Trying to Stay Current

Wednesday through Friday is sort of a blur.  We did laundry at Kara’s, ate at a Mexican restaurant with them on Friday night and after church on Saturday, our granddaughter Ally and her husband came over to Kara’s for pizza.  Kelly and Pat were in Cincinnati attending a Marriage Encounter Conference.  They are the Detroit Diocese leaders.  On Sunday, Ted went shooting, Kara and I went shopping for baby gifts and Bill had to work.  We all met back at the RV for dinner.  We are enjoying what we consider nice weather though the locals are still complaining about the heat.  Everything is relative!

Monday I was under the weather and we just stayed here in the park.  I felt fine Tuesday morning though, so we set out to redo the baby shower gifts.  The bed and dresser I planned to buy isn’t needed until Ally and Bidkar move to a 2 bedroom apartment so right now the car seat is of utmost importance.  You can’t take your baby home in a car without one,  Hmmm ... at $300 a crack I wonder how that plays out!  

Anyway, Ted, Kara and I all signed up for the Buy, Buy (isn’t that the truth!) Baby 20% off coupon.  We found the car seat ($300), the second base for the second car ($129) and the stroller ($300) at the store in Utica.  I only mention the price because 20% becomes significant!  Since I signed up for both of us using two different emails, but from the same computer, only one worked!  Kara’s was obtained earlier and had expired!  Plan B, stand at the checkout and find more coupons.  I used my Retail Me Not app and snagged one that worked.  I took Ted’s phone and just went directly to the site and hit another one that worked!  Savings $146!

While they loaded the three huge boxes into the truck I asked the lady who wheeled them out what happened to the $5 umbrella strollers we used for our kids.  She laughed and said "I know, crazy isn’t it?"  Anyway, we will address the bed later but I had to come home and rearrange my gift bag.  I had also purchased a book and an outfit so I took the tissue off the dollhouse furniture, put the registry paper with the three items circled and the receipt into the book and used the tissue to wrap that and the outfit.  I think I am good to go now!

We took the boxes to Kara’s and used the code to open the garage and put the boxes inside.  We had no room in the RV.  I found a WW studio with open hours so we decided to stop and get my July weigh-in over with.  I thought I was okay but I wasn’t quite sure like I am at home.  Woohoo!  I was 2.6# under goal.  Now I am good until August 31.  I think I will weigh in BEFORE Hilton Head though.

We came home but eventually went back into town to have dinner with a cousin of Bill’s who we know and had lost her husband not too long ago.  We had a great meal and a long visit.  I ordered a low points meal and celebrated my 2.6# cushion with a small dish of Ray’s chocolate malt crunch ice cream!  Ray’s is a Detroit institution located in Royal Oak.  It sure tasted good.  

Wednesday we had Kara’s family back out for dinner.  The weather had cooled down to the 70s so we had a fire and s’mores for dessert.  Morgan just received her learner’s permit so she and Bill drove for 22 minutes around the park.  There is an app on his phone that tracks her drive time!  They stayed until the whole bundle of wood had been consumed.  It was getting dark when they left for home.

Grand Lake St. Mary State Park

Sunday morning we left for Celina, OH.  We were going to arrive before Dan and Sue arrived back from a shooting weekend so we were in no hurry.  Imagine our surprise when we pulled in to see a huge beautiful pool added last year to the campground.  We put on our suits and went for a swim.  Later we drove to Dan’s and rode together to a restaurant for dinner.  Ted and Dan were shooting on Monday.

Sue and I were going to Winner’s butcher shop in Versailles and then back to the park to swim.  I bought some chicken wings that comes with “fixins” that we had at the graduation party.  You sprinkle, then grill them.  Turn them over and sprinkle again!  We must have gone through hundreds at the party.  I also bought some pot roast, all cooked and in containers.  Oh so good!  Open faced roast beef sandwiches were on the menu for dinner that night.

Sue and I were in the pool until there was thunder and a flash of lightning and they blew the whistle for everyone to get out of the pool.  That was it!  No rain, no more thunder or lightning, the sun stayed out!  We changed clothes, got some sides together to go with our sandwiches and ate outside when the fellows returned.  We said our goodbyes about 9:30 and they left for home.

Tuesday was travel day again.  I-75 is under construction from Florida to Michigan so we took state highways instead.  Boy could we tell we crossed into Michigan!  We thought Arkansas was bad.  All the roads have been bad but those first few miles up Michigan 23 was like an honest to goodness washboard.

We have been fortunate that things have stayed put inside despite the bucking and bouncing!  I am real careful that I remember to secure the closet door, medicine cabinet, shower doors, put the TV and antenna down, bungee cord the dish cabinet doors and Velcro the refrigerator handles.  Now we have to take down the clock too!  Even Velcro didn’t hold it up.  Sounds like a lot but takes less than 5 minutes.

Bill and Kara were going to come out for dinner but the weather looked iffy.  It had sprinkled all day so we met in Rochester for dinner.  The kids were with their Dad.  They both had long work days so we didn’t linger long.

Wednesday was finally a day for us to relax.  We went to check on a campground in Lapeer, MI but it was a horrendous place.  Not much more than a gravel parking lot with coaches cheek to jowl in a line.  No thank you.  We stopped at Kroger for a few things and then came home where I was able to stream The Bachelor on my IPad.  This gal was “loose” throughout the whole show and I don’t hold out hope for anything to last no matter who she chooses.

Today Bill and the kids came out for a quick visit.  Kelly, Pat and Cassie are coming for dinner but not until 7:00.  I made beans, fruit salad, cucumbers, and sliced tomatoes to go with the burgers and brats plus strawberry shortcake for dessert.  Kara is off tomorrow and asked us to come in.  Yeah!  I can strip the bed and take the laundry in to her house.

No photos but more things will be happening!  Stay tuned.

Let’s Give This Another Shot

We returned to the RV on Sunday and left Monday to attend Lynn’s funeral in Cleveland.  It was so, so sad to bid someone so young farewell.

It did give us a chance to see several relatives but we prefer better circumstances.  We left immediately following the Mass, burial was private.

That evening we had dinner with a group of friends who were classmates of mine in grade school.  That is always a fun time.  I didn’t take a picture though.

Wednesday we visited, overlooking the city, from my brother’s recently purchased condo.  Then we had dinner in the restaurant in the building, scoring a window seat to continue the view as the city lights came on. Spectacular!  We spent over six hours just visiting and enjoyed the evening so much.

Thursday we finally got our new microwave glass plate that I had shipped to my friend Judy.  Everyone on both sides of the family had been away from home so I asked if Judy and Joe were going to be around.  They gladly agreed to the UPS drop drop off and brought the plate for the turntable over.  We had a lots of laughs during a great visit and dinner in west Harrison.

Somewhere along the line we shopped at Sam’s to stock up on our Cincinnati favorite foods,  I did some laundry, we shopped at Gabe’s and had dinner at Skyline chili!

I am afraid to go to my weigh-in with all this eating out, but Saturday was another Cincinnati must, LaRosa‘s Pizza, but  with a group of Mercy high school class of ‘63 friends.  So much fun catching up after 56 years!

After attending Mass in the afternoon, we drove to Bellevue, KY, across the River to see a group, The Belaires, perform.

The Belle of Cincinnati quietly slipped past, her paddle turning, as we listened to the concert.  Afterwards there was a fireworks display and it was rather late when we returned home.

At Wits End with This Blog

I will keep this short and sweet because this “no longer supported” site is driving me crazy!

Our week in photos

The 4th of July weekend at Elk Lake

Ted holding Graham who climbed up in his lap and gave him a kiss.

Swimming around the boats.

The water park Tim built for the little ones. Dumping bucket, spouting dolphin, elephant and bears.

The rest were taken on Saturday at Ed’s house where we celebrated our godson Dustin’s college graduation.

Ark Photos

Oops! Photos Didn’t Load

The weekend weather was hot but no rain after a big storm on Thursday night took down some large trees!  Everyone had a terrific time and Saturday’s dinner in our red and white private tent was delicious!

Everyone had to be out by 10 am on Sunday.  Ted and I took Karen to Mass at 8:30 while Ronnie got their things together.  She got out of our car and into Dan’s and off they went.  We were staying until Monday so we went to Bowling Green KY with Kelly, Pat, Kara, Bill, Morgan and Sam.  We hiked down to a blue hole at the lost cave and then to the Butterfly Building before heading to the Mellow Mushroom to eat.

While there, Ted received a phone call from Terry.   I knew it wasn’t going to be good.  Either something had happened at home and Nancy requested he call us or something else.  It was that their great niece had died suddenly a few hours before.  I have still not received a cause of death but I am suspecting PE, blood clot, or aneurism.  I did learn when they tried to intubate her, the lungs were filled with blood.  She was 37 and leaves her husband and two daughters ages 11 and 14.

This just threw us for a loop.  Her family lived near us in Michigan and we were each other’s only Family in the area.  Lynn was like us having a grandchild.  Our kids were so excited when she was born.  Kristin remarked this is the first person she remembers her birth and death.  So, so sad.

Monday we headed to Georgetown KY and got set up.  Kelly and Pat stopped at the Corvette Museum and then at our campground for a bite to eat before going to their motel and the James family toured some of Nashville before catching a flight home.

Today the four of us went to The Ark in Williamstown. We spent about six hours there including lunch and a short gospel concert.  It is HUGE!  The building itself is so interestingly built and how the animals were fed, watered and cleaned up after was enlightening.  You could visit frequently and probably find something else each time that you had missed.

We have made arrangements to drive to Avon, OH on Monday for the funeral to arrive in time for the viewing and we will stay over night to attend the Funeral Mass on Tuesday.  Kelly and Kara will drive over from Michigan. Ted’s brother, sister and sister-in-law are also driving from Cincinnati.  Lynn’s parents died 10 years ago, 9 months apart.  Her grandparents and aunts and uncles all live in Arizona and I have not heard of their plans.

Tomorrow we head to Cincinnati where the RV will stay for 11 days with us not being there 4 of those days!  Nothing like paying camping fees and motel fees for the same night!

I am having problems with photos again!  The last I promised from the reunion didn’t post and I am trying to post The Ark.  I will try to post them separately.

Photos Ruhe Family Reunion 2019