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!

Party All The Time

For those interested in my meager little life, I have been so busy lately. I have hardly had a moment's rest, a bit of peace.

There are some bright spots in the world. This one, for instance.

This was Gum Drop (SIL looking on and balancing him from behind) at his First Birthday Party. He is in his own Chiefs Jersey Onesie (Hi, Sally!), and opening our present to him. He had the best time! He got so much more messy than his sister did at her first party. The party was all Chiefs, and the party cake was a football field, complete with players. His own personal cake was a football.

Pure Joy.


His hair did a flyaway crazy 'do after his chocolate bath. I didn't get a picture of the muddy looking bathwater, mostly because it was too gross. Got to love the kiddos.

The next bright spot is this one.

Jelly Bean is now 3, and her Third Birthday Party was Care Bears. She picked it herself. There were balloons, cake and lemonade, and lots of presents! There were goodie bags that JB gave to her friends, with Baby Gummy Bears in there. So tasty!

This one moves so much and so often, I rarely get a good picture of her. Usually I get only hair as she dashes away. This is JB on her requested Birthday Scooter, wearing her requisite Birthday Helmet (that was our contribution). She did very well on the scooter; I even caught it on video (haven't yet figured out how to post those. I promise some in the future).

There have been a few other things going on in my life, too. There was the wonderful visit from my friend, the Georgia Peach. This is Georgia Peach, Roadrunner, and Chelf. (Pay no attention to the BunnyButt in the background)

Georgia Peach came to see a whole bunch of us Clubbies, and brought her two "nieces" (her BFF's two kids) with her. I have several BFF's with children, and I would be willing to bet that none of them would let me take two of their kiddos on a week-long adventure to another state in a rented car. Not without a lot of explaining, and pictures. Georgia is just that awesome of an "Aunt".

There have been the trips to the local swimming hole. This is Roadrunner's little one, I think I shall refer to him as Mr. Bump. He is calamity and daring all in one.

I didn't get a good picture of the older son by himself. I have to think of a nickname that doesn't violate any copyright laws. (Karate Kid is already taken, and it is Tae Kwon Do anyway) Maybe Roadrunner can help me? (BunnyButt suggested "Sauce", but I don't want the kiddo mad at me, either.)

Then there is the Tea Kettle. This little one is Roadrunner's nephew. He screams in a pitch that no boy should ever be allowed to make. It sounds just like her tea kettle. He likes to snuggle, and get me into trouble by crying when I pick him up.

I am now off to two more Birthday Parties tonight. Tomorrow, there is a Wedding Shower I am helping hostess. This busy life is sometimes almost too much. Almost. Then I look at all the little faces around me, and I know....

So very worth it!

Oh, I Believe In Yesterday, Too, Sir Paul!

Honestly, this was a few days ago, but the joke and the memory will warm my insides for a while.

August 5, Sir Paul McCartney was in my beloved home town. He ate at a restaurant in Bricktown that I (cannot afford) have not tried, and he stayed the night in an historic hotel that I (may never have the pleasure of seeing at all) have only seen in pictures.

We have a local free paper called Oklahoma Gazette. They have a section of odd, political, humorous, or just plain crazy news that happens in or to Oklahoma, called Chicken Fried News. In CFN, they titled this bit "Live and Let Dine". Aren't they clever? While I think they made much ado about nothing, they were not alone. By 4 pm, the local talk radio station I chat over... er... listen to, was bragging about it at every news break. Every ten minutes, I hit the mute button for a few moments. Unfortunately for KTOK, they stayed mute most of the afternoon.

Rumor has it that Sir Paul ate quiche, special ordered from a list in his head that was not on the menu. I suppose when you make enough money to own Bricktown, you can order whatever you wish, no matter what the menu offers. Our chat group discussed this for a few moments. Most of us, while wondering if he would be willing to stand on the top of the shortest building in the area and play a few songs and sign a few autographs, were asking the obvious questions. Was he a jerk or a nice guy? How long would he stay? Why was he in town? How much did he tip the waiter? Important things, wouldn't you agree?

Rumor also has it that the tip will cover said waiter's household expenses for a significant amount of time. I bet he got more for NOT being a stupid crazed fan in front of the new girlfriend. I would certainly expect no less.

I have never been the screaming teen type of starstruck fan. Ask Wes McKenzie. I offered him a Dr. Pepper when a bunch of us were watching a movie one night, and he was slaving away in the radio station on campus at O.C. I bet without my hubby nearby, he doesn't even know who I am. (Ferret and I tried to hide in his apartment once during a tornado, because he was downstairs, and her apartment was upstairs. He may remember that...) But I know that he once sang bass with AVB. My only wish when I came to O.C. was to sit in chapel someday with Rodney Britt on one side of me, and Wes McKenzie on the other, and let the two greatest bass singers I have ever met rattle me out of my chair. I like sitting next to DH in church, because he sings bass too. Bro is a good singer, and he and DH have flanked me, and we had Mac Daddy sitting behind us. Mac Daddy has more projection than DH has, but they both can sing equally low, deep and rattling.

I have always figured that celebrities are people. They just want to be talked to, respected and treated with the dignity us poor folk should give any peasant or king. I don't like to be screamed at, why should they like it? I said on August 5 that I would have expected a big tip from Sir Paul, had I been that wait person. The standard 15-20% plus a little somethin'-somethin' for not being a crazy weird autograph hound.

I have met a few celebs in my short life. You may or may not have heard of Sandy Fries. Yes, it is spelled like French Fries, but pronounced Freeze. Any guesses as to whom he is? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? He is a writer, and he wrote one whole episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation for Will Wheaton. It was called Coming of Age, and it first aired in March of 1988, which makes it now 20 years ago. One of the Directors or Creators came to him and said something short and simple like... "Wesley Crusher is going to Starfleet Academy. Go." What a bundle of inspiration! I met him and got his autograph when he came to Farmington, NM to speak at San Juan College about Creative Writing, back in my early college days in the early 90's.

I have an autographed picture of Mark Lowry. I spoke to him personally, and we shared a laugh. I was working at Glory Be! Christian Books and Gifts in Farmington, and he came to do a concert. My friend Kim P. and I both went. I had met her working for the Hallmark store in the mall, and we became fast friends as sisters in Christ. This was his Mouth In Motion tour, and he sang "Mary Did You Know". He wrote the lyrics! If you ever hear Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd sing this one, it will make chills run up and down your spine. Seriously. Stirring and thoughtful song. His opening act was a little girl who had such a powerful voice. Her stage name was JoAnna Rae, and she had the vocal power of Whitney Houston, and the range (that young voice) of Mariah Carey. She was about 9 years old at the time, and so tiny. Mr. Lowry was blown away, as were most of the audience.

I met also at a concert in Farmington, the singer (Insert Memory Card here...). {Edit: Found it! The memory engram was found, and now has been uploaded. His name was Grover Levy.} He was signing CD's well into the night. The package came with a music CD and a DVD Rom of extras. I told him that the second disc did me no good, as I didn't have a computer. He said, "That's OK, I don't either!" He was a teacher, and used some of his students in his songs. He was the most friendly of that concert. Margaret Becker was rude to my brother that day. He had worked his tush off carrying her equipment into the Civic Center, and had helped her crew set it up and later helped to tear it down. The least she could have done was smile, say thanks, and not be offended when someone asked for an autograph. She didn't even stay after the show like the two other acts did, so I never met her. I suppose I didn't miss much.

I once rode on the same plane as John Denver. From Houston to Denver. He was in First Class, and probably in the first seat. I was in the VERY STINKING BACK SEAT of the plane, next to the Flight Attendants' kitchen. I thought I saw him, but was not convinced. Could it have been? Naw. Why would he fly commercial? He has a pilot's license. Well, it WAS John Denver, and he had not died yet while flying his own plane. Such a close brush with greatness. He was my favorite singer, back in the early 80's when he was still being shown in reruns of the Muppet Show, and was still appearing regularly on Sesame Street. The nice attendant and several other passengers were trying to think of his songs, and I came up with more by myself than they did combined. I wasn't really a fan at that time, so that rather surprised me.

Farmington is so out of the way, and kinda small, but it has its share of celebrity rolling through town. I got to see Mr. Former Vice President Dan Quayle while he was campaigning. I was too far past the ropes, and people were getting arrested for trying to do anything more than shake the man's hand. I got pictures from a random lady in the crowd. She got a little closer than me, and offered to take my camera with her. We swapped addresses, and mailed each other copies of our photographs.

DH and I, along with a few friends, saw Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band in concert at Frontier City a few years ago. There were a few people smoking weed a few rows ahead of us, and I came away from there with such a headache! It was my first time to get high. My first, last, ONLY time to get high. That headache didn't go away for almost two days. I don't know why people pay for that feeling. Ugh. Terrible. DH is a HUGE Beatles fan, and Ringo is his favorite. I personally liked Paul best, not only because he is the cute one, but for his long and lifetime marriage to Linda, his work with Wings (also a wife project), and his eagerness to join forces with others for the benefit of a charity.

On August 6, DH and I built a spur-of-the-moment parody of Yesterday. He started by just singing that one word, the most popular word of Paul's most memorable song. Even people who don't really like the Beatles know about the story of Sir Paul singing "Scrambled Eggs". Even if that was not true, we choose to believe the legend, because it makes us feel better. I added something about how he was in town presumably for the funeral of Mr. Murcer (some sports legend I don't know about) because his "friend passed away" and "he didn't eat at Hideaway", which is a local pizza joint that is pretty good... I don't remember it all now, but it was enough to make us laugh. My simple mind at work... you are all so very much in trouble.

Which brings us full circle to last week... and the fact that my obsessed hubby did not know until later that a beloved Beatle was nearby. I am not sure what gizmo or doodad was off, but something was wrong with my world for several moments. I only hope that the fine City of Oklahoma City did not show her petticoats of hick redneck starstruck idiots, but was a lady showing all the refinement she could. I pray that Sir Paul had a fine time here, and was given an extra huge helping of the classical Hospitality this state is known for.

...And We're Back. So, Chelf. Deal or No Deal?

OK. I have sent a few of you into a tizzy trying to guess what the "news" could be.
Muh hu ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I am such an evil blogger. Bad Chelf. Bad.

Sally is guessing that I am pregnant. (Nope. I do wish, though.)

Rachel caught me this morning at church. (I was hoping not to be seen just yet!)

Flea is every bit as impatient as I am, so... in light of the threat to my safety, here you go.

We bought a NEW car.

We couldn't find a Wii Fit, so we got a Honda Fit, instead. (DH just called it a Wee Fit. Isn't he funny?) Nearly as hard to find, and just as desirable. I have never in my life owned a brand new car. I love the smell of new car (plastic fumes) in the morning!

I am still running on the adrenaline from Saturday night. We were driving around, and decided to go look to see what the dealership had. There were three cars, all in my favorite color of BLUE... I even had two shades to pick from. Seriously, it came to a toss of a dime. (You think I am joking. How cute.) They were all 5-speed Manual, which gets better gas mileage, if you know how to drive one.

They were all sitting there... begging me to take them home.

And then I thought about the value of the Buick. That stupid, frustrating car that I have threatened to drive into the nearest lake. Maybe not the nearest lake, because Hefner is our area's water supply, and I like our water. But a lake, nevertheless. I added up in my head all the repairs that thing will need. I could repair our existing (and totally paid for!) car, at a cost of.... 6 months of payments toward this new one. And I still have no guarantee that it would be worry-free. It is so very out of warranty. Just the insurance and me against the probable loss of a stupid, worthless, scary, expensive piece of.... junk that we have owned for 5 1/2 years. (Notice please the restraint to keep the G-rating, and the anger out of that last sentence.) They gave us $3000, sight unseen, which I think is fair. I couldn't get $4000 by selling it on the street, because of the new issues it decided to give me. If they spend a little to fix it, they can make all their money back, or they can sell it at auction and let someone else worry about it.

If we decide that we can survive with only one car (as I don't work right now), we can always sell the Malibu to our friend, and use her payments to us as payments on the new one, too. I have a contingency plan for almost everything. I am tempted.

I can see the shaking heads, and hear the big sighs and screams of "NOOOOOO!!!!!" from those of you who know that I try to follow the plan of my rich friend Dave Ramsey. No, I really don't want a car payment. But... in all fairness, I don't want to finance the cost of repairs on a car that is bound to fail, either. And we would have to borrow to fix all the issues of the Buick. We got a much better rate (12 points better!) than we got when we financed the Buick. I got them to check another bank, and lower the interest again by 0.74%. See what a little pleasant conversation can do for you?

Would you like to see it?


The other blue was Vivid Blue Pearl, and was more a Royal Blue. This Baby Blue Silver shade is named Tidewater Blue Metallic. It sounds like a laundry detergent to me. I am going to apply for a special tag, MYCHELF. I have wanted that on a car ever since Amber called me that, 16 years ago. She was 2 at the time. She graduated High School this year. Now, like the car itself, I have the tough choice of what color to make the tag. If I go Baby Blue, I think it will clash, as will plain Silver. DH will have a hissy fit if I make it Pink. I was thinking if they have a White Pearl, that might look nice. If they have a "Choose Life" tag available still, and I can get my nickname on it, that may be the way to go.

Thanks to Dad, I learned on a Manual. However, it has been 13 or more years since I have driven one on a regular basis. You will have to ask DH if I did well driving today. I only killed it once. I think I did very well.

I am considering naming this car. The Bu (Malibu) and the Ick (Buick) have been just descriptive titles. I want some suggestions for Names for this Honda. Fenry is out, by the way. DH had a Honda Accord in High School that was Fenry Honda, so we don't want to taint that memory. But if you have any suggestions for this little beauty, I would love to hear them. I may even come up with a prize for a contest.

Hope I didn't disappoint too many of you. This car buying stuff is a real ADVENTURE. I am still high from the experience.

God's Country, No Matter What Those Cowboy Fans Think

Word of the Post
Today's word is: lupine
/lu"pine/
Noun: A flowered herb, producing legumes; cultivated for erosion control. Available in White, Field, Wolf and Egyptian varieties. The seeds of the lupinus albus variety have been used for food throughout history. Thought to exhaust the soil.
Adjective: Of or relating to a wolf; wolfish, ravenous.
I hesitate to admit this, but it took me three readings of the books and two viewings of the Harry Potter movies to realize (the light finally came on!) that Professor Lupin was a werewolf.. and that lupine meant wolfish. It was truly a "duh" moment for me. And one of the varieties being Albus (as in Dumbledore) cracks me up.
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A few small updates. Zipper didn't really break a rod, but the doctors were checking into the screws that hold them, and decided to do the stretching now, while they had her open. She is home now, and doing well. Pop got the pacemaker/defibrillator implanted, and got to go home on Saturday. Laura said his color looked good, and he was in great spirits. He is permanently on oxygen, but that means he is breathing better. Please continue to pray for his health. And last, but not least, my car with the "check engine" light on was a stupidly small problem. It was the after-market gas cap letting air into the system, and making the (used replacement) engine and computer confused. We paid a terribly unreasonable amount for the new cap from GM, and paid way too much labor (even at half) for them to put it in... and I got a 27 point safety check and an oil and fuel filter change. So, I paid a little too much for each of those things, but it didn't cost me half of our Stimulus Package, and my car is running great again. The sigh of relief is still reverberating in the house.
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Now, back to our story.

On Monday afternoon (we are now up to the second half of April 7) of our Colorado Vacation, we came back to Niki's house, packed up our stuff, and said our goodbyes.

We proceeded south, leaving Denver behind. When last we saw our heroine, she was napping while her DH drove. The only questionable weather we saw in either direction through Colorado was the snow and rain we passed under in Colorado Springs. We were planning to drive through a bit of the Garden of the Gods, and did see the first and smallest loop. This is a rock formation commonly known as the "Kissing Camels". Honestly, I can only see one camel, but it is kissing something.

We got to the gift shop/visitors center at 4:58 pm, and their gates had signs that said they would close and lock the gates AT 5:00 pm, so we did not go in. I wanted to go up to Pike's Peak, but we didn't bother. It was snowy and probably closed up there anyway, and we had a goal in Pueblo.

We were visiting as many people as we could possibly fit into the vacation. The experience of meeting people in person that I had as yet only seen online was a joy for me. We met Suezque and MammaMia at Black Eyed Pea in Pueblo. Suezque had given me a long list of restaurants in the area, near the highways we were going to use. We thought that Black Eyed Pea had closed all the stores outside of Texas, but there were still several locations in Colorado. There are no franchises left in Oklahoma, and DH had been craving their food. I had been picking most of the destinations, and I am related to the family that we were visiting, and I am friends with the bloggers that we were meeting in person. I thought it a good idea to give DH a choice about something.

I was feeling for the hubbies, watching three little birds twitter on about bloggy subjects. I should not have feared. DH is usually quiet, but he contributed to the conversations, too. All three of our hubbies went to Oklahoma Christian, and know some of the same people. The world is so small, especially among the believers of Christ. This plan of mine to have a meeting of friends actually felt more like a family reunion. We had a really good dinner, and a fun visit.

MammaMia's hubby shares the same name as our brother-in-law, and their little daughter has the same name as our niece. She has a beautiful family. The kids kept moving, as kids do, so I didn't get very many good pictures. Suezque and I sat next to each other, and traded hugs for Sally and Lil' Major. G said that DH and I looked familiar. Here are the three Bloggy Friends. Left to right; MammaMia, Chelf, Suezque.

After too short a visit, we all went our separate ways. MammaMia had to get home to put the little ones to bed, and Suezque had to drive back out to her home. DH and I went to my uncle's house in Canyon City. (I can't figure out how to put the ~ over the N to spell it properly.) We had a good visit there. We got to see pictures of cousins I have not seen in almost 20 years. Here are Uncle Paul and Aunt Kathy.

Paul is one of my Dad's brothers. He and dad have several hobbies in common. They both make excellent pancakes. They both have great memories of their childhood, and both tell interesting stories. He even made a quilt to keep in their camper when they travel! (Dad used to sew kites, so I think they both just do whatever strikes them.) Kathy is a crafty person, a seamstress, making dresses for her granddaughters. She works in the office at their church, and she really enjoys being able to go on month-long trips. Ah, retirement at it's ideal. Young enough to do, old enough to appreciate.

Paul called me over, while he was cleaning and preparing for their next camper trip, and had me listen. It took a moment to realize what I was hearing. Thousands of bees, floating around their four or five Bradford Pear trees in the front yard. Here is the up-close picture I took, not knowing until later if I had really caught the bee in the picture.

We left Uncle's house a lot later than we expected, but after a relaxing and lazy morning. We spent the rest of Tuesday driving. Not far past Canyon City, we were listening to a new CD~Chicago's Greatest Hits. Along the road, we saw some construction. I said, "Hey, look, they are crack-filling." At that precise moment, the song played the lyrics, "Fill in the cracks, hit you when you least expect it." I have had impeccable timing before, but this time made us both laugh out loud. (The song is called Love Will Come Back, and on the album XXX (their thirtieth) it was a duet with Rascal Flatts. This version was Chicago only.)

We stopped by a rock shop. I love the rock shops; sparklies in every color you can imagine. This one had local rocks, and imported rocks too. We bought a piece of Peridot for MIL, because it is her birthstone, as well as both of the grandchildren. I got a piece of what was called Chevron Amethyst. It is not nearly as crystalline as Amethyst that comes in what looks like Geodes. It is a beautiful purple rock, with white lines in a Chevron pattern through it.

We went from Canyon City through Gunnison on our way to Montrose. There is an area that the road crosses a lake. We took pictures of the frozen lake, covered in snow.

DH thought it would be interesting to show on the map where we were. Look to the left of Gunnison, and we were near Sapinero. This is the picture of the map we had.

We went through Montrose, Ouray, Silverton and Durango to get back to Mom's house in Farmington. We arrived in Montrose later than we hoped. Mom wanted me to bring her seconds from the Russell Stover factory there. She wanted sugar free chocolate. It was closed an hour before we got to town. Sad. I would have loved to buy some cheap chocolate for myself. At least I know it is there. I will go back someday.

We went south through Ouray and Silverton. I have been to both of these many times over the years of my youth. I had never paid attention to the roads that got us there. They are both in very high valleys in the Rocky Mountains.


View Larger Map

This is a rather straight looking line of Hwy 550 between Ouray and Silverton. It is all just little switchbacks. Once in a while, you can go a whopping 40 mph. Most of it, if you are going faster than 25 mph, it is scary. You can fall off the mountain. The road is only wide enough to have two lanes of traffic, one in each direction. For most of the road, there is no guardrail on the "down the mountain" side, and there is a huge mountain on the other side. The mountain side was covered in snow. The road had only been open once the trucks had pushed all the snow off the road. There were NO shoulders on either side. I was happy to let a semi truck pass me, using a runaway truck pullout. Seriously, I would not have been happy to drive more than 1/4 of a mile with that dude riding his brakes behind me down that road.

Most of the time we were driving, it was dark. The sun can light the area, but sunset is seriously early in the mountains. I drove from Montrose to Silverton. I told DH it was stressful driving, and I couldn't do it anymore. He drove from Silverton to Durango. I am not sure now which was more stressful, driving or riding. DH didn't know what was beyond the headlights, but I did. I want to let everyone know that DH is an excellent driver, but this was crazy scary for me. I like to be in control of the car in scary situations. It is my nature to be in control.

On a side note, when I was younger, I would not ride in the passenger seat of my own car. In the early days of college, I couldn't bring myself to trust anyone to drive me in my own car. I could ride with anyone, and see that they were a great driver, but in MY car, I was ALWAYS the driver. DH didn't notice this, until I told him. While HE was driving. On a long, straight highway to visit my parents. Now, it is still odd to have someone else drive my car, but DH owns them too, so I don't mind his driving. And it had nothing to do with the car. I loaned my car out without fear. Several people drove the car, but I was not in it. Yes, I know, I am strange. But hey, you know that if you have read for any amount of time here.

More on the trek home in the next installment of this adventure!

Rocky Mountain High Is My Kind Of Mile

We spent Saturday night, Sunday night and part of Monday with Niki's family. Heather stays at Niki's house every weekend, so they tell me. So often this happens, that she gets Zoe's room, and Zoe has a mattress in the boys' room. Thank you to Heather for volunteering to sleep in the living room on the couch, so that a couple of weary travelers could have Zoe's bed. We had the cheap insurance with us. We had borrowed dad's air mattress and the stilts to make it taller than the floor. We never once had to sleep on the floor. Everyone we stayed with had a spare bed to share. We were (are) so blessed.

We went to the Journey with the family on Sunday. Church services with a band and communion with the option of wine as well as grape juice. I didn't go in with my baggage. I heaved it off with a conscious effort and left it in the car. I went in knowing that God was in the place. I had a great experience. I know that, as a drummer, DH was listening to the band. We didn't know many of the songs. I recognized two of them, because of Christian radio on my digital cable. I listened with an unapologetic openness that I don't often allow out of the box. See? Niki stretches my sensibilities. Benny said that he would feel totally comfortable bringing their Street Kids to the Journey. You can't say that about all churches. This is Abi, Niki and Heather, on Sunday. I had to get on my knees and beg Heather to be in this picture. You all should feel the honor of this.

On Sunday afternoon, we ate the wonderful lunch that Benny and Heather had worked so hard for on Saturday evening. Yum, Potato and Bacon Soup. We had all been laughing and sharing and getting to know each other. Crock pots are wonderful things, and those liners you can get are awesome, too.

I wanted to see more people. I had to meet as many Blog Buddies as I could manage. Niki was awesome, setting up a meeting for us. Niki, Heather, DH, Paula and I drove to a distant (across a big city distant, not across the state far) Starbucks to visit with Jan. Here are all the Bloggy Babes. Left to right: Paula, Niki, Heather, Jan, Chelf.

For those of you who don't read some of the other blogs... I have stories to share from that day. Mind you, I am now more than two weeks removed from this experience. We sat in the sun, but under umbrellas, around two circular tables. A couple of the girls were worried that my fair skin (they were so nice to not point out that I am rivaling the shade of paper!) in the high altitude would burn. I got to sit in the shade. I also gave some of the sunshine to Paula, who was cold. Notice she was in the throw blanket. Someone (I think it was Heather, but I can't be certain. Anyone want to correct me?) said their next tattoo would be that butterfly from my shirt. I love that shirt. Turns out to be my Blog Buddy Meeting Shirt.

We made all the introductions, and DH even said "I am the DH." It was cute. Here he is, looking very Men In Black for us.

We talked about everything. DH fared pretty well. He had a few things to say. We didn't just leave him out. He reads this thing, too. Jan brought the chocolate. I don't get the joke with the purse, but free chocolate is the best thing that could happen on a vacation.

We talked about the current term for a lady who cuts and designs hair. Niki told Jan that "hairdresser" made her sound old, and she might as well say "beautician". We decided that the term should be "hair stylist". I went inside, to use the restroom (laughing makes that important, girls) and to get a coffee confection. While I was in line, I was approached by a woman I had seen outside. She had made a bit of a production out of tying up her little dog on a chair near us, trying to listen in. I hadn't really thought about it, though. We were too busy laughing at ourselves and our conversation. She was shorter than me (takes a bit to be noticeably shorter than my 5 foot 2 stature), and was wearing comfortable layers, and red Crocs. "I learned something today." I said, "Oh, what was that?" I was thinking that it was a strange way to start the conversation, and wondering why this stranger was speaking to me like we were in the middle of a discussion. "I learned that the proper term is 'stylist'." I laughed out loud, trying not to be as loud as I was outside. I think she said it would make a good story, because I told her I was going to share that with the rest of the girls, and that it would get out there, since we are all writers. We did get a good laugh about it. Tickles me to think of it now. I love Jan's laugh. It is contagious. A little note for those readers and writers of Christian fiction: I was in the middle of reading Kristin Billerbeck's Split Ends. A book about a stylist (she used the word "hairdresser" in the book!) who makes a new start. We were all sad to leave, but we had to get Paula back to her family by a certain time. Here is me, trying not to look too sarcastic. I prefer to be behind the camera, truth be told.

On Sunday evening, Niki and Heather took DH and me to see Downtown Denver. We rode a bus that reminded me of the trains in St. Louis. We stopped at one of the 16 Starbucks in the 6 or 8 blocks of the district. We got to see all sorts of stores. This one is for Suezque.

Oklahoma City doesn't have that kind of shopping in our downtown. We have Bricktown, but that is mostly bars and restaurants. These were stores like one would see in the local mall. I didn't get many good pictures from the bus. We drove around more, and got to see the Convention Center.

We got to see areas around the art museum (Niki calls these the Naked Aliens).

We got to see the outside of the Library. Yes, that is a horse on a huge chair. All I could think of was the old bit on TV, with Gilda Radner sitting in the big chair, and saying “and that's the Truth-thththth!”

We went to the Capitol Building. DH had been there many years ago, and remembered there was a step that said “One Mile Above Sea Level”.

He wanted to get a picture of us sitting on that step.

I got a picture of this plaque. Keep in mind it was dark, and I had a camera with a flash. I thought this was a neat thing to have posted on the building. If you click on the picture, you can probably read every word, including the author's signature at the bottom right corner. On a column on the other side, was a plaque showing the order that instituted Memorial Day, I think. That picture didn't turn out so well.

I took this picture for my Dad, the collector of arms.

I liked this little wrought iron decorative fence. The best picture was backwards... but this one looked really good, too. Yep, we took the picture, and then noticed the C in the Colorado Flag on the thing. I felt really silly for not noticing sooner.

Sunday night, Niki and I stayed up way too late. Early? We didn't even bother to go to bed until about 3:45 am. We “..spoke of many things, fools and kings...” I don't know that we resolved any of the world's problems, but we certainly have a better understanding of each other, and we were cultivating our friendship. I really like having someone close to my age, that has such a mature outlook. I don't know if it comes from the experience in life, or from motherhood, or just from God's touch. Maybe a bit of each of those. I truly respect her.

My body had been on Oklahoma time the whole vacation, and Monday morning was no exception. I was awake at 7 am. That's right, I only got three hours of sleep that night. I was awake before Niki was.

On Monday...

I think I shall save that story for the next post.

The Animals, They Came In By Twosies, Twosies

Saturday April 5, we decided to go to Denver, by way of sightseeing. When leaving Loveland, we passed the neatest store. It has been there for over 100 years. My grandmother, upon hearing the name, told my Mom that she didn't think Mom talked that way.

There is a Dam Tower (upper left of the picture) to look at the Dam, and the Dam Shirt, one of which I purchased. One of the sales girls was wearing Bear Feet slippers. They look comfy, don't they?

I have wonderful friends who live in Ft. Collins. I used to live there, when I was small. I don't know what it was, but I had a feeling that we would be too busy, so we would pass going to Ft. Collins, and go directly to Estes Park. My mother was not happy to know that I had not taken DH to see the friends in Ft. Collins. My friends (actually Mom's friends, who had been my babysitters when I was little) were anxious to meet DH, but we were driving West instead of North. Don't get angry with me, there is more to the story.

I really am not happy that we skipped showing DH around Ft. Collins. The joke was that when I was a child, I was riding home from church with a college student that was coming to our house for lunch on a Sunday. She was asking me (I was 3 or 4 years old) all sorts of questions. She asked me where I lived, in relation to the mountains. I apparently stared at my shoes, wiggled my toes, and thought about it for a long time. Then, I replied, “The Toe-Hills.” She was going for “foothills”. I could have seen if the nice neighbor lady still lived next door, and I wanted to show DH the school I went to for Kindergarten. Alas, we didn't have time.

The first thing I saw in Estes Park was the Estes Ark. It is a boat-shaped building on the edge of town. I convinced DH to stop, and we shopped. I bought a measuring stick that is one cubit. For the American in me, it is 18 inches. The measurement of a cubit, if I am remembering right, was the distance between a grown man's elbow and fingertips. I love the last plank on the sign.

We went on to the Visitors Center, and looked around. We used the time to plan our shopping, and call our mothers. We then walked along the Big Thompson River, sneaking into little shops along the River Walk. If you ever get the chance, this is a great way to spend a lot of a day, and you get exercise and fresh mountain air. Just be careful, because some people get Altitude Sickness. I guess if you are used to low altitudes, the thin Mountain air is sickening, especially if you are exerting yourself walking up and down the hills to shop. This is the Big Thompson River, near the Visitors Center in Estes Park. That big hunk of rock in river on the right was actually a heart-shaped stone, and I took a better picture of it for Niki. I couldn't exactly get it out of the river to bring to her... so I settled for the next best thing.

We grew to be hungry, and we started looking for options. Dairy Queen! No, they don't have the chicken fingers I was hoping for. No, I don't like hotdogs. Subway! No, I worked there for over two years, and the smell of wheat bread yeast that lingers in the air may be attractive to some, but it sickens me. That looks like a Burger joint! No, it is a bar with food. Finally, we happened upon a cute little diner at the farthest end of our walk. We settled on Penelope's. There was a sign (and it was printed on their cups!) that they had been voted the best Burger in Estes. We ordered and sat down to eat. After only a bite or two, a man walked past me, looking for a place to sit, or maybe in search of the bathrooms. I did a double take. I said to DH, “That looked like Steve.” When I looked back to the front of the store, I saw Steve's dad.

The world is small, and shrinking every day. I did see Steve, his lovely wife Kristi and their two beautiful children, as well as Steve's parents. These are the friends we had thought about visiting in Ft. Collins. If Dairy Queen had served Chicken, if Subway had not been a former job, if we had driven to Ft. Collins to show DH the “toe-hills”, we would have missed these dear friends. Although, I could have shown DH where their house was. I don't have pictures of them, because the camera was in the car, at the other end of town. It was just too heavy to carry while shopping. I didn't figure I would need to take pictures of the shops, at any rate. They might have gotten mad at me.

We wandered back to the car, refreshed by our walk, our food and our visit. We then went to Boulder, and the Pearl Street Mall to shop some more. I had my sights on only one destination: Into the Wind. This is a kite shop that my Dad found when he was in his kite building phase. I went there, and did not buy a kite. Somehow, that is just wrong. But I got dice to add to the collection, and we bought a Frisbee with their logo printed on it. The mall is at least three blocks long, and cars can go across it, but prohibited along the length of it. There were street performers every so often. I heard guitar and bagpipe music. I saw a man up on a very tall unicycle, who was juggling firey bowling pins. There was a group of men, drumming and dancing. They were very strong, and agile. There was a group that stood on a corner, and played guitars and sang. They called themselves The Curb Feelers.

We left Boulder, and drove to Denver. We went to Casa Bonita for dinner. Now, everyone who heard this had their own reaction. Suffice it to say that our main purpose was NOT food, though I believe the food is pretty good. There used to be a one in Tulsa, but it closed over two years ago. The one in Denver was better, anyway. Two stories high, with a dive show, a 500 lb. Gorilla (didn't see him, and was sorely disappointed!), and so many places to explore. When I was small, I used to scream at the puppet show. I was afraid of masks. Huge Gorillas, the dancing puppets, and the mysterious Gypsy fortune teller in a box all freaked me out. They still do, even though I am older, wiser and braver.

More to come soon!

And Now, Back To The Show

As everyone has beaten me to the punch, I am sure some parts will be things you have read twice already.

Let me play catch up before I get into the trip. I have been busy after our two week hiatus from the world. Recovery has been slow and laborious. I spent the better part of last week monitoring the testing for the 5th graders at SIL's school. She is a Counselor, and the State of Oklahoma has to have two adults in the room during testing. Probably a Federal Law of some kind, trying not to leave children behind. I got to read, so I was working more on that 888 challenge. I got the same teacher as last year, so at least we were comfortable. The kids were a different story. This is Zipper swinging on Sunday.

On April 15, Zipper and Ferret came to OU Children's Hospital, to have Zipper's tonsils taken out. She was tired and cranky when I saw them (April 15). They were headed home the next day (April 16). Zipper is such a trooper. She has decided sometimes to tell us that she is in a "bad mood" and we are not to talk to/touch her. At least she wasn't just screaming, like the very unhappy babies we could hear down the hall. This is Speedy G swinging on Sunday.

This weekend, DH and I went to Wichita to see Zipper's family. We went up there to see the movie "Expelled" with a group of like-minded people. I also got to meet Lil Major and his daddy, on a short Sunday afternoon visit with Sally. How many ways can we say it? He is just cute! I guess there are times when it is bad to be a comfortable pillow of a baby-whisperer. He slept the whole time we were there. DH held him, and so did I. Thank you, Sally, for letting down the guard for us. This is me with Sally and Lil Major on our Sunday visit.

Now, we get back to the reasons we took the vacation. With Dad's permission, I sold the minivan he had loaned to me. It was an extra he had already replaced, and he would have sold it once we got back home, anyway. My friend Roadrunner's brother-in-law needed a box on four wheels to get him from point A to point B. I got Dad to sign and send the title to the minivan, and two weeks before our trip, the 1992 Tan Dodge Caravan with 214,000+ miles on it moved to Arkansas. This is the van.

Being without the car that was going to carry us to NM, on March 31, we flew to Mom. We left Oklahoma City in the early afternoon, and flew first to Denver, changed planes, and then to Farmington. I think my stomach stayed in the overhead bin on the first plane. DH was supposed to remind me to get it before we left. I am rather glad that I didn't have it on the second flight. That turbulence was like riding a raft in a churning sea. The pilot called it "annoying", but it came closer to "sickening". Dad and Mom came to pick us up, and then took us to dinner. We spent the rest of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with them. I got to meet my Brother for dinner one of those nights. This is the family picture we posed for. Thank you to Bro's girlfriend Jenny for playing photographer for us. Left to right, back row: Brother, Dad, Me. Front row: Mom, DH. You couldn't tell I am her child, could you? Be honest!

Part of the fun of this trip was to introduce DH to my Dad's family. We have been married for 8 1/2 years, and he had only met my Dad and two cousins who live in the Dallas area. Dad is the 6th of 7 siblings. I am just getting started. (Poor DH probably didn't understand what a mess he married.) In Loveland, we spent two nights with Aunt Sue and Uncle Stanley. I had not yet met Uncle Stanley, because that is a recent marriage. This is a picture from their wedding (I stole copies from a disk they had).

We spent Friday visiting. We drove over to Greeley, to visit Aunt Dianne, and went to a great little Mexican restaurant near her home for lunch. I helped her with a troublesome bit of a puzzle, and DH showed her pictures on our laptop. We also saw our friend Sandra. We knew Sandra from O. C., and we got to meet her two children. We have not seen her in 8 years. She was already in Greeley for an appointment, and then came to Dianne's house to visit. Her kids are cute. Her son was pretty happy to meet us. Daughter was a little bit careful, but was happy to sit on my lap near the end of our time together. Her hubby was not able to get off work to come see us. We went to dinner together, and stood outside in the cold and visited just a little bit more. This is Sandra with DH. Kids were in the car. We didn't think to get the camera out and take a picture of Aunt Dianne. I am regretting that.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Chelf's travels!

So, I Met This Girl Online...

Word of the Post
Today's word is: resplendent
/re*splen"dent/ adjective
Bright, lustrous, shining; having great beauty or splendor.
A sunset, resplendent with hues of orange and red, creates an excellent picture.
~~~~~~~~~~
I had to take a few days to get the pictures fixed. I am sorry I took so long. Last week was a busy time for me. Wednesday evening, I had to give the DH a haircut. He was getting to be a Long-Haired Hippy. See?

This is my favorite view, the Freshly Shorn head. His haircuts have gotten easier over the years. I don't have to think or style the hair, just shave it short. I have never tried to do a flat-top. I imagine that it would be tough. I prefer to play in the hair after it has been mowed. Often during the summer, he will mow the yard, then I mow his head. It is a symbiotic relationship.

Thursday afternoon, I left home to journey north to visit Ferret (Maria) and her girls, and to meet Sally. Sally explained it pretty well on her post about our dinner. I can give you a little more background on two of us. I have known Ferret for something like 11 years. We met in college, when we both transferred to Oklahoma Christian. We had both been there for the spring semester, and met through other mutual friends in the fall. She was already part of the group that was called Teh Club. DH was already there, too. I also met him that fall.

We were close enough that, a few years later, she asked me to be in her wedding. I was a bridesmaid, and I sang. (The song is over there on my play list. Can you guess which song? If you know, please don't ruin it for those who don't.) She was not in mine, because we only had two attendants, and I had promised those posts away many years before. She and her hubby were our photographers. Today, she makes a business out of wedding photography. I babysat her older daughter, Zipper (Ani with the back surgery), when she was very tiny. Here is Zipper drumming on the back of Speedy's High Chair when we were at Pei Wei. DH is so proud that the girls are great percussionists.

Then she got nerve, and moved her family back to Wichita to be near her hubby's parents, and to be closer to her grandma. Since that time, she also got busy and had a second daughter, Speedy G (G for Gonzales, Ele, who never stops moving). Here is Speedy, also drumming on the chair. Those little chopsticks made excellent drumsticks. And both girls can and demand to eat with the chopsticks.

We all had dinner, and then sent Ferret's family home. The girls needed to be in bed sometime, and the Girls wanted to talk in a quieter setting. We retreated to a nearby Starbucks, and continued to talk. We had a great time, despite the scary roads on the way home. Look at Shannon (I have no bloggy name for her yet. When I get one I can edit), showing off that way-too-skinny-to-be-a-mom midriff! I hope that my rolls look that cute after I have kids! Here is us, from left to right: Me, Sally, Shannon, and Ferret. Some nice guy at Starbucks took six pictures for us, two each on three cameras. Thank you, dude, whomever you are.

I spent the night at Ferret's house, and went with her on Friday morning to a Bible study. Shannon was supposed to be there, too, but her kiddo got sick on her overnight. I met several more ladies at the study, and was amazed to find out that many of them were my age. I have never before had so many friends my age. Most of my friends have been two to five years younger, or more than five years older than me. It baffles me that so many people like me are out there, and feeling left out, just like me. We had a great little visit, and study. I was supposed to leave town by 2 or 3, actually hung out until 7 or so. Got home about 9:30.

Then I stayed up and packed until 12am. I was getting us ready for the couples retreat. I meant to get pictures, but the camera got left in the van... all the way across the parking lot. I decided the walk there was not worth it. I should have gotten pictures of the tiny rooms we stayed in. It was smaller than the small dorms at O.C., and they had two sets of bunk beds in them. Yes, a couples retreat where we had to sleep on different, twin sized beds. Build that love.

There was one baby there this year, a kiddo who is still mommy-fed. I got a lot of Auntie duty, and I loved it. When we were all "moving in", I got to hold the Stuff. The best and most important Stuff, the baby.

I stayed up Saturday night playing games with other couples. DH had gone to bed around 11:30, I stayed up until after 2. I actually got the babe to sleep when mommy was still playing Cranium. She was moving him too much, and he was jumping at every loud round of shouting. I didn't go too far, just put him in a position to sleep, and bounced him a little, nearer the fireplace and farther from the game. He was out in five minutes, and stayed that way with me for well over an hour. I only gave him up when I had to go to the bathroom so bad, I couldn't hold him or laugh anymore.

Sunday morning, we got up and had breakfast (the guys usually cook). This year, we had one guy who is a great cook, and we had bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, biscuits, fruit, juice, milk, and coffee. Then we had a short church service. We had a couple of men make some short talks, and we had communion. We had prayer that was relevant and heartfelt.

When it was over, we all went back to clean up the mess hall and kitchen, and then clean our rooms after we got all our stuff packed into the cars. As a group, we always try to leave the place cleaner than when we arrived. The fact that we clean at all actually seems to be an improvement over other groups the camp hosts.

I ended up sleeping for most of Sunday and Monday to recuperate from all the late nights in a row. I had a great weekend, and honestly have still not quite recovered. I am staying away from baby Molly for another day or two, just to make sure that I don't spread anything. I don't think I have caught anything, but you never know. Lack of sleep is a very good way to catch a cold. I have to stay away from milk for a while, too. Can't be too careful.

What Is Your Name?

What is in a name? What makes a name such a defining bit of information? I have read fiction and folklore that make a point of a person knowing and not sharing their True Name, because it would be power to know another's True Name.

Is a Title different than a Name? President, Senator, Boss, Teacher, Person, Christian. Each of these terms defines more what a person IS at their job, education, and especially at their core. We like to name things. Inanimate objects like pens, computers and cars get names. We are good at personifying animals at the zoo and pets in our home, as well as things like shopping carts and shoes.

Tawnya did a Thursday Thirteen last week about names that were forever ruined for her. I thought about doing the same, and then decided it couldn't be thirteen. It would either be fewer, and I would feel silly, or it would be more, and I would be forced to do this more than once. Either way, I am not limiting myself to thirteen, nor am I making an effort to get up to thirteen. Not that all of these names are truly bad, just that they are not something I wish to use. Don't get mad at me if one of your names is on my list. It has nothing to do with you, I promise. I am sure there are more names that are truly ruined, but these are some I can think of today. Here you go, in no particular order:
Names that are ruined for ME
1. John (I love many people with this name, but I won't add more to the mix when I have kids.)
2. Chad (met more bad than good people with this name)
3. Sean
4. Michael/Michelle (wouldn't torture a kid with such a common name)
5. Christian (what if the kid turns out to be an atheist?)
6. Schuyler/Skyler
7. James
8. Abigail
9. Chastity/Prudence/Happy (a personality trait? what if they never measure up?)
10. Chlamydia (I kid you not, I have heard this at the store. Diseases are not good kid names.)
11. Charles (again, more bad than the many good)
12. Daniel
13. Simeon
14. Christopher
15. Ann/Anna
16. Kelly
16. Eli

Wacky spellings are out too. DH and I have discussed this at length. We don't mind interesting names, but the traditional spelling is a requirement. We don't want a child named Michelle, and spell it Mi'shealle or something. Honestly, my mother has to be able to pronounce it. I don't want to give her another reason to feel lingually inept. The oddities of the English language do enough of that without my help.

Now, this is not all to say that I would be upset at creating or discovering a "new" name. I know many people with names that I would not have thought of, and they are all distinctly beautiful. Foreign languages, combinations of friend or family names, words or characters from Fantasy writing all have a place in my interest in names. I used to keep a log, a list of names that might end up in my writing. I have a whole notebook full of names. Through all of that interesting collection, I keep settling on the same few "normal" names. I have a desire to come up with a name that others have not invented, but I also have an inclination to not think too far outside the box.

All of this leads me to announce for some of the distant friends that we are welcoming Molly as the newest member of Teh Club. For pictures and a little more detail, go visit her parents' blog, here. Congratulations to the whole family, all over the country. I have not met her yet, but since she lives just across the street, I will do so soon. I have to make sure that I am not carrying the yucky stuff that everyone I know seems to be getting. I don't want to make Molly or her mom sick. I will put off being friendly to keep everyone healthy.

With Whipped Cream

Today, I got the car back at lunch, and had to take it back to the shop by 4. It overheated again. The shop replaced a thermostat or a sensor of some kind, and a seal that had a leak. They even put more antifreeze in it for the winter. I again had Roadrunner in the car, with her boys picked up from school, and she told me that the car still smelled funny, and the boys told us the car was leaking. While driving between the school and the house, I noticed the temperature going up higher than it should have. The car dumped about 3 cups of fluid on Roadrunner's driveway.

We still have the other car, so I am not totally stranded at home, but we have lots of things to do tomorrow, and will be one car short still.

We will be attending the memorial service for my friend's dad who passed away on Tuesday morning. They have made sure to tell everyone to dress casual, so I don't have to find my blackest skirt, or wear uncomfortable shoes. His widow will be happy that we are comfy. He is being cremated, so there will be no viewing, and no trip to the graveside. I think this service will be more of a celebration of a life lived happy, than another funeral for an old guy at church that died. I know his family will be happy with that.

I suppose that my own emotional state is still in question, but I have to support my friends. I could not go to the hospital on Monday. I don't like hospitals, and I was certain that I could not be helpful there. I can do funerals for weeks, but I don't want to see you with tubes hanging off of you. It isn't really a phobia, it's more of an issue of comfort zone.

I hear wine is good for the heart, if taken in moderation. Unfortunately for me, that requires grapes. I don't much like grape juice, and to let it get sour over time in a wooden cask does not improve it. I have, however, found a few select wines that are not so bad.

Oklahoma produces sweeter wines, according to the owner of the winery we have been to a few times. We started going there the first time for a wedding we attended. We have been back for a whim on the spur of the moment, and have been there for a Wine Festival. At the Festival, they sell tasting glasses for $10, and this includes free tastes all day long. We got to try each flavor without buying a whole bottle. I avoided the driest of the reds, but actually liked a few that I was sure I would hate. I wish I had my own pictures. This winery is so very pretty. They have an area outdoors that is set up for weddings, and give free tours of their facilities. They also have local artists, candle makers and musicians at the Festival.

There was a neat little thing that was interesting. They called it a Wine-a-Rita. It was a margarita mix that was made with either white or red wine instead of tequila. I had a tiny little taste of the white one. It was much better than tequila, there is no doubt about it. All slushy goodness. I could see myself getting quite sloshed with a drink like that. Which is why I didn't buy any of it.

Our favorites are (in no particular order or significance): Noble Red, Blush Delight and Fiesta Blanca. We are much happier with the sweet light wines. At the winery, they serve cheeses from an Oklahoma company, but I didn't buy any of it, so I don't remember the name of it. I prefer my cheese from Watonga, Oklahoma. They make cheddar cheese with bits of bacon in it! Yum-O! There is a cheese festival they do. We have talked about going there someday. Maybe next time.

I am not one to promote reckless drinking. I don't drink anything to get an effect. I don't like the buzzed feeling that can come from alcohol. I prefer to taste a little bit. I like to experiment with flavors, not get crazy. The tasting was quite fun for jokes. DH watched his favorite college team lose (they were playing the game to entertain the people who would have been at home otherwise), and told me, "I need a drink!" and went back to get another taste. It was funny, only because it was so out of character for us.

I would encourage anyone who wanted a new experience to go to a local winery and play for a day. You don't have to drink anything to have a good time, and you may come away with a new-found affinity for a certain libation. Just make sure that you buy and drive home to drink. I don't want any accidents because I told you to go to the grapes.

Here's to your health!