Thursday, November 29, 2007

Thursday, November 29, 2007

I just have to share this post with you. I get it from the fulltime RV'er newsletter and boy does this hit home and say a lot. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. http://rvtravel.com/blog/rvnow/2007/11/rv-now-before-its-too-late.html

Last night I went to the Lady Vanderbilt and Duke basketball game. It was a good game and the Lady Dores beat Duke quite handily. It was a good game and my seats are pretty good. I don't know what happened to the design of the gym at Vandy. My seats are a perfect view of the floor and easy to get in and out of but I can't see the jumbotrom from my seat. There is a huge overhang that prevents me from doing that. It also blocks a lot of the light and the jury is out as to whether I like these seats. The season tickets were reasonably priced and I got the Vandy tickets so I could have good seats for the Lady Vols when they come to town. See I usually end up in the nosebleed section for that game so I thought, hey, I'll just get season tickets and be assured of good seats. Guess what? I'm going to be gone to Cancun for the Lady Vols vs Lady Dores game! How's that for proper prior planning? NOT! Anyway I'll be selling my tickets (4) to some lucky Lady Vols fan I'm sure. Lotus and I went in together to get these tickets and since they are on bleachers we decided that in order to have enough room we would just get four tickets. Now we can take people if we want or we can just spread out. Last night was a blast. Theda went with me and Roy was going to go but I couldn't get him awake. About midway through the game here pops this person down beside me, it's Roy and he found me. Seems once he got to the gym, he asked the doorman about the game, unbeknownst to him it was a friend he golfed with. He told about me & my tickets and Andy pointed him in the right direction and he found me. What are the chances? We all had fun.

Theda and I were talking about the RV last night on the way to the game. She has never said a whole lot about my idea except that she was proud for me and that she would like to join me somewhere on one of my trips. Well, last night she comes out with a "I really think you need to go with a Class A!" What? Where did that come from? I said, "and why do you think I need a Class A?" She said I think they would be safer. I said, "what else?" She said, "well, with your shoulder the way it is, I don't think you are going to be able to do all that is required of setting up a 5'er!" Anyway the discussion went back and forth for a while and now I'm thinking, 'is she right?, should I explore that a little more?' I'll probably change my mind a million times before the big day. She does have me thinking. That's what I need, someone to keep reminding me and posing questions to me, make me think things through. You see, Theda is not one for talking much but is one for when she does speak, one should listen. The is a sly ole bird!

I'm pretty pumped about Saturday. Not only is it the SEC championships but I am meeting some women RV'ers for lunch. We are going to plan a get together (gtg) for some of the ladies around this area so that we can get together and exchange information and stories about the RV'ing lifestyle. I am very excited about that and I'll let you know more about it after Saturday. Oh, and we are supposed to scope out some camp grounds (cg) places where we can have the gtg and people can bring their rigs if they want. How about that, I'm already talking about rigs. Ooooh, I get so excited about this. More later.

I was about to forgeth DWTS, can you believe who won it? I love Helio's energy and yes, he could dance well but I thought Mel was the better of the two. OMG, I am so glad that Marie went out. If she had won, it probably would have been the end of DWTS. I like Marie and all and I know her fan base is huge but she is no dancer. Anyway, it's okay I just wished a women had won, we have had too many men win it and men don't have as many steps to learn as the women. I love this show! Now I can't wait for 24 and I hope the writers strike hasn't delayed that show.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Tuesday, November 27, 2008

I'm just a little bit down today. You see I have these YaYa's. Four of us girls, Missi, Theda, Becky and me. We started calling ourselves YaYa's after we went to watch the movie of the same name. We do a lot of things together and we even have nicknames. Theda, a.k.a Law Dog, moved from Nashville to a place about 1.5 hours away. We try to get together when she comes to town for dinner. Missi, a.k.a. Giggles, comes as do I, a.k.a. Queen. It seems that the last few times, Becky, a.k.a Lotus, is missing in action. Now that hurts my soul that we all can't be together so I just need to get over it and celebrate those of us who can be there. Guess it helped just writing it down. I just can't take care of everyone. I still love 'em. Tonight is when three of the YaYa's will be meeting for a delicious dinner. We will celebrate friendship.

We YaYa's have been to Las Vegas together and that was so much fun. Last trip we did Madame Trousouds wax museum. I highly recommend it. We had so much fun posing with the characters just like we were with them. One night we went to the VooDoo club atop Rio's. Here it is on the 52nd floor of the hotel and you can walk outside and see the best view of LV at night. OMG, it is awesome. I highly recommend it. Of course, I can't go anywhere without visiting Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. I live the life that being a Parrothead portrays. Soon, I'll be living that life. My first destination, after being with Taylor, is Key West. Ooh, can't wait. I also read that they are opening a new Margaritaville in AZ, have to put that on my list because I've done all the others.

Gotta watch DWTS tonight, grand finale!! Can't wait to see who wins.

Monday, November 26, 2007

I started out on RV research about two years ago. I made a list of things I want to remember about what I definitely want on an RV. If I post it here, I won't lose it, hopefully. I also have put some brands I may be interested in.

RV Need/Want list

Room to access refer in the RV when slides are in
Table & chairs
Temp/Compass gauge in cockpit
Navagational
Rear Camera
WD ready
Ceiling fan in bed room (?)
Good insulation in roof & bottom
Generator ready
Electric Awning
Queen Bed/pillow top (real size queen) King bed changed into queen
Prefer Central AC/Heat
Electric rear jacks
Tankless water heater (?)
Desk area
Large picture window either back/side
Rear living room/center kitchen (refrig facing entry door)
Inverter
2 slides-not on awning side-1 living room & 1 BR

4-seasons/full timers-in no particular order
Americanarv
Alfa
Wyoming
Excel
Holiday Rambler
Grand Junction
Jayco Designer

I'm sure this list will change as I continue my quest. As I read the forums, one can learn a lot on these forums, I find out which brands have more trouble and which have poor customer service.
You see, I started 0ut wanting a Motor Home (MH) which is a class A. Now I have decided since I am going to be full timing, I need a truck and a fifth wheel (5'er). There just seems to be so much more liveable space and also storage space.

I'm luck, I live in TN so I won't have to change my state residence and my family & friends live here. I will have to decide who is dependable enough to forward my mail to me. Then there are things I really cannot part with. Those things will have to be stored so look out Jonathan is all I can say. I have pared down considerably already so I don't think that is going to become a big deal.

Sometimes I just want to yell, "why can't we all just get along?" I say that because yesterday I was reading my new Motorhome magazine http://www.motorhomemagazine.com/ . Someone had written last month to say that MH were hogs and if they wanted to get out in the open and away from it all, why do they pull their big rigs into a campground and you never see the people, just the loud noise of the generator and the blue glow of the TV, I took the liberty of paraphrasing. Well, there were two great responses in this months mag. that said it all. It put those people in their place, I thought. I hate that "it" happens in this RVing community too. Don't know why I am so shocked.

Did you watch Dancing with the Stars DWTS? OMG, that was horrible. Hope M & M get it but I'm afraid that might not happen. And bless Marie's heart, I know what she was going for with the doll thing, but it just didn't work.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Today was such a ho hum day. It was cloudy when I got up to go get my oil changed. By the time I did that and ran to Wally world, it had begun to spit rain a little. So a couple of more stops and I came back home to cheer on our Titans. Well, as we all know, our Titans needed more than cheering on. They sucked!! Hate to write them off this year but maybe next year will be our year. It is raining so hard. It's cold and it's just a good day to stay inside and veg. Gosh, I seem to enjoy doing that a lot.


Read some posts on the women's RV forum and it is just so refreshing to know there are people out there who are thinking of doing and are doing the same thing I am planning on doing. Even if you don't plan on doing this, this forum is a good place to go and I have it linked on my blog.

If you couldn't tell, I figured out the "lost" post from Friday so now I have two posts on there for that day. It will help remind me of my first mistakes. Hey speaking of that, do you know how to think of mistakes? Well, we have all seen movies so if you think of a mistake in this movie context, a mistake is simply a mis-take and a chance for us to do over. How about that! I heard that many moons ago and I always think of that.

I picked up a few gifts at Wally world. Only have a few more things to get. I'm stumped on my $10.00 family gift. See we all bring a $10.00 gift and then play dirty Santa until all the gifts are given out. Everyone tries to bring the gift that is most popular and gets "stolen" the most. Actually, if the gift is "stolen" more than three times it's "dead" and you have to take someone elses or open another one. It is a lot of fun and it prevents everyone from going broke trying to buy gifts for so many. It's all about family and fellowship anyway. Well, I haven't found the "perfect" gift yet and that's unusual for me. I'll keep looking. I have picked up a few items for our bingo games. It's good to get things at the end of the season for little or nothing and take them to Christmas. It may only cost .10 but it gets attention like it cost more. It's very fun.

I've started making kind of a list for the things I think I will need for my retirement days in my RV. My goodness, when you think of the things, it's overwhelming. I decided I need to get some knee pads that strap on with Velcro. Why you may ask! See my knees aren't that great and if (when) I have to get on my knees to hook/unhook things or when looking under the truck/RV then I figure it will be easier on me if I have knee pads. The other thing is the silicone bakeware. It's lightweight and can be used to pad other dishes. I've heard it's really good and it browns so evenly. I have already put this on my list for Christmas. Sounds like I plan on cooking a lot while RVing, that's a joke, I don't cook now. Well, very little and more so since Roy has come to live with me. I figure I'm going to need a GPS but I'm waiting on that, depending on what kind of truck I get to pull my 5'er it may have one already on it. I am going to have to get a laptop. I currently have a desktop that is about six years old, you know it's obsolete in computer years. I'm waiting as long as I can to get one but I need to get it before I quit work. Also, I'm going to need a new digital camera. Yes I have one and it was great. It's a 3.2 pixel and I think I will upgrade but I won't be in a hurry to do that. It takes great pix to go into my blog. I have been looking at the recliner lounge chairs at Camping World. They all look terrific but I'm not sure which of these best suits me. Some of them hit me in the wrong place in my back, just not that comfy. I'm sure I'll continue to add to this list.

Sedona got a new ball today. It is cute and has loops on it she can grip better. She likes to chase balls but she can't get a hold of the smooth ones. Her friend, Duchess, gave her one that is real soft and she loves it but it is getting ragged. Duchess is my best friend, Debbie's, poodle. She has come over here to stay and Sedona goes over there. They are so funny to watch. They are both timid & shy for about the first 10 minutes and then all heck breaks loose. They chase each other and play fight. It's really good for both of them because they are both only children and need some play time with others. Sometimes it hard for them to share.

Hope everyone had a safe holiday and is home from their travels. Can't wait to hear from Debbie. She, Randy and their neighbors went to Savannah Ga and had Thanksgiving dinner with Paula Deen, wellllll, maybe she didn't have dinner with Paula but she was at her house. Whew, I'm glad I straightened that out.

I hope Cindy's mother, Wilma, and her friends made it back to Oak Ridge. It was such a nasty travel day.

OH, did I tell you that Taylor and Jonathan put their tree up already. Guess they are getting ready for my visit on Dec 7. I'm going down for family day at Jonathan's work and can't wait. I'll write more about that later.

Hey folks, if you are reading, give me some feedback and give me some comments.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Saturday, November 24, 2007

It was off to the Nashville Flea Market today. I had a few things to pick up and wanted to get there early. I was there by 7:15 a.m. which is pretty early for me. Roy was going to go with me but I couldn't get him awake. Cindy was going to go with me but couldn't at the last minute, so I went alone and that was just fine with me.

It was almost like going to an RV show. My oh my, the RV's that were there. Everything from the really large Class A's to the B. I saw two beautiful 5'ers. Wish I could have gone in them but the owners were not there, probably working.

I picked up Sedona a coat at the flea market. It is corduroy lined with fleece. It looks very good on her. I'm glad she now has something a little warmer. I'm looking for some reflectors to go on it so I can keep up with her in the dark. I'm sure I'll find something. I also picked up some little bones for treats. They are just perfect for Sedona.
I picked up a few Christmas presents.

It was such a beautiful day. A little chilly but not too bad. It was a great morning.

I came back to pick up Sedona. It was time for her to go to the vet for her yearly check-up. Three shots, nails clipped and a general checkup and $151.00 later, Sedona is a healthy little girl. She now weighs 6.2 lbs. I thought she might be up to 7 but what do they say, scales don't lie. Yeah, right! That's all done for another year.

Stopped by to see Cindy W, my friend. Her mother and some of her friends were in town and it had been this time last year since Sedona and I had seen her. Her mother, Wilma, had wanted to get Sedona's litter mate sister last year but decided she was too small. Now having seen the size Sedona grew to, she wishes she had gotten her. Oh well! It was good to see them.

I got home just in time to see the kickoff of the Tennessee Vs Kentucky game. OMG, it went into 5 OT's and TN pulled it out with a score of 52-50. We will go to the SEC championship game next weekend with LSU. Hope it will be a good game and we don't get slaughtered. Guess Fat Phil will get to keep his job.

Talked to Jonathan this evening. He had a good Turkey day and when Taylor returned from visiting her Mom they put up their Christmas tree. He is such a good single parent. He is learning to expand his cooking expertise. He really is getting good with the Rachel Ray 30-minute meals. He has to do things quick because of the time constraints with swim practice, homework and general evening things. I can relate to him because I was a single parent too. I think he is far superior to me and for that I am thankful. He's my pride and joy. I'm proud of them.

That's about all to report for today. I'll visit with you tomorrow.

Oh, here is one I heard and I really like it: It's hard to listen if you already know everything! unknown

Friday, November 23, 2007

Friday, November 23, 2007 Black Friday

I don't know what happened to my post but it disappeared....

Short version

Went to Cracker Barrel for lunch yesterday but ended up being dinner. Wait was a while, checked other places but they were closed or ran out of food.

Had my hair highlighted & cut so am ready for the holidays.

Missed Sedona's vet appointment so had to reschedule for Saturday.

This is not fair but I don't feel like recreating my long post...c'ya tomorrow.

Friday, November 23, 2007 Black Friday

Well, ended up with plan B yesterday, what was plan B? Cracker Barrel. Roy and I went there around 2:00. The hostess said it would be about 2.5 hours wait time. Okay, we leave and try Cousers, it was closed, then we go to White Trash, closed, okay, one more place, Arnolds; yep, closed. Let's try Vittles in Brentwood, at last it's opened, we go in and they won't serve us even though the sign said closed at 4:00 they ran out of food about 3:00. Okay back to Cracker Barrel, oops, they have already called our name. Go to the front and they seat us immediately. The food was great and the deal was, turkey, ham, stuffing, gravy, sweet potato casserole or mashed potatoes, drink and pie for $8.99. Great deal and more than enough to eat. Both of us asked for the pie to go, 1 pecan and 1 chocolate pecan. Guess I don't have to tell you the mine was the chocolate pecan, anything chocolate!

Watched a great movie last night...Notebook with James Garner and Gina Rowlands, what a love story and I highly recommend watching it but be sure to have plenty of hankies. ++++

Today I had a bunch of things to get done but that did not include shopping. I hate to shop. I had my hair appointment for a cut and highlight. It looks good and I'm ready for the holidays. I didn't make it for Sedona's vet appointment so we rescheduled for Saturday. Needed to get my oil changed but guess what, didn't do it. Gosh, I'm such a slug. I enjoy my days off and don't want anything to interfer but there are things that need to be done.

Tomorrow Roy, Cindy (friend) and I are headed to the Nashville Flea Market. Have a few things to pick up so will have to fight the crowd. We are going to head out early to beat most of the crowd. I enjoy going a few times a year. Talking about RV's this is the place to see them. All those folks who go on the circuit travel well. Big rigs.

Read a few new posts on the women's forum today. Seems like Margie and I will get getting a group together in the Nashville area of women RV'ers to discuss issues and have a good time. Exchange stories, listen and dream, it should be lots of fun. I look forward to that.

One lady posted her accomplishments of backing, dumping and refilling water for the first time. We were all excited for her. I can relate because I will be nervous the first time (few times) I do those things. It's nice to have folks celebrate with you.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

What a dreary ole rainy day! But we need the rain and for that rain I am thankful. Speaking of thankful. What's for Thanksgiving? I had planned on going to one of beautiful state parks, Montgomery Bell, for one of their huge dinners but when I called they said they were booked. So I guess I'll have to go to plan "b" which I don't know what that is yet.

I have so much to be thankful for. My family, health, good friends, good job, nice place to live and life are all the things that most everyone can say they are thankful for. A little about my family:

As already established I am the baby of four, all girls. We had the best Mama and Daddy anyone could have. They established our values and morals and for that I am thankful. My two remaining sisters (1 died in a car wreck many years ago) have the big families. Shirley (oldest), you know she is going to love me for that, & Doug have two sons who are both married. Jimmy, Shirley's oldest, is married to Ann and they have two children, Mark & Jenny. Mark is married to Jess and they have a very cute little baby girl, Addy Beth and that makes me a great, great aunt. Ken is Shirley's baby boy who is married to Faith Ann and they have a very smart little boy, Samuel. Did I say he was a very smart little boy??

Wanda is my other sister and she & Don got started early and have four children. David is their eldest ( I used to babysit him, change his diapers and taught him to walk) and he is married to Jan. David has two children, Erika and Derek. Erika has two beautiful children (another great, great aunt,) plus she is a beauty herself. Derek is now in college, not married and oooh so good looking. Michael is Wanda's next son. Michael has a whole slew of kids. He and Teri have three; Don Michael, and twin girls, Michaela & Danielle. In addition Michael has helped to raise Teri's three sons, which makes them with six kids in their family. Teri's sons have helped make me another great, great, step-aunt. Then there is my only niece, Deborah and she is married to Mark. They have horses and cats. This is where our family meets for Christmas. Then the baby of this group is Charles. He and Rita have one son, Heath. Heath is a very active boy and can flip like crazy.

Whew! Brenda's (deceased) family consists of Darrell, Jr and his wife Rhonda. They have two sons-Corey and Logan. Corey is a very good ball player, be it football or baseball. Corey is a left handed pitcher in baseball and is quite good. We are hoping to see him in the major leagues one day. Logan is coming up and is enjoying his sports, he's a bit young to be showing talent but I guess if Darrell, Jr has anything to do with it, it won't be long. No kids here yet. Brenda's twin boys-Roy and Jerry follow. Jerry and Dana have two sons-Jacob & Joshua. Jacob is into racing 4-wheelers and though I have not seen him, they say he is very good. I'm sorry but I don't know Josh's interest just yet. Bet at his age, it's girls. Then there is Roy-Roy is single and right now is living with me. He works for the CSX RR and in order to work he had to relocate to Nashville so it makes sense for him to stay with me. (more on that later)

Then there is my family. I have one son, Jonathan and he has one daughter, Taylor and yes that makes me a Gran, not Grandmother but Gran and I really like that name. Taylor is a swimmer and she is on the swim team the Boomers. I'm sure when it comes time for "meets" you will get a report on my precious girl. That's my first destination when I get my RV, spend more time with Taylor. You see, they live about 9 hours from me so I don't get to see them much but that will change.

Our family doesn't get together on Thanksgiving-everybody goes their separate ways or has smaller family meals. This usually is the "in-laws" holiday. Just wait until Christmas eve, all 52 of us get together in one house. What fun!

I told you this little more history to understand how much I have to be thankful for, beginning to see??

Well, I was going to tell you about my friends next because they are very important to me but you know what, I'm going to wait. I'll dedicate an entire post to my friends one day.

Have a blessed day tomorrow and if you are travelling, stay safe and buckle up!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 1st blog

Well, hello world! I am going to attempt this blog "thing" as a practice session to my lifestyle change in about 18 months, give or take a few months.

You see, I am planning to retire from State Government, am going to sell my stick house, am going to sell everything and am going to hit the road in an RV to see the country.

I know, I know, that sounds exciting and scarey at the same time. I am in the process right now of conducting research on the best RV for me and my wonderful friend, Sedona. (more on Sedona later.) Do you realize how much information is out on the web regarding the RVing lifestyle? I am considered a wannabe right now and then I'll be a full timer. My goodness, there is a whole new language out there for us wannabes and I suppose now is as good a time as any to learn that new language. Oh, and don't forget there is a campground proticol. Just learned about that and now I have to think, Sunshine, you have always been coloring outside the lines, why do you think you want to start into something that has a proticol? Well, it sounds intriguing to me and I can do what I have to do, who knows, it may be fun...no, it will be fun.

You may be asking yourself at this point, what does Sunshine know about RVing? Well, you see when I was a kid; I was the baby of four girls. (more on that later too.) My Mama and Daddy always took us camping. It was a way for us to have a vacation. You see there was not much to do back then and there was little money, but my Daddy always found a way to take us camping...tent camping! Mama and Daddy would have the tent and us girls would be on bales of straw under a plastic cover and sleep outside next to the tent. Then we progressed to a pop-up camper (type of camper) where we could all sleep, we thought we had really arrived! After a few of my older sisters married and moved we did even better. Daddy was a wheeler/dealer. He found a camper that slid into the bed of the truck, okay buddy, we are really living now. This was just super to me but I had begun tiring of going camping, you see, I was becoming the age that it was not cool to be seen with parents, much less go "camping." I found other things to interest me.

BOYS!!

I married at an early age and my Mama and Daddy continued to camp. The one thing I have to tell you is that Mama and Daddy now have an Airstream travel trailer. Oh yes, why is it that when I am gone and they have grandchildren who can travel with them they get a camper that has all the bells & whistles on it? Of course, I know the answer to that question but for a while I couldn't figure it out. Ladies & gentlemen, it all has to do with "they could afford it now that the kids were gone!"

So it's time for me to embark on this journey. I hope you decide to go along on it with me. I am going to use this blog to post my thoughts, energies on research, frustrations, travels, photos and accomplishments. It will all come from the heart. My family & friends will probably know that I have started coloring outside the lines again but that's okay, it's why they love me.

More on Sedona, as promised. Sedona is my 1 year old Chorkie, part chichuaua & part yorkie. She is so named because Sedona, AZ is my most favorite place (more on that later.) Once I saw my little puppy at 3 weeks, she had all this red and she was so happy then that I knew I had to name her Sedona. She was a year old in September and she has brought so much joy to my life and I have her trained to travel with me. She will be my co-pilot. She has her car seat so she can sit beside me and see out to all the wonderful places we will visit. I am sure I will mention Sedona more than once in my blog.

In my quest to become more knowledgable about RV's. I came across a school for RV'ers and wannabes. It is called the Life on Wheels and for more info you can go to http://www.rvlifeonwheels.com/ for detailed info. I chose to attend the one at Bowling Green, KY since it is close to home and I don't have an RV yet. I learned so much and met so many wonderful people. I so encourage each of you who is thinking of RVing, not necessarily full time, to attend a session. They offer these around the country.

RV'ers are great people. I am finding out they really want to help out the community. A super women's forum is http://www.womensrvforum.com/cfforum/index.cfm and it is sponsored by RV America. Another site is http://www.rvsmarter.net/ and has some interesting posts. Now, you may be thinking that this is going to be another blog with links to internet sites, well, it's not. See, I not putting these in here necessarily for you but for me. I want to remember and well, at my age, I'm not taking anything for granted. lol

Ooh, ooh, ooh, my HR person just came into my office and gave me some good news. It looks like I have accured enough leave to depart 1 month earlier than I had thought!!!!! Yippee, yippee. Now just say a prayer that I don't get sick. Reality! sooner than I thought!!??