A Time For Everything

Happy Birthday to the Child Most Like Me.

You know her as Darling Daughter or DD. :0) 

Lots of picture homages to my children this month, but both the girls were born in March, so...

Without further ado, here she is.

Love you baby girl. Love you so much.

Our Buc-ee's road trip was fun and successful. DD and I ran into...Buc-ee himself at the Bastrop, TX location!

The drive south was lovely, with high clouds blocking most of the sun until the sun was high enough to not shine directly into the windshield. US Highway 77 veered away from I-35 at the tail end of Waco and I must say, the United States / the State of Texas is sooo beautiful. 

I love, love, love driving along the back roads, seeing the beauty of the countryside as well as the small towns dotted along the highways and byways.

Remember that $1M I talked about a few weeks ago? Yeah, I might invest it in the tiny town of Rosebud, Texas. Turn it into a location for writers retreats. Main Street looked like it could use a little revitalization. Although, I must say, the town is larger than it looks when just driving through.

There were quite a few charming towns along US-77.

As for the Buc-ee's locations--which were the main point of the trip...

First stop, Giddings, TX. Giddings is a small metropolis of approximately five thousand people and it seemed like a third of its citizenry were all at this very mini-location of our favorite rest stop. Okay, not really. But it was tucked in between a Starbucks and a Walmart and was smaller than my house. I'm guessing the chain hadn't quite gotten so famous when they first built it. But most disappointingly it wasn't large enough to rate having the magnets I collect created for it...

DD is going to work her Cricut magic at some point, though, and make me a facsimile magnet to go alongside the others.

Next stop, Bastrop, TX. This Buc-ee's was very much like every other Buc-ee's. Large and crowded. I used the potty and got my magnet and we headed for...

...the third and final stop of Day 1, Luling, TX. This was also a larger location, but so jam-packed it was a challenge just to get in and out of the parking lot. They're planning to build a new store across the highway that will become the largest store in the nation once it's done. I did get my magnet, however. :0)

Also on Day 1, DD and I visited the World Animal and Snake Farm Zoo, a small facility right along I-35. They had an otter exhibit, which DD loved. They also had a petting zoo with a llama. Sadly, I somehow deleted without saving pictures of those two things. I didn't mean to, of course, but devices were being uncooperative and I probably should have just waited until I'd gotten home.  (lesson learned)

On Day 2, we visited two more Buc-ee's locations, New Braunfels and Temple, and visited the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco.

A good time was had by all, even DH who was left behind and enjoyed having the house all to himself. He thought he was getting one more night alone, and was disappointed to find us home Monday afternoon rather than Tuesday afternoon...and suggested we take more trips. :0) A plan both DD and I are happy to carry out.

Hope you have a great week!

Buc-cee's Here We Come!

Image is mine from last year's trip to Alabama.

Since I'm working a no-spend challenge, I already knew I wanted to pre-fund the road trip DD and I want to make during her spring break mid-March. I mentioned that a week or two ago.

So...I borrowed an idea from another dear friend who loves and uses the Happy Planner system for all aspects of her life.

When we meet, those of us who keep meticulous track of our lives via paper and stickers usually share our progress since last we met...

So this dear friend had some new things going on in her planner and that was the tracking of the funding of trips and projects and even her new home.

Her visuals are much cuter than mine, which I won't share, because those are hers-- but I thought if I had a visual, it would help keep me focused and motivated to make this happen.

So I put together a collage, basically, and asked DD to make me some stickers specifically for this project.

Here's the "collage" and the stickers... Each sticker is worth $5. So when I save or earn $5 from somewhere I can apply it toward the trip. I put a sticker on the collage, and when I've applied all 60 stickers, I'll have funded the trip. It'll get easier and more exciting as I get rolling, I think. More stickers means more money found.

This may seem rather child-like, but so what?

If this is what it takes to help me pre-fund a trip, to help me keep my eye on the target, and add a little excitement and fun to my everyday life, then who cares?

I'll probably make some more of these as needed, but this is it for now.

What about you? Do you pre-fund larger purchases or work hard to pay them off after-the-fact?

Have a super day. Catch you next time.

Image courtesy the NHL / Dallas Stars.

It's been a while since we've I've talked about the Dallas Stars, huh?

It's not because they aren't doing well, because they are. They're doing so well, they're firmly in a playoff spot, bobbing between first and second place in the Central Division with Division rivals, the Winnipeg Jets, depending on who wins or loses on a given night.

Our top line is the best top line in the League. And that's not just me saying that--that comes from beat writers and pod casters I read / listen to.

Our young goalie is one of the best in the League. His save percentage speaks for itself. But, again, beat writers are writing and pod casters are talking about the young goalie in Dallas.

It's just that I've had so much else going on since the start of the season in October. DD and I have only attended two games because attending games requires (a lot of) money and energy, both of which have been in short supply--the energy more than the money.

While I do keep track of their wins and losses over the course of a week, the last few months have been busy months, so hockey's been more a part of the background fabric of life right now than the thing around which other things get slotted.

DD and I have tickets to two games later in the season, already bought before the no-spend challenge was officially issued, so we'll go, have fun, and add to our bobble head collection. I mean, if we're gonna go, we might as well score before the game too, right??

I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to pre-fund food before the games and a beverage ($6 bottle of water) while there. During our last season as season ticket holders, we got pretty good at keeping the expense to a minimum, usually eating at home or picking up inexpensive food at QT.

QT hot dog: $2.50 versus AAC hot dog: $6.50

Crazy, huh?

At this point I really don't need any more souvenirs-- If the Stars make the play-offs, however, there will be commemorative puck purchases for the collection; possibly magnets if they make it all the way to the Stanley Cup. Maybe a key chain or two as I've discovered that many key chains convert nicely to Christmas tree ornaments.

I guess I'd better think about pre-funding those as well. :0)

Have a greet week and don't forget:

Y'all should know my love for Buc-cee's by now. If you've never been there, you don't know. If you have, you may not harbor the same feels, but you understand. I hope you do, anyway.

I spent New Years Eve, as I have for more than a decade, selling fireworks. Well, less selling for me these days and more catching up with friends and playing cashier.

If you don't know, Buc-cee's is a mecca of gas pumps, delicious food, clean bathrooms, tourist tchotchkes of all kinds of varieties including Buc-cee's own merch...

I collect magnets, even from Buc-cee's...

For a bit more info, here's a post regarding one of my first trips to Buc-cee's. Now it's a destination unto itself. DD and I are hoping for a Buc-cee's centric road trip during her spring break.

If the stores themselves weren't enough, the billboards are amazing as well.

Anywho, on the drive to the store and home again on New Years Eve, I saw at least a dozen Buc-cee's billboards -- each way! I got a good chuckle both directions. Some were tried and true slogans that I've seen often, but there were a couple of new ones. Specifically: "Brisket. Beavers. Bathrooms. XXX Miles."

I couldn't get pictures since I was driving and alone. I Google-searched, however, and found a few images. Hopefully they'll garner at least a smile if not a giggle. Have a great weekend. Catch you Monday.

I was very excited to see this national day celebrating middle children--not because I'm a middle child...

>> I am concurrently an only child and the oldest child. Mom and Dad had me... Dad remarried when I was twelve and had four more kids, all of whom I love to death (except maybe that youngest one, lol). <<

...but because my darling daughter, the one that lives at home, is the middle child and she has sometimes felt overlooked.

Now DD and I are a lot alike, but I love having her around and she's my hockey partner in crime.

 As I mentioned last week, DD and I were headed to the zoo, and to the zoo we went.

It was a brisk day with chilly temps and some wind, but the sun was out.

There's a section of zoo under construction, so DD and I are already planning our return visit for 2023 when the new exhibits open rather than waiting another decade.

The two highlights of our visit were the giraffes--to which we were able to get pretty up close and personal with on the back side of the exhibit. A couple of them were rooting around for fallen leaves.

Our other exciting interaction with animals was in one of the bird cages: Parrot Paradise. No parrots, per se, but lots of parakeets and cockatiels! We bought little sticks of bird seed to feed them with and had so much fun, we went back again before leaving the zoo...

And here are few more pictures...

Can you see the hippo in there?

Take care. Have a super week.

 Happy Thanksgiving!

There are so many things I'm grateful for, including this wonderful four-day weekend, but did you know that the history of Thanksgiving is rather ugly?

Also!

The pilgrims didn't land at Plymouth Rock!! There was no such thing / place until later when the locals area dragged a huge rock into place and just declared it the "arrival" location of our original forefathers in order to drum up tourism to help their local economy...

By this time, I hope we all know the native peoples of America were savagely mistreated and exterminated, much like the Jews were in Europe.

Also...

It wasn't an official holiday until 1870 when Ulysses S. Grant made it one, so, whaaat?

For a look at the sordid tale, visit History This Week.

* * * * *

On to nicer topics...

One of the things I'm thankful for is my kids. All three of them of course, but I only have one living close enough to spend time with. You know her as DD and my Hockey Partner in Crime.

She's my second child and my younger daughter...and today, we're going to spend some more time together...not just at home enjoying a delicious meal, but at the zoo. It's been a while since our last trip and we've been wanting to go and meaning to go and finally we found a good time to go.

So--lol--we're going today!

Hope you have / had / are having a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I've been meaning to post. I've been wanting to post.

But then I sit down to do so and my mind draws a blank. At least for a blog topic, because the reality is...I have a lot swirling around in my brain.

Christmas. Writing. Thanksgiving. 2022 in general. Planning for 2022. Writing. Hockey. Family.

And many combinations there-of. As well as things as mundane as what I'm making for dinner tonight and what our food plans are for the Thanksgiving weekend. Not to mention other personal things that you don't share on the Internet. :0)

Hope you're all well. Hope you're all prepped for Thanksgiving.

We're having lasagna, garlic bread and salad. I'm thinking I need to make pupcakes... we haven't had them for a while.

Sadly, I haven't see my Sonshine in a while, and it's going to be a while longer before I do.

The Brown-Eyed Girl and her Soulmate are staying in CO for the holidays, so it'll be a while before I see them too.

DD of course is my hockey partner in crime, and we spend plenty of time together. One of my favorite memories of time shared with her--that still happens and will probably continue to happen--is when we're in the car together (usually driving to or from a hockey game, but also road trips) and listening to music, and a song comes on that we both know and love or is just fun and we both start signing. Last week, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas cycled through my shuffled playlist, of off we went.

I treasure those times with this daughter. 

I'm thankful that I continue to have those times with this daughter who is very tender-hearted, but keeps that side of herself under wraps.

Have a great weekend. Catch you on Monday. I'll brainstorm some ideas and come up with a topic.

What better way for a hockey fan to spend their birthday than watching their team play one of their best games of the season and win against the best team in the league--who was, coincidentally, the team that beat your team out of the Stanley Cup seven months ago...

The Stars have been inconsistent at best, crap at worst and have been unable to throw this particular monkey off their backs--until last night. Last night it all came together for them. Hopefully, they can carry the high of the win into Saturday and Sunday's games and beat another team they've had some troubles with this season.

In addition to the win, which I couldn't have planned, I did plan for a birthday announcement at the game...

Along with her name on the board, she's supposed to receive a goody bad with Stars swag. Well, due to COVID, they started mailing bag out instead of allowing them to be picked up at the game...

 But, let's see...there's a woman sitting outside of one of the fan shops handing out online orders. How is a birthday bag of goodies any different?? (They're not.) Oh and maybe if they'd mentioned it when I placed the order three weeks ago, maybe we could have had it in time for DD's birthday. *sigh*

But a good time was had by all and I even got to see the Reunion Tower Arena ball lit up for the first time in more than a month. Yee haw!

Tonight she'll open a couple small presents and enjoy a steak dinner.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Happy Birthday to my Darling Daughter and Hockey Partner in Crime...

Have a great rest of your week.