Stafford4!: March 2013

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Play. Kids. Play.

Today was parent/teacher conferences. They both went well. I am happy to report Kent and Samantha are good students and their teachers really appreciate them. All things a Mama wants to hear! Kent has improved so much this school year. I am so proud of him. His teacher said she thinks Kent is very intelligent, and he does really well in the math and science department. Excellent Mr. Kent! Samantha is also doing well with reading, but math, is something that she is taking to. What happened? Who are these kids and where did they come from? I am horrible with math and detest it greatly. Funny how our offspring can be so different. After Kent's conference, we had about 40 minutes before Samantha's...so I let the kids play on the playground; and they are very sociable with their peers. Rowdy, Brooke, Samantha and Kent were all hanging around in one picture (I thought it was super cute). Samantha and her friend Brooke were caught wandering, which made another candid photo; and Kent was climbing with Rowdy. The girls sure like Kent, and I noticed the boys talking to Samantha, even the boys in other classes. Oh jeez. Here we go. By the way...we are in the fourth quarter. The last bit of school this year. I was also told, the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IS MAY 28TH. No kidding. The next school year starts up on July 21st...for "year round" school. I detest it already.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Post Stomach Flu AND the Engine House!

Hello. Let me tell you, I am still alive. I thought I was dying on Saturday. I awoke on Saturday morning feeling kind of funky...but I assumed it was just the female time of month or something. Boy was I wrong. By 11:00am...I was so sick. Vomiting the rest of the day, and parts of the night. I didn't have anything else to puke up, yet I was still doing it. I had gotten the stomach flu. Bad. Thanks flu vaccine for saving me. Yeah. Thanks. It was a horrible Saturday into Sunday, but I was so thankful that I stopped throwing up Saturday night, so I could finally try to drink liquids. I was so extremely dehydrated, that my fingers, hands, arms and legs went numb. My fingers and hands even curled up like a paralyzed person, uncontrollable. THAT freaked me out! Never had that happen before. Thanks to my great husband, for going out to get the stomach flu previsions (Gatorade, saltines, jello, Popsicles, applesauce); I was able to finally drink the Gatorade, and let me tell you, I am against that stuff. It has gross chemicals in it; but what is a person supposed to do, when all of my electrolytes have vanished? I had to drink the Gatorade, and the numbness finally went away, after a couple of hours. It was then that I appreciated the chemicals of Gatorade. Ha. Today is Tuesday, and I am finally feeling somewhat back to normal...considering I had lost about 7 lbs. in the course of two days (don't worry, those pounds will return. I wish they wouldn't though. It would sure help my weight loss goal). Okay...done with the sickness chat...on with Jeff's project...the 1881 Engine House. He started work with moving some tracks and switches during last week. Over the weekend he started to assemble, and he completed the building yesterday afternoon. I went outside to check out his handy work, and got some fresh air yesterday. The Engine House looks awesome! The only thing left to do, is my job, and that is painting the building, and adding the lettering on the false front of the building. Jeff aimed to make it an old western town, false frontal building, and I do believe he succeeded! Us and our love of Tombstone...now showing in our back acres! I can't wait to paint it...it will then be 100% complete. I just need to wait until the weather warms up again to paint. Jeff is extremely talented in building things, and putting things together. He has a mind for it. The 1881 Engine House will indeed, house his steam engine, his electric engine, his Dad's American steam engine, and maybe a riding car. Be looking forward to the completed painted version of our 1881 Engine House!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

10th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!

"Wyatt, I'm rolling!" Jeff and I just got home this afternoon, from the most wonderful 10th anniversary trip, to our beloved Tombstone! It had been about ten years since we were there last, so we were definitely ready to come back! We actually started off in Scottsdale, Thursday afternoon. After we dropped off the kiddos at my folks house (THANK YOU SO MUCH NANA, PAPPY, MOM AND DAD FOR ALL YOUR HELP!), we took a nice drive to Scottsdale, and arrived at our Scottsdale Hilton Resort and Villas. Wow! I had never stayed in Scottsdale all these years, and we had a very nice room, with the most amazing, soft pillows EVER. I wanted to steal them. Jeff made us dinner reservations, at the adjoining steak house, Flemming's. Can I just say...insanely fantastic, mouth watering steaks offered here. THE BEST IN MY WHOLE LIFE. No joke people. You most definitely pay for your dinner...but since it was for our 10th anniversary...as Jeff put it, "only the best for the baby-doll." Swoon. My knees are going weak beneath me! My husband had made the most memorable weekend for us, to celebrate our marriage together. I am more in love with Jeff than I was ten years ago. He is an important piece to my life puzzle, and I know GOD is the one and only to give thanks for my husband. God knew what was perfect for Jeff and I. We fit. I am very, very thankful for my husband; so thank you Lord, for blessing me with this astonishing man! Okay, okay...back to me rambling about our weekend. So we had the best dinner for our anniversary, ordered a special fruit and cheese plate for an evening snack (room service for room 145, yes thank you), slept like champs, and the following morning...hello room service! Yes! We each ordered us some breakfast, before we had to check out that morning. That was so special to me. Something as simple as rooms service, but the tastiest food! They have it going on at that Hilton! I recommend it to anyone that wants to escape and relax in Scottsdale. On our way to Tombstone, we took the scenic way, and stayed away from the ugly 10 freeway, for as long as we could. Highway 79...beautiful, and we had breathtaking weather and clouds all weekend! Rain, wind, cold...totally loved it; because we were missing the freezing snow at home. We stopped at the Tom Mix monument, where he actually died. Crazy. Remember, Tom Mix was an old western actor, and wept at Wyatt Earp's funeral. We finally made it to Tombstone and checked in to our adorable real log cabin. I want one. I want one now. The nicest cabin to stay in, walking distance to main street in Tombstone. Very clean, and very cozy. That is the place to stay in Tombstone everybody! As you'll see with all the photos...we went everywhere in town. Court House, Bird Cage Theater, the Tombstone mine, etc. We also visited a couple of surrounding ghost towns, Gleeson and on our way home today, Fairbank. Mining everywhere. We drove everywhere to explore (even went to the border to say "hi" to our mea-hee-can friends). Just checking in. I am happy to report, Arizona Border Patrols were every where, patrolling. There is something great seeing that. That's right! Protect our great state! We also saw the fence that separates us...it looks good. This means, in order for us to see the border, we took a drive to Douglas, to say we did. Because the next time someone asks if I have been to Douglas, I can say, well yes. Yes I have. Jeff and I drove through Bisbee, and had our last dinner at the Copper Queen dining room. So good. We ate all the time. Had lunch at "The Crystal Palace" too! A yummy burger and fries. So I have typed up a lot, and I may have left something out...but oh well. It was a great weekend with the love of my life!