Twinkies

Given my history, you might actually think this post has nothing to do with Twinkies, but ah ha! I got you, IT IS about the all-American, sweet cream filled, moist golden, could sit in the west desert for a year and not go bad because it's so filled with scary preservatives that I can't even pronounce them, snack. Twinkies in itself is such a funny word that there was nothing else to call this particular post. I have a joke with a good friend of mine who is sadly moving away to California...about yes, Twinkies. And of course there is nothing better to send a friend away with than good memories. So I as I stood dutifully in the store to buy Twinkies it occurred to me that I had no idea where to look for them. It was then that I realized, I've never bought a box of Twinkies in my life. Really, never? Really, never. I bought 3. Two for a Twinkie dessert which I have lovingly named Redneck Delight (just add fried chicken, instant mashed potatoes and gravy from a jar) and one for my friend to take on the road. I think that I have fulfilled my quota for Twinkie purchases for the rest of my life.

Semi-annual Review

Well look at that, it's July, five months since my last post, I don't have a job after all, and there is still dog hair in the corners of the house, I border consistently on not enough sleep (thank heavens for Xyng). But all is not lost, I'm glad to see that I haven't disappointed my last resolution of breaking my resolutions. So in review, it's been a start to another successful year!

Civil War

I recently took a full time position. Doing something virtually new to me...foreign so to speak. I start in late March, I am hoping for the 22nd. This has pros like...getting a steady paycheck, having insurance, not staring at my floor knowing it needs vacuuming at two in the afternoon and cons like...not being here when the kids are done with school, losing out on my Tuesday morning golf league and dealing with office politics and drama. Perhaps though, the biggest con is the fact that I will not be able to blog at 2am without serious drawbacks and my 5 times a week at the gym at 8:45 am will now have to be at 5:45 am. Yes, I did say 5:45, this is where the civil war has occurred. Anyone can tell you I am NOT a morning person. I would rather walk across hot coals on my way to the dentist, carrying a half dozen porcupines on my back than get up before the sun...you get the picture. In preparation for this, my body has gone into rebellion. I fall asleep at horrible hours, I can't get up and I am sleepy half way through the day. I keep thinking to myself, I should start getting up earlier and gradually work my way into this. But take last night for example, I actually went to bed around 10:30. When 7:30 rolled around I pulled the covers over my head and by 2:00 this afternoon I was ready for a nap! Seriously!

Goal Setting

Good grief, where does the time go? 2010 resolutions- 1. Try posting a blog update more often than every 2 months although since Tracy is the only one who reads it may be I should just call her on the phone and let her know what's new. 2. Spend more quality time with the kids. So what if they'd rather play their Nintendo game, force the issue and make them like it! 3. Figure out what to do with my life. Should I know what I want to be when I grow up yet? Is there a job out there that I can like what I do, work minimal hours and make maximum money? I need to find that job. 4. Clean house, after all Superbowl is coming up again and I need to get the dog hair out of the corners so people don't see how we really live. 5. Get some sleep. Maybe then I wouldn't be so ornery. No, then I'll just be well rested and grumpy. 6. Break all my resolutions and try again next year.

Chapter 17

The past is such a funny thing. When I think about mine, I wonder why I didn't apply myself in school, I wonder why I wasted so much time in front of the mirror and I wonder what I was thinking when I made some of those fabulous choices. I really don't give my younger persona much credit because let's face it, kids are just plain self absorbed and inexperienced.

The other day I was digging around for an old picture for a friend and I found something I wrote in 1988. I was surprised at how intuitive it was.

A person's chronological age is not nearly as important as how he sees himself. You can be full in years but young in spirit. How you see yourself is often related to what you do with yourself, and what you do with yourself is often related to how you feel. Although, age has it's compensations you can increase your quality of enjoyment for you are rich in experience. The most important thing is not just to add years to life, but to add life to your years.

Not quite sure what to think about my 17 year old self but maybe I need to take some of my own advice!

One Last Hurrah!

Dead Horse Point

Nothing stops a mother's heart like your children running along the edge of a 2000 foot cliff. It's amazing that none of us dropped dead right there on the spot. Here we are clinging to the girls in case a good strong wind comes along and blows us right off. Legend has it that cowboys corralled wild mustangs onto this butte and forgot about them. The state park sign that is posted at the view point tugs at your heart strings describing the poor horses looking on the Colorado River longing for thirst. While I feel that it was a terrible tragedy, I find it somewhat amusing that the writer would think that a horse could possibly see and know that there was a river just full of satisfying water a mere 2000 feet below. Well in any case we were careful to bring lots of drinking water for us while we hiked around the Gemini Bridges area, Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands. We had a great feasts of dutch oven cooking and Tracy made her first s'more. But you know that it has been a successful trip when you run out of beer and you get a camping ticket. I can't wait until next year!

Sobered Up!

Well I have finally sobered up since the last post. And what a long drunken stupor it was! Ok, actually it was just a summer full of fun and adventures. When it finally warmed up in June we took a trip to Topaz mountain with our good friends the Browings to collect crystals and try our hand at dutch oven cooking. It was a smashing success! We found tons of beautiful crystals and Apache Tears. We ate like kings and queens, princes and princesses! It's a good thing we followed all that eating up with a hike to the top of a mountain. In July, the kids took swim lessons and played in a junior golf tournament and won a trophy! Then the kids and I were invited to join my friend Beth and her kids to her home town of Spokane. Her parents were patient hosts with 5 kids tearing up the place and Beth was an awesome tour guide showing us all over the area including Coeur d'Alene Lake and Arbor Crest Winery. We finished off the trip by meeting Tom and Andy in Riggins, Idaho where Andy won $500 in prize money for dazzling the town with his country music. At the end of July the kids started back up in school again (darn this year round school schedule!). 4th grade for Tommie and 1st grade for Michael. August started off with my 20 year high school reunion. I wasn't going to go but Tom convinced me that it would be fun and...actually it was. Most people had gotten past the immaturity and generally wanted to know what you were up to. Then a few days later we had that country star (Andy) in our backyard to play for our friends and neighbors. The wind blew like crazy but that was all a plan to get the music to float up the canyon. I finished up August with a girls trip to Park City. We floated down the 45 degree Provo river which was pretty fun, except the part where Julie and I did a very graceful flip and we froze our butts off! Sharing a few bottles of wine and a soak in the crater at the Homestead and then later in the hotel hot tub warmed us up though. So you see I wasn't drunk all this time, well... maybe some of the time.