My body had a change in plans

Last night we talked about leaving today and we had every intention on making that happen...get up, pack her up, say last good-byes and roll on out. However, my body had different plans for me today...gotta love the human body! I woke up feeling alright, not great, not dandy, but alright. My left side of my face was killing me where my jaw meets my ear, I couldn't open my mouth, it hurt to swallow, even thinking about it hurt...pretty painful. I had a bangin' headache side by side with mild nausea.

[caption id="attachment_3675" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Ugh...[/caption]

I figured I would just ride it out, it was close to my time, I can deal. Once I started moving around, the nausea would come and go but the left side of my face hurt hella bad. J' just told me to take it easy and whatever came out of today would come, we aren't in a hurry to be or go anywhere. (Such a good man!) I thought maybe if I got up, got some fresh air and walked around things might straighten out in my bod and we'd be good to go. And it worked...for about an hour.

In that hour though, not even caring that I was in my p.j.'s, I was able to get some pics of some of my girls (that I really wanted) so that made me happy. (Cyndi you said you didn't mind!)

[caption id="attachment_3680" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Cheesin'[/caption]

I met up with J' over at Brian's camper to say, See ya later...they were in the middle of fixing Brian's bike and after about 20 minutes I had to leave and go back to Joon Van. I felt dizzy, nauseous and faint...gross!

[caption id="attachment_3681" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Chain Gang[/caption]

From there on out, I called the rest of the day a loss. I napped, read some pages here and there from Eat, Pray, Love (great book) and rode out the day in bed watching Figure Skating and The Pro Bowl.

Even though I didn't get out much today, I was still able to see another amazing sunset (thanks to our glorious windows) and Ted (a new friend) gave me a whole stash of Oreo's for when I'm feeling better...and can actually eat the darn things, stupid jaw/ear thing!

I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrow I will be clear of this mess and we can get on with it, for I see a hot shower and laundry in our very near future...

Here's to the freshy fresh!

PEACE

 

 

 

Sew Long!

Some people are leaving today, off to new adventures or back to work. Not us...not me. I have a few things I have not checked off my list, that have been lingering in the background ever since we got to the R.T.R. There were things I needed to cross off of my list at camp before we could move on. I needed pics of our friends,

[caption id="attachment_3563" align="alignleft" width="150"] Bernie & Birdie[/caption]

I needed to fix our comforter, yep it's totally massacred again, and I needed a nice day to be able to cut Trisha's hair. I think today might be the day...so I thought! This morning was absolutely beautiful, a good morning for a little walk over to Jenn's camper. Last night at Happy Hour, she told me to come over in the a.m., to borrow her sewing machine.

We chattied as she got ready for work, then I walked back to Joon where I set up my Sewing Studio for the day, along with Savannah's help of course!

I think today must have been thee longest day of my life...okay, that's what it seemed like. I'm happy the sun was shining and it wasn't windy and I'm almost done with the comforter. Yep, all day and it's not done...like I said, it was a hella long day! I guess the haircut is going to have to wait until tomorrow. Just as I was getting relaxed and comfortable, J' said, "The antennae came in...let's go get it!" I was like...Now!? I wanted to cry...okay I think I may have. I was just so freakin' tired and with Joon Van, we have to pack and repack the van when we move...that was the part that threw me into burnt out mode and tears. We drove to get the antennae and whoa babay, if we don't pull any stations in with this thing, then it's just not possible. (At the moment I'm trying to enjoy the thought of veggin' out to some tele and not the fact that this will have to travel inside the van...haha)

[gallery ids="3567,3568,3569"]

I'll let you know how it goes with this Clear Stream 4 antennae.

to be continued...

PEACE

Saying good-bye, a handful at a time

Today I awoke with a major feeling of needing to let go of (some) of Roxy's ashes. I'm still trying to search for a reason why today had a major push with it, but all I can come up with is that 19 is my favorite number...so I'm going with it. And sometimes you just can't explain these things, so today was the day! I woke up and had my oatmeal (that I am now mixing with honey, so for now, it's quite yummy!) After I cleaned up the "kitchen" I gathered up a few things: her ashes, a scoop that I use for them, a couple of stones, my sage, a lighter, the bear spray and my camera, but that's a given. I walked around, stood & stared, walked around some more until I found the perfect spot for my angel. I wanted it to be a spot that I would remember, a spot near our site (so she will always be close to us), and something that would give her some sun but more shade...because that's what she liked. I found the perfect tree just below our site that I had to walk down to the base of (hence the bear spray), but it perches up to the front side of our spot. It is perfect. I walked down to her tree and collected 10 big rocks and 10 smaller rocks. I dug a pretty deep hole, so her ashes weren't just sitting on-top of the dirt. I wanted her to be embedded back into the Earth from which she came from. I made a circle with the 10 big rocks then I placed one of the stones I chose for this at the very bottom of the hole & then placed most of her remaining ashes on-top. Before placing her Rose Quartz on her remains I lit some sage and waved it over top of her, saying a prayer and letting her know what a blessing she was to me. I placed her Rose Quartz in the center of the pile, covered it with dirt and placed the 10 smaller rocks on top. The 10 big rocks in the circle around the pile symbolizes the day she passed away (05-10-2009). The 10 smaller rocks on-top symbolize two things; One~ how many years we spent together & Two~ the birthday we never got to celebrate, which she would have been 10 on June 6, 2009.

[caption id="attachment_187" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Sending her back to Mother Earth[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_188" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Her site shall always be remembered[/caption]

Some people (probably NOT dog people) think it's kind of crazy to be soo emotional over a dog. Roxy Love was not just a dog to me though. She was my best friend, my companion, my soul mate, my partner in crime, my heart, at times she was like a 'mother' for me. I got her when I was just a baby myself, was almost about to turn 19, we raised each other & helped one another grow up. We took care of each other. I remember when I was single and living alone and only about 22-23 years old, I didn't have enough money to feed myself sometimes, but she always got fed, even if it was a can of green beans and rice...she got fed. She made me realize there's more to this world than what everyone makes you believe. When my friends stayed out drinking until 2-3:00 in the morning, I made sure to go home to feed her, let her out and be home for her. My friends always used to say, she's just a dog, she's not like a kid or something...but to me, she was just that, my kid, and so much more. When she passed away it was a major shock to my system. I felt numb for a really long time, I felt lost. I felt like everything I knew that was right, honest and pure had just been taken from me. Of course I didn't think it was fair. I had planned on being with this dog for at least 5 more years...most likely more than that. She was very healthy and whenever I took her to the vet, they always told me she had the bones & muscles of a 4 year old, which was good. She was as healthy as a puppy!! What happened was since she was Beagle/Hound mix she had those hunting instincts. I woke up, at 4:30 a.m., to my mom (we were staying with her at the time) in a panicked voice, "Something is wrong with Roxy." Well motherly instincts kicked in and I jumped out of bed and ran to where she was in the backyard. There she was standing over a dead Mole swaying back and forth, she was really out of it. With my whole family having dogs our whole lives, my mom said to just try and give her water and see how it goes throughout the day. We put a sheet on another bed (just in case of her being sick) and she just laid there all day, barely touching her water. My moms dogs laid with her on the bed (2 huge black labs), they sensed it. The next day, she seemed to be doing better. We went on a walk and she was having a hard time keeping up, that worried me. When we got back, J' had tossed her part of a chip that he was eating and she turned away. This dog NEVER turned any type of food away...that's when we took her to the vet. They ran tests on her and did blood work and to make another long story very short, it came back she had Hemangiosarcoma ~Blood Cancer, it is very rapid and arises from the lining of the blood vessels. They told me they thought the Mole had poison in it, (being in Florida, Moles are a huge problem so people stick poison down the holes to kill them, it came up in my mom's yard, Roxy killed it and ingested poison as well). That was on Cinco de Mayo 2009. Five days later, she was gone...I will bare all of us that story. That day and the following weeks were the hardest of my life. She was the closest thing to me that I had ever known. It's been really hard to part with her ashes, although I already know that her soul was gone before we even made it to the vet that last day. I guess I felt I couldn't part with them, for if I did I wouldn't have her at all anymore....but I figured it was time. It's been three years now since she passed and I want her to be totally whole and free and back where she belongs...with the Energy of Mother Nature. I don't want to hold any of her back, she was amazing to me and hopefully is now or will be able to bring that joy to someone else.

I can't say enough about this amazing spirit that I was blessed to walk through life with for 10 years. She 'raised' me into a fine young woman and my life will never be the same again.
Monkey Face Monkey Face, I love yoooouuuu... Yes I dooooo!!!

These were taken about two years ago, she will forever remain a part of me...and no one ever said I had cute feet, so....

[caption id="attachment_172" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Wincing in the most dreadful pain[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_173" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Outline for my monkey's tattoo[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_174" align="aligncenter" width="225"] The best thing to make my foot beautiful! It's gorgeous!![/caption]

And then of course more pictures of my girl

[caption id="attachment_177" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Staring competition[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_178" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Momma hanging with her babies: Roxy & Remy[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_179" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Roxy helping the girls carve pumpkins...or eat them![/caption]

PEACE

 

Flying high, Singing low

Well since I'm writing down notes these days this post might be a little jumbled but you're gonna get that with me...so get used to it! haha Let's see we worked our way up to Cedar Island, NC to jump on another Ferry to Ocracoke.

[caption id="attachment_1288" align="aligncenter" width="300"] To Cedar Island we go![/caption]

The ferry was $15.00 and was about a 2 1/2 hour ride. Savannah was able to get out on this one and she loved the wind and ocean smells in her nose!!

When we got to Ocracoke we jumped right on another Ferry to Cape Hatteras. Lucky we got to that Ferry when we did because it was the last one of the night and about 40 minutes (this one was free).

 When we got off of the Hatteras Ferry, it was dark and we were tired so we looked for somewhere to park and sleep. We drove for a good hour and really found nothing. We didn't really want to pay to sleep so we searched until we found a big open parking lot on the beach, right next to the main lighthouse (black & white striped). There was a faded sign that had a tent with a line through it but at this point we didn't care, we were so tired...but we were ready for a knock on the van at anytime. We woke up the next morning around 7 or so and fist-bumped to a successful sleepover...then a man in an unmarked SUV knocked on the side of the window. J' started getting dressed and Savannah was barking, at this point nothing had been said. He knocked again and I said, "Hold on just a second." The guy bolted out of there so quick..it was strange but we thought maybe it was either 1- Citizen's Patrol, 2- Someone wanting directions or 3- Someone who wanted to rob the van, not knowing anyone was in there. We didn't hang around any longer to find out, so we got up and moved on. We drove up The Outer Banks to Kitty Hawk where the Wright Brothers took their first flight. We paid the $8.00 to get into the Memorial, getting there right in time for a 25 minute presentation on the Wright Brothers. It was very informative and neat to hear that story.

[caption id="attachment_1301" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Model plane of the First Flight[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1302" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Two # 1's in the same place, haha[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1303" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Grown men...and kids capturing flight of their own![/caption]

  We walked around for just a little bit due to the wind...no wonder they went there. Oh, we also found out that Kitty Hawk is the 6th windiest city in the Nation, we were able to endure that ourselves! From Kitty Hawk we drove up to Virginia where we stayed at a Flying J. I'll say it again and again, we LOVE them.

The next morning we had glorious, glorious showers and even had coffee (decaf for me). We left and drove through Washington and actually ended up driving through Washington D.C. neighborhood style... we turned off the highway on the wrong road and totally got "lost" and turned around in every not so great looking 'hood in D.C. and a crap ton of traffic, for a good 45 minutes. From the road I was still able to get good pics of the Capitol and the Washington Monument, so I was happy.

[caption id="attachment_1307" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Washington Monument from pretty far away[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1308" align="aligncenter" width="300"] One of the better neighborhoods.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1309" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Whizzing by at 65 mph, thank you very much![/caption]

After getting out of the crazy D.C. traffic we headed to Maryland to visit with J's mom and her hubby and decided we would visit with them for a few days. Bill, her hubby, drove us to go see "the tall boats/ships"~ an antique boat show Baltimore holds every year. Unfortunately they had not arrived yet...we were a day early but we were able to see Baltimore from a distance, looks like a cool place. Beth (J's mom) & Bill go to a quaint little pub near their home a few times a week to eat and watch the karaoke singers so we headed over there to start the night. We had a massive dinner, their cheese-steak subs are huge. I had trouble eating most of mine, not because of the size but because they put jalapenos on mine and this girl just don't do spicy! It was good none the less. Beth & Bill had their fishbowls, a pretty big concoction of fruity juice and alcohol!

[caption id="attachment_1312" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A Family Affair[/caption]

 We met a ton of people and I made up 3 years of not going out by getting to sing 7 songs...it was a blast! Next day, we hung outside on their back porch and just caught up, it was really nice. We also were able to get some things done; J' fixed a step on their back patio stairwell, charged up one of the GZ batteries, and fixed the radio~ it cut out, for some reason, the day we drove in and he tinkered on some other little things on Joon.

As for me, I caught up on uploading my videos for all my peeps out there, published a few posts & groomed the Nana Bug; teeth, ears, nails. We watched some T.V. and hung out the rest of the day. Around 7 p.m., we left to hit the Horseshoe Pub again. We had dinner and I sang one more song, we then left as I was not feeling well at all.

[caption id="attachment_1314" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I ❤ Karaoke![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1316" align="aligncenter" width="300"] ...'til next time.[/caption]

We said our good-byes and are on the road again.
J' & I were dancing with the sheep by 11p.m.

Next stop...Atlantic City!
PEACE

Happy Birthday Roxy Love!

Okay this post is a big Happy Birthday to my late baby girl Roxy Love, she would have been 13 today. Even though she is not physically with me...well kind of, more on that in a sec...she's with me EVERY single day in spirit. Since the day I got her ashes back (about a week after she passed) I have had them in a memorial box. She passed May 10, 2009, three years ago. I have not been able to let go until recently. Even though we have Savannah, Roxy was very much her own dog and will never be able to be replaced, but yet I still could not let go. I decided, before we left the cabin, that it was time to send her off properly. I thought it would be super neat for her to come along with us on our journey and everywhere we go that means something to us, to do a small celebration of her life and spread her ashes wherever that spot may be. So far she has a spot under the treehouse we built and will be blowing in the wind tomorrow before we leave Liz's. I think it's time and this is the right way to do it. If she were still here, she would be coming with us anyway so it's just perfect. So today is for her, my sweet 13 year old who had the most beautiful spirit of anything I've ever known.

I dedicate our adventure to her and will remember her spirit and undying love for me until the day we meet again on Rainbow Bridge.

I love you Roxy Love

Love, Mama

PEACE BE WITH YOU BABY GIRL!