Day 4 of our Vacation! 9/21/08 Today we are in Little Rock, AR

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Early this morning Chris and I got up and headed to Little Rock, AR to visit his Mother, Grandmother, Brother and family. We arrived at Russ and Robbie's home around 10:45 and waited for them to get home from church. Yes we had Bella and Macey with us too. We went to each lunch at Applebee's! All I can say is yes it was Applebee's. LOL
After lunch we headed back to Russ and Robbie's home to visit. Here are a few pics from the visit.

Collier at lunch! He is so adorable!


Robbie and Collier at the house.


Grandma Harness.


Chris' Mom


Chris and his brother Russ.


After visiting for a couple of hours we had to drive back to Magnolia, AR! When we got into town we just had to stop at the best chicken place ever!!
Chick-A-Dilly!! (If you don't know you won't understand)

Day 3 of our Vacation 9/20/2008

This morning we got up really early! We went to the hardware store and bought my Mother new locks and weather stripping for her house doors. I got a call from two school mates and we had planned on meeting for lunch at 2pm. Bella and Bel(mom's dog) got along great! But Macey just could not make friends with Bel, I don't know she is just a picky little girl, like her father! LOL
So while Chris was working on the house I walked over to my Mother's neighbor, Mrs. Joni and Mr. Russell. They have been my Mother's neighbors since I was very little. I had a really nice time visiting with them, I wish I would have had more time.
Well Chris started getting hungry and he did not want to wait till
2pm so my Mother and him left to go to the Backyard BBQ. It truly is the best BBQ EVER!! I used my Mother's car and met with the girls for lunch. There were six of us and when we get together it is like we just saw each other yesterday! It did not even feel like it has been ten years since high school. Lunch was great and I wish it did not have to end so soon.



Well when the girls dropped me off at my Mother's house Chris was outside cleaning her carport. It looked really great when he was done with it. The girls decided that everyone should meet at my Mother's house before heading to our 10 Year High School Reunion Dinner. Once everyone was there we took pictures and then loaded up and left. Everyone was all dressed up and looking so nice.



Once we got there we all got a table and then made our rounds of saying hello to everyone! Then the dance floor opened up! That is when the real fun started, everyone getting on the dance floor having a great time.






We ended up getting back to my Mother's house around 12:30am and getting to bed because Sunday morning we had to drive to Little Rock, AR!!
It was a great night and I hope it is not another ten years before we all get to see each other again!

Build your own Blingee

Day 2 of our Vacation 9/19/2008

We got up around 10am this morning and mawmaw fixed a home cooked full breakfast just like when I was growing up!

After that wonderful breakfast, Chris started getting nosy and investigating their dishwasher and why it would not work. Well he found the problem and while he was in the kitchen he decided that their vent hood was way too old and just needed replacingt. So we headed up to Lowes. Wow we got a kick out of everyone as soon as they opened their mouth! The accents were so thick, it was cute.
And to think we once sounded just like that! It was all good though now we know what people up here are hearing when we talk even thought it is not that thick anymore.
So after Chris fixed things we headed to Magnolia, AR to my Mother's house. We had a choice of either going to the MHS Football game or going to the Old Feed House. We picked up my Mother and went to the Old Feed house (all you can eat southern fried catfish, ribs, spicy boiled shrimp, fixens) wow I didn't realize how much I really missed southern fried catfish and boiled shrimp.
After that we drove around town which is about 1 mile long to see all of the new things that have been put up. We ended up stopping at the SuperCenter which is like the only place to go in town. While Chris and I were walking around someone yelled my name, it was Jennifer and Chris Dowling!! Chris Dowling and Chris were best friends growing up and him and his wife were there when my Chris asked me to marry him. We ended up standing in Wally World for about an hour and and half talking about old times and just laughing it up!!

The first day of our vacation!

So Chris and I decided to spend our vacation in Magnolia, AR!! (What?) Yep, that's right the place we despise is where we spend our vacation. The point of going was for my 10 year High School Reunion. We did get to spend time with a few of our friends and see Chris' Mother, Grandmother, Brother and his family. The best part of all is that we got to spend time, not enough, with my grandparents. Chris fixed mawmaw's dishwasher and we got them a new vent hood for the stove. He also fixed their doorbell!! I think there was something else but I can't think of it at this moment.

We flew in on Thursday, 9/18/2008 and went straight to mawmaw and pawpaw's house in Karnack, TX. We brought our girls Bella and Macey with us too! So Thursday night they had dinner ready for us when we got there around 4 or 5. There is nothing like mawmaw's homeade Banana Pudding, it is like nothin you have ever had before, we really need that recipe.

Oregon State Fair & Poison Concert-8/30/2008

Today we got up early and drove up to Salem, OR to go to the Oregon State Fair (already been to the Oregon Country Fair)for the day. Chris bought us tickets a week ago, but the real reason for going was because Poison was putting on a concert. Yes, for some reason Chris is stuck in the 80' early 90's music scene! Recently we went to see Motley Crue and now Poison!
Anyway, we started our day at the fair and no we did not ride any rides even though Chris really really wanted to have us video recorded on the sling shot, yea right! We did ride the ski lift to get from one side of the fair to the other, we must be old because we really enjoyed that! LOL



We stopped by the reptile petting zoo and had a picture taken with the very long and large Python Snake!! After that we walked around for a really long time and looked at all of the vendors, we got suckered into buying a sheet set and thank goodness that was all! The sheets are really nice even though we have not put them on our bed yet. After a while we decided to get some high priced food, it is not easy trying to make a decision on what to eat with all of the different things to choose from. We ended up getting a corn dog and a bloomin' onion which was so not worth it. The we got a caramel apple which was horrible and only had two bites, and then we decided to get a funnel cake with stawberries and whipped cream, you can't go wrong with that. We sat under the pavilion and listened to some guy trying to sing but was not doing so well, LOL.



Well thank goodness it was almost time for the doors to open to get into the Poison concert! So we headed over and got our seats, our seats were not the greatest in the world. Once the concert started we saw a few seats that were empty and decided to move over to those! Then Chris decided he was going to try to get on the floor and get to the front row, and he did!! So he came back to get me and we went to the floor. It was a great concert! We really enjoyed it and they sounded fantastic!








So it was a great concert and a great time spending the day with each other!

Crue Fest 2008 in Portland, OR 8/9/08

Saturday we left early and headed to Portland. We had tickets for the Crue Fest Concert at the Rose Quarter. We arrived at the concert at 3:30 and the doors opened at 4pm. Once we got in, of course Chris had to get a corn dog and fries even though we ate a huge lunch only less than three hours earlier. Ha Ha! Anyway, we got to our seats which was on the floor in front of the stage in the 13th row. So we were very close to the stage. At around 5:15 Trapt came on and played their set. We have seen them in concert before.


After they were done, Sixx:AM came on which is a band formed from Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue.
They were A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!


Then Papa Roach came on and performed which was so awesome, they rocked the house.


Buckcherry was the last group to perform before the big band came on.


The big band of course was MOTLEY CRUE!!! We were partying like Rockstars!!

Oregon's Country Fair 2008 7/12

If you have never been to the Oregon's Country Fair which I know that most of you looking at our blog has not attended, well it was something! This "Country Fair" is like the Woodstock of today's time. This was an experience that we will never forget. First off it really is out in the country. This place just goes on and on, as soon as you walk into the main gate there were people dressed in these costumes walking around on stilts! Everyone there, all of the vendors were selling Organic stuff. Chris had a really hard time finding something to eat for lunch because everything was tofu, tofurkey hotdogs and corndogs, Afghani food, Thai food, Organic and natural stuff. We finally found him a place that had organic pizza. LOL He was happy, I had a fruit bowl which was so delicious, fresh cut organic fruit with organic whipped cream!


Well we did get shocked by some of the thing we encountered, alot of bare skin, I won't go into it though. There were alot of people dressed like fairies, had wings and colorful, flowery halos. Everyone was glittered up. There were so many stages there I think a total of 12 stages all having something going on them at all times. They said that 58,000 people came through the Country Fair in three days.



If you really want to see some pics just google Oregon Country Fair. You will get an eyefull.

Fourth of July in Newport, OR - Ripley's Believe It or Not!

So after we left the WAX MUSEUM we headed over to Ripley's. Now that place has alot of weird stuff!!


The Human Unicorn


Who would have guessed that the light landed on WILD!! ME? LOL


Beautiful Newport Bay

Fourth of July in Newport, OR - Wax Museum

Okay so after we went to the Aquarium we headed to the Historic Bay Front. It is such a tourist town, LOL. We went to the WAX MUSEUM which was fun. Well, at least WE had a good time.

IT'S THE TERMINATOR!!


It was like Johnny Depp was really there (except he didn't move or talk)



E.T. PHONE HOME!!!


M.J.!!


This is my favorite picture....The Energy that our love creates!

Fourth of July in Newport, OR- The Aquarium

Friday morning on the Fourth of July, Chris got me up early and we headed to Newport, OR which is on the Coast. They have one of the largest Aquariums on the NW Pacific coast....Chris has been wanting to go there for some time now, so we went. It was really fun, we saw alot of things that we had never seen before.