May 2009 - Two Years and Counting.

Wow! Again, time has gotten away from me. Last time I wrote in our Blog was the end of January. Here it is MAY 2009!! We’ve been here in Las Vegas two years this month! The only time it feels like it – is when I visit this Blog and realize why I’m writing! We sure miss you all!
So, I’ll try again to fill everyone in on the happenings of the past few months. Where to start…



Might as well begin with our weather as it usually does come up somewhere. We’ve begun summer early this year with temps being in the triple digits already. The plus side, the desert as well as my yard is in full bloom! We’ve shared the view in a few photos! The downside – my fair skin doesn’t allow for much sunning! And the pollen count is high so Robert has the sneezes quite a bit this past few weeks. All in all – we can’t complain!


Wind has been a real issue a few times these past few months. While it is normal to have a daily breeze, we’ve had more then our share of gusts. One particular evening, it wreaked havoc on some of my plants. As we try to look at the positive to any situation, this time it was a trip to the garden center (I LOVE THAT PLACE!) to purchase some bigger pots! Also found a few more gnomes to grace my garden! This ….I inherited from my mother and grandmother! And to think I actually thought they were weird for having those funny little red-hatted men in their yards!



Robert’s being kept busy at the Bay (how we refer to Mandalay Bay). He’s enjoying his work in the huge Convention Center. It keeps him fit and active with the 5 – 10 mile hikes he takes around that place on a daily basis. While home (which isn’t very often – he’s back to working 6 days a week!) he can be found tinkering in the shop, pulling weeds, washing the truck, or if I can get him to sit still long enough – watching a movie!






Randall’s has been working steady at his graveyard post. He’s also kept busy with the Kingdom of Vega organization. He participated in his first “Crown War” this past spring. The event takes place in order for the Kingdom to choose a new King. Folks come from all over to attend this three-day celebration.
He packed up his equipment and camped out with the troop! He was a bit overly-excited about all of this….. upon driving up the highway out of town, I reminded him via cell phone that our knight-in-burlap with his shiny sword and silver mustang had forgotten his bed-roll and food.
Oh…..and no photos to share for this one. Apparently, his camera has an issue with staying charged for more then three minutes.

Me – springtime has found me being bit by a few bugs! The friendly kind…not them ugly, creepy things that crawl around the desert and sometimes venture into the house! Crafting! I’ve taken up the crochet and knitting needles again. After a few scarves and a pile of dishcloths, I’m ready to take on a bigger project.




And quilting! A long time gal pal has (long distance and through email) put me back in touch with playing with fabrics!
Sherri sent a beautiful wall hanging that she made especially for me! A photo is posted here but the picture doesn’t do it justice! It’s AMAZING in colors! Hand stitched all in flowers throughout! She’s titled it “Crystal’s Garden”. And it truly is a gift to be treasured!
I’m ready to try one for myself using scraps that I’ve saved for many years. For some reason, flannels have captured my attention. Time will tell what comes of this one. But I’m very excited to be back with needle and thread!



Geocaching is still calling to me occasionally! With the weather being hot again – I won’t be going out much. However, I was invited to an interesting event a few weeks ago! Some folks with our local geocaching club got together and put on a FLASH EVENT.
Very interesting time! Met some new folks, found some caches, and enjoyed being outside on the strip on a beautiful spring day! Oh…and I won the drawing for the “First To Find” geocaching coin! (You’ll have to read up on this one, as I’m still a newby at this thing and don’t fully understand it enough to explain it all.)


(I’ve posted the link below so in case you are interested, you can read first-hand exactly what was involved.)
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=3a6f6c9c-e5db-40a5-ab4b-008082faca8b


Oh…. And there was a video of the event that made YOUTUBE. Yes, I’m in it. Link is below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC7GGAGkvvY

We’ve had a few visitors this past couple of months! Robert’s cousins drove in from California. They are part of the Celtic Society and came out to enjoy the gathering for the Highland Games. (If you are interested - you can read what our local newspaper had to say about this event at the link below) http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/apr/18/annual-highland-games-celebrate-all-things-scottis/

As Robert had to work that weekend, we didn’t attend the games themselves but managed to share in some of the festivities that were hosted that evening down on Fremont Street! We shared a wonderful dinner with Greg and Randa and then enjoyed the marching of a hundred Pipers and Drummers from all over! The sounds and sights were amazing! We had a great time and look forward to their visiting again soon!





In April, my Uncle Colby and Aunt Mary from Nome Alaska arrived for a visit! They gave new meaning to SHORT visit! On one of their every-ten-years-or-so travels across the US, they stopped here in Las Vegas for a quick hello and hug! I did manage to capture a few photos as a reminder of their visit! It was a joy to see them…just wish it could have been longer!


Well, I’m sure that we’ve left a lot of stuff out but we’ll have to share that later! As usual, time is limited for me to write as much as I’d like! We hope that life is treating you well, you are healthy and happy, spring is arriving in your area, and that we hear from you often! Take care!

January 2009

January 2009. A New Year.

January has come and gone and I felt the need to sit down and write before another month has come and gone!! The happenings around here seem endless with little time in the day to do more then contemplate picking up a pen or keyboard! As I’ve gotten older, life seems to be sailing by at gale force speed! Someone asked me awhile back if I could have one wish – what would it be? My answer was to be cloned. Why???…..so I could take a nap and not miss anything!

With the New Year comes a new look to my Blog! I'm still learning my way around in here and upon each visit - I find some new and fun things! Hopefully this format will help in reading my writings! For some reason, my paragraphs all run together once the Blog is posted. Thanks for your patience while I learn to work out the bugs of HTML!!

The New Year rang in uneventful. Well….if you call fireworks going off while I was trying to sleep “uneventful” – then, yes…it was uneventful. We had made and shared our resolutions that evening during dinner. With the most important one being that we are forever thankful! Someone once sent me the writing below and it is something that I have memorized over the years.

May you have enough happiness to keep you happy.
Enough trials to keep you strong.
Enough sorrow to keep you human.
Enough hope to keep you thoughtful.
Enough failure to keep you humble.
Enough success to keep you eager.
Enough friends to give you comfort.
Enough faith and courage in yourself to banish depression.
Enough wealth to meet your daily needs.
Enough determination to make each day a better day than yesterday.

January brought us to both happy places and a sad one as well.

Health wise, the boys both came down with colds! Something we don’t see often in our household. For some reason, it avoided me. Probably because I was needed to find the Vicks, fill the humidifiers, and stock the tissue boxes! They (boys) were miserable for the first couple of days, but now (a week later) still sound funny but seem to be coping. We’re hoping with the warm weather coming this week that the symptoms are gone soon!

Weather! Our cold spell came and went…..and we hope it stays gone! While it’s been in the upper 30’s for lows at night, the days are warming to near 60 and being forecast for even upper 60’s this coming week! The sun is out and skies are a beautiful blue as always. We consider ourselves so lucky when the weather channel shows tapes of what our friends and family are dealing with! Maybe they’ll consider relocating one of these days!


Robert has been putting in a bit of overtime this month – working the occasional Saturday when he’s needed. The Conventions are keeping him very busy! Not to mention that they keep him in great shape with all the walking he does!
We just learned that MGM signed a five-year contract with NEC, so we’re confident that our job security is in place…at least for now! Something to be very thankful for in this economy.

Randall is moving up the ranks in his job too. He’s been recommended to take the lead position at his post. If this goes through (the lead guy wants to retire) then Randall will go to days and his weekends will be free! With the social life he is creating here – this new schedule will work out much better then what he does now. Sleeping all day and working all night.

Speaking of a social life, Randall and I have embarked on a new adventure! We’ve joined a club of sorts. The Kingdom of Vega! A non-profit, educational organization that was created in 1991. We are all about re-creating the Middle Ages through hands on experience! I’ve posted the link below should anyone want more information! The website is simple, to the point, and the pictures show some of the things that take place.

http://www.ecs-vega.org/index.html

We’ve been busy researching our new personas….names, time periods, garb, etc..! While Randall’s main focus is the Chivalry part, he’s learning that the arts can be fun as well as educational! He’s designing his own wardrobe and with mom’s help, he’s learning to sew! He’s even created his own patterns! Apparently, this will help earn him the points needed to become knighted later. I’m not sure how everything works yet – research is a big part of this organization and we’re both having fun with it!




Byrdbell Company is back and running at warp speed again! As usual, I’m backed up but enjoying the ability to be working again! We’ve developed some new designs, which will be introduced, soon on our website. Speaking of that website – we’ve found a lovely person to update and maintain our online catalog! She’s already worked magic just fixing some of the things that were in need of attention! It won’t be long before she has all of our new products listed! We are VERY excited! The link is listed somewhere on my BLOG should anyone wish to visit!
http://www.byrdbell.com

On a sad note, we lost our beloved little guinea pig this past month. We think we witnessed her having a stroke early one morning and she passed on but a short time later. Bindy had been with us only a few short years but was loved and will be sadly missed. Rest in peace, little boodles.


The birds are doing great! They seemed to have forgiven me for messing up their schedules while I was recovering. Tommy still has a bout or two a day of separation anxiety. Screams his head off if anyone gets between me and his line of vision. Who’d have thought that birds could develop such behaviors! We’re working with him daily to give him the encouragement he needs to put his fears to rest. Thankfully, we’re noticing improvement daily!


Well, that’s about all I have to report for now! We love and miss everyone and hope to hear from you when time allows! Until next time, stay warm and safe!!

Best Wishes,
Crystal

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