Wee Bit of Me Wednesday! NOT!

Good ole Wednesday!
It's Parker's high school registration today.  Yippee for Senior Year!
It's the day I take my niece to Ikea to pick out stuff for her college dorm room.
And it's my dad's birthday!
Happy Birthday Dad!

And it's My Leigh Ashley's Wee Bit of Me!

Except that it's not.  Where is that girl?

I should make up my own questions!

But I'm too lazy.

 

Let's play Either/Or

 

1. Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip?

Mayo all the way and it can only be Best Foods or Hellmans (depending where you live.)

 

2. Movie in the theater or Redbox/On Demand at home?

I used to love the movie theater, but the prices are outrageous and I like starting it when *I* am ready.  Sometimes we even go to the theater just to buy the popcorn and come home.

 

3. Radio or IPod?

Since I haven't downloaded/uploaded a single song to the IPod I received 3 years ago, I just listen to the radio.........but only in the car.  At home, I like silence...........deathly silence.

 

4. Bacon or Sausage?
Seriously?  What kind of question is that?  I'll take double bacon.  Make that quadruple bacon.

 

5. Read a book or Kindle/Nook a book?

I LOVE to read.  I love to turn the pages.  For now, I'm sticking with real, paper books.

 

6. Run or Walk?

How many times have I told you that exercise will KILL you?  But if I have to choose, I'd go on a walk. I will admit that I sometimes run through the house and run up and down the stairs.

 

7. Hot and Humid or Snowy and Cold?

I'll take winter!  Coats and boots and freezation.  I HATE humidity.  And I hate to sweat!

 

8. Pool or Beach?

I don't really like to get dirty either.  I'll take the pool.  Or how about a combination.....like a beach resort with a pool?

 

9. Shoes or Barefeet?

Shoes.  Always.

 

10. Spring, Summer, Winter or Fall?

I love all the seasons.  I like to see them come and I like to see them go.

My favorite is probably Fall though, with it's colorful leaves, cooler temps, crisp mornings, Love it!!!

 

Letters That Need to be Sent

Well hello!
It's Tuesday.
I haven't been feeling quite myself since My Excellent Adventure.
But today is a new day and I have a lot to do!
My hands now function and I'm hoping to be headache free today.
But PLEASE do NOT run into my elbow!


If you are going to run into something,
run into Stacy!
Go on over and see her and join in the RaNDoMNeSS of TueSDaY!


Today,
I have some IMPORTANT correspondence to get out!

Dear Investment Houses -
Do not bother to send me paper statements.
With the markets in freefall,
it is depressing to open a statement printed and mailed last week....
when I was worth 30% more.


Dear Politicians -
Please quit calling and mailing me solicitations for donations.
See above.


Dear American Express, Chase, Discover et al -
Please quit sending my children "free" credit card offers.
Yes they have Visa cards.
Yes they have good credit.
Who do you think is paying the bills?
See above.


Dear Parker -
Why do you eat 7 Otter Pops at once?
Otter Pops don't grow on trees!
They are like, 200 for $7.98!
Do I have to tell you to see above?



Dear JoAnne Crawford, Mr. Hong, Katherine Spencer & Gerald Williams,
I'm so sorry that you can not find any heirs.
And I am grateful that you want to send me $12 million, $34 million, $1 billion or WOW! $65 billion.
As you can see from the above,
I could really use it!
However, I will not be able to wire you money, send you my bank account number or my social security number, or mail you a money order for $5,000 to "get started."
You've already "checked" me out and know that we are of like mind!
You love my charitable nature and trust me implicitly.
So go ahead and cut the check.
I'll be standing by my mailbox.

Happy Tuesday!

Monday - Make it Go Away!

It's Monday.
I got up far earlier than I intended to, but I wanted to see if Garrett was online in Romania.
And he was.
We exchanged a few quick emails before he got down to business and wrote his usual weekly email.
He's doing awesome!

But this isn't about him.
This is about me.

Does anyone else freak out on Monday because you kind of mentally lump the WHOLE WEEK into Monday and you can't believe how much there is to do and you panic and work your behind off, until finally around noon, you realize that you've gotten A LOT done and NOT EVERYTHING has to be done today?

You can take a breath now after that sentence.  But that's how I feel.

I'm looking for something that I can put caramel sauce on for breakfast..........besides ice cream.

You should see the bruises on my left leg.  You've seen the scabs, but you should see the bruises.

Why does school need to start next week?  Can we please have one more month?
I have done nothing fun this summer.......unless you count last week's bike crash/concussion.  Beaver Creek was fun.

Oh wait!  School doesn't start until the 22nd.  We have an extra week!
I'll still take the extra month.

Well, I won't bore you with all the things that need to get done.
I'll just go dip my finger in the caramel sauce and get started!

Happy Monday!

My Excellent Adventure

HOT TIP: If you are barreling down a ski slope on a mountain bike and a big bug flies into your mouth, DO NOT close your eyes and shake your head back and forth spitting the bug out while going into a turn.

Just sayin'


The last thing I remember is the bug.
The next thing I remember is standing at the sink in our condo asking.
"Where is my bike?"
"How did I get here?"
Good Times!

QUICK!  Brian is pulling out of the driveway!
Yeah, we've been home from the pioneer trek for half a second.
I cleaned up the sharpies and buck knives and did most of the laundry.
We're leaving right now as in RIGHT NOW for his sales meeting in Beaver Creek.

But just let me say this! -
Today is our 27th wedding anniversary!!!

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!
If I get time later (ba ha ha), I'll play along with LeighAshley and her Wee Bit of Me.
But............he just went out the garage door and the car is running!

Pioneer Trek Random

There is so much RaNDoM in my life,
I have to focus on just one aspect...........
not the seven loads of laundry that need to be done, the 38 Sharpies and 4 buck knives on the kitchen table,
and the 16 clipboards, 4 bonnets and 8 bandanas on the counter.
I could use a good house fire right now!


Anyway........let's not think about all that.
Let's celebrate with that rebel Stacy

and let the RaNDoM roll forth!


* Here's some stats for you -
We had 385 kids on the pioneer trek,
78 Ma's & Pa's
and 75 support people.
What does that add up to?
538.
Yep, that's how many people we transported, sheltered and fed on the trek.


* All the kids were divided into groups of 10 and paired up with a Ma & Pa for the week.
They cooked, camped and trekked with their families.
They were all assigned a color and a number, so we could keep track of their gear (and them!)

* The cooking committee provided all the food for everyone.
The 39 families showed up each meal and picked up a bin that was labeled with their name.
On top of the bin in a protective plastic sleeve was the directions and recipe.
Inside the bin were all of the PREMEASURED and usually pre-cooked ingredients.
You have never seen organization like this!


The cooking committee then cooked for the 75 support people.
So besides the 120 dutch ovens that the Ma's & Pa's brought,
the cooking committee had an additional 18-20 that they cooked in.

* In addition to the NINE buses to transport the kids,
we had 2 Penske trucks, 2 refrigerator trucks and 3 pick up trucks that each had a 250 gallon water "bladder" on them.  We had several pick up trucks as well.  We also had several generators along to keep the refers going.  Evidently, we had apower washer there too, because one night, someone washed my car!

* One of the refrigerator trucks was BRAND NEW.
It only had 200 miles on it.
A kind person built custom racks to fit the dimensions of the truck and hold all of the frozen and refirgerated food.
The cooking committee loaded all of the food the night before.
At 8:15 the night before, we received this text-
"Disaster of unmangeable proportions.
The refer truck isn't working.
Repair man on the way.
He doesn't think he has the part.
I am going to throw up."

* Within 3 hours, we had a second truck and the first one was repaired.
No one threw up.
But we decided to take the second truck anyway.....just in case.
* The food was INCREDIBLE.
It was almost like being on a cruise.........with dutch ovens.
We had lasagna, peach cobbler, pulled sweet port burritos, chocolate bundt cake, chicken salad wraps, cheesy ham eggs, chicken pot pie, and strawberry trifle.
Not to mention that there was a snack bar that was open every night in case there was some crazy reason you were still hungry.


* We hiked 26ish miles in 3 days.


* No one broke a handcart or anything else for that matter.

* No one got sent home because of injury, illness or bad behavior.


* I saw two rattlesnakes.


* We filled a 24 foot truck with trash:
3,750 pounds of trash.

* Brian and I went with two coolers of Coke and Diet Coke in the back of our car.

We came home with none.


* We came home with everyone we went with.


* My own personal "stretch" goal was that no one die AT MY HAND!
I achieved my goal.


* Don't tell anyone,
but I would do it again.

AMAZING!

The pioneer trek was absolutely AMAZING!
There is no other way to describe it!

The weather was perfect.
We had no injuries or illnesses.
Everyone was on their best behavior.
All the details were thought of in advance.
All the people on the committee worked their fingers to the bone.

Everyone had an uplifting, fabulously spiritual experience.
Everyone made new friends.
And yes, it was worth the 15 months of blood, sweat, and tears.
All 540 of us had an AMAZING time!

Everyone gathered at the Lower Monument just before the Women's Pull

The beginning of the 14 mile day

The men lining the trail for the Women's Pull

Me - in my super cute pioneer clothes, leading the Women's pull.  The ensemble was dubbed - the Thanksgiving outfit.

My niece Xan pulling in the Women's Pull

Parker - after the Women's Pull

Xan and Parker

Parker - at the end of the 14 mile day

The crowd coming in at 5:30 after the 14 mile day.



I know I'm not giving you a lot here -
but 1. I didn't take a SINGLE picture.
2. I cannot adequately describe the trip in words
3. I cannot describe the exhaustion.
4. My house looks like a bomb went off - with pioneer clothes, sleeping bags, paperwork, 38 sharpies, knives, binoculars, coolers, pillows, water bottles and all trek related items littering the entire place.
5. I leave for another trip on Wednesday.
I'll eventually get back here and tell you more.