Home Sweet Home!

I didn't get much posting done over the holidaze because we left for Arkansas as soon as Miss Angela got home from school on the 23rd.  We got to the mother-in-law's house mid-afternoon on the 24th.  Her internet connection is not-inappropriately named "Slower Than Snot", hence the lack of posting.

Christmas we did the usual, opening presents that we'd carted down with us.  I told Randy & Angel both that they suck, since neither of them had bothered getting ME a gift!  And I had given them both suggestions.  Randy said it was because I didn't send him a link of the exact item I wanted & Angel said it was because Randy didn't take her out shopping.  Really, people??

And since it was a lovely day in Hot Springs, we went for a stroll along the Promenade behind Bath House Row.

Friday was a whole lot of sitting around (unless you ask the MIL - she claims we were busy the whole week.  I guess having Randy do piddly little repairs around the house, watching games shows and football bowl games constitutes "busy" for her).

Monday was another good day.  I got up, grabbed some breakfast and visited one of my favorite places EVAH!  The Buckstaff Bath House. It's the only bathhouse that is still open to the public for 'taking the waters'.  It has been restored to how it looked back in the 1920s.

You go in & pay for your selected package at the front counter, then an attendant takes you into a elevator with the old-timey grate doors and throws the lever to take you to the second floor (ladies go to the 2nd floor, men are on the first).  You're shown into a locker room to undress and the attendant comes to wrap you in a sheet and then you're turned over to a bath attendant.  I'm pretty sure there's no particular order to the stations, just as they come open, but you always start with a bath.  The bath attendant takes you to your own stall with a ginormous cast iron, claw foot bath tub for about 20 minutes, complete with whirlpool jets that remind me of an outboard motor and cups of hot spring water to enjoy.  Then the steam cabinet where you sit with just your head sticking out for 5 minutes.  Next is the needle shower, where the shower stall has like a 3/4 ring of shower heads that spray you from neck to ankles. It feels so good after the steam bath!  Next are the hot packs.  She puts a hot towel down on a bed and one across your shoulders, and you lounge back against the bed.  Then she wraps your legs in hot towels & lays a cold one over your forehead.  This combination just makes you want to melt.  Then it's time for the Swedish massage.  It's like 20 minutes and they mainly concentrate on arms, legs & shoulders.  Aaaah!  I thought about getting the paraffin wax treatment for my hands, but my parking meter only lasted 2 hours and I was afraid I'd run over.  And it did, by like 30 minutes, but the meter peoples must not have been around.  Whew!

On my way to the Buckstaff, I had to pass Oaklawn Race Track, so I stopped and watch some horses run by.  It was pretty neat.  This one was solid black with a green bridle & breast collar on.

As soon as I got back, we went to the cemetery for Randy to visit his Dad and while him & mom had their moment, Angel & I walked around, taking pics in the cemetery.  They have some pretty neat old stones.  I have to confess, out of all the cemeteries I have explored, it was the first time I'd had a run-in with any workers.  They were cool about me being there with my camera, tho.  In fact they even asked if I'd seen a particular one, the only bronze in the cemetery and we chatted about that for a while.

For dinner Monday, we had a "Razorbaccio" pizza, since the Arkansas Razorbacks were playing in a bowl game.  This is a truckload of meat, my friends.  Thin crust, light sauce, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, ground beef, and spicy Italian sausage.  Not that I give a flying rat's butt about football, but the Hawgs stomped Texas. Woo Pig Sooie!

Wednesday, Angel & I went back to the cemetery to get more pics - the area is really hilly and her knee had been starting to hurt.  We got a couple more areas, but the last one I wanted to catch was right next to where a funeral service was being held.  I may be a weirdo by taking cemetery pics, but I try to be a discreet weirdo.  I will go out of my way to avoid people who are there to visit loved ones.

And of course Wednesday was New Year's Eve.  We got a couple bottles of sparkling grape juice since Mom doesn't drink.  At least we were able to go straight to bed as soon as we toasted, since Arkansas is on Central time zone, and all my family is in Eastern.

We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and were on the road coming home by 9:30 am New Year's Day.  About an hour or so before we stopped, I could feel my nose start to stop up and BAM - the plague has hit.  But I feel crappy enough right now, I don't need to rehash that nonsense.  We got home before dark on Friday. But I still forced myself to help Randy unload the car, then take all the Christmas blowmolds down (it's a good thing, since we got cold weather crap today) and then go to the grocery store since I let us pretty much run out of everything before we left, and to grab Chinese food for dinner.

Miss Angela is still trying to rack up driving hours - she needs to drive 30 hours with a licensed driver in order to get her actual drivers license herself.  So Randy pulled over & she got to drive across the Arkansas / Missouri and Missouri / Illinois and Indiana / Michigan borders, so she got to drive in all 5 states - she was so tweaked!  Less than 3 hours to go and she can take her driver's test!    Too bad today was so lousy out, she could have driven out to get the dog from my sister's, that easily would have been another 90 minutes checked off.

Open mouth, insert cookie!

I'm glad about that, since the new teacher at the studio, the Fabulous Mr. Jonathon asked her & another girl to be part of his All-Star Dance team!!  So that means her classes on certain days will be starting at 3 and I don't get off work til 3:30.  It will be nice for her to be able to drive herself.  I'm not exactly sure what all they'll be doing since the packet he sent home included try-out info from June that they obviously didn't do.  And I can't imagine either of these girls being ready to compete January 10 or go to Nationals in February!
 
So in other news, my sister had to have her dog put to sleep a couple days before we left.  Poor baby had cancer bad!  Her & my Jack had been buddies since puppy-hood.  I was really concerned selfishly, since she was supposed to keep Jack for us while we were gone!  I didn't know if she still would be able to.  But she told me she still wanted to keep him, because he'd be a good distraction for her.  I thought him being there would either be just that, or a painful reminder.  But when I took him to her house, he sniffed all over, and then went up to Laurie where she was sitting on the couch, put his paws up on her leg & gave her kisses!  It's like he knew!  He's so sweet.

So that's all the excitement that's been going o here.  It's so nice to be home!  Altho I didn't sleep well while we were gone.  The first night in the Hampton Inn in Effingham was like sleeping in Heaven.  Then Mom gave us her room while we were there.  Her bed is hard & creaky and we end up rolling towards each other and wake up each time the other flops over. And I kept having weird dreams - 3 nights in a row I dreamed someone with an assault rifle was chasing me.  Each night was a different setting and situation, but there was always someone with a gun.  I never felt scared, tho. I felt arrogant & invincible like someone from an action movie.  Then I dreamed about swatting a cheetah with my work bag.  And I dreamed about buying more Halloween blowmolds.  This is all coming from someone who doesn't usually dream at all!  Then for the last 3 nights, I've been waking up at 1am and not getting back to sleep til 3 or 4.  I thought being home last night, I'd sleep good, but nope.  I even took a couple Premysn PMS tablets where usually 1 knocks me out - nada.    Maybe tonight.  I'm feeling somewhat better, I'm still getting hot & cold flashes, and my throat only hurts when I cough - then it hurts BAD!  So I'm simply trying to avoid coughing if I can.  And with my sinuses draining, I haven't felt hungry, so that hopefully will help with the scale Wednesday!

I'm getting chilled again, so it's time for bed - later!