Monday, November 30, 2015

Visit to Vegas for Bonnie's Funeral

Well, we are on our way to visit Vegas. It has been 7 months since we have been home. I'm not gonna lie - kinda nervous about goin' back. It was so very hard on me leavin' everything behind to come to Tennessee, but now I am used to living here.
 
Bart and Brandon went to work, and I finished packing. Sky came and picked me up, and then we went to the airport. We are leaving her car at the airport so that we have a ride home (we won't have to wait on the guys when we fly in). We flew U.S. Airways and they were VERY unorganized. We didn't even get to sit together!
 
But, it will be a quick trip. Aunt Bonnie's funeral is tomorrow, so we all want to be there to support Uncle Jim and the family. Wouldn't miss it for the world.
 
I have to say - we clean up pretty well, don't you think? I took full advantage of taking some pictures of all of us while we were together.

Then again, even though we clean up well, our manners need a little bit of tweaking. Always messin' around.

My guys look awesome today!

Brandon & Sky 2015

Bart & Karen 2015

My favorite Family Picture!

Karen & Sky

Aunt Bonnie's funeral was very short. 30 minutes! That is the way that they wanted it. Some friends stood up and spoke a little bit about Aunt Bonnie. Stacie did the eulogy. She did a great job. It was rough on her, but she made it through. She then asked everyone to leave the tears at the funeral home, and then to come back to Uncle Jim's house for dinner and visiting.

My crew all went...visited for a little bit....and then headed back into Vegas. Aunt Bonnie was cremated so there was no burial ceremony.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

The ABC's of Thankfulness

Here's what I'm thankful for this year...in alphabetical order.

Albin. Brent Albin is my Sister's husband. He is a wonderful addition to our family. His saying is "Be Nice". Him and Bart have a great friendship that I am grateful for.
Bryan. He is my 2nd child and lives life in his own way. He is smart, and is always thinking. He is unique.
Chocolate. I love all kinds of chocolate, but milk chocolate is my favorite. Life is just better with a little bit of chocolate.
Dad. He was a hard worker, and was always good to me. We had a special relationship. He was a wonderful Grandfather to my children. I miss him everyday.
Eileen. My Mom has the bluest eyes you have ever seen. And, some of the hardest times that I have laughed is when I have been with her.
Faith. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It has brought me many, many blessings being a member of this church. I know that my Savior lives and loves me.
German Chocolate Cake. It is my very favorite all time cake. I don't have it very often, but when I do, I savor it.
Hunter - Brandon. He is my oldest, and an avid hunter, and has a passion for the outdoors. He lives in the moment, and lives life to the fullest.
In-laws. I was blessed with great in-laws. I am fortunate enough to have had both Bill & Beth in my life. They raised a wonderful family of hard workers.
Journey. Life is a journey. I am truly enjoying mine. I am blessed with so many wonderful people I my life that make my life special.
Kay. She is my very best girlfriend in the whole wide world. I have known her as long as Bryce has been alive! We can be separated for long periods of time, but can pick up right where we left off.
Love of My Life - Bart. He is my very best boyfriend! My life has been wonderful because of him. I don't know what I would do without him.
Mama K. I am grateful for my daughter (in-law) Sky. She calls me Mama K, and that makes me feel special. She keeps me a "girly-girl". Even though I'm not, she reminds me how fun it is to me a woman.
Nashs. This family has opened their arms to us, and made it possible to have some of our horses with us here in Tennessee. They will do anything for anyone. They are an awesome, giving family.
Opportunities. I am so blessed to be able to experience so many different opportunities. We are enjoying living in Tennessee this year. I am grateful that I am able to leave everything behind so that I can be with my husband while he works clear across the United States.
Pencils. I know this sounds odd. But, I still really enjoy writing with pencils. Pens are ok, but there is just something about a nice sharp pencil.
Quilting. I enjoy my crafts - especially Quilting and Crocheting. It is my relaxing creative outlet. I don't have many of my handmade items, because I make them and give them away.
Relatives. I have been blessed with so very many relatives, that I can't even try to list them all.
Sister. My Sister Kim is my opposite. I only have one - but that is all that I need. She completes me. She is an amazing woman, with a heart of gold.
Tooter - Bryce. Our baby's nickname. Bryce is or entertainer. He keeps us laughing. He is always doing crazy things just to make people laugh. He is so responsible, and grown up.
United States. I am so very blessed to live in the United States of America. I know that she has some problems, but I am so grateful for the freedom that I have living here. I am also grateful for the armed men & women who fight for that freedom that I enjoy.
Valentine. Out little wiener dog. She is getting so old. Her little face and paws are all silver now. But she is always so excited to see us when we come home, and doesn't care if I am in a bad mood. She will sneak into my lap to cheer me up.
Weather. Here is Tennessee we are enjoying all 4 seasons. It in incredible to see the colors that come with it, too.
Xactly. I know that I am exactly where I need to be in my life right now. I am happy, healthy & blessed.
You. If you are reading this, then you are considered someone special in my eyes. I am grateful for all the special relationships that I have with people in every walk of my life.
Zippers. This means that I have clothes. I have always had everything that I need.

These are only a few of the many things that I am grateful for this Thanksgiving season. I hope that you all count your many blessings, and sit back and reflect on how grateful you are as well. We love you all!

Monday, November 23, 2015

Home of the Stars Tour (Disappointment)

My friends Lori Bustos & Leslie Stewart wanted to do something fun. So, we all decided to take the "Home of the Stars Tour" of where some of the Stars live here in Tennessee. So, we purchased our tickets online and were in earnest anticipation until the day arrived!
 
We all planned on meeting at Leslie's house early this morning. The tour started at 9:00am, so I had to head over a bit early in the morning. It was really cool seeing all the fog that had settled in the meadows on the way over to her house.

Then, Leslie drove us to the actual tour station, where we loaded up in a tour bus to go to yet another tour bus to start the actual tour.

We started downtown, and the tour guide went by a few famous places, but he went pretty fast, and you could only get a glance at some of them. This purple building was supposed to be famous, where some of the stars started out, but I can't remember what the name of it was.

I did think that this guy had a cool job - being a security guard on one of those Segway things. He was tootling around like he knew what he was doing.
 
This is the kind of views that we got while we were in the tour bus. This place is where George Jones & Tammy Wynette live. Can't see too much.

Dierks Bentley's home.

Curtis Lane lives on Millionaires Row.

This is where the Krispy Crème Donut's owner lives! Man, I didn't know that he could live so well on donuts!

The Governor of Tennessee's mansion is HUGE!

Minnie Pearl's home. You know - from the television show - Hee Haw.

Here's the home of the guy that owns AFLACK. The crazy commercials for insurance with the duck!

Reese Witherspoons humble abode.

Tanya Tucker lives here.

How about Ronnie Milsap. These are his digs.

You can only see the fancy driveway to Martina McBride's home. Her house is way further up in there. :(

Glen Campbell's home is waaay back there, too.

I wasn't too impressed with this tour. We rode in a tour bus with large windows, but the bus driver wasn't able to stop so that we could get a really good look at the beautiful homes, or even slow down. And, at certain times, the bus driver would tell us to have our cameras up and ready, and when he said to click the photo, you had better click or you would completely miss the opportunity.

The bus driver did inform us that Tennessee is known for, and receives most of it's revenue from:
1. Health 2. Publishing (they publish THE most religious material in the entire United States - right here in TN) 3. Entertainment 4. Education / Private Schools 5. Tennessee has 27 Colleges

Can't remember the guys name who wrote Mustang Sally - but he lives here.

Lori Morgan lives in this pretty house. Her real name is Loretta Lynn Morgan, but since there was already a famous Loretta Lynn, she goes my Lori Morgan.

Hank Williams Jr's family lives here. Then was sold to Porter Wagner from the Eagles. I thought it was cool to see that they are into the holidays just like we are.

Roseanne Cash & Pam Tillis both owned this house.

Another fun fact is, is that there are on average 2 churches per square mile in the state of Tennessee. It's not unusual to see 3 churches on the same side of the street, right next door to each other, and the church buildings are HUGE! And, there are always a ton of people at each church. They even incorporate the police to direct traffic on Sundays. When they let out of church, the Police direct traffic, so that they can all get out. It is insane! Sometimes we have to wait a long time for them to let us get past them.

Brenda Lee lives here.

Cal Thomas Jr lives here. I know that doesn't sound familiar, but he is the owner of ALL of the Dollar General stores. And believe me, there are a ton of them here. They are like our dollar tree or 99 cent stores.

Ronnie Dunn lives here. From Brooks & Dunn.

(Can't remember this one). But this is one that you had to look really quick or you would miss it!

This was one of my favorites - Kix Brooks lives here.

Brad Paisley purchased his own church. And, it is a really BIG one.

You can only see a little bit of Dolly Parton's home, but she always decorates really nice for the holidays, and you can always tell it's Dolly Parton's home by the 2 BIG HUGE wreaths on her gates. lol

Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood live in the Governor's Club (we live right down the street from here) and of course we aren't allowed in there. There are some beautiful homes that you can see from the road. They are all ginormous!

Garth Brooks and his wife - Trisha Yearwood live here. Trisha also films her cooking show here in this home. That is the one of Food Network.
 
This is an Orthodontist that lives in this house. I guess this is the profession to be in. WOW!!!

Ronnie Dunn also owns this house.

This is just a small jeweler. This house was really unique and different. The little tiny windows that you see let the light in like a prism. The owner says that it helps with his designing. In the very middle there is a part of the house that is shaped like the setting in a ring. It was pretty cool. This home is actually located in Belle Meade.

This is how fast the guy was goin at times, and it was really hard to take pictures. At this point, I was starting to get car sick. The tour was 3 hours!

Jack Massey lives here, Doesn't sound familiar? Well, he is the owner of KFC! Now, that you know - right? Finger lickin' good.

Charles Kelly lives here from the band Lady Antebellum. This was a very nice house. Another of my favorites.

Oh, and here is a really good tour for ya. At the top of that there hill, lives Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. There house is hidden in all of those trees. (And I paid money for this??)

Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman live in that gated community. I totally understand that they want their privacy, butt if I pay for something, I want to SEE something - like stop and take some good pictures of their homes or say THEM themselves. A little wave - or something easy like that. What's wrong with that?!

Ok, here is one that you had to be ready to take the pictures when the guide told you. This is Taylor Swifts house. We had to stand up in the bus, and have our cameras ready at the very top of the window to take the picture because she has a HUGE wall blocking her home.

Kelly Pickler lives in this little modest home. It was really cute and quaint. I wouldn't mind being her neighbor.

Al Gore's wife lives behind this blocked view. Really?

Kidd Rock owns this corner apartment.

This is Toby Keith's home. Now, this was a pretty good picture. We didn't see any famous people on our tour. And, I'm glad that I went, but I wasn't really impressed. Good thing I had some fun company to hang with.

Lori Bustos, Me & Leslie Stuart 2015