hello to anyone who takes the time to read this

Hi to anyone who reads this. I have been bad at blogging lately. Not much exciting happening around here. We are trying to get ready for our short vacation at the end of the month. With the price of gas going up so fast I am glad we decided to just go about 45-50 miles away to the Smoky Mountains. We will be there a week! Yeah!!!
actually we went there this last weekend for two nights. DH's sis went with us. We had the opportunity to stay in a cabin through our time share for two nights @ $82 for both nights for all of us. We got there on Friday and checked in and by then we were all starving and had to eat at the first place we came too. (Cracker Barrel) Then to W-mart (and I HATE to go there) to get swimsuits..... yup we forgot ours in the rush to get gone from home. Well if you are female you know how traumatic that was for me. Anyway we both got suits (Lo remembered hers) and went to the hot tub on the back porch for a while. By then we were all done in and headed to bed.
Sometime during the night I woke up with a migraine, medicated myself and when we woke up on Saturday morning still had it. Mark and Lo went to G'burg and met the guy from the time share –he wanted to make sure everything was going well and gave us $75 in gas cards for our trip and time. They said he did not pressure them at all about buying something etc. Anyway, by the time they got “home” I was feeling better. We hung out a little while and then went to have dinner at “the Alamo'. Let me tell you that is the absolute BEST steak I have ever eaten (been there x 2 and both times were out of this world). As usual I ended up taking most of my steak and sweet potato back to our cabin . Then back to the hot tub we all went.
When we “cooked” a while we all adjourned to our separate rooms and prepared for the night. Then we got started on a jigsaw puzzle I had taken (1000pieces and the pieces were all different sizes). It is really a hard puzzle. Lo and I stayed up until 3 am working on it. It was lots of fun. When we get it completed it has lights to put in it and it runs on batteries. I got it for Christmas from my bro and sil.
News about Sam----- his mom said his echo was really better than they thought it would be and his replaced valve was not leaking as badly either ---Her direct words were “ You might ask what leaking valve??? WELL I WOULD HAVE MENTIONED IT IF I HAD KNOWN” . But she went on o say it was a blessing because she didn't think she could have taken the stress. Anyway Dr C at Mayo will look at the Echo and tell them when to come back there – they can not fly because of his condition so this is going to be a looooooong trip for the Long family. They anticipate having to go up there within the next two weeks,.....anyway if you are reading this please say a prayer for Sam, Vicky (his mom), Rick (his dad) Stacie and Emma (sisters) and Eric and Ryan (brothers). They are really having a rough time. With Rick's job loss it is even more of a trying time---
well I will try to upload some of the pictures from this weekend when I can-- we had a really really neat place and lots of fun. I am working on my quilt and have sorta stopped with the paper crafting. I am in a lull with that I think. But I can take my quilt piece and work on it wherever I am. I plan on taking several pieces when we go on the long road trip to Colorado...... looking forward to that too in September