What I did on my Memorial Weekend vacation

We had a great trip! It really feels like many little trips, because we packed so much into a short time. Pablo and I took off about 1 PM on Thursday. We decided to stop at the Atlantic Cemetery on the way - to honor the Bullock family who have passed on, including our baby boy Patrick George, 12/2/91-12/8/91.

We stopped in Greenfield and purchased a nice planter of fresh flowers to place on his grave. When we turned in to the cemetery, we stopped at the hose to water the thing. When we stopped at the top of the hill at the Bullock plot, to hop out of the car with Odie to place the flowers, a lil old guy came buzzing up on a golf cart that was about as old as he was to say "No Pets - didn't you see the sign?" No I didn't. I've been taking pets to that cemetery for a long time. We snapped off a quick picture and put the offending wiener in the car.

Then it was back on the road again. We got to Kearney, Nebraska around 6ish. It was hot. We checked into the Microtel - a nice little place for under $60. Then it was off to our very first Cabela's - Paul's hunting supply/clothing mecca. In fact he loves it so much we have a Cabela's Black credit card - and earn points on it - so Pablo says we get "free" stuff from Cabela's. Ha! Since the olden days when we used to drag our young children to this store, they've built many huge showplace stores around the Midwest - and this one now looks small and dingy!

Fifteen years ago or so, we'd stop there on our way to Vail and we'd bargain with the kids - shop for a while and then we'd find a playground. They had eyes like hawks when it came to scoping out playgrounds! Paul found a nice pair of boots at the store Thursday - free (and he thinks I have lots of shoes...).

Friday it was on to Denver and Marczyk's where Amy works. We hung out - a clerk helped us scope out stuff for my Aunt Marty and Uncle Bill for letting us stay at their place. Bacon chocolate candy bar, chips and salsa and more! We got wine for Cindo and Boldie. When Amy came out and was properly greeted by her canine sissie we bought sandwiches and ate them in the little picnic area outside the store, then it was off to the mountains - with a shopping stop in Silverthorne at the Outlet stores where they let you take doggies into shops! How cool, said Odie.

Got to Lefebvres house in Edwards, just past Vail around 4:30 PM. Cindo was busy whipping up chocolate bread pudding. Colby, the chef fantastique was assisting. Yum! Paul started in on Coronas while Amy went for a run. I had water until switching to a vodka lemonade bevvie. We were all pretty lit by the time Bolder got home. Menu: Colbs made some French bread toasted with a fancy name chopped tomato/salsa like stuff, and another with cheese and 3 kinds of mushrooms. For supper: steak with lobster butter, broccolini, salad with a caesarlike dressing. And then the warm bread pudding with ice cream. Odie even had broccoli. Damn they can cook!

Breakfast at their fave place the next a.m. So good to see Colby - he's really turning into a nice kid. He seems so worldly too - knows a lot about a lot of stuff. Amy gets along great with him. We all wished Jud was there with us. After we took off, we stopped and shopped a bit more - Amy had the best luck. When we got to Denver we went to a huge super sports store REI - it was cool. All those sporty people.

We ate supper at a cool retro restaurant named Steubens that was walking distance from Amy's downtown apartment. I had a drink whipped up with several ingredients include lemon, raspberry? and honey - in a martini glass. The next day we did this interesting historical tour of Denver - on a corny bus that looked like a shack and whistled and neighed like a horse. It was fun and informative. Denver is sunny 300 days a year and Colorado is the 2nd fittest state behind Hawaii - and all those people were outside yesterday.

The topper of the weekend (besides seeing my fam) was last night. We had to concert - walk down memory lane. Bands of our youth - Kansas, Styx and Foreigner. I talked about them a few blogs back. We stopped at this liquor superstore and got Twisted Lemonade that I liked. We chugged 'em going into Red Rocks - slow traffic as the show was SOLD OUT! Yeah baby old people know how to rock!

Then we had to park on the road into the venue and hustle our asses up there over hill and dale - my 52 year old butt. Because of the slow traffic we could hear Kansas playing! Hurry...and there were stairs - lots of them. Jeez. I was dying. Wheezing. Found seats in the middle at the top and Amy got us bevvies - during song 2. Red Rocks looks out over the City of Denver with 2 huge red rock slabs beside you.

Kansas was very good. Styx ended up being my favorite! It was dark by the time Foreigner played and a beautiful night - I felt so lucky to be with 2 of my 3 fam members and drinking beverages overlooking Denver on a gorgeous night. I love live music! It just touches your soul somehow, and brings joy.

It was a short night at Amy's and then a long drive back home today, listening to a Lee Child novel I picked out because I knew Paul would like it.

Damn good time! I like the Denver area - not really the traffic or the big city party - but the fact that the people are so outdoorsy, and there is so much to do. It was fun to spend that much time with Amy - and I'm sure she was ready for us to go. We were ready to be home, and to sleep on our own beddy byes!

Bra Dept Biatchs

I stopped at Younkers tonight - needed a new brassiere. One with padding - not something I usually go for, but when I dress up, I like to look like I actually have breasts.

So I stopped at Valley West. First I tried on a few more dresses. Don't tell Pablo but I may have to purchase just one more. The black one a bought, after being altered, just looks more like a funeral dress. Oops. Found a sale dress for $59 and looked at some scarves/shawl pashmina type thingys. Didn't purchase.

Instead, I decided to go upstairs to the undies department to check out the bras. I only have one good one. Otherwise, needing little support for my booblets, as I've explained before, I wear bra-lets.

When I entered the area, the salespeople were busy gushing over a new type of bra they'd just gotten in - showing it to a customer. They glanced up at me - evidently sizing me up at the same time. I came up short. In the cup. They didn't bother to speak to me again while I walked around obviously looking for something I wasn't finding.

In the past Younkers has had an "Almost A" cup bra - product that I liked. But I can't find it anywhere! And I wasn't having any luck there. In the meantime more customers came in - and the saleswomen continued to enthuse over the new bra that "puffed you up two sizes". I guess you had to be a size to start with...sigh. A customer came out with it on, and the others drooled and clapped. I left.

And went to Penney's where they were doing construction and people left me alone. I didn't find Almost A, but but hey an A fit me just fine. I even tried it on! I also got a sports bra and some kinda Bermuda athletic shorts.

Didn't go back and get the dress, but hey I'll be back next week.

My boss Al and I went to lunch today - I think he wants to share his knowledge before he retires. It was nice. I'll miss the guy - think I would have really become good friends with him had I had a chance to work with him for a long time.

Jud called me while I drove home from the mall - he had a medical question. I was concerned as he hadn't done laundry last weekend. I texted him to say "don't become the BO guy nobody wants to work by!" and to say at least go buy more polo shirts! He told me tonight he did laundry, so I will be able to quit obsessing about it. Phew!

Dancing with the Stars is really the only reality show I can stand.
I think The Good Wife is the best show in TV right now - great characters! Gotta go it's coming on.

Denver trip

We're planning our trip to Denver. I have been going there since I was a tyke. The first time I remember going, I was with my grandparents - it must have been before interstates and we drove across a highway. I must have been around six years old.

When we stopped for the night, my grandpa bribed me to run around the motel as fast as I could a number of times - to wear myself out. It worked! I stayed with my Aunt Marty (just like I will this weekend), but at their very first home in Denver.

My cousin Richard was just a little guy - maybe 3. We took a bath together - my first experience seeing, welp a male appendage. Quite an eyeful for a lil gal with all sisters. My aunt taught me a prayer that scared the hell out of me "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep
if I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take"

WTF? There could be dying and taking while I'm sleeping? Geez the Catholics don't have scary prayers like that! But even to this day that prayer runs through my head when I get in bed.

Marty and Bill's yard at that Denver bungalow had a fenced in yard, and somehow I got as a gift a bubble set with a giant wand - as bit as my head. Alas I broke it somehow - it was made of plastic, and it wouldn't make the giant bubbles anymore. I don't remember the trip back to Iowa - it likely was as long as the trip to Denver.

I'm looking forward to seeing my Denver relatives - though Marty and Bill will be in Estes Park, we'll stay in their lovely home. Famous Amos, Cindo, Boldie - perhaps even my cousin Amy. Hope it's not snowing in the mountains like it is today!

A couple kinda sad things

Nancy - left front. Bobbie, Susan

Back Deb, Patti, Pat with me behind

Nancy's dad died this morning early. I saw her last night at our neighbor's graduation party - and she told me he wasn't long for the world. Nancy and Jim had trekked to southern Arizona less than 2 weeks ago to get him after he had suffered a couple strokes.

He quickly progressed from the nursing home to hospice - a subject of my blog this week. She said last night that she hoped he didn't linger. And he didn't. I'm glad for the family and sad.

At last night's reception - for Nick Neitzel our neighbor, the hospital administrator's son, we sat with some old friends Kenton and Nancy Groth. Monte Neitzel is Nick's dad - and Tasha is his mom. She sometimes cleans my teeth as she works for Dave Buck our dentist. All very nice folks. Another thing to love about life in Crestonia. The Neitzels moved to Creston around 8 or 9 years ago - kids attended St. Malachy and we've known them as neighbors since then. I was on the Y board with Monte. Nick plans to walk on to the football team at NW Missouri.

The food at the reception was great - barbecue, cheesy potatoes, fancy cupcakes. Yum. We were chatting with a family we know when Groths sat down and we got to catch up with them - they were neighbors at our old house, and their kids babysat ours - all three are married now, and Karissa is pregnant with her third!

Nancy recently lost her mother - who had a stroke a couple years ago and had been in a nursing home for over a year. We talked about the fact that even though her mom had little quality of life at the end and was ready to go, Nancy was very sad by the time she got home after the funeral. Then Nancy and family dropped in - they live next door to Neitzels. She said she wanted her father to "fly away".

But I'm sure she'll have those same feelings now that he's gone. I know I did - with both parents. Both were so sick at the end, I prayed for their demise - which is kind of a sick feeling. You feel like a traitor. But I did not want my father living out his days like Nancy's mother, incontinent in a nursing - behind sad eyes.

But once they were gone. And my sisters had gone home - it was final. I was very sad and felt like an orphan - I still do. I'm jealous of people who still have parents around - except for the fact that they're bound to someday go through the loss.

How the hell did I get to be 52 and all grown up - I'll never know...

Me thinks we thinks alike

Not only do we have the same name...but now we are even beginning to think alike. Alternative Leslie Goldsmith and I hadn't emailed or spoken to each other for a while. When I got my hair cut last Monday, my stylist Sarah asked if I'd heard from her lately - you see I'd told Sarah the story of how Sahar had messed up LG's last appointment thinking she was me.

I told Sarah that no, I hadn't heard from my alter ego lately, but had been thinking of contacting her. Then l0 and behold, an email appeared Tuesday, just when I was fixing to email her!

I know do do do do (insert Twilight Zone Theme Song). It's not like we're husband and wife. After 27.5 years of marriage, Paul and I do tend to think alike and that does freak one out a little. Just when I am ready to tell him something I've decided he'll say the same thing. Or when I think of calling him my phone rings. Not all the time (that would be just too much). But that's after years of togetherness.

LG and I have actually been together twice! So the timing thing with her is freaky. There are some other Leslie Goldsmiths out there. I've googled myself and checked on Facebook. None are sexy models like Amy found out when she was putting together the Amy Goldsmith Website for graphic design - people looked for it and found this sexy, big boobed chick that certainly wasn't my artsy baby!

But I think we're the only 2 LGs living on Highway 34 in Iowa married to Paul with 2 kids. Paul bought a football magnet from a neighbor kid this week (yikes - Evan Nielson will be in 9th grade this fall!). Creston plays at Chariton this fall in football - we may have to go to the game and sit with ourselves! LOL

Dubuque

I was in Dubuque yesterday - a loooong day. Started on the road at 6 a.m. for a 10 a.m. meeting down on the river. I had my new GPS - the Garmin 255W on sale at Best Buy for $119. Unfortunately, the GPS and Google Maps didn't have a clue where Durrant Architecture was located - or where Ice Harbor Drive is in that town.

The business is in a Lied Building - see it at http://www.durrant.com/
and is all low waste, low energy and high recycling. I was impressed. The parking lot was made of pervious materials - allowing for rainfall to infiltrate instead of run off. Color me impressed!

After the meeting - the Iowa Recycling Association Board Meeting, we had a nice lunch and headed across the river to Kieler Wisconsin to tour Moor Salvage where old fridges and cars go to be recycled so they can be reborn into new stuff. Julius Moor was a great host - and the two huge tugboat motors and transmissions were impressive!


Last but not least, recycling nerds know how to party! We headed to a vineyard near Sundown Ski resort to sample wine (but not me, since I was driving a state vehicle a nice Hybrid Honda Civic), designer beer and some food. The location was gorgeous. http://www.parkfarmwinery.com/. I ate some of the food and drank some water while chatting with the folks attending the wing ding - about 15 or so.

The drive back to Des Moines was a long one - I was listening to a book by that guy that wrote Jurassic Park - this one's about Genetics. Scary! Got to Joan in time to watch the second hour of Grey's Anatomy with Joanie. Nothing like a 15 hour work day, but 8 hours was on the road, so it was a nice way to get comp time. When I got to work this a.m. I had to gas up the Honda and turn it in. Good trip.

Scales

I got weighed at the doctor today - usual procedure for a doc's office. I thought the scale was a showing a little heavy - but justified the couple extra pounds later when I realized my purse was hanging on my shoulder the whole time. Ha!

I saw the neuro - a checkup to see how I'm doing on the new drugs. Pretty well I believe, compared to before Topamax when I might have 4 headaches a week. I told Dr. Schmolk that the stuff I read online - posts from people who listed their side-effects from the drug kinda scared me! But I decided mostly the wackos post online. The happy customers say nothing!

So here's one customer of Topamax who isn't losing my hair, can still spell, don't feel like beating my boyfriend, haven't gained bunches of weight or dwindled to nothing. I will say my ears do ring a bit and I've had the tingling hands and feet. I've experienced some stomach upset as well. But the reduction in the number of migraines is worth it! To live without constant fear of that pain...

Back to life being weighed. My first memory of being weighed is from grade school - good 'ol Washington Elementary. In the 60's, kids were allowed no privacy! They'd wheel the scale in, and we'd step on and the nurse would beller out the number for the teacher to list our weight - the poor chunky kids had to be mortified. And back then the "big" kids would hardly be considered big now!

I never really had to worry about my weight much - at least until high school, when I jumped right through size 4 - in about a minute to a 9. And when I went to college, and quit the constant sports practice, but stepped up my beer drinking to several nights a week I put on a few pounds.

I didn't really need a scale then. I had Bubba - my grandfather. He'd see me and ask, "How much you weigh now Honey?" Gee thanks Bub! Now wonder my Aunt Marty was muy largo all her life. It had to miserable growing up with that!

Our family is really pretty lucky in the gene department - because we aren't that big. But we all stay fairly active, and even though my diet is not stellar I have tried to limit portions.

I have been eating poorly again lately. I am going to try to step it up and get with the exercise program. I wouldn't mind losing a few more pounds and not just my purse.