Happy Birthday, Tom, Nov. 19, 2009

Tom chowing down!

Homemade German Chocolate!

Onion Rings.....OMG

Fried Chicken cooked to order!

Sister Toni, Me, Donna and Friend Phyllis (Cheri taking pic)

Yes, it was Tom's birthday last Thursday. Tom's sister, two of her friends and I all celebrated with him by going to one of his favorite restaurants for lunch, Tiptop. He had onion rings and fried chicken to his heart's content. It was so much fun and a place that he and Toni have gone to since they were children. After lunch, we went to Toni's and played a couple of games of Phase 10 (cards) and had German chocolate birthday cake. Once again, the man was in heaven! I think he really enjoyed the day and we are all a little fatter for it.

Sunday we went to Sunday class and church with Toni then stayed for Thanksgiving lunch - it was great. Today we moved to Braunig Lake which is on the south east side of San Antonio. Since we're heading out to the valley next Monday, this gives us kind of a head start on our way. It's very pretty here and best of all, Tom has access to a hot tub. He's a happy camper for sure. Life is good for the Clapham's.

We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and safe travels if you'll be on the road. We think of all our family and friends so often and always look forward to seeing all of you.

NEW JOURNEY!!!!

Bedroom in hickory

New Hickory wood interior

Come on....let's go!

New Journey raring to go!

Yes, folks, we did it! We traded in our old Journey for a new one. This one is also named Journey (II). We had such adventures in the first Journey, we couldn't change the name now. We bought our rig on November 4 and spent the next four or five days, moving in to it. What a job! The new rig is two feet smaller than the old one - 33', so it was a challenge to find places for everything. The configuration is very different also. The living room is in the rear, the kitchen in the middle and we have an open bath in this one. There are some great features in this rig that we didn't have in the other one and there are some features we had in the other one that we'll miss here. Good news - we found a place for almost everything. When we sit in the living room, the rig actually feels larger than the old one because it's so open.

We stayed at the dealership for a week after we purchased the rig and we were treated like family. RV Sales owners and staff are the tops with us. We would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a new or used Excel. They just can't do enough for their customers. What a great experience.

We are now in San Antonio, TX, and Tom is so happy to be home again. He just about did a happy dance in the middle of I-10 at the border crossing. We've had Texas barbecue, Mexican food, Chinese and one morning soon we'll be going to Taco Cabana for Tom's favorite Mexican breakfast. He literally moans when he eats it! You all know how Tom loves his food, so that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

We'll be here until November 30, then head on down to Donna, TX, for the winter. Always on to new adventures is the best way to live!!!