A quick trip to Boulder.

Sometimes a mom just has to do what she has to do, and that means hopping on a plane to see one of her children.  So, Thursday I flew to Denver to see Christine, but not without a little hitch in the plan.  As we were circling Denver to land, we hit some crazy, wild, rough and tumble air!  Moments later we were on our way to Albequerque, New Mexico.  Apparently the winds around the Denver airport were so intense that we couldn't land AND we were low on fuel so circling was no longer an option. 
I have never been to New Mexico before so a little pit stop allowed me to add that state as a place I have technically been to.
After a  2 to 3 hour delay, I arrived at Tine's  condo just in time to enjoy some Thai food that she had ordered in.  There is something about food on the table after a long day that just tastes even better.  AND, Tine had all sorts of fun stories to tell about her recent adventures and boy, has she had them.  She has been all over the place this summer and early fall.  No signs that that will change anytime soon.  I caught her on the only free weekend that she and P have during the month of October.
We spent our time on Friday shopping, eating, hiking and then eating again as we dined at Frasca's.  Patrick kept us entertained the entire time.  Boulder has some of the best restaurants I have ever eaten at. 
Saturday I woke up to cold temperatures.  Yay!  The forecast was for snow in the mountains which sounds like heaven after the summer we have had in Dallas.  The three of us went out for brunch before I left for the
airport.  On my way there it started to snow and I smiled the whole way.
What a FUN weekend.  Thanks Tine and Patrick for everything.
Here is Christine's blog address:  soulschine.blogspot.com   She posted some great pictures.

Louise picked me up at the airport when I landed in Dallas.  She brought me clothes to change into ( IN THE CAR), and we were off to see Taylor Swift at the Cowboy Stadium.  She did not disappoint.  Fun times!  Adventures with both daughters in one weekend.

Back from Romania !

The  trip to Romania was one of my favorites ever.  Each time we return there, we are afforded wonderful opportunities to connect with people and places, but this was certainly a special trip.  We spent time in Budapest, Hungary on the front end of the trip.

 We spent a bit of time up at Poianna.

 

Then on to Bucharest for 4 days.

Our last day in Romania we toured a monastery and two castles.  What a great way to end a trip!

Vegas in a flash!

The month of September was a BLUR!  We were on the move for most of the month.  Somewhere in there we hit Las Vegas for a very short time.  Here are a few of pictures from the trip.  It was my first time in Vegas, and all the smoking there prepared me for the trip to Romania.

Great hotel.

Beautiful weather.

Lots of fun!

Romania- day 6?

This trip is going by so quickly. The saying that "time flys when you are having fun" is certainly true.
Just a few comments:
There are lots of smokers here.
The women wear beautiful shoes.
I have never enjoyed a cup of coffee more than I have here in Romania.
The bread and pastries...oh my!
We have bought a LOT of bottled water. I will appreciate my filtered refrigerator water next week.
Most people here speak English.
Cabs are very inexpensive.
This really is a special country.

We will be touring around Bucharest and the surrounding areas for the next couple of days. Will post pictures upon our return.

Non~Stop

We have been on the move. I have started and deleted about 5 different blogposts. If I had better luck posting pictures from these posts, I would have actually published them, but no such luck. I continue to be technology challenged.
I hope to get back to a Las Vegas post,as it was my first time there and it was an interesting place. Currently we are in Romania and will be covering a lot of ground in the next week. In between business meetings for Lefty, we will reconnect with friends and enjoy some beautiful scenery. This is a special place. As we drove from Budapest, Hungary into Romania, we once again saw people moving around lots of different ways. All sharing the same road. Pedestrians, bikes, mopeds, motorcycles,cars, tractors, and horse drawn wooden carts. Off to the sides of the road are cattle and sheep herders.
We arrived in Cluj-Napoca last night and this is a bustling University city filled with young people. We had a late dinner at our friend's restaurant, the Marty Cafe. Best thin crust pizza and fresh salads. Around lunchtime we will start the drive to Poianna where we will spend the night. Tomorrow we go on to Oradea (Octoberfest activities) and then, by plane, train, or automobile, we will arrive in Bucharest.
The fall weather here is spectacular and after such a long, hot summer in TX, we are really enjoying it.

Think Positiviely: You will live longer than a pessimist

Alexandra Stoddard is an interesting woman and has written a number of books.  The title of today's blog is straight out of one of her books.  I am just going to go ahead and quote her directly.
"You  are the only one who chooses what you think.  Think the thoughts that will increase your sense of well-being. Think the thoughts that make you feel good.  We become what we think about all day.  Positive thinkers stay connected to their creative power and use all their powers constructively, staying focused on what they want to accomplish and how they want to feel, doing the best they can to look for the good in every situation.  Negative thinkers find themselves feeling scattered.  Negative thought prey harmfully on us, triggering a number of distinctive emotions; anger, confusion, anxiety, depression, and frustration.  Negative emotion appears to weaken people's immune system.  Psychology, indeed, does affect biology.
In order to get the most out of your lifetime, formulate a positive philosophy and search, not for the ideal later, but for the actual good now.  You must have a point of view, a perspective, on life.  You always have a choice to select the window you look out from.  Choose the best possible view.  Look for ways to expand your horizon and multiply your possibilities.  Choose to look at life from a sense of increase, a sense of potential.  Being positive is being appreciative of the miracle of your life, even when things are not going your way.  A positive attitude looks for progress, ways to improve things and make things work out for the best.
There is far more good than bad in the world, more beauty than ugliness, more kindness than meanness, more love than hate. "
And... it helps to put a sticky note on your mirror that says "Don't Worry!  Be Happy!"  At least when you are brushing your teeth and getting ready to head out the door you will do so with a smile on your face and an expectation that this is going to be a fine day. 

In and Out

No, I am not talking about the infamous hamburger joint.  I am back in from the garage sale in MN and am on my way out to Montana.
The garage sale was a huge success and could have been even bigger if the pricing on a few items had been lower, but all in all my folks were very happy with the outcome and my dad had so much fun doing it that he wants to have another one in the spring.  Hmmmmmm.......
Now it's time to enjoy a long weekend of doing some of this.

After a quick week  of catching up around the house and helping Dean find an apartment ( 1 mile from his new job), we are on our way back to cooler temperatures today.  It is going to be rainy in Bozeman when I land and I might just dance a jig over rain.  I hardly remember what it looks, feels, and smells like anymore.  But, the best part is that is going to get into the low 40's at night and I might just have to make a bonfire! I CANNOT wait.