The Roadtrip - July 15th 2012 - Part Oregon

They don't give you any warning that you're crossing into another state, so it sure made it hard getting "Welcome to..." pictures, like this - Oh by the way when you crossed the river, you're in Oregon now.

As we  entered into a land of concrete and overpasses we feverishly listened to our GPS Doug-Doug's directions... Shhhh! *holds breath* "In 500 meters take the exit 62A, on your right" we both mimicked 62-eh? *hehehe* then indignantly yelled Doug-Doug!? as we passed exit 62B... only to have Doug-Doug pipe up "In 150 meters take the exit 62A on your right"... and sure enough, there was exit 62A *shakes head*

Dude, since when does B come before A in the alphabet?!?.

Oh, by the way Roadtrip Note #2. When Doug-Doug says 150 meters, it basically means "By the time I finish giving you this instruction - you need to already be doing it"

Completely unrelated cool bridge in Oregon

 The aptly named Sunset Highway is *awesome* at sunset, pardon my sarcasm... Apparently it wasn't bad enough that the angle of the sun was below the visor and shining directly into your eyes, so they resurfaced the asphalt (which you pronounce ass-fault in America *rolls eyes*) with deceivingly black shiny stuff so the sunset reflected beautifully off the road as well.

I'm fairly confident that the only reason we made it to Faith's brother's place that night, was because of Doug-Doug and the 3D view that showed which way the road was turning... but we did get there :)

Accidentally artistic angular shot of The Dalles

 Michelle, Mel's wife assessed the situation and immediately took charge, and promptly took us out and fed us *heh* which I think was best in our travel induced dazes.  We will both "eat anything", but the only (and brilliant) request Faith had was that we go somewhere we couldn't go anywhere else in the States... something unique to Oregon.

Michelle and Mel took us to the coolest pub called... McMenamins! I have no idea where it was or how long it took to get there, but it was like walking into another world. The parking lot was small and dark, but the path up to the pub was like a green vine covered arbor tunnel lit up with beautiful white bulbs... like something from a fairy tale *smiles*

A picture of McMenamins would be much more appropriate here... but it was too dark, so instead you get countryside ;)

We didn't even look inside, instead grabbing a spot out by one of the fires at a huge rustic picnic table that would have been large enough to seat a shipload of Vikings! It was crazy how cozy, and intimate and incredibly comfortable... not the benches, but the atmosphere were... as it felt like being out somewhere camping, cozied up around a campfire.

The company along with the terminator a tall dark and handsome beer, and the summer copper ale were a perfect end to the long day. The food was amazing! the waitress having personally tried many of the dishes and highly recommended *all* of them, I can't remember what I settled on but it had mushrooms and an awesome name. Awesome when said in an *announcers voice* "The Communication Breakdown Burger... Tillamook® cheddar, grilled mushrooms, onion, & bell peppers"

End of day one and we've driven from Vernon BC Canada to Hillsborough (just outside of Portland) Oregon USA...

Daily dose of driving: 848kms (~527mi)

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The Roadtrip - July 15th 2012 - Part Washington

The Fits all packed up we're ready to go, and as we both joke that all you really need is a mastercard... we have a moment of uncertainty... One passport check stop on the side of the highway and we're off! again.

First random ADDDDDDD stops on the trip, were a flea market where we met the nicest lady who wished us well on our adventure... and we picked up our mascot Stitch! Oh and we also stopped at Tickleberries where we got the hugest bag of kettle-corn, it was sooooo good, but I felt like the cookie monster as I managed to eat it *all over* the front seats... I just have this feeling that I am going to find popcorn in the Fit forever now.

Something that would start a trend for the trip to follow, would be pictures of rocks and trees and trees and rocks... and bridges. *I* am a civil-engineer's daughter, I'm not sure what Faith's excuse is. ;)

For a *lot* of the first part of the drive through Washington we were on a highway winding itself between beautiful densely treed mountainside... Faith was driving and gazing in awe at the passing countryside saying things like "Oh wow that's so beautiful" to which I nonchalantly replied "This looks a lot like the Island" ... or "We have that on the Island too"...or "Yeap, the Island's kind of like this"

By about the fifth such exchange she yelled while shaking her fist in mock outrage "Stoppit!!! Let me enjoy America!!!"

This is the random shoe tree, which was kinda cool... until Faith says "Yeah, or it's the way some serial killer keeps count"... Thanks dude, get in the car. Aaaand we're leaving. Now.

Just as we reached a bit of a lull in the day Faith says to me...

F: Should we stop and get gas?

Me: Nah, we still have more than a quarter tank left... and we filled up at the border, we should be good for awhile still.

... as the gas light comes on ...

F: Dude! We're just about out... how you feeling?

Me: A little nervous... you?

F: *nods* A little nervous too...

Fingers crossed and collectively holding our breath we coasted into the 76 "It looks like a racecar!" gas station in Goldendale. 

*phew*

Roadtrip Note #1. Henceforth, the quarter tank mark is practically empty.

"The Evergreen State" you say? Hmmmm maybe ever-green energy... cause I don't see *any* trees, let alone any evergreens :p

And you thought it was just jam

But Mom's can also package their love up and send it to you...

See!

Fish Tails

A couple days before the trip I had finished all the last minute running around and had reached the point of "hurry up and wait" ... wait to buy fruit because you can't take it over the border, wait to be on vacation, wait for Faith to get up here...

*twiddles thumbs*

Of course when waiting it helps to have a bit of a distraction...like puttering around Swan Lake when Ed says "I think I got something" ... "no, maybe not" ... "yeah I got a big'un!"

I thought for sure he'd hooked onto a log, or a patch of swamp grass... so while we puttered in circles around his line I took pictures like this

...and then the tip of his line jiggled, and not just once. It was that very distinctive tug... tug... tug-tug that fishies do! Except that this fishy wasn't running, this fishy had swum straight down to the bottom and was camped out.

After wrestling with this guy for at least 45 minutes we had traded the pole back and forth a number of times, stretched, repositioned, finished a beer, and traded back again... and he had moved about 6 feet, with the grace of a bulldozer. It was 'round about this time we decided that it was a scuba diver messing with us because there isn't anything this big in Swan lake right? Right.

The trouble was we only had 5lb test on, so we couldn't just haul him up by his ear and see what kind of fish he was... Then being the extremely large, wise old fish that he *must* have been, he got bored of fishing with us and removed his new piercing on the weeds that I was so certain Ed had caught in the first place... and swam off without so much as a flip of the tail.

And that my friends, is how fish tales are born.

Shortly after some of the widdle pike took pity on us and let us catch them... just to take the sting off ;)

Patience is not one of my virtues, but after going fishin' with Ed I believe that you just need the right person to wait with... of course the scenery helps too ;)

Pre Roadtrip todo list - July long

It was a big weekend, and not in the way it usually is July long!

This year, my middle-little brother Dan and his now ex-girlfriend Amanda snuck in a visit around a wedding they were attending in Kamloops... and while they were at the wedding, the Sasquatch and I tackled my huge to-do list for the Fit's upcoming Roadtrip out at "The Shop" where I get to wear overalls *grins*.

In the span of a few hours...

We took off the winter tires, replaced the front brake pads and put the summer tires on... Installed a cigarette lighter into the cup-holder in the back, which always has power, so I can charge my phone without turning the car on!

Much more functional than the awkward position for a cup holder

Installed a hood mounted antenna (+5 HAM radio nerd points)... and mounted the clam, which if you'll recall the alternate mounting hardware required a little extra coercion and coaxing :)

The Sasquatch, grinding the extra sticky-outy bits off the U-bolts

Oh, AND we installed the headache rack on his truck!

I declare that the Fit is of sound mind and body, and thoroughly ready for this roadtrip... Me? not quite so much yet ;) 

*Announcer voice* The day before... The Roadtrip

I didn't tell anyone before we left that Faith didn't know how to drive standard... Not that it was a big secret or anything, but I didn't want everyone to think that I'm actually as crazy as I know I am. But the thing is, she already knows how to drive and she can play drums, what more do you need?!?

She was justifiably a little nervous about it as we got closer and closer to the trip, and I reassured her with utmost confidence that everything would be just fine... *whispers* never for a second letting on that if I stopped and thought about it for more than a few seconds, it made me a little nervous too. 

So after a couple loops around the disappointingly small gated-off ice arena parking lot, we took the back road out to the highway. Since driving a standard on the highway is *exactly* the same as driving an automatic... except that she's stubborn and wouldn't believe me until we did it ;)

Back in town we did a crash course on the most frustrating part of driving stick... That moment when the light turns green and there's someone behind you... That zen moment when everything has to come together in perfect harmony or you will stall. 

Needless to say I am not a Zen Master and was unable to pass on all that I have learned... So we hung out first in line for the light for two, maybe three sets of green, and I watched everyone just drive around...

Shortly after Faith confessed to being thoroughly frustrated with the car, herself and me - not necessarily in that order ;) 

"I'm really glad I didn't learn in LA people would've been yelling at me and honkin' and throwing stuff!"

Who can drive stick shift now?!? *this girl* that's right ;)

 

Ironic really

Apparently the hot weather we've had was too much for the ice pack to handle... so it committed hari-kari :S

Enough is enough

Well... here we are days after I returned from a 3 week extended vacation from the real world... and I've only just managed to return my life to some semblance of order. Translation: I finally cleaned out the cooler *gross* and I still have four or five loads of laundry to do ;)

It was an incredible trip, and while I'm not as sad that it's over as I expected to be... there is a melancholy... a quiet peaceful yearning that has settled into the space left by my two roadtrip companions. Don't get me wrong, I don't miss the long days we were putting in driving the road but I do miss the shared moments of awe and laughter.

The important thing is that I've decided that I've procrastinated long enough. So what I'm going to do, well what I'd like to do... alright my goal is, to do one day a night until I've told as many of the amazing, wonderful, and funny moments as I can remember.
 
As Vizzini in the Princess Bride said to go back to the beginning, that is what I'm going to do.

I hope you enjoy the adventure, I certainly did ;)

Somewhere in Wyoming...still alive! Haven't killed each other yet. But it *is* freakin' hot =/

There are boobs everywhere!

Super neat mammatus cloud formation I saw just the other day, *hehe* it's also known as a breast cloud ;)

Self, this is why I wear bike gloves

Came burnin' into tkd last night (yes I was a little late) took the corner, and hit some of that light gravel from all the rain we've been having... naturally it was just in behind an older couple who were almost at the door when my back tire washed out!

I came skiddin' in sideways like Kramer my left hand pavement surfing... as they whipped around with matching looks of horror and concern on their faces!

In my head it looked pretty awesome, until I tried to get up quickly and do the *I'm okay wave* ...and nearly tripped over my handlebars :p

*whistles* moving along folks, nothing to see here ;)

Painting the purgola

I found myself helping friends this weekend, which in the grand scheme of things with the number of times they've saved my bacon its the least I can do.  Mmmmm bacon...

Meet the purgola, which has many angles... and different sides depending which angle you're looking from... which makes it *really* hard to paint :p 

See... bottom left, I missed a bit.

Feelin' a little blue...

But that's okay because blue makes everything better!

So much for this being "The Sunny Okanagan"

Rain rain...go away.

Come again a-nother day. 

Sa-mantha wants to play. 

Rain rain GO AWAY!

It's been raining on and off like this for what feels like weeks now. The highway is washed out in Sicamous, and there are massive mud slides between Revelstoke and Golden. Revelstoke damn has now opened the flood gates twice! Our lakes are rapidly approaching maximum capacity and running out of places to keep all this water... at the rate things are going people are going to have to start storing it in their bathtubs and living-rooms... and that's gonna suck.

I'm a wet-coast girl, but I could be done with the rain for a little while. I hear Colorado is burning to the ground, couldn't we send them some of this water?

Please? *bambie eyes*

Just *do* it! Full training - Part "The Bike/Run"

We stagger out of the water... "dash" up to the car, and discover just how hard it is to undo let alone *remove* your wetsuit with cold fingers.

Precious transition minutes of fumbling later, and we both manage to get into our bike gear without flashing the mobs on the beach that are prudently staying out of the water... and discover our second "problem". How to put on socks and runners without the sand that has liberally applied itself all over our feet and between our toes.

I don't care how fast your transition is, if you have sand in your shoes I'm *pretty sure* you're going to wear your feet down to a leg nub! A squirty bottle of water and a towel off later we're back in business. Note to self for race day: extra rinse off water.

We joke about how great it is going to be on race day not having to pull two bikes out of the back of The Fit... when m&m asks the question that would spark the motto for the rest of this adventure "Where did you put your wetsuit?" to which I respond...

"In the transition area..." *smiles*

The bike was beautiful, we did a half hour subset of it and it felt pretty good... the transition, nothing of note... and then the run.

The run started out slowly, so slowly I thought that my legs had been cast from concrete and liquid lead poured through my veins... Other than that and the feeling that I had to pee *soooo badly* (which I didn't) it was completely uninteresting until we both finally admitted to being starving.  Apparently you need more than a six-inch sub from Subway to fuel a triathlon.

A quick dip in the lake *after* the bike/run sans wetsuit felt absolutely AMAZING!!! Why don't they do things in that order?!?! I'm telling you, it would be sooooo much better...

After congratulating ourselves on our epic "full transition training" we ducked over to the Blue Heron for dinner, and proceeded to eat an entire plate of calamari... two steak sandwiches with fries... and a full order of spinach salad washed down with an entire pitcher of water and a couple iced teas and cokes.

That ought to hold us till Sunday ;)

Just *do* it! Full training - Part "The Swim"

Today, 3 days before...

*ahem* The Triathlon

We finally did a little bit of everything training... including transitions. Alright, basically we sucked it up and did the lake swim.

Trying to get organized at lunch was a gong show, but we managed... you sure need a lot of stuff for this event!

Three minutes from the lake, and I'm psyching myself up for how cold I think the swim is going to be. Couple deep breaths... a little cajoling, c'mon you're Canadian what's a little cold water with a wet suit on? You've swum in the Pacific on boxing day!

It was perfect, we were able to park right on the beach, suit up... give each other that little bit of moral co-motivation, co-inspiration and uh a couple other words that end in 'ation'... and we were doing *it*.

Second step into the lake, and it is feeling fairly frigid... then it hit my wetsuit at mid-thigh and it wasn't nearly so bad. A few more steps and my wetsuit that I've owned since highschool is letting cold water in at the seams... I can feel it very distinctly. Every single stitch hole.

One last look at each other, with the taunt "Well? Are we going to swim or not?!?" and I dive in...

I'm pretty sure that my lungs come with very specific instructions, and that they say "Do not immerse in cold water. Ever." But they've long since been lost, and this wasn't cold water that was sneaking in the holes in my wetsuit, this was zillions of tiny frozen needles that were attacking me... aggressively.

I'm pretty sure my lungs are the biggest wusses ever, because they shrunk at least three sizes trying to hide from that frigid water. My brain initiated an emergency shut down immediately regressed to glacial swimming instincts: Get in. Get out. With a little luck it's enough to rinse the soap off.

With my decreased lung and brain capacity, I started hyperventilating and broke into a sprint swim. For the endless 10 seconds it took me to regain control of my senses. I waited for Michelle to catch up, and then alternated between repressing the urge to hyperventilate, and mediating the fight between my desire to practice swimming normally and my brains trying to avoid a brain freeze by staying as far out of that frigid water as possible.

First swim? Epic fail.
Awesome? Not doing it for the first time on race day.

Burlap Sack

I recently purchased an Explorer SportRack Car Topper on kijiji that no longer fit the needs of the nice family in my neighbourhood who had a new camper.

I was pretty stoked because it's regularly $219 at Canadian Tire, and I picked it up for $100... it was also wicked because I probably only need it for this roadtrip, and all the other car top carriers are in the neighbourhood of $500, which I would rather put towards a plane ticket... or a new guitar... or maybe a couch that doesn't suck and remind me of first year University after sitting on it for an hour.

The mounting kit which consisted of 4 smooshed U bolts, 4 backing plates, and 8 screw-on nuts with pretty twisty bits... as if I didn't have my own wrench set. And they wanted $54 dollars for putting it all together in a package!!

So, being the frugal cheap bordering on repressed starving University student tendencies... I trucked 'er over to the nuts and bolts and mounting section of the store, and found this:

Which was approx $1.60, and will fit my round roofracks much more nicely. I'm sure I can find something equally cheap, or creative to cover those sticky-uppy ends with too.

ZOMG!!!

I am too tired to tell you about the triathlon this morning, other than to say I survived.

in fact I was going to go straight to bed after turning my bathroom into a Chinese laundry, but then I shook *this* out of my towel!!!

I have no idea wtf it is, it looks almost like a hollow husk of a shell? But I threw a cup over it anyways and left it in the tub... I don't need that crawling around while I'm dead to the world.

Eeeyyyy *pulls collar*

Don't think twice...

Too late, that moment of indecision, should I go back or forward... by the time you've thought that it's already too late...

Now you've done it, you've gone and dribbled down the crack.

:p

The thoughts that you think

I like to look around while running and biking... especially when it's on the road, I mean it's not like any cantankerous old root is going to toss you off the trail. When I tree planted for a summer, one of the most important things I learned was that my body can do a LOT more than I think it can. So I like to let it do it's thing, while I let my mind wander...

I don't really know what most people think while they're training... or participating in physical activities. But I'm totally the kid that's standing out in the middle of the soccer field watching the swallows flit around... until the balls rolls by. Then you can't tell which position I'm *supposed* to be playing... in fact about the only thing that is certain, is that I'm not playing goal.

So the inspirational thought we had while training this week, was that

If this triathlon was a three day event... we'd be awesome!

We've done the full bike, which wasn't too bad... and we've done the full run, which has some *holy crap* hills in the middle of it... like I kid you not, uphill BOTH ways.  Now *I* was under the impression that a "sprint" distance triathlon was an introductory one, like I've decided to try something other than convincing myself that I'm "active" 3-4 times a week.

This could be the death of me.  Hmmmm that could explain why Mitts is more excited about it than I am...

Idle thought for the day...

If this damp rainy overcast weather keeps up... combined with global warming... Canada's going to turn into a rainforest.

That could be kind of interesting... wonder how long it would take the bugs to get huge... *eeyuck* ...and that's enough idle thinking for today.

It could be worse. I know this... but still.

For the most part I have exceptionally good luck and good timing, but when I don't... well it all slides.

This afternoon I went with Aaren to pick up an antenna tower he bought from another HAM operator out in Armstrong, I'd carpooled with m&m this morning so I just gave her my keys. Obviously I didn't think this one through very well.

I got dropped off at my house as I found out she was out at a piano recital. But it's okay, it wasn't really a big deal because they have one of those coded locks... so I walked the 30 seconds up to her house and punched in the code, tried the door, and it was still securely locked.

Punched in the code, listened ...and nothing. Punched in the whoops I just realized I'm moderately dyslexic ... code. Hmm third time, maybe the lock button clears it... punch. in. the. code. *beeeeeep*

Mukka hiya fungoweeee! I really hope that isn't hooked into an alarm system *feverishly texting* ... No, wait... it stopped. *phew*

So here I am standing outside... my spare car key is in my apartment, and my apartment key is attached to my car keys that are sitting on the kitchen counter just beyond this coded door. I really wish I was the hacking kind of nerd right now...

I give up. I didn't want to go to Zumba anyways. So there... *sigh* yeah I did :(

But it's okay, it's really no big deal. All the important people in my life have a spare... I'll just walk over to Shazam's...

Eyah. Not so much... they're at soccer *of course*. Just break in she says... the window over the hot tub, or the bedroom... alarm's off so you don't have to do the mad dash through the house. And "Hamburgers are in the drugs" this message brought to you by autocorrect. *smiles*

Sll*cht* ... sll*cht* ... hmmm or not breaking in. Apparently this is the one time that window is actually locked!?!?! Wtf over!?!?!

By the time I'd tried both windows and decided that I might as well attempt to squiggle around in my utility skort and let myself gracelessly into my bathtub window, they were on their way home...

I know it's not "one of those days" ... the weather is warm enough, it's not raining, and I have people who love me, but it kinda feels like one of those days. My outlook was much improved by that burger in the drugs fridge though ;)

B-9... BINGO!!

I found some remote town in some state... somewhere in the US... and I think my cerebellum has fused, short circuiting the neutronzian reactor causing an emergency shutdown  which has forced an emergency discharge of legacy intelligence... I just forgot everything up to and including highschool.

*wheeeeee*

Ummm I don't think I'm doing this road trip planning thing properly *squints* I can't even see straight I've been looking at the map for so long...

Going on a roadtrip!!

If I haven't mentioned it before now, I am about to embark on a roadtrip of epic proportions... Vernon BC to St. Louis MO.  I've got three weeks booked off and approved for the middle of July. It promises to be one for the books, another chapter in the adventure of my life *grins*


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I was having some trouble planning, there are so many things I want to find and in this age of the internet soooo many resources... but there isn't really a good way to pull them all together. I basically had things spread haphazardly all over my living room.

It was complete and utter chaos and it was getting worse at an alarming rate.

Now the trouble with the coffee table was that my laptop was at an awkward height, I'm either hunched over from the couch (which I considered pulling forward) or I'm sitting on the floor until my butt goes numb, followed shortly by my legs...

Then it hit me! I am the only one who lives here!! I can do whatever I want *wherever* I want to do it. If I want to take over the entire kitchen for road-trip planning, and not clean it off for dinner, I can! So there Dad *sticks out tongue*.

And thus, the road-trip planning command center was born. Isn't it beautiful? *smiles* My laptop is hooked up to an extra monitor for Google mapping locations. I've got my rechargeable cordless mouse, and speakers for inspirational motivating tunage!

Now I can use Google maps to quickly find map locations from the BCAA Travel Guides and sticky note them on my map... and look up images and additional information, and cross reference *everything*.

It. is. AWESOME!

Supernatural Beautiful British Columbia

My English teacher would probably have something to say about that title not being correct with all caps, but it really does deserve it... I mean look at this!

Shuswap falls

I realize it's pretty much the weekend, and I still haven't posted these from last weekend... but check out how gorgeous it is here. Can you believe that I actually *live* here?!?! I mean really, these were taken about an hour away, a lazy Sunday afternoon drive hour away.

Abandoned house just before Mabel Lake

Looking through these again makes me think another trip is in order this weekend... with the canoe.

Mabel Lake

Perrrrrfect rock skipping conditions, and the beach had a handful of suitable flat rounded pancake rocks.

Gorgeous end to an absolutely beautiful day... Oh wait, no... first we grabbed pizza in town, then we went to the Starlight Drive-in movie theater near Enderby. That was a fantastic end to the day, crammed the hide-a-bed mattress in the back of the Fit, it was like being the only ones at our own private movie theater... Totally awesome :)

Breaker breaker... One-Niner

I think we've got ourselves a convoy!

Super cool nerdy surprise to start the morning off, today can't be anything but awesome!! :)

Thanks Aaren VA7 AEJ

First world dilemma

So as you may recall I had a plan. The plan was that I was going to grow my hair out... Because you know, it's been a long time since I've had anything outside of the super-short pixie cut to hockey hair range... and long hair just looks sooooo gorgeous when you curl it, and omg *giggles* look at all the cute things you can do with it!?!

*Ahem* sorry, my inner valley girl snuck out for a second.

Anyways it was going pretty well, well it was going relatively well... alright so it wasn't in a pony tail (the only condition the Approval Committee had when I said I was growing it out) but it *was* twisted and flipped up in a hair clip most of the time. Yes, that is a HUGE step up from pony tail for me.

Right, so I had realized that this long hair things wasn't nearly as cool as I had hoped... but I knew I had to give it a fair chance. So a couple weeks ago I got it coloured and had a style cut into it.

 
Super cute right?? Then I got suckered into had my rubber arm twisted  into playing ball in that tournament in Kamloops... Well it was frizzy and all over the place and then all up in my face when I was driving with the windows down and that was it, I'd had enough... I was done with the long hair.

Chop it all off!

Since then, pretty much everyone I know, has said in the most diplomatic way possible... "You look waayyy better with short hair" So not that I care what anyone else thinks... but I love it! Sooo it's back, and by popular consensus it will most likely stay back...remind me of this 5 weeks from now when it has turned into unruly hockey hair and needs to be trimmed *again*

Creature of habit

This is what happens when my parking auto pilot gets interrupted by someone in my spot *before* I've had my first cup of coffee!!!

Apparently they forgot to tell the new hires that's *my* parking spot ;)

Sound the trumpets, cue the fanfare!

Zoom in a bit, um a bit more...

This was the excitement of the day yesterday... as I caught a motion out of the corner of my eye I heard Connie running at mach 1.5 down the hallway, and saw this little scraggle-muffin trucking through the back yard.

First tourney, and games 2-9 of my season...

I. Hurt. *everywhere*. Even my hurty bits have bits that hurt.

I'm pretty sure my core body temperature has dropped while just sitting at work, as all available resources have been shunted to repairing the damage incurred this weekend.

All said and done though, it was a darn good fundraiser ball weekend... barring the fact that at night it's still fricken' freezing Mr. Bigglesworth!!!!

My apologies... the camera was having as much trouble focusing in the dark as Randy was!

We (and by we I mean my team) executed a text book brilliant triple play as though we had practiced it a thousand times. It was so beautiful I almost cried a little bit. Just to put it in perspective though, Terry, a guy on our team that is older than dirt who's been playing ball for like 37 years said that was the third time he'd seen one...*ever* and he spends a lot of time on the ball field.

The second highlight (some would argue first) was that I took out a guy at second base... What?!? Don't look at me like that, *he* was in my way!!! 

It isn't nearly as bad as it looks...

So there I was standing on second looking down at him as he rolled around writhing in agony, his face all contorted...  Until I said "Duuuuude, are you okay?" I even had a genuine look of concern on my face as I offered him a hand up. Although I'm not going to lie I was giggling a little on the inside. 

You would not believe how quickly he wiped all of that unmanly emotion off of his face and picked himself up and dusted himself off when he realized he'd been run over by a girl ;) You could almost hear the tattered remains of his ego flapping in the breeze, as he attempted to wrap the remains of it around himself.

Seeeeee not so bad, barely worth mentioning here.

By the time we made it to the final game however, our team was played out. It was wet, and cold and raining... most of us were just starting our season and we were ready to go home. We dropped the ball in the last game. Literally, among other things, but at least the loss was a total team effort, just like everything else we did this weekend... but one of my favorite things about it, was when we were all texting our friends and family the bad news and Jesse piped up with "We may have lost the last game, but we came in second in the A division... out of 22 teams. And we were undefeated until the final, that's not too bad guys!"


When you put it like that, it really isn't :) Thanks Goonies for another crazy fun-filled weekend!

Sitting up at the lookout

Sometimes I forget that I live in such a beautiful place... and then I stop and sit down for a moment and watch the world turn with a friend.

Thanks My Kim :)

I love spring in the Okanagan

We were out walking last night instead of training... and we found this tree filled with clusters of beautiful :)

Priorities

Couldn't waste a perfectly good day for fishing on a new haircut ;)

Alllllmost there!

I think I'm on the cusp of awesome... the brink of brilliance... so close and yet so far away!

Teasingly tantalizing... like Scritch (the Squirrel in Ice Age), so close to the acorn he can almost *taste* it... and yet just out of reach.

That, is how programming is going today. I think I almost understand the black magic

*maniacal laugh*

Genius... or what?

Mothers Day, that time of the year when it can take some fairly creative family conspiracy to pull it all together. Subtle and not so subtle hints dropped and eventually received, sometimes approaching Roman court intrigue and manipulation in their delicacy and intricacy... I would love to tell you the intimate details, but my family reads this blog from time to time and I don't want to give away ALL my secrets...

...but at least our family has never done this. "This" I overheard in the change room at the pool this morning and it made me giggle in that "I can't help but overhear your conversation and laugh with you at your expense" kind of way.

Apparently it was this woman's birthday, and her son was born on the same day, who of course naturally thinks that day is all about him now. In any case she'd gone on to the Lululemon website and ordered herself a bunch of new clothes a couple days ago using the business/"aka secret emergency retail therapy" credit card...

Then while opening her presents stopped. *realized* and went waitaminute... This is all the stuff I just ordered!?!?!?! You guys just wrapped everything I just bought myself?!?

Like are you kidding me?!?

So while we may conspire to remind each other to phone and wish you a happy mothers day, and coordinate flowers and dinner cooperatively in the background... we haven't done "this"... although I must say it *is* fairly ingenious, and you would get exactly what you wanted ;)

Happy Mother's Day Mom, I appreciate you :)

Awoooga Awoooga!

I don't know what happened yesterday but it was like everybody decided to start working at... oh say around 2 o'clock.  It was like a delayed reaction to the full moon or something... I literally had 4 people with 6 different problems talking to me at the same time via messenger, phone and our new trouble ticket system AT THE SAME TIME.

I think I was dirty dancing with the boundary of my multi-tasking a.d.d.d.d. limit, it was a little scary... and a little exciting all at the same time... and by exciting I mean juggling an entire carton of eggs in the middle of a mine field.

A lovely dinner, followed by some after dinner entertainment and taekwondo and I'm relaxing on the couch with a purple freezie... it tastes like grape, but I wouldn't call it grape... I mean how much grape can it actually have in it if it tastes the way a scented marker smells *and* turns your tongue purple? It can't possibly be good for you :p

I think though, my favorite part of the day was the apres dinner entertainment consisting of an introduction to "The Pig Family" *ahem*

M: "I'm the Daddy pig George" *SnorT*

A: "No no I'M the Daddy pig!"

M: ... "and I'm the baby pig" *snort*  *heh*

M: ..."and now I'm Mama George" *sng-iggle* *cough* *wheeze* "Oops I said Mama George!"

Mom: "Okay honey let's let A who doesn't have asthma do the introductions" *rubs back*

A: "This is the Daddy pig" *SnnNOOOoORT!!*"

*giggles*

A: "This is the Mama pig *SNORT!!*"

*GIGGLES!*

... by this point it had devolved into everyone was giggling those deep infectious belly giggles ... which is about one of the

Knowing what I do now... *grins*

Granny: "There are things I never told my parents..."

Me: "Really?!?"

Granny: "Oh sure, and I know there are things my children have never told me, and you know what... there are things as a parent that I just never need to know..."

Me: "Thank you Granny, that's really good to know" *impish smile*

Oh the things you can do...

When you don't live at home... wait, you always live at home... but the things you can do when you are left to your own devices unsupervised.

Like soldering in the kitchen! :)

Note to self: Unplug the smoke detector *before* starting next time...