9/25/2010 So Long Missouri….

Today we say so long to the great state of Missouri. Its time to move on in our trip west.

We were on the road around 10:30 this morning after settling our electric bill. As I mentioned before this is a Passport America park and we stayed here for half of the normal price but in this particular park we were responsible for the electric we used. We stayed here four nights, used our A/C off and on, ran the TV, radio, computers, fridge and freezer, I vacuumed and of course we used the lights. Our electric bill was $7.00. This made this Queen of Cheap very happy. So for $47.00 we got to spend four days in this area. Not bad, not bad at all. Again, if ever in Neosho, MO. I suggest you check out Stage Stop Campground. I really don’t think you’ll be sorry.

We had an easy run to our next stop in Kansas. Some of the scenery we saw as we rolled on down the highway.

We had clear roads until we got within a few miles of McConnell Air Force Base, our next stop. We just couldn’t figure out why people were lining the streets, sitting in lawn chairs, on blankets, on the trunks of cars and filling every parking lot we could see. It wasn’t until we got a little closer that we saw the electric signs showing the way to Air Show Parking. AHA,,,an Air Show. Figures we get here at the end of the day and miss it.

We got on base with no problems but missed a turn in order to check in for our site in the FamCamp. Traffic was so bad and towing 38 feet of house behind you didn’t make the task any easier. I finally got on the phone and called the office and asked if we could just go to the site and check in later as the traffic is so bad and we just want to get off the roads. They certainly could see our point as they could look out the window and see the tons of traffic clogging the roadways. They gave us our site number and we made our way to the FamCamp. Now we’ve been in FamCamps for nearly every branch of the service and most of them are more than satisfactory and Air Force does seem to have the best. However, this one must be the oldest FamCamp there is. It’s only ten sites, they are close together side by side and there isn’t full hookups. Just water and electric but a dump station is at the end of the row. We have been told that a new FamCamp is being built on the grounds of a golf course here that is no longer used. You can bet when its done that it will be state of the art and very nice because that’s just the way the Air Force flies. In the meantime we’re packed in here like sardines but in the long run it doesn’t matter because we’re either not here or in the house anyway.

I’m looking forward to hitting the Commissary because I’ve been using up things and the cupboards are about bare. No, not about, they are bare.

After dinner we were watching TV (we went to the Commissary to just get a few things in for a couple of days) when all of a sudden we heard this noise. Let me retype that,,,,we heard THIS NOISE! Bob turned the TV down and we listened. What in the world could that be???? Then it stopped. A little while later, we heard it again. We’re starting to panic, this is a new rig, is something wrong? Is it gonna blow? We just didn’t know where is very loud noise was coming from. Bob went outside but by the time he hit the ground it was gone. We just couldn’t figure it out. About twenty minutes later it was back. I ran outside and could hear it but couldn’t tell what it was but knew that it wasn’t coming from the rig. I went to one of our neighbors and asked if they heard this strange noise and they said they too were baffled and thought their rig was gonna blow. They soon figured out that it was the nighttime portion of the Air Show and that we were listening to the presentation of an F-16 after burn! We didn’t think to go through the paperwork that we received when we checked in. It seems the Air Show is going on all weekend and we’ll get to see it tomorrow after all.

9/24/2010 The Pepsi Co. and Whole Lot of People…..

….me included, are doing our part in raising money for THE CURE! Doing our part in giving HOPE to the one in eight women that will have to fight the battle against breast cancer.

Yes, this cause is near and dear to my heart because my sister-in-law, Michelle, is now a seven year survivior.

Not only because we love them should we all join in the fight against breast cancer. They are vital, smart women who have a lot to contribute to our communities and to our very lives. Case in point, Michelle is a nurse practitioner in a children’s hospital. If the strides in research hadn’t been made she may not be here today to take care of your child. I don’t mean Michelle in particular but the many women who are nurses or teachers or business women who have an impact on our all lives.

She isn’t the only woman in my life who has had to fight the battle, some have won and some have lost. I feel the loss of those friends who have lost. Everyday. I’m sure every one of you who are reading this have in some way been touched by this horrible disease. You’ve lost family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors and list goes on. Maybe, just maybe we didn’t have to. Maybe if the funds had been there for even more research the CURE could have been found by now and if not the cure maybe just better treatments to give them, and us, more time.

We, you and me, have to take a part in this fight with our dollars. Michelle is going to once again walk the walk. She’ll be taking part in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on October 10th in Wilmington, Delaware. Would you please donate your dollars to the cause by supporting Michelle in this walk? You can make your tax deductible donations directly to her website through the American Cancer Society. CLICK HERE to be taken directly to her secure site.

Remember, breast cancer affects one in eight women. Count out eight women in your life on your fingers, one of them may be the one is going to get breast cancer. Help find the cure now.

Michelle is halfway to her goal and not a lot of time is left. This goal isn’t only important to Michelle, it should be important to all of us.

Please, join me in this fight against breast cancer. Last year you stepped up to the challenge and got involved. Do it again this year.

Do it for her……

and do it for HER!

JUST DO IT.

CLICK HERE

I know not all of you will contribute, maybe because of your own personal economic issues or maybe you have already generously contributed to the cause. There is something you can do anyway. Click on the button in my sidebar that has the pink ribbon. By clicking that button the American Cancer Society can make available free mammogram screenings to those who might otherwise not be able to afford one. In fact, click that button every time you come here to read this blog. You may just be responsible for a women finding out in time.

9/23/2010 Precious Moments

Around eleven this morning we all piled into our truck for our day’s adventure. First off, we had to find a “hubcap” for Don. We stopped at several RV dealerships so he could look through their parts departments for the hubcap this is missing on their 5th wheel. We didn’t have any luck in that department.

Next on our agenda was touring Precious Moments Chapel and Museum. Now I’m going to be honest here. When Don and LaVon first brought this up as something to do I thought to myself, “Oh No!” My first immediate thought was Bob is NOT going to enjoy this and I wasn’t crazy about the idea myself. Well! Am I ever glad we went! Bob really enjoyed it too. Who woulda thought!

As we walked in from the parking lot one can’t help but noticed how nicely the grounds are kept and the flowers.

When we entered the first thing we saw was a Christmas display.

Oh no, its only September, this is much too soon! As it turns out this display is up all year round as right behind it is the Precious Moments Christmas shop. Whew, I felt better.

We are only four of the 400,000 that will visit this year. It all started more than thirty years ago, when Precious Moments creator Sam Butcher began drawing the adorable doe-eyed children he called "Precious Moments" as gifts for family and friends.

What started out as posters, note cards, greeting cards and other paper goods soon turned into the ceramic empire that it is today. In 1978 the first twenty-one figurines was introduced and the response was overwhelming and there was no looking back. Today there are thousands and thousands of collectors and clubs all over the world.

Passing through the lobby we walked into a large room where Precious Moments, doll sized and bigger than life sized were displayed.

This one is honor of the children lost in the Oklahoma City bombing.

We finished up in this first building and then walked back to the Chapel. As i said above, the grounds are just beautiful.

We could hear Christian music playing all around us.

We finally found ourselves at the Chapel just in time for the tour.

What we found inside was just beautiful. And amazing.

Sam Butcher, Precious Moments founder, painted this mural on the back wall of the Chapel over a 20 year period, just signing his name to it last year.

Every one of the figures in this mural is there for a reason or because of someone. There are none just for the sake of filling up space. Our guide said that just last year Mr. Butcher took notice of what had he painted dead center in the middle of the painting. The only figure in human form, Jesus with the children.

Just as each one of the figures in the mural above have meaning to the artist, so does each and every one of the Precious Moments figurines. For instance this one…..

…depicts a young person in a car and the sign the other one is holding says Going Home. This Precious Moment was created in honor of Mr. Butcher’s son, Philip, who died at an young age in an automobile accident.

This is the ceiling, painted while laying on scaffolding over a period of years.

At one point Mr. Butcher thought he just couldn’t paint anymore, he was discouraged and decided to quit. Of course he did go back to it and finish the job. Sometime later he realized that he hadn’t finished one of the figures and decided to leave it just as it was rather than go back and finish. Look in the center of the picture and you can see just the beginnings of a face.

There is a hallway just off the main room of the Chapel building that holds these beautiful stained glass windows.

Mr. Butcher drew the pictures and had a friend of his on one of the coasts, I forget which one, bring them to life in stained glass. When they were completed it was found that no company would take responsibility for shipping them for fear of breakage. There was no choice except for the window maker and his wife to bring them to Carthage, Missouri. They built special cases for them and delivered them many miles away to Carthage without so much as a chip in the glass. The window maker and his wife? Their marriage arrived intact too!

Done in this building, we walked back outside and found the playhouse for the Butcher children when they lived here on the grounds. Complete with moat!

On the grounds there was a natural cave. Today a Precious Moments angel sits in front of it. This cave represents the empty tomb of Jesus.

Two friends, happy to be together again.

We next went into the Museum on the grounds.

There we saw Debbie’s Dollhouse. Can you imagine????

So much detail that even the bricks or stones in the walkway around the house are heart shaped.

This is some dollhouse!

Here is a one of a kind Precious Moment. (I believe) It is in honor of 9-11 and it is inscribed beneath the fireman with the words

You are the wind beneath my wings.

As i mentioned earlier all the of the figurines are made for a reason. Mr. Butcher enjoyed the tales of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, soooo…..

A one of a kind Precious Moments clock. It was never produced after this one was made.

There is one special room in the Museum building that is dedicated to a special collector of these figurines.

Esther Everly of Illinois had lost her husband and only son (a Navy man) and started collecting Precious Moments as it seemed to fill a void within her. Now Esther, for some reason, always bought two of the figurines that she bought. When she heard that Sam Butcher was going to build this Chapel and Museum she wrote to him and offered him one half of her collection. Mr. Butcher was so moved that one of the collectors of his Precious Moments would so unselfishly make this offer that he invited her to the Chapel/Museum. A great friendship formed and one of the Precious Moments was made in honor of her son. A Navy sailor in his uniform with duffel bag and a heart with the name Jimmy on it.

The Esther Everly room….

I understand collecting something, but WHERE does one put all these things? Especially, if you have TWO of each one?

The early years when Precious Moments was paper products.

Today, there is Precious Moments,,,,,everything!

The gift shop is H U M O N G O U S! Ginormous! Really, really BIG! In addition to the Christmas shop is a baby shop, a wedding shop, a gardening shop and the main room selling the figurines, the many hundreds of different figurines and books, and keepsake cases and everything else you can imagine.

Were we glad we toured the Precious Moments Chapel and Museum? Oh, yes we are! If ever in the area, do stop and spend some time here, even if you aren’t a collector, its still worth your time.

Leaving Carthage, we headed to Joplin for dinner.

We had planned on eating at Olive Garden but on the way Don and LaVon saw Cheddars and raved about it. We quickly changed plans and turned in there.

We sat in front of the large aquarium. (LaVon and I thought there was just way too many fish in this space)

Don and I ordered steaks, LaVon had shrimp and Bob had salmon. Not one of us left a single morsel of food on our plates. We had never heard of Cheddars before but you can be assured that if we see one again, we’ll be going for lunch or dinner.

While the restaurant was nice, the food delicious, there just isn’t anything that could top the company. Bob and I so treasure our friendship with these two.

What a great day!

9/22/2010 LaVon and Don Arrive

We didn’t have to wait too far into the day for Don and LaVon to arrive at the Stage Stop Campground.

Yay…they’re here! Let the fun begin!

Bob helped Don get set up quickly and in the meantime LaVon came over to check out our new home. I’m pretty sure she liked it.

Soon after Don and Bob came over to our rig and Don got the fifty cent tour too. He also gave a thumbs up.

In the afternoon LaVon and I talked blogs, Blogger, pictures, family, full-timing, politics and an array of other things. Just like old times and I was lovin’ every minute of it.

Late afternoon we went picture takin’ around this quaint little campground we’re in.

Like I wrote yesterday, this is a small campground with only sixteen sites. It has a wild, wild west, stage coach stop kind of town theme to it.

There are several stagecoaches on the property. They didn’t seem too sturdy but maybe good enough for very small children photo ops only.

Horseshoe pits were available but we didn’t see anyone playing.

A really unique picnic table but I think the wooden planks should be replaced. Just a little too much sagging for my comfort.

This building houses the bathrooms/showers/laundry. All the windows are painted on but the door on the second floor, on the front. Real! There’s no opening to enter the building, the door is just there.

Another stagecoach.

No one standing in line for this building!

A view of this gem of a campground from the road.

Our two rigs, ours is on the right.

Flat tire?

The water hookups were set into wooden barrels and then filled with dirt and flower planted.

These flowers sure are healthy.

On the other hand, the tomato plants on our site, uh, not so much. We’re guessing that someone had just vacated our site and had been here for the season as tomato plants were planted. These poor plants were overrun with tomato worms!

Soon tummies were growling and it was time to find a place for dinner. Don knew this area and suggested a Mexican restaurant. So off to El Charro in downtown Neosho we went. Don and LaVon treated us to a delicious dinner!

The walls were decorated with paintings directly on the walls themselves.

Sometimes in conversation someone just doesn’t ask HER question clearly. Case in point. While waiting for our dinner to arrive we were all munching on warm out of the oven chips and salsa. LaVon asked me if I liked my salsa hot. I told her no, I preferred it COLD as I kept mine in the fridge. She cocked her head to one side, hesitated a second and repeated her question. I repeated my answer. She asked one more time, “Snookie, do you like your salsa hot?” Again, I answered, “No, I like mine cold.” She looked at Don, Don looked at her, they both looked at me and one more time she asked, “Do you like your salsa HOT? Ohhhh…..you mean hot versus MILD. Oh. I like mine medium. They looked at each other and just laughed.

I wish I had my camera ready when a waiter brought our dishes out to us. He had on an oven mitt that covered his arm to above the elbow and then had another large oven mitt laying on his arm from the top of the other to this shoulder. Lined up his arm were hot, HOT dishes, from his hand to his upper arm. I wonder how many dishes were dropped before he got that good in balancing the hot dishes from the kitchen to the dining room. It was really a sight to see.

We all ordered something different and I got a beef fajita. Bob says its my Mexican version of Chinese pepper steak. Actually these are the only dishes I’ll eat in the Mexican and Chinese cuisines. Regardless, it was absolutely delicious!

It was so hot when they brought it to me that when Don said grace I had to open one eye and look at him to see if his lips stopped moving because it was sizzling so loud I couldn’t hear him.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our dinners and the company even more. We are so happy to be able to spend this time with Don and LaVon again.