Barbara C Hoag.com

June 19th we had concert in Wendover, Nevada. We saw Tracy Lawrence. He is a country singer who had many hits in the early 90’s. He has had somewhat of a comeback in the last few years. We love Country Music and it was a wonderful concert. After the concert instead of driving back to Provo we just drove to Evanston, WY and slept for a few hours. Then it was up and on our way to Denver. The day was clear and beautiful. We saw many Antelope alone the way. The country side was so beautiful and green. What a wonderful world we live in. When we got to Laramie we headed south going the back way into Fort Collins. It was a two way road but there was very little traffic and we saw more Antelope and some very beautiful country.

We finally got to Denver and made our way toward Golden and got mixed up and missed the right exit and suddenly we were going in the opposite direction. We managed to get turned around and finally got to the Wonderful Table Mountain Inn in Golden. Jim’s kids came over and we all had Pizza at Woodies across the street from Table Mountain Inn. The next day was Fathers Day and Jim and I just relaxed and went to Macaroni Grill for Lunch and later Lydia and her friend Dion came over to the Hotel and we went to a Mexican restaurant and got serenaded by a Mariachi Band. We had a very nice dinner and visit with Lydia and Dion. Jim’s kids were all going to a wedding that day so we did not see them at all. Monday we met up with Katy and Kristy again and we were off to a park to play in the water and then to Dairy Queen for Blizzards. Yumm. Then back to Kristy’s for more visits and later a little dinner. Finally it was time to say good-by to Katy and her family as they were ready to leave the next day.

Tuesday I spent the afternoon with Patricia. We went to her water therapy and did a little shopping. When we were ready to leave after water therapy it was raining so hard we could hardly see across the street. Kristy had come over to get Jim and they got caught in the rain and just turned around and went back to the Hotel. It was scary. After going to the Yarn store we headed back to the Hotel and had dinner with Pattie at the hotel.

Wednesday I met up with Pattie and Lydia and we went shopping again. We had a pleasant afternoon and Pattie was able to find some really nice outfits. Then we headed back to the Hotel and Kristy and Abby and Dion came and we all had dinner together again. We had a very pleasant time. Hugs and kisses all around. Jim and I went back to our room and got ready to leave the next morning.

Thursday we headed back home. Weather was again warm and sunny. Thank You Heavenly Father for allowing us to enjoy and live in this beautiful world. When we got to Green River we left the main road and drove down the Flaming Gorge Gap. It added some time to our drive but we loved the scenery and the mountains. But by the time we got to Heber we were more than ready to get home. We got home in time to see the news. Rocky was there to greet us and life was back to normal.

On Friday we drove to Dallas with Kim, Kristy, and Abby. I was impressed by how green everything was. There were wide open spaces and small towns. I can understand why people like living there. The weather was warm but not hot. Kim drove us to the airport where we picked up a rental car. We said our goodbyes and we headed to our Hotel closer to Rebecca’s. Kim and Kristy headed to their hotel for the night. We were nervous driving the Dallas freeways but with the help of the mapquest driving directions we drove right to our hotel. We checked in and I called Rebecca. She said she would bring us something to eat and I suggested she bring Izaiah and we could go swimming. We waited and waited. Finally she called and said that as she was getting ready to come Izaiah kept pushing the button to open the garage door and suddenly it broke. Glynn had to hold the door up just so that she could get out. So just a little bit of drama to start our visit. She brought us a pasta dish that Glynn had made and a GPS. We visited for a little bit then Becca went home.

Saturday morning we went to Becca’s home for Jaxon’s birthday party. Several families from the Ward came and there was a houseful of kids. Jaxon was pretty oblivious that the party was for him. But it was kept under control and Glynn made some yummy sandwich wraps and Jaxon opened his presents and blew out the candle on his cake.

Sunday we went to Sacrament meeting with Becca and Glynn. Later that day we went to the Dallas Arboretum. The afternoon was warm but not hot and we had a very pleasant afternoon strolling around enjoying the gardens. Jim was not enthusiastic about going but once we got there he really enjoyed the afternoon. Later that evening Becca and Glynn came over to the hotel and we all went swimming in the hotel pool.

Monday Becca came and picked me up and we went into Dallas and she treated me to a pedicure, manicure and massage. Pure delight.  Thanks daughter.

Tuesday Becca and Izaiah came and picked me up and we went looking for a yarn shop. We found a really nice shop in a little shopping center and I bought some yarn and we had lunch at little soup and salad shop and then we visited a little pastry shop. I could be happy in this community. The neighborhoods were well organized and maintained. Later that afternoon we went to a photo studio and had our pictures taken. Jaxon had his one year birthday pictures. We were all hungry and we had a little while before the pictures were ready to see so we went to a near by Italian restaurant that was very good. I ordered a cheese cake to take home and when Jim and I ate it later that night it was the best cheese cake I have ever had. We said our goodbyes to Glynn and Becca and the kids. We went back to the hotel and got ready to leave the next morning.

We got up and had breakfast and left for the airport. We got our car turned in and went on to the airport to wait for our ride home.

All in all it was a very pleasant trip with some pleasant surprises and new discoveries. I think that Texas would be a pleasant place to live.

On May 12th Jim and I traveled by Southwest Airlines to Austin, Texas. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and everything went perfect. The plane was on time and we headed to Denver. As we were taxiing out to the runway the Stewardess started to give us the safety talk. Instead of the usual she read a rap poem to describe the details. It was really fun and it did make us pay a little more attention. She latter said that she did not quite have enough nerve to sing it. We had a pretty full plane to Denver but then on to Austin there were not as many and we got a Whole can of Coke. By the time we landed I had to go so bad that I ran from the plane and hoped that Jim got his wheel chair and would find me.

Kristie and Abby met us at the airport and drove us to our Hotel so we could check in and unload our bags. Then we went over to Kim’s where we were greeted by a bevy of dogs. She has four from a little tiny Yorkie to a large Irish Setter. They were all very happy to see us. We visited and then we went to the Salt Lick restaurant for dinner. It is a barbecue restaurant that David Letterman talked about on his show one night so we wanted to go and see if it was as good as he said. It was pretty good, I liked the chicken and the sausage but I thought the brisket was not tender enough. The sauce was very good with the chicken but it had too much mustard for my taste.

The next day we went for a ride around Austin. We drove around the Capital and through the streets, as we were headed back to Kim’s I spotted a store that said Austin Book and Comics. We turned around and went in. Jim walked through the door and went AHH. He said it was the best Comic book store he had been in. He said he could have spent hundreds of dollars there. It was fun to wander around and see all the varieties.  Jim bought a book for David about “The Atom” and he bought one for Abby. I bought a little sock monkey for Isaiah.

The next day we went to San Antonio to the Alamo. We got a wheelchair and toured the grounds. It was very interesting. Hard to imagine what it was like all those many years ago. We were hungry so we saw a place called Lulu’s they advertised “the best chicken fried steak in Texas”. Jim loves chicken fried steak so we decided to give it a try. Jim ordered the steak and I ordered a hamburger. The Chicken fried steak was huge it was as big as the dinner plate and that was the small one. He was only able to eat a fourth of it. The hamburger was good and the french fries were really good.

The next day we headed to Dallas.