Time is Whizzing By 8^D

     •Wow!  Another month is gone already!  We have been soooooo busy.  We're supposed to be relaxing but it seems like life happens no matter where you are.
     •We left Chattanooga on 11 Oct. and drove to Nashville.  Stayed only one night as the rv park was right next to the freeway.(this will become a recurring theme in our travels..)
     •Left Nashville, TN on the 12 Oct. and drove to Nashville, IN

just outside of Bloomington, IN.  Walked around the very cutesy town of Nashville and I bought a old yardstick for $3.50.  I bought it because it was fat and said St. Augustine, Florida where we spent last Christmas.  We kept walking around and I was carrying the yardstick.  We went into a candle/country stuff store called  Plain Folk.  I saw this cute chick feeder that I wanted to buy for 15.99.  So I took it up to the counter where I laid down my yardstick so I could get out my money.  The lady behind the counter was wearing a sweatshirt that said St. Augustine FL and I commented on it.  She said they go down there every year and would I like to trade?  I said I only paid 3.50 and it wouldn't be fair, but she said it's ok with her, we could barter.  So I agreed and tried to pay, but she insisted.  My favorite pencil holder for sure!  Makes it so much more fun, and every time I look at it, I smile 8^)   We stayed here about a week visiting  my friend Christine and her family.  Lots of fun!  Bloomington is a really sweet college town.  Artsy - Just my style!  We were sad to leave our friends, but kind of excited to keep going on our cross country adventure.

    •Next stop, Effingham IL for the 19-20 Oct.  Loved the park we found-- cheap and level--WOW, not a common combination.  We stayed here 2 nights because of the high wind warnings.

•Went on to Edwardsville, IL on the 21/22 Oct. Drove into St. Louis, MO and went up in the Arch.  The tram that you takes to the top is super tiny, unless you sit in the middle seat you have to lean hunched over for the 4-5 min ride to the top.  The windows you get to look out of at the top could be bigger and better in my opinion.  You can definitely tell you are way up- 630 ft to be exact!  Glad we did it, well worth the $20!(10 for me and 7 and 3 for the kids--Jake got the "teenager" rate)

     •23 Oct. slept in Marshfield MO (by the highway) on our way to Branson.

     •Oct. 24-26 stayed in a nice park in Branson, MO.  The steep grades on the way to Branson scared me.  I wasn't used to hearing my engine whining and shifting!  White knuckle 38 mile ride!  I called David and he gave me a few helpful suggestions and also laid to rest the thought that my engine was getting ruined on the very steep grades.  Much more relaxed drive out and a lot slower!  It rained for two of the days but we still had a lot of fun.  Went to see a show, The Acrobats of China, New Shanghai Circus  --very exciting for Hanna.  She kept asking if it was time for the show every few minutes all day- she didn't want to be late!  We got there 30 mins early which was in plenty of time.  The show was very professional and nicely done.  The emcee was joking with the audience and teaching a little bit of Chinese to us so we could talk to the acrobats & musicians at the end.  Hanna bought a photo and had the troupe sign it.  What a happy girl!

We went to an outlet mall and Hanna found these brown everyday cowgirl boots.  She loves her boots!

A couple days later we were walking around the cute old downtown area and came across the best boot/shoe store ever!  Tried to get some red cowboy boots for Hanna but all they had were pink.  We were about to give up, when the Lady who worked there saw some Fancy Pants black boots.  As soon as Hanna saw them she was very excited and put them on and couldn't take them off!  Amazingly these only cost $5 more than her brown boots at the cheap store and these were "real"!

She wore these for 5 days straight!  Totally got our money's worth out of these.  We stopped in at a thrift store across the street from the boot store and Jake found this great Jacket.. Herringbone tweed.  Sweetest $5 ever spent.

     •We left Branson, MO on 27 Oct. and stayed in Springfield, MO to get our tail light fixed on the motorhome.  Apparently we had pinched our electrical connection wire that goes from the car to the mh lights.  Bummer but glad we fixed it - cheaper than a ticket or accident!

     •Drove to the other side of Tulsa, OK and stayed in the worst rv "park" ever! Spent Oct 28-29 in "h@**" to quote my son. We couldn't hook up the water because it had been raining and the water hook up was in a "PIT" about 8-10 inches down a hole with standing putrid disgusting looking water.  Also couldn't hook up the sewer because the hookup was too small.  We did dump when we left but Jake had me hold the hose in the hole so it wouldn't pop out!  Nightmare. While we were there, we had fabulous rainstorms and wind and lots of lightning & thunder.. Lived through it.  Made us tougher.  We did have fabulous cable TV but no internet.  Drove directly to the next Flying J truckstop and filled our water.  Whew.

     •Oct 30, 31, Nov 1, 2 stayed in Amarillo, TX recovering from all the "fun and excitement" of the past week.  We are at an excellent rv park with level lots, full hookups and cable and wi-fi.  Feeling pretty spoiled except I can still here the freeway- about a 1/2 mile away.  On the way here we stopped in Oklahoma City, OK at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.  Hanna and I ran in and looked in the gift shop for a cowgirl outfit or shirt she could wear for Halloween because it was obvious I wasn't going to be able to sew the outfit she picked out. (bought the pattern and material)  Luckily the gift shop had the CUTEST leather skirt and vest.  And it came in red and in her size!  We felt pretty lucky - until I saw the price tag.  Oh we bought it but it hurt.  $59.95 for a Halloween costume? Are you kidding?! Luckily I know she will wear it a lot - she loves to dress up.   On Halloween we drove to a neighborhood and went Trick or Treating.  I know it doesn't sound like something I would do but Hanna was extremely into it.  Jake remembers going in Palmer when he was 5.  All he really remembers is being really cold.  She had soooooooo much fun!  After the first house she said  "They gave me CANDY!"   She said "I love Halloween- it's so much fun!Until the next installment! Julie