Of family importance, our oldest son Richard  has announced his engagement to Diane Duran. They haven't set a wedding date yet. We are very pleased that he has found someone to share his life with and pray the find the happiness together that we have shared.

   We spent the first two weekends of this month washing and waxing the Travel Supreme. We washed the whole thing and then got the front and one side waxed the first weekend, then waxed the back and other side the next weekend.  Millie did all the windows with RAINX and Dick washed Monster Truck. We also installed our beautiful stained glass window in our door.  We learned one very valuable lesson. We were given the dimensions for the glass by someone who had done RV windows.  We used those measurements for our piece. Don't take anyone else's word on this, take the interior trim off and measure that piece of glass!!!  Sandy was very precise in our piece of glass and the measurements are correct as we were given them. When we put the glass in it was pretty snug and when Dick tightened down the screws on the trim, it cracked the glass. Of course, now we have to take the glass back out and take it back to Sandy to repair.  She is also going to grind the edges down some to get a looser fit.  1/6 of an inch can make a difference!  Lesson learned.

   Friday, the 16th found us heading for Nashville, TN. It was raining as we left home, so of course our shiny rig stayed that way only about 15 minutes. At least we started out looking great. That night we Walmart boondocked in Marshall, TX. It was our first Walmart stay. When we arrived, there were 3 other units in the corner of the lot. When we got up Saturday morning, there were nine of us.

   From Marshall we drove to Jackson, TN where we spent 2 nights. On Sunday we visited Casey Jones Village and went to Walmart for some groceries. The weather was beautiful.

   On Monday, we continued on to Nashville, arriving about 11:30 at the Two Rivers Campground.  After checking in, setting up and having lunch, we walked over to Camping World and did a little shopping.

   Tuesday was cool but sunny.  We drove downtown and visited the Country Music Hall of Fame. We had been there before, but they are now in a new building, recently opened. What a great place.  We visited the gift shop after our tour.  The selection of CD's was mind boggling. They have a lot of old recordings that they have put on CD. Dick and I browsed, finally deciding we had to get out of there before we would need a loan to pay for CD's.  It was easy to get carried away.  Tuesday night the temps were in the 20's but we were warm and cozy in the 5er.

   Wednesday we strolled the Opry Mills Mall and had lunch in the food court. In the evening we went to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel for their holiday lighting ceremony. The Radio City Rockettes were there along with the mayor of Nashville and Porter Wagner, who shared the honor of throwing the switch. After the ceremony, we went into the hotel and enjoyed all the wonderful holiday decorations( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) there.

   Thanksgiving day was quiet.  We watched some TV and phoned our family.  We went to the Cracker Barrel for dinner and afterwards went to the Grand Old Opry House for the Radio City Music Hall Spectacular.  A wonderful show that really puts you in the holiday spirit.

   Friday night we went on a dinner cruise on the General Jackson.  The weather was not too cold and we went up on deck when the boat got to downtown and enjoyed the holiday lights from there. We enjoyed a good dinner and stage show.  One couple seated at our table was from Holland and they were interested in our RV lifestyle. They come to our country nearly every year for vacations. They especially like our music.

   A big storm system came through late Friday night with tornado warnings and continued on into Saturday morning so we just stayed inside, watched TV and napped. That night we attended the Enchanted Forest Dinner at the hotel and then it was off to the Opry.  From November to February this year, the Opry is back in the Ryman. Our first visit to the Opry was in the Ryman, their last year before moving to their new location. It was a thrill to be back there. We have also attended 2 other times in the new hall.  We attended the 9:30 show, which lasted until nearly 12:30. It was a really enjoyable show.

   Sunday it was time to hitch up and head home. It was a beautiful day and uneventful until we crossed the Mississippi River at Memphis. The highway was packed and lots of construction.  It took us 1-1/2 hours to go 7 miles.  Having enough of that, we pulled out the map and found an alternate route that took us through Pine Bluff and over to Malvern where we could again get on the interstate.  It was a relaxing drive.  After getting gas in Malvern, we headed for the interstate, only to find it was creeping, still!!  So, back to an alternate route, to Arkadelphia where the construction stopped and traffic was flowing again.  We arrived in Texarkana about 8:15 and set up at the KOA.  An 8 hour drive had turned into 12 hours.

   Monday found us home by 3:30. We had some storms north of Houston but managed to escape most of the really bad stuff.  We went to pick up our mail and eat, then came home and unloaded the 5er.

   Tuesday was back to work. Ugh! We had some cold, wet weather the rest of the week.  Dick came down with a cold and stayed home on Thursday and Friday, but he is feeling much better now.

   Dick, Millie and Missy want to take this time to wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a safe holiday.  Stop by again, we loved having you.