The Christmas Gift

A few years ago I fell flat on my face when it came to giving my Christmas present to Bryan. I thought I had found the perfect gift and was overly excited about my idea. When Christmas morning came and the surprise was a podometer Bryan was disappointed. He had saved money from several side jobs and had bought me a Kitchenaid mixer. I was devastated. How could I have been so far off?
Since that Christmas, I spend every November racking my brain for ideas and have been successful in coming up with the perfect gift. Then this year, I was at a loss. I had gotten him a bow, medium format camera, and a fixed 200m lens for his camera and didn't know how I could trump them. When Bryan was home a couple weeks ago, we went Christmas shopping, and stopped at Al's to pick up the gift idea we had for my brother. While we were there, Bryan had to make the usual stop at the gun counter. This time, he only looked at the .22 rifles. Usually he looks at the shot guns, hand guns, specialty guns, and so on. When the guy at the counter told him the price, Bryan swallowed and gave it back. Little did he know that his gulp gave me an idea. I was lucky (?) that he was going back to California for training, and would have plenty of time to get his gift. I went on one of my lunches, so he wouldn't be suspicious if I wasn't available after work. The guys at Al's thought I was a wonderful wife. And the background check was a little interesting, as I was born in England, but am an American citizen. I even had enough time to make a really nice card, wrap up his present perfect and drop it off at my mom's the next time I picked him up at the airport. My brother happened to notice an extra gift under the tree several days later, and asked my mom "WHO'S GETTING THAT?!" I also bought some ammo and a bore snake for the new gun, and wrapped those too. This way, Bryan would have no idea that his gift wasn't really at home, and wouldn't be able to guess his gift due to the weird shape it was.
Christmas morning finally came, and as we passed all the presents out, Bryan came across the 'true' present and couldn't believe what I had done. I even had written a special note inside the handmade card, but as he started to read it (with me looking over his shoulder) he stopped about 2 lines in. Both of us had tears in our eyes. The gun wasn't the real gift. It was the fact that he was home, finally home. It wasn't too hard to hide our tears, as everyone was happily ripping into Christmas gifts, but my mom noticed. She took a picture of us in a tight hug, smiles from ear to ear. I don't think I'll ever be able to trump this Christmas.

Hawkeye

I was letting the dogs out when I saw this massive hawk in the neighbor's tree. It was so big that while it was sitting in the tree I thought it was an eagle. I ran inside and grabbed the camera. when I went out it saw me and immediately took off. It circled around me screaching over and over. It was staring right at me but never got close enough for a good shot. These are from about 75yds. The pics are terrible, no filter, no time to set up, wrong iso, etc. It's wing span must have been about 4ft, biggest hawk I have ever seen.

Day 61

It's been 10 long weeks of driving to the airport every weekend to drop off and pick up Bryan. It's an hour and half drive one way, and longer when I come home by myself to face a week of loneliness. The past couple weeks have been extremely difficult. My coworker quit; him and I were the backbone to the small business I work for. And now I'm alone to do his job and mine. It's been a struggle, as I tend to stress a little too much at times. Without my best friend to give me hugs, take me to lunch and reassure me each time I panic, I turn into a dreaded 'bagel'. But that's all behind me now. The end is in sight. California is finished; no more worrying about Bryan being stabbed going to work, or having his rental car stolen, or dying in a freak air crash. I've missed his presence here. He is my happiness. Last night when I picked him up at the airport, I was too excited. I hurridly cut off several SUVs in my tiny white Honda, to screech to a stop at the curb. I actually remembered to pop the trunk as I flung the door open and ran to hug him. The drive home was happy for once, as I knew he would be here for two weeks, before the final week is to be completed in North Carolina. I was so animated and couldn't stop chattering about anything and everything. I'm sure Bryan was overwhelmed, but his smiling face, and death grip on my hand let me know he had missed me as much as I had him. Even though it's cliche, the time apart helped us learn how much we rely on each other.
When I was a child, and my sisters and I had hurt my mom's feelings, my dad would sit us down and talk about how we had hurt his best friend. How would we feel if he had hurt our best friend? Those conversations stuck with me. The idea that my dad saw my mom as his best friend was wonderful. And I couldn't wait to find mine.
I found more than a best friend in Bryan, I was given a soul mate. And it's been difficult being apart for so long. I'm glad my best friend is finally home.

Climate Change Summit

The current discussion of global climate change in Copenhagen has inspired me to repost the only sensible solution to global climate change. This was a posting from september of 2008.

Our recent experience with "global warming" has compelled me to stop and re-evaluate my position on the matter. This entire year has seen temperatures below normal highs in our area including snow just last Monday. Maybe there is something to this "global warming". When I was a kid CFC's from moms hairspray were going to tear apart our ozone layer and kill us all slowly with skin cancer, then came Hydro Carbons that threatened to combine in our atmosphere to create disaster for our ozone once again. Now a new threat has emerged since the others failed, and our end is near. Carbon Dioxide an inert gas is going to sneak in and slow cook the earth while we sleep. Well I for one am not going to stand here and watch the world go to hell in an easy bake oven. As mammals we take in oxygen and exhale the earth raping, baby killing, destroying angel, "Carbon Dioxide", sometimes referred to as CO2 in demonic worshipping circles. My solution is simple, if you feel that it's time to do your part to save the earth from CO2 then you must remove yourself from the earth. Devoted earth savers can band together and board ships to jettison into space preventing the poison gases from being released on earth. If you can't find anybody as faithful as you or can't find a way to get off the earth then maybe you should just hold your breath until they come up with a new way for the earth to fall in to peril.

Please go to the following link for a video presentation, it might just change your life.http://www.fubiz.net/blog/index.php?2008/09/18/2229-global-warming-quercus

Bridges

I had hoped to shoot a ton of pictures while in Cali' but unfortunately there hasn't been much that has caught my eye. The one thing that keeps turning up however is bridges. We found this old covered bridge, although difficult to shoot as it is surrounded by tall trees and mountain sides. The shots that we did get were great and we were glad to get the opportunity to see a preserved covered bridge.

Day 32

We are finally halfway through Bryan's training program; 4 weeks done, 4 more to go. It's been extremely difficult spending time apart, especially in the evening. You don't realize how much you depend upon the other person until they're not there over and over again. Every morning Bryan 'wakes' me with a Good Morning text, and I look forward to it every day. Some mornings he's running a little late and it takes longer, which gets me antsy, as I inherited the worrywart gene from my mother and start thinking of all the horrible things that could've happened. We spend all day sending short messages back and forth, even though we really shouldn't even have our phones out while at work. However, many of the short flurries of conversation are over life-changing decisions. Bryan's already been made a couple of offers for positions that would set him up to be the first pick of a new store. As I drive home from work, I always get a text, reminding me to call him as soon as I'm home. And I do just that. We usually spend 45 minutes talking, and then 'head' our separate ways for dinner and evening activities. We spend most of that time still texting back and forth, and then by about 9 pm I can't stand it anymore and have to hear his voice again. It's really hard to hang up on him. I now understand why my Ginger Nannie keeps saying "I love you, God bless" over and over again and literally makes my mom hang up the phone. She doesn't have it in her heart to hang up on her daughter. Most nights, I get a surprise text telling me good night and to sleep well. These small words always make me smile. :)
This past week none of this has happened, as I've been in California with him. The days actually go by pretty quickly while he's at work, and it's been nice having lunch with him again. I've been working on a couple projects that I haven't had time to get to, and I've actually completed quite a bit of both. We've also taken time to do some 'sightseeing' here in the Sacramento area, but honestly there's not much to see. I tried Googling some info, and I found a blog that had the comment "Round Table Pizza has been awarded the best pizza in Sacramento award 6 years in a row, if that tells you anything." For those who don't know, back in 2004 we did a trip of the west coast. After a long day of driving from Lake Tahoe, through San Francisco, and up the coast of the Redwoods, we finally arrived at our destination in a small town called Arcata. We saw a Round Table Pizza and decided it was a safe bet. Not really. The place was a little dirty, and we waited forever for our order. While we waited, Bryan noticed there was a salad bar, and was bummed as we hadn't realized when we paid. But then we saw something that made us glad we hadn't. One of the employees, who was really dirty, was filling the salad bar fixings with his bare hands. He then stopped, wiped his really runny nose and continued. We about died, and almost left, when our pizza showed up, hand delivered by the manager. She saw the same thing, and went over and proceeded to yell at the boy and tell him how that was inappropriate. But to our horror, the salad bar was not changed out!
Now that you have some background, you can see why there's nothing to do here. On Monday, I had the idea to drive around Folsom Lake. In the beginning it was a stupid drive. You can't see much of the 'lake' (reservoir), as the man made walls go higher than the road (you're at sea level here). We did cross a bridge that gave a good view of the dam, but nowhere to stop and take pictures. As we continued along, we saw a road labeled with signs for the lake, and it was called Salmon Falls Road. Bryan wondered if there would be a set of falls, so we started along it. We had a Corvette behind us early on, that blasted past. The road was curvy and beautiful, and would've been awesome in a hot car like that. But we're in a Dodge truck with horrible suspension. There was one part of the road where you could see car tracks that went off and it made us somewhat squeamish. And then a stupid little white car took a blind turn wide, and almost crashed right into us. It would have sent us off the road (luckily in an ok spot), but he would've been sent barreling off a ravine. Our hearts were racing forever, and we cursed him, hoping his heart was worse. We then rounded a corner and spotted a deer! He actually hung around long enough for us to get some shots. We then realized we were so far along the road, that it was best to continue on, rather than turn around. This is when we found a river with a new bridge, where you could see the remains on either side of the old bridge. The signs around the area warned of sudden flooding due to a dam further up that occasionally opened up. There was also another bridge high above, spanning a good distance that we took pictures of. As we headed out to wind up the 'mountain' road, we then saw the best bridge of all. Just around the bend was the old highway bridge, still intact! I made Bryan go back (as I knew he'd be upset if he didn't get pictures). And boy was I right. The pictures turned out wonderful! So somehow we ended up finding a stupid small drive, that had surprises everywhere, along with some of our favorite architectural features to photograph!
Last night we had a 'date' night and went miniature (pronounced men-e-ah-chure) golfing. It's the first time we've done this together, and it was fun. We actually got a little into it, trying to be perfect, but after skipping hole 18 to do another 17 rounds, we started messing about, winging the ball everywhere. At one point, we were next to the road, when Bryan got a hole-in-one. The kid crossing the road there yelled out 'HOLE-IN-ONE! YES!!! WOO-HOO!'
It's been really nice spending this week here, and with Thanksgiving next week, Bryan will be home all week, instead of a quick 2 days. It will be extremely difficult taking him to the airport the following Sunday. I just wish teleporting existed. Maybe when we're old someone will have finally figured that out.

Day 29

For any training that Bryan has to do, the company always changes his schedule to M-F, 8-5 pm with every Sat and Sun off. I wish this could always be his schedule, as it would match mine and we would have more than 3 days together each month. We decided to go to San Francisco on Saturday, one of our most favorite places. We headed out early, and took a northerly route, as the Bay Bridge had been shut down earlier in the month for repairs. On our new route, we accidentally found Infineon Speedway, which is one of the tracks NASCAR races on each year. It was only 30 minutes from San Francisco. We will definitely plan a trip around this race in the future. It was a nice day Saturday, but not quite as clear as the previous time Bryan had come out. We stopped and took pictures on the hills north of the bridge, and then set off to find the beach that has views of the bridge. I've seen many pictures and couldn't wait to have our opportunity. We did find it, and it is called Baker Beach. It was beautiful, and we walked all the way across to the cliffs to get our shots. On our way, we saw a naked man. Luckily, he was laying face down, sunning his backside, which was hairless. There were also a group of boys trying to surf a little; seemed kind of funny after hearing all about my mom and dad's trip to Hawai'i and the north shore. We then went up the steepest, sandiest staircase possible, which happened to be next to the naked man. He was now turned on his side, giving full exposure. It's amazing how difficult it is to keep looking straight ahead and to the right, even when you do NOT want to have a looksy. He knew this behavior was getting him attention. He was so vain, he put Narcissus to shame. After hiking up the side, we headed over to a lookout of the bridge on top of the cliffs. I can't wait for Bryan to finish developing these pictures to post. I'm sure they are postcard worthy as usual. It was then time to find our Greek restaurant and have a delicious lunch. This turned into a horrible adventure. We spent 2 hours driving all over the city in a Dodge truck (this week's rental) trying to get to where we wanted. The biggest problem was unexpected road work and one way streets, with no left turns allowed anywhere. We finally were able to find it, and got lucky with a parking space about 3 blocks away. The food was wonderful! Just like I remembered it. We loved it so much, we ordered again with food to go. We spent the rest of the day taking pictures of the bridge down by Crissy field, and then went to Coit Tower again and took the ride up and got some night pictures. A word to the wise; make sure to go with an empty bladder. The facilities there are not for the weak, or the germaphobic. We left the city and took one last look at the viewpoint parking lot on the north side. I will miss her til the next time we come back.
Sunday we spent in Sacramento. There is not much to do here. I had spent time Friday afternoon finding places to go, and could only come up with the governor's mansion, the Stanford mansion, and the city cemetery. The mansions wanted $5 entry fees for each of us, so we bypassed the tour and just took pictures of the outside grounds. The Stanford mansion was ostentatious to the max, but I still loved looking at it. There were several pieces that interested us, and we'll need to remember them to include in future home improvement ideas. The grounds also had a persimmon tree, which had hardly any leaves, and the fruit were in season, with a few on the ground smushed. It looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie. We'll definitely post pictures of this once we can. The cemetery was beautiful. All of the plots are separated into smaller plots for families (or specific groups) and are surrounded by bricks or concrete, with the inside raised up from the surrounding pathways. There was a Masonic plot, a military plot (filled with mostly veterans from the Civil War), a fireman's plot and several mausoleums. One grave was of the third governor of California, and he was buried in the Mason plot. Another was a gentleman who had started out in the US, moved to Canada and got involved with the uprisings against the British empire, and then had to escape back to the US and ended up here in Sacramento to live out the remainder of his life. There were also many workers in the cemetery, who kept looking at us funny, especially at me. When we got back to the truck, there was a sheriff's van that drove in, with Work Release Prisoners on the side. Oh. Time to leave. We then came back to the hotel to get all dressed up for dinner. We were going to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and were not going to make the same mistake as last time in San Francisco. We ended up being a little fancier than most of the patrons, as the Roseville location seemed a little more relaxed. Our waiter was a little loud and obnoxious, but he provided the same great service we had received the previous time. When asked for drinks, I inquired if they had flavored lemonades. He said no, but that the bartender could probably make up something. So I asked for a strawberry lemonade, and got the best concoction I've ever had. Our steaks were great, and Bryan could have been in seventh heaven with the fries. We even got dessert, which was scrum-diddly-umptious! I thoroughly enjoyed our special date night, as we had dressed all up like the old days. We should do this more often.
Well, off to more adventures this afternoon once Bryan is off work. I wonder where (and what) we'll find next?

Day 26; In Cali and Loving It!

I figured out when would be the best time for me to take a vacation and head out for a week and stay with Bryan while he was training in Sacramento. Unfortunately, we ran behind a little at work with getting our recent contest all typed in, and I spent many, many hours at work this week, hurrying to get everything in, folded, printed, prepared, metered, and on and on so I could head out Thursday for my vacation. And everything fell into place and was completed. But one piece of misfortune was added to this week. One of my coworkers, Nick, is quitting and his last day is December 4. Me and him do the majority of the work; all the printing and coordinating of sending out a finished contest, the same for marketing of our contest announcements, and the beginning to end production of books. And now I get the demanding task of trying this all on my own. It's daunting, and my vacation could not come soon enough. I'm so glad this worked out, as I will definitely need this week to recup from the past one from work and get ready for the next few months of a hellaciously ginormous project. At least I like being an overachiever...right? Maybe it's just insanity.
(Oh, and I'm ecstatic to be here and see Bryan again; he is my happiness :)

Golden Gate Bridge - Black and White

Medium Format shots of the Bridge. Digital is nice but there is a feeling you only get with film.

The Palace of Fine Arts

If you're ever in San Fran you must see the Palace of Fine Arts both in the daylight and at night, it's amazing.

Sights From California

The Story of Day 13

Luckily, the program that Bryan is currently training in allows for two extra trips home that the company pays for. We chose this weekend as it was Halloween. Last week I had bought a pumpkin, ready to take to my sister's home to carve; part of the many activities I had planned to keep me busy. When that changed for my weekend flight, I decided to save the pumpkin carving for Halloween when Bryan would be here. It was nice to be able to leave work early to pick up my hubby. His smile was from ear to ear when I pulled up in the truck. It was wonderful to see him so happy. We decided to stop and have dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant, Ho Ho (it's in Woods Cross). We have become regulars even though we live 1 1/2 hours away. We order a very special dinner, and when it was brought out to us, the owner came out to say hi and see how we were doing; that's how often we stop and eat here.

We decided to have Halloween breakfast instead of dinner. Usually we have a dinner date to help make the night go by quickly, as we're usually sad that we didn't get to make costumes and go trick or treating. But I had special plans for dinner. We had New York steaks with baking 'baked' potatoes (they're so much better than the bulk potatoes in a bag). And we carved my pumpkin. We each drew pictures and chose what we liked best of each to carve onto the face. We then loaded it with 10 or so vanilla candles and set him out on the porch around 5 pm. When we went to bed later around midnight, the pumpkin was still aflame. We walked out to the street and were amazed at how awesome he looked! Since I had picked such a large pumpkin (it was originally 25 lbs), it allowed us to carve a gigantic face, which glowed brilliantly with the candles. I hope it made Halloween more fun for all the kids who were out trick or treating last night, as it definitely made our Halloween a much happier holiday.

Day Nine

Or should I say day one again? This first week was very trying for us. It's the beginning of what seems like such a long time apart, and the end seems to be no where in sight. I had made plans for the weekend, to help keep me busy. However, these all quickly changed when Bryan needed me to go out to Cali for the weekend. And I gladly went. I love to fly, and love any excuse for a 'vacation', even if it's just two unplanned days to help my hubby wick away some of the home sickness. Friday night was a flurry of texts and then me on an airplane to hop the 1 1/2 hours to see him. It was hard not to run off the plane and out the airport to his parked rental car. My smile was huge and his relief was felt in return. It was wonderful getting in an early sneak 'peak', as originally I would've had to wait til this Friday. The flight home was long and I wasn't nearly as eager to jump off the plane, but the cold of SLC got my butt moving. This morning I awoke to about a quarter inch of snow, which has been added to all day long, but stayed at a quarter inch. And now it's frozen to everything. This should make the morning commute interesting (I'm glad it's only 5 minutes away).
And finally for all those who have been waiting so patiently. This picture isn't a very good one, as I did take it with my phone, but the digital camera is with Bryan while the computer is with me. But at least everyone who's wondered what the house looks like can get an idea.

Day One

It is now officially 24 hours since Bryan left for training in Elk Grove for three months. It was hard to drive away from the airport, watching him become smaller in the rear view mirror, and even harder in his truck (that vehicle is all him). I kept the music down low so I wouldn't miss any phone calls or texts. And good thing I did, as he texted to let me know his flight had been delayed. Last night was a little sleepless, as I stayed up half the night waiting for the call that he had landed safely, and then the second call that he had arrived at his hotel safely too. But I didn't mind. When I finally did go to sleep, it was to bright windows which reminded me of his comment the night before of the moon being extremely bright. When I let the dogs out this morning, I noticed the outside light on the back of our bedroom was on. Oops! Definitely a bright moon for the neighbors. I even drove his truck to work today, as it felt like I would be spending time with him. The girls at work all asked me how I was faring so far, and it made me smile. It's only been one day. Nothing to worry about yet. At this point, it seems like an adventure, not loneliness.
But I do miss him. The sweetheart buttoned everything up for me before he left. We finished the siding and soffit, got the Camaro winterized, and even found time to dig out the flowerbed on the east side and lay down stones instead to create a spot for the garbage cans. I even have Christmas lights up, all ready to go for when the season is here. He worked so hard, that his weary bones gave him a claustrophobic scare on the plane and made his waning cold come back a little. Poor guy is in a hotel room with no one to help take care of him. And believe me, for him this is weird as I'm an overbearing caretaker who will get everything and anything for you, no matter the cost or time involved. I hope he starts feeling better soon, as I'm sure all my texts of what may help are making him wearier.

No Way. Way.

When we first moved to Logan, poor as we were, we did try to go and have fun by eating out at some of the local restaurants. We tried Firehouse, and as soon as we opened the menus, our eyeballs popped and jaws dropped. Holy cow! They wanted a fortune! (By the way, their pricing is better now; we later found out they were a brand new restaurant). We promptly stood up, and walked out. Later on we tried another place called Kate's Kitchen and the same thing happened. We couldn't believe what they wanted for a simple chicken and mashed potato dinner. Once again, we stood up and left. Then we tried the Bluebird, which was semi-expensive, but the experience there was....weird. We had the misfortune of watching a woman nurse her baby fully exposed. It was horrible!
Now that we're world travelers, we like to think we know a thing or two about food (it's called a connoisseur).
Last week, we decided to try another local yokel. We went to the Coppermill. We'd been told over and over to go there, and we finally took the plunge. The atmosphere of the restaurant wasn't bad at all. It was quiet and semi-formal. Once seated and handed our menus, our eyeballs started a little popping. We're no longer poor, as we often eat at Hamilton's, but we were finding it hard to want to order 10 oz prime rib for $22, with only a baked potato, and self serve salad. Or a halibut dinner with the same choice, no fries. We ordered drinks, and went back to trying to decide what to order. And that's when the penny dropped. Out came 20 oz bottled sodas. Excuse me? I turned to Bryan with the menu hiding my face and asked if what I was seeing was right. At first, Bryan started to say yes, that maybe they had run out and gone for sodas at the local market. But then our eyes started to snake around the restaurant and everyone had bottled sodas. Uh-uh. I was not ordering a meal here. We got the ticket for our drinks, paid, and walked out. Where did we go? Hamilton's. And what did I have? The best draft Dr. Pepper you will ever find, along with yummy cranberry bread and a prime rib dinner (with fries, a salad, and squash) for only $16. Bryan got beef wellington, which was some of the most tender meat he's ever had. As we ate, we giggled about the situation. How often does someone have the courage to stand up at a restaurant and say no way and walk out? I work hard for my money, and expect to only pay out to those who work hard to earn my share. I may have high standards, but I'm not snobbish. I'll eat at the greasiest mom & pop burger shop anywhere, but it better be good.
I wonder where we'll walk out next?

How the Siding Became an Ex

Last winter we had a group of siding guys show up on our doorstep asking if we wanted our siding done. What could hurt in getting an estimate? They went around and measured and stopped by the next day with the official estimate of $4600. At first, this seemed a little pricey, but when we totaled up our cost of $3500, I thought why not pay extra to have them do it? We had other projects that needed to be finished first, so the siding waited until two weeks ago. I wanted to start a price war, so Bryan called the list of numbers for siding in the phone book, and the estimates started to pour in. The guys from last winter never called us back. The next one wanted $5500 and wouldn't remove the old siding. And then it was $6800. Next came the whopper, $12,500! This guy was nuts. We laughed and laughed at his price tag. Last came one for $7000. He would remove the old siding, but only pile it on the side of the house, not actually dump it. Bryan decided to price our cost again, and found it was now $2200 (prices have dropped), and the decision was finalized. We would do it ourselves again!
I wanted to start on the project Friday night, and then spend all weekend hard at work. However, Friday afternoon, Bryan called me from work and told me to call Criscell. We were meant to do something fun that weekend with her and Spencer. I called and got the exciting announcement that an adoption was finally happening! I was devastated. Yes, I was extremely happy for Criscell and Spencer, and excited to meet another nephew, but wasn't it just last week that I moaned and whined and carried on like a crazy woman? I left work disheartened, knowing Bryan was going to be late. My phone was dead, so I plugged it in at home, got out my mp3 player and went to town on the siding. I removed all of the east side, as well as the east side of the front when Bryan finally arrived home. Once again he was amazed at how much I had accomplished. When he found out why, he made me put down my hammer and gloves, let go of my sadness, and took me to dinner. I'm glad he did. After dinner I felt much better, and now I could be the happy sister-in-law and lucky aunt.
On Saturday, we woke up semi-early and I finished removing the rest of the siding. Bryan finished the rock on the front of the house, and it looks awesome! We cleaned up and headed down to see our new nephew, Alex Joel. He is tiny and is a really good baby. No whining from this guy. I was glad we made time to meet him.
Sunday, we were up late, and began the long task of vacuuming the outside of the house. The old siding allowed for all types of bugs and spiders to climb underneath, and the labyrinth of webs, nests and rolled leaves was disgusting. We also pulled out the many leftover nails, and got to work putting up blueboard styrofoam. Several neighbors walked by, curiosity killing their cats. It was funny to see who would actually stop and say hi, and who would hurriedly run by all the while getting an eyeful. One neighbor mentioned, "Wow! This morning it was green and now it is blue!" I came back with "wait until you see what we do by tomorrow!" But then it rained last night and now we have to wait for the house to 'dry out' before putting up more blueboard. For now, we're installing the soffit and it looks great. Hopefully the good weather will come back, and we can go back to town and finally have a home that shows the skin deep beauty inside.

Happily Ever After...?

While cleaning my house, I thought of something I never had before. In every fairy tale that I could think of the princess wins her prince and they live happily ever after. The end. Whatever happened to life afterwards? Cinderella's story ends with the shoe fitting, Sleeping Beauty awakens from her evil spell, and Snow White escapes her wicked stepmother.
The past few months have been...difficult. And I don't know why it would be hard now instead of eight years ago. Shouldn't time ease the pain? Somehow the aging process makes you realize the important parts of life and you begin to reflect on what you've been dealt. I've been dealt a broken dream.
Back in high school I made the silly comment that I would not hold it against God if I never had children. I don't know what possessed me to pronounce this aloud, but it was an off-the-cuff remark. I don't blame God for the 'failure', nor anyone else. The funny part of that comment is 'never had children'. How would I know at 17 that twelve years later it would be true?
Turning 29 has not been easy. I'm not worried about becoming old; it's just the biological clock has been ticking for too long and the noise it makes is hard to ignore. It's difficult to know what is the right answer. I wonder how my great aunt and uncle felt. They never had children and this was during the '40s and '50s. How did they deal with the uncomfortable silences? Or the pesky questions? I have a hard time with this. What do you say? Each time it opens the wound and salt is lathered all over. At first it was a small smile; you know, the 'wink' type meaning anytime now. Then 2 years passed and I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I was told easy peasy, have a laproscopy and wa-lah! Not so. Almost three years later I had another surgery and was told the same miracle result, but nothing. It's been about three years again, and the pains are back. It's definitely not looking in my favor. I don't want any more surgeries, or the daily dose of medication that will supposedly keep my pains in check.
Now the questions probe deeper, and hurt even more. Honestly? It's none of your business. I don't ask why you can't seem to stop producing. And why? Exactly, it's none of my business.
At times, like tonight, I want to whine about it. Why us? But every time I voice my shattered heart, I'm shut down. No one wants to hear me blab on about it. Heads turn and new conversations are started. It's as though I'm 'blessed' and should count my lucky stars. You really think so? How about the surprise hugs and 'I Love Yous'? Or the fun Christmas shopping trips and birthday party plans? Even back to school shopping and homework questions. It's the small things that matter and loneliness is painful compared to a lifetime filled by a child's spirit.
What I hate most about all of this? The stares with whispers behind hands, the rolled eyes when I say I would parent differently, the endless advice and the knowing looks of 'they don't try hard enough'. Who are you to know the answer? Most people can't even answer the simple question of PC or Mac? (Ummmm, Dell?). Believe it or not, your quick fix will not change the status quo. All I would like is space. Don't pester me with when, when, when, when. Let me go at my own pace. And don't ever judge me. Until you've walked a mile in my shoes, you'll never understand the deep longing and heartache of each ticking moment that passes. I don't need pats on my shoulder or understanding looks either. I would just like to have our decisions be ours, not yours. And for that to be okay.

The Over Achieving Weekend Warrior

Last week at work was spent metering mail. This is an extremely boring job. I stand all day at a machine pushing envelopes through to be stamped with postage. The long hours give me all day to think, and I had an entire week. By Thursday, I was bored out of my skull and started thinking of weekend projects I could do. And I decided I could take on the enormous project of painting the garage. I went to Lowe's after work and purchased everything I needed (Bryan was conveniently working and was able to 'help' me with all my customer needs; more like shop for me). I picked up a 5 gallon bucket of paint and a paint sprayer, as well as a power washer. I got home and cleaned up the driveway and started power washing. I was sopping wet by the time I finished. Especially since I was an idiot and tried to detach the hose while the water was still on. Saturday morning, Bryan was up early to go four-wheeling with some neighbors and I was up right as he left to get going on my project. I started off by pulling all the trim around the garage. When we first bought the house, I thought the country blue rick rack was somewhat cutsie, but now I hate it, and I was excited to pull it all off. I was also armed with several cans of wasp spray and killed about 30 nests that each had about 20 wasps. I then finished the power wash job and put together the paint sprayer. I read through the instructions several times, and once again as I put everything together. I carefully filtered the paint into the container and slowly twisted it onto the spray gun. I plugged it in and walked over to the garage and started to spray. And it worked! For only 3 seconds. Then it globbed big splotches. I immediately stopped and pulled everything apart and cleaned the inner workings. I tried again with the same exact result. I pulled it apart again, cleaned the parts, and poured out half the paint and added some water to thin it. The same blotchy result again, and boy was I ticked. I cleaned everything, laid it to dry and took off for Lowe's to buy rollers and tray liners. I was going to finish this project even if it meant all day painting. It actually went a little faster than I thought. I did the west wall first and then moved out front. The ladder situation for painting was...scary. I'm not too afraid of heights, but I don't like heights on rickety ladders with angry wasps. I've been stung enough times to really hate the suckers, and each time they came near I wanted to jump off the 12 foot ladder and run like a bat out of hell. Somehow I finished without hurting myself or getting stung. I took a break for lunch and figured Bryan would be home soon. After lunch I started on the east wall and looked out front every time someone drove by. Where was he? I was getting tired and he was having fun. By the time I was on the back wall I now had a vendetta to try and finish the project before he got back. However, I kept losing the battle with the wasps. And I was out of spray. I went to Lowe's and bought more ammunition. I was intent to win the war; both the wasp war and the time war. I had about 1/3 left of the back to do when Bryan suddenly appeared at my elbow. Bummer. He was blown away by how much I had done and jumped in to help me finish. By 4:30 we were done. Hurray! All I have left is to paint the trim around the garage doors.
The next day we tackled our bedroom window. Both of us were tired and sore, but I had more right to the moaning than Bryan. And once again we uncovered a nightmare of Johnson. The window had never properly been seated and was sagging along the top. The header? Just 2x4s, extremely rotted. And to boot? The Reiers who had replaced the roof had put the new rough over the top of the old rotted one. Brilliant! Once we finally removed the rotted wood and moldy Sheetrock, it was off to Lowe's again to get new supplies. We replaced the header with 2x6s built up with particle board and OSB; a new mini beam. The windows went in easily enough and we trimmed them out. We had to pull off one piece of trim as the blinds could not be installed. And it was so late, we nixed installing the blinds (as it meant painting first) and cleaned up. We went to bed extremely late to fish bowls. I wasn't too concerned about anyone peeping in, but the bright flashlight of moon was obnoxious. Yes it was beautiful, all yellow through the smoky haze in the sky, but I wanted to sleep! And it was hot. The cooler installation is going to require some engineering and we had gone for just a fan in the window. About 30 minutes into sleep Bryan got up and put a pillowcase in the window to cover the moonlight. From that point, I was up about every 30-45 minutes freezing. Bryan obviously had been freezing too, and had stolen all the blankets. I huffily pulled them back and tucked myself in. Then 15 minutes later I would wake up boiling and would kick the covers off. At about 5 am, the sun started to peer over the mountains and it was now morning. It was like camping, and I HATE CAMPING!! My alarm went off at 7 and I got up to get ready for work. Bryan is lucky he didn't have to be up for work as I was cranky. Unreasonably cranky.
The first duty today? Paint the window trim and install the blinds! I'll post pictures tomorrow when it's light enough to get a decent photo.

The Resurrection

Five long years ago, we went to the annual Cache Valley Cruise-In with the Camaro. When we arrived back home, Bryan became concerned about a noise. The strong valve springs had pulled off the threads of the rocker studs. The beast was to be parked. Little did we realize it would take so long to get back to it. In spring 2008, we pulled it off the gravel and loaded it on gargantuan jackstands in front of the garage. Bryan picked out the engine train and pulled it apart. During the past year, we've slowly collected new parts. First were new heads; trick flow aluminums. Then we had to upgrade the cam with a solid lifter cam. Now we needed a Holley Street Dominator intake manifold, and it wouldn't be complete without the Holley Double Pumper carburetor. With 'Frankenstein's' parts assembled, we were ready for surgery. From the long sit, the engine collected goobers, and Bryan set to work cleaning it all up and rebuilding the engine. The valve covers he had collected from long ago ended up being extremely too tall, and new ones were needed. This is the only silly item we've ever bought for an engine. It was a total want. Another ugly set would have been fine, but you can't argue with Chevy Orange. After a month of rebuilding, and the last two weeks entire time spent on the car, Bryan was able to officially start it yesterday. And we woke to pouring rain. It was a battle of the gods. Thor wanted thunder and lightning, Mr. Horsepower wanted sunshine and exhaust. It was a back and forth all day. We won the morning hours, and then had to retreat for lunch and a downpour. Then the sun came back out and we were able to fiddle a few more things, and then claps of thunder. At long last, every piece was finally assembled and the beast was turned over. Eureka! Life! And then the largest torrential downpour I've ever seen. The kind of fat raindrops that create 'wet' rain. And Bryan was boiling mad. By hell or high water (hee hee), we were going to win. Bryan went out after the rain stopped and brought the beast back to life. And the rain came back in sheets. At this point, who cared anymore. We were winning this one. So the throttle was pulled and the great beast hollered. The more it rained, the more fuel we gave. Until suddenly the rain stopped. Thor had given up, and Mr. Horsepower triumphed his win with a twenty minute cam break-in. I'm sure we irked many of our neighbors, but they irked us when they called the city about the beast. The roar of the syncopated drumbeats were music to our ears, and the smiles stretched from ear to ear. Today the oil was changed out, and we took the Camaro for a short test drive. And it was wonderful. There is something special about the smell of old cars; a mix of gasoline, old vinyl, exhaust fumes and oil. The rumble under my feet was exhilarating, and I can't wait to go get ice cream in her again. It's been much too long.

Happy Birthday to Me

"If you have not already abandoned your old economic cash cow, she has surely dried up by now. You should be finished with it by moving your profits to newer, fresher possibilities. One of the keys to success is knowing when to get out."
Huh? I thought horoscopes were meant to be...deep. Definitely not that one. I was hoping for something like 'today's your day!', or even 'a bright future lies ahead'. But no, it tells me doom and gloom. Whatever. I also found a site that figures out exactly how old you are. I am exactly 15251653 minutes old. Maybe that will take care of the almost 30 blues, although I'm not all that worried about being 30 in a year because I'm now the eternal 29! :)
As a kid I loved my birthday. The day was dedicated to me. My mom would make our most favorite dinner for the birthday meal. And mine was always homemade noodles and chicken. It is the best! And it HAS to be homemade. My poor mom, always slaving away over a hot stove on some of the hottest days of the year. Oops! :? And then we got our favorite cake. Mine is still yellow cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. It's not perfect without sprinkles. Bryan and Criscell made me this cake one year, and literally had to throw the sprinkles at the cake trying to get them to stick.
So Happy Birthday to all the Leos out there!

The Accident Chronicles

**Warning! Reader must be prepared for a long read. And come equipped with beverages and snacks.**
Occasionally at lunchtime I will find I do not in any way feel like what I brought for the day. Last Tuesday was one of those times. I had leftover goolash, but McDonald's just seemed so much more appetizing. So I grabbed my keys and headed to the haven of golden arches. When I arrived at my destination, there were many cars in the drive-thru. The wait was long enough, that 3 vehicles decided to skip Mickey D's and go somewhere else. And this is when the person in front of me made the same decision. Instead of using the rearview mirror, side mirrors, or heaven forbid, turn around and look, she put it in reverse and headed straight back. I didn't think much when I first saw the white reverse lights, until they came back at me at full speed. I began to honk my horn to warn the driver, but to no avail. She smashed right into me. As my car was already in neutral (those who have autos have no idea what I'm talking about right now), I pulled up the e-brake and prepared for the other driver to get out of her car and begin profusely apologizing. Nope. No such thing happened. She actually put her car in drive, and almost took off! I hurridly ejected my seat belt and leaped out of my car, screaming "OI, YOU HIT ME!!!!" To my luck (maybe?) she stopped. I walked up to her driver's window and asked why she tried to leave when she just hit me. Her reply? Nothing. Was she mute? Most definitely not. I then asked her to please get out of her car and come look at the damage. And she said, no she could see the damage from where she was. I came back with "Oh really? Well, you can get out of your car and assess the damage or we can involve the police." Again she shot back with no, and calling the police wasn't necessary. I don't know what possessed me to keep asking this redundant question, but once again I wanted her to get out of the vehicle to look at the damage and exchange info. I should've known by now the answer would be no. And again it was, along with "that won't be necessary because I work for the sheriff's office." And my smart aleck reply? "So?" I demanded her information and all she could find was her name and number. Extremely surprising. Apparently she had no idea who the car was insured with because it was her fiance's and was insured with his parents until they were married. I should've known this was a farce, as she was not the typical baby 19 year old, and had mentioned at some point she was getting lunch for her kids (and why I needed to know this? I don't know). Any ways, she gave me her fiance's name and told me to call him to get the insurance info. She then left the scene of the crime, before I had any chance to get the make and model of her vehicle, or the license plate. Well, I was still hungry. So I ordered my lunch, and while waiting in the drive-thru, called Bryan to see if I should call the police. He said yes, and I placed the call to dispatch. An officer was sent, but no case was opened, as it happened on private property and was less than $1500 damage. All he could do was make sure I got her info. I told him I had gotten her name and number, but that was it. He didn't seem too concerned. Then I mentioned her comment about where she worked and he suggested I call the sheriff's office and lodge a complaint. He agreed with me that she had used her position to try and intimidate me. For any who don't know me, this is the best way to get my hackles up. I am NO follower, never have been, never will be. Independent is the name of the game. When I called the fiance, he wouldn't give me the info because he wasn't sure I was legit. Naive as I am (I've never been involved in an accident in my 13 years of driving), I told him to speak to the girl, and to please have her call me. When she did later that evening, it was to be extremely rude and then say I was verbally abusive. What?! If she thinks a loud voice and a peeved person due to her incooperation, then I have no idea what she would think of a true abuser. She said she would meet me at my work the next day at 1:30 pm. Well, Wednesday's 1:30 came and went. No offender. I had already notified my insurance, and so called them back to update them of the events. They placed several calls, and on Thursday I tried to reach her again. No luck. She completely avoided me and the insurance agent. So enough was enough, and Bryan and I drove out to the sheriff's office to see if her car was in the parking lot. And it was! Finally I was able to have some hard information (the insurance couldn't find anything for her name or the number she gave me). I called and updated the agent again with the plate number and they contacted the DMV. Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning I called the sheriff's office and lodged a complaint against her. At the time, the lieutenant in charge was not in, so I left a voicemail. Just last night, he called me back. He was extremely apologetic for her behavior and was very disappointed in how she had handled the situation. He asked if everything had been resolved, and I told him no and all what had happened. At this point he was furious, and let me know this was not common practice of the sheriff's office. I told him not to worry, I knew her behavior was not a direct reflection of their policies; just her inability to act as an adult. He assured me she would resolve the issue that night. Well no later than an hour later she called again. And she was RUDE. Not that I entirely blame her. I'm sure she got quite a grilling about everything, but I wasn't too upset. In my mind's eye, she had this coming. Once again she wanted to meet. Her excuse for the last time was that I lied and gave her the wrong address. When she tried again (after finding my work's address), my car was never there. Which again is a farce. I work every day M-F from 8-4. I work when I'm well and sick as a dog. Nothing stops me. She actually showed up for the appointment today, and I was finally able to get her insurance company's name. All of this hassle for one word, Progressive. Ridiculous is more like it. Oh and to top everything off, when she came she brought an officer with her. He asked if we had called the police the day of the accident and she said she hadn't but I claimed I had. I HATE when people call me a liar. I do have my vices, but liar does not describe me. When the officer asked me, I replied with yes and explained how she left, I called and the cop sent out didn't make an official case, but that dispatch would have record of my call, and the officer that day would most likely have a report mentioning going to McD's for my problem. Her paper with the insurance information also had a note saying I was "unreasonable and abusive". When? I had barely been able to get a word in edgewise in the two phone conversations we had. And I was proud of myself. I hadn't once lost my temper and scream or say cuss words. I had not been lackluster about her disdain, but had not gone over the top in any way. Her last words to the officer? "I don't want her ever to contact me again." Why would I? All I needed was her insurance, and I now had it. (Oh, and her insurance was under her fiance's name, not his parents. Big surprise.)

So the lesson learned? Be well schooled in what to do when an accident happens. Always, ALWAYS, call the police, and try to keep the offender there if at all possible. Always get the license plate number FIRST before speaking with the offender. And for Utahns, here's the exact info the operator of the vehicle is meant to give you: Name, number, address, plate number, insurance, insurance phone number and insurance agent if known. Also at the time of the accident, you may ask to see their driver's license, and they are NOT to refuse. If any of this information is not disclosed, it is a Class B misdemeanor.

One Thing Leads To Another

So we were in Lowe's the other day and I noticed some returned special order railing on clearence. I thought, hey I could use that railing, if only I had a covered porch to attach it to. Well in true form we decided to create a need for the railing and built a covered porch over the weekend. I built the trusses from 4x4 cedar and we will be finishing the underside with tongue and groove cedar. It turned out great, the funny thing was we spent $300 so that we could save $300. We had always wanted to cover the porch we just didn't plan on doing it over the weekend.

The bathroom is done

Some of you may remember 2 months ago when the wife was on a business trip, I tackled a serious project with a stupid goal of finishing it in two days. Weeks before her trip I noticed the toilet wax ring was leaking and the floor was in need of major repair. I didn't tell her about it knowing she would be gone for a couple days and I could tackle it without trying to figure out what facilities she could use(having only one bathroom sucks). Well it didn't go as planned and she came home to a wreck. Two months later the job is complete and it came out great. We did it all, new fixtures, new window, new door, new faucets, new hardware, new tile, etc. One snag we ran into was a shortage of tiles for the shower and yes they had been discontinued and were no longer available. We can't do anything normal so I suggested some kind of carving in a tile to make up for the tile shortage and she suggested a Celtic Knot. I carved the design into the travertine and it worked great. Above are some before and after pictures.

Remembering July 4

I have always loved this holiday. Probably because it contains some of my favorites; like blazing hot days, sparklers, flags and yummy barbeques. My military brat status also plays in to the mix. One year I mentioned to my mom how I could remember going to a fireworks show as a kid and having the humongous colorful blooms straight above us, and then being very much afraid of the hot embers floating to the ground. She was amazed at my memory. This particular July 4 was spent in England when I was 3 or 4 years old. I can still remember being mesmerized by the pretty stars, and the terror of burning ash. In Edwards, they always had a big show, but spent the entire week before watering the entire area. If you don't know geography, Edwards is located in the middle of the Mojave desert.
When Bryan and I were dating, we spent one July 4 on the mountain above Kaysville. His parents had a mattress that needed transporting, and we stuck it in the back of his truck then made the trek up the old firebreak road. We could see Lagoon, Cherry Hill, Davis High, and even some fireworks up in Clearfield area, all to the tunes of Smashing Pumpkins.
At 12, my family moved to Utah so my dad could be living in his home state when he was ready to retire from the military. Somehow, special permission is given to Hill AFB to allow the F-16s to do a flyover from Ogden to Salt Lake (maybe further). We always sit on our roof and wait for them to come by. My parents live on a deadend, and are the last house, surrounded by a huge field, so the jets always came right over us. We now take my dad's POW flag and American flag up top and wave so the men & women flying know we appreciate them. One year they came so close, you felt you could reach up and touch the under belly of the jet.
As a teenager, my parents started to have a July 4 barbeque for the entire Garrett family. Everyone would show up for yummy dutch oven chicken and potatoes, and then cobbler later. My uncle Kyle would always make up homemade root beer. Then one year, my Uncle James came with his family from California. They had a tradition of buying fireworks, and this soon was added to the barbeque. Each year, much time is spent getting a gigantic case of fireworks, and then taking inventory of all there is and putting together a spectacular show. Then we watch Lagoon and Cherry Hill's fireworks from the frontyard. Plus all the illegal fireworks from the neighbors.
And then there's my favorite tradition. When we moved to Logan, we learned that Romney Stadium does their fireworks show the night before July 4. Who knows exactly why; some say it's a practice run for Stadium of Fire (but it's nowhere near as good) and others say it's because it makes the valley more money as supposedly no one would come to Logan for July 4. Whatever. Anyhow, my house is located directly south (and a tiny bit east) from the stadium, and if you sit on the rooftop, you get a wonderful view. We take up blankets, mosquito repellant and the camera and have a 'blast' (that pun's for you Dad) watching the show.
I love my July 4 memories. I'm glad that a bunch of farmers with pitchforks were pushed over the edge by a tea tax. Their sacrifice for the love of liberty allows me to enjoy a day of summer bliss.

Missing My Kitty

I never would have pegged myself as a cat-lover, but I loved my kitty. When we moved to Logan, and picked a house straight across from a field, Bryan kept mentioning we needed a cat. And that's when Kit came into the picture. We found her on the side of the road, abandoned, along with the rest of her siblings. Sadly, she was the only one left alive; barely. Her eyes were filled with goop and she made no protests when I scooped her into my hands. She was a teeny ball of fluff. We brought her back from Death's fingertips.

Naming her was a pain. We had the hardest time thinking of one that would fit her personality. I kept mentioning Polly Prissy Pants, but it just didn't really fit. When I took her to the vet, they asked for her name, and I stumbled. We had been calling her Kitty-Kat, and I couldn't tell them that. What would they think? So I mumbled Kit, and it stuck.

About a year and a half ago, we lost Kit. Our neighbor mentioned her dogs had noticed her laying motionless across the street on their early morning walk. We were already at work, and didn't find out until that evening, when someone else had already taken care of her. Without the usual closure of losing a pet, it was hard to really feel she was gone. She was just on an adventure, or maybe mad that I threw a prize mouse away and was keeping her distance. But when a week went by and no food was eaten, the sad realization sunk in.

I miss her terribly, but no longer sit on the porch waiting for her to wander over. I know she's no longer here with us. But once in a blue moon, I'll hear her meowing outside the window. It's nice to think she hasn't forgotten us, and maybe misses us as much as we miss her.

Finito

The last part of our trip to England was spent at my Ginger Nannie's home. While we were there, I remarked on a cross-stitch she had above her chair of a dragon. It was beautifully done and I couldn't help but to keep admiring it. The last evening there, she handed me this cross-stitch. It was another pattern by the same company and she told me to stitch it up and then give it to my mother. On the way home over the big blue Atlantic Ocean, I started working on it. It was late September of 2005. I finally completed the last stitch in March of 2009. It took 3 and a half years to complete. A couple years ago, I brought it with me to Memorial Day, and my mom made the comment "Oh, Jen! That's going to take forever; it's a 22-count cross-stitch." Which means it is the tiniest cross-stitch I've ever done. To finish it off, I found 3 fabrics and made a border. Then found a open back frame. I am so pleased with how it turned out. This past weekend was my mom's birthday and I finished it in time to give it to her. And needless to say, she loved it. In addition, the frame perfectly matches her sideboard. A project finished and a promise kept to Ginger Nannie. It was well worth the time.

2009 Air Show

Finally the day had come for the much anticipated Thunderbirds. They were originally scheduled for last year, but then were cancelled and recharted for this year. We wanted to be to the show early, but ended up at the base about the same time we always do. On the walk in, we bumped into Suzy, Caleb & Caden. With more than 300,000 people expected to show up for Sat's show, it was surprising to see them on the west side of the hangar. My parents had arrived earlier than us, and got great seats in front of the C-5. We were about 50 yds from the fence, which made it possible to see the jets taxi instead of just flying. The air show was a little disappointing. This year's show didn't seem quite as well planned, and many of the demonstrations did not show up. There was meant to be a B-2 flyover, an FJ Fury simulated dogfight with two MiGs, a second MiG demonstration, and an F-22 Raptor flyover; none of this happened. We did get to see some of my favorites, the P-51 Mustang and the FA-18 Hornet. And we also had a flyby with an A-10 (refer to Transformers for an awesome display of what it can do), and got to see an F-4 Phantom (the Smoker). However, the finale show done by the Thunderbirds was amazing. They cut out a bunch of the boring flybys, delta and diamond formations, and added in some new aerial stunts. One new stunt was of the four main jets; they each rolled separate and came back together in formation. They also coordinated well for the buzz, and then buzzed a second time with two jets. It was fun being with the family. And it was a privilege to enjoy the show that our military took time to put on. It also brings back many happy memories of growing up on military bases around the country, listening to the sounds of freedom screaming through the air. I love any opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of my patriotic upbringing.

Well, It Makes Me Giggle

So I have a strange talent.  It all started in the second grade.  I was in Mrs. Ahern's class at Stillwater Elementary in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  My teacher had four kids to each "desk" which created oodles of time to chat.  I became friends with William, and he taught me how to burp on command.  He said you have to swallow really hard, which causes a bunch of air to get in your tummy and then, alakazam, *burp*!  I practiced all day and was so excited to show my sisters and parents.  Everyone laughed, and then my dad remarked that it wasn't very ladylike.  This piece of advice did not stick.

Although I do have tact, and know when it is completely inappropriate to belch, I cannot resist the occasional perfect opportunity.  Who would have thunk, but I find it much easier to unleash my gargantuan burp in front of boys.  Boys always find this talent hilarious, and egg me on with their own burps, but I always put them to shame.  Case in point, my sister's husband knew me as the sister who could pop your eardrums with her burps.  Now this should embarrass me immensely, but once again, I find it funny; so much so, I had to prove my talent.  And I did.  While my mom hemmed and hawed.  Life is too short to allow windows of laughter to pass us by; don't be ashamed of your small idiosyncrasies, because someone will always get a kick out of it.

Yellowstone, Day 4

The final leg of our journey.  We were disciplined and got up and out of our hotel by 6 am.  Since we both have to work tomorrow, we decided to forego YNP and head straight out through Old Faithful and go through the Tetons.  We left so early determined to find some moose.  We were completely unlucky.  No animals through the last part of Yellowstone, and nothing but osprey through the Tetons.  We stopped at my lake and took several reflection pictures.  We then drove to Teton Village to take the aerial tram.  However, the tram does not open until this Saturday!  So the lesson learned?  Stop changing our traditions.  If you want to see wolves, definitely go to Yellowstone now.  But if you'd like to see lots of other wildlife, wait until late May.  Now our timing was messed up.  We always go to Bubba's (a bbq pit) for dinner, and were hoping to hit it at lunch time.  We got into Jackson Hole at 10 am, so went for an adventure drive and came back at 10:30, thinking the lunch menu would be served.  Nope, still breakfast time.  So we had 2nd breakfast.  It was pretty good.  My pancakes were some of the best I've had.  We got home with no mishaps, but some disappointment.  We will definitely continue our trip at the end of May, and never change it again (at least until we'd like to see some wolves).  :)

Yellowstone, Day 3

Our final full day in Yellowstone we spent entirely on the northern stretch.  We planned on being up at 5 am to get in early, but when the alarm went off, we moaned and decided to keep sleeping.  We ended up waking around 7:30 and headed off at 9 am.  We arrived in Tower about 10:30 to immediately see two black bears; one on the east slope, the other just a few yards south on the west slope.  As we drove by in the truck, the male to the east stopped and gave us the evil eye.  After taking several pictures of both, we headed out to Lamar Valley.  Just around the corner, less than 2 miles away was another black bear!  We were the first to spot her, and were so excited to get some 'alone' time before the crazy crowds showed up.  We thought we were in for a great day, as we spotted 3 black bears in less than 10 minutes.  But alas, we saw no more bears in the northern end.  We did see a couple coyotes, but that was it.  How disappointing.  We finally gave up about 7 pm and made our way to West Yellowstone.  Just past the Sheepeater Cliffs, we spotted what I thought was another coyote, then I realized, it was a WOLF!  He was gargantuan compared to a coyote, and didn't have the pointy ears.  And his paws were massive.  We hurriedly pulled off the road and got a few pictures.  The crowd that began to collect was ridiculous, and the wolf ran off south towards a closed campground.  We were already in the truck, and so hurried to head him off and see if we couldn't get more pictures.  We didn't as he had already circled around.  While we waited, an elderly gentleman told us about a grizzly bear that was further south.  We headed off, as we were craving more wildlife sightings.  This grizzly was hanging out in the meadow, nursing a hurt paw from a porcupine encounter.  We then slowly headed to the hotel.  No more wildlife was seen, but we were finally satisfied with our day.

Yellowstone, She Wrote, Day 2

Ahhh, Yellowstone.  Every year I look forward to this vacation, but none more than this year.  Our original plans were to be here from Thursday to Tuesday, but this was changed when my boss wanted my help with the PTA convention.  He has this new idea, and said he needed someone 'charismatic'.  I was flattered that he thought of me, but didn't think ahead to my vacation plans, or the fact that I am extremely shy.  I convinced Bryan that 4 days would be plenty.  The convention went well enough, but I came home so tired and my neck was stiff with stress.  I pulled into the driveway to see Bryan by the trailer, with camera in hand waiting for me.  I didn't even notice the dumpster in our driveway.  I then found out that our upstairs bathroom toilet had sprung a leak when we had to replace the valve, and it had become Bryan's 2 day marathon to finish a bathroom.  He was able to complete all the tear out, put in the new toilet, new subfloor, and new tiled floor.  We still have quite a bit to finish, but I was shocked at how much was accomplished.  I then worried that my longed for trip would be lost; but Bryan was adament that we go.  We mosied out of Logan on Saturday, getting our usual bagels for breakfast and taking the long way through the Tetons.  We arrived in Yellowstone around 3 pm and drove around the lake and through the canyon loop.  When we got to the junction that takes you to Madison or Mammoth, we decided to be adventurous and head up to Mammoth and out to Tower.  We found ourselves in the middle of a wolf pack's hunt.  And it was amazing.  My only addition to Bryan's thoughts; my heart broke when the elk went down.  I had the duty of taping the event.  About 30 seconds from the final stroke of death, I was shaking so badly from the cold and my emotional heartstrings, that I passed the camera over and watched from the corner of my tear filled eyes.  I know it's the cycle of life, but I wanted to be her savior, and I knew I wasn't able to do anything.  Today, we once again took our time getting up and going.  We usually enter the park between 5 and 6 am, but today it wasn't until 9 am.  We passed through the site of the wolf hunt (which was packed with tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of something), and headed on up to tower.  We saw 2 black bears up in a tree, a grizzly up by Lamar Valley, and a 3rd black bear by petrified tree.  We also were lucky enough to see a moose up towards the northeast entrance, a nursery of 4 Bighorn Sheep near the canyon, and a coyote pouncing on the snow after a mouse.  After viewing the wolves, today's 'catch' didn't seem as wonderful.  Maybe tomorrow will be more fruitful.

Yellowstone Day 1

Today was not our typical day in Yellowstone, it was even better.  We did not see any bears on our first day :(  What we did see was flat out amazing.  We happened upon an elk standing in the middle of a small lake, in addition to the people watching so were three wolves.  We watched as the wolves plotted and stalked, waiting for the elk to drop her guard.  Then the black wolf circled around the lake right in front of us and charged.  Once he had her on the run the two gray wolves came from behind.  It only lasted about two minutes, it was sad and yet exciting.  It is rare to see wolves this close and even more rare to watch them hunt and kill. Here are some pics, they are from about 100 yards away so they aren't the best but better than any wolf shots I have ever shot before.

 

Back in Black

With Bryan's schedule, we only get one weekend together each month. We woke up extremely late on Saturday to slushy snow outside. Since the day was now shot for outside work, we decided to go on a street vacation. We chose to drive down to Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. Partially due to its proximity, but also because Bryan took a picture of the train cars a couple years ago with the 35 mm, and wanted to get more shots with his medium format. We started our drive with rain in Logan, and then beautiful sunshine through Ogden and Davis County. We stopped at the London Market in Salt Lake and then went by Moochie's for the best Philly cheesesteaks. It started raining again, and poured the entire way to Provo Canyon. We arrived at the falls with the rain falling harder. We waited a little while to see if the weather would change, but it kept getting worse. So we moved on to the train cars. Here it was pouring rain with brutal gusts of wind. The longer we waited, the snowier the rain became. We finally gave up, and started our way back down the canyon. We then came across a small black Honda that had obviously lost control and ended up sandwiched in the mud. I noticed there were people still inside the car and made Bryan go back to help. The two guys in the car were definitely shaken up; they had a hard time communicating, and were a little scared of us. Bryan hooked up the chain and slowly backed them out of their situation. Once we knew they were ok, we got back in the truck to start our journey home; this is when I realized IT WASN'T RAINING! We hurried up to the train cars and started snapping away. Bryan got all the pictures he wanted, and I even took a few. We stopped at the falls and finished the roll. It always pays to do the right thing.

My Mechanic

When I was young I always wanted to marry someone just like my dad. The biggest qualification was cars. My dad had hot cars when he was a teenager, and owned a Chevelle when I was a small child, and then several Bugs. He was always tinkering on them, even though they worked just fine. This image of legs sticking out from under a vehicle is common at our home. Bryan is very passionate about cars. He has loved them since a small boy. There are pictures of him around 3 years old fixing his toy trucks with magic markers. He was destined to be a mechanic. He has owned so many cars, that it is becoming difficult to remember them all. In this shot, you can see his current project, the transmission upgrade to the truck. You can also see his 1970 1/2 Camaro in the background; on jackstands ready for a new engine build. And then in the far corner, a 1940 Chevy that is his first hot rod. I've spent many hours sitting beside him chatting and working on my favorite projects (blankets and cross-stitches). It's amazing how much I can accomplish while he turns wrench. While he was a mechanic at Willey Ford, I loved to hang out. It is fascinating to me that he can pull apart ANY vehicle and put it back together better than before. I could never be that smart (or brave). His knowledge of mechanical parts and how things go together is astounding. I love to question him about what he's doing and how it makes it better. I've learned so much that I sometimes can help figure out a solution to a problem. He's even started quizzing me on why a specific set up is the best. Or what the 442 stands for with Oldsmobile. And surprisingly I can work out the answer. I am very protective of his knowledge, and hurt greatly when someone calls him a 'grease monkey', turns their nose up at his valuable advice, or gives him a hard time for his disorganized work space. I love my husband's ability. I love going on test drives with him. I love his work ethic. He will not let a vehicle leave without knowing it is perfectly fixed. He'll spend sleepless nights going through each step making sure in his mind that every nut and bolt was put back. He can answer anyone's question about any problem. Very rarely is he stumped. And when he is, he'll spend hours researching the subject until he knows what needs to be done. I love enjoying the final product too. The last time he did work on his Camaro, we went out for a summer night drive to get some ice cream. On the way back, we saw a fox in a farmer's field! There's nothing better than an old car. I love fumes of fuel, the hum of the exhaust, the lope of a cam while idling, and the smiles of onlookers. And driving one is addictive. Even slowpokes couldn't help themselves from slamming the shifter down and stomping on the gas. The squeal of tires, curl of exhaust, and roaring of eight cylinders is thrilling.
So thank you Bryan, for having ostentatious dreams that fulfill mine.