Travel Day Over! Amsterdam finally!

Long day of travel. 17 hours from time we got on our first plane to the time we got into our hotel.  Joe and I both so tired! At the Amsterdam airport, another un ending concourse and we emerged to tulips and the hustle and bustle of a true European railway station! After a little frustration with the machines I finally went to a ticket window and figured out that we needed to be on platform three for the Grand Central Station in Amsterdam right around the corner from our hotel. However we went out the wrong door and it took us a little bit longer to reach our hotel and we ended up getting into a taxi because we couldn't walk one more step! But we made it! Got Joe to the room at the doubletree Grand Central Station and he took a power nap. I was afraid to find out I would never get up. We had plans to meet the gang at Casa de David for Italian dinner that night all eight of us were finally together.

Dinner was wonderful! So good to catch up with Fran and Janet. Of course all the cousins together laughing and joking at one end and the girls at the other. The wind flowed the food was delicious. I have lasagna and it wasn't quite as good as mine but it was pretty good. 

Afterwords we took a long walk trying to find the red light district for the boys and ended up just Kathi and me taking a walk around the city. I have my trusty Siri who let us right to the red light district and of course he might've had a little bit of a gelato on the way.

Kathy and I finished up in a bike ride on the way home because we were worried we get a little bit lost. Met the nicest bicycle Triberg he was from Greece so we ended up talking a bit. Felt sorry that he had to lug us two old women around. We finished off the night with the nightcap in the hotel lobby bar Kathy Bernie and I. Joe had had it and went to bed sound asleep when I returned!

Here we go again!

It's the night before our trip. The day started out with checking in only to find out Joe's ticket was incomplete! Good thing we had all day to figure it out! Got his ticket underway, changed his seat, but then couldn't change mine! We will fix this at the airport, I hope!

Excited, one foot out the door, but my heart is here with my very pregnant daughter! Keep her and little baby, Indy in your prayers! And...fingers crossed I'll be here for his birth! I've always been here for her! So hard to let go. I know she's in good hands with Patty and her dad!

Packing!!!let me just say it really sucks! I needed a bigger suitcase! I got it all in, but not sure about this backpack thing. Shoes...got it to 3 pair! I know, incredible. But I'm wearing jeans to Europe and I told everyone not to wear jeans to Europe! So comfy though. However, the biggest reason? I bought a jean jacket and have to fit it in!

Sweet dreams and big adventures tomorrow!

Day 2: road trip to Branson

Uneventful day, but that is good! Left Tucumcari and traveled in rain until about 11 am. Flash flood warnings and wet Oklahoma roads made the morning dreary, but the new car was a pleasure and handled wind and rain well! Listened to my iPod music and sang along! Joe felt a little under the weather combined with another restless night so I did a bit of the driving today! 

We did enjoy the drive and ate cheese and Italian sausage along the way. Joe brought a cooler. Here's a little Redneck Joe story for you.

"Karen, you know that turkey we've had in the freezer a couple years?" Well, I figured it wasn't good to eat anymore and I needed ice for the cooler...so, I figured I'd use the turkey instead of buying a block of ice to keep things cold!"

This he told me on the road right before we got to Tucumcari. Now, if you know me, all I could think of was a turkey growing salmonella in the cooler next to the water bottles and apples I've been eating and drinking. When I mentioned this,  Joe said very seriously, "Honey,  but it takes two and a half days to thaw a turkey for Thanksgiving and it takes two and a half days to get to Branson! We'll get there before it goes bad!"

Even Joe, Mr. Sensitivity, knew this bothered me. He must have been thinking about this as we drove along. So, this morning as I was packing for the next leg of our trip, I opened up the mini fridge in our hotel room only to see Tom Turkey staring back at me! Joe had decided it was better to drive with a happy wife than a dead turkey so he brought it to the fridge thinking he'd make some housekeeper happy with a frozen turkey for her! I can only imagine the look on her face! Most people leave newspapers and half eaten food! Not my Joe!

Day one: Branson Road Trip

🎼standing on the corner of Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see!!!🎶 we are "takin' it easy' but still drove 580 miles from home and spent the night in Tucumcari, NM. Sometimes I think we are following in Virgil, the Great Santini's, footprints as we travel the same way I did s a child going to visit family in KC! Dad would have been proud....except that we got started at 7 am instead of 4 am! Mom and dad would pile the five of us, still half asleep, into the back of the station wagon and we'd be on the road "to get a head start from the traffic"!!! Best memory...stopping to have a hot chocolate when mom and dad ordered a coffee for the road and everyone else asleep!!!

Stopped for dinner at this cute diner in Santa Rosa! Found it on Yelp! Great Tex Mex and best tamale!

We are home

Got home sat July 5 th

Denver, Family and the Journey Home

July 1st and 2nd, 2014

Woke up in Denver with my Aunt Nette looming over me with her little finger pointing at me saying, "Karen Rose, you and Joe are not leaving today. You shouldn't be in that 4th of July traffic!"

She's all of 5ft tall and cute as anything trying to get us to stay one more day! I told her we'd love to, but as of July 3rd we will have been gone one month and we were ready to be hom3e! She calls me a "zana" which means gypsy in Italian. 

We had a great visit! I hung with Ro and got my mani/pedi finally! And, I got my baby fix! That Archer was a doll baby. Griffin was like a little Parker and Cyrus and a big help to Ro, who could juggle a 6 mos old and 4 yr  old, fix dinner, chauffeur her mom and entertain us, while leaping tall buildings!!!

Joe hung with the cousins, Frank, Frankie, Danielle and Johnny who all did a "working" lunch at a local pub that just happened to have the USA/Belgium soccer match on. Hmmm, nice perks at Double Encore. 

We did manage a game of May I with Aunt Nette and drinks at Frank and Jody's. 

Hated saying goodbye, but we packed up the car, said adieu and took off for Albuquerque. 

On our way to there we did manage to fit in a Happy Birthday message to little Lemon who turned two today!

One Park Too Far

Monday, June something!

Woke up to the bite of the mountain cold. I love sleeping cold, but remembered waking up off and on to pull the covers tight around me! Joe actually turned the heater on and sat by the warm air to drink his coffee. 

Had to get going early thru the mountains for more animal sightings and to make it to Denver around the time we'd promised Aunt Nette.

Grand Lake was near the entrance of The Rocky Mountain Park, so we used our magic pass (the senior pass we got in Glacier) and entered the park. So sorry there is no sign depicting this as Joe zoomed past and I thought, "just another park" ( thus the blog title).  

It's too bad that I'd had about enough of parks and animal sightings as this park was awesome!

Snow, fields of wildflowers, lakes and waterfalls...

It had them all and more! 

The tundra, where we were so high up, the wind was biting and freezing!

We even saw elk and more elk with big racks!!!

But it got so that Joe would pull over and say, "there are two bull elks, want to see them?" And I replied, "Nah, I'm good!" I think that was Joe's first clue that I had had enough of nature and the wilderness! 

I was just done with parks and wildlife and fresh air and couldn't wait to get off the curvy mountain roads and in to civilization!

Ok, finally heading to Denver and family! Made it about 2:00 pm after hitting a little road construction. But seeing my aunt and cousins at the end of this trip was just what we needed. I think Joe and I enjoyed the company of others this evening!

Johnny and Aunt Nette at Ro's place. Great view!

Little cousin Archer!

Sorry for the horrible quality. Everyone groaned when I started with the pics.

Oh, and thanks, Ro, for a great dinner.