Branson is one of the hottest vacation spots now days. There are so many things to do for a family. There are shows, museums, shopping, theme parks and outdoor activities too. Branson Getaways offers vacation packages for every budget. The packages include hotel, dining, coupon books and tickets to attractions.

If you’re a music lover this is the place to visit. You can see the 12 Irish Tenors, Andy Williams, Bobbi Vinton, Elvis & the Superstars, Liverpool Legends and many Christmas musicals.

Have you ever wanted to see the Titanic? You can at Branson! Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede is there and don’t forget Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum. If golfing is your bag, the golf courses are open for you.

One of the favorite places to visit is Silver Dollar City. This is a vacation in itself. You can see what it was like to live back in the days of the Ozarks, ride on theme park rides and visit Marvel Cave.

You can enter to win a Free Branson vacation.

I went out of town this past weekend with family members. Even though these family members are my ex-husband’s family, I am still close to them. They invite me to their home for cookouts and Christmas Eve opening presents. I am glad they have continued to accept me as part of their family. They are the grandparents and uncle of my youngest daughter. In most divorces, the ex’s family usually stop talking and associating with you. I have been very lucky.

We went to a campground resort. We arrived around 6 PM Friday night. We quickly unpacked and ate a light dinner of sandwiches and chips and soda pop. My ex-father-in-law keep repeating himself six times that the cabin had to left in the same shape it was in when we got there. I told him on the sixth time, I think we got the big picture of what needed to be done while there. We changed into our swimming suits since they had an indoor swimming pool at the clubhouse. As we arrived there, I heard lightening crack. We hurried into the clubhouse before the down pouring of the rain for the next hour. We were not allowed in the swimming pool if any lightening or thunder. We made the best of it at the clubhouse by watching TV or playing video games. After a little of an hour, we were allowed into the swimming pool. After 15 minutes, the family was ready to leave because the two year old was tired. As soon as we returned to the cabin, I heard my ex-father-in-law say about the cabin had to be in the shape…think you all are getting the picture of what my weekend was starting off like.

We all didn’t sleep well through the night due to sleeping on a hard couch and it was too warm in the cabin. No air circulation. The air conditioner was not working properly. “Dad” would not allow windows to be opened afraid it would rain in the night. At 6:15 AM, was awoken by my ex-father-in-law making a bunch of noise. He is the type apparently that feels when he gets up, everyone MUST get up. Think I may have gotten 3 hours sleep.

Made coffee and heated a bagel. Took my Bible and study book and went out on open deck to sit at the picnic table. I like my morning quietness to pray. Shortly, my ex-mother-in-law joined me. I enjoy her company any time. I had just started reading some scripture out loud then my ex-father-in-law came out the door and just starts over talking my reading. I stopped and let him talk. He talked about a bunch of nothing for 20 minutes, then announces we need to make a decision what we wanted to do for the day. If I truly told him what I was thinking of at that moment, I might have been walking down a country road..lol. My thoughts of peace and quiet is what I repeated in my mind. We decided as a family to go watch Pony Pulls because “Dad” wanted it. Okay since it is Father’s Day weekend and it rained part of the morning, he could pick what ever he wanted to do and we would go.

I enjoyed watching the ponies and their strength though they looked like full grown horses. I got to hold my 2 year old niece during the 2 hour event. She behaved so well. Her parents went to play mini putt putt golf during the pony pulls. I am glad I took a large umbrella because it rained during part of the pulls and 3 adults and 1 small child crowded under it. After that event, I thought I might get to go horse back riding on trails. Everyone else wanted to go back to the small trailer cabin to start preparing dinner. We got back to the cabin, then several decided to go swimming at the outdoor pool back where we were just at. So we went back and swam for a short time again. Another family member drove up for the night to join us. We went back to the cabin and I started preparing the quick Father’s Day weekend dinner of spaghetti, salad and garlic bread. Another family member had made brownies and brought as a dessert. We gave our gifts to “Dad” after dinner.

My body was starting to get very tired from lack of sleep and I wanted to go to bed. “Dad” decided everyone was going to the clubhouse to play bingo or swim. I was not particularly feeling well at that time. I knew by forgetting to take my insulin shot at dinnertime, I was paying the price for my forgetfulness. I couldn’t go back to the cabin in the dark to take my shot as I didn’t have the key to get in because “Dad and Mom” were playing bingo in a crowded room and had the key. After 3 1/2 hours, we returned to the cabin. By that time, I was feeling so sick at my stomach plus I had lost most of my voice. After making my bed of a pull out couch and very thin mattress with springs pocking out, I managed to get to sleep right away. I woke at 4:30 to make sure that a family member was awake that had to leave so he could make it to work on time by 7 AM. I felt like I had just finally got back to sleep and I heard a bunch of noise again of someone opening and closing the sliding glass door and banging it shut. I looked up and “Dad” was awake at 6:15 AM again. He was talking fast about needing to start packing our vehicles because we had to be checked out by 11 AM. I had read the sign on the wall the day before and check out time was noon. I had barely got off the bed and he grabbed the sheets and my blanket and closed up the couch. I was standing there with my mouth hanging open at his swiftness. I went to go get dressed in the bathroom and he started yelling about hurrying up in there. UGH! I was starting to get upset. This was too early in the morning for a 73 year old man to make me mad on a Sunday morning and it was Father’s Day. I asked him to slow down and let me get some breakfast and take my shot and medications. He was disrespectful to me to say the least. He went out on the open deck. I ask the family to help me not be so upset after just waking up. They told me to ignore him.

I checked my blood sugar and it was 352. I showed the family my meter and told them I can not handle that much stress anymore. It does affect my diabetes. I took my Novolog shot and ate a whole wheat bagel and drank some coffee. I knew what I was eating would have to last me till I got home for my dinner that night. I was not going to get to eat lunch which is not wise to do but I had no choice as I was riding with “Dad and Mom” home.

The weekend was stressful for the dumbest reasons of someone who was not considerate of others. I now got a bigger picture of what they call going to the cabin for a weekend means; definitely no more than 3 hours of sleep a night, bring 90% of the groceries and cook and clean up kitchen, be woken rudely and checked out by 8 AM instead of noon on last day.

I did go to bed early that night after getting home. Woke Monday morning still not feeling well and the same on Tuesday. I am not sure I will do another weekend with them at the cabin if this the kind of stress I have to endure. I was looking forward to a nice quiet weekend with the family listening to the birds and walking around the campground. Just plain ole relaxing.

I need to lose some weight. I have been struggling since before last winter. Losing weight and getting the right amount of exercise for me is hard to do. I have been making a plan on getting in a way for more walking. Since my van is not working anymore and until I buy another vehicle, I am planning on using the local city bus. One of the stops is at a hospital near the nursing home I plan to go visit, but I will have to walk about almost a mile to the nursing home.

I definitely need help with my diet using an appetite suppressant. Phentermine is one I checked out. It is getting harder to find any diet pills with phentermine in them and when you do, it is getting more expensive. I know that since I am a diabetic, I have to also check with my physician to make sure any diet pills do not have severe side effects with all my medications.

Father’s Day is coming soon. I have been trying to decide what to buy JR a gift for Father’s Day. I’ll ask him what he wants and he’ll say he does not want anything. He makes it difficult every year to buy for him.

I have been racking my brain as to what to buy. I have bought everything I can think of in OSU merchandise. He has enough shirts, shorts, jeans and other clothing. I have bought a lot of tools in the past. His favorite of a hammer jack drill, he still uses. However, when we travel, I keep noticing he has to share a luggage with me or use a duffel bag he has. I think it is time to buy him a nice set of Delsey luggage. Then he will be able to travel in style with his own set. I think he will be pleased with this year’s Father’s Day gift.

Growing up my dad owned a 1957 Corvette Candy Apple Red Convertible. It was a sharp looking car with a white sidewall tire cover. I have admired the Corvette cars over the years and the Corvette wheels. The Corvette wheels different designs and sizes that is available to customize a Corvette now days since my dad had his Corvette are unique in helping handling and traction, as well as the appearance.

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My favorite color is the Hyper Silver Dark that has a chrome finish in the day time and change in color at night. This unbelievable rim is a very popular rim which is available in C6 Z06 style in different sizes. If you love a Corvette as much as I do, please check out this great website for great prices and free shipping on Corvette wheels and other Corvette parts and tires.

The battery died and the band is broken on my watch I have had for over 15 years. The crystal face is all scratched up. I think it is time for a new watch. I have been looking for a special watch that I want. Since I love butterflies so much, I want one that has butterflies on the face of the watch. I looked at Guess watches online and found one that had small butterflies on it just like I wanted. The best part of about it is the price has been lowered and I can fit that price in my budget. I will have to get it ordered soon. I sure do miss having a watch and having to ask someone what time it is, is embarrassing.

I spoke to my ex-mother-in-law about the trip to the cabin this weekend and what food I needed to bring. Since we are going down Friday evening and staying till check out on Sunday morning, I didn’t think I needed much. Well after talking to her and planning a menu for each meal there, we discussed who would contribute what. It seems she think I should buy most of the meats and potato salad and garden salad, etc. I asked her if some of the other family members could contribute something. She assigned them to bring one bag of potato chips. Being a Christian, I try hard to not be selfish about sharing, however these two family members always only bring one bag of cheap brand of potato chips to a family event and I feel it is not fair. They can afford more than a $2 bag of chips which they sit and eat most of it anyway. The husband works and the wife won’t and they have a 2 year old daughter. They live with his parents and pay no rent or utilities. They are free loaders, however my ex-mother-in-law allows them to do this to them and to us about this weekend.

After going to WalMart to buy the food for the trip, I ended up spending $68. Since I am a diabetic and my ex-mother-in-law is too, I had to supply some of sugar-free foods. This is not counting the cost of sharing the cabin cost too. I just found out the cost of the cabin is $70 for two nights. That is not bad, but when she told me the cost is divided by 3 families. I almost lost it. There is only one of me as 1 family and 2 in another family and 3 in another family (the free loaders). So now my cabin share cost is $23.50 she told me. That is $91.50 for a 2 nights trip that is only a little over an hour from home.

I do look forward to spending time with the family. We will have use of a swimming pool while there. My niece and I will hopefully get to know each other. She is not a friendly child, which has me concerned. She does not smile very much either. I truly wish for her to be a happy child.

I received a telephone call about a free trip that I won for two. I had a chance to pick several places to go to for my three day, two night trip, Reno, Nevada or Biloxi, Mississippi. Since I have never been to Reno, I choose it. The reno hotels are covered in the prize; however the transportation cost is an additional cost for the two of us. I am not much of a gambler; I learned to play Blackjack when I was younger though. I would probably go site seeing around the area to the Sierra Safari Zoo and Museum of Arts. The prize has to be used in one year.

I sat thinking about a trip I took with my oldest daughter’s dad 28 years ago to the Caribbean for a week. Some people fly to the Caribbean Islands and some go by Caribbean cruises. When we were at the ports, we saw the large cruise ships coming and going bringing more tourists to do duty free shopping on the islands. I loved the beautiful white beaches, sunbathing and snorkeling for different sea shells while there.

It has been 9 years ago this month that he had his stroke and eventually passed away. I miss you Norman. Thanks for the wonderful trips we took together.

I love my 5 cats a lot. They are my babies and I have a tendency to spoil them. I have been looking for some time for the perfect cat tree or condominium for them to be able to climb and hide. One of my cats, Noel, loves to climb. I have found her on the very top shelf of my computer desk. She takes the strangest route to get up there. She thinks I don’t see her going up there to lie down to take a nap. I am afraid since my desk will get too top heavy with her up there; I need to buy a cat tree soon.