Jeanne’s Thoughtful Spot

The day we were to drive out to the Grand Canyon West we almost changed our minds because we got a late start. Ken said it was a three-hour drive from Las Vegas and three hours back… we were probably going to get back really late.

It was a beautiful day for a drive and with the exception of leaving Vegas, traffic wasn’t bad. The worst part of the whole drive was the first 14 miles of the last 21 miles. It was a curvy gravel road with portions of it like a washboard. I highly recommend using a bathroom (or not drinking anything) before hitting that stretch because the is absolutely nowhere to stop in that last 21 miles. Ohmigod, by the time we arrived at our destination my bladder felt like it was going to burst. At one point I considered having Ken pull over so I could run behind a tree to go but the trees weren’t quit big enough. (I’m glad I didn’t because we were warned once we got there to stay out of the bushes because it the rattlesnakes were out!) I made Ken drop me off near the bathroom before he parked the car!!

The Grand Canyon was amazing! Even though my tummy felt like it was doing somersaults a few times, I still had to peek down.

Here Ken and I are sitting on a little ledge. With both of us having a fear of heights, I can’t believe we actually did this!! It made for a cool picture though.

While taking in the view, Ken saw and heard some birds flying in the canyon. He just had to call out to them.

I sure am glad we decided to take the road trip afterall!!

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When Ken and I first planned on taking this trip, he contacted the travel agent and she sent him back a tentative schedule… leave on Sunday and return on Thursday.  That was good he told her.. we always take at least five days when we come out here.  I took the whole week off work because we would arrive home late Thursday night.

Upon our arrival at the hotel Sunday, we found out we were only booked for three nights which had us checking out Wednesday morning.  We were confused.  Ken looked up online our flight arrangements and it also had us leaving Wednesday morning.  What?!?  The travel agent screwed up!

So right now we are packing and preparing to head home.  Between Ken’s work stuff and the two full days of travel, we didn’t get to do a lot of the things we had planned.  So disappointing.

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When we arrived here in Vegas we picked up the rental car and chose a Toyota Prius. It is mid-size car and a hybrid. We figured what the heck, why not try it. We had to totally figure out how it worked! The key is square and fits into a slot on the dashboard, you need to press a power button to start it and the shifter is on the dashboard! We got moving right away and didn’t have any problems with it until yesterday when we went shopping. As we were trying to leave, Ken could not get the car into either drive or reverse! He was getting mad. No, in his words… “I’m getting pi$$ed!” Finally we got rolling and stopped someplace to eat. I told Ken it probably be best if we parked somewhere where we didn’t have to back up (it was worse trying to get the car into reverse).

While eating lunch Ken dropped some of his fries. “Boy, you just aren’t having a good day, are you?” He just kind of laughed it off and picked up the fries. So we finally hit the road back to the hotel and Ken decides he wants a drink of soda we had in the car. Just as he was twisting the top I said, “That soda is probably pretty warm.” It squirted all over him, the steering wheel and driver’s side door!! I couldn’t help myself.. I had to laugh as I scrambled to look for some napkins to clean up the mess. After the inititial shock of the squirting soda and clean-up, Ken laughed and said, “I sure hope I dry off before we get back. He did. It was a warm day.

And then last night we were getting ready to head to a different casino. Ken and I were standing next to each other in the room when suddenly he looked at me and got into the “fighter’s stance”.. he put up his dukes. I kinda of just looked at him and took him completely by surprise when I didn’t the same thing. It actually made him jump and I burst out laughing. Ken said, “You sure are having a good time with my frustration, pain and fright today.” I replied, “Well, you do have to admit this was really funny. And the other things… I was laughing with you.”

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I probably should have posted this last night but by the time we finally arrived in our room it was already 10:00 our time… 13 hours from the time we left home. It was a long trip.

Our first plane was a puddle jumper and that made for a bumpy ride from Green Bay to Minneapolis. Ken and I had a good laugh though when we found our seats and put on our seat belts.

This is Ken’s seat belt after he put it on…

And here is a shot of mine after I put it on…

It was super long!!!

We went to board the plane in Minneapolis and it was announced that the flight was delayed. The didn’t know how long it was going to be… however long it took to find a computer part they had to have. While we were waiting, we went to Dairy Queen for some ice cream.

Doesn’t Ken look so excited?

The flight delay was about an hour and even then when we were going out on the runway the plane was making a noise that I didn’t think sounded good. You know how when you are trying to start you car and it just doesn’t want to start? I heard that Rrrrrr, Rrrrrr, Clunk sound coming from the right side. Apparently the flight crew didn’t think it was anything important and we took off. When we landed I heard it again and mentioned to Ken I had heard it before (he was sleeping earlier), he said that noise was coming from the wing flaps.

We are staying at Treasure Island. The rooms are nice and we have an awesome view!

We are on the 33rd floor and the first time I went to check out the view, my belly did several somersaults and my feet felt funny.

The highlights after we got here… not too much. We ate dinner then gambled for about an hour. We didn’t win but I was so ready to smack up this one lady! I barely got out of my seat at a machine and she barreled right in behind me!! I said, “EXCUSE ME!” Her reply… “Oh, yeah.” How rude!!! I was rude right back and gave her a bump as I rounded the back of the chair. Serves her right!

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In less than two hours we will be on the road to the airport. YAY! I think I have everything vital for the trip.

• Suitcase packed (including nightgown which I tend to forget)… check!
• Camera and batteries… check!
• Scavenger Hunt ideas… check!
• Cell phone and charger… check!
• Cash and identification… check!

Yep, I’m ready to roll. I’ll be popping in now and then during the week to check up on you all and Twittering via cell phone.

Until then, as our receptionist would say… I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers! hee hee hee!!

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After work today Ken and I went into town so I could find a couple of new shirts and a pair of jeans or two before our trip. I don’t like shopping and dislike clothes shopping even more. Why? Because I have a hard time finding what I like and when I do, they don’t have my size.  I just get too frustrated.

So we go to store #1 and I find one shirt and no jeans. In store #2 I found two more shirts but still no jeans. Frustrated, we go to store #3 to pick up dog food and treats as I desperately hope to find some new jeans. By this time my feet are dying because of all the walking I did today. I told Ken it hurt just to take a step. All this time I’ve been looking for and trying on men’s jeans because for years (more than 25 years) I have worn men’s jeans. A long, long time ago I decided to no longer buy women’s jeans because either they fit good in the waist and the hips are too big or vise versa… men’s jeans just fit me so much better. Imagine my surprise when I decided out of frustration to take a look at the women’s jeans and I saw they had so many various sizes AND they are now made for average, tall and short AND different ranges where the waist will sit on the body!! When did that happen? I tried on only one pair of those jeans… my guesstimated size in petite with a mid-rise waist… and they FIT (except they were still too long)!! I was so amazed and so happy I finally found good fitting jeans I bought two pairs.

And then… We skipped going to the grocery store and I had Ken drive LittleBug home because my feet where hurting so much. He jumped in the driver’s seat and did all the adjusting a driver will normally do. I was completely shocked when I looked at the exact moment he was tilting the steering wheel down. “How did you do that!?!”, I asked. He just pulled on a lever underneath the steering wheel and moved it. Well I’ll be darned!! For as long as I’ve had LittleBug I never knew the steering wheel could be adjusted up or down. Normally the lever for moving one is on the side of the steering wheel.

Guess you learn something new every day.

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Only 2.5 days before we leave! I am soo excited about my upcoming trip to Las Vegas. A chance to get of of town for the week and just enjoy.

The following weekend is our quarterly girl’s trip. That is always fun and I can’t wait for that one either.

One trip I’m not real excited for is one for work. We have to go to Scottsdale, Arizona… in June… where it’s hot. I don’t like hot weather. There is training AND tests that follow. Tests? I don’t want to take no stinkin’ tests! I told one of the girls at work today we should go just for the trip, pretend we attended the training and taken the tests then do sightseeing. What is there to see in Scottsdale, Arizona anyways? Well, I can’t say I’m completely not excited for this trip… I have never been to Arizona before (except when we crossed over the border at the Hoover Dam) so that part I am excited about.

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