A Purpose Driven Road Trip

Some people will use any excuse for a road trip.   Other people need a really good reason...

Grandma J had the best reason ever.....because her oldest granddaughter, Turtle, was graduating from high school.  Not just any high school, but a school of choice.  

Miss T graduated with honors up the ying yang.....

...allowing her to be front and center.

She had so much fun graduating from high school......

That she decided to graduate with her AA degree from the Community College the same week!

Grandma J wouldn't have missed this road trip for the world.

Now, it's time for the hotel's hot tub.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME....almost

On March 16th, I put my very first blog entry on the Internet. Up until then, I was happy being a commenter on other blogs. A few people kept bugging me....saying things like, "hey get your own blog", and "quit hogging everyone's bandwidth with your silly off topic comments". So I eventually got the hint and jumped in.....

Remember when I looked like this?

Four of those blogs were my commenters that first day in the history of Grandma J. Heartshapedhedges, is my daughter and her blog sprung forth from her son's Caringbridge site (yeah leukemia survivor!). LMNOP, is another blogger crossover from Caringbridge, (whose daughter is also a leukemia survivor). Then The Cortney Chronicles is a follower of HSH and LMNOP, and My Training Adventures, a wonderful marathon fundraising woman who I met through her support of several Caringbridge sites.

So there you have it...my first four commenters. The amazing thing is, after reading that pitiful first post, all four still come back a year later. So thank you....to those first four, and the other two rest of you who check in on a regular basis to see if I'd been committed kicked the bucket, or to be more politically correct, dove into the deep end.

Over the last year, I have posted 380 entries, with 64,879 visitors. Ok, I know, there was that day back in July when I have over 15,000 hits! All because Michael K from dlisted put a link to my Shamwow testimonial on his site. Just because of that I'm now engaged to best buds with Nick, who lives somewhere in the Heart of Dixie in Charleston....with his new puppy. I've also become good friends with Hollywood, who really lives in Albuquerque. Ummm, where's that blog of yours Hollywood?

Now, here's the exciting part that includes all of you. Yes even you, and you too. Over the past year, I've reviewed several movies, given testimonials on a plethora of products. God, thank you for the word plethora, I love it more than you know.

I've keep you abreast of current events...like the Yearning For Zion dilemma here in Texas, and the tragic toilet malfunction on NASA's space station. I've talked about my grandchildren and JJ til I'm blue in the face....with much more to tell you! You know all about my Uncle Jack, and the escapades of my Mother, Rita. I've discussed personal stuff like my sex life colon, pinkie finger, and mustache.

Several times over this past year I have honored our Service Men and Women...specifically my son-in-law, 1SGT John, who is currently serving his third tour of duty in Iraq.

I took a road trip to visit Cortney and Briana here in Texas, and I met up with Jason, Pumpkin Delight, and Hula Hank in Los Angeles. I'm trekking to Virginia in July to partake in the Virginia Blogfest hosted by Big Hair Envy, and Chesapeake Bay Woman.

With all of this in mind, I want you to tell me which post you liked the best. I know, they all kind of blur together. But seriously, I have to know....so take a minute to jog your memory or look in the archives. I'll make it worth your while with a contest/drawing.


That's right, a $50 gift card from Bed Bath and Beyond. the winner will be picked by a random picker thing on March 16th....the anniversary of the day everyone's Grandma J's world changed....forever.

A GRANDMA J TUTORIAL

There are no Native Americans in Texas. At least there aren't any with a Casino. So, if you want to play slots or blackjack, you can fly to Las Vegas, or go to So CA where they have some major casino resorts operated by a whole slew of Tribes...just not the Juanenos. OR.....

I've heard talk about casinos in Oklahoma, close to the Texas border, so I did a Googled little bit of research and found a Winn's Casino just a cross the border off the I35 in Thackerville Oklahoma.

Different stubborn relatives seemed to think the border was almost a three hour drive from Dallas. I was pretty sure the people at Google had a much closer border.

Well, this relative knows someone who drives all the way to Lawton Oklahoma all the time, and it's not a hop skip and a jump. So like, I'm all where the heck is Lawton? Is that where the casino is? I mean Oklahoma is full of Native American casinos....

Instead of engaging in a civil conversation....the conversation was declared "over". And of course Grandma J thought to herself.....not so fast!

So, let's get to Grandma J's Tutorial, shall we?


This is a Google map generated from the Casino's web page.....pretty much a straight shot up the I35 all the way, getting off at exit 1 in Oklahoma. Of course, we all know Google likes to give written directions........

Because, Google doesn't want you to miss one single turn going from your home to the interstate. And according to them, the total miles is 217.

This second map shows the distance from Dallas to the final destination right smack across the Oklahoma border. Just a short jaunt of 79.2 miles.

Now if you didn't want to go to the Winn Casino in Thackerville, OK, you might want to go to Lawton. Especially if you have a friend or coworker who has family there, and makes the trip frequently......

Because that's a much longer trip. Google has the straight shot at 311 miles. But we had briefly disagreed about discussed how far Lawton was from Dallas. Don't know why, but for the sake of argument, because we never do, I put the equations on a board for you.

Looks like a twenty mile difference if you travel to Lawton via Fort Worth rather than Dallas. And I guess the question Grandma J has is this.....after all is said and done, don't you think a 217 mile day trip to the Winn Casino is doable?

FRIDAY MATINEE...on Friday!
Such a novel idea, isn't it?

Now that I'm back on track, I will be seeing one of two movies. I count on you to help me. This week there are actually more that two that I'm torn between, but I don't want to burden either of my readers, so I'll narrow the selection to two...

Bolt..I saw the trailer and loved this little dog.

I love the little bit I saw when the street savvy pigeons confront him. But, that picture doesn't have pigeons. I think Hannah Banana does the voice for that little girl.

But I want to see this too! Soul Men!

I love Bernie Mac (may he rest in peace). And you know how much I love Samuel L. Jackson. AND....I have a thing for road trips. And, You know what I mean...and so do you!

So please tell me which one you want me to see. I can't wait because there are more, so I might go again on Monday....

Chow, Hasta Whenever!

THANK YOU M

for the cutest ever!

Some of you might remember me briefly mentioning, a trip I made to the ER...with possible fractures to my right hand. Does that jog your memory? Well, I was reminded of that incident when I went to my mailbox today. No, it wasn't a statement or bill. It wasn't a notice to change my follow-up appointment.

It was this beautiful card.....

Can you believe it? Not only is it a "hope your injury is healing nicely" card....it's from my new BFF.... That's right, and to respect her privacy I'll call her M. I've never really met M, but I've met her daughter, Cortney, along with Briana, on my Major Road Trip to Phlugerville Texas. Is this about the nicest gesture ever? And on top if it all, M made that beautiful card for me. The photo doesn't do it justice, but it's three dimensional and hand stamped. So, thank you, M, for caring enough to send me the beautiful card. It really meant a lot to me.

M might not appreciate me mentioning this but what's even nicer, except for the beautiful caring note inside, is finding out M has a rubber stamp business and does this for a living too!

THE PARTY'S OVER...
....evidently

When I woke up this morning, reality was hovering over me like....well, reality! I had been living a whirlwind, fairytale life for the last several weeks. Events swirled around me like the tornado that almost came close to my home.

Then there was Mother's Day when I was showered with gifts like "Forget-me-not" pajamas from Pooper, Beauty, and Little One, great book from my daughter in Colorado, Starbucks coffee, travel mug, brunch and a movie from my daughter and her family here in Texas, several theatre tickets from JJ and these from my son and his family.

Which shout, "Hello, it's time to say adios."

Then of course there was the time I spent offering support and tweezers comfort to these women, which, by the way, is ongoing. There were endless hours planning and organizing my Major Road Trip to see Cortney and Briana, leading up to the Major Road Trip Finale

So, with the air temporarily sucked out of my balloon, it's back to the daily nitty gritty of sleeping in and watching The View. Yesterday, I drove 56 miles round trip to the closest fabric store to me. And I bought this material to make two more soft furry blankies for the kids in the Pediatric Oncology ward.

My nose is to the grindstone, which must really hurt, to get these done this week. After that I'm free to start planning my next junket to Las Vegas, BABY!! And I may need your help.

MAJOR ROAD TRIP FINALE....
or day one

because really? That's it in a nutshell. A very big nut shell. I was very excited to finally meet Cortney and see Briana again as well as meeting her family.

When I arrived at Creekside Gathering, Briana was looking out for me to pull up. Her parents where there too, and it was nice seeing them again! Just a side note...not only does Briana run marathons, along with century bike rides and triathlons, but her MOM runs marathons! These are my kind of people because, and this might come as a shock to some people, but I walk .46 miles every night. It's something I don't like to brag about.

Cortney and her good friend Amy are big time organizers for this particular casual worship service, and boy can we say inspirational, upbeat, fun service with a message....and great music.

I sat between my two blogger friends which did nothing to make me look young like them...can't you tell?

Three more favorite people that I finally got to meet where Briana's husband Joel, who we didn't get a picture of...what happened? Her (recently confirmed and heading to Italy) daughter Madison, and her adorable super soccer player son Dalton.

After the service I met Pastor Terry. He was nice enough to let us take some pictures because no one told him where they would end up.

Cortney and Briana, along with Briana's family took me out to a fabulous Mexican restaurant. I immediately said "dibs" to sit next to Dalton, and across from Madison.....because we have so much in common with stuff like the wii, and Guitar Hero III. I also had to remind Madison to throw some coins in the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy.

Needless to say, I am very thankful that my friends from Pflugerville/Austin gave me such a huge, warm reception. That's one thing about Texans...everything is done up big! Thank you!

*Please note, this Major Road Trip in no way resembled or cost as much, or took as long as any Excellent Road Trips. Full disclosure is noted.

MAJOR ROAD TRIP....day one only

I don't know where the time has gone, but today's the day I head down the road to meet two great blogger friends, Cortney and Briana at Creekside Gathering.

I'm all packed and ready to travel south on this infamous highway to the beautiful city of Pflugerville Texas.
The world will be a condensed version our oyster in a nutshell for one glorious day. I'm excited and can hardly wait. Hasta!

*please note that this Major Road Trip is in no way meant to resemble any Excellent Road Trips. Besides, Bossy doesn't read my blog, everyday and what she doesn't know won't hurt her...too badly.

IT'S OFFICIAL

The plans for my Major Road Trip are coming together. I will be traveling approximately 67.7 miles down the infamous I35 to Austin to meet up with this blogger and her too.

I was getting antsy waiting for confirmation but then I saw this cute calendar on Cortney's blog.
Yes, it confirms my greatest fears the fact that this Major Road Trip is turning into a reality. I immediately looked for my official calendar, the one that is pitifully empty that I use for all my important social activities.

And I marked the date. There are details to work out, and the excitement mounts.....stay tuned.

I'm hoping this tunnel isn't on my route....

*Please note that this Major Road Trip in no way.......blah, blah, blah, as usual.

THE MOTHER OF ALL ROAD TRIPS

There seems to be a huge blogging road trip going on right now. Actually, it's officially called Bossy's Excellent Road Trip. That's right, her name is Bossy and she is criss-crossing the country visiting bloggers. Anyway I got to thinking....and then she got me thinking again!

For those who haven't been reading my blog don't know, I am fairly new to Texas. I retired last year and moved here from the OC, which is in paradise So Ca. Well guess what? She lives in Central Texas too....and so does she ...and others do too. I like these bloggers and I love their blogs. I actually met Briana when she ran the San Diego Rock & Roll Marathon in 2005 (I think). I felt such a connection because I ran it too Briana was a member of Team in Training, running for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

Well, Cortney has been begging me mentioning getting together for some grub at Taco Bueno a meet and greet....sort of like a Major Road Trip!

I decided to check out the logistics for such a trip. This is what the interactive map looks like in all time zones:

It seems very do-able....so I'm invisioning, meeting these blogging friends. The planning would mean traveling on the infamous Central Texas interstate.

I'm sure you are familiar with some of the famous historical travelers of this well traveled interstate. Before it was an interstate Poncho Villa probably traveled this road to defeat spongebob those guys, or maybe not.

But did you know who else became famous traveling down this road?

And with that being said, look forward to more updates on the impending Major Road Trip right here in the heartland. So blogger, please get together, pick a time and destination for a hoe down. Your area is way more exciting and I probably have nothing going on in my life a more flexable schedule, so you guys lead the way Jose!

*please note that this Major Road Trip in no way is meant to compete with or mirror any Excellent Road Trips currently taking place. Besides, Bossy doesn't read my blog, and what she doesn't know won't hurt her..too badly.