40th Anniversary Trip part 1

I have been off of work since last Friday so Rich and I could take a anniversary trip.

We decided to spend a few days in Laughlin, Nevada.

First on Friday we flew into Las Vegas arriving at about 5:30. I hate to fly so I was a little anxious. I hadn't flown since 2009. Anyway, it was almost a 4 hour flight made a little easier because we had screens on the seat in front of us.

Rich watched our flight:

I watched Gone with The Wind

When the plane was almost landed it suddenly took off again! The pilot came on the intercom and said there was an issue on the runway and we had to circle the airport.

I was glad to get on the ground!

 We grabbed our rental car and headed to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino where spent the first night. Beautiful room and grounds but huge so we did a lot of walking around.

It's kind of hard to tell from this picture but this was a two story wine tower. This picture is taken from the second floor. When someone orders a bottle of wine the bartender hooks to a harness and get carried up to retrieve the bottle! 

If you look close you can see the harness wires on either side of the tower. 

We didn't get to see anyone do that unfortunately! 

 

We only stayed one night in Las Vegas but I was happy to catch a beautiful sunrise over the mountains the next morning.

That day, the 18th , was our 40th anniversary.

We had time for breakfast and to take a picture before we headed out of  Las Vegas.

Next: Hoover Dam and Laughlin Nevada

Cross Stitch

Back in the day I used to love to cross stitch and did a lot of it!

Most of the stuff I made I have given to people for gifts and such, but there are a few things I still have and also a few I that I made for my parents and took from my dad's house when we moved him out.

 This was one of the first things I made.  My SIL helped me frame it. My mom loved it but I could see a few mistakes in it and I wanted to fix them but she wouldn't let me touch it!

This one my mom actually bought the kit and asked me to make it for her. Then my dad made the frame for it. It hung in their dining room for 27 years!

This one is one of my favorites because the dove is beaded and it was a lot of fun to make.

This one I made for Rich when we were married for 10 years. So long ago!!

This one actually was made by my mother-in-law. Then my sister in law framed it and gave it to me after she passed away. I love it especially because she never finished the bottom of the rose stem!

Then I got bored with it and moved on to other things.


About 20 years ago I designed a pattern of my mother in laws favorite poem.

God has not promised
Skys always blue
Flower strewn pathways
All our lives through

God has not promised
Sun without rain
Joy without sorrow
Peace without pain

But God has promised
Strength for the day
Rest for the labor
Light for the way

Grace for the trials
Help from above
Unfailing sympathy
Undying love

I was going to make it for her and give it to her to hang in her room in the nursing home.

Well, you see how far I got......

But I still have it and maybe some day when I have more leisure time I may finished it.

In case you couldn't tell from the anniversary cross stitch picture, Rich and I are coming up on our 40th wedding anniversary. We are planning a little trip out west. I'll tell you all about it the next time!

Until then......

Working On The House

Well, we've been trying to fix up this house a little bit with the thought of selling in a year or so and buying a much smaller place.

A few weeks ago we tore up all the ugly, worn carpeting in the living room and dining room. We took our time, tearing up a strip, rolling it up and taping it. Then we pulled about a million staples from the floor. We took two days to do it so it wasn't too hard.

Last we we hired someone to come in and paint the walls in the living room, dining room, front hallway and foyer, stairway, and upstairs hallway.  Well worth every penny because that is a lot of painting! What would have taken us  week they did in one day!

Anyway, here's some pictures.s

Before

And after:

The walls were a off white and now they are Escape Grey by Sherwin Williams, which to me looks more like a greenish gray. Anyway, I love the way it looks now.

We are planning to be install a laminate floor ourselves. It looks fairly easy and we will be doing that after we come back from a vacation we are planning to take in a few weeks. More about that later!

In other exciting news, we got to babysit sweet Maxwell last night while Shauna and Brad went to dinner and a movie.

Our first time babysitting and I loved every minute of it!

This sweet boy is going to be 2 months old next Wednesday!

Until the next time.....

My Bucket List

I have a bucket list. A real bucket list , not just thoughts in my head about what I want to do before I leave this wonderful life.  A real list that I keep on my phone,

And every one of them is completely doable! A lot of them right in this state.

I thought I would share it with you all today. So here goes, in no particular order.

1) Pick a huge bouquet of wildflowers from the side of the road.
     They always looks so pretty and there is such a variety of colors.

2) Walk the Mackinaw Bridge on Labor Day.
     It's the only time you are allowed to walk that bridge. I figure that is something that I will do
     when we have a camper and can camp a few miles away from that area because as you can
     imagine it's very crowded there over Labor Day weekend!

3) Go to the Upper Peninsula in the dead of winter.
     It's pretty cold and snowy up there then but I bet the frozen waterfalls are fantastic to see!

4) Watch the sun rise on the East side of the state and set on the West side, all in the same day.
     This is something I plan on doing this summer. We would spend the night in Tawas, watch the sun      rise and then meander across the state to Grand Haven or somewhere and watch it set.

5) See the Northern Lights
     I've seen them faintly but I mean a real light show!

6) Kayak to Turnip Rock
     This would mean kayaking from Port Austin ( from the tip of the thumb) because the rock is on          private property and the only way to see it is by boat!

7) Go paddleboarding.
     That just looks really fun!

8) Snowshoeing at Tahquamenon Falls.
     That also looks fun and would be done when we make that trip to the UP in the dead of winter!

9) Visit one of the International Dark Sky Parks.
     I think the closest one is in Mackinaw City. The problem is it has to be a clear night in order for it      to be worth the trip and in Michigan......well there is no guarantees!

10) Watch the Detroit Fireworks from Belle Isle. 
       So that would involve being retired or taking a day off of work because the fireworks are always       on a week day. Also you have to get there early and spend the day because it fills up fast! But             what a view that would be!

11) Go ziplining
      I missed a great opportunity to zip line in Haiti when we were there in 2009. They had what they         claimed was the worlds longest zip line that started in the jungle and came out over the water. It           looked really fun! My son in law Brad went and said it was fantastic. Unfortunately I lost my               nerve but I wish I would have just put my big girl panties on and went, because the likelihood that      I will be back in Haiti someday is slim to none! But there are plenty of other zip lines around and I      intend on going one day!

Anyway, that's it. Oh I have loftier ones, too, like going to Italy and visiting all 50 states and seeing the most fantastic waterfall located between Argentina and Brazil (can't think of the name) but those are things that probably won't  happen. One can dream though!

What's on your Bucket List?

Until the next time.....

Same Old except Not

Not a whole lot going on right now. I have been trying to spend as much time as I can with my grandson. Today he is five weeks old already! 

Shauna and Brad had professional newborn pictures taken. This one is my favorite.

But I love this one also!

Last Wednesday I took the day off so I could spend it with Shauna and Maxwell. It was so nice! I even got to babysit for a hour or so while Shauna ran some errands!

Rich and I will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary on March 18th. We're going to be taking a trip to Las Vegas and Laughlin Nevada for a few days. I am looking forward to it but I hate flying and haven't been on a airplane since 2009!

Then I will be heading to Florida in August to celebrate my friend Celia's 60th birthday. I'm looking forward to that because I am going with my oldest friend in the world, Karen. We have been friends since we were 7 years old!

We have been skating by this winter so far with very little snow and cold.  We're almost halfway through February so even if we do start to get winter weather it won't be for long.  I did hear a rumor earlier this year that we will be getting most of our winter weather at the end but I'm going to pretend I did not hear that!

Well, this post seems to be falling flat so I'm just going to sign off until I have more exciting things to say!

Until then......

More Maxwell and Stuff

Well, as of tomorrow my sweet grandson is 3 weeks old!

He's been gaining weight like crazy, too! He was 4.9 when he was born, 4.8 when he left the hospital and then at his pediatrician appointment yesterday he weighed 5.14 and in one inch longer!

When they first brought him home from the hospital they had to wake him up every 3 hours to eat and then he was sleepy and didn't want to eat much. But in the last week he seems to have woken up and now cries to be fed after about 2 1/2 hours and eats like a champ!

You all were right, like I knew you would be! He has completely stolen my heart and when I don't see him for a day or two I really miss him!  I try not to be a pest and only see him 2-3 times a week instead of every day or every other day! Anyway, on to the pictures!

My daughter's caption on her SnapChat photo!

See those chunky cheeks? I can't stop kissing them!

In other news, Rich and I spent a few hours the last two weekends tearing up the old, crappy carpeting in the living room. As soon as we get the walls painted, we are going to install a laminate floor. Trying to slowly get this house ready to sell in the Spring of 2018.

Rich will probably retire next January and  we are more than ready to downsize! The amount of stuff I have to get rid of is ridiculous, though! That's why I have to start now!

That's all for now!

Maxwell Grayson Ryken

Well, I didn't think I would be doing this post quite so early but my grandchild has been born!

Shauna had a issue with high blood pressure before she even got pregnant. She went on special medication after she got pregnant and was pretty stable until her doctors appointment last Thursday, one week ago. Her blood pressure was elevated and they sent her over to labor and delivery at the hospital to be observed for a while. After a few hours and some blood work, it was determined that she had preeclampsia, a condition in pregnancy where your blood pressure goes dangerously high.

That night they began the process of inducing labor because it was too risky for her and baby to continue the pregnancy much longer.

They started with two days of steroids to strenghten the babys lungs, and early Sunday morning they finally started giving her the drug to induce labor.

To make a long story short after laboring all day she gave birth, with no complications, to my first grandchild.

Meet Maxwell Grayson Ryken

Here he is on the scale a few minutes after he was born. He weighed 4.9 pounds! Such a little guy!

Here he is with his mama!

They told us the three criteria for him being able to go home was he had to eat good, breath good and maintain his body temperature.

He was crying like crazy as soon as he was born so, he could breath pretty good!

The next day he was eating pretty good. Shauna is trying to breast feed but he seems reluctant to latch on and he needs to eat every 3 hours so they supplement with formula. See how huge the bottle looks by his tiny head!

He did spend about 24 hours in the special care nursery so they could make sure he regulates his body temperature.

Nonnie was there every day!

On Wednesday they were able to take him home!

He seems so alert during his short wake times. He just lays there and calmly looks around.

My niece Lauren stopped by to bring them the bassinet that she took from my dad's house when he moved. It sat in the attic for many years. She redid it and gave it to them. It's the same bassinet that me and my brothers slept in!

I waited a long time for this precious little gift! I'm sure you will be hearing lots more about him in the future!

Until then.....