Monday

Went to Vegas to get my school records today from Clark County. I hope it has enough information included in it for the Justice Department to write me a check for $50,000.00. The Mormon Church cannot seem to find me on their membership roles as a child so, I went to Clark County and they found me in 2 minutes, I am just crossing my fingers that it is what they want.

Went and took all my old gold jewelry to be repaired at the Jewelers. I am hard on jewelry so about once a year I take everything in for repairs . Not bad this time. Everything repaired for about $75.00, well worth it with gold prices today.

Then I went over to see my Queen Olivia and get my Mima kisses. Then Teddi and I went to lunch while Marty watched Oli and then went and shopped for Teddi a formal dress for their company Christmas Party. She bought a really cute black/red/zebra print cocktail dress that she looked really good in . Now she just has to find the zebra shoes. Who ever thought that she would turn into a girl, and I will go farther, a flash and trash girl.

It was a nice day but I was tired when I got home. I had spaghetti sauce frozen in the freezer so we had a nice easy dinner with some yummy garlic bread that had big chunks of roasted garlic and spaghetti. Now we are watching the Saints/Patriots game and hoping that the Saints keep kicking the Patriots butts. I willprobably have to wait to know what happens cause I can see I am fading fast. A day in Vegas wore me out.

Wet Weekend

We had a nice day today.Got up late and then made a trip to St. George to buy a new washer. Had lunch at Applebee's that was not too bad, then back home to install the washer. It rained a little this afternoon and although it was not really cold, it looked cold so I made a pot of clam chowder for supper. It tasted pretty good to me. Cliff hasn't had any yet so that will be the test. He has been napping and I didn't want to wake him up.

I am done Christmas shopping and so glad to have it all done. I even have a few things wrapped and would like to get it all finished the first of the week. I go for my next chemo treatment on Wednesday and every round makes me a little tireder so I am trying to be proactive in making sure things get done. I would like to get the tree up but Cliff would just kill me. He is already complaining about how long they drag out the holidays. I understand, but since it's here, I say enjoy it . He is just being a crabby patty. Besides just to see Olivia and Gabbi's sweet little faces is worth anything.

Here are a few pictures that we took over Thanksgiving.

Hat's Off to Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We had so much food. We cooked two turkeys, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, and everything else you could think of including pumpkin-chocolate pie.
Our sweet cheese trying to see inside the camera
Tony serenaded us with lots of songs and he sounded so good. We also had a jam session with the guitars all the boys played, even the Gordy played one for a minute she thought she was so BIG.
This is Toby boning a turkey. I am not kidding. He took all the bones out and then put a sausage, leek, macadamia nut dressing inside. Then rolled the whole thing up and glazed it with pure maple syrup and spices. It was so damn good. Then we made a traditional turkey and dressing so we would have left overs for turkey sandwiches. My tummy is so full I look like a starving child with a big belly!!!
Big Daddy and his little girls. Gabby likes him way better than me and will tell me , No, Dad-Dad and run to him. Oli still likes me but she needs her Daddy-Daddy hugs
Of course, we had to do our traditional Thanksgiving hats. Here is my beautiful baby girl in her Thanksgiving Pilgrim hat. Marty had to work so she was doing Mama duty solo like Cha.



It was pretty funny everyone made something different this year and look, Cliff even got Grouchy Old Digger to wear his Halloween Yoda hat for a minute!!

Gabby was not too happy about having to wear her hat, her Mama made her an Aztec Princess hat but she did not want to be an Aztec Princess. She is so sweet
Oli loved her turkey hat. Her and Mima had kind of the same hat so she thought that was funny,
Toby's hat was so funny we laughed and laughed at it's "arms.
Here is my Aztec Princess. Isn't she beautiful. My poor baby had a hard day. Poor ole Leonard was sick and in bed all day, her car broke down, and her washer went out. But she was a champ and of course we are working it all out, and Leo feels better today.
This Big Mama wearing Toby's Thanksgiving hat and giving the "finger" to cancer!
Toby came out in one of my wigs and said"I will have to get one of these. I told him he could have that one.
Olivia was playing with our stuffed animal horse that we call "horse" and part of his mane came out. She looked so shocked. I said maybe he is taking chemotherapy? Teddi said to Oliva, "Maybe we can take horse's hair and put it on Mima's head and then she can have hair again. Olivia looked at me for a minute really serious and then said, "Well, we could try." We all just died laughing!!

Landslide

I have been working on an article for the local newspaper concerning this journey thru breast cancer. It is kind of a comedy/tragedy thing that may convey some much needed information. I think they are actually going to do it as a series over time. I am meeting with the editor on Wednesday to formalize the format, so I will know more then. The idea actually started as an idea for a book and after I had the first 8000 words, it just kind of took on a life of it's own. I love starting to create something and then watch it just take over and become what it is meant to be.

Just trying to get the house clean and things ready for Thanksgiving. Really looking forward to it this year. As you know we always make everyone wear a gay Thanksgiving hat to eat dinner. It is just a family tradition that keeps us from getting to serious about the day. Plus the little kids love it. Big Daddies hat is aways the "crowning glory" and it sounds like he is opting for a Pilgrim Hat this year. I wanted to make a combination turkey/pig hat with bonky eyes. We will see. We are going to St George tomorrow to get the items we need for the hats, Mesquite is very lacking in artful ingredients for gay Thanksgiving Hats. Should be a full day of creating nonsense.

Toby will be here Wednesday night and I am so looking forward to seeing him. It always seems like it's too long in between. We are planning a trip to Portland this spring to see him so maybe it won't be as long this time. Hopefully he and Tony and Cliff can get a jam session going on the guitars and then of course there is my family picture that I am planning. Everyone hates to take my family picture but I think I may get it this year and have them actually pose and take their time and get a good picture, see I am pulling the "cancer card" on them and they are not quite sure if I mean it, so they will fall under my spell and I will get my picture!!

"Older? It's who you have always been, only later."

Well everyone came out today and we had the Mima Birthday Party. The little girls were so excited that it was Mima's birthday. We found an old candle from someones 4th birthday and used it so the little girls would have something to blow out. It was really funny. They were so excited for it to be a "birthday party for Grandma".
Me and Big Daddy just loving it up as always. Ain't he summpin!!
My girls, minus the Colorado contingency. Loved the party but missed the big girls from Colorado. Aren't my daughters and granddaughters so unbelievably beautiful!!!!!!
My sweetums. Olivia has not seen me without hair but Gordy is terrified of me without my wig. Even with a scarf on Gordy will not let me hold her. She will kiss me but only if Charlee is holding her.Later in the day I did take the wig off for Olivia. She starred at me for a long minute, and then said, "Put it on." My sentiments exactaly.
We were plaaying "Bite it" and Gordy was not too pleased. This cake was amazing. Charlee Ann made up the recipe and it was soooooooo good. She knew I loved pecans, so she got a butter pecan cake mix and added chopped pecans, then baked it in a medium size spring form pan, ; when it was out and cool, she cut it in three layers, and filled it with a mixture of, cream cheese, real whipped cream, powered sugar, a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. Then she put chopped pecans all over it. OMG, not too sweet just light and creamy and tasted just like fall.
All the gang after dinner hanging out for a picture with Grandma. These guys are nuts with their hats on like thugs. Oh, hell they are thugs!The infamous Abuelita Gang.

We had rib steaks, baked potatoes, salad, rolls, and butter pecan cream chesse filled birthday cake. Yummy!

New Insights

Just got back from St George. I went up to an IHC sponsored " look good, feel good" seminar. It is a thing for women with cancer to help them remember to take care of themselves (make up, wigs, skin care etc). What an eye opener. First of all , I realized how self centered I am sometimes as it took awhile for me to realize that all the people there didn't have breast cancer (duh) and that some of them were REALLY sick. I am so lucky that I have had it as easy as I have had. I looked around and had a rude awakening in the middle of the whole thing. Not that I don't realize that it could be me, it's not that, it's just you get so involved in your own drama sometimes that you forget other people are really suffering. Half the people were wearing masks as they could not be in public and risk infection without them. So far my white blood count has held, thank God and all of you for your prayers.

There was a woman there in her 80's that has had cancer for 15 years and is in some kind of clinical trial for stem cells and bone marrow transplants. What a hoot she was. She must have weighted about 70 lbs, bald as a billiard, and fighting for all she was worth. Someone asked why she keeps up the clinical trials because she was talking about how painful it is, and she said, "Because someone has to do it and I am no chicken shit!"

Then there was a woman who has been in chemo for lung cancer for 5 years and said she decided she was tired of looking like a hag and decided to learn how to wear makeup. Another woman refused to wear a wig as she was standing up for the rights of bald women and told me I should do the same. I told her, that was for really brave people, I am only brave as long as I have all my accouterments (hair, makeup, jewelry, clothes) without that I am the chicken shit the old Grannie was referring to.

The one I really felt sorry for was a woman who was younger than me, I imagine, who when we talked about losing our eyebrows, I encouraged her to get hers tattooed on asap , as you can only get it done before you start chemo, once you are in treatment you can't risk infection. She kept saying no she didn't think she would, so I "encouraged" a little more. Then she finally said, "Look, I am late stage 4 and the chemo is just for pain management, I won't last long enough to worry about eyebrows". I wanted to slug myself right in the mouth, then I wanted to tell her NO, there are miracles and you can fight, there are new cures and you can fight like Grannie and then I realized that we all get to choose and sometimes it's just our time and maybe we know it, or we are tired or whatever. So I just hugged her and said I would pray for her and hoped I hadn't offended her. She was so sweet and said no I hadn't , she was happy to meet me, but I saw the pain and fear in her eyes and the resignation and defeat, and I just wanted to scream!

Happy Birthday To Me

Here is a picture of my new Blackberry phone that my sweetheart got me for my Big Birthday Day on Friday. I needed a new phone but now poor Cliff has to show me how to use it. I am always challenged and he has to lead me by the hand on new technology items. After he shows me once I am pretty good but it takes that one time. We decided I needed a new phone on our trip to Texas. I still had a Nextel and Cliff had a Sprint. They were on the same plan and his worked all the way to Texas and back and mine only worked if we were in a big city, so we decided when we got home to switch mine. It is nice and does everything (don't be a hater Traci because it's Orange)

Had a good day today, went to St George and ran errands, got doctors records and tried to organize all my medical bills. Boy are they confusing, I ended up with what I think are about 8 providers. Who knows how much I owe, I imagine without the Oncologist it is about $50,000.00 and the Oncologist is somewhere between $11,000.00 and $60,000.00 per treatment depending on what you are getting so I am sure that's adding up. See how lucky I am that they are taking care of me at ALL!! I am so blessed

Heard that my friend Claiborne's Daddy is not doing so hot so I am praying Sister for you both. Remember I love you and try to rest a little. It's not the miles we have traveled Sister, it's the stops we've made!! That's the problem.

The Mexicans are bringing the sweet Cheese over tonight so we can see her. She has been gone for 10 days so we are really looking forward to our hugs. I even baked Leonard's favorite pumpkin pie, so it's pie and coffee and sweet cheese later tonight.

Monday Monday

Laid around yesterday and watched the race. Not too exciting. I tried to make some chicken wings but they were awful. I don't know what it is about this chemo crap but it really screws with my energy and I cannot cook at all. And I am a great cook usually but this gets my energy out of wack and I cannot seem to make anything worth eating. Poor Cliff. I always knew that you had to put a lot of love into the food but my energy is such that the only thing that goes in makes it taste like crap. HA. I am better off buying preprepared frozen (though I usually don't) or it's not fit to eat.

My toes are such a mess I decided to treat my self to a pedicure and manicure. I figured even thought I shouldn't spend the money , I'll do it for my birthday this weekend. I know it will make me feel better. I don't know what I am whining about I really don't feel that bad, just off a bit . I watched the Today show this morning and watched a piece about that woman that got her face and hands ripped off my that Chimpanzee. Now there is someone with a problem I should be on my knees thanking God that I am bald and have a yucky tummy!!!!!So I am grateful for my blessings and grateful for my health.

Also, my handsome son is coming for Thanksgiving and I cannot wait to see him. I am counting the days till he gets here. He is such a wonderful person and has such a wonderful energy. I love being around him because he just requires you to be smart and interesting in a sweet and loving way. He is cooking for us this year with help from his little sisters so I know we will have a wonderful dinner to look forward to. I will reign like the Old Queen as Big Daddy keeps order and comes with with some kind of hats for this years celebration.

Regular Saturday

My new wig! I got this short one just to wear around the house and to knock around. It is easier than the longer one and I figure the longer more glamorous one can be saved and maybe last longer if I don't wear it to work around here every day. It's kind of fun
I got up about 5 am and cleaned the whole house and did laundry. I couldn't stand my dirty house so I cleaned and mopped and scrubbed the bathroom, cleaned the porch. Sure feels better. Then Charlee and Tony came over and I fixed breakfast burritos and then messed around for awhile and then we went to Walmart for a minute and got some stuff. Then we came home and dyed Charlee's hair and I fixed lunch ( Mushroom Swiss burgers) and now I am just chilling out. Cliff and I may go see 2012 after while if we get ambitious.

It was suppose to be rainy and nasty today but it turned out to be just beautiful. A hint of wind but really nice. I miss my Dad today he would have loved to hear the weather report!

Friday the 13th

Well, we just got back from bowling and it was a strange night. We got beat 3 games out of 4 . 1st game the other team bowled way over their average and won, second game we bowled way under our average and they won, finally we won the 3 rd game, and they took pin fall. It was all jacked up as Leonard was gone to his Grandmothers funeral and Bill is working in Oregon so Bill's son in law Robbie substituted for Leo, and we used Bill's average. Our mojo was way off and just couldn't get rocking and rolling. Oh, well it was fun as Robbie and Kathy are fun so we had a hoot.

I actually felt pretty good for my 3rd day after treatment. I hung in there all night and even ate a greasy bowling alley cheese burger AND it tasted good. I even felt like going out for awhile if Cliff wanted to but he wanted to come home and get on his new video game and kick Marty's butt if possible. I mean these boys and their games. They play half the night. I think it must relieve their stress

Charlee brought Tony and his friend Manuel over to the bowling alley and had chicken strips with us before she took them to see the movie 2012. The boys were so funny. They were trying to flirt with two little Mexican cuties and didn't know how to approach them so they wanted some instruction from Big Daddy, Tony said, "Cliff you go talk to them," Cliff said , "I can't go talk to them, I 'm an old man!" Tony said, "What, they will think you're and old creeper!!" It was pretty funny. (It reminded us of Traci saying "CREEPER") Finally the boys did go talk to the girls but just a little. Tony said he already had a girl friend so he kept it on the low low. How funny. Who could imagine that he is 13 and looking a girls. He is always so good to give me a good bye kiss. So I teased him about giving his old bald headed Grannie a goodbye kiss. He glanced over at the little girls and said, "later Mimi". It was pretty funny. My sweet boy. I hope they had fun at the movie.

Our little Gordy will be home on Monday and I cannot wait to see her sweet face. Leonard has had her in California all week at his families for this Grannie's funeral. We sure have missed them both. Little Olivia has been sick for a couple days and we were worried because she had been around her cousins who had H1N1 but she seems to be OK, doctor said just a cold. She was feeling better tonight. I hope to see her sometime in the next week.

Tomorrow I am going to make dolly baby blankets. The last time the girls were here they were trying to wrap their babies in towels and I said, "What kind of a crappy Mima doesn't have dolly baby blankets. So I am making one for Grannie's house and one for each of them to take home for their home babies. Can't wait who knew it would be this much fun to be a Mima!!

Hair Spray the Texas Musical Starring Mima & Big Daddy

Well kids here is the hard cold truth of it all. My kids love it and say I should "sport that do" but I prefer the wig. It feels like me
Crazy Bald Headed Lady. My Dad always sang a song to the tune of Popeye the Sailor Man that went: I love to go swimmin with bald headed women, I'm Popeye the Sailor Man, toot toot.
My hat that my dear friend Claiborne knitted me with love that keeps my head warm but not too hot at night. Thank you my pal. I feel the love in every stitch.
Now the wig. Isn't it great. I love it. I am thinking of getting a blonde one to see if maybe I want to go blonde when my hair comes back. What do you'all think? Leave me a comment everyone
It fits good and doesn't itch too much. I think I am lucky that it's winter. Hopefully I will have a smidgen of hair by the time its hot.

Act One

Hair Spray the Texas Musical

Now for the whole story. My hair had started falling out just a little before we left but nothing much. When we stayed the first night of the trip in Flagstaff and I got up and showered about 10% of it fell out in the tub. It was a mess and I got most of it cleaned up and still had enough to style so on we went to Roswell. That next morning about 15% fell out but it was just thinning not in clumps, so again I had enough to style and it looked Ok. This time clean up was harder cause there is hair everywhere and you have no broom so you just mop it up with towels the best you can. When we reached San Antonio, more fell out till there was too much gone to style anymore. I went down to the desk clerk at the hotel and borrowed a pair of scissors . I figured that I could at least cut if close to my scalp. The scissors I got were so damn dull they would not cut my hair at all. I just had to chew it off with the scissors and I finally gave up when it was about to my ears (see picture)

Then on to Fort Worth, more fell out but I just started wearing my wig with the bangs worked into the wig. Cliff and I talked about finding a Walmart and getting some clippers but just never saw one when we could get off the off ramp in that horrible Dallas traffic.

Act 2

Hair Spray the Texas Musical

Finally when we got to our room in Irving , I knew we had to do something. I mean there was hair everywhere and I could not clean it all up without a vacuum or a broom and it was starting to get nasty. So Cliff decided that he might be able to shave it off with the sideburn clipper on his electric razor. He started at the back and shaved up till all he had left was a small bowl on the top of my head that looked exactly like Hitlers hair cut. We should have taken a picture but at that point we were traumatized and I was crying and said "I am so sorry that you have to do this." Cliff was almost crying and said, "I am so damn sorry that I have to do this to you, honey."

It was at this point it really got crazy because with my hair like Hitler, Cliff's razor battery died and he realized he had not brought the recharge cord. So there I was doomed to look like the most hated man in history. Cliff said, "I am going to find a Walmart right now." I said , No, I don't want you to because I knew he was 30 minutes each way minimum in the traffic and it was late and he was tired. I said, "Please just go to the desk and see if they have a pair of sharp scissors and let me try that." Luckily, they did have a pair and Cliff cut as close as he could in the back and I cut as close as I could in the front . I had promised my girls a picture so Cliff took the saddest little picture (see photo) and sent it to them. When Tony saw it he asked his mother, "Who sent you that picture of an old man in girl pajamas?" He was worried that he had made me mad but I thought he hit it spot on. That's just how I felt at that moment. By then I was emotionally exhausted and said to hell with it and crawled into bed with my good friend Claiborne's hat on and just fell asleep. I did feel better the next morning.

The saddest little pitiful Mima in the World

Act 3

Hair Spray the Texas Musical

The next morning I said to Hell with this funk and put on my big cowgirl panties and I put on my wig and felt like a girl again. It was full tilt boogie and we partied like it was 1969. ( only you old folks know what that means) Once we got home I took a razor to it and it feels sooooooo much better now. I am not comfortable going out with it bald. But I can stand for the family to see it around the house, So I have made progress!!

Last note: I told Cliff that I am sure they are looking for a serial killer who kills women and shaves their heads in motels all across Texas. They may be closing in on us as we speak!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Texas Two Step

Big Mama and Big Daddy at Texas Motor Speedway. Note: Big Mama's checkered flag glasses
Our boy Jeffery who sat on the pole position but got his butt kicked all day long. Once he was saved by a Weiner Caution (someone threw a hot dog on the track and they called a caution for debris and saved him from going a lap down to Kyle Bush)
The most famous band from Texas, ZZ Top. Bet they are tired of singing, "Every Girl's Crazy Bout a Sharp Dressed Man!!!!!!!!
Pit Row at the Track
Entrance to Texas Motor Speedway. At this point we were yelling GOOOOOOOO Jeffery
The famous crystal saddle at Billy Bob;s Fort Worth
Me and some cowboy!!!
Had to get a picture of the sign
Cliff and the bartender at the Buffalo Butt Bar. Do you see the Buffalo Butt?
Big Daddy would look good driving in this with all his Ladies (me, Charlee, Teddi, Traci, Alecia, Cheyenne, Olivia, Gabbi) What a Ladies Man
Deally Plaza where they (?) killed our President and then lied to us
Cliff up on the platform where the Zapruder film was shot. If you notice the look on his face, he just hit his private parts when he jumped up on the platform and was saying, oh, shit my n*&^%$
Me in Deally Plaza sporting my new wig!!
This is at Cowboy Stadium and this is where the Cowboys run out on the field thru these doors under the star
This is the locker room and Tony Romo's locker. Pretty fancy for football players

Cliff sitting in one the VIP lounges in a soft leather chair looking out over the 50 yard line. He said he could get use to this seat.
Cliff getting ready to run out on the field. Interesting thing is this concrete he is standing on was taken up form the old Texas Stadium and transported over to the new Cowboy's Stadium and then placed here so it's the same concrete all the players have always ran across to the field.
This place is soooooooooooooooo big
New Cowboy's Statium in Arlington Texas looks like a space ship to me but I think it is suppose to look like a helmet.


River Walk in San Antonio. This was my favorite place on the whole trip. It is so well done and such a pleasant place. I loved it. Me and my Sweetheart down in Old San Antonio
This is the famous La Margarita. If you saw my last post you know this story. You can see in this picture my hair had really started to thin. Tomorrow I will tell that whole story and it is comedy/tragedy at it's finest.
The Alamo
My baby looking good at the Alamo
Me trying to figure out how they got horses and wagons thru these arches at the Alamo
Me in Lincoln County New Mexico

Well, I'm back with the rest of the story. We left San Antonio Thursday night and drove over to Johnson City, TX and visited the Lyndon Johnson boyhood home and museum. I am very interested in LBJ and how his life played out so that was very interesting to me. Then we drove up to Morgan Mill, TX and stopped and visited with Vannie Rae and his wife Jennette and their two girls Talon and JC. I could not believe how much JC looked like Scottee. Amazing. We had a nice visit and dinner with them, sure was good to see Vannie Rae. He has always had a tender spot in my heart. From there we drove over to Fort Worth and got a room.

Friday Morning we got up and went over to Arlington and took a tour of the new Cowboy's Stadium. What a place. It really is something you have to see to believe. It's really ridicules that someone would spend that kind of money on a sports stadium. Really says a lot about our screwed up priorities in this country. With that said it is quite the place. The thing that surprised me most was the locker room. Not like they had in high school kids I can tell you that. We even got to go out on the field and toss around the football and take pictures. Pretty Cool. Of course we had to get Cowboy jersey's and hat's etc. I even got some breast cancer football bracelets.

From there we went over to Fort Worth to the Stockyards and had lunch at the Circle HB. What a restaurant! They must have the best food in the world. We ended up eating there twice during our visit and once waited 2 hours to get in. We would have eaten there every meal but it was too far from our hotel and if you know anything about Dallas traffic, you know you don't brave it unless you have to. We went over to Billy Bob's and had a beer and looked around and found out that they had Travis Tritt tickets for $25 on Saturday night. We , of course got tickets, and then later in the afternoon drove up to our hotel room which was in north Irving near the airport. We haad a hell of a time finding it and I was so stressed out and tired by the time we finally got there that I couldn't think. Then there were no restaurants anywhere near it which amazed us because there was a cluster of about 15 large hotels on that exit and not one restaurant. We finally found a crappy Tex Mex place and got a taco (which sucked, I mean how can you screw up a friggin Taco) and went back to the room.

Saturday morning we got up and drove in to Dallas and did the JFK thing at Deally Plaza. Always amazes me and I have been there 20 times. What a fat lie was sold on that spot. Then we drove down to Hutchings and saw my old house, then took the 635 loop over to Mesquite, Texas so Cliff could say he had been there. We found my favorite Black Eye Pea restaurant and had a wonderful lunch complete with their amazing Peach Cobbler. Then we drove clear back across town to our hotel and took a long nap. When we got up we got duded up and drove back over to Fort Worth to the Stockyards and had dinner at the Circle HB (waited 2 hrs and I'd wait it again)Cliff had the most beautiful prime rib you have ever seen with a rock salt baked potato and roasted corn on the cob. I had roasted pork that they had a whole pig roasting on a spit and just carved off the meat and served it with the same potato and corn. I can not tell you how good it was. The day before I had ribs and Cliff had a rib eye steak that he said was the best steak he had ever tasted and now says he will never be able to eat steak anywhere else. (guess he is pretty well screwed HA) We wandered around and shopped for awhile and then went over to the madness at Billy Bob's.

It was so fun, I cannot tell you how much it helped my heart to be in a real Texas honkytonk. I was in hog heaven. Side note: I had told Cliff to get ready to see the prettiest women in the sleaziest honkytonk badonkadonk clothes ever!! Well, kids things have changed in Texas. All the girls were fat and trashy except for a few of us old cougars who were still working it for all we are worth, but I do not know what is wrong with the young girls! They were all fat and looked like hell. So Cliff did not get to see any cute girls. When we were at the River Walk in San Antonio, I asked him if he wanted to go up and have a beer at Coyote Uglies so he could see the skeezers and he said no he would rather see a naked Iguana. I said "What the hell?" Then he pointed to a sign and we were standing right in front of a bar/restaurant called, The Naked Iguana. See how sweet he is to me. I'm sure he didn't want to make me feel bad looking at the cutie's. Anyway we danced and had a beer and then went to the Travis Tritt show.

Now I am telling you if you ever have a chance to see Travis Tritt go anyway you can. He put on one of the best shows I have ever seen. His first show was all his classic hits. He was on fire and just rocked the place, even did a few by himself with just a acoustic guitar. Amazing. The he came out for his second show and did all cover songs of people he said he loved and admired. I swear to you he did a cover of Stevie Ray Vaughs, Floodin Down in Texas that almost killed me, I mean I am surprised that the stage did not burst into flames it was so hot. He can sing the blues like you would not believe. He played for over 3 hours and you can tell how much he still loves it all. Voice was strong and hot. What a show.

We got back to our room about two in the morning and then got up about 9 and got ready and drove up to Texas Motor Speedway for the race. I can tell you it can be a long cold afternoon in North Texas when the wind is blowing South out of Oklahoma and your boy is getting his ass handed to him all day long. We enjoyed the race but it was hard to watch Jeff struggle all day. It took us about an hour and a half to get out of the track and back to our room.

We went straight to bed and slept till about 5:30 am and Cliff rousted me out and we made a dash for home. We did stop in Amarillo and ate at the Big Texan Steak house but Cliff did not enjoy it cause he was already spoiled. The we drove and drove and drove. I wanted to stop and stay in Gallup, NM but Cliff said no way he was sure he could make it. I said there is no way at that point he had already been driving 14 hours but he insisted so off we went cutting up thru the Hopi Reservation in Northern AZ. By the time we got to Kanab, Ut at midnight he was dead and I had already died and was just a shell. We got a room and slept till about 7:00 then came on home. Boy we were glad to get here. It was a wonderful trip, but good to get home.