwood 32 FKD which we purchased from Park-A-Way RV. Ryan Smith is the owner and when I say he is a man of his word "HE IS" .. purchasing our trailer was the best experience we have ever had. We even special ordered our trailer. Got a great price on it and a fantastic rate on our trade in. Yes, this dealership is in Idaho but well worth the drive to them. For a fee they will deliver your rig. We took care of our entire deal over the phone.

Vacuum cleaner, yes I'm gonna talk about vacuum cleaners. Plural cause I have 2. My everyday, sometimes 2 times a day vacuum is an iRobot Roomba
(I'm having trouble making click able links) Although I bought mine from iRobot directly you can find deals at www.buy.com and if you watch Woot you can find it and many other things on sale. My heavy duty deep down cleaner is an Oreck.

To clean our RV and truck (03 Dodge 3500 Dually) I've tried many products but keep coming back to Protect-All. You can find these products not only at Camping World, but even Wal-Mart.

Keep checking out this post as I will add many more items.

Although expensive I highly recommend a Hensley Arrow hitch for your travel trailer and a Prodigy break controller. You can't put a price on your life and the Hensley has saved ours more than once.

STUFF

If anyone has ever moved they know just how much stuff they have .. Stuff they don't need. Stuff they have no idea why they bought.

When we hit the road we had lot's of stuff. Got rid of lot's of stuff but still had too much stuff.

Now we are getting ready to roll again. Oh my we have more stuff. I found 3 bottles of peroxide. I don't even color my hair. An unopened box of Q-Tips which I don't remember buying. Saline Solution, maybe 5 bottles. Shoot I don't even wear my contacts.

I did throw away my pop corn popper. The kind you put on your stove top and turn the handle. I've had it since 1996 when we bought out popup. I kept telling myself that I was going to use it. It never happened. There's nothing wrong with microwave popcorn. Gee I guess I can throw away the jar of kernels I bought at the same time.

It's only "stuff" and there's too much of it.

Who Are The Bickerson's

My husband and I were High School sweethearts, who went separate ways and then got back together. We've actually known one another since elementary school. We've been together for quite some time. When we don't agree on something we bicker. If you listen to us and know we really do love one another you'd laugh. Only you'd probably laugh on the inside cause you'd feel it rude to laugh out loud.

We are getting ready to hit the road again. Hitting the road meaning pulling our travel trailer behind us and going down the highways. Our final destination is S. Florida. We have no time schedule so departure date is unknown and so is the arrival date. But the departure date will be soon. Probably within a month.

Not as Easy as I thought

I'm still trying to figure out how to get ads to show up. I swear I did everything google and AdSense said to do. I'll never make money at this rate.

This could mean I'd have to find a real job.

Learning about making a Blog

There's more to making a blog than typing. I want to make it interesting so our friends check in to see what is happening. For me this is all new. I'm not afraid of computers or software. As I said earlier I was told about adding clickable ads to the blog so that when people click on them you earn money. I found it. It's called ADSENSE I signed up for it. Think I did want I needed to do but of course I have to learn how to add what they call a script so the ads will show up.

You may have to check in a few times to see if you recognize any changes.

This will be a fun learning experience.

Starting a Blog

Here I sit wondering how in the world to start a blog. Shoot I don't really know what a blog is. I guess it's basically your thoughts and maybe some information.

What made me decide to start this blog is my husband. We are full time RVers and he wanted me to find more ways to bring in some money. I heard about Google Blogs with Google Ads and when people click on the ads you get money.

Once I understand how this works I'll get a little more in depth.

We have a dog that was recently diagnosed with diabetes and I couldn't find allot of information online when I did a Google search. I would like to put into this blog information for others that have a dog with diabetes. I hope I can relax their fears.

Also as full time RVers (we live full time in a travel trailer) we have been on the road for 4 years and there are some stories to tell. I'm sure things that have happened to us that we can save other RVer from happening to them.