Adventures of an AFWingMom

D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery

2012-02-05T16:38:00.001-08:00

So our Saturday started off by visiting the Cosmos Mystery Area followed by touring the National Presidential Wax Museum. We headed to Deadwood stopping at Pactola Lake then off to have lunch at the Sugar Shack. We then took advantage of a photo op at the World's Largest Easy Glider and a stop at the Boondocks. We finally made it to Deadwood where we saw where Wild Bill Hickok was buried and looked around town. Whew~~but wait! We weren't finished yet!

We arrived at the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery ready for a little more fun.

We were ready to have some fun!

They apparently want to keep the place clean.

And they even provide the bags!

We took a little bit of time to feed all the fish and ducks in the pond.

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I would not consider myself a history buff by any means but I do really enjoy seeing old things. Whether you call them retro or vintage I just like looking at things and thinking about the stories they could tell if they could talk. Here are some of my favorite pics.

There was this boat that you could look in and it was really neat. I am not sure if I could live on a boat like that but it was fun looking at it.

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I saw this in the gift shop where I was buying my patch. I collect patches from all the places I've been to. Anyways there was a sign asking folks to vote for your favorite park. Since they are the only ones that asked me to vote, I did!

After all that fun we headed back to Rapid city. Boy were we tired. I didn't get any pics of this but on the way we kept seeing all these Ford Mustangs. Like a ton of them. So I googled it and guess what? There was apparently a Sturgis Mustang Rally! Well that explains it then!

We tried to eat at the Alpine Inn but it was too crowded and we were way too hungry so instead we ate at a restaurant across the street. I can't remember the name of it but it was supposed to be authentic Tex-Mex. We're from Texas and trust me...for the area that you are in this is as probably as close to good Tex-Mex as you'll get but it wasn't great.

So you know my favorite website to find odd and unusual places to visit is RoadsideAmerica.com. On there you'll find a tip for something called Lawnmower Pile-Up in Rapid City and here's my pic of it!

Our day was done and it was time to get some rest. What a great day and many thanks to Nick for taking us to see all those wonderful sites!

Technorati Tags: D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives,South Dakota,road trip,fish,Sturgis Mustang Rally,Lawnmower Pile-Up,RoadsideAmerica.com,fun times,family

Deadwood SD at last!

2012-02-05T09:11:00.001-08:00

We enjoyed our little adventure at the Sugar Shack and the Boondocks but it was time to get back on the road to Deadwood. Now if you don't know about Deadwood it's where Wild Bill Hickok's grave is.

From the Deadwood website:

Welcome to Deadwood!

With ongoing restoration, Deadwood is being transformed back into the frontier town that once drew legends and legions in search of their fortune. The entire town is a Registered National Historic Landmark, but don’t let that fool you. Behind all the historic facades is plenty of modern-day fun. The famous and infamous have left their marks here. Men, like Wild Bill Hickok and Seth Bullock, and women, like Calamity Jane and Poker Alice, made this town legendary. Come and discover the lure of Deadwood.
Follow in the footsteps of legends as you explore the beauty and history of this one-of-a-kind Wild West town.

The cemetery is located on the top of what seems to me like a small mountain but Nick says it's considered a hill. As our car headed higher and higher I kept thinking, seriously how do these people get around in the snow and ice! People from Texas would be completely immobilized for sure. It seemed treacherous enough in dry weather but Nick got us safely there.

To get to the cemetery we still had to walk up an incline. I am not in shape. Well I am a bit round and that's a shape but I am by no means able to skip my way up what felt like a very steep incline.

Interesting to note that both Wild Bill and I were born on the same date. Just 130 years apart.

If you look closely at the back right corner you will notice that there's something there. Here's a close-up of what it is.

Assorted coins, a cigarette and several cards that I presume represent Hickok's dead-man's hand. From Wikipedia:

Hickok's dead-man's hand

Main article: Dead man's hand

"Dead man's hand"

When shot, Hickock was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, all black. The fifth card's identity is debated, or had been discarded and its replacement had not yet been dealt.^[49] In 1979, Hickok was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Death

Wild Bill had a premonition Deadwood would be his last camp, and expressed this belief to his friend Charlie Utter (also known as Colorado Charlie), and the others who were traveling with them at the time.^[47] On August 2, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood, in the Black Hills, Dakota Territory. Hickok, as a precaution, usually sat with his back to the wall. The only seat available when he joined the poker game was a chair that put his back to a door. Twice he asked another player, Charles Rich, to change seats with him, and on both occasions Rich refused.^[48]

A former buffalo hunter named John McCall (better known as "Jack" or "Broken Nose Jack" McCall) walked in unnoticed. Jack McCall walked to within a few feet of Wild Bill and then suddenly drew a pistol and shouted, "Take that!" before firing.^{[citation needed]}

The assassin's bullet hit Hickok in the back of the head, killing him instantly. The bullet emerged through Wild Bill's right cheek, striking Captain Massie in the left wrist. Legend has it that Hickok had lost his stake and had just borrowed $50 from the house to continue playing.^{[citation needed]}

Calamity Jane was also buried nearby.

We headed back to the car to continue our adventure.

So we head back to the city and park in a parking garage on the top floor. M and Nick wanted to wait on the elevator and I said it would be faster to use the stairs. Plus think about all the amazing health benefits! So we made a bet to see who would make it down first. We knew the elevator was about to open up so I had to work fast.

I take off down the stairs but what they've both forgotten is I'm clever. Very clever. I'm so clever that I went down one flight of stairs and ran to the elevator and pushed the button. ::haha:: That's right folks now the elevator was going to stop on the way down on that floor. I proceeded to do that each flight of stairs that I went down. Guess who won? I have to admit I'm pretty awesome blossom. Extra awesome.

A pretty cool little town that had a lot of personality.

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We arrive at the No.10 Saloon.

We were expecting and hoping to see the actual table that Wild Bill was sitting at when he was shot. We were told that it was temporarily off display. Ummm...okay. That's weird. Nick later found out that we weren't even at the right place and the actual table was at the real No.10 Saloon. Oh well we'll catch it on our next trip and it was still kind of cool inside there anyway.

They did have a chandelier that I of course took a picture of.

The trip was not a total bust as they did have this!

Not only do I love phones but I also love water towers.

We had already packed so much fun in one day but we weren't finished yet. Off we go to visit the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives!

Technorati Tags: Wild Bill Hickok,Deadwood,South Dakota,cemetery,Mt. Moriah Cemetery,Calamity Jane,James Butler Hickok,Martha Jane Burke,dead-man's hand,No. 10 Saloon,water tower,phone,AFWM,AF WingMoms,roadtrip,road trip

Heading To Deadwood

2012-02-04T21:19:00.001-08:00

On the road again heading to Deadwood, South Dakota which was our next destination we passed this sign which is something I've definitely never seen where I live.

I didn't see any bighorn sheep which was a disappointment but I kept an eye out for them. I mean have seriously any of my friends EVER seen a bighorn sheep out in the wild?

Nick had told us about this lake called Pactola Lake and we asked him to stop so we could take a look. It was breathtakingly beautiful and I literally could not speak for a moment as I was mesmerized by the beauty. I wish my pictures could do it justice. If you click on the pics it makes them bigger but I just suggest you head up there and see for yourself.

M headed down to get a closer look

I joined him and Nick took our picture.

And then M took one of Nick and I

It was absolutely gorgeous and we would have loved to spend more time exploring the area but we were getting hungry and I also wanted to see one of my "attractions" from RoadsideAmerica.com.

So off we were again heading to eat lunch at the Sugar Shack which is right of 385.

If you want to see a few more pics of the inside click below. It's a small place but big on atmosphere.

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The onion rings were definitely yummy.

M ordered the Bubba Burger and Nick ordered the Kraut Burger.

Although I liked the name of M's burger, I opted for the chili dog complete with homemade chili. They had the chili in a crockpot right up there on the counter.

Nick attacked his burger.

As M contemplated his...

Minus the jalapenos that M chose not to eat i would say that M prevailed against the burger.

Now as I was taking pics of my food, as I always do, I noticed this couple near me watching and whispering. Yes, I know it's a bit weird but how else can my multitudes of fans see what I'm eating if I don't take a few ::cough:: ::cough:: a lot of pics? I explained to them I have this little blog where I share this and that. I am sure they still think I'm weird, possibly even weirder now that I've spoken to them in this tiny restaurant about why I'm taking pics of my food but at least I've explained myself.

Right by the Sugar Shack there is the home of the World's Largest Easy Glider. I had found out about this from my favorite website RoadsideAmerica.com. I of course had to stop. I'm so lucky that my kids and my bff M are always so indulgent in my wanting to see things like that.

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Back on the road again we passed a little group of stores called Boondocks. Have you heard of that song called Down in the Boondocks? Well once I saw the sign I absolutely HAD to stop. I had that 45 when I was a kid and it was one of my favorite songs. Down in the boondocks...down in the boondocks...people put me down 'cuz that's the side of town I was born in....I love her, she loved me....

Anyways they had tons and tons of 50's fun stuff and here's a glimpse of some of it.

Cool cars

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Musical stuff

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Coca-cola stuff

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They had this vintage cash register that was the same kind I had when I was younger. If it was for sale I would have totally bought it! I may have to ebay it and see if I can find one.

This part of the shop that I'm about to share with you, besides finding the cash register above of course, was my favorite part. I'm not necessarily a huge Elvis fan however, this room totally cracked me up. The signage and all that was in there...awww just keep reading.

This lamp came from the Presley home in Graceland.

There was a chair in the room that you'll see in the video and here's the signage that went with it.

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This video gives you a tour of the Elvis room where Suspicious Minds played in the background. Simply classic.

Please enjoy...

Technorati Tags: Pactola Lake,South Dakota,Sugar Shack,bighorn sheep,Worlds Largest Easy Glider,bubba burger,kraut burger,cars,coca-cola,Elvis room,Elvis chair,Elvis lamp,AFWM,road trip,boondocks

A Saturday in South Dakota

2012-01-31T20:05:00.001-08:00

We kicked off Saturday with breakfast at the Millhouse II Restaurant. It's one of my favorite places to eat at when we are in Rapid City. Yes, I have favorite places to eat while I am there. I opted for the French toast with fried ham and it was soooo good. It's making me hungry thinking about it now.

So on the wall by the door are lots of pics and these caught my eye.

Millstone Babes? Hmmm...so while I was standing there reading what was written on the pics a man approached me and pointed to the 2nd pic and said, "You see that lady there? That was my wife. She passed away a few months ago. She was my favorite babe." Awwwww ~ so sweet and sad. ::sniff:: ::sniff::

Well after I had my sad moment we headed out to Keystone so we could buy tickets to the wax President thing. The awesome guy at the counter let us know about a coupon in one of those travel books that I typically overlook when I'm traveling and it saved us a bunch of money if we bought the tickets before 11am. Cool beans!

So we were on the road again and backtracking just a bit to go and see the Cosmos Mystery Area.

We turned up the road and headed in the direction of the arrows.

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Cosmos was really pretty cool and we had a lot of fun on the tour. There's also a really great gift shop there full of fun stuff.

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Would you like to see my really AMAZED face? Well here it is...

I think M thought he was Superman

And despite the g-forces or whatever affects the Cosmos Nick was able to do this exercise. Trust me...I couldn't do it. The fact that I couldn't even reach the bar is only a partial factor in my inability to do this.

After being totally amazed and awed we headed back to Keystone to tour The National Presidential Wax Museum.

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Some of the wax figures weren't presidential.

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Even though the museum does not seem overly large there are A LOT of wax figures to look at. Like a whole bunch. Like I got a little bored about half way through. But I wasn't too bored to take some pictures and here they are.

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I love phones

And we were off again to continue our adventure...

Technorati Tags: Cosmos Mystery Area,South Dakota,The National Presidential Wax Musuem,road trip,phones,family fun,fun times

Zesty Italian Baked Chicken

2012-01-24T18:43:00.001-08:00

Tonight I tried a new recipe. I really like trying new recipes and ~M is more than happy to participate in my experiments so it's a win for everyone!

Here's what you need:

Chicken breasts, I used 2 large boneless skinless

1/2 c miracle whip

1/2 c Italian dressing

1 T Italian seasoning

Here's what you do:

Heat oven to 350.

1. Combine miracle whip, Italian dressing and Italian seasoning together.

2. Place chicken in baking dish and spread 1/2 of the miracle whip mixture over one side of the chicken.

3. Bake for 30 minutes, turn and spread the remaining miracle whip mixture over the chicken.

3. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes.

Super easy and it turned out great! There were no leftovers ;) so I'm not sure how it would be reheated. Let me know if you try it!

<3 enjoy

Technorati Tags: chicken,new recipes,Italian,baked chicken,AFWM

South Dakota Trip - Sep 2011

2012-01-14T17:15:00.001-08:00

We got up at 3:15am which is literally the crack of dawn in order to get ready to go and see Nick. We headed to DFW Airport to begin our trip and ate at BK because that's what we always seem to do.

I almost always take a pic of the in flight snack. It's just what I do.

Our first layover of the trip was in Denver. Now for those of you that don't know there's apparently a conspiracy that surrounds the Denver airport. I didn't notice any conspirators around so I couldn't get any clarification to any of them.

We arrived in lovely Rapid City ready for a fun filled weekend and headed to Ellsworth to check in. They allowed us to check in early so we had a place to drop off our bags and then we were off!

We ate at a place called Pancheros and it was really yummy! Nick is apparently a regular there because when they saw him walk in one of the cooks walked to the back to cut up some fresh cilantro for him. :) That's my boy!!

It's definitely a place we would visit again.

After filling our tummies we were off again and headed to Mt. Rushmore so that I could get my National Park Passport Stamps Book stamped. We had visited several times before but we are always amazed at the magnificence of it all.

Stamped Passport Book in hand we were now ready to head to Keystone and ride the 1880 Train from Keystone to Hill City and back again. While waiting on the train we walked around Keystone checking things out.

There's a cool shop called Dahl's Chainsaw Art. Two brothers own it and their work is pretty awesome.

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...and I love taking pics of the lights above me.

Hey M ~ you've got mail!

A picture of us in a really big wooden chair.

Now it's time to wait for the train.

The three of us ready for a fun ride on the train

On the way we passed this sign and if you know my family you will know I had to take a pic.

We made it to Hill City.

Brief stop to drop off and pick up passengers and then we were on our way again.

Is he facebooking?

There's a house for sale out there that I'd LOVE to have

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We had the chance to meet the conductor and get his autograph so we did. How often can you say you've done that?

I had such a fun time with both my guys and was excited because there was more fun ahead!

Technorati Tags: South Dakota,Mt. Rushmore,National Parks Passport Book,Keystone,Hill City,1880 Train,fun times,road trip

Creamy Rice, Chicken & Spinach Dinner

2012-01-12T19:14:00.001-08:00

Tonight I tried a new recipe from Kraftrecipes.com but I of course tweaked it a bit. Or maybe exercised my creative license? Either way you go I didn't follow the recipe as closely as I have others in the past. It turned out great and here's how you can try my tweaked recipe for yourself.

Here's what you need:

1/4 c Italian dressing

2 pkgs pre-cooked chicken strips, cubed

1/2 c onion

2 c chicken or vegetable broth

2 c instant rice, uncooked

8 oz cream cheese, cubed

1 pkg (8 oz.) baby spinach leaves

1 large tomato, chopped

Grated parmesan cheese

Here's what you do:

Cook onion with a little bit of butter until onions are softened and slightly brown. Add dressing and chicken and heat through. Stir in broth; bring to boil. Add rice; stir. Return to boil; cover and simmer on medium heat 5 minutes.

Add cream cheese and cook 2-3 minutes or until melted stirring frequently. Add spinach, pan will be full. Cook covered, 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Stir gently to mix in spinach.

Remove pan from heat. Let stand, covered 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; top with Parmesan cheese.

Turned out pretty good and it made enough so I can have leftovers. Yummy!

Enjoy <3

**UPDATE** The leftovers were awesome! I love a recipe even more when the leftovers are good as well.

Technorati Tags: Creamy Rice,Chicken & Spinach Dinner,kraft recipes,new recipes,spinach,chicken recipes,rice,dinner ideas

Chicken Carbonara

2012-01-07T11:36:00.001-08:00

I love the Betty Crocker website. They have lots of yummy recipes to try and I found a new one to try for dinner last night. It's not necessarily in line with my lower calorie eating ideas but it was really delicious.

Here's what you need:

1 package (12 oz) spaghetti

8 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch squares

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 cups cut-up cooked chicken

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream

Not too many ingredients which is the kind of recipe that I like!

Here's what you do:

1. Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package.

2. While spaghetti is cooking, cook bacon in 3-quart saucepan over low heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove bacon from saucepan with slotted spoon; drain. Drain fat from saucepan, reserving 1 tablespoon in saucepan.

3. Cook onion in bacon fat over medium heat about 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender. Stir in spaghetti, chicken, cheese and whipping cream. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Toss with bacon.

This was supremely yummy and it reheats very well.

Enjoy <3

Technorati Tags: Chicken Carbonara,chicken recipes,chicken,AFWM,pinterest,AF WingMoms,new recipes

Feta-Topped Chicken

2012-01-07T09:45:00.001-08:00

Like many of you I have opted to embrace some goals (resolutions...whatever you want to call them) for the New Year. 2011 was a good year and I expect 2012 to be EPIC! Since epic doesn't happen by accident I've decided one of the things I was going to do was eat a little healthier. Here's a dish I made for dinner this past week. Let me tell you, it turned out yummy!

Here's what you need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (not pictured)

2 T balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1 t Italian seasoning

1 tomato cut into 8 slices

1/4 c crumbled feta cheese

Now I substituted lemon pepper seasoning for the Italian seasoning because it's what I had on hand. I also used a little more feta cheese than the recipe called for because gosh darn it, I love cheese. And I don't always measure things but use the measurements as a guideline or a suggestion if you will. Much like the speed limit on the highway...but that's another story.

Here's what you do:

1. Heat the oven to 350. The recipe said to brush both sides of the chicken with dressing but with my bottle you could squirt it out so that's what I did. I figured less mess that way. Sprinkle both sides with the seasoning and place in baking dish.

2. Bake for about 22 minutes on one side and turn over. Bake for an additional 17 minutes and then top with tomato and cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.

I served it with dinner rolls and a pre-made lettuce and spinach side salad and added cucumbers and carrots. Super easy and definitely going into my recipe box.

Enjoy <3

Technorati Tags: cooking,new recipes,Betty Crocker,Feta-Topped Chicken,chicken recipes,feta cheese,chicken,pinterest,AFWM,AF WingMoms

Quick Stop In Hot Springs

2012-01-06T20:33:00.001-08:00

Back on the road again we made a little side stop at Hot Springs. It was a hot day and I was ready to get back to the Casa but it seemed silly to be so close to it and not stop. So stop we did.

One of the first things we noticed was people carrying empty jugs to these things that looked like water fountains. As it turns out you are able to take fresh HOT spring water and that's what these folks were getting.

We had never been to Hot Springs and like I said it was a really hot day but we made our way to Bath House Row and was thinking that we might get a massage or something while we were there. We actually couldn't find a place with any openings so we just walked down the street sightseeing.

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We stopped at the Visitor Center to tour inside. Here are some of the pics:

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I love this bottle. It is a very pretty Cobalt Blue.

Warnings, such as this one, never fail to crack me up.

Prepare to be amazed. Here's a photo of an actual hot spring.

Do you ever take the time to read the directions on things? Well I do and when you take the time to read like I do you'll find out that the hand dryer also doubles as a hair dryer. How handy is that?

We stopped by and took a pic of M in front of the Post Office. Yea for photo ops!!

We were hungry so we walked down the street just a bit and found The Porterhouse.

The place was empty so we had the pleasure of the undivided attention of the server which was nice. I'm so bad about getting names and pics but he wants to be a professional singer. It's so cool all the interesting people that we get to meet on our trips.

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Love it that there are step by step instructions for washing your hands as found in the ladies restroom.

I did see a couple of bathrooms...I'm just fascinated by bathrooms.

So I couldn't leave without taking some of the free water with us. The only type of container we had was a bottle of water. I couldn't "mix" the waters so I quickly gulped down what was left ::chug:: ::chug:: ::chug:: and gave it to M to go and get the water. Now if you read the earlier part about folks getting water from the fountains and you remembered the name of the city we were in then you'll know the temperature of the water that he went and got. In that plastic water bottle. With no potholder (like why would I have a potholder randomly in the car while on vacation).

So yeah, the Park Ranger that was there looks at M and says, you're going to get water in that? M: Yes sir. Park Ranger: You do know the water is hot, don't ya? M tests the temp of the water and agrees that it is indeed hot. Park Ranger: That's why they call it HOT springs. hahahaha!!!

Well I had to let the water cool down and then I tested it and guess what? It tasted just like water. I absolutely felt rejuvenated and refreshed from drinking it. ;)

We were nearly home but saw two more noteworthy things before it was all over.

Yea for Post Offices!!

And LOOK!! It's Air Force One!!

Super fun trip and considering we spent a total of 10 days together 24/7 and didn't get into any disagreements or quarrels I think we did pretty darn good. I am so thankful that M makes my life so awesome. <3 live <3 laugh <3 love <3

Technorati Tags: Hot Springs,Arkansas,road trip,fun times,Bath House Row,bathrooms,post offices,Air Force

The Little Rock in Little Rock

2012-01-04T19:27:00.001-08:00

The next morning we enjoyed the buffet at the fabulous Capriccio Grill and we had a really great waiter. I wish I had remembered to write down his name and/or get a pic with him. We also had the pleasure of meeting the executive chef who is from France and again I failed to get his name or a pic. What kind of blogger am I? Good thing I'm not relying on this as my only source of income. ;)

And of course we had to toast to our wonderful life.

No trip through Little Rock would be complete without having the opportunity to see the "Little Rock" for which the city is named.

Here we are and it's not the actual "little rock" but a chunk of it. The pic below us is a pic of the "official" Little Rock.

From Helium.com

"Today's travelers can get a first hand glimpse of the rocky outcropping that gave birth to the city's name. By visiting the north end of Rock Street (in Riverfront Park) in Little Rock, travelers can look out over the Arkansas River, where they will see "La Petite Roche," the "little rock" discovered by a French explorer in 1722.

The Discovery of "La Petite Roche"
The first known explorers to the territory that eventually was to become Little Rock, Arkansas, came in 1673, where they encountered the Native Americans then inhabiting the area, the Quapaw Indians. Some years later, the famed LaSalle Expedition also explored this area of the Arkansas River.
However, it was not until 1722 when French explorer Jean-Baptiste Bernard de La Harpe (1683-1765), sailed up the river and, upon sighting the first rocky outcropping since leaving the Mississippi River, took note and named it "La Petite Roche" (Little Rock). A trading post was subsequently established there.

Later expeditions of both French and Spanish explorers came to the area, but it was not until 1819 that the Arkansas territory was officially established. Even then, the land that would become Little Rock was still wilderness, with its graceful bluffs and flowing river. In 1821, Little Rock would officially become the new territory's government seat. It became a real city (incorporation) in 1831 and the capital of Arkansas in 1836."

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We did see a pretty cool submarine.

And we some other cool things as we walked back to the hotel.

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We got back to the hotel in time to see the duck parade again. Not quite as awesome as the Memphis Peabody but we enjoyed it just the same.

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I headed downstairs and had to take a moment and get a shot of this vintage phone.

Here's M waving from the floor our room was on.

Back on the road again and heading towards Hot Spring.

Technorati Tags: Little Rock,Peabody - Little Rock,ducks,the Little Rock,Capriccio Grill,AFWM,AF WingMoms

Peabody - Little Rock

2012-01-03T20:00:00.001-08:00

On our way home we passed a couple of water towers. I do love water towers although I don't have a specific reason for that love. I used to have a strong recurring dream about one falling but haven't had that dream in a long, long time.

Here we are...passing into Arkansas.

We made it to Little Rock where I again booked us a fabulous room at the Peabody. The front desk greeted us warmly when we arrived and had the bellman bring up our bags to our room.

We were given a room with a river view and it was awesome!!

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We must have looked pretty ragged because we had changed and went back downstairs and asked the front desk to recommend a place to get a drink and a quick bite to eat and the same front desk attendant that had greeted us earlier asked if we were staying in the hotel...haha!! He recommended we try a place that was called I think, Big Whiskey's.

We headed that way and since it was a weeknight it was pretty empty. We settled ourselves in a cozy corner booth and ordered some drinks and something to eat.

Fun times with my man... <3 live <3 laugh <3 love <3

Technorati Tags: Arkansas,Little Rock,Big Whiskey's,AFWM,fun times,road trip

Loretta Lynn's Ranch and Cissie Lynn Country Store

2012-01-03T19:33:00.001-08:00

We had fun touring the Clement Railroad Hotel and Museum and then we were off again and heading towards home. We saw the signs for Loretta Lynn's place and of course we had to stop.

We took the exit and followed the signs.

The tour consisted of walking and riding around in a van to the various structures around the property. Our tour guide was awesome and we enjoyed listening to him as he shared all about Loretta Lynn. I was very disappointed that we were not allowed to take pics but apparently Loretta Lynn is concerned about the quality of the pics and people selling them online. Well there goes my retirement plans...sheesh.

There was a post office so y'all know that I had to take that photo op.

We purchased tickets for the tour.

And here are some pics of things that I could take pics of

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Have you met my friend Jack?

Here's our tour guide. I sure wish I could remember his name because he was really good.

I have so much fun when I'm with my husband.

We were starving after finishing the tour so we stopped at Cissie Lynn Country Store to eat. We thought it was a restaurant but it turns out it's more of a convenience store combination mini lunch counter kind of place.

It's owned by Loretta Lynn's daughter Cissie and it was no surprise that they offered a fried bologna sandwich on the menu so that's what I ordered.

While waiting for our meal I chatted with a guy named John for a bit who, if I remember right, used to live in Irving. He was a friendly guy and chatted with a couple of people that came in and then I saw who I thought was Cissie Lynn come in. Turns out the guy we'd been chatting with was her husband! While I didn't get a pic with her I did say hello. A brush with the celebrity world... Well here's a pic of my sandwich.

After finishing off our late lunch we got back on the road headed towards home.

And the adventure continues...

Technorati Tags: Clement Railroad Hotel and Museum,Loretta Lynn,Cissie,Post Office,fried bologna sandwich,fun times,road trip

Clement Railroad Hotel and Museum

2012-01-02T19:27:00.001-08:00

Our next stop was the Clement Railroad Hotel and Museum. It's a small spot in the middle of a sleepy little town.

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When we first walked in no one was around so we took it upon ourselves to start browsing the displays and exhibits.

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There was a display with some Coke items and y'all know I love Coke!

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More pics as we were browsing around...

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Later on a docent did come by and she was very helpful and informative. We also had a great convo with the guy in the train room. There was also a really nice man in the gift shop area. It's just really awesome when we get to meet some nice folks with interests different from ours.

Y'all know I have a thing about bathrooms...right? Well here are a couple of pics of bathrooms that y'all might enjoy. Pay close attention to the warning on the second photo.

I'm in the banking business so the Confederate money was interesting.

I just love looking at old things and while not necessarily my decorating style I do love all things vintage and would love to have them in my home.

Such a fun time in a little sleepy town...now we were off to Loretta Lynn's place.

Technorati Tags: Clement Railroad Hotel and Museum,Tennessee Trip,fun times,AFWM,AF WingMoms

Tour of the Tennessee Capitol

2012-01-02T18:16:00.001-08:00

Thursday started with a tour of the Capitol of Tennessee. This one was just a tad better as the docent was full of info and she was willing to share. However, it was still not a full guided tour and so a lot of it was just looking and not really knowing what we were looking at despite having our handy dandy self-guided walking tour brochure.

Here are some pics of the surrounding buildings.

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So here's the Capitol

Now the really cool part of this was the hallway you had to go down to get to the building. I thought this was totally awesome and very movie like.

When I go back and sort the photos that I'm going to include in my blog I notice that I take a lot of pics of the ceiling / light fixtures. Not sure why but most times I think they are pretty.

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Like I said earlier, if I had paid attention I might have remembered what room this is a pic of but I don't.

I found myself in the middle of a press interview and I'll be honest I wasn't prepared but I did my best.

We were able to tour the chamber area. I'm not entirely sure if we were allowed on the actual floor but no one stopped us. They looked at us like we probably weren't supposed to be there but hey...try and stop us.

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We did go out a door that was cracked open and led to a balcony. It was not clearly marked that we weren't allowed out there but it had a really great view and we couldn't resist.

Tour was over...not much to look at to be honest but we enjoyed it just the same.

Of course we had to go back through the tunnel.

We walked back to our car and headed off to our next adventure.

Technorati Tags: Tennessee Trip,Capitol tour,fun times,road trip,AFWM,Air Force WingMoms

The rest of our Nashville tour

2011-12-28T19:18:00.001-08:00

So while we did enjoy the whole tour I will say it really does feel rushed and like you don't have enough time to enjoy and browse at the places you visit. But we did get to see many things so that was good. On the tour and an expected stop was to a local Nashville honky tonk.

We ended up at Legends Corner.

And true to form there was a guy playing hoping to make it big.

He did let us know that any tips received that day were going towards his dental work. Gotta love a singer who's keeping it real.

The walls were covered with various memorabilia and other items which of course I found very interesting. Could've stayed longer but again, we were on a time budget on this tour.

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On the way out I did run into my famous friend and he graciously posed for a pic.

Fun, fun times and yet there was more to come...

Technorati Tags: Legends Corner,honky tonk,Nashville,tour,road trip,Elvis

Our Nashville Tour

2011-12-27T22:05:00.001-08:00

After a fun filled day touring Graceland we headed toward Nashville and just relaxed for the rest of the evening. We planned on taking a Gray Line tour of Nashville the next day. We had no idea how much they pack into one tour but we would soon find out.

Our first stop was the Ryman Auditorium which is known as the birthplace of country music.

Lots of cool and interesting stuff to see but we really didn't have very much time to enjoy and browse at our leisure.

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It's always interesting and fun to tour a historic place. Next time we travel there we'll plan on spending more time.

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Here's the two of us having a blast onstage. The paparazzi went wild and the audience clamored for our autograph when it was over.

So after the really quick tour we were shuttled off to tour the Country Music Hall Of Fame. Now this place is big and again, we really needed more time to enjoy it. Just another excuse to go back! :)

The building itself has meaning. The windows are like keys on a piano, the hand rails are shaped like treble clefs just to name a few.

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My favorite things to look at are the vintage things at an exhibit. I just think they are really cool and interesting.

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One of my favorite pics. It's somebody's jewelry...I've already forgotten who it belongs to but I thought it was pretty.

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My Reese's Puffs DJ Name Mixer

2011-11-08T20:05:00.001-08:00

So I eat Reese's Puffs cereal and on the back was the info on how to get my DJ Name Mixer which was an opportunity I just could not pass up. There are actually two ways to create your own DJ name:

1. Take the street you grew up on and the name of your first pet, then change all the "i's" to "y's"!

2. Take the name of your favorite movie or Superhero villain, then add the first letter of your middle name!

So Option 1 for me resulted in this name:

Kyle Cyrcle Fonzye

Say whaaattt???? On to option 2.

Option 2: I couldn't think of my favorite villain or Superhero. I kept think of Cruella Deville but that really isn't my favorite. It's just all I could think of. I am not sure how awesome my Option 1 name is but that's all I've got to work with. So from now on please refer to me as Kyle Cyrcle Fonzye otherwise I may not answer.

They (and by they I mean the folks at Reese's Puffs Cereal) also offered me a chance to make "My Reese's Puffs Rap" and of course I had to do that as well. Feel free to add a bebop beat behind these amazing lyrics.

That peanut butter chocolate I must possess

Is the combo that I savor that I will address

Reese's Puffs, Reese's Puffs, in your bowl, in your bowl!

Recognize the taste that I craver

Reese's Puffs, Reese's Puffs

Wow peanut butter chocolate flavor

So crucial to my chomping vernacular

That peanut butter hookup is oh so spectacular

Reese's Puffs, Reese's Puffs

My Reese's Puffs are l-l-lyrical

Each peanut butter orb is oh so spherical

Reese's Puffs, Reese's Puffs, in your bowl, in your bowl!

But WAIT!! There's more...

I then used my online code to unlock some AMAZING stuff!

After I went to reesespuffs.com and entered in my now not so secret code I received the following message:

Congrats!

You just unlocked THE MOTORCYCLE DANCE AND THE GUITAR LEG FLAIR MOVE. This means you are one of the few who can do these special

Close X

So I think there was supposed to be more to the message but that's all I got. So this is DJ Kyle Cyrcle Fonzye signing off until next time!

Graceland!

2011-11-06T18:49:00.001-08:00

After enjoying breakfast at The Blue Plate Cafe and enjoying the Duck Parade at The Peabody we were headed to see and tour Graceland. Our hotel package was called the "Elvis package" and included the Graceland Platinum Tour, includes admission to: Graceland Mansion, airplanes, Automobile Museum, Sincerely Elvis Museum, and Elvis After Dark. It also included an Elvis Presley Celebriduck™ and we will treasure it always. ;)

The parking and museums are to the right and the actual mansion is to the left. All I can say is WOW! We are not huge Elvis fans by any stretch of the imagination and we were there for over 4 hours! We were even rushing through the last bit because we were so tired. As you can imagine you can buy anything and everything Elvis there.

Because we checked in using our iPhones, we got an extra treat. These two amazing stickers. The nice lady let us know if we had checked in using four-square we would have received a poster.

I know you're jealous but try to control yourself. So we traded in our voucher for our tour and museum tickets.

We had a photo op right off the bat! You gotta love that for sure!

So we got our tickets, our headphones and got on the bus to head across the street to tour the house.

Graceland is a National Historic Landmark in case you didn't know.

I looked up at the wrought iron chandelier and there appears to be a birds nest there.

So we enter the home and we immediately see the living room with it's massive white couch. We also were treated to a view of the dining room and one of the bedrooms.

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We also were able to see the tv room, the famous jungle room and the kitchen to name a few more.

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You gotta love this sign. I may make one for my job.

So there was still lots more to see.

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Now I don't know if you would necessarily say it's the "highlight" of the tour but I think a lot of folks go to primarily pay their respects at the gravesite.

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We got back on the bus and headed back across the street to tour the museums and go through all the shops. Here's M signing the guest registry.

I am still wondering if I was somehow, inadvertently caught on tape...I hope I wasn't embarrassing myself.

Tons of cars to look at in the car museum.

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Here's what I ate while at Graceland. Let me just say it was...alright.

Elvis also had some planes and those were on display as well.

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Of course this one was my favorite. Bet you can't guess why.

We had a super fun time and spent a lot more time there than I thought we would. If you're going near Memphis, you need to stop by.

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Blue Plate Cafe & The Peabody Ducks

2011-10-13T19:08:00.001-07:00

We got up the next morning and decided to try out the Blue Plate Cafe - Memphis.

113 S Court Ave
Memphis, TN 38103

(901) 523-2050

Inside we found a cute little restaurant with cheery yellow walls and blue checkered tablecloths. I looked around to see if any big deals were being brokered over breakfast but didn't see any. They had cool artwork for sale on the walls. Never thought about going to a restaurant to buy art but hey ~ I'm not knocking it.

The menu was printed on newsprint paper and in addition to the menu items it also offered some reading material. I thought it was kind of a cute format to put the menu in. Not really sure how cost effective it is but hey....it was original.

I of course opted for the French toast with a side of ham and M had his usual eggs over easy. I like French toast. And ham. That's why I always order that and I figure that's as good as a reason as any. I thought the food was pretty good. No complaints that I can think of. You should check it out and tell them I sent you. They won't remember me but at least you'll have them scratching their heads for the rest of the day.

We walked back to the hotel to get ready to see the Duck Parade. You know how you think you are looking all cute and everything and then you notice something about your outfit? Yeah well after I got back to the hotel that happened to me...

Now why didn't someone stop me and say..."Hey Lady, you've got a sticker on your pants." But no one did and M didn't notice it so yeah, I walked around town with that on my leg. We finished packing up our things and headed downstairs just in time to see the famous Duck Parade.

I noticed this on the sidewalk outside the hotel. Thought it'd be cool if they still had this.

Like seriously, could you just imagine baby alligators swimming in the fountain? So what you need to do is get to the lobby early to watch the Duck Parade. At least earlier than I did and get a good seat. I sat on the floor which wasn't awful as I was right there in the front. Sat next to a kid from Texas but didn't know him. Anyway the ducks come out of the elevator and make their way down the red carpet towards the fountain. They swim in the fountain all day and make the return trip at 5pm.

I saw this sign and thought it'd be a good title for an album.

Edward Pembroke was a former circus animal trainer originally hired as a Bellman in 1940. He volunteered to care for the hotel's resident mallard ducks and bring them to and from the lobby each day. He taught them to march along a red carpet and, ever the showman, incorporated a red carpet and march music into the ceremony, thereby inventing the now - famous Peabody Duck March. He was The Peabody's original Duckmaster, and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1991.

Here's the video of the ducks coming out of the elevator and down the red carpet into the fountain.

After watching the duck parade we took some time to tour the Duck Palace that was on the rooftop and we looked around the rest of the hotel at some of the cool things that they have on display.

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I always like taking pics of things that have meaning to me. Mailboxes always remind me of M.

My Dad was a phone man so that's why I take pics of phones. They remind me of him.

I also like vintage things.

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I thought this was humorous....

We had a blast and that's just what we did in the morning. We got in our car and headed out. We were going to Graceland!

Technorati Tags: Tennessee Trip,phones,mailbox,The Peabody Memphis,Memphis,The Peabody Ducks,the duck parade,duckmaster,AFWM,AF WingMoms,Wingmoms,travel,family fun

Peabody ~ Memphis

2011-09-18T18:34:00.001-07:00

After our tour of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum we drove to Memphis.

We were staying at the fabulous Peabody ~ Memphis. This 4 star hotel is truly amazing and is also home to the famous Peabody Ducks. We arrived in the evening so watching the ducks would have to wait until in the morning.

I of course loved the amenities of the hotel and the little touches that made it special.

Here's the view from our somewhat dirty hotel room.

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Some more views from inside our hotel room.

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Of course one of my favorite things is the bathroom.

Look how special they make this toilet paper look. I may do this to our toilet paper at home. ;)

This always amuses and confuses me. Why would you seriously need this?

Fancy :)

And a toast...

We quickly put our things away and then headed out to check out the night life on Beale Street.

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We decided to eat at B.B. Kings place.

The food at B.B. Kings was good and the live music was even better.

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Good times and more to come.

Technorati Tags: Tennesse Trip,Peabody - Memphis,Memphis,Tennessee,AFWM,AF WingMoms,Air Force WingMoms,WingMoms,Beale St.,B.B. Kings,bathrooms,4 star hotel,live music,road trip,family fun

Bill Clinton Presidential Library

2011-09-18T14:09:00.001-07:00

Now all politics aside ~ because my blog ain't the place for that ~ while in Little Rock we toured the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum. So I was doing some research on how Presidential Libraries came into being. This is a little of what I found here: National Archives - Presidential Libraries.

The Office of Presidential Libraries administers a nationwide network of Presidential libraries beginning with the 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover. Currently, this includes:

13 Presidential Libraries
Presidential Materials Staff
Central Office Staff

These are not traditional libraries, but rather repositories for preserving and making accessible the papers, records, and other historical materials of U.S. Presidents. Presidential Libraries and Museums are great treasures of our nation's history. They are important sources for historians and other researchers studying our presidents and our history. In addition to archiving and preserving presidential papers and objects, presidential libraries and museums bring history to millions of visitors from around the world.

The William J. Clinton Presidential Center & Park is located at

1200 President Clinton Ave.

Little Rock, AR 72201

Tel. 501-374-4242

www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org

There were quite a few interesting things to see, more than we actually had time to see and if you are into political and/or presidential history it would definitely be a place you'd want to visit.

Oddly enough there was an Elvis exhibit also there.

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M ready to hear what the people have to say.

The Oval Office

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An interesting light fixture

Pretty place setting

Like I said, there was a lot to look at.

We later learned that former President Clinton was actually in town and was going to attend a function at the Library that evening.

They were setting up the red carpet so M and I took the opportunity to have our picture taken.

After touring the Library we caught the tram that takes you to where the souvenir/gift shop is and looked around all memorabilia.

We enjoyed our visit but needed to get on the road to head to Memphis.

Technorati Tags: Bill Clinton Presidential Library,President Bill Clinton,Presidential Library,National Archives,Elvis exhibit,red carpet,AFWM,Air Force WingMom,AF WingMom,WingMoms

Cotham's & Little Rock Central High

2011-09-15T18:15:00.001-07:00

Next stop after taking the tour, and I use the term loosely, was to head over to Cotham's, Home of the Hubcap, for lunch.

We enjoy eating at various places as seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Man vs. Food. We stopped at Cotham's only to find out after being seated that it wasn't the one that the show was taped at. Oh well. We were hungry and the restaurant had a good vibe to it so we stayed.

The waitress recommended the onion rings and the fried green tomatoes. We tried both and found both to be okay. The batter on the onion rings reminded me of fish batter and the batter on the fried green tomatoes was just a bit too salty for my tastes.

They are famous for their Hubcap Burger and although it isn't technically the size of a hubcap it is large.

I spotted this piece of art on the wall.

The burger was really good and our tummies were full so we headed off to another stop, Little Rock Central High.

Now I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge when it comes to current events can sometimes be sketchy. Even more so when it comes to historical events. So I absolutely had no idea what this was going to be about but figured it'd be worth looking into.

Little Rock Central High is listed on the National Parks Map. From the National Parks website:

The Crisis at Central High

On the morning of September 23, 1957 nine African-American teenagers stood up to an angry crowd protesting integration in front of Little Rock's Central High as they entered the school for the first time. This event, broadcast around the world, made Little Rock the site of the first important test of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision.

*** ***

It was really hot outside but we took the tour and I'm glad we did. The outside of the high school is amazing to look at.

Listening to the Park Ranger share the history behind what happened made me appreciate the sacrifice that each one of those young people (and their families) had to make.

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Part of the tour took place in the auditorium.

As we sat in the seats I noticed something underneath some of them.

Do you know what it is? Well I didn't. I asked one of the guides and they told us that it was a heater. You learn something new every day.

The Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site is located at:

2120 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive Little Rock, AR 72202 (Tel) 501-396-3000 Hours of operation, Daily 9am - 4:30pm. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. FREE admission.

After touring the school we headed outside to the park nearby.

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There is a visitor center just a short walk away from the school and it has some interesting exhibits to browse through.

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It was really pretty interesting and I'd encourage everyone to take the time to stop by and tour the historic site.

Technorati Tags: Cotham's in the City,Cotham's,Man vs. Food,Diners,Drive-Ins and Dives,Little Rock,AR,Little Rock Central High,National Historic Site,Tennesse Trip,family fun,AFWM,AF WingMom,WingMoms

Tennessee Trip - Monday cont.

2011-09-13T16:29:00.001-07:00

We made it to Little Rock, Arkansas where we toured the Capitol. We were looking for a place to park and so M drove up to the guard gate and said, "We're here to see the Governor". The guard laughed with us (or was it at us?) but didn't let us pass. Just directed us to the best place to park.

Now being a veteran of Capitol tours...well okay, I've been on two previously but still I was not prepared for the underwhelming feeling that overcame us both as we asked about the tour. We were actually encouraged to take the self-guided tour, which we did although we did tag on to a passing tour for a bit. There was one guy asking some deep political questions that the docent was obviously not prepared to answer so we bailed and just continued on our own.

Lisa is in da HOUSE! haha!

As you can see above that's my "trying to look cute" pose. I have all kinds of poses. :)

They asked M to give an impromptu speech about the effects of the animal hair (specifically cat hair) on the home environment. Many questions were thrown at him by the media but he took them all in stride.

Anyone know who this guy is?

There was a post office there so of course I took a pic...or two.

And I had the opportunity to visit the bathroom while we were there.

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We had a fun time exploring and we can now say that we've visited the Arkansas State Capitol.

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And here's my obligatory view of the dome. I take lots of pics like this.

To be cont...

Technorati Tags: Tennesse Trip,Arkansas State Capitol,Arkansas,bathrooms,Post Office,mail,dome,Capitol dome,AFWM,Air Force WingMom,WingMoms,road trip,fun times

Our Tennessee Trip - Sunday & Monday

2011-08-28T17:09:00.001-07:00

Our next stop on Sunday 6.12.11 was in lovely Hope, Arkansas which is also the birthplace of our 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton.

Now Clinton items are not the only thing you'll find in Hope. The town was actually famous before Clinton for its record breaking watermelons.

The town's visitor center and museum is a great combination of Clinton, railroad artifacts and watermelon memorabilia.

One of the signs that I saw in there was this one ~

Which therefore reminded me of this one from an awesome bathroom in Van Horn TX inside the Sands Motel & Restaurant ~

We saw some cool stuff while we were there.

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My Dad was a phone man so I always love taking pics of phones.

One thing that always makes me sad is seeing how people were sometimes treated.

I'm in the finance industry and I can't imagine using this

And M is a mailman so of course I had to take a pic of this

And perhaps this should be enforced in public places everywhere

Back on the road again and we saw another water tower

More fun times ahead!

Technorati Tags: Hope AR,Tennesse Trip,road trip,fun times,Hope AR Visitor Center,watermelon,President Bill Clinton,42nd President,birthplace,Arkadelphia,AFWM,Air Force WingMom,WingMoms,AF WingMom,family

Our Tennessee Trip

2011-08-27T19:30:00.001-07:00

We headed out early on Sunday 6.12.11...

We were looking for a place to stop for breakfast/brunch and so of course I googled it and one of the places we were closest to was The Links.

Now I'm not sure why it didn't dawn on me but it turns out this place was on a golf course. I swear the whole time I was thinking of sausage links. I guess I was hungry. So we finally made it there after what seemed like forever off of the beaten path and had our brunch at the country club. I can't seem to find the pic of our breakfast which is really odd as you know I am all about food but here's a pic of us.

On the way back to civilization we passed some interesting stuff.

A donkey or possibly a mule. I don't know how to tell the difference.

Terror Trails

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As well as some cows standing in water

We saw a Post Office on the way back in Yantis, TX so of course we had to stop to take a pic.

I also like seeing different water towers and was pleased to spot a few on the way.

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Those of you that know me know that I'm a HUGE fan of RoadsideAmerica.com as they have a ton of offbeat and quirky places to visit. On their website I found that at the border between Texas and Arkansas runs State Line Avenue in Texarkana. They city's Federal Building/Courthouse/Post Office was built in the middle of this street and is supposedly the only building in the US that straddles a state line.

They built a photo op complete with a hitching post that proclaims, "You are here" and includes the longitude and latitude.

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I think it was worth stopping for because of the photo op and the fact that it was a Post Office but there's not much else around to look at. Just saying.

Directions: I-30 exit 223, then south three miles on State Line Ave. On the south side of the Post Office.

All in all this was a great start to our Tennessee Trip.

Technorati Tags: Tennesse Trip,The Links,Yantis TX,Post Office,Terror Trails,cows in water,random donkey,Water Towers,RoadsideAmerica.com,Texarkana,State Ave,Texas,Arkansas,AFWM,Air Force WingMom,WingMoms,fun times,road trip

Crock Pot Lasagna

2011-08-14T18:42:00.001-07:00

I love new recipes where I can utilize my crock pot to make a meal. This one is from Betty Croker and is technically called Slow Cooker Lasagna but I don't call my crock pot that so I have renamed it. :)

Here's what you need:

1 lb bulk Italian sausage (in the above pic I've already browned the sausage)

1 medium onion chopped

3 cans (15 oz each) Italian-style tomato sauce

2 tsp dried basil leaves

1/2 tsp salt

2 c mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta cheese

1 c Parmesan cheese

15 uncooked lasagna noodles

Here's what you do:

1. Cook sausage and onion in a skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt.

2. Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)

3. Spoon 1/4 of the sausage mixture into a 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and 1/4 of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.

4. Cover and cook on low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.

5. Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into pieces.

This is how it turned out.

My reviews - I forgot to top it with the remaining mozzarella cheese. I would recommend spraying the pot with cooking spray as it seemed that the lasagna was sticking. M said that the lasagna was a bit dry but that didn't stop him from getting seconds. :) Besides tasting just a tad salty (even though I didn't add the salt) I thought it turned out great.

Technorati Tags: crock pot recipes,slow cooker recipes,quick and easy recipes,Crock Pot Lasagna,AF WingMom,AFWM,Air Force WingMom,WingMom

Scarborough Faire 2011

2011-08-04T20:30:00.001-07:00

We really like going to Scarborough Renaissance Festival every year and the festival runs for 8 consecutive weekends during April and May. The reason we like it so much is because there is a wide variety of types of people and things you can see.

You can taste "authentic" renaissance period food.

You can also enjoy the Turtle Races. This year Jarrett (stage name Jerry) was called up onto the stage to assist.

There was one well endowed woman there that we felt could have used a little more support...just saying.

There are some really fabulous masks for sale.

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We saw one girl that preferred the "natural" look.

Don't see it? Here's a closer look...

There's one booth that had some cool stuff in it but no pics were allowed so y'all won't get to see that. Moving right along.

There were tons of folks there that were blessed with an extremely high level of self-confidence.

I guess I was just amazed that they would wear some of the things that they did. Maybe a bit jealous too.

There are some really cool arts and crafts to enjoy and fun stuff to do while you are there.

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I love looking at these unique items and love taking pics of them.

This one reminds me of our trip to Lincoln City because Cece had shared with us that at a certain time of the year they release all of these glass balls and people collect them. They are really very pretty!

Whenever I see money on the ground I think of my mom.

Here's a pretty cool water fountain.

Have you heard of planking? Well here are some fairies planking.

All in all it was another fun trip. As we were heading to the exit I see this character.

I said, "Oh wait! I need a group pic of this!!" And so he obliged. As you view the pic keep in mind that it was a relatively hot day that day and he was a...shall we say...larger guy and he was sweating. I thought he was just going to stand there with his mallet but noooo....he put that sweaty armpit right around my girlies. Anna (who isn't even closest to the guy) cannot hide her feelings. This seriously was one of the funniest moments of the whole day.

On the way out we passed this lady playing a hammered dulcimer. It was pretty cool!

This statue is out in front of the entrance.

I'm dying to hear the story behind how this happened.

Must have been a really great party.

Technorati Tags: Scarborough Renaissance Festival,2011,Scarby,RenFest,masks,hammered dulcimer,planking,turtle races,fairies,money on the ground,water fountain,AFWM,AF WIngMom,Air Force WingMom,WingMom

I <3 Surprises

2011-05-16T19:13:00.001-07:00

And so when my husband's birthday was a few months away one of my step-daughter's suggested a surprise party and I thought it was a fantastic idea.

We began planning...where would we have it? Who would we invite? What day? What kind of cake?....so many questions to decide and plans to make.

El Fenix was our restaurant of choice for the celebration. We chose the weekend before his birthday to hopefully help keep him in the dark about what we were planning. ::giggle::

M knew that my girlies were coming to town just for a visit and I flew in my triplets on Thursday night and so far so good. My boys and daughter-in-law were due to arrive on Saturday, the day of the party. Thankfully my folks were going to pick them up and would meet us at the restaurant. The girlies and I just anxiously waited for M to get home.

We had all previously agreed to wear black shirts to the dinner. When M arrived home I convinced him to wear his black western shirt knowing that if he wore that he'd wear his boots and we planned on going dancing after and that would be perfect.

Dressed, pressed and ready for fun we headed to the restaurant.

As we were parking M notices my sister's vehicle. I told him that it couldn't be her because I was just texting her and she didn't mention that she was going out to eat. He was not convinced.

We went up to the podium and the hostess asked how many were in our party. I said 5 and silently mouthed the words, "We're here for the party." As she led us to the back room M was still scanning the restaurant looking for my sis and Jarrett so he wasn't noticing the back room and all the people in it wearing black shirts.

We neared the entrance to the back room. The girlies walked in first and I stepped aside as I wanted to see M's reaction. It was priceless.

and as the surprise sets in...

There were of course yummy cupcakes with really cute toppers.

As well as lots of birthday cards.

No birthday would be complete without family being there to help celebrate this wonderful occasion.

M and his girls that helped plan the wonderful surprise, Kellie and Carrie.

M with his two granddaughters, Kennadie and Keirsten.

M's sister Barbara Ann, husband Randy and their girls and their families.

The both of us with all the kids.

Carrie's family.

My Mom and Dad and the kids and Hailey.

Us with my side of the family.

M got into the spirit of things and put on a birthday hat and some awesome birthday glasses. The paparazzi all clamored to get a great pic.

And he graciously posed for the crowd.

There was lots of delicious food.

And birthday presents to open.

And my sweet little niece to hug.

Birthdays are an awesome opportunity to celebrate the life of the ones you love. The surprise and the whole evening were beyond amazing and we are so thankful to all the family and friends that joined us.

Great memories and so many more to come...

<3 live <3 laugh <3 love <3

Technorati Tags: Happy Birthday,Happy Days,60th birthday,M,birthdays,surprise,cupcakes,presents,delicious food,El Fenix,AFWM,AF WingMom,WingMom,Air Force WingMom,family

Look Mom ~ Hands!

2011-05-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

Many of y'all know my Mom had surgery in early April at Baylor Hospital - Dallas. While waiting for her surgery to be complete we did a little exploring after eating lunch.

There's an exhibit there called the Adrian E. Flatt, M.D., Hand Collection. Being a High 5 super fan I was curious to see what was actually in the collection. What we found were actual hand casts of famous people. It's pretty cool stuff.

Now the first exhibit case included medical hand anomalies.

There were some musician hands such as Van Cliburn.

As well as Louis Armstrong.

There were sports figures like Nolan Ryan.

And Pudge Rodriguez.

As well as a classic wrestler, Fritz Von Erich.

There were also some hand casts from the likes of Walt Disney.

As well as Charles M. Schulz, who is the creator of The Peanuts Gang.

Norman Rockwell is also there. Well he's not but casts of his hands are. I'm wondering. How many of you know who that is?

You can see some examples of his work by clicking here.

I also saw the hands of Dr. Suess. Now I had never really ever thought about it but Dr. Suess is not his real name. His real name is Theodor Seuss Geisel which yes has Suess in it but seriously I didn't know his last name wasn't Suess. The things you can learn.

So all in all I had a really great time. This exhibit is in the main lobby and the best part is it's FREE!! WoooHooo! The very last case had some interesting hands for all to enjoy.

So let me know if you have a chance to stop by and enjoy the exhibit. It's pretty interesting.

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Chicken Spaghetti

2011-05-01T18:36:00.001-07:00

I like spaghetti and I like chicken so I figured when I tried out this recipe it would turn out just fine. I think I found the recipe at www.cooks.com but since I've somehow misplaced the printout so I can't be sure. Nonetheless just trust me on this.

Here's what you need:

Boneless, skinless chicken breast

8 oz. Velveeta

1 can Rotel

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 package of spaghetti

milk

Here's what you do:

I used chicken that was ready to eat but sometimes I boil as much chicken as I need and then I cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Boil spaghetti according to package directions.

Combine: chicken, spaghetti, cream of mushroom soup and Rotel.

Melt Velveeta in microwave. Stir in milk to make it as creamy as desired.

Combine Velveeta with remaining ingredients and serve.

It turned out really good and the only complaint is that the cheese thickens as it stands. So when reheating you probably will need to use a little more milk.

~Enjoy~

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The Curtsy

2011-04-29T20:06:00.001-07:00

It often amazes me when I find out people don't know things. I mean like things that I would just think everyone knows. A while back on my facebook I had posted something about doing a curtsy. I couldn't remember how to spell curtsy and i asked someone at work and they said, "What's that?"

Are you serious? You really don't know what a curtsy is?

And they were serious.

And they didn't know what a curtsy was.

I explained and showed them what a curtsy was and they all immediately knew what I was talking about. They just didn't know it was called that. So anyway that of course got me to thinking about curtsies and the history behind it. Indulge me. I have lots of odd questions floating around in my head that result in me over-using google. It's what I do.

So a curtsy (also spelled curtsey or courtesy) is, according to Wikipedia, a curtsy is a traditional gesture of greeting, in which a girl or woman bends her knees while bowing her head. It is the female equivalent of male bowing in Western cultures. Miss Manners characterizes its knee bend as deriving from a "traditional gesture of an inferior to a superior." The word "curtsy" is a phonological change from "courtesy" known in linguistics as syncope.

In phonology, syncope (pronounced /ˈsɪŋkəpiː/, Greek syn- + koptein “to strike, cut off”) is the loss of one or more sounds from the interior of a word; especially, the loss of an unstressed vowel. See, while I learn about the curtsy I also learn about other things that are kind of cool but I probably won't remember anything about it.

In European cultures it is traditional for women to curtsy in front of royalty and while I didn't watch the wedding on tv it made me wonder if anyone curtsied there. I'm sure you've seen female dancers often curtsey at the end of a performance to show gratitude or acknowledge any applause from the audience. At the end of a ballet class, students will also curtsey or bow to the teacher and the pianist to show gratitude.

Now considering I'm from Texas when I read about this I found it amusing. The "Texas Dip" is an extreme curtsey performed by a Texan debutante when formally introduced at the debutante ball. The young woman slowly lowers her forehead to the floor by crossing her ankles, then bending her knees and sinking. The escort's hand is held during the dip. When the debutante's head nears the floor, she turns her head sideways, averting the risk of soiling her dress with lipstick. Soiling her dress? Who uses the word soiling?

Really, who uses the word soiled?

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Thankful Thursday - National High Five Day

2011-04-21T19:27:00.001-07:00

I've posted a blog about my Theory of the High Five last year but today I came across a post on facebook. Today is apparently National High Five Day! What??!! How could this have happened without my knowledge or consent much less without giving me some sort of notice so that I could plan a proper celebration? I had to sit down and take several deep breaths in an effort to calm myself. ::sigh:: So after I got over the sadness I managed to read up a little bit on what National High Five Day is all about.

I copied this from the history of National High Five Day:

History

Year 1, Thursday, Apr. 18, 2002 –

National High Five Day began at the University of Virginia in 2002, when three friends decided to form their own holiday. More accurately, it began late the next afternoon, when the three friends woke up, remembered that they had decided to form their own holiday, and decided to actually do it.

The idea was simple: that you could better someone's day by getting out in your community and offering strangers high fives. Setting up temporary headquarters in the center of UVA’s campus, the friends were surprised by the outpouring of goodwill and enthusiasm that was generated by the simple act of offering a stranger a high five.

Since the inception of National High Five Day they've also begun a scholarship program to help a high school student attend college. Because there was a donation involved I decided to make this my Thankful Thursday post for the week. If you'd like to donate please CLICK HERE!!! Today is a great day to make a difference.

I would be remiss if I didn't share with y'all my love for the number 5 so please CLICK HERE! to read all about it. And of course I do have a Theory of the H!GH 5 and I'm sure after reading it you will definitely be inclined to give more H!GH 5's! They change lives....

An outline of my son's hand on June 17, 1991. My how time flies.

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Thankful Thursday - Heart Walk

2011-04-07T20:23:00.001-07:00

I've "met" quite a few people online. This particular friend actually started out as a MySpace friend and we migrated over to facebook and we've always supported each other in our various charitable efforts. I thought I had missed the chance to support her in her participation in the annual Mt. Vernon, IL Heart Walk. I quickly messaged her and was relieved to find out it was next week and so I'm proud to support and encourage her involvement in the 2011 Mt. Vernon, IL Heart Walk.

As I have in previous posts I asked Robin why this particular charity was important to her. She shared with me this: The Heart Walk is important to me because so many have died of heart disease--my parents and my husband's father. I have a dear friend who now has heart disease caused by the cancer drugs that saved her life 5 years ago. I work at a hospital and while I do not work in direct patient care, I have seen from walking the hall in our cardio dept, the many who are affected by heart disease. I started participating in the Heart Walk 5 years ago just to help out, however now it has become an event I truly do enjoy to work with. I do believe that even if I do not work at the hospital, I will still support the American Heart Association by participating in this event. And a little side note, my 7 year old calico cat--Patches--has heart disease. Vets use the knowledge put forth from medical specialists to help cats/dogs with the same illness as people.

I of course checked out her donation page and she had updated it with the following message:

I'm helping to build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke by participating in the American Heart Association’s Start! Heart Walk.
I am asking my friends and family to help me once again in my 5th year of fundraising for the Heart Walk.
In honor of my 5 years on the team, I have added a photo of my parents, who both died of heart disease 11 years ago.
It's my hope you will consider donating to my page.
Thank you.

I was excited because it's her 5th year! 5 is my favorite number! WoooHooo!! It's a worthy cause as heart disease has also affected my family as well. My Grampa on my Mom's side of the family died when my Mom was 14 of a heart attack and so I never had the chance to meet him. My Gramma on my Mom's side as well as several of her brothers also suffered from heart disease and it contributed to their death.

In this photo is my Grampa Walsh, my Mom, my Great-Gramma, my Mom's Aunt Ruth and my Uncle Jerry.

As I am sure if asked you would also say that you've known someone affected by heart disease. I would encourage you to take just a moment of your time and $5 out of your wallet and support my friend Robin as she participates in the Heart Walk for the 5th year in a row. It may not seem like much to some but she's making a difference and so can you. If you'd like to donate please click here!! Let's make today the day that we start making a difference. I am making a difference...how about YOU? <3

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Thankful Thursday - (on a Sunday) St. Jude

2011-04-03T19:57:00.001-07:00

I realize that it's been nearly two full months since I last posted. Why the long period of silence? Well I've been working really hard on my facebook page, AF WingMoms. It's really taken off and that's been awesome except for the fact that I haven't been able to post here and whether or not anyone reads this (besides my Mom) I do enjoy writing.

So I'm back in the saddle and I hope you enjoy this edition of Thankful Thursday and oblige me on the fact that the next few Thankful Thursday posts may not actually be on Thursdays.

I had known that Danny Thomas was a part of St. Jude but I really didn't know the whole story. I of course headed right over to the website to find out more info and here's what I found out.

"Danny Thomas and the Founding of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

More than 70 years ago, Danny Thomas, then a struggling young entertainer with a baby on the way, visited a Detroit church and was so moved during the Mass, he placed his last $7 in the collection box. When he realized what he’d done, Danny prayed for a way to pay the looming hospital bills. The next day, he was offered a small part that would pay 10 times the amount he’d given to the church. Danny had experienced the power of prayer.

Two years later, Danny had achieved moderate acting success in Detroit, but he was struggling to take his career to the next level. Once again, he turned to the church. Praying to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, Danny asked the saint to “help me find my way in life, and I will build you a shrine.”

Mr. Thomas' career flourished and he remembered his pledge. In the early 50's he began figuring out how the dream could become a reality. The dream was to create a unique research hospital devoted to curing catastrophic diseases in children. More than just a treatment facility, this would be a research center for the children of the world.

I didn't know this but Danny Thomas, was of Lebanese decent and he turned to his fellow Americans of Arabic-speaking heritage. Believing deeply that these Americans should, as a group, thank the United States for the gifts of freedom given their parents, Danny also felt the support of St. Jude would be a noble way of honoring his immigrant forefathers who had come to America.

From a promise of “Help me find my way in life, and I will build you a shrine” to the fulfillment of his dream, Danny lived to see his little hospital become an international beacon of hope for the catastrophically ill children of the world. The founder of St. Jude and ALSAC died on February 6, 1991, just two days after joining patients, parents and employees to celebrate the hospital’s 29th anniversary. He was laid to rest in a family crypt at the Danny Thomas/ALSAC Pavilion on the grounds of the hospital. On July 12, 2000, his wife, Rose Marie, passed away and now lies with her beloved husband in the hospital’s Memorial Garden. Today, their children, Marlo, Terre and Tony, carry on their parents’ work and remain a driving force in fulfilling their father’s mission. Danny Thomas is gone, but his dream lives on."

My sister-in-law Barbara is the one that recommended that I spotlight St. Jude and when I asked her why she said that her Dad had always supported St. Jude when Danny Thomas became the leading support person. She said that God pull us to places in our hearts to focus on such as Gary (her brother, my brother-in-law) getting leukemia. I've always known that Barbara has been supportive of God's children. She has a real heart for those that fight each day.

Won't you join Barbara and I in supporting St. Jude today? It was very easy to make my $5 donation and you can make a donation by clicking HERE.

Today is a great day to make a difference.

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Touring Jerryworld

2011-02-06T15:38:00.001-08:00

The Death Star

Jerrydome

Jerryworld

Those nicknames and more have been given to Dallas Cowboys Stadium. When Nick was in town, back in December, we decided to go and tour Dallas Cowboys Stadium. ~M~ and I had toured it once before when the girlies and Hans had been down for a visit so we knew what to expect.

As I have said before when I first thought about the stadium I didn't want to be impressed. But I was. I didn't want to like it. But I did.

The reason I didn't want to be impressed or like it is because of the over-the-topness of it all. As you near the stadium it's a massive well-designed stadium that looms large on the horizon. My first thought was simply "WOW".

In honor of Super Bowl XLV I wanted to share with you our most recent visit. This time we took the self-guided tour and here's a glimpse of what you can see.

Us in front of the world's largest video board.

Me and Nicholas

Here's a close-up of the turf. Have you ever seen turf. It's feels weird. It's just like plastic.

Posing on the 50 yard line

Me and my awesome sister

While we were there they were preparing for the 75th Cotton Bowl Classic which was not being held in the Cotton Bowl as it should be. Whatever happened to honoring a tradition? If you don't hold it in the Cotton Bowl then you shouldn't be able to call it the Cotton Bowl Classic. Okay - off of my soapbox.

Touring inside the stadium I was able to take a pic of one of their phones. I love phones mostly because my Dad was a phone man.

We got to tour the Player and the Cheerleader locker rooms. Unfortunately we could find neither a player or a cheerleader hanging out waiting to talk to us.

I notice that when taking a pic I tend to turn a little bit. I think that I think it must make me look thinner.

I like Roy Williams. Mostly because he played at UT - Austin. And when he would get in the end zone after a touch down he'd throw up the Hook 'Em Horns sign.

All during football season ~M~ would see one of the Gronkowski brothers playing and he would say "look" and without even looking at the screen or knowing what team was playing I would know he was talking about one of them.

I also have a special love for bathrooms as you may have read before in my bathrooms post.

I know you've been dying to see a pics of the bathrooms that the players use.

Was it everything you hoped it would be? ;)

Here's some shots of the tunnel the players run through.

My sister enjoying a drink near the tunnel. Not really. She's just pretending to enjoy a drink. She's doing a great job, don't you think?

Prepping for the big game.

We were fortunate that we were able to meet Jim Jeffcoat while we were there.

Outside the stadium is an awesome bronze statue likeness of legendary hall of fame coach Tom Landry.

We took this as an opportunity for a photo op.

We had a really fun time.

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Thankful Thursday - Family Legacy Ministries - Camp Life

2011-02-03T20:28:00.001-08:00

This week's charity spotlight comes from a high school friend of mine. Meloney suggested that I spotlight Family Legacy - Camp Life. Upon visiting the website and messaging Meloney I found out a little more about the charity. Here's an excerpt from the webpage:

Zambia is a landlocked country located in south central Africa. Zambia has a population of 12 million people, but a full 1 million of these people are, in fact, children who have been orphaned due to the ravages of AIDS and other extreme poverty-related diseases. The U.N. says that Zambia has the highest per capita orphan rate in the world. And although Zambia is some 10,000 miles away and seemingly forgotten, these children are ever before the heart of God.

Camp Life is a week-long camp held throughout the summer for orphaned and vulnerable children in Zambia, Africa. Each summer about 400 Americans come to Zambia for one or two weeks to lead a group of 10-12 Zambian children. We sing songs, play games, teach the Bible and each orphan gets a new shirt, a pair of shoes and a gift at the end of the week. Almost 10% of the country of Zambia is an orphaned child and we want to show each child how much God loves them. For many of these children this is the best week of their entire year.

This year Meloney's daughter is raising money. Her name is Kaily and she's 13. Kaily, along with her mom Meloney and grandmother Diane will be going to participate in week 2 of Camp Life. She is raising funds to support not only her trip but also the cost of the 12 kids that will be in her group. Through babysitting and selling dog treats she has raised almost $2,000! She's almost half-way there and she's asking everyone to please consider supporting her as she follows God's calling in her life.

So I'd encourage you to also consider supporting Kaily. Like me, she's trying to make a difference in 2011....what will you be doing? Click HERE to donate to Kaily. On the donation page at the bottom you will need to put Kaily Graham so she will be sure and get credit for your donation. I'm making my $5 donation and I hope it helps. It may not seem like much but even if just 100 people donated a dollar that certainly could make a difference.

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Thankful Thursday - ACT Today! for Military Families

2011-01-27T17:54:00.001-08:00

When I sent out my request for charities to highlight I was referred to ACT Today! for Military Families. My interest was immediately peaked because I am a Military Mom. I went to check it out and was surprised at the information I found.

I learned that one out of every 88 military children has a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. As it has been established that significant gains and a great improvement in the overall quality of life of children can be greatly improved with early and effective treatments I wanted to learn more about how this organization was going to do that.

The website continues on to share that military families impacted by autism face even more extraordinary circumstances and access to effective autism services is limited. This organization is a fund dedicated to assist military families impacted by autism. They work to improve awareness and delivery of effective autism services, and provides financial assistance to military families to help defray out-of-pocket costs associated with autism treatments and other quality of life programs.

I asked my friend who referred me what was the reason she wanted me to feature this organization. This is what she said:

Well, I have an 11 year old son with autism. It has taken many years to work through all of the issues, from his diagnosis at age 3 and we are still working out the kinks. We have excellent medical insurance, but even it doesn't cover a lot of treatments, medical supplies and equipment that may be needed. It was recommended that we apply for TEFRA, which, based on disability, will cover those things. The application process itself for TEFRA took 11 months. It is a continuous evaluation process keeping up with speech therapy, occupational therapy, socialization, medications, diet, etc.

We have an incredible support system here and I feel very lucky for that. But it is something that has evolved over many years of adaptation, with the same people involved. Cameron has a mild form of the disorder called Asperger's syndrome which is a high-functioning form on the spectrum. Others are much more severe and require more help; different therapies and treatments.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to have to move every 2 to 4 years and have to start the process all over again! Or, worse, be stationed overseas, or go through all of this with Mom or Dad being deployed. Many kids with autism require a very structured, consistent routine. A change in that routine can lead to meltdowns and setbacks. Every new school year is very traumatic. Again, we are very lucky in that our school system has been very accommodating. They understand the need for consistency and will overlap certain teachers and therapists each year to help ease him in to any change. Moving to a new school would be horrifying!

For parents, I would imagine that re-establishing medical care, therapy, and a support system with each new duty station would be overwhelming, especially for those acting as single parents due to deployment. I am a Navy brat and have lived in some pretty cool places as a child. Married an Air Force brat and now I am a proud Air Force mom and Coast Guard mom of 2 amazing daughters. I am however, very grateful that my husband and I didn't have to go through this experience with our son while also serving in the military.

So that is her story and you may know someone with a story of their own. I made my $5 donation and read on their website that every donation, both large and small, from corporations to individuals, is used to help make a difference in the life of a military child with autism. Thank you for your support! Those are their words not mine. I would encourage you to take a moment and donate. If you are following my weekly Thankful Thursday posts you know I'm hoping to make a difference in 2011. What are you hoping to do?

Ready to donate? Then click HERE!

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