~~ODNEAL FAMILY BLOG~~Port of Readlyn, Iowa

Today is our 19th wedding anniversary! Really it is just another day since Bruce is working late tonight, and I will be at Ty's football game. But we did celebrate last weekend with our houseboat float, and toasted with champagne to all of us couples with anniversaries around this time! And some whose aren't! But we had a great time with friends and family and I can't think of a better way to celebrate all these wonderful years of wedded bliss (you can all stop laughing now!) than being at the river! May we have many, many more fun filled years together. And no, I don't expect any flowers to show up here at work for me. Bruce knows I'd rather spend that money on something fun that doesn't die! Happy Anniversary hon!

What a great weekend at the river. We did our float with all of our river friends and family and WOW what a great time we had. I know that I will be getting more pictures to add to this but wanted to post what I had on my camera. Thank you to all for making this another very memorable year of houseboating for all of us. How can we not come back every year? Love you all and am sad that another year has come to an end (almost) but now we have to look forward to next year! Everyone have a great winter for those that we don't see between now and closing up weekend!

This cat was hanging around the house last week and Gizmo and Gadget did not like it at all! I don't think I have ever heard Gizmo howl like that, and Gadget wouldn't get near it. She just sat on the deck and hissed and howled at it also. But the white cat wasn't fazed at all that it wasn't welcome. I think it hung around as long as it did just to make my cats go crazy! Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm hoping for some sunshine instead of rain tomorrow!

Here are just a few of th pictures that I have of a couple of Ty's games so far this year. He is doing awesome and it is so fun to watch his grade play. I think watching WV football will be pretty exciting for the next 4 years! Heading to Dike tonight for a 9th grade game if the weather holds out. Don't think I will sit through pouring rain again like we did Monday night. Good luck Tyler and the WV 9th grade boys. Beat DNH!

Yes, here it is. More proof in pictures that we have absolutely no fun with our friends and family on the weekends at the river! I guess we were all using booze bottles as microphones and singing our hearts out! Kids-do not try this at home! Oh, and Bruce and I took these waverunners for a long ride on Saturday and the one I was on went 63 mph. I coul hardly walk for 2 days but boy did we have FUN! Thanks Louie for the pictures! Next time I'm getting you in some!

Today is three years that Kyle and Taylor have been going together. Can't believe it has been that long. But aren't they just so cute together? Hope you enjoy celebrating your anniversary this weekend (even though I was the "common sense" Mom and RUINED both your days since I thought it was rediculous for Kyle to drive home and back from Iowa City for one evening!), and may you have many more fun memories together. Love you both!

So here is what our bloody mary's looked like at the river Saturday morning. Yes, I stepped it up just a tad and added an umbrella but otherwise I didn't have anything else to spruce them up with. We ate the shrimp Friday night as "scampi" so pickles and umbrellas were all I had. And yes this is my normal "river appearance" (no makeup or shower Saturday morning!) so just deal with it. And thank you so much Helen for insisting on taking my picture with my bloody mary! I will get you back! Just kidding. Hope everyone has a good and fast week.

Now this is a Bloody Mary and even was "almost" as good as mine are! Just kidding. It was spectacular. Our river friend Elyssa (I'm sure I probably messed up that spelling!) who happens to also work at the marina sometimes was given this by a rental houseboat that stopped at the gas dock. I usually always put a pickle in for garnishment, but this had shrimp cocktail, celery,an olive, a beef stick, pickle,and green onions. I don't think that I left anything out. And they even had their own labels made to stick on the cups. And look at the pretty umbrella. I guess maybe this weekend at the river I'd better step up my garnishments on my Bloody Mary's. On second thought if I do that then EVERYONE will want one, and I don't want to have to make that many every morning! I think I'll stick to just making Bruce, me and sister in law Helen one every morning. Much less work! The umbrellas I do have and can do however! We'll see! Everyone have a good weekend!...

Well okay. Not completely! Everyone loves the "bush" wig I guess! Louie sent this to me from their camera!

Okay I just had to post this picture even though I did post it with all the college move in slideshow pictures. This is the emotional morning that we left to move Kyle into his dorm. I think this is a really good picture of all of us except obviously Cole is missing. But he always tries too hard and "sometimes" messes up pictures, so I think it is safe to say this is a pretty good picture of Bruce and I with 2 of 3 favorite children in the world! See.....I said you are ALL FAVORITE CHILDREN!!!!!!! Just wait until there are grandchildren.....none of you will make the blog very often!

I know most of the family that looks at the blog knows what our houseboat looks like but thought I'd post a few pictures I snapped yesterday before we left. This is what the bedroom and bathroom look like when there aren't any extra bags and crap laying around like on the normal weekends! And no it is definitely not this clean during the weekend when we are staying there. These were snapped before we took off for home yesterday. We love our weekend getaway "house".

It is homecoming week and today is "senior citizen" day, so this is the getup Tyler came up with last night to wear to school today. Doesn't he look awesome? Of course I leave the house before he is even up so I'm sitting here wondering if he actually wore it to school or not. I bet there will be a lot of good pictures floating around Facebook of all those kids after today!

  Snapped some pictures at Ty's game Tuesday night at Jesup. My little camera just isn't very good at getting action shots. Oh well. Tonight the 9th grade boys play before the varsity at East Buch so excited to see Ty play a whole game. Good luck Wapsie Valley and hope everyone has a good weekend!

I totally stole these pictures from Taylor's facebook album but wanted to share them on the blog. Sorry Taylor! Kyle and Taylor went to the Iowa vs. UNI game Saturday and these pictures were taken before and during the game I'm guessing. The one picture is Taylor with Kyle's roommate Chris' girlfriend Kailey. Boy that was quite the sentence, huh? The others of course are Kyle & Taylor with their Iowa gear on. Sounds like it was a good game. We listened to the ending on the radio out at the sandbar. Maybe someday Bruce will take me to an Iowa game!!!! Especially since the Chiefs now suck and I don't want to go watch them! What do you think Bruce?

Yeah, you can definitely tell that we DO NOT HAVE ANY FUN at the river! Right! Bruce pulled up this tumbleweed bush off of the beach and thought it made a fine wig. Then on Sunday he paraded up the beach with it on and the shades and talked to people we actually know. OMG! I cannot believe I stood by him and let my picture be taken with the dork! Just kidding. I really tried to pretend that I didn't know him, but we were with family and friends so that was kind of hard and didn't work at all! Can't wait to see what he looks like in it when it dries out and turns brown. I guess then it will be his new "fall look"!

Just a few photos from the weekend at the sandbar. I will have more when Helen sends me the ones from her camera as I didn't have mine on Saturday. We rode out to the beach with them on their boat. I will definitely post more of Bruce with his great new hairdo! And glasses. He actually went up the beach to talk to people with his get-up on! Too funny. Hope everyone had a great weekend. I know that we did. Too bad summer will be over very soon! Hope everyone has a great week. It is a short one at least!

FINALLY! Had time today to go through and upload the pictures from JR's party finally. There are a lot of good ones. I didn't take the time to name every person so some just say "kids" or whatever. Enjoy the pictures. It sure turned out to be a great weekend and I think he liked all of his cards and gifts. Can't wait to find out what he thought of all the words written in the book Sharon made for him. Lord knows that it made me cry when I read through it every time. Planning on having almost as good a time this weekend at the river, of course without having to do as much work or entertain any people! Everyone enjoy the pictures and have a nice, long weekend!

You can't really see the hummingbirds very clearly in this picture, but there are two. One at the feeder and one to the left flying. A week or so ago we had 4 of them fighting each other off of the feeder trying to have it all to themselves. I tried to get a picture of all of them around it at the same time but them little boogers are too quick for me! I just love watching them. Bruce said next year I need another feeder. I think that's his approval to spend more money on bird stuff. Yeah me! Everyone have a great Labor Day three day weekend. I plan on relaxing on the beach with my book and a cool beverage of course! Let the fun begin for all.

Here is just a collage of some cake pictures from the party. It was a really neat cake and I think the whole thing got eaten! So much for saving the picture part. This is just a taste of all of the 100 pictures I took on the weekend with the Colorado crew and the party. Will post all of them on a slideshow when I get the time. Yes, I know Sharon already posted a couple cake pictures, but I wanted to share some on my blog, too. More to come!