On the Road Again

We have been traveling again. This time we hopped in the car and drove from Phoenix to Las Cruces, NM (and almost ran out of gas 25 miles before town at midnight in the desert, but didn't, so whew!) for the night.

The next morning we headed to San Antonio to meet GK, BK, and sons for dinner at Chuy's. They were gracious enough to let us stay the night and hang out for awhile. BK made waffles - yum! Once our breakfast settled and our tummies started asking for lunch, we all headed to Rudy's for smoked meats, potato salad, sweet tea, and peach cobbler.

We really need to exercise more on these trips!

We left the K family with hugs and thank yous and drove north to Austin, where we've been all week.

Since then, we've eaten too much, exercised too little, worked a lot, house/neighborhood hunted, and slept in. Whee!

I have this new Blogger app on my phone and wanted to test it, so there's the summary of our most recent trip so far.

If you've been to San Antonio and/or Austin, what's your favorite thing to do there?

Tourist Thursday: Pacific NW, vol 3

Our heroes have already spent time at Glacier National Park and in Couer d'Alene, ID. Where could they possibly go next? And just how much vacation time do these people have, anyway?!

Relax! It's only day 5 of a 10-day trip. There's still plenty of time to check things out. (And because we included two weekends, we only took 7 vacation days. ;-)

The Harsh Truth: Don't Text & Drive

I have several half-written posts floating around about commas, our time at Mt Rainier Natl Park, and other fun topics. Today, though, I need to share this.

An "old" (as in I've known her for 20 years) friend of mine totaled a vehicle because she was texting and driving. I caught someone yesterday walking down the hall at work, looking straight at his phone and almost walking in to me. Every day when I drive on the roads, I see people in cars and trucks next to me looking down at their phones while they drive. And I think "Sheesh! That person needs to be more careful!" Then I hold my phone up higher so I think I can see the screen and through the windshield at the same time.

I have finally taken the lesson to heart. I am thankful it didn't take my involvement in an accident for it to sink in. I am thankful I didn't have to hurt someone to figure it out. This is serious stuff, everyone. There are enough distractions on the roads without adding a hand held device with teeny tiny font.

I personally would like to see all animated billboards banned on roads - especially highways. Everything that moves in my peripheral vision is a distraction and I'd much rather focus on that motorcyclist/car/truck than an ad for tequila, or a basketball team, or a radio station.

There was a viral video going around about a woman playing with her phone, then falling into the fountain at a mall. That was sort of funny. This, though, is not.

Watch the video below, pay attention, and think about how you can change your habits for the good of all of us.



Do you have any stories about texting and driving that you want to share?

Memories

One of my close friends lost her Dad yesterday. It's a sad occasion, which led me to start thinking of when my own Dad passed away. It's been almost 8 years now and while I still miss him, I usually spend my "memory capital" on the fun times with him.

My Dad was goofy, silly, fun, and sometimes completely ridiculous. In talking to my friend last night about some of her favorite fun memories of her Dad, I remembered this video that my Dad totally loved. He sent it to me via email, insisted I play it, and cracked up for at least 10 minutes about it. These are the fun memories of my Dad.

So, in memory of the silly side of my Dad, enjoy!

Go Red for Women Tomorrow, Feb. 4!

In the past few weeks, I've heard of 3 young women I know having heart issues. Two thought they might have had a stroke. These women are all under 35 years old. I read a post on the Daily Spark today and it got my attention.

I do a lot for breast cancer fundraisers because that's what altered my life 24 years ago. There are a million causes out there that are worthy. They're all important. However, when I was confronted with the statistic that heart disease kills more women every year than all cancers combined, I knew it was maybe a *little* more important.

Two important women in my life have had heart surgery. They have scars to prove it. In everyday interactions with them, I don't notice their scars. They are infinitely compelling, interesting, intelligent women. To converse with them is honestly a gift I look forward to. It's true. They live 800 miles away, so I don't see them often! Every once in awhile, though, I notice the scar. It takes my breath away for just a second. These are young, healthy women. And they've been through what I can only imagine. It just increases my respect for them. They don't hide, and they don't flaunt. They just are who they are. And I love that about them.

In honor of the women I know, the women I don't know, and the woman I want to be, I will go red for women tomorrow, Feb 4. Join me!

Tourist Tuesday: Pacific NW, vol 2

The last time we heard from our heroes, they were gallivanting around Glacier National Park, taking pictures of bears. Fear not, faithful readers! We were always a safe distance away from said bears - Hubs has a heck of a telephoto lens for his camera. ;-)

We left Glacier Natl Park and drove southwest to spend a couple of days with twoneelys in their newlywed apartment in beautiful Couer d'Alene, Idaho (CDA to the locals). They'd been married 4 months at this point, so we figured all the newness had worn off and they were ready for visitors. Ha!