In order to start our work/vacation we had to cross a 12,510 foot long bridge that reaches a height of 85 feet to get to South Padre Island, Texas. That's 2.369 miles long! The construction cost was $16 million to build it. This is the longest causeway in Texas. Highway 100, is a four-lane highway which runs east from 77 to Port Isabel/South Padre Island. It has nothing but water all around and under it! I wasn't nervous at all...ha, ha, ha!

The Queen Isabella Causeway is a concrete pier-and-beam bridge and is the only road connecting South Padre Island to the mainland. I guess if I wanted to go to South Padre Island, I had no choice but to suck it up and close my eyes! Yes...Kyle was driving!

We made it and I was still alive! I became a big girl during our trip and drove across the bridge all by myself!! It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I even did it again!

Home

We made it home after our 26 hour drive. Even as nice as it is to be home, I sure do miss the sunrises over the ocean and a cold beverage on the balcony in the evening!

Granted we had to still put the newspaper together from there, but it was great to have the oceanview while doing it.

One of our first days there a man was heading to the ocean and I looked at Kyle and said "He looks like your dad!" Kyle agreed that this man looked like his dad. The hat, beard, glasses and even down to his walk was just like his dad! I had to take a few photos and a video to send to Dan so he could see he was there with us.

His parents wanted to join us for a few days, but his dad had to have surgery which prevented them from coming this year. I am sure they will make it when we go back...maybe next year. Unless we check out Florida next year. We are undecided yet on which place we will visit next.

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast

12 oz frozen peas and carrots thawed

2 cup frozen diced potatoes thawed

1 onion diced

2 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup water

2 cans crescent rolls

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Grill chicken breasts until cooked through. Allow to cool.

Grill diced onions until transparent. Set aside.

Dice chicken into 1/2" cubes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 11x13" baking dish.

Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls and pinch perforations to seal into a sheet. Press into bottom and up sides of prepared dish. Don't worry if sides do not go all the way up.

Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is light brown.

Allow to cool.

In a large skillet, combine chicken cubes, diced onion, water, potatoes, peas and carrots.

Stir and cook over medium heat until ingredients are warm (5-10 minutes).

Add soup and poultry seasoning and continue heating for another 5 minutes. If sauce looks too thick, slowly add a little more water until desired consistency is reached.

Pour chicken mixture over baked crust and spread evenly.

Unroll other can of crescent rolls and pinch perforations to seal into a sheet. Place over top of chicken mixture and press into sides of dish.

Bake for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Joke of the Week

A Pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won.

The Pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again and it won again.

The local paper read: PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT.

The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the Pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.

The next day the local paper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS.

This was too much for the Bishop so he ordered the Pastor to get rid of the donkey.

The Pastor decided to give it to a Nun in a nearby convent.

The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

The Bishop fainted.

He informed the Nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey so she sold it to a farm for $10.

The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10

This was too much for the Bishop so he ordered the Nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.

The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.

The Bishop was buried the next day.

The moral of the story is . . . being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery and even shorten your life.

So be yourself and enjoy life.

Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and just cover your own !!!

You'll be a lot happier and live longer!