Love Is Patient - Homeschool Blogger

Stuff and Nonsense

Fri, 5 Jan 2007 16:35:00 -0600

So when I finally thought I was going back to work after the holiday break and blizzards we get snow, again. Just 3 or 4 lovely inches of big beautiful flakes, but it was enough to close school, make driving a bit dangerous and keep me home since my boss of the day canceled...

Our buried Suburban and blocked driveway

Wednesday evening three of my friends from the Not Ashamed Message Board (and a few other message boards) stopped by on their way across country. It's always funny meeting people you know, but have never seen in person. We had a great time, they spent the night and then we visited until 2 or so in the afternoon on Thursday.

Just internet friends no longer!

Oh, and just so I could see some of my friends pictures and stuff on Myspace I finally signed up and just put my picture and a short blurb about me up there. I hate that place even more now!!! I've never been so confused. Anyways, if you want to see it and add me as a friend or whatever the address is: Deborah's MySpace
I won't be posting anything over there, too much of a hassle!!
I also signed up at Homeschool Alumni, I'd recommend checking that out if you are a homeschooler. The friends that dropped by showed it to me and thought it was a genius idea. So, come on over and say hi!

Happy 2007!

Wed, 3 Jan 2007 15:53:00 -0600

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!

   After some family drama my Christmas plans were changed, so I visited friends and family in Pueblo and then went to Denver to spend Christmas with my sister. I was away for over a week all together, living out of my little black suitcase.
   During the drive to Pueblo the first of our two massive snowstorms started hitting, the roads were beginning to be covered in a layer of snow as I entered Colorado Springs but we made it safely to my sister and her husband's house.
   That day we went out ice skating, did a little shopping, and saw the movie Eragon. My little sister was insistent on seeing it as it's one of her favorite books ever.
   Our other days there were spent visiting with friends, going to the mall and stores buying gifts or making cookies at the house.
   The night before we headed to Denver the Pueblo group of friends had a Christmas party which was great fun. Everyone got a gift and my sister cooked a delicious turkey with all the trimmings.
   Due to the snowstorm Denver was basically shut down (DIA didn't move for two days), so I was concerned about trying to make it up there... I was on the phone with my sister and she was telling me that she was snowed in, but the roads were probably as clear as they were going to get before another snowstorm moved in. So it was do or go home or get stranded in Pueblo. I made the decision to run for Denver. Usually driving times between Pueblo and Denver is around 2 1/2 hours. Well not this time. Since I-25 had just reopened the traffic was bumper to bumper all the way, many times dropping to a crawl of 15 mph or so... I felt like I was in California! All total the trip took 5 hours. That's right, 5 hours!
    The road crews had done a good job getting the interstates cleared off, but the lanes sometimes abruptly ended in a drift many times larger than my mom's car!
   Once in Denver I pulled off I-25 and headed inwards on Hampden. Never in my life have I seen so many cars! The roads were all snow packed and beginning to turn icy. When I began to get close to my sister's home I could feel the car's tire starting to loose traction on the snow, so I pulled in just in time. Her parking lot, however, hadn't been cleared yet and there was no place to park... I eased it into a gap in the snow and ran in, and then we went back out to figure out what to do. She had spent all day shoveling out one side of her garage, but it was 6 or so inches shy of being wide enough for the car, so I carefully, but quickly rammed it into the space. Once that was done I realized I really didn't have a way to get out of the car! Lol! Luckily I could open the door just a tad, and then I shoved it open, enough to squeeze out, with my feet. I had finally made it, I was exhausted and frazzled!
   My other sister was coming to Denver as well, but she was an hour behind me. She had a bit more trouble with the ice but also made it safely. We both declared that that drive was the worst ever.
   Our days before Christmas in a snow covered Denver were fun, spent seeing some movies, playing games, eating out, walking the downtown mall area and looking at the lights. It was a great time.

Some pics from Denver.

   All the side roads were still a mess even by the time I left Denver, so navigating those in a car was not exactly easy! I really missed my 4WD at home... Oh well.
   Once we got home a couple days after Christmas there were a million things to catch up on. My web host (BliksemHost) had disappeared, not answered my emails, their phone was disconnected... I have to admit I was a bit panicky. All of our website were down for 2 weeks... So I worked hurriedly on getting them transferred to a new host, which as those of you who do that know is a bit frustrating. Finally all was well again and I turned my attention on New Years.
   Then I got some flu-like bug and was down and out for 2 days. Yucky.
   And then, it gets better!
   We were hit with a HUGE snowstorm, basically a little over a week after that first one. For two days we were in a complete white-out blizzard. When the snow finally settled and the winds died down we looked out to see a world of white.
   In places there are 6 foot drifts (and we didn't get the worst of it out here). We were completely snowed in, no way to get a vehicle in or out. The county came and dug us out (much love to ya boys!), but we only have the use, right now, of 2 of our 8 vehicles. But, it's actually not been that bad. Sure it's an inconvenience, but we never lost power, we had plenty of heat and food (though chili and hamburger is getting a bit old), and look at all the moisture!! We've gone sledding, snowball fights, etc. Why cry about it?

So my New Years was stuck at home this time, but I had a great one, and I hope you did too!
As far as resolutions? Nothing I can exactly point at right now, but I have a few. *wink*

What's This Stuff?

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:02:00 -0600

After nearly a week of 70 degree weather we heard yesterday morning that a snowstorm should be expected today. So we hurried around and set up our new woodstove, and woke up to this:

Yay for snow! Boo to the cold however. And thank you God for wood-heat!

The World Traveller

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 14:25:00 -0600

   I'm serious. I've seen a little of the whole world in the past 2 weeks. And I didn't have to leave the country.
   My trip to Las Vegas was an experience I'll never forget, and one that will bring a smile to my face for a very long time. I'll try to record as much of it here as I can, though it will be hard, because so much happened.
   I drove up to my sister Amber's house in Denver the afternoon of the 9th. Our flight to Las Vegas wasn't until 10:00 pm, but I wanted to get up to Denver early to avoid the rush hour traffic, and mainly just to get the 2 1/2 hour drive over with (I hate driving in the city with a passion). Amber was at work so I hung around her house, mostly surfing the net, until she got home. We got a bite to eat and watched some TV, anxiously waiting until could head to the airport. I was very nervous since I had never flown in a commericial plane before, just in my uncle's 4 person plane. There were some very serious butterflies in my stomach!
   Finally the hour came to head to the airport and Amber's aunt drove us to the drop off in front of the Frontier Airlines desk. After a few problems with MY ticket (it's always my stuff causing problems) we were able to check our bags and head into the terminal. DIA is very impressive, it's HUGE! I'm so glad that Amber was there to show me around; otherwise I would have been lost. I was terrified about security, having heard how strict they are about your carry on items. It went fast however and we went right on through. Walking around barefooted while my shoes went through the x-ray machine was disgusting... Eeew.
   We rode the "train" between the concourses then finally sat and waited until our row was called to be seated. I didn't realize how small the average plane is. You are literally packed into your seats like sardines! Amber gave me the window seat (thank you!) and I tried to distract myself while we taxied out onto the runway.

Takeoff is wild! It�s like the start to a rollercoaster ride, slamming you back into your seat. Then you climb for what seems like forever until finally the pilot turns off the seat-belt sign. Frontier was a great airline, each seat had it�s own little TV screen where you could watch a movie or TV if you wanted (and paid for it), or just watch a little MapQuest map showing the progress of the plane, along with altitude and speed. That was great, and kept me occupied. Cruising altitude and I, however, do not mix well at all. I swear my head felt like it was about to burst. As we began to descend into Las Vegas (which is amazing from the air) I started feeling better, well, until I started worrying about the landing that is. The landing was horrible. Amber said that it was one of the worst she�s ever had. The plane would rock from side to side, drop, rise a little, rock, drop, rock... Then with a thud we landed. Ack, I wanted to run off that plane and kiss the ground.

The Las Vegas Airport is nuts. That�s all I have to say about that. It was 12 pm and there were people everywhere. The baggage area was basically a zoo and we waited for about 25 minutes to get our bags then we headed out to get a taxi. I was so sleepy by this time; it was way past my bedtime. But getting a taxi proved to be a lot harder than we had anticipated. The line was an hour long, in a chilly, breezy Las Vegas night. Brrrrr. Once we arrived at our hotel, The Signature at the MGM, we just wanted to get in our room and crawl in bed. We check in and the super polite managers tell us that they are out of the room size we had reserved, so they were bumping us up to a 1 bedroom suite, which on our internet deal was about $65 more dollars a night. We must have had this dazed, almost angry (not intentional!) look, in our eyes cause the other manager jumped in and was saying, �Oh it�s a great room, you�ll love it! There are TWO bathrooms!� *giggles* We said, oh that�s great, and got our keys, found the elevator and looked to see which floor we were on. Well, hello Vegas, we�re on the 31^st PENTHOUSE level! We looked at each other in shock and giggled like 12 year old girls.

We walk into our room and all we can tell is that it is big, really big. We can�t tell much else because the light switch at the front door isn�t working. Finally we find another one and holy cow we about falling over! The room is crazy. It�s bigger than most apartments. And fancy!

The Dining Area

The Bedroom

The Living Room

The Kitchen

We ran around the room screaming and pointing everything out to each other. In total there was, a bedroom with two closets and big flat screen HD TV, and a little couch, a dining area and living room with a foldout couch, another big TV, a balcony, two more closets, a simply wonderful bathroom with two sink areas, a glass enclosed shower, a jetted tub big enough for two, and another TV (yes! In the bathroom!), and a separate toilet area, then another bathroom (kind of a guest bathroom I guess) which looked like a very fancy regular hotel sized bathroom, and to top it off a complete kitchen. I�ve never, ever, stayed in a place so fancy or big. It was amazing and the view of the Las Vegas strip was incredible.

By the time we actually calmed down and got to bed I barely hit the pillow before I fell deep asleep.

I went to Egypt

The first day we headed out into Las Vegas to do some site seeing. The whole plan was that we go out two days in advance of Amber�s conference so we�d have time together to do fun stuff. We walked and walked and walked all day looking at everything there was to see. I was very overwhelmed by everything, Amber would be trying to talk to me and I�d have this distracted, glazed look on my face. She found it hilarious.

Can't tell we're having fun, can you?

I saw the Statue of Liberty!

I don�t remember now all the casinos we made it to that day� It�s getting all blurry. Casinos are a spectacle like no other. You have to see one to know what I�m talking about. Noisy, crowded, colorful� The list could go on and on. I guess one of the biggest impressions I had at first was the scale of everything. Everything is huge. Casinos are almost a maze to try and get through.

And I saw New York!

My favorite moment of the day had to be when I first saw the Fountains of the Bellagio. Wow. I love fountains, always have, but these fountains are like nothing I�d ever seen before. If you ever get a chance to see something in Vegas, go to the Bellagio. You won�t be disappointed.

Paris anyone?

Oh, now I remember, we walked through Paris a bit, took tons of pictures of the Eiffel tower, ate at the Mon Amie Gabi restaurant (I have a new favorite seafood dish: scallops!) then wandered around looking at the casino area. We saw a menu for the Eiffel Tower Restaurant and stopped to read it. Oh yummy, and it�s a 5 star restaurant, too� This young man who works there (not sure what his title would be) saw us reading it and asked how we were and then asked us if we would like to have a tour of the restaurant. Uh, yeah!

The fountains of Bellagio and the Eiffel Tower

So into the elevator and up to the restaurant we went. He showed us the kitchen and the dining area, along with the view, which was superb: a very, very classy place. It overlooks the Bellagio and the fountains there. He stood talking with us for several minutes, asking about our trip, how long we were in town, where we should go, what we should see, etc. Finally he asked if we would like to try to get reservations for dinner there, as it�s really hard to get one (he would push a few things around for us). When Amber asked me what one thing I�d really like to do in Vegas my first answer was to eat at a really nice restaurant (you know, one where you actually have to dress really nice, know which fork to use�). This was THE place, I knew it. We said we�d love to have him check if a reservation was available. We ended up getting one for Sunday night. Yay! I was super excited.

Saturday was much the same as Friday, more touristy stuff, lots of walking. Amber had tickets for O by Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio for that night, so we got all dressed up and spent an hour out front watching the fountains before the show started. O is an big water performance, and it was incredible. I�ve read a lot of reviews on it since then to see what others had to say and my favorite quote was, �If you don�t like Salvador Gali�s paintings, then you won�t like O.� What that means is that it�s very symbolic. It�s not just high divers, synchronized swimmers, trapeze acts, clowns, and water. Some of it was a little odd, and I have to admit I didn�t quite �get� it, but I had a good time trying to. My least favorite part was getting squirted with water by one of the clowns. The theater was already freezing, I�m in a nice dress, and now I�m wet, too. *sigh*

Me outside the Bellagio before O

Sunday we had to move out of the Signature and over to the Rio, where the conference was being held and where our paid for rooms were. It was sad leaving that room. It was even sadder when we entered our new room at the Rio. It was nice, compared to most motels, sure, but it was nothing comparison to the Signature. We got all depressed about it and went back out to do more exploring of Vegas.

Made some new friends at the Excalibur Castle

Sadly, the Rio is off the strip and not close enough to walk safely, so we found the Rio�s free shuttle service and made good use of that. Also we took countless taxis, and do you know how crazy taxi drivers are?!

The half-scale replica of the Arc de Triomphe (so cool!)

I had wanted to do some shopping for family and friends in Vegas, but I had not anticipated the prices! Wow, wow, wow. Shopping was cancelled. When I finally found a t-shirt for $20 I freaked out and took it straight to the cashier. Yeah, I know, that sounds expensive. You have no idea.

Finally we�d seen all but a few remaining hotels and casinos and I had my favorites. I love the Bellagio, I love it, I love it, I love it! Okay, then Paris, �cause I�m all about French stuff.

Good View of Paris

The Venetian was one of my next favorites, it was beautiful and really felt like you were in Italy. Even if the gondoliers were cheesy and marched around the Canal Shops singing.

The Venetian *mmmm*

Oh, here�s a story! In the Canal shops (where there are stores like Gucci, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Donna Karen, etc., etc.) there was this white statue. There was a crowd around it and people were laying money at its feet. I was peering at it trying to figure out who it was supposed to be, maybe a saint or something, when it BLINKED! I jumped out of my skin and laughed hysterically. Amber almost rolled in laughter at my surprise that the �statue� was actually a living person in some really heavy white makeup.

It's Alive!

I also love Caesars, mostly because of the fountains and the gardens. It was neat.

The Fountains of the Greek Gods at Caesar's

Speaking of shopping, we walked into this one store in the Bellagio, and I thought it was a more �reasonable� shop, maybe I could actually afford something there. I saw this rather hideous long greenish coat and picked it up to examine it when the price tag fell out of the collar, displaying a modest asking price of over $3000.00. I promptly and very carefully put it back on the rack and walked out before I did something stupid or snagged a $400 thread.

Dinner at Paris (the flash just didn't get me...)

Our dinner at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant was amazing; we got a table next to the windows overlooking the Bellagio. The staff treated us like royalty. Our waiter set us at our table, lay our napkins in our laps, served us in 3 courses and even took our picture! I was dressed to the nines, in my black dress, high heels, and all. I�ve never had so much fun just eating dinner! It was really expensive, but totally worth it. There were attendants in the bathroom!!! I�ve never seen such a thing! We had Scallops for our appetizer, Salmon for the main course and then a chocolate souffl� for dessert. The food was cooked to perfection and the chocolate souffl� was amazing! If you ever are in Vegas and want to go out for a perfect dinner (and you don�t mind spending a little money), go to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant! You won�t regret it. When I told my sister Carla about it later she shrieked and said that she had just done a study on that restaurant for her culinary classes. She said it is one of the best restaurants in the country. I believe it.

Not a Bad Picture of Me Taking Pictures

Here�s a great story: We are trying to navigate our way through the casino at the Rio and find where their free show was (each hotel has some free attraction), and we�re getting lost, so we are consulting our handy little map and arguing over which way was which. Suddenly, a string of Mardi Gras like beads gets thrown across my feet and slides to a stop a little ways behind me. Hmmm, how weird, I�m thinking and before I could pick it up this lady shrieks and grabs it and runs off. Okay then� I go back to the map, seconds later another string of beads. Now I�m confused. I look around as I�m picking them up and finally I see. The Chippendales dancer, with half his clothes missing, is throwing them at me. He winks. I blush. I tell Amber, she laughs and we go back to trying to find our way. And hello! Another string of beads lands at my feet. I bend down, pick them up, smile at the half-naked man and try to concentrate on the map. Then another string of beads!!! Amber is now laughing her head off and we realize that they are throwing beads at the women in the area so they�ll come and have their pictures taken with these guys. Now he starts beckoning me with a finger and I smile, blush, shake my head no and suggest that we move along. Another string of beads and Amber says, �Come on, let�s get you a picture with him!� She grabs my arm and I freak out, twist away and run behind a pillar. Amber is bent over with laughing and the half-naked man is giggling. Then this stranger, who�s been watching, apparently, starts telling me to go on over and have my picture taken, �It�s Vegas, no one knows you, go have some fun!� Now I�m as red as a cherry. Finally the show starts, the Chippendales leave and I�m safe! Whew. It ended up that the show was very lame and embarrassing as well. Amber finds a slot machine that she likes and shows me how it works and I sit and watch her play. I think I hate slots, they are money eaters. Anyways, as she�s playing and I�m watching the Chippendales return! Now we�re less than 6 feet away. I groan and try to hide in my seat. No such luck, I get 3 more strings of beads (I think) from the same guy along with several winks.

Despite it being a very weird, embarrassing experience, I got a huge laugh out of seeing a guy who is used to women falling all over him (even with their husbands or boyfriends standing by, gag!) get all frustrated and totally determined to get me to come to him!

After Dinner at Paris

That�s the thing about Vegas, people act insane and do things that they would normally never do, just because it�s Vegas. I heard the saying, �What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,� so many times, I got sick of it.

View From the Voodoo Lounge

The Voodoo lounge at the top of the Rio was actually quite nice. The view from 51 or 52 floors up was perfect. There was a live band we got to watch, and they were really good. Crazily enough I had the keyboardist from the band starting winking at me five minutes into the set� What is with these men in Vegas!? He even came up to talk to me afterwards. Weird, weird. We did a little dancing and I had some very friendly guy from Puerto Rico dancing all over me, I finally just left for the restroom so he�d leave me alone.

Me at the Bellagio Again

Monday Amber was at her convention and I spent my time window shopping, and playing on the computer. At night we�d go out and have fun. Monday evening was a night like no other� Bear with me, �cause this story is worth it.

Amber is the Executive Director of the Problem Grambling Association of Colorado, and she is at the Problem Gambling Conference in Las Vegas. Ironic, I know. Anyways, the big G2E (Global Gaming Expo) Expo is starting Monday as well and Amber and some of the people she knows are invited to the big VIP welcoming banquet. Amber invites me to go along with her as her guest. I�m thinking, cool, this will be fun. Free food! If you�ve ever been in Vegas you�ll know what mean! So I dress nicely, but not too fancy, we meet up with Amber�s associates in the lobby and take a car over to the Wynn hotel. Within 5 minutes of being with these people I know I�m very out of place. They are talking about buying stuff at Tiffany�s and Gucci and whatever and about their million dollar homes� Two are with the Isle of Capri, one owns her own restaurant and I forget about the other one. Anyways, I�m wearing an outfit that costs less than $30� We get to the Wynn, which is very swanky, and find the entrance to the banquet. You know when you see those red carpet scenes, that is almost how it felt. They had velvet ropes set up and everyone had to show their conference badge to get in. I have no badge and I�m hoping that I can just go as Amber�s guest. Turns out that I and two other people in our group can�t get in. The others give us some other person�s name to use (who has an invitation but won�t be coming) and we are lead by security to a man with a computer who asks for our names to check the list. I�m literally shaking inside. I just know I�m going to get caught and thrown out of the Wynn hotel on my own, all alone. He finds the other friends� fake names and they get in, now it�s just me. He can�t find my �name�. Then he asks for who I work for. I blank, because I have no clue! Luckily Amber was right there and blurts out a company. They still can�t find me, and ask if I have any ID, um no� *laughs*

So, they can�t let me in, and tell me to go back to my hotel and get my badge. Oh good grief! I tell everyone to just go in and I�ll go find something to entertain me for a couple hours. They protest and come up with a plan. Since Amber is already stamped, I�ll take her badge, go back out into the casino, wait for a few minutes, let my hair down, give Amber my jacket, and go in on my own. I�m so worried it is not going to work� But, actually I get right on through and I get my hand stamped! Whew!

It turned out to be a very nice party, with a huge crowd of very important gaming industry people, a huge buffet style banquet, a live jazz band and an open bar. I mingle, I chat with heads of casinos and gaming companies, I thrill them with stories of my life on a ranch. They are shocked. I laugh under my breath�

After it was over our group decides to go to a very famous nightclub at Caesars, called Pure. The night before Nick Lachey (the singer who married Jessica Simpson) was there to celebrate his birthday. So, yeah, it�s a very popular place that you can�t just walk into.

We get there, 8 of us piled in a 5 person car. I�m with Amber, her acquaintances, the gambling director from Iowa, and a few others. We go to the VIP desk in front of Pure and find out that no one is one the list that night. The bouncers are giving us �the look�, which is very intimidating. So the Iowa guy calls someone he knows inside and gets us all on the list, the lady in charge of Pure comes out, looks us over and lets us through. This place normally has a $30 cover. Nuts. It was actually a very, very nice place. There is another open bar, and these amazing dessert tables with chocolate fountains, and people (most of the same crowd from the banquet) are talking, dancing, or watching. We dance, we laugh. It was great. I�m at a VIP party at one of Vegas�s hottest clubs. It�s surreal.

After they shut Pure down for the night some of our group wants to go to the Ghostbar at the Palms hotel. So into the car we pile again and head off. Somehow we picked up another guy in our group and when we get to the Palms VIP access he pays for all of us to get in ($30 per person!). This bar is at the top of the Palm hotel, and is another hot spot. The view was incredible!

View From the Ghostbar

The other people we�re with are by now heavily intoxicated. I just found a spot by myself and watched the view and took pictures. Two young men asked me if I�d take their picture and I say yes, and afterwards we start talking. I find out that they are from Boston! We actually had a great conversation and they were the only normal guys I met the whole time. They were respectful and kind, weren�t hitting on me, and we spent almost an hour talking about what we�d seen, where we each should go next, showing pictures we�d taken, etc. It was great. They were feeling out of place like me, so it was fun to talk with them.

Farewell!

Tuesday was our last day and after we packed our stuff and left it with the desk we headed out to see a few more things before we had to go back to the airport. Most of our time was at the Bellagio, just watching the fountains.

The flight back wasn�t too bad, except that Denver was under snow and Las Vegas had been 70 degrees. I was freezing!

Quite the trip? You can�t imagine.

Yours, Truly... The World Traveller

No Way

Thu, 2 Nov 2006 09:52:00 -0600

What! November already?

You know you are getting old when a month seems like a week...

Here is a picture of me with some of my little girl friends in town. We're at a volleyball game having fun with my camera phone.

And a picture of Rebekah with her horse, Dakota, which she got for her birthday in September. This was a spur of the moment picture, and I thought it turned out really well.

Bits and Pieces

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 10:46:01 -0500

   Please tell me that I'm not the only one who can't find time to do everything you want to.
   As you may imagine, from my blog absence lately, I have been insanely busy. Work, family commitments, chores, getting ready for the quickly coming winter season... It never ends. It seems that all I do any more is say, "I am SO busy!" But, it's the truth. I just hate sounding like a broken record.
   A few things, as there is no way I can catch up on over a month of my life in one post:
   Since Kit Carson Day I came down with 3 separate colds, one right after the other. I wasn't "down and out" but for a couple days all together, I actually managed to keep going to work through it all. The last cold seemed to throw me back into health fairly quickly, which sounds odd and is odd. I felt ten times better after I recovered from that cold than I had for a month.
   Been helping work cows (it's Preg-Testing season), though not as much as my mom has. She's gone almost every day during the week to help out. So far she's helped with about 2000 I believe (it may be more than that). I helped out with 400. It was a long day, but praise God for good weather!
Here's a picture of me that evening when we were almost through. I look tired!

    As some of you know my little sister started going to public school here in KC this fall. Since mom and I have to work to support the family there wasn't any way for mom to keep homeschooling her. It was a really tough decision, but so far everything has been going well. I'm definitely learning a lot more about public schools... My little sister, despite a rough first week, has adapted well and of course has made a circle of friends. We had them over for her birthday, which was a wild night of giggling and shrieking girls (I was chaperone). I seem to have made a hit with all her friends, as whenever I go to a school function or event I am literally swarmed! It's fun. Then there are all the younger girls who follow me wherever I go. I love it, they are all great fun and so cute!
   I have become a card shark. With my circle of friends from the Melodrama we have been getting together almost every weekend to socialize and play cards until the wee hours of the morning. Pitch is a wildly popular game out here, and after several nights of this game I think I have it figured out and I'm a lot more confident in playing it. Poker is another favorite, especially Texas Hold 'Em. Now this is a game where I have some talent. A couple of the guys said they didn't want to play with me any more... lol. Somehow they can't say no the next time however.
   Oh and yes, the cold weather is moving in! We've already had our first 3 snows of the year, nothing really substantial, but it's been awful pretty to see those snowflakes falling. We still haven't gotten our woodstove set up, so evenings and mornings in the house are FREEZING! Especially mornings. You know, there is nothing quite as shocking as waking up in your lovely warm bed, the blankets all around you, the sunlight drifting through the window, then realizing you have to get up out of that warm bed. Throwing the blankets off is the first shock as the cold room air hits you while you are still drowsy. Then your feet touch the floor and you stumble around the room to pick out your clothes for the day. Then your feet touch that frigid bathroom linoleum and you get Goosebumps on every surface of your body. And then the worst. You take off your still warm and cozy pajamas and slip into your jeans and shirt, which are ice cold. Now you are cold to the bone and wide awake. And coffee is starting to look REALLY good.
   Well, I'd better wrap this up, as I have a list to accomplish today (burn the trash, load some lumber, feed some animals, clean the house - again - , try to sell something...)
   Oh, quick note of interest before I go. My dear sister Amber is going on a business trip to Las Vegas and invited me to join her! So, I'm off to Las Vegas to stay in a fabulous hotel and act like I actually have money for 5 days. LOL! We found an awesome package deal online for one of the best hotels in Vegas (The Signature at the MGM Grand) so for the first time in my life I'm going to stay in a room with a Jacuzzi tub, bathrobes, a flat screen HD TV, a room half the size of our entire HOUSE! Then we'll go see the sites and take pictures, eat out at some swanky restaurants. (Is it weird that I get all goofy at the thought of eating at Emeril's restaurant!?)
   Anyways, some fun relaxation time coming up for me. I am nervous about flying however. I never have before...
   Until I write again, God bless!

P.S. Some important ballot issues are coming up this Election Day across the nation. See Micah's blog on Stem Cells!

Success and One Crazy Day

Wed, 6 Sep 2006 15:03:00 -0500

   We did it! After months of preparation and practice our 4 performances went off very well.
   Amazingly there was hardly anyone who forgot a line, so my job and our other prompter's job was a breeze. The audience's reaction to the play and to the musical intermission acts was great! Not a dry eye in the house, because everyone was laughing so hard.   Everyone who saw it said that it was one of the best performances ever, which was thrilling to hear! There's nothing like seeing your hard work and effort pay off like that.
    I'm working on getting some pics and video uploaded, but that may take a while. Hope to have it done soon however.
   I almost feel as if I need a week to recover from the whole thing, I'm exhausted in every way from this whole process and the butterflies leading up to each performance.
   Now a lengthy explanation of my Kit Carson Day experience:

Let's just start off by saying that it was absolutely nuts for me. I woke up at 6:30 to get dressed, pack EVERYTHING I needed for the day (clothes, outfit for the dance later that night, etc, etc.) then I rushed off to town to help Jeramy (our play's director) out with the rodeo which he was hosting and organizing at his arena in Kit Carson. I was one of the timers/score keepers, announcers. Bad thing was, is that we had a FREEZING morning! It was about 50-55 degrees, windy and damp. Halfway through everything I and the two other girls running the event were shaking uncontrollably, even though we all had hoods and coats. Jeramy was so kind and ran to his house to get us all his big winter coats and gloves. We looked hilarious, but that was helpful. Even with all that, however, we still couldn't get warm. After the rodeo was over (about 12 noon), I ran down to the old pool hall (i.e. Melodrama building), parked my car there and then ran to the free fireman's BBQ to try and get a bite to eat. Met up with some of my friends, neighbors and family and was trying to say my hellos and eat my food at the same time. 10 bites or so later I realized I had 10 minutes to get in my costume and make it to the school to get on the float for the parade. Whew! But I made it and by that time the sun was starting to come out (FINALLY!) and I could take my jacket off. The parade was fun; we threw candy to all the little kids and pelted the town�s people as hard as we could.
   Then it was off with the costume for a couple hours and I hung out with my sister Laura and her husband Jeremy as well as my two other sisters, Carla and Amber.
   After that it was our first performance of the day, at 4 o'clock. I believe this was our best performance, we were all "up" for it, did amazingly well on our lines and everyone was having fun on that stage, enjoying the reactions of the audience. And we had a superb audience! All my family visiting was there and, though I couldn't look at them from the stage (or I'd smile and break my character), I was loving it! After we wrapped it up we all stood outside the front to meet and greet all the audience. Then a supper was provided by the Kit Carson Chamber of Commerce, which we all devoured. I hadn't had anything to eat except for those 10 or so bites of BBQ, so I was starving!
   By the time of the 7 o'clock performance I, for one, was dragging, I was so tired. Everyone said it was my best performance yet, but I honestly thought it was one of my worst. I seriously needed a nap or something! I guess it made the grumpiness of my character just right. lol! It really was a good show though, and we had fun with it, seeing as it was the last one. It was almost hard to believe, all that work and preparation and there it was already, the last one.
   After that meet and greet we changed into our dance clothes and headed to the school for the dance with the live band. I was excited about it, and I was finally feeling a bit more energetic. As many of you know, I LOVE to dance. So, after a while there (waiting for everyone to show up), I barely sat down at all. Not only did I have all the guys I know asking me to dance, but I met quite a few guys who I ended up dancing with quite a bit! Did a little two-step, a little swing, a little Cotton-Eyed-Joe, and loved every minute.
   After the dance was shut down at 1 in the morning, one of my friends, Jill, invited everyone over to her house for breakfast. Turned out that Jill had invited half of the town over for breakfast so her house was packed with people she didn't know. It was a great breakfast though, and I made some new friends before taking a few people back to their homes and then getting home myself at 2:30 in the morning.
   So that was my Kit Carson Day experience. A very long, but very happy day!

Here is one picture I've managed to get uploaded - not a real good one though as the original was REALLY blurry.

Left to Right:
Back Row: Melissa (aka Lindy Lou), Me (aka Dora), Kendra (aka Evette), Mandy (aka Aura-Lee), and Rusty (aka Beaureguard)
Front Row: Brenda (aka Hallie), Jill (aka Mrs. Mason Dixon), Jeramy (aka Horton Smedley), and R.J. (aka the Colonel)

Waterparks and Baseball

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:52:00 -0500

   Practice in the melodrama I'm acting in for Labor Day (aka, Kit Carson Day) is going really well. For the past week we've been performing/practicing without our lines in our hands (first time was TOUGH!). Two weeks left to go, and we're all getting somewhat nervous about getting it all ready. We had a photographer from town come in on Tuesday to take pictures of the scenes to place in the local newspaper. Acting for a camera got us all messed up. *grin*
   Last Tuesday I went to a swimming party with some friends from the area, got repeatedly dunked, and came down two days later with a nasty cold. Trying to say your lines loudly enough to reach across a building with a sore throat is not pleasant... The cold didn't seem to really slow me down to much though so I muddled through it as best I could. On Saturday however I could definitely feel it. The sinus pressure, the sleepiness, the runny nose. But I had been invited to Pueblo to see my sisters and some friends and then head to Denver on Monday to go to Water World. There was no way I was missing out on that. So I packed my bag, jumped into my oh-so-lovely-Blazer-which-eats-gas-like-a-pig-on-slop, and headed down the road. The 2 1/2 hour trip wasn't real exciting, so there's really nothing to tell you about that. Upon arrival at my sister and her husband's house I collapsed on the couch and caught up on news and life in general. But my health took a steady fall downwards. By the end of the night I was lying on the couch under a blanket, with Kleenex's in hand and popping some Tylenol Cold. The next morning I felt somewhat better, but still pretty pathetic. We hung around the house, went to the mall to window shop, rented a movie (V For Vendetta, which I'll have to review for you, because I enjoyed it so much), then went out to eat Chinese with our friends Josh and Lisa. It seemed that everyone had an errand to run at Walmart that evening, so we all drove over and hung out there, while Lisa shopped for groceries and camping supplies, and everyone else bought their fishing licenses. Josh's brother Matt, who drove up from Oklahoma, met us at Walmart, and then dropped by the house to play a golf video game with us. I think I'm getting the hang of that game... Sort of.
   The next morning we awoke to pack our swimming gear into the car and drive 2 1/2 hours up to Denver where we all planned on spending the day at Water world (the 6th top family water park vacation destination in the US!). I haven't had so much fun in a while. Tubing down waterslides all day with a group of 10 friends is something everyone should experience. Matt and I had our own adventure when we tried out the Screaming Mimi (and yeah, you scream) and hung out in the wave pool when we were separated from the rest of the group.
   Matt was celebrating his 22nd birthday (Happy Birthday Matt!), I think he had fun.
   After Water world closed we decided to go to the Rockies game that night. I have never been to a major league (or even minor league) baseball game, and stepping out into the seating area for the first time was quite the experience, as well as sitting up in the nosebleed section! lol The game turned out to be one of the best I've seen in a while. My favorite Rocky, Todd Helton, had some great hits. In fact, it had been so long since I'd watched a Rockies game that he was the only one I recognized. Nevertheless, it was great. There was almost a major fight in the infield after the Rockies pitcher hit the batter twice (or came close to it... couldn't really tell) and the ump threw him out. All the players rushed on the field, along with the coaches, managers, etc., etc.. It was quite funny to watch, especially when the crowd is screaming and booing at the same time. Thankfully the fight never fully became so the game continued on, tied at 3-3 at the bottom of the 9th. Then with two spectacular hits, the last a home run the Rockies won the game and the crowd leapt to their feet cheering. A great, great night. Well worth $9, I must say!
   Here are a few pictures that I do have (more to come soon from friends with cameras).

Our view from our "nosebleed" seats - quite nice I must say.

The Rockies scoreboard/video thingy with one of our beautiful Colorado sunsets as a backdrop.

My sister Carla and a friend, Max. Intently watching the game.

Jeremy and Laura, the cutest couple ever.

Max, who has fallen asleep.

Matt the birthday boy. In this group of friends, the birthday boy or girl must wear this hat all day and add some kind of pin to it. Matt added a Rockies pin.

After the game, all the guys decided to hoist a girl up for pictures. You couldn't tell we'd been having a day of fun can you? Right to Left: Laura and Jeremy, Me and Matt, Lisa, Josh and Lisa's sister Gina.

Chores

Fri, 4 Aug 2006 16:41:00 -0500

   Mom and Rebekah went to Pueblo to visit my sisters, while I stayed home to answer the telephone (just had a big ad come out in a magazine, so the phone rings off the hook with catalog requests, questions and orders), and catch up on chores.
   Have you ever noticed how when several people in your home leave for a couple days or go on a vacation that they leave the house in, well, kind of a mess! But when you all leave you try to leave the house somewhat neat. At least I've found this to happen around here.
   So I was a busy little "housewife" yesterday and then again today. Getting laundry done, folding the clothes, cleaning the bathroom, washing a rather large bunch of dishes (which I am positive I didn't get dirty) so I will have pans to cook in and utensils to eat with, vacuuming the floors...
    Oh... speaking of vacuuming the floors... We have had one of the worst seasons of flying ants here. Do you get those? They look like large red ants with wings. They fly to every light source and all the males will huddle together trying to get to the female, ending up with a large "ball" of angry ants. I'm not real fond of insects, just ask my friends who've all seen me act like a sissy when there is a spider or almost any kind of bug. Anyways, so having a gillion ants in your house at night dive bombing you whilst they try to get to the light is NOT my way of having a good evening. Our house must have a flashing neon light at every possible bug entrance, "Come in and party!" It's to the point where I leave a light on in the laundry room or bathroom, wait a good amount of time for all the ants to leave my room, then I shut off that light and fumble my way to bed in the dark. This way I don't have to leap out of bed throwing off my clothes to find the ant who thinks that crawling on me is a way to make friends. Yes, trying to sleep after that is nearly impossible as every hair that moves on your body feels like a bug.
   It's so bad that if there is a moon out I shut the curtains so the ants don't flock to the window, and I cover the light on my iPod speakers with a sock so they don't attract to that. And don't even think about being on the computer with no other "brighter" light on in that room. Not unless you like ants on your screen, that is.
   So every morning I get to wake up to an array of dead ants on the kitchen floor. So gross. I can't wait until the ants die.
   On to other topics... I have melodrama practice tonight. That's right! I am in this year's Kit Carson Day Melodrama (the closest thing Kit Carson will ever have to live entertainment). I've grown up watching this each year and it is one of the funniest things you'll ever see. All the cast, intermission acts, and musicians are local and there is only one thing they strive to do. Make You Laugh! The play (or melodrama as we like to call it) is always over the top. You have your fair heroin, your handsome hero, and your evil villian, along with some other hilarious sidekicks. The lines are, in a word, melodramatic.
   This year we are headed to the South, Mississippi that is. This means that we all have to speak in a southern accent. Now, none of us have ever even been in the deep south, so we are winging this one. I play a grumbling cook. Not sure why mister director/villain exactly chose this part for me (sends a raised eyebrow in his direction), but I enjoy it anyhow. I'd rather have a part that is quirky and something I can throw myself into than a part that is somewhat normal. Practice thus far has been hilarious. We've all collasped into fits of giggles at one point or another. I'd do this again at the drop of a hat just to have this routine of laughter with friends.
   I hope that when we actually perform this on Kit Carson Day (September 2nd, for those that are counting) I'll get someone to film it and then put it online (or at least part of it) for you all to watch. I guarantee you'll laugh.

Catching Up

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 11:42:00 -0500

After being reminded (so kindly I might add) that I haven't blogged in almost a month's time, I'm back to jot down a little news for my wonderful readers. First of all, I CANNOT believe it's been a month since my last post. Un Be Lieve Able! Time has just been flying.
   My cousin's wedding went really well, the ceremony was informal, but powerful. My mom's cousin's husband said some wonderful things. The wedding party came together and laid hands on the bride and groom and joined in prayer for their life together. It was an amazing moment. There were quite a few moments of laughter as well. During the rehearsal the night before a cricket had fallen out of the lighting in the ceiling (the wedding was held in a 4H fair building) and a fellow bridesmaid and myself shrieked and kept a nervous eye on the ceiling, lest one of its buddies should join it, but land on our heads by mistake. So during the wedding, in the midst of the vows what should fall from the ceiling just beside the pastor? Yeah you guessed it. The whole wedding party cracked up and the other bridesmaid gave me a look and we burst out laughing. Oh the memories we'll have from that one.
   Last week Mom, Rebekah and I drove to Kansas City to help an old friend, Robin, from Kit Carson move to her new place in Hays, Kansas. Her and her husband and their little family (they have two adorable boys) were leaving the big city. She is a chiropractor and is starting a new job in Hays. Packing up and loading the trucks went really well. The humidity was hard to get over, since we're dry land natives. The heat was intensified and while I�ve experienced it before Mom and Rebekah have never been in Missouri in the summer. It was completely foreign to them to be sopping wet without having been in water. lol I must admit it was funny.
   They were so kind and took us to Oceans of Fun in KC where we cooled off in the pools and waterslides. Unlike Colorado the pools were very warm! It was odd. You didn't really "cool off" you just got wetter.
Robin also took us for a driving tour of downtown Kansas City, some of which I am familiar with from my yearly trips via train to Missouri. I was able to point out Union Station to mom and Beka who were amazed at its size and splendor (if you've never seen it, it is a really neat old building - my grandparents were there in the 40's or 50's). I also "introduced" them to my friend's fountain which is right in front of the train station. There is a story to that one, but I'll be kind and not publish it for the world to see.
   Overall it was a lot of work, a lot of sweat, but enjoyable! For the drive to Hays we really had a caravan. Robin's husband, Tim, drove the big U-Haul, Robin drove all the kids in her minivan (a SPORT minivan I should add), Tim's brother and wife drove their pickup with yard stuff in it, mom drove our car loaded with TV's and pillows and blankets and pictures, and I drove Tim's car. Yes. I drove in Kansas City. And I lived to tell the tale! Amazing isn't it? I have to admit that I was rather proud of that accomplishment. I might have been nervous as can be, but I made it! The drive was rather long - 4 hours I believe, or was it 5? Anyways, I was pretty tired when we rolled into Hays that afternoon. Luckily there was a crowd of friends and family there to help unload and set up house. Then there was pizza all around.
   After getting home on Sunday I crashed, then woke up the next morning to rush back into work and chores. The week has been crazy with jobs, orders, and just catching back up with life.
   So hopefully I'll be around a bit more and keep this blog a bit more current than a post every month.