Labor Day Weekend

So, I know it has taken me a while, but better late than never, right??

I had a great Labor Day weekend in Branson, MO with my mom and Percie.

On our way!  Percie loves to go on trips and stay in hotels just as much as her mama and grandmama!

We left for Branson Saturday morning.  We stopped in Conway at Hobby Lobby on our way and found some awesome deals!  I also ran in Big Lots and found Percie a cute Halloween toy. 

She loves it!  Here she is at the hotel.

We got there just in time Saturday to spend a few hours at the pool.  It felt wonderful!  Then we got ready and went to eat at Cantina Laredo at the Branson Landing.

Here's mama at the restaurant.  We love Cantina Laredo!

After we ate an awesome meal we shopped until the Landing was closing.  I found some awesome deals!  I love shopping in Branson!

The only thing that wasn't necessarily enjoyable about Branson was the traffic!  Oh my!  It took us over an hour to go 4 miles.  I am not exaggerating.  The traffic was insane!  But, at least we didn't have any where we had to be at any specific time.  

Sunday we got up and went to the continental breakfast at our hotel.  It was not so great, so we decide we would go back to the room, get Percie, and run to McDonald's.  Well, like I said, the traffic was insane so I noticed the Waffle and Pancake House almost right across the street from our hotel.  We had Percie with us, so we couldn't go in and eat, but I went in and placed an order to go and we hung out in the car with Percie until it was ready.  When I went in to get our order I noticed a sign that said cash only.  All I had was my debit card.  Ugh!  It was almost 11 by this time and I was hungry!  The waitress told me that there was a Walgreens close by that had a ATM.    So, I walked to Walgreens and back in about 15 minutes.  It would have taken 2 hours to drive.  Paid for our breakfast.  And we headed back to the hotel.  We ate our breakfast at about 11:30 a.m.  Ha!  Even though the day started out rough, we ended up having a great afternoon!

We got ready and headed to the Tanger Outlet Mall.  I LOVE outlet malls!  We got some awesome deals!  Finding a parking place was interesting, but after we found a spot we walked the whole outlet mall.  Shopping is good exercise!  Ha!

After leaving the outlet mall we headed to Kringles Christmas Store.  It is a must while in Branson!  We walked around that shopping center for a little while and then ate supper at the Hard Luck Diner.  The food was great and the entertainment was fun!  All of the waiters and waitresses sing and dance while they wait tables.  

After supper, we headed back to the hotel to rest for a minute and spend some time with Perice.  The weather was absolutely awesome!  It was one of the first cool days of fall!  So, we decided to take Percie to the Landing to walk around.  Mama got a piece of cake from a cake place and I got some ice cream.  We sat outside, walked Percie for a while, and had a great time! 

Percie looked so cute in her pink striped dress and got tons of attention!

(Seems like I just took tons of pics of Percie Labor Day Weekend and no one else.)

Monday morning we decided to pack up our stuff and Percie and leave the hotel about 10.  We were hoping we could make it the 1 mile to McDonald's before they stopped serving breakfast at 10:30.  No lie!  We barely made it!  Ha!  Then we took Percie with us to the Red Roof Outlet Mall.  We just took turns going into stores.  Of course we found some awesome deals!  

We had a really god time and already have plans for our next trip!

Rae

September 11, 2001

The last 2 weekends have been great!  I can't wait to share.  But for now, I want to share my 9/11 experience.

On 9-11-01 I was 21 years-old and a senior at Arkansas State University.  I lived with 2 of my Delta Zeta Sorority sisters, Maranda and Julie, in a house in Jonesboro.  I had to be at work at 7:00 a.m. that morning to ride the van at the Pediatric Day Clinic.  I remember getting back from the van route and one of the teachers was crying saying she couldn't believe what happened.  If I remember correctly she was a little dramatic, so I just blew the situation off.  I do remember everyone looking a little freaked out.  

Just a few minutes later I left work, which was very close to campus, and went to my 9:30 a.m. class.  Abnormal Psychology.  It was an awesome group.  I loved that class!  I remember my professor coming in and turning on the TV in class and letting us watch the news coverage.  It wasn't until then that I finally figured out what that teacher at work was talking about.  (I can be a little slow sometimes, okay.  :) )  

I definitely thought I was a mature adult and totally understand what that day meant, but I didn't.  

My professor let us out of class.  I went to my house and I remember talking to Maranda.  I remember how upset she was.  We met at the house and stared at the TV for what seems like forever.  My parents were school teachers, so I never had the ability to talk to them in the middle of the day.  Well, unless it was an emergency.  While this was an emergency, there really wasn't much my mom or dad could do, so I didn't talk to them until after they got out of school. 

I remember Maranda talking to her mom (who was a manager at a gas station), and her telling Maranda and I to go get gasoline NOW because the price was about to jump.  I remember sitting that the gas station on Caraway in my white grand am forever!  (It was the gas station right by the exit ramp off the bypass, in front of the new movie theater-well, the movie theater was new then, anyway, if you were there you know what I am talking about.)

I remember sitting in line watching the gas prices rise.  I am pretty sure that is when things started to sink in.  It was pretty scary to watch the desperation in every ones faces.

Jonesboro was crazy!  So I just went home for the rest of the day.  

My other roommate Julie worked at the court house.  She drove by the Mosque on her way home from work everyday.  This day was no different, except someone shot out one of her back windows!  I'm telling you, people went crazy!  She does have very dark straight hair, so we are guessing someone thought she was middle eastern and decided to shoot out her back window??  Who knows, but luckily she was not hurt.  She pulled into the parking lot across the street and called 911.  The policeman said that who ever shot out her window used a pellet gun.  That is better than a gun that could have really hurt or killed her, but she was still very shaken up.  And rightly so!

I remember getting the phone call that there was going to be a candle light prayer vigil on campus that night and that we were all meeting in the sorority suite and going together.  I remember that so many of my sisters came that night.  I also remember how safe it felt to be in that suite with all of my sisters.  I may have been 5 hours from home and away from my family, but those girls were my family.  

I remember finding out that one of my sorority sisters (Candace) family members was on the flight that was supposed to hit the White House, but they fought back.  I remember that he called his wife and told her what was happening.  I remember hearing that there was a flight attendant from Arkansas on one of the flights.  I remember how close to home that made the attacks feel.

I never imagined that anyone in Arkansas would be directly affected by attacks in New York.  

I also remember that I had tickets to the Nickelback concert in Little Rock that next weekend and it got cancelled.  I was bummed!  (Oh the things that were important to me when I was 21!  ha!)

I remember that for the first time in my life being patriotic meant something.  I remember feeling that bond with everyone just because we were Americans.  I remember seeing the American flag every where and loving it!  

I also remember some crazy things like when watching the coverage on TV, there were pieces of paper every where!  Paper was lining the streets and flying through the air.  I remember how crazy that was to me.  Does anyone else remember insignificant things like that?

Where were you that day?

(Side Note:  I went out on my first date with my husband 3 months later.  Some good things did happen in '01!!)

Rae

August 2011

My goal was to be caught up on blogging before September, and I almost made it! 

August was another crazy busy month around here!

The first week in August we kept Joe's parents very old very blind Boston, Max.  I love Max!  He makes me laugh.  He actually gets around very well and learned our place pretty quick.  He loves to lay on Percie's dog bed.  In the picture above he got a little confused and climbed into Percie's dog toy basket instead of her dog bed!  Ha!  He was just happy not to be on the cold floor!

The first Saturday in August is always Joe's family reunion at the Spring River.  This is the only picture I took all day?? I don't know what has gotten into me lately!  At least it is a cute picture of my niece, Rylee, pretending to drive my car!

The next weekend, my niece, Mattilyn, had a soccer tournament in Little Rock.  I LOVE to watch her play soccer!  Side note:  I cannot believe that she is in high school now!  And I really cannot believe she is taller than me!  I was holding out hope that I would not be the shortest female in my family, but it looks like I get to keep my status.  Oh well.  And another side note:  I almost think we favor in this picture and I have never thought that before!  Is it just me??

Anyway, it was great to see her and her team won Grand Champion! (Against a 16 year-old team.....they are 14)

I also got my new tags for my car!  Yay!  Gotta support my Red Wolves!  (Even though when I went to ASU we were the Indians.)

In August we also had the Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new Residence Hall (aka where I live).  It was a crazy busy fun day!  There were hundreds of people who came to tour the new building (and our apartment). I really had a lot of fun!  And I could breath after it was over because everything was moved in, unpacked, put away, and the apartment was clean!  Ha!

The Saturday all of the students moved into the new dorm, I went to Jonesboro to take my niece shopping for her birthday!  I can't believe she is six!  We had a great time, of course.  We like a lot of the same things and she is a great shopper!  I would definitely trust her to pick out my clothes!  

And she got a feather!  She was so excited!!

Last Friday, my sorority sister and very good friend, Liz, came to Beebe to show us all the new awesome jewelry she is selling!  I enjoyed hosting a Guy and Eva Jewelry party!  Liz is the only rep in Arkansas, and you should really check out their stuff!  It is SO cute!  (and inexpensive!)  I can't wait to get my new jewelry in!

Last weekend was actually Joe's weekend off, so we left Saturday morning to spend a day/night in Trumann with his parents.  We had a great time!  and Joe got to relax and sleep!  This is Percie and Missy sleeping after a full day of playing!  They love each other!

And here is Max (you know, the very old very blind Boston) sleeping in his chair!  He has always loved that chair!  Ha!

Now that I'm all caught up, I hope to be back every Monday night with weekly updates!  (It's my goal anyway.)

Rae