Wednesday, April 25. We took a circle drive today to Camp Verde and then to Payson and back home. We were both admiring the scenery, from the desert areas of the Tonto National Forest to the beauty of the Verde Valley and then to the piney woods of the Rim Country. It felt good to get away for the day and we wanted to check out the Verde River RV resort in Camp Verde before we left. Unfortunately, it is not yet finished being completely revamped, so we were unable to see it. Originally, it was to open in February but the opening has been moved back until late May. We were unable to even drive through the place, as it is still a major construction zone.
We continue to prepare for the big move out and departure date for our summer travels. The house is nearly empty, the cupboards hold only what we will take with us in the trailer, and we have been cleaning as we go.
Sunday, April 29. My 70th birthday, on Friday, was a wonderful day, starting with a video of my girls sing happy birthday to me. Tom couldn't wait, so he gave me my birthday gift a week early, a nice pair of silver and pearl dangly earrings - I love them. And this morning, there were cards from him and from friends, put on the clip on the home use, lots of texts, phone calls, a flower delivery from Ben and his family, and Facebook messages throughout the day. I had a FaceTime conversation with Ben and the kids and learned that Norah and Camille can both ride bikes without training wheels now.
To top off the day, we went to Black Angus for a yummy steak dinner and birthday dessert. It was a wonderful day and I told Tom as we were settling in for the night that I was feeling loved by many - a very good feeling, for sure!
Yesterday was busy, starting with a burrito breakfast in the clubhouse, hosted by our HCC president, Dave and his wife Debby. The were made to order and turned out delicious, complimented with fried potatoes and coffee.
Kathy hosted a pool party in the evening attended by many of my close friends and her sons, Joey who was visiting from Alaska and Dustin. They smoked a prime rib roast, pork roast, sausages and ribs and everyone else brought sides and snacks. It was a lot of fun and the hot day was perfect for it.
Today has been pretty low key, catching up on phone calls and sorting and cleaning in preparation of our big 'move out and move on' in 8 days.
