My Christmas Trip to Arkansas
For the first time in I can't remember how long, my wife (Joyce) and I aborted the traditional Christmas celebration and opted to visit my son and his wife in Arkansas. It was a blessing for me, as I didn't have to pull down the Christmas 'stuff' and totally rearrange the house to accommodate the holiday decorations. It was definitely worth the price of two plane tickets!
The trip started on December 23rd with an overnight stay at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Orlando, since we elected not to make the early morning drive from Vero Beach to catch the 11 am flight to Little Rock. We spent the evening touring the local area and ‘chowing down’ at a nearby Chili’s. We hit the sack early in anticipation of an action packed adventure.
Upon our arrival, I was smiling with excitement at the thought of seeing David and Amy for the first time in many months. After breezing through the modest little airport, I scanned the faces of everyone in the baggage claim area expecting to see our hosts waiting to pick us up. I should have known better, David or ‘last minute David' as I call him, was still on his way to the airport. Fortunately, they were only a few minutes away, which gave us time to collect our luggage.
Here is a picture of David and Amy after their wedding last year. Isn’t she beautiful? He’s not bad looking either, just ask him.
Once the hugs and kisses were done, we loaded up the luggage and made our way back to their home. The house was decorated in a Christmas fashion that would make Santa proud.
The last time I was in Arkansas, David and Amy were in the process of buying this house. They sold it a week before our visit so we spent the evening enjoying our last visit to their humble abode drinking margaritas and cooking hamburgers on the grill.
The following day was Christmas, and the food planned for the day was enough to feed an army. We had ham, turkey, ribs, green beans, potatoes, more green beans, several casseroles, deserts, cookies, chips, dip, more green beans, and the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever tasted. BTW- I love green beans!
Since I live in Florida I don't get to see Amy's family much so it was great to see them during this festive occasion. Amy’s mom (Pat), sister (Sarah), Sarah’s boyfriend (Jason), and an old friend of the family (Noah), made the event a Christmas to remember.
Unfortunately, Amy’s grandmother wasn’t able to make it due to health problems. I hope she had a good Christmas anyway.
Noah, on the other hand, was quite a treat! He is 95 years old and still has his wits about him. He was quick to point out that the rawhide bone for the dog was not the back scratching device David tried to pass off as his Christmas gift.
The remainder of the Christmas activities included opening presents, eating more food and indulging on adult beverages, oh yeah, I had some more green beans:). It was a great Christmas!
Here's a picture of Amy opening a strange looking gift.
It's really a rawhide bone for Lacey.
The following day David and I worked on his RM125 motocross bike. He replaced the piston ring last year but couldn’t get it started because of a crankcase water leak. David and I have always enjoyed working on things together. Whether its fixing bikes or rebuilding his 73 Mustang, we have a great time twisting wrenches together. Here’s a pic of his awesome mustang and the bike we got running while I was there.
The following day, Tuesday the 27th, David took me fishing on the Little Red River about an hour North of Little Rock. We went fishing there during my last visit and I caught plenty of trout. Unfortunately, this time the fish weren’t cooperating but we had a great time anyway.
The look on my face below is not one of someone who's reeling in a big fish, it's one of someone who didn't wear enough clothing because his son said is was warm enough to wear shorts. It was damn cold!
That evening we ordered in some of Grandpa’s catfish and played Wheel of Fortune on David’s Playstation. Joyce got hooked on the game and has been in search of it ever since we got home. It was great just hanging out together.
On our last full day in Arkansas, Amy wasn’t able to join us because of an untimely death of a close friend on Christmas Eve. Amy attended a funeral that afternoon, which meant cruising around in David’s monster Ford Bronco. Driving around with David in the Little Rock traffic, while he wheeled and dealed on his cell phone was quite the hair-raising experience.
We started the day with a trip to the Little Rock AFB gym to play racquetball. The facility was 1st class with a full size basketball court, indoor track, three rooms of state-of-the-art equipment, and 4 beautiful racquetball courts. David’s game has improved immensely but he’ll need to spend a lot more time on the court before beating his dad.
After a shower and a bite to eat, we headed out to David and Amy’s new home site to check out the progress being made with the plumbing. The house will be a beautiful 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 3 car garage dream home. Everything is coming together nicely and the slab should be poured by the time this post hits the Internet.
After checking out the construction we headed to a local investment opportunity to sample their offerings. I won’t mention the franchise but I will tell you that this could be the start of something big. I was truly impressed!
We met up with Amy back at the house and goofed around until we got hungry enough to go out for diner. Amy’s dryer was making a terrible noise so David and I tore into it and found the problem. We had it fixed in no time and had a great time doing it.
We went to diner around 7:30 that evening at a new local eatery in the North Little Rock area. We had a good time chatting about our visit, the food was decent but the margaritas were great.
I spent my last evening of our trip trying to bond with David and Amy’s dog, Lacey. Lacey is a beautiful 1-year-old Keeshond who for some reason did not take a liking to me. David and Amy bought Lacey because of their experience with my two Keeshonds, Keesha and Valentine.
As a child, David grew up loving my dogs and wanted nothing more than for me to experience the same with his dog. Just when I thought she was coming around, she would start barking and jumping around like I was an intruder. Oh well, maybe next time we see her it will be different. Here's a couple of pictures of me attempting to bond with Lacey.
One of the highlights of the trip was taking David to the local home improvement store and letting him pick out his Christmas gifts from Joyce and I. I don’t like to shop but I’ll make an exception when it comes to tools and other home improvement stuff. Here’s a picture of David trying out his new tools.
The following day we packed up our clothes and headed to the airport. It was really hard saying goodbye but we had a great time and we’ll see each other again soon. It was especially important to me to spend time with my daughter-in-law in her own home. She is one of the most caring, considerate, and hard working persons I have ever met.
I think my son made a great choice in marrying Amy and I can truly say I love her and can’t wait to become a grandparent (Lacey doesn’t count). I only hope they realize how important their relationship is, and not to let the little stuff get in the way of their love for each other.
Joyce and I had a great time and can’t thank David and Amy enough for their hospitality. We wish them both the best for the upcoming New Year!!!
After we got home, the following day my dad and I went to Home Depot and used the gift cards that Pat and my team from work got me for Christmas. Thanks everyone!
The trip started on December 23rd with an overnight stay at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Orlando, since we elected not to make the early morning drive from Vero Beach to catch the 11 am flight to Little Rock. We spent the evening touring the local area and ‘chowing down’ at a nearby Chili’s. We hit the sack early in anticipation of an action packed adventure.
Upon our arrival, I was smiling with excitement at the thought of seeing David and Amy for the first time in many months. After breezing through the modest little airport, I scanned the faces of everyone in the baggage claim area expecting to see our hosts waiting to pick us up. I should have known better, David or ‘last minute David' as I call him, was still on his way to the airport. Fortunately, they were only a few minutes away, which gave us time to collect our luggage.
Here is a picture of David and Amy after their wedding last year. Isn’t she beautiful? He’s not bad looking either, just ask him.
Once the hugs and kisses were done, we loaded up the luggage and made our way back to their home. The house was decorated in a Christmas fashion that would make Santa proud.
The last time I was in Arkansas, David and Amy were in the process of buying this house. They sold it a week before our visit so we spent the evening enjoying our last visit to their humble abode drinking margaritas and cooking hamburgers on the grill.
The following day was Christmas, and the food planned for the day was enough to feed an army. We had ham, turkey, ribs, green beans, potatoes, more green beans, several casseroles, deserts, cookies, chips, dip, more green beans, and the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever tasted. BTW- I love green beans!
Since I live in Florida I don't get to see Amy's family much so it was great to see them during this festive occasion. Amy’s mom (Pat), sister (Sarah), Sarah’s boyfriend (Jason), and an old friend of the family (Noah), made the event a Christmas to remember.
Unfortunately, Amy’s grandmother wasn’t able to make it due to health problems. I hope she had a good Christmas anyway.
Noah, on the other hand, was quite a treat! He is 95 years old and still has his wits about him. He was quick to point out that the rawhide bone for the dog was not the back scratching device David tried to pass off as his Christmas gift.
The remainder of the Christmas activities included opening presents, eating more food and indulging on adult beverages, oh yeah, I had some more green beans:). It was a great Christmas!
Here's a picture of Amy opening a strange looking gift.
It's really a rawhide bone for Lacey.
The following day David and I worked on his RM125 motocross bike. He replaced the piston ring last year but couldn’t get it started because of a crankcase water leak. David and I have always enjoyed working on things together. Whether its fixing bikes or rebuilding his 73 Mustang, we have a great time twisting wrenches together. Here’s a pic of his awesome mustang and the bike we got running while I was there.
The following day, Tuesday the 27th, David took me fishing on the Little Red River about an hour North of Little Rock. We went fishing there during my last visit and I caught plenty of trout. Unfortunately, this time the fish weren’t cooperating but we had a great time anyway.
The look on my face below is not one of someone who's reeling in a big fish, it's one of someone who didn't wear enough clothing because his son said is was warm enough to wear shorts. It was damn cold!
That evening we ordered in some of Grandpa’s catfish and played Wheel of Fortune on David’s Playstation. Joyce got hooked on the game and has been in search of it ever since we got home. It was great just hanging out together.
On our last full day in Arkansas, Amy wasn’t able to join us because of an untimely death of a close friend on Christmas Eve. Amy attended a funeral that afternoon, which meant cruising around in David’s monster Ford Bronco. Driving around with David in the Little Rock traffic, while he wheeled and dealed on his cell phone was quite the hair-raising experience.
We started the day with a trip to the Little Rock AFB gym to play racquetball. The facility was 1st class with a full size basketball court, indoor track, three rooms of state-of-the-art equipment, and 4 beautiful racquetball courts. David’s game has improved immensely but he’ll need to spend a lot more time on the court before beating his dad.
After a shower and a bite to eat, we headed out to David and Amy’s new home site to check out the progress being made with the plumbing. The house will be a beautiful 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 3 car garage dream home. Everything is coming together nicely and the slab should be poured by the time this post hits the Internet.
After checking out the construction we headed to a local investment opportunity to sample their offerings. I won’t mention the franchise but I will tell you that this could be the start of something big. I was truly impressed!
We met up with Amy back at the house and goofed around until we got hungry enough to go out for diner. Amy’s dryer was making a terrible noise so David and I tore into it and found the problem. We had it fixed in no time and had a great time doing it.
We went to diner around 7:30 that evening at a new local eatery in the North Little Rock area. We had a good time chatting about our visit, the food was decent but the margaritas were great.
I spent my last evening of our trip trying to bond with David and Amy’s dog, Lacey. Lacey is a beautiful 1-year-old Keeshond who for some reason did not take a liking to me. David and Amy bought Lacey because of their experience with my two Keeshonds, Keesha and Valentine.
As a child, David grew up loving my dogs and wanted nothing more than for me to experience the same with his dog. Just when I thought she was coming around, she would start barking and jumping around like I was an intruder. Oh well, maybe next time we see her it will be different. Here's a couple of pictures of me attempting to bond with Lacey.
One of the highlights of the trip was taking David to the local home improvement store and letting him pick out his Christmas gifts from Joyce and I. I don’t like to shop but I’ll make an exception when it comes to tools and other home improvement stuff. Here’s a picture of David trying out his new tools.
The following day we packed up our clothes and headed to the airport. It was really hard saying goodbye but we had a great time and we’ll see each other again soon. It was especially important to me to spend time with my daughter-in-law in her own home. She is one of the most caring, considerate, and hard working persons I have ever met.
I think my son made a great choice in marrying Amy and I can truly say I love her and can’t wait to become a grandparent (Lacey doesn’t count). I only hope they realize how important their relationship is, and not to let the little stuff get in the way of their love for each other.
Joyce and I had a great time and can’t thank David and Amy enough for their hospitality. We wish them both the best for the upcoming New Year!!!
After we got home, the following day my dad and I went to Home Depot and used the gift cards that Pat and my team from work got me for Christmas. Thanks everyone!
3 Comments:
Kenster,
Great job - looks very professional!
Dude,
Awesome sprinkler system installation pics on your web album!
Spanks says he wishes he was there to help. He loves to bite the water coming out of sprinkler heads (prefers the rotators).
WoW!!! That is great, I am very impressed with this blog !!
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