Britain's Got Talent

I just had to post this...she is truly amazing! Just click on the title above and enjoy!
Also...hope everyone had a Happy Easter...we went down to Warren to see Parker's family and had a great time!
We will be leaving the Fort Smith area on Friday April 24th...our home will be going to Howe IN without us...as it needs some service work done on it...we will be heading to Warren AR for about a week and should be in the northern IN area by May 1st. As of right now...there are some OT travel jobs in IN...but none right by Mini Mountain campground...it looks like the closest is the Merrillville area. We will keep everyone posted.

Working out is bad for you or at least for the car!

So, today we were minding our own business, pretzelizing ourselves in Yoga class and eagerly awaiting the quiet meditation to be experienced at the end, when our bliss was disturbed!! The manager of the healthclub came in and informed us that someone had just hit our car as it sat unobtrusively in the parking lot. The man who backed into it was very nice and apologetic. He also dented his brand new 2 week old Toyota Tundra pick'em up truck. Guess he's used to driving a Lexus or something distinctly shorter and smaller. So my little car gets a trip to the vehicle rehab shop for some body and paint work.

Trooper's Surgery

On Wednesday April 1st, Trooper had to have surgery...and...No...it's not an April Fool's...she had a fast growing fatty tumor that was on the side of her stomach...back by her leg...and it was getting a little hard for her to walk and get comfortable. The surgery was a success and it was indeed just a fatty tumor that weighed over a pound. The first pic of her was taken a day before her surgery on our new carpet we put down...we couldn't pick her up until Friday...and she has to stay confined to a kennel for a little while. so our spacious fifth wheel now has a kennel in the middle of the living room...eeeks. She has a port...so there is lots of lovely drainage...but hopefully the port and the stitches will get taken out next Friday. Please keep her in your prayers...that she will continue to heal well and be back to her old self in about a week.
This weekend we our just going to stay home...and for Easter...we will be going to see Parker's Family. Hope everyone has a Happy Easter!

Weekend with Mom

At the end of March, Parker's Mom...Norma Jean...came to Van Buren for the weekend! It had been the first time she got to see our new home...she really liked it, and we had a great time. She got here on Saturday...and it was cold and a little rainy...but the rain cleared out...and after dinner we took a drive around town. The next day we all went to Eureka Springs...it's about 2 hours Northeast of here. The sun was shining and it was perfect weather.
Norma Jean had never been to Eureka Springs...so once we got there...Parker drove around a bit...and then we caught the trolley...that is always a nice way to see the area. We also did some shopping...they have some great little shops...we bought a piece of pottery to go with our collection...it was done by a local artist and we have one of their other pieces from a few years ago when we were there...for those that remember...it was the big bowl with the dragon and fly on it...well be bought another piece in that collection. I didn't think to take a pic...and we had it shipped to Jamie's moms house to go into storage.
Well...before leaving Eureka Springs...we drove by the huge statue of "Christ of the Ozarks"...where they have the Great Passion Play...which is America's #1 outdoor drama. The Passion Play wasn't open yet for the season..but it was still neat to go there...

Hot Springs Arkansas part 2

Here are some more pictures of Hot Springs...I got some great shots from the tower and some pics from the hotel...the room we stayed in had a patio...and you could see Lake Hamilton from there...It was a great view!

Hot Springs Arkansas

The first part of March we went to Hot Springs Arkansas for the weekend. It was a quick trip but we had a lot of fun! When we first got there, we decided to climb the 216 foot mountain tower...well, ok...we didn't really climb it...there was an elevator inside ;) It was a pretty neat structure that had a small museum on one level...that gave some of the history of Hot Springs and 140 mile panoramic views of the area and the Ouachita Mountains. After that excursion, we spent some time in the historic downtown...going through some of the shops and seeing some of the old buildings...like the Arlington and Bathhouse Row.

We stayed at Lake Hamilton Resort which is located on a peninsula...and the next day we went to the Oaklawn Park horse races. Jamie had never been to the horse races and she picked up on the gambling part real quick...We didn't win lots of money...but we did come out ahead and had an enjoyable day.

We hope to get back there next year and stay awhile longer...there was just so much to do and see...I set up a link to a video of Hot Springs for anyone who is interested...just click on the title of this post.