Days 41, 42, 43, & 44 - Biloxi and The Mystery Guest !!

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Day 41 - Tim Hits The Jackpot !

Good Morning !! Well, it looks like I survived the 21st floor last night and I'm just praying that they will keep their word today and move us down a little closer to the Earth sometime before night fall. We finally made it to the room around midnight last night and we both just crashed !! That was a very long Birthday drive yesterday, but we were here now and we were definitely going to make the best of it. We got up this morning, well, actually it was afternoon, we showered and headed downstairs to check out everything. Just as we suspected, it was exactly the same as all the times before, except this time we hoped that all the money would be going into our pockets instead of out of our pockets !! Right off the bat, Tim sat down at a slot machine that Charles had told him about and just as I was out of his sight, my phone started ringing. I looked down and it was Tim calling. I quickly answered and all I could hear was the lovely sound of bells ringing in my ear, and then I heard Tim saying that he had hit a small jackpot so I turned around and headed straight for him. Ding ! Ding ! Ding ! It was music to my ears and his too !! I couldn't believe that we had only been there a few minutes and he had already won $3,000.00 !! We celebrated for a few minutes and then we were off to try our luck at the blackjack tables. A few hours later Tim went to the check-in counter to see if they were still going to be able to move us to the 4th floor or not. He came around the corner with a big smile on his face and I knew then it was time to pack up and get to our new room. I was doing fairly well at the blackjack table so Tim went on up and got us moved, he's so sweet !! When he returned downstairs, he found me and we walked around for a little while and did a little gambling together. As the evening passed, we decided that we wanted to head up to our new room and relax for a while. Once we were in the room, we thought we would just order in some room service and watch a couple of movies and call it a night. We figured we'd go to bed "winners" tonight because who knows what tomorrow would bring. We enjoyed some cripsy chicken fingers, some hot spinach dip, and some creamy cheesecake ! We rented "What Happens In Vegas", which I would not recommend to anyone, and we soon fell fast asleep. Tomorrow we will have a special guest joining us so stay tuned to find out who it is !!! Good Night and God Bless, Candy

Day 42 - Our Mystery Guest !!

Our new room is delightful !! After a wonderful nights sleep, we finally forced ourselves out of bed sometime around 2:00 p.m.. We had been awake for a while, I was sitting up on the computer checking my e-mails and stuff while Tim quietly read his new book, but now it was time for me to shower and head off to the airport. Tim’s neck and back were really tense from the long drive the day before, so I called and set him up an appointment for a massage tomorrow and then I called for the limo to meet me out front. Tim decided to stay behind and read a little more and get ready while I went to the airport, so I headed downstairs while he rested. I spotted Joe, my driver, as I walked out the front door and he escorted me to his shiny new silver stretch limousine. As soon as we took off, I kicked back, turned the air on 68 degrees, grabbed a cold bottle of water and listened to the radio the entire 25 minute drive over to Gulfport. I really soaked up the quiet time and re-visited, in my mind, our incredible journey across America. It still didn’t seem real to me. As I thought all the way back to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the snowstorm in Big Horn, I couldn’t believe how much we had done in such a short period of time. I remember thinking to myself, “ I can’t wait to get home and read all about our trip on the travel blog and look at all the pictures.” I think it will be like taking the trip all over again. I only got about half-way through our trip in my mind and before I knew it we were at the airport. Joe dropped me off at the gate and he circled around to wait for me and our special arrival. We were right on time, it was 3:55 p.m. and the flight I was waiting for was set to land at 4:02 p.m. I went inside and stood at the bottom of the escalators to wait. I didn’t have to wait for long because only a few minutes passed by before I saw “her” heading right towards me and the group of people standing nearby. There she was, she just couldn’t take it anymore, she had to be a part of this trip somehow or another and she was just in time to help us end the trip with a bang ! It was Lynn, Tim’s cousin, the same Lynn who let us borrow her travel book and who so desperately wanted to be on this trip with us. We hugged as we walked over to the luggage carousel and waited for her large green bag to come rolling around. I don’t know who was more excited, me or her. Although we had visited with Charles and Ginger and we stayed with Leanne and Jesse, she was the first sign of family that I had seen in almost six weeks. Not to mention the fact that she’s one of my gambling buddies and we always have a blast together no matter what we’re doing !! I know Tim was dying to see her too, so we found Joe (he was standing in front of the limo holding one of those cute little signs with Lynn’s last name on it) and headed straight for The Beau Rivage !! We talked the entire trip back to Biloxi and I got caught up on everything that was going on back at home. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we headed straight up for our rooms to check and see if Tim was still there. He was no where to be found so Lynn and I freshened up, in our adjoining rooms, and headed downstairs to see what the casino had to offer. We eventually hooked-up with Tim and shortly after, the three of us went over to “Coast” to enjoy dinner. Their bone-in ribeye was to die for and the fish-n-chips Lynn ordered weren’t too bad either. After dinner, Tim went off to play the table games while Lynn and I went in search of all the slot machines Ginger had told us about. We found some of them and played a little and I happy to report that we both "held our own tonight". We didn't win but we didn't lose either !! Tim would occasionally find us, but I think Lynn and I are way too “loud” for him and he gets kind of embarrassed hanging around us, at least that’s what he told us last time. We all gambled into the wee hours of the morning and then, one at a time, we made our way up to the 4th floor to call it a night. Only two more days left and we’ll be heading home !!

Days 43 & 44 - All Night Poker and Then It's Home For Us !!

We had another wonderful nights sleep last night but it was time to get up so we could savor every moment of our last full day of the trip. As I was walking across the room, I stumbled upon a little handwritten note that was strategically placed in between our adjoining doors. I knew it had to be from Lynn since she was staying next to us but I couldn’t imagine what it would say. As I read it aloud to Tim, it simply stated that we shouldn’t be worried if we couldn’t find her because she was gone out for her morning jog !!! This girl had already gotten up, ordered room service for breakfast and headed down the strip to begin her daily exercise routine and it was only 10:00 a.m.. I must say that I was VERY impressed !! I must also admit that I thought to myself “This woman is crazy !!”. Tim and I debated, for about a half of a second, whether we should join her or not, ummmmm, it wasn’t a very hard decision to make, and we were both in complete agreement that we would leave all the exercising on this trip to Ms. Lynn !! As we were lying across the bed discussing, well, I was discussing, whether Tim should shave or not, we heard a knock at the door. She was back and she was invigorated and ready to shower and hit the slot machines !! Tim went on into the bathroom while Lynn and I talked about what all we wanted to do today. We came to the conclusion that we would walk next door to the new Hard Rock Café Casino and see what all the fuss was about. Then we talked about whether or not we wanted to see the Jay Leno show tonight and we both agreed that we would pass on that. As we were chatting and planning our day, Tim came out of the bathroom and I thought me and Lynnwere going to fall out in the floor. This man came out of the bathroom with one-half of his face shaved and the other half not !! He looked at me and said “This is how I decided to compromise with you on shaving !”. What was so funny was that he was dead serious. He actually thought Lynn and I were going to let him out of that hotel room half shaven. I will say that I think it was very thoughtful of him to want to compromise, but there was no way I was going downstairs with him looking like that. Well, he decided he wouldn’t embarrass us so he finished shaving and then we all proceeded to get our showers and head on over to the Hard Rock. As soon as we arrived at the Hard Rock, we went to the players club to register and get a players card. The three of us are standing in line, talking and carrying on, and the next thing you know, we hear this familiar voice calling out Tim’s name. We look over and low and behold it is Phyllis Pruitt from our attorney’s office. We couldn’t believe it !! We have been all across America and on our last day of the trip we run into someone from home. Phyllis was there with one of her dearest friends and they were having a girl’s weekend getaway. Phyllis is Tim’s little sweetheart and she has taken care of him for many many years at Shuping, Morse and Ross, he doesn’t let anyone mess with his girl !! After talking for a little bit and catching up with Phyllis, the three of us decided to see what the casino had to offer. As we were strolling around checking out everything, Tim looks at me and Lynn and says, “This machine here is calling my name !”. He stopped at that machine to play as Lynn and I stood over his shoulder. I absolutely could not believe what happened next. He pushed the button three times and then the bells started ringing again !!! He hit the progressive jackpot of $1,134.00 and as Lynn and I looked in amazement, the floor person came over and counted out his money and presented him with a jackpot t-shirt from the casino. This man has got to be the luckiest person in the world !! Me and Lynn just shook our heads and walked away. Tim found us sometime later to kiss us good-bye. He had to get next door for his one hour Swedish massage, so he took off to avoid being late. We were getting kinda hungry so we headed over towards the buffet but, on our way over we ran into Phyllis again, so the four of us girls went and had dinner together there at the gourmet buffet. We enjoyed the different foods they had to offer as well as the great conversation. I think we stayed there for about two hours just talking and enjoying each others company. A little while after dinner, Lynn and I decided to head on back over to the Beau Rivage and see if we could find Tim. We eventually hooked back up with him and the three of us just hung out and gambled pretty much the rest of the night. Somewhere around 9:30 p.m. I talked Lynn into going to the Poker Room with me to sit at a table and play some Texas Hold’Em. We had the best time playing cards, in fact, I had such a great time, I stayed in the same seat, at the same table, for 15 hours. Tim and Lynn went on to bed sometime during the early morning but I was doing so well, I just stayed there all night. Lynn came back down around 10:00 a.m. all showered and refreshed but she had a message for me from Tim. He had sent word with her that he was packing up and it was time for me to get up so we could get on the road. The next hour or so was quite comical as Lynn relayed messages back and forth between me and Tim on her cell phone. I was trying to convince him to let me stay just a little bit longer but he wasn’t having any part of it !!! Lynn finally convinced me that it was in my best interest to get my butt out of that chair and head straight for the front door, so that’s what I did !! I didn’t even get to go to the room and shower, he pulled the motor home around and off we were, headed home. We hugged Lynn good-bye and we hit the road for the last 400 miles of our cross country trip. I was so exhausted I think I fell asleep before we made it out of the circular driveway. The journey home was very peaceful for me, as I slept the entire trip, only to be awakened by Tim as he pulled into our driveway. He said the drive wasn’t bad at all but it just wasn’t the same without me up front by his side. He only stopped once for gas and food and he made it back to Stockbridge in record time. It was very strange being back home after all this time but I’m sure everything will fall into place and be back to normal in no time. I am going to get some rest now but I plan on posting one last blog with all the specs and information we recorded along the trip, so check back soon for an update !! Love to you all, Candy

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Photos

Whataburger in San Antonio !
This is the equivalent to our Burger King !!

Tim Having A Whataburger !
I asked him nicely to please eat before he started driving !

Welcome to Louisiana !
Louisiana was the 21st state line we crossed on this trip !

Beau Rivage in Biloxi !
This would be home for the next three days !!

Checking My E-Mails !!
Thank you for all the Birthday Cards !!

He's Too Funny !!
So this is his idea of a compromise !!!

Biloxi, Mississippi !!
Me in the room getting ready to go downstairs for dinner !

Wonder If Anyone Would Notice ??
He said he was going to dinner like this !!!

She Just Couldn't Help Herself !!
Me and Lynn in the room waiting for Tim so we could go next door to the HardRock !!

Our Last Night Away !
This was our last night on the trip, tomorrow we'll be home !!

A Good Luck Kiss !!
I sure needed it !!