The Grape Squishery Of 2009

When I signed up to harvest grapes at Tres Suenos Winery, in Luther Oklahoma, I was not expecting a spiritual revelation from God. But, in essence, that is what I got. The growing of grapes and the making of wine has been a part of the world's economy for centuries. God knew this exacting process would be around for a long time. I believe this is partly why He chose to use the "fruit of the vine" for His remembrance supper. It brings new understanding of Jesus saying "I am the Vine, and you are the branches."

A few years ago, a crowd of our friends attended a wedding at a winery. The bride wanted an outdoor wedding. It was very pretty. They have a small vineyard right on the property, and a small grove of trees on the other side of the main building, where the wedding took place. I fell in love with the beauty of it all. The wine was something new to me. I had never before found one that tasted good to me. This wedding had two flavors of wine that did taste quite good.

DH and I went back later, to an annual festival and wine tasting. We heard wonderful live music, tasted several varieties of wine, and had a grand time. We have been to the festival two years in a row, and are planning to attend our third this fall. The owners of the winery host a harvest in August every year, once the grapes are ready. This year, I signed up to be notified of the harvest. DH did not come, I was on my own this time.

I drove the almost hour from my home, and got there near 7:00 am. I met with the owner of the Winery and about 20 others. We then drove in a caravan to a contract vineyard about 8 miles away, to harvest a white variety of Sauvignon grapes. We snipped grapes off the vines from 8:00 until 11:00 am. Some of the grapes we harvested after the picture.



This is me, among the vines. The first picture of the day. A nice lady came by and said she wanted to take pictures, but her camera was at the house. I handed her mine, and asked that she take a picture of me (so she would know whom to bring the camera back to).



We were each given a white 5 gallon bucket. This is my bucket, mostly full of white grapes.



When those were filled, we put the grapes into bigger crates that could hold 3-4 buckets of grapes. This is one of those crates.



The crates were then picked up, and workers transferred the grapes to huge white containers, and brought back the crates to be filled again. This is one container being loaded on a forklift.



The owner had the load weighed, but he didn't know his empty weight, so there was no exact number for the weight of the grapes we harvested. He estimated that we picked around 3 tons of grapes.

This is one of the owners. His name is Richard.



We got to watch the grapes be moved from the small crates and big white containers through a machine that took off the stems, crushed the grapes, and sent them through a tube to large blue drums. This machine was quite noisy.



For our work the owners provided lunch. (The owner's wife had bought Red Table Grapes at the grocer for us.... and got picked on about it.) After lunch, we had the opportunity to personally stomp on a small batch of grapes. The owner had pulled many stems out of about one crate of grapes, and put them in the bottom of a 55 gallon steel barrel. We got to wash off our feet, and step into the barrel to mash the grapes. There was a baby about 1 year old, and he was having a stomping good time, and then he realized that he was not able to get himself out of the barrel. He cried, and continued to stomp all the way up the side of the barrel. Poor baby. His older brother was also having a great time squishing grapes, ending up in the barrel at least 3 times, with others and by himself. I was the second to last person to step on the grapes. Have you ever stepped on one grape accidentally in your kitchen? This was messy and fun, and totally squishy. These are my toes in the grapes.



The owner will further press those grapes and keep them separate from the rest of the harvest. He will bottle that wine, and put our names on it. He said there would be about 20 bottles from this barrel. White wine should spend about 6 months fermenting before they put it in the bottles, where it will spend another 6 months before it will be drinkable. A year from now, I will have a bottle of wine from the harvest I helped to pick. I plan to refer to it as Baby Toes. This was the baby.



The grapes at the winery property are purple grapes, but I don't know what variety.



The white grapes we harvested.



God truly is an artist. He created such lovely plants, people and processes. I plan to do this again and again. DH hopefully can come next time, and several of my friends have also volunteered. I have to go back there to collect this year's wine: 2009 Sauvignon Baby Toes. If you get a chance to taste wine from Tres Suenos Winery, do it. The name means Three Dreams, and the dreams of the owners have come to be a tasty reality.

New Adventures Of The Traveling Bloggers Or The Chelf Life Of Flea Bytes

I enjoy travel. I love meeting new people. I adore getting to combine the two.

Back in July, on a Thursday, DH and I made a trip to Bricktown (downtown OKC). We met Jayme for dinner, with her immediate family, and some extended family, too. They were in town for the big annual family reunion, that was being held in a church building (less than a mile from my house). We had a really good Italian dinner at Zio's. We enjoyed walking around Bricktown and along the canal.

I had (conveniently for Jayme) left my camera in the car. Apparently, Jayme was nervous that I would chronicle our visit here. I don't like pictures of me, but I am happy to share pictures of others! No pictures this time. Good for Jayme, bad for the rest of us. Ha! I didn't want her to think that I had left her out of the journal, simply because there were no pictures. I loved visiting with them, and I wanted you all to know it!

We had a great time. Neal and DH are friends from many years ago, and it was nice for them to catch up, too. Ellie told DH he was "Ca-RAY-zy!" for not liking Strawberries. That was cute.

A month later, DH has this week off. He took a week of vacation to hang out with me, in honor of our 10th Anniversary (this Friday). We are doing much like we did when we took our honeymoon. Then, he was still in College, and I was working full time. I took one week, and we spent that week taking small trips. We spent our first two nights in a Bed and Breakfast in Guthrie, OK. We also took day trips to Wichita and Tulsa.

Monday this week we went to Tulsa. We met Flea. I don't remember precisely when I found Flea's blog, but we have been enjoying each other's blogs for around two years, I suppose. I knew when I started reading that we were kindred spirits.

She brought the "loquacious" Red Rocks with her. We met at DH's favorite place to eat that we don't have here in OKC, Fuddrucker's. We refer to it simply as Fudd's, as to not say terrible words accidentally. They make burgers to order... you can get a one pound burger that covers a plate! We ate, took pictures and visited for most of two hours!

This is Red Rocks... talking. He is quite into Classic Rock, and was a pleasure to talk to. He had to go home to make an original dessert for a Scout thing that night. Good looking, prepared, and smart. What more could you need from a kid?



Fred and Bessie also came, and enjoyed the picnic. This is Fred, making sure he got the last of the Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese sauce. (A must for the french fries.)



Here is Bessie, worrying about Fred and his balancing act to reach something.



Mr. Monkeysuit came, too. He is a ladies' man. Flea got some good pictures of him giving me a kiss.



Here is DH giving Mr. Monkeysuit the contemplative stare... and probably a warning about getting too fresh with me.



This is the Good Flea and Chelf, photo on my camera, courtesy of DH.



Thank you for coming along on the driving adventures of Chelf and DH. More entries to come, as the Anniversary Week progresses!

Top Reasons I Won't Have A Credit Card

This is a news article I saw on my local television affiliate.
~~~~~~~~~~
NH man swipes debit card for smokes, charged 23 quadrillion dollars (plus $15 overdraft fee)

By Associated Press

9:05 AM CDT, July 15, 2009
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man says he swiped his debit card at a gas station to buy a pack of cigarettes and was charged over 23 quadrillion dollars.

Josh Muszynski (Moo-SIN'-ski) checked his account online a few hours later and saw the 17-digit number — a stunning $23,148,855,308,184,500 (twenty-three quadrillion, one hundred forty-eight trillion, eight hundred fifty-five billion, three hundred eight million, one hundred eighty-four thousand, five hundred dollars).

Muszynski says he spent two hours on the phone with Bank of America trying to sort out the string of numbers and the $15 overdraft fee.

The bank corrected the error the next day.

Bank of America tells WMUR-TV only the card issuer, Visa, could answer questions. Visa, in turn, referred questions to the bank.
___

Information from: WMUR-TV, http://wmur.com
~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday Thirteen
"Reasons I Won't Have A Credit Card" and "Why I Think This Is Funny"

1. This was a DEBIT card, so I am still at risk.

2. 1% of this bill is more than four times the National Debt. (To copy the media, "That is QUADRILLION, with a Q!" Imagine the perky blonde anchor making you feel stupid, because you couldn't have heard it the first time.) I can live happily on that kind of money. The bank can never have enough.

3. Bank of America, the man's personal bank, is the bank known to give accounts to Undocumented Illegal Immigrants... I suppose they have to make up for that in some small fashion. I hope they don't think this is SMALL fashion.

4. I am sure that the numbers are meaningless..... no SSN or PIN in there. (Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!)

5. One of my friends on Facebook commented that the average daily balance would yield an interest charge that could be "ugly". They are allowed to be around 30%, especially if you are overdrawn.

6. How many people didn't get charged for their transactions that day, due to the keying error? I wouldn't want to be that person!

7. Cash Is King! Check out Dave Ramsey, and learn to survive without plastic. This is not a paid advertisement, just a personal testimony. I am not completely debt free, but imagine that as a goal! Now imagine that as a lifestyle!

8. I know that smoking kills you, but I thought it was for actually smoking! I am excited knowing that the guy is still alive after the SHOCK of seeing that bill.

9. Jesus said that our hearts are tied to our treasures. Junk purchased with plastic and debt are not treasures, but our hearts sit there with it anyway.

10. Nothing in the world like the Bank of America and Visa pointing fingers at each other. Poor guy had that balance on his personal checking account for a whole day, and nobody wanted to help him fix the problem.

11. The banks don't keep records better than I do. They can't! I am a perfectionist about accounting. I can't afford to let a penny slip by unaccounted for. I can't afford to write off mistakes. I can count!

12. Banks are really good at sticking you with fees when you really do overdraw... by a penny or two. Shouldn't they PAY you when the mistake is THEIRS?

13. Even Bakers know how to give a little extra to get a lot of loyalty. Banks could learn from this generous practice.

Blessings to you, more than money.

Which King is KING?

This was a mini sermon posted by my friend Rick Rossing, on Facebook.
I love the way he thinks! I had to share this with you today. Just had to.
~~~~~~~~~~
Tue {July 14, 2009} at 9:16pm

Michael Jackson was the King of Pop. When he died, millions cried. Thousands went to his funeral. Millions watched it on TV. Everyone wanted everyone else to know that they were friends of his. Michael Jackson impersonators are beginning to pop up everywhere. People are flocking to Neverland to walk where he walked and pay homage. But in a hundred years, who will really remember?

Elvis Presley was the King of Rock and Roll. When he died, millions cried. Many went to his funeral, and many watched it replayed on the news. Everyone wanted everyone else to know that they were friends of his. Elvis impersonators still pop up everywhere. People still trek to Graceland to walk where he walked and pay homage. But in a hundred years, who will really remember?

Jesus Christ was the King of Kings. When he died, thousands cheered. Only a handful of people stuck around to lay him in the tomb. Even people who knew him denied it. But after a few days, people started seeing him everywhere. His tomb is empty. Millions now take pilgrimages to the Holy Land to walk where he walked and pay homage, and millions more seek to be imitators of Christ. It's been almost two thousand years, and millions of people remember.

So which king do you follow? The king of pop, the king of rock, or the king of kings?
Do you want to live in Neverland, Graceland, or the Holy Land?

Jesus' tomb is empty. His promises are not.

Peace.
~~~~~~~~~~
I hope this humble thought has blessed you today!

There Ain't No Doubt, I LOVE this Land! God BLESS The U.S.A. !!!

I enjoy Facebook. There are so many people to connect to. Friends from such a distant past, I have almost forgotten. Most people don't realize that I have a pretty good memory for names and faces. More specially for those who made an impact on my life. Apparently, I have made those kinds of impacts on the lives of others, when I was unaware.

I am finding people that I knew in High School (and before), but I thought they didn't like me. It was not like we were ever best buds. I kept up with the best buds. It occurred to me at my 10 year reunion, and I shared with my husband, that it hadn't yet been long enough. Some of the people I didn't like during High School were still the same, and that was immature. I said maybe they would really grow up by the 20th. Here we are just past 17, and the people I am connecting with (not all of these were unlikeable in the past, mind you) are more mature, more friendly and more sure of themselves.

Maybe that was the problem. We didn't like ourselves, so we projected that hate onto others, to give ourselves someone to blame. I know I did some of that. I know also that I can't be friends with everyone... but I can be a better friend to the ones who allow me into their circles.

People are surprising. This is why I watch them so much. Age, experience and having children gives one a new sense of self. When you stretch to let another person into your sphere, you can't help but grow. I have grown (physically, too...ugh) since I was young. I thought I knew it all.... now I know simply that I can never know it all.

I can't fathom why I thought people didn't like me. I never gave them a chance to speak for or against me. I still don't understand all of why I didn't like some others. I am amazed at the good memories that my friends-again have kept of me. I hope that I never take the olive branch of friendship for granted again. I beg myself to offer that same olive branch to another... and another... and another... without fear.

If you are my Blogger friend, or my Facebook friend, please know that I appreciate every one of you. You keep my world interesting and refreshing. I may do what my friend Jon did... Thanks-giving notes... to each and every friend. I can't do the video posts like he did, but I can try to see things from another perspective. I see that I need to focus on others for a change, not on me Me ME all the time.

Again I see that I complain so much. Why? God has provided a roof over my head, two and half years of allowing me to not work for "the MAN", and given me the biggest blessings, many of which I didn't know I needed! I need to focus on the happy, uplifting and joyful things in life.

This weekend, I get to spend our Nation's Independence Day with family, friends, food and fireworks. What could be better?

Happy Birthday, AMERICA!!!

Death, Life And A Little Bit Of Mediocrity

It has been a bad week to be famous.
A bad month (two), really.
There have been so many celebrities who have passed away recently:

Wayman Tisdale, 44. NBA star, and University of Oklahoma player before that. I hear he was an excellent musician.

Wayne Allwine, 62. The voice of Mickey Mouse for (very close to) my entire lifetime. His wife has been the voice of Minnie Mouse, too.

Millvina Dean, 97. The last survivor of the Titanic, she was just a baby in April 1912.

David Carradine, 72.

Ed McMahon, 86.

Farrah Fawcett, 62.

Michael Jackson, 50.

Gale Storm, 87. (I had to look her up, I am too young.)

Billy Mays, 50.

We joke that things come in threes. This is three sets of three. And this is not the definitive list, there have been other celebrity deaths since May. I am not going to make any pithy jokes today. The world has lost a lot of great talents recently. My childhood has taken a pretty hard hit.

On a more personal note, I found out this weekend that my Uncle has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. They caught it early, and it is a very treatable kind of cancer. He lives near and is familiar with M.D. Anderson, and my Aunt is a nurse. My mind keeps going back to Esther in the Bible... "for such a time as this". I know that God has prepared them for this trial. I would appreciate prayer on behalf of my family.

I hosted a baby shower on Saturday. My friend Ferret came with her family to be showered with gifts... from Kansas. And we had a friend drive up from Dallas. Yes, if you do the math... she drove 4 hours each way to spend only 2 hours with us! We have dedicated friends. The new house is not clean, but things are strategically stacked. I have several weeks to get ready for the housewarming that the wonderful ladies at church are going to give us.

I have noticed that I complain a lot. I am sorry for that. Of what use is complaining? I am blessed. I have a roof over my head, I don't owe money each month to a landlord anymore. I have two cars, two cats, two bedrooms. I have food in the kitchen, and energy to cook it. I have a full sized washer and dryer. I have so much to be happy about, yet I allow myself to be convinced that I am not worthy, or appreciative. Satan sneaks in and lies to me, and I allow those lies to take over my attitude. That is such a sorry existence. I need to be reminded (as often as the Jews in the Bible, it seems) that God is always here, and that He continually provides me with everything I could want and more.

Thank someone today!

The Universe Has A Warped Sense Of Humor!

The car I got from Enterprise (paid for by the other guy's insurance) is a newer version of the car that hit me! Yes, I was assigned a 2009 Nissan Altima. The car that hit me was a 1995 model. This is a black car. I would never own a black car, not on purpose. Not in Oklahoma. The temperatures this week are supposed to be over 90 all week. With the 60% humidity and more, the temperatures are way too hot to have such a big dark car.

It is a smooth ride, turns soft like butter! Lots of fun cubbies to explore, way too many cup holders, and useless gauges to distract my attention while driving. I like knowing that there is a cruise control. But the first time I pushed the button to turn it on, I accidentally honked the horn. In fact, I honked three times before I realized that I was the one honking. I spent probably 10 minutes just adjusting the car to me, and making sure I could reach what I needed to reach. Can't damage the car right in front of the rental office, you know?

Zipper got stretched only, and is back home as of late last night. Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes. The next appointment in about 6 months will be the rod replacement surgery, provided she does not break them before that. She was showing Daddy the ropes this time, since he has not been there for a stretch before. Apparently, she was angelic for Daddy. He got to see the rare happy side of a girl on the edge. I have not heard how much she grew with being straightened out. Now we just need to get some more fat on her bones to cushion her.

I have been trying to trim our budget recently. Our house related expenses went up a little when we bought this house. So I am trying to cut back on brand name things. I went to Aldi. This grocery store has good prices on food that is not name brand. I decided to try their milk, since it was so much cheaper than others. Big mistake. This stuff tasted like colored water. I used to get 2% milk that tasted better. Mystic, who usually loves drinking milk after my cereal is gone, turned her nose up at it. That sealed the decision. I have decided to not skimp on milk. I am going back to Braum's. I found a store that has the 1/2 gallon for $0.20 less than the store near DH's work. For as little milk as I use, I can pay a little more for the good stuff.

I am off to clean again. Since I know your prayers work... please pray that I don't get bogged down by the work it will take to get my new home looking the way I want it. I can't imagine how to decorate anything, because I can't see past the junk I have in the way. If I can move my pride and junk out of the way, my home can be a more open place to share the hospitality I have in my heart. I know this goal is not so lofty that it can't be met. I know I can finally have a clean home, with God's help and yours. Thanks!

Be blessed today!

Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch...

I want to send a BIG Thank You to Mamma Mia, who reminds me constantly to give myself a break! I have been hoping that I could get the house together and pretty in a week, two weeks, a month.... and here we are at very close to two months, and I sincerely don't feel very accomplished at all. I want to have a clean home. I really do! The trouble I run into is that I have given myself way too many breaks. I have essentially locked myself in the house, and while I can see progress, it is moving far too slowly for my taste. I want to do more work in less time. I don't know how to go about the housework efficiently. I have a new goal. Maybe stating it out loud on the blog will encourage me to work harder for it. I am hosting a baby shower in my home on the 27th. I have two weeks. I don't want to do all the work in the last two days. (I do work extraordinarily well under pressure.)

Zipper is getting stretched on Monday. We are hoping that she just gets stretched, and doesn't need new rods just yet. She will come home from St. Louis at least 3 inches taller. I am sure of it. Ferret had tried to give her more nutrition, to grow out and put some fat on her very skinny frame, but Zipper took it all and grew up instead, which means she is curved pretty badly. So, if you will please lift her and her family up to God, I would appreciate it.

I have a new Facebook Username. I don't know why I bothered. They wouldn't let me even look at "mychelf", but "chelf" went through just fine. I don't know how my moniker could be construed as vulgar or questionable, but I respect their choice. I have no idea what to DO with the Username, and am taking suggestions. If you are on Facebook, look me up: www.Facebook.com/chelf

I need some suggestions. I have a very dark and somewhat bland matte brown living room. The ceiling is even painted! I like it, it is different. However, it absorbs all the light in the room, allowing for no reflection at all. I find that light colored decorations look pretty good on it. It might actually get to be my Oriental themed room, with lots of pink cherry blossom art and brushstroke letters. What I am looking for is ways to make it a little brighter, without taking away the base color. I have considered sponging on a lighter Mauve or a red-toned Cinnamon to give it a bit of a glaze. I have considered repainting altogether, but don't want to do that right now. Does anyone have tips to making a dark room less intimidating?

Jumping June Bugs! I have to be up so early tomorrow! Back in May, my Honda Fit got bumper tapped. I was driving, and the big van in front of me stopped. I hurried to stop, and then tried to avoid getting hit from behind by angling to the right a bit. The green sedan behind me tried to avoid me by going into the left lane of traffic when he realized he could not stop, but we still glanced off each other. I did not hit the van, and the other driver did not hit anything other than my bumper. It is amazing how much it costs to fix such a light tap. His insurance is paying for the repairs, and I am delivering the car to the shop at the way-too-early hour of 7:30. It will take me 20 minutes or more to get there, so I plan to leave by 7. Ugh. I am a Garfield (TM) sort of person. I don't do mornings, and I despise Mondays. Both will happen tomorrow. I suppose complaining won't help nearly as much as getting to bed before midnight tonight will.

His insurance is also paying for the rental car replacement. They approved me for a full sized car! To replace my compact hatchback. I have no idea what make or model of car I will come home with. If I can save them a little money by downgrading what I get, I may try. Depends on what they offer me, I suppose. I might like to try out an SUV. (I can dream, right?)

Enjoy your own cars this week, everyone!

Praise For The Lord, For The House Is Good

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things That Are Better About The New House

1. Faux Bay Window. (Bay Window is a dream of mine from way back!)

2. The roof is solid, and has no holes. Insulation! No popcorn texture ceiling.

3. Appliances are newer and bigger. (Washer, Dryer, Refrigerator and Stove)

4. Dishwasher!

5. Built-In Book Shelves. Two of them!

6. Bigger Closets.

7. The house is not falling into the backyard. (The old house had foundation issues evident in the cracks on the walls and ceiling, as well as the ridge in the floor.)

8. Full view front storm door. The cats have their Sun Worshiping spot again.

9. Colors on the walls, not just boring cream.

10. Curtains. (blinds that were broken at other house)

11. Working windows. Fresh air all the time!

12. Real Attic. (vs. hole in garage ceiling)

13. Bigger Bedroom

Wait... I Have A Blog?

I am surprised how many of you have still come by to see if I have had any inspiration. Constantly surprised by my awesome friends. Thank you for not giving up on me.

I know I have appeared to just drop off the blogging wagon. I have been quite obsessed with the ease of Facebook. This is no excuse. I still need to write. I have moved my physical existence from a rent house to our first home. Having never bought a house before, I was overwhelmed. I didn't have an actual intention to buy the house until almost Valentine's Day. We signed the contract and gave our earnest money on March 9. We signed the mountain of paperwork and got funded on April 9. The beautiful house is ours, after a mere two months.



The word "overwhelmed" doesn't really cover it. I am swamped, tuckered, lost, disorganized, cluttered.... and then overwhelmed. It all looks like such a mess. I have so much stuff that seems less valuable now that it is in the new house. I have done a lot of laundry, and cleaned and organized... and it looks as if I have done nothing. I am clearly in need of a maid, storage designer, motivational speaker and life coach. Sigh. I keep plugging away at it, hoping that I can have things down to a manageable dull roar by Mother's Day, when my Mother is coming for a visit.

I asked the previous owner to trim the bushes back away from the house, so that we could get to the water access behind them. Yeah, someone really took that the wrong way. The bushes got trimmed from the front. I don't know whom to blame, because I realize that what I said was misinterpreted. I don't like the bushes, I wanted them gone anyway. But I was hoping to wait a year or two before removing them completely, and replacing them with a stone patio.

The cats have been getting used to the new place, too. They stayed in the former house for a few days longer than we and our stuff did. They came out of the safety lockdown room (old master bedroom) and looked at Jeff as if to say, "WE'VE BEEN ROBBED!!!" They spent the first two days in the new house climbing into places I won't let them go again, sniffing everything, and staring out the windows.

Marvel decided that he needed to be in the closet in the second bedroom. A bag fell, and in his efforts to escape, he got a shallow cut on his nose. Poor baby. It worries me that he was bleeding, but it stopped pretty quickly. I am hoping that he heals quickly, too. He does not like me cleaning his wound, and he will not be happy with alcohol being on the cotton ball that comes next.

Mystic has not injured herself, but has gotten to the top of the built-in bookcase, the top of our closet in the master bedroom, and the top of a bookshelf we brought in. She is a very vocal cat, walking around talking to the Ceiling Cat, or whatever she imagines is up there.

Obviously, the cats are fine. They are both crashed on the couch next to me right now. I would put a picture here of that, but the camera is in my purse, which is currently under Mystic's head.

This has been a pleasant break. I am going to get back to the cleaning and finding of places for all my junk. Thanks for checking on me. Keep coming by, anytime. I love visitors. Feel free to come find me physically, too. But if you drop by, be warned: I will put you to work!

Have a blessed day!

Road Trip To Sin City, Part 4

... and the last in this series, I hope. I had to add these fun and funny pictures. I am working on another post, a deep thoughtful one. So here is a break before the depth.

Bro and SIL at the dinner the night before the wedding. There wasn't really a rehearsal, and her family didn't come to this dinner. I don't know if they weren't there yet, or just tired. But our family and their friends came. Aren't they cute? Poor kids were both sick, but the good meal and hot tea helped a lot.



DH and me at the same dinner. Bro took the picture. The one I tried as a self portrait was a funny angle straight up my nose. I won't bore you with that.



This was a funny picture of SIL's mom. We were waiting impatiently for the Limo to show up at the Stratosphere, to take us to the wedding site. Everyone with cameras was taking pictures. SIL's Mom and I took pictures of each other taking pictures of each other. Then I tried to get a good picture of her. I got this first. She joked that this was more real. I have another picture that is nice, but this one makes me laugh. Our families are going to get along well.



This picture is for the pure funny of it. This is in the Paris, right beneath the Eiffel Tower. I gather from the stuff we could see, that it is Asian food, but the name... is fitting.



When we walked around the Miracle Mile shops, there were columns that had different words on them. Each column had a different word, and each word was in all different languages. "Desire" has Pig Latin.



There was "Love". We pondered what language had "HAHA" as it's word for love. My comment was, "They're joking, right?"



I know a guy named Fred. I didn't know the name meant "Peace".



"Peace" had the best words. This was the longest individual word we saw. It almost took the whole side of the column.



Bro got a kick out of this one. Goom-Jigi. I really need to find out what language that is!



This is one of the lions in the MGM Grand. This is the view up to her, from a walkway. The plexiglass is all scratched up, this is a very clear picture of our actual view. She moved her paws to cover her face for that guy trying to get a camera up her nose. It was so nonchalant, but full of personality. "No more pictures, today, dear."



Later, this same lion got up and gave the people a show. She urinated on the glass...and immediately about 10 cameras were up in the air, trying to get the picture, from underneath her in that walkway. I was not under the walkway by then. She had about 50 people laughing and taking more pictures. From this, I gather that big cats don't cover their excrement like domestic cats do. (I like my cats using the litter box!) When she was done, she went back and lay down in the exact same spot she was in before. Like nothing had changed.



Sisters. Better than by blood, we are sisters by choice. We each refer to the other's Mom as Mom Squared. Our Mothers act like sisters, too. I met Best BFF when I moved to Gallup, at the age of 6. She was 7, and would turn 8 before the first year was out. We have shared all sorts of adventures. Vegas was better than the Arizona State Fair! (My favorite vacations as a kid, once neither of us lived in Gallup anymore.)



This is the current state of construction of the new bypass bridge at the Hoover Dam. I guess the plan is that the dam can still be toured and stuff, but the majority of the traveling traffic is not going to go over it anymore. This bridge had a sign that they were hoping to be done by 2008. They missed. But it is tall and looks pretty impressive.



I found the place where steak sauce is from! A mountain road near Flagstaff, AZ.



So Mamma Mia knows that I was not telling stories, here is the proof. I tried to go to her Uncle's restaurant in Albuquerque.



They were, however, closed. The sign explained it was a private party. Entrance would be granted by Invitation Only. *Sigh* So I didn't get the *BEST* Mexican food in the state. They had just had a Grand Re-Opening, and I was told that the employees were probably all drunk anyway, so it wouldn't have been fun. It is on my list for the next time we go through. Maybe we can meet up with Looney Mom again. (Yes, I am hanging my head in shame. I am a terrible long-distance friend. I didn't call at all. Bad Chelf!)



The yummiest hot Chai latte away from Vintage. This was the second trip to Perennials, as it was so very good the first time. I bought two of those mugs, one for me and one for my friend. (He and his wife are also big fans of How I Met Your Mother.)



I hope you have enjoyed my vacation documentaries. I hope to have many more adventures, and share them with you.

Road Trip To Sin City, Part 3

Word of the Post
Today's word is: vacation
/va*ca"tion/
noun: The act of vacating; leaving a void; intermission of employment, leisure time away from work devoted to rest; on holiday.
verb: To spend or take a vacation.
This was the most fun I have had hurting myself on a vacation.
~~~~~~~~~~
On the way to Vegas, we stopped to have a late lunch in Amarillo, TX. I love my new little car... and I think it is scary how so many larger cars on the road may not see me. Partially because the color could blend into the road, but mostly because other drivers are distracted or just not looking. When I pulled into this space, I got tickled over the visual of small vs. large that I had created. The intimidating Hummer I parked near.



I used to have all sort of posters and t-shirts for the Roadkill Cafe'. This trip, I found a physical store that called itself that! I took this picture as much for my mom and her love of Windmills, as my own little sick fascination. This is down the street from the gas station we stopped at in Seligman, AZ.



All during this trip, and a couple before it, I had been saying in conversation the lyrics of songs we were hearing on the radio or the CD we were listening to. Last April, I said something about crack filling, and then immediately heard "..fill in the cracks..." on the Chicago CD. We also have noticed things that are related to movies. Signs, places, and songs that relate to movies we have recently watched. Jeff noticed the contrails that looked like a logo, to a movie I have seen, but he has not (that I know of). Do you see it? (I will tell you the movie was Fantastic!)



This is another view of the Revolution Lounge. The letters were turned, any that had a bottom had seats in them. This is where I got the idea to put DH in one, and take a picture of him. I like the effect of the people walking past. Not the greatest picture, but fun.



This is the entry to Ceasar's, and those circular things are actually escalators! Like the moving sidewalks, this is one of the coolest things I have ever ridden.



For Roadrunner, this is an ad on a facade of New York New York. You can see part of the support for the "Brooklyn Bridge", which is where we were walking when I saw this.



Best BFF said this was the closest she had been to NYC since she was an infant. This is the closest I have been since 1992. We drove past NYC, and I got to see Lady Liberty through binoculars... and she still appeared only about 2 inches tall. This replica is awesome!



DH and myself in front of Lady Liberty... behind us is the castle of Excalibur. We didn't go in there. It looked cool, though. We rode an escalator up like the one you see behind us. It was scary. If one leans over too far, one sees the traffic one could fall directly into! Add that it is more than one house story level high, because it has to go over traffic with double decker Deuce buses going past... and that as such a small construct, it shakes. Ferret would have been passed out by the time she got to the top. I almost was, and I am not scared of heights. I am not usually scared of man-made structures, either.



For Roadrunner's kids (mostly the little one), I saw this Nintendo PSP replica on the side of a building. It is more than a story high! It was an LCD billboard. Very cool for us gamer geeks!



The Kiss



It is a family joke that Dad really does not like getting dressed up. Ties are evil, we are certain. He might own two... one that stays tied up waiting to be put on, and this one that is clip-on. Bro wouldn't have cared if we were in Bermuda shorts and flip-flops, as long as we were there. I was surprised that Bro was in a suit, but he had to be. It was made for him, so not uncomfortable. But Dad still removes the tie when the need to show it is over. I asked him to move it, but New SIL said she thought it showed his character, so we had him put it back in the same place. Dad is surely a character.



The Siblings. DH, Me, Bro, New SIL, Her sis. Both of the families have decided that we are ALL family now. I can really get to liking this. Bro's MIL figures we all came with the package. She is not wrong; when blending families, every member is part of the experience.



I took this, to have a record of Mom's family ring. The large diamond is the solitaire from her wedding set, that fell out around their 20th anniversary. I found it (we were at the DMV when she noticed it was gone) and we had it reset. The small stones are for each family member's birth month, and the anniversary month. The stones are: February Amethyst, April Diamond, May Emerald, July Ruby and October Pink (to replace the Opal that is too soft to put with crystals). Also in the picture, a bracelet that one of Mom's friends gave her recently, a carnation (hers of the flowers that Bro and SIL gave all the women at the wedding), her watch, and the wedding band to hold the family ring in place.

The watch face has colored pencils or crayons for the hands, and colored numbers. She was a teacher before she retired, so that was special. The watch band was hand made by a friend of ours when we lived in Gallup. Turquoise, Coral and other colored stones, set in silver in a personalized new design that has Hopi, Anasazi and Navajo influences. Now that I think about it, that watch band is almost 25 years old!



Until I am struck by inspiration again...

I'm Not A Tool... I'm An Instrument!

I interrupt myself in the posts about Vegas to bring you a very good thought. My friend Rick Rossing penned this ponder on his Facebook account, and I got permission to reprint it. I did a copy/paste, and didn't change a thing, title and all.

Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~
During a Bible class, we were reading the passage in Acts 9:15 where Jesus says that Paul is his chosen instrument, and someone commented that Paul was a tool. I didn't like the concept, and I've been mulling it over ever since.

It is never a compliment to be called a tool, at least not in my experience. A tool is a person who is useful enough at what he does, but is only being used. He might not even be aware that he is not admired so much as tolerated. Like a hammer, he's used for whatever task he's needed for, then tossed carelessly back into the box with all the other tools. Tools are not generally loved, and they are easily replaced.

But an instrument is far more special! The word conjures up to me the image of a saxophone or clarinet, or a finely honed surgical scalpel. A saxophone is comprised of many intricate valves and parts that are precisely joined together and tuned to produce sweet music. An instrument is specially designed for its purpose, painstakingly and even lovingly. It is not easy to replace an instrument. The one who uses the instrument cares for and even loves it. When not in use, the instrument is carefully placed in a location prepared for it to keep it safe.

The God who created Paul and used him also formed him and loved him. The same God created me and uses me, but God also forms me and loves me. I am beautifully and wonderfully made, because I am loved.

We are His workmanship, created for good works.

I'm no tool... I'm an instrument. So are you.

Road Trip To Sin City, Part 2

After the wedding, the family all went to lunch, which turned into dinner it was so late. The Venetian is smelly (perfume overload) but fun. This was the disappearing statue man outside of the restaurant. I came back a few minutes later, and he was gone.



Mom wanted to go see the Hawaiian Village Market that was farther away than she knew. We watched the fountains at the Bellagio again, from almost the same vantage point as the night before. If you look closely, you can see Mom in the wheelchair, and behind her on the ledge is Dad, and DH is to his right.



Wednesday, Mom and Dad decided to leave a day early, to get home to rest. We visited more with Best BFF and her hubby.



We walked from the Stratosphere down to Circus Circus and played a few dollars at Slots of Fun. I had budgeted to play at least $20 each for each of three days; we had $120 in Blow Money. With all the little $1 and $0.25 and $0.05 slots we played in various casinos over three days... together we lost (played) only about $18. We both should have quit when we were $1 ahead on the nickel slots! Ah, well...it was fun. I can see how the addiction starts, but we had more interesting things to see and do in Vegas.

Best BFF and hubby then decided to go home, to see their girls before bedtime. We continued walking... down to Treasure Island again. We ate brunch at Denny's (figured it would be pretty standard) across the street from the Mirage, and then got the call from Bro and SIL that they wanted to hang out with us. Yay! This is a bronze statue of the faces of Sigfried and Roy... and probably the lion that ate Roy.



This is the Mirage, advertising the show that DH wanted to see. At first, I said we couldn't afford it. If it hadn't been for Uncle Sam this year, we wouldn't have been able to have a good time at all. So I tried, once we had a bit of money, to get tickets... and the show was on a rotation or something. It was not playing at all the week we were there. Bummer, Dude!



Do not despair, though. DH got his Beatles fix. Inside one of the hotels is the REVOLUTION, a Beatles Lounge!



Some of those letters had seats in them. The pictures I tried to take of DH sitting in them turned out horrible. So here is a sign for you.



We wandered all the way down to the M&M's store (They wanted $11.99 for ONE pound of M's! I figure they can keep them, and I will buy at Wal-Mart). We went to the Coca Cola store next door, and enjoyed "Tastes Around the World". This is a sample size of 16 drinks from all over. South Africa, Italy, Mexico, and others. I have but one warning for you... don't ever drink "Beverly" in Italy. That crap was nasty, bitter and had a terrible aftertaste. I hear they use it to cut their alcohol... and I can't imagine how bad their drinks become because of it. No wonder they prefer wine!

We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and watched the Bellagio Fountains show from above... twice.



We then wandered back down to Planet Hollywood where they had parked their car. Hey, who can beat free valet everywhere? You park for as long as you need, and then you tip the guy a couple bucks for bringing it back. Easy, if you are willing to drive in Vegas. I am not. Bro was... and SIL was worried about the other drivers and the survival of her car. They offered to give us a ride back to the Stratoshpere. While on the way, we all decided we were hungry. In that decision, dinner was proposed.

Sally, I had an In-N-Out Double Double.



IT WAS... there are not words. YUM! I know I was extremely hungry, but I honestly believe that was the best meal we had in Vegas. I won't say the whole trip, because we ate at some awesome places while on the journey there and back again... but IN Vegas, that was the best. And even at $6 for a burger, it was the cheapest, too. Fries and a drink came with that sweet little taste of Heaven. Even McDonald's for breakfast was more $$.

We had been inside New York New York on Monday... and we laughed at this: For all the millions of dollars spent to build these massive Hotel/Casino luxuries, to find an obvious typo made my day! I am not going to say anything more, you have to find it. I apologize for the lack of quality in this photo... I was probably still shaking from giggling.



Then there was this sign. I know I am pretty sheltered and naive. Really. But... this was a bit much to think about.



And one more little delight for the member of the Society for the Protection Of Good Grammar (SPOGG) in me. It was in the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile of Shops. There seems to be no reason beyond laziness that the T is missing from Entertainment.



At a second glance, it seems that they could have put the T over the corner... or cut it off at the pass. The view just seems incomplete without an attempt at the issue. I know... I am a Language Snob. These little things are part of the grander picture for me. With all the extravagance in Vegas, certainly they could hire proofreaders for their signs?

Join us next time, when Chelf has NOT attempted to correct every mistake she sees....