Happy Birthday America

Hello Everyone,

I hope all of you had a wonderful July 4th.  It was mostly quiet and calm here in Wilderness Lakes...............until it got dark!  The locals all around the area were setting off fireworks from Saturday night through Tuesday night.  It didn't matter to Millie, but poor Willie tried to hide under the bed all night.  Last night was the first time since Friday that he slept in his own bed.  If any of you have a dog who gets anxious about fireworks, or thunder, or loud noises, I would suggest getting your dog a "Thunder shirt."  It really helps Willie at times like this.  He would have been much more upset without the shirt.  Before we got it, he would shake all over and we couldn't get him outside to "take care of business" on a night like that.  You can get the Thunder shirt at PetCo or PetSmart if you need one.
If you remember my last post, I opened with a picture of my brother Tony with long hair.  Last night he sent me a new picture after his girl friend gave him a haircut.  Can you believe this is the same person?????   I guess the heat here in southern California finally got to him.

I also gave Millie a haircut this week because of the heat.  She looks sooooo cute!
After cutting her hair, I decided that I needed my hair cut too.  I made an appointment at Great Clips for that day.  I have often gone there for hair cuts before, but this time the girl really scalped me.  The good news is that it WILL grow back.  LOL.  

Now I will post some pictures we took here in the park.

I love the illuminated flamingo in front of another RV.  On the right is a picture of the colorful decorations outside Diane & Steve's home. 

  Here is a picture of Almita & Rueben's RV.  They had to leave on Tuesday, so they came over for lunch on Monday.  We had a great visit together.

We thought this tiny little trailer is just soooo cute!  It has a TV antenna that must telescope up because it was about 20 feet high.  Even I would not be able to stand up in this RV. 
  Above, on the right is our RV sitting in our nice site.  And, of course, the ducks and geese are still here visiting the RV sites. 

  We were amused because this RVer brought his own inflatable palm tree to the Park.

This patriotic bear and the golf cart were at the same site.  Many people go all out to decorate their RVs and their sites for holidays.  It makes it very festive and nice here.

 Willie looks funny wearing one of Jim's baseball cap, but he's a good sport about whatever Jim does.

Jim took a picture of the birds walking across the street right next to our site.  There were at least twenty of them, parents and babies, crossing from the grassy park out back and heading down to the canals. 

Tomorrow we're going down to the Garden Grove Elks for a week.  I am really excited about having a week there.  Our friends Sherrie and Ron will be coming over tomorrow night.  They are bringing steaks to grill and we will provide French fries, corn on the cob, salad and dessert.  We're looking forward to playing Mexican Train with them too!  Saturday night we're going into the lodge for dinner and dancing to the music of DJ Tom Potts.  

Sunday we will go to our home church, with Pastor Paul and his wonderful wife Aiko, and all of our church friends and family.  During the week we also hope to spend some time with Joan and her husband Jim, who came to see us in Arrey.  It will be great to see Cindy Wight again, and on Wednesday night I'm going to actually attend an Emblem meeting for the first time in over eight years!  It will be great to see all the ladies I have not seen in all this time.

This year has been difficult at times, but it's still been full of amazing people and events.  A friend of mine said she couldn't believe that I have found ways to stay positive after all the things that have happened.  I don't understand why we would NOT find the positive in whatever happens.  As I have always said, God watches over us.  He shows us the way, and for that we are always grateful.  We originally were going to stay up at Silent Valley, and only go to Garden Grove for three days.  Since we had to leave there and come to Wilderness Lakes, and we have been here over a week, we now must be away for at least seven days.  We considered going to Mountain Lakes for a few days, but then we decided it would make more sense to just stay at the Lodge for the whole week.  That gives us more time to see our friends and loved ones instead of rushing off, after just a few days.  

I think I have already told all of you that in Arrey we learned to relax and enjoy the moment.  We are trying not to lose track of that feeling.  Yes, there are times when we must keep to a schedule, like for doctor's appointments, etc. but I think it's important not to let all of our time be scheduled, and "spoken for".   Leave some time open for unexpected pleasures.  Those are some of the gifts God gives us.  

It's time to close for today, and wish you all a wonderful weekend.  Make the most of each day, and be grateful always for every gift and blessing.  Until next time, keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down, and stay well, and enjoy the moment.