MIA in blogland

I have otherwise been preoccupied spending time with my mom, dad & grandmother, who drove over 2000 miles to see me. Ok, they came to see the kidlets & the Mr. too. I'm tickled at waking up every morning, & knowing they're right downstairs. And here are a few of the things we've been up to...

•We spent an afternoon antiquing, where I was surprised with getting to pick out 4 mismatched chairs for our dining table. (I'm so spoiled!) 

•My dad took me & the girls to a Monster Truck Show. (25 years ago he took me & a friend to a Monster Truck/Big Foot Show at the New Orleans Superdome.) What fun to relive good times with him, Zoey & Pazely! It was loud & awesome & there are interesting people that attend those types of events. People watching at its best.

•I got to take my mom & grandmother (& the girls, of course) to Cody Park, where they sell the best soft serve cones on the planet. I finally got to see that life-size bronze statue of Buffalo Bill & we walked around & read where each flag on his Wild West Tour was from. The highlight of the visit to the park was all of us riding the antique horse carousel. My 90 year old grandmother said that she is pretty sure she hasn't ridden on a horse carousel in about 80 years. (We didn't prop her up on a horse though. We ladies sat on a lower carriage with bench seating.) 

•We ventured out to Fort Cody Trading Post & had a blast! The highlight for me was the funhouse mirror propped up near the back door. We couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous we all looked! And now I'm pretty sure I need one. And then there's the 20,000 piece, hand-carved miniature replica of a Wild West Show. It took one couple 12 years to make it! It was animated too! Runs every 30 minutes. My mom & Zoey said that was their favorite thing. And there's also a 2 headed calf. Pazely loved the animal pelts hanging on the wall. Her favorite to touch was the skunk. Nice. My dad said he loved it when we left. haha!!!! It really was fun though! We got our souveniers & headed across the street to a Ruby Tuesday restaurant where we munched on supper & had the waitress keep bringing out more of their amazing little cheesy bread rolls. (So tasty!!)

•We put aside our Saturday sleepin-in to go to the North Platte Farmers Market & also the Whistle Stop Outdoor Market, where we picked up produce, jams, jellies, cookies, breads, pastries & muffins.

•We decided we should like to see Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park (where Buffalo Bill Cody's 1880's Victorian house still stands) & also the Golden Spike Tower (which rises 8 stories above the Union Pacific's 2,850 acre Bailey Yard, the world's largest train yard.) 

As many of you know, we arrived only 2 weeks to our new town of North Platte before my family from Washington showed up. I've been having so much fun playing tourist with them & getting familiar with the ins & outs of this place. I am so happy to have my house full of the people I love. (And it'll even be more full of happiness when Susan & her Mr. arrive for a short overnight visit this Friday!)

Though playing tourist is oodles of fun, I admit that I mostly love just hanging at the house with the parentals & the grandmother. My mom taught me how to make coffee, so our days usually start out with me brewing a pot to wake the sleepyheads. There's been regular errands to the grocery store, the post office, the bank. And making dinners & suppers in the kitchen together. And visiting while laughing our heads off. And card playing. And cozy couch chats. And dropping the girls off at school in the morning & picking them up in the afternoon. 

I just like all that regular stuff the best. 

I'm soaking up every minute, because after they leave I don't know when I'll get to see them next. 

I get them for one more week! Pardon me while I go missing again...

♥