The Beginning

This evening we put the week's garbage out on the curb. The can was stuffed with dirty diapers and the recyclable bin was filled with more than the usual amount of beer bottles and fast food containers.

And now we are beginning the second forty years of our marriage.

Don and I celebrated in a big way this past week-end with the help of our family and friends.

Our three boys and their families were all under one roof for the first time since we hit the 15 member mark with the addition of three babies this year. It was totally wonderful chaos and we loved every minute of it. There were plenty of babies to go around for all of us motherly types and everything from toddlers to school age kids for the playful.

My brothers and sisters all came in from out of town for the celebration and friends from as far away as Effingham and St. Louis.

Of course our extended Woodridge family was well accounted for as well as Don's long lost and now found cousin.

The love and support coming from all present was overwhelming.

Even our niece and nephew who couldn't make it to the formal party began the celebration at their house the night before with the party before the party for the family.

We were not able to keep up with the picture taking and enjoy the festivities at the same time, but our kids arranged a formal photo shoot at the house on Friday morning, so we will have some wonderful family portraits as a remembrance of the occasion.

And this is how I chose to initiate my very own blog.

I hope to use this as a substitute for the journals I write in every so often to record my adventures and other life experiences in the hopes that someday my kids would be interested in reading about me. Well, they are the ones who encouraged me to do this so Guys and Girls this is for ya'll.

My husband Don and I have tried to make the most of our vacation time ever since the day we met. At first we traveled by trains, planes and automobiles staying in motels and resorts. Then along came the little ones and we realized that if we wanted to continue our little treks we had to find a more affordable way to do it. Hence, came the pop-up camper into our lives and we discovered the joy of camping in National and State Parks, KOAs and Jellystones across the country. After the boys left home we decided we liked to travel this way and even included my mother on a few memorable trips.

Don retired several years before me. When I decided to leave a long career as a nurse to join him in retirement we decided to spend more time on the road so we upgraded ourselves to a place with a toilet and a shower. We bought our first Winnebago, a 2004 Mini Class C motorhome. We spent months at a time in that 29 1/2 foot RV and got along quite well. After a few years though don wanted and easy chair and I wanted an ottoman to put my feet up so we bought a 2008 35 ft. Voyage with three slides which was so overwhelming to me in size that when he insisted I had to name her, all I could think of was "Big Bertha" so now she is Bertha for short. She is everything we need. We spend all winter in her and we have all the "stuff" we ever need available. I makes me wonder why I have so much "stuff" in our stationary home.

Over the years when people brag to us about their summer or winter homes, we proudly announce that our vacation home is parked in the backyard. Of course, Bertha does not fit in the yard so she now sits in a lot behind the Gentleman's Club in Romeoville. She likes it there too.

When not on the road we enjoy summer days on the golf course, playing pinochle with friends, and going to the movies. We are involved with our church and help out at the community pantry. Our children and grandchildren all live in distant cities and we take any opportunity we can to spend time with them. We have been blessed with good kids, wonderful daughters, and beautiful grandchildren. What more could a person ask for?