Two Posts In One Day!! Aren't You Proud?

Hello, again, Everybody! When the spirit gets us to moving, we are ready for the task. We didn't take very many pictures on Thanksgiving Day around here, so we just posted them all.

It finally feels like fall/winter around here. The weather has cooled down and jackets are a must if you go outside. Our Thanksgiving Day was relaxing even though we had cooking to do. We cooked at Ellen's and watched football in the afternoon. We even got in a nap before we had to get everything ready for dinner. Joe came over to watch the Cowboys with us. Isn't it great when they win on Thanksgiving Day? We all know that God "loves them Cowboys"!! Here's a picture of Joe who was warming his little tootsies by the fireplace before dinner. We served buffet style from the kitchen table and then ate in the dining room. Thanksgiving is just a wonderful meal to share with family and friends. Since both of our families are small, it is more relaxing than it is chaotic.

Here's Joe just hoping that his food isn't getting cold while we are taking pictures. By the way, he carved the turkey with a little help from Sharon. When we realized it was the first one he had ever carved, we were sorry we didn't get a picture of him!!

Sharon and Joe toasting to the day.

Ellen and Paul (Sharon's husband) just waiting to dig in.

We hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving, too. We don't plan to do too much shopping on Black Friday. Ellen has been sick. All the germs that visit her office finally got to her. But not to fear, we will make it to a store or two....or three! :o) (Actually, it was four.) Good luck to everyone on their Christmas shopping! Don't you just love this time of year?? We love it.

Nichole, last year do you remember that you and your mom decorated Sharon's Christmas tree while she and Michael went computer shopping? We needed you again this year. Until next time . .....

Finally--The Last of the Nevada Notes!

Hello, Everybody! As we write this, we have just returned from a little Black Friday shopping. It was a little because Ellen has had a terrible viral infection for the last few days. (Thank you, little kids at school!)

The following several photos are just of the area. We thought you might like to view the scenery. This one is from their back yard. It had snowed on top of their mountain. It was lovely, just lovely.This was our view as we drove up into the mountains on our way to Lake Tahoe. It was stunning. By the way, Ellen's new knee allowed her to get out of the car and RUN (yes, RUN) across the road with Jason to take this picture.

There are lots and lots of cows in this part of Nevada!

This is a little church in their little town.

Isn't he pretty? This duck thought we might feed him, so he swam over to us. This was in South Lake Tahoe, California.

Just a sightseeing boat at the dock-we think it was the location of a party the night before because they were removing tables and chairs when we arrived.This ski run ends up in town!! This must be a dream for anyone who skis or snowboards!! (Joe, we hope you and your friends can get there sometime soon.) We went by the Marriott. They had a ski lift that picked up the skiers right in their lobby! It was the coolest thing to see.
This pier was right outside the restaurant where we had lunch on Sunday.

Can you imagine standing on the sandy beach of Lake Tahoe and seeing snow- capped mountains in the distance? This was our view from the table in the restaurant.

More pictures of the Lake and the mountains. . . .

This is called Emerald Bay. The Hearst Castle is tucked away amid the trees.

Finally, a picture of Paula AND Jason!

We can only imagine the beauty! This one we may see again on a Christmas card! Paula and Jason were gracious hosts for these two old ladies. We had a great time, and we thank them for showing us around their area. It is truly a little bit of Heaven. By the way, their anniversary is on the 27th. They have been married for fourteen years. Happy Anniversary, Paula and Jason.

We are sorry it has taken us so long to get all of this posted. No excuses....we are old, we work, and we get tired!! :o)

Until next time. . . . . . .....

And Now--Part Three !

Hello, Everybody! It is Thanksgiving Day as we write this. We are sorry that it has seemed to take forever to post pictures from our trip. At any rate, we hope that you have many blessings for which to be thankful. We do.


This first picture is a picture of Paula's den/living room. The two towels on the end of the sofa are there because we were expecting the delivery of their new refrigerator. We wanted to put the towels down over the threshold as they came into the house.

We wanted to show you a picture of the two granddogs as they lay sleeping. They are brother and sister, and sometimes that is just how they act. At other times they look like "angel dogs."

This next two pictures were taken soon after we arrived at Paula's home. She had taken the afternoon off to be there when we got there.

More people think that Paula is Ellen's daughter rather than Sharon's. Oh, well, Sharon doesn't care since she knows who laid on the couch for many months when she was pregnant.

After relaxing just a bit at Paula's, she took us to school so she could catch up on a few things. Here she is in her office.

After visiting her school we went back home where Paula began making our dinner. She made some delicious chicken enchilada's.

As you can tell from this next picture, Ellen's culinary skills were called for as she peeled and chopped fresh garlic. Sharon got the task of peeling the onions. (Oh, joy!) Of course, we had to have a little glass of wine during the preparations!

The next day Jason and Paula took us next door to their subdivision to a golf resort located on several lakes. It has a beautiful place called Antochi's which is a supper club.

As you can tell from the next couple of pictures, this place was beautifully decorated. The food was just as delicious as the surroundings were gorgeous.

We just had to get a picture of this bar and lounge area.

Did we get a picture of the food, you ask? Why, NO, NO, we didn't. We always take pictures of the food, but didn't even think of it here until it was too late. This next picture shows another lounge area.

Ellen took this shot of Paula and her mom outside the restaurant in a hallway. It was lovely.

Here we have Ellen and Sharon in what has become a familiar pose to Ellen watchers.

What you see next is a cute little carved momma bear with her cub. This is located outside a restaurant that we went to for lunch.The restaurant is called The Beacon. It is located right on Lake Tahoe, in South Lake Tahoe, CA. It was beautiful. More pictures of the scenery will follow in another blog entry.

After a hard afternoon of shopping at the mall in Reno, we ended up at this little winery/tasting bar. It is tucked away in the corner of the mall. Isn't that convenient? We rested a bit and then headed home.

If you made it to the end of this entry, God Bless You! Until next time . . . . ........

Are You Ready for Part Two?

Hello, Everybody! Just in case you were wondering how we got to Paula's house after we landed at the Reno/Lake Tahoe Airport, this is what we had waiting for us. It was a really nice ride, and Sharon had no trouble getting into it. In fact, she just turned around and sat down in it just like a car. It was very nice. Paula drives a Volvo CR3 SUV, and she didn't have any trouble getting into it, but the Toyota 4Runner that Jase drives is a little bit more difficult to pull up into; however, Sharon managed just fine. By the way, Ellen's new knee worked just great the whole trip.

Below is a picture of the fall display, that Paula had outside her home. (Note the Red Raider Rock!)

This is a picture of the home in which they live .

Here is a picture of Sharon and Paula in the backyard of their home. Did you ever have a principal that looked like this? We didn't! (Ellen's were always nuns, and Sharon's were always old men!)

This next picture shows one of the places we went for lunch. It is a great little bistro tucked away on a very unassuming little street. It was just the perfect place to rest our legs after visiting a few boutiques in the town. . .and to give us the energy to go for the rest of the afternoon!

Now we have Ellen and Sharon doing our favorite thing. We really didn't drink all that much wine. It just seems like every time we went out, someone took a picture.

Ellen and Paula were having a good time, also. Paula really appreciates the fact that Ellen takes such good care of her mom. Sharon appreciates that, and tries to show that. (She does!!)

You knew that we would take a picture of lunch, didn't you? (Hee, hee!)

Ellen has many talents, and among those, you see below. She used to own a flower shop. People at school even bring flowers to her and request her expertise in arranging them.

A short time later, we left for another wonderful restaurant called Adele's. Oh my! But that and our Thursday evening dinner will be another entry!

Until next time. . . . . . ........

And We're Off!

Hello, Everybody! This is the first installment of our wonderful trip to Northern Nevada. We arrived early Wednesday morning, Nov. 7 th. Ellen dropped Sharon off with the luggage, and then took the car to the Sheltered Parking. They then dropped her off back at the airport where Sharon was waiting (and shaking, and shaking). Everyone at US Airways was wonderful. The personnel from the airline and the skycaps took care of every little detail. Because Sharon was in a wheelchair, we were taken to the front of the security line both going and coming home. It was great to bypass those lines!!

Don't let that smile fool you! By now the anti-anxiety med was kicking in. Ellen could have told her that the plane just crashed, and she would be sitting there saying that everything was just fine!

I think Sharon was shaking a little bit when she took this picture!

This is a picture of Regina. She was the flight attendant on our flight from Phoenix to Reno. This is when we flew first class. Every time the glass of chardonnay got a little low, she would show up with another one. She said there was a little siren in the galley that would go off and say, "Getting low on Chardonnay!" She helped Sharon stay calm.

This is Ellen before the plane took off. (She's thinking about plastic surgery on her left eye to keep it open for pictures!) Joe, I don't think you could have helped this eye!

Sharon and her first glass!

Sharon was sitting next to the window. She got brave enough to look out and take a picture of Lake Tahoe as we flew over.

We arrived just a short time later. The flights were sooooo smooth! Nichole had told Ellen to take Ginger tablets or Ginger Chews for motion sickness. Nichole said they work great and of course they don't make you sleepy like dramamine does. Thanks, Nichole! They did work great!

(They even work good on an upset stomach -- instead of using Pepto Bismal, etc!)

Until the next installment. . . . . . . . .

Ready Or Not, Here We Go!

Hello Everyone!

As you can see, the countdown clock is to the final hours! Our suitcases are packed and ready for the car. Ellen will be picking up Sharon in just a short time and then we will head to the airport. Sharon checked us in and printed our boarding passes yesterday afternoon. We are both very excited about seeing Paula and Jason. Paula is going to take the afternoon off so that she will be home when we get there. She has promised us snacks and liquid refreshments! We will take lots of pictures and share them with you after we return home. Wish us well on our latest adventure! Up, up and away we go!!!


Until next time. . . . . . . . .

Trial Run!

Hello, Everybody! Today, after church, Ellen decided she was going to take Sharon on a trip to the airport. Sharon was a RELUCTANT passenger! Ellen had the keys to the car, so Sharon couldn't do anything about it. We stopped for lunch at one of our favorite places. (Sorry, Nichole, no pictures of our food!) We were on a mission. After lunch, we headed down the street to the airport which was only a few blocks away.

Upon arrival at the airport, we went to the US Airways' counter. One of our Polk moms was working there, and we waited to talk to her. She also happens to be a former Polk Panther herself. Sharon only had her for the fun stuff--music. She answered all of Ellen's questions. (Sharon didn't know enough to even ask one thing!) She told us exactly what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Then she told us to wait a minute; whereupon, she went to another section of her counter, and came back with the news that she had upgraded us to First Class! Wasn't that sweet? She also filled out the necessary paper work for Sharon to have a wheelchair at both airports. You just never know what former students can do for former teachers.

We forgot to mention that at the Christmas Fair yesterday, there were two vendors from Plainview, Texas. Just to show you what a small world it really is--there were over 150 merchants there. We stopped at one of the booths called "Yellow Daisy Crafts". Sharon asked the lady there if she lived in Plainview, and then told her that her sister lived there. She knew Janice, and talked about always seeing her at the "Far East" restaurant. The other vendor was Copeland's Clay. They were very busy and we didn't take the time to ask them if they knew Janice.

Tomorrow is Monday. Our countdown clock continues, and Sharon's heart continues to beat faster, and faster, and FASTER! Here's hoping the medicine works! Pray for us both. Ellen will need all of the help she can get just to get Sharon on the plane. Until next time . . . . . . .......

A Christmas Fair and Puppy Presents

Hello, Everybody! We hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Today (Saturday) we went downtown to the Civic Center for the Junior League Annual Christmas Fair. What fun we had!



There were more booths this year than usual. (At least it seemed like it.) There were the usual things that you would expect such as candle places, jewelry places, food mixes, children's things, clothing, etc. You get the picture, I am sure. Half the fun of going to fairs like this is seeing so many of your friends. By the time we had gone about halfway through the fair, we had so many things that we decided to take them to the car, eat a little lunch, and get a little rest all at the same time. Ellen has the neatest backpack that she packed with cheese, deli turkey, crackers, yogurt, strawberries, water, AND (you guessed it) a glass of Chardonnay. We ate in the car parked on the second lower level of the parking garage. We listened to beautiful music, and it was very relaxing. As you have probably guessed by now, we try to thoroughly enjoy whatever adventure or misadventure we find ourselves in!



After that brief respite, we headed back to the fair. We got our jewelry cleaned, bought several different items for Christmas, and bought Sharon's granddogs a little present. Here is a picture of the little Texas Tech bandanas for them to wear. Aren't they cute? We will try to get a picture of them next week wearing them. Jaxon and Sedona won't know how much fun they are going to have when the Grandmothers come to visit.



Ellen bought them some special treats. By two o'clock in the afternoon, we were exhausted. We headed for home where we promptly took a nap. Sharon's nap was longer than Ellen's. (That is because Sharon is much older. Hee, hee.)

After that, we just enjoyed the rest of the day. Ellen prepared a wonderful dinner, and we watched a little football on television. We hope you enjoyed your Saturday as much as we did. Now we have to get really serious about packing for our trip to Nevada. The countdown clock is driving Sharon bananas. It won't be long now. Until next time. . . . . . . . . .

It's November Already!

Hello, Everybody! Wow, what a week this has been! Happy Friday to you all.


We finished screening those darling little kinders this week. The last class we screened was absolutely the best. We had no idea that we were saving the best for last. It is amazing to us both that there can be so many differences in five year olds. They have had such different life experiences up to this point in their lives. You can already tell just who is going to be on top of the world. We can also tell how successful they will be by just watching their interactions with each other. Ellen is going to look today at just how many little ones we have helped to get glasses.When they come back in for rescreening, it is just wonderful to see the smiles on their faces when they can see what they could not before. We have screened a total of 474 children. There were 32 who failed the vision screening. Out of those, 23 have already gotten glasses.

Halloween came and went without incident around our neighborhoods. We didn't even have very many trick or treaters.

You can tell by the countdown clock that it won't be long before we take off for Nevada. Can you say, "Heart Palpitations?"

Tomorrow is the Junior League Christmas Fair! Guess where we are planning to spend our Saturday, when we really should be getting our things ready for our trip! Have a good night. We are off to bed! Until next time. . . . . .......