21!

August 5th, we celebrated Holly's 21rst birthday! We actually began the celebration on the 4th with dinner out and cake....then it carried over into the 5th with a little surprise breakfast before we headed out to Shreveport, LA. It takes over 3 hours to get there, though I didn't time it, it seems closer to 4 in my estimation, but it's worth the trip. We stayed at the Isle of Capri, which has now changed it's name (and soon it's theme) to Diamond Jacks, after a stop at the Cracker Barrel (Holly's favorite) for lunch. We swam in the hotel pool, which was very nice, then put Holly's new age to use in the casinos. We ran some money through the slot machines, and SOME of us were more successful than others, though success=just about breaking even for most, with a few bucks extra for spending)....the experience was what we were going for. We got it....WE also hit up the all you can eat buffet, and ate pretty much "all we could eat." Then we played around in the jacuzzi in the room, which was huge! This morning we got up and went to the pool (the third time in a swimsuit in less than 24 hours)....then drove home via a stop in Tyler for bbq and ice cream (another of Holly's favorites).

Inflation

Today I went to Six Flags.....so I don't overshadow this bit of info, the summary of that was it was a relaxing (hot) day, but I got to do and see (and eat) some of my favorite things (I love the Spongebob 4D 'ride'!), they have over 10 new rides this year, thanks to a bunch of Six Flags around the country closing. BUT I'm so glad I was prepared by Holly for the price of parking=FIFTEEN dollars! Just a few years back it was 8, which was outrageous, but in addition to that, 15 pays for the 'cheapest' parking....way out where the TRAM comes to get you! To get close enough to the Park to HEAR it, much less SEE it (maybe I stretched that a BIT, but I think it makes more of an impact!) you have to pay 20, or 30 for 'premium.' Six Flags is great, but it's not Disneyworld! I think that's the last 15 dollars they will be getting out of ME for quite some time.....The ticket prices have almost doubled as well, you would think that would cover it. On top of all of that, there are no longer guys who direct the traffic to the next lane....so they cut employees, raised prices and segregated parking sessions.....nuts! Whew, it's just a good thing I'm filthy rich.....ha ha ha, I sit around all day laughing at the clever little jokes I tell myself!

Artistic Differences....

Tonight the Mariams came over for Jody's birthday for a cookout....amidst a really yummy meal I mentioned a frustrating experience I've been having recently with MUFFIN.....I've set up a table to start on my scrapbooks (with the end of summer looming ahead) and she WON'T MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. When I pull her off, she pops back up, slapping that tail (note the tail moving in this picture as well) and refusing to move....annoyed that I would DARE enter HER space. Hello, doesn't she see the pictures, the stickers, the glue sticks? I'm about to paste her little butt down to a page if she doesn't get out of my way. So far I just have two hairy pages accomplished and the table has been up for over a week (those of you with cats understand how something that weighs ten pounds can out smart, out last and out wit you each step of the way). Aunt Lois suggested she wanted her picture taken because she doesn't get enough spot lighting on my blog....so here Muffin is HELPING. This evening I laid out the beginnings of page number three and when I came back all the pieces were knocked on the floor, despite the threats to life I imparted on her fuzzy head before I left the room. It's not even that she CAN'T sit on the table, it's just that I'd like just a little piece of the six foot table for MYSELF. In a side note, some of you may not know this, but Muffin's Mom is Holly's kitty. Recently, during a daring acrobatic trick that involved a nap on a high counter in a box wavering on the edge her Mom, Lindsey had a little accident, she didn't land on her feet, and she ended up breaking her leg. I went by today to see her little shaved leg and stitches, carrying gifts (in the form of canned tuna). She's so sad looking and yet so cute in her little cone blue head collar (to prevent her from licking her stitches), as the vet said, she looks like a little blue flower :O( Maybe this is what is causing Muffin to be so obstinate....but how do you explain the stubborn attitude during the other 15 years of her life?

Misunderstood....

You know I really have a problem with the fact that I feel my dogs are misunderstood. They have such a bad reputation with my family and friends, but I want to know how many of you look this cute sitting on my couch? Lilly is sprouting wings she's such an angel. I think YOU guys are a bad influence on MY dogs, not vise versa! I tell them all the time they are little angels just 'thrown' down from heaven (they are dogs so they don't really grasp the meaning behind thrown versus falling). Marie, this ones for you, I think this covers the dog quota for awhile!

Roughing It.

This weekend I went camping with my Mom, Holly, Jason, Tonya, Taylor and Xavier. We headed out to Tyler State Park (about two hours from here), which I have been to a million times before, but it was a 'million' years ago when the earth was cooling and I was much younger! Mom, Holly and I have put in our time in a tent, so we got a shelter this time (but we still slept on the floor) and the rest pitched a tent on the site. Mom, Holly and I pretty much swam, ate, swam, ate, swam, ate and walked all weekend, and the others did a lot of the same, with the inclusion of fishing and boating on their agenda....I'm attaching a link to a little slide show if you'd like to see evidence of this weekend's journey. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZMmrNw0YsmLtA It hasn't rained here in way too long, but it poured all weekend in Tyler, it was such a relief, and we had plenty of sun for swimming, but the rain was so nice to see, and it really kept things cooled off, though the lake was still comfortably warm from the same heat we have been getting, and very low because of the drought! P.s. Last night our site was invaded by raccoons...they were climbing a tree to get to our trash until Holly and I bravely walked to the dumpster to toss it, but they were cute....just a little too loud!

This ones for Marie....

the picture....not the dog! She requested more pictures of the dogs (the whole slide show dedicated to them wasn't enough-that's my kind of friend).....here is Lilly's summer position....in bed, under the fan with the ac blowing on her.....life is "ruff"....that's so lame I ALMOST had to delete it!