Pay It Forward!

"The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me during this year. When and What will be a surprise. There's a small catch though....Post this same thing on your blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift."

Bald Eagles

Elise had her first REPORT to do this past weekend. I've known about it since Wednesday... I'm a professional procrastinator. I should have a plaque on the wall with golden engraving stating that I graduated sometime around middle school with my PhD in Procrastination, but mom didn't get me one. I suppose that it was an extra-cost-option. So I'm passing on this degree to my offspring. We started her report on Sunday night at 5 minutes to 8 pm, for a paper that was due Monday morning at 8:45. Yes. I nearly lost my patience and we got it done around 9:45 pm. UGH. But Elise did a fantastic job. Here it is. She came home very excited about the whole thing. The class was great while they read their papers about their favorite bird. I'm pleased with her knowledge and her ability to cruise through a book to find the information she needs. She did great... now if I can just train that procrastination out of both of us, we'll be good. Below is a close up to what she wrote. We talked about the questions her teacher wanted answered in the paper, found the answers, wrote a rough draft, corrected the draft, and wrote it nice and neat on a clean sheet of paper. Then she traced a bald eagle from her tracing book, brushed her teeth and hair, changed clothes and collapsed into bed, only after begging for a story, which I advised her wouldn't happen due to the late hour. Then she informed me when she got home from school today that she missed TWO recesses because she was so slow today doing her work in class. Sleep deprivation.

I hope you can click on this pic and see it better on your computer. It is kind of small, but is a great representation of her handwriting skill. She's doing great.

Frustration at the Peak

I woke up this morning happy that I took half a unisom to help me sleep. I slept like a dead person. Felt great! And it was snowing! I love the snow. It is so beautiful, it is so soft, it just feels good to me to have all that fresh white. Then I remembered that I had a chiropractic appointment this morning, on the OTHER side of the mountains. UGH. I always feel really great afterward, but I did NOT want to leave the house!! Just didn't want to get in the car and drive anywhere. So I continued on in my morning. Kid on the bus, check. Shower, check. Hair, didn't wash it so check. Teeth brushed, check. Still snowing, check. Mountain ranges clouded over receiving snow, check.

UGH. I normally don't mind driving in the snow, but something about this morning just ached for me to not go. I should have stayed home.

I usually drive over Trapper's Loop to Mountain Green, down the Weber Canyon and up 89 to my clinic where I get all my adjustments and some relaxation twice a week. So I drove out the driveway and headed to Huntsville... roads snow packed when I hit Huntsville's Chevron. No problem. I've driven my little beep beep over those mountains in a blizzard and didn't see ANY other vehicles that night, but I did see a slow moving moose in my way that night... better than a yedi! So I kept going. Up the first hill I got the thought that maybe I should have stayed home. The closer I got to the top (Snowbasin road) the faster my tires were spinning and the slower I was actually going. Strange how that can be. I got passed by two cars. That sucked. When I reached the top I felt like a lonesome lost soul. All alone for the descent.

Down I went, slower than I thought was possible, I think 15 or so. Down was easy compared to up. But it was slick. Why didn't I have traction? This was ridiculous. I've done this SO many times before. By the time I got to the gas station at the bottom, I realized I'd locked my left wrist into such a stiff position that it hurt. Physically hurt to use it in any other position. I had no idea I was gripping that hard to my steering wheel. Hanging on for dear life was more like it. The canyon wasn't much better. Only I wasn't alone and I wasn't the only one driving slowly. That made me feel better. I was being followed at a good distance by a truck and it was going just as cautiously as I was. Traffic going east was stopped, rigs putting on their chains (man I wish I'd bought my brother's chains last winter!). But Ogden was good. Roads mostly clear.

The way home brought my frustration to the Peak. Clear roads, slightly wet, a few snow flakes floating harmlessly to the ground and I got stuck behind a crossover vehicle (yes, 4-wheel drive crossover!!!) that insisted on driving 25 the entire Ogden Canyon. Braking to below that for turns or hills. Undoubtedly I'm related to this poor individual because I married into the genetic Ogden Valley gene pool. But seriously, 25? Really?? The road is mostly flat... there is that one part that has that little bump and a turn combo that I really love to fling around usually, but I wouldn't have today, even with this idiot in front of me. By the time we got through the canyon I thought, ya, this person had better drive to some resort and park it... they can't be local. No, they turned left over the dam with me. Darn it! Breathe deeply. I pulled back away from crossover from the slow days, and gave it a good head start so I could avoid jumping out of my car and committing crimes I shouldn't admit that I wanted to commit at all... blood pressure check! Speed limit over there is 50, I know people who can run faster than this person chose to drive!! And of course, passing isn't always safe, particularly when you've got cars coming at you from the other direction, or I would have done it. Finally a Jeep pulled up behind me and I glanced in the rear view, and noticed this guy getting just as frustrated as I was... he backed off. I turned up Armageddon louder and screamed things I can't repeat when crossover from the 20's slowed down to 20 or so right before the break off to Eden.... praying that he'd turn to go the other way, I finally was set free, just in time to meet where apparently they haven't focused on plowing today... fishtail. I looked like an idiot. GRRR!! So I rip it up the hill by Hill's and gun it into my own unplowed drive getting on the brakes just in time so I didn't crash into my fiberglass garage door that opens manually.

I'm so glad I made it home without hurting anyone today. I have a 2-wheel drive, 6-cylinder car, and I'm glad I wasn't in a hummer today... I'd have had smashed up that 4 wheel drive crossover like a bug. Maybe that is why I'm so tired tonight. All that tension from this morning.

Oh and I totally owe you one for reading this all the way through... Not sure what you'll get for it, but I appreciate you reading my rantings.

PS If that was YOU in the crossover, or one of the two vehicles that passed me going uphill toward Basin, you really ticked me off. But I'll love you tomorrow anyway. Promise. But just this once.

On the Day You Were Born

Hey I got this in an email from my mother (who texts me when she wants to tell me anything which I find bizarre! Oh and she totally played hookie from work today. Mike knows where I get my tendencies from...) moving on...

You might want to go here and see which song was the #1 hit song the day you were born. It is kinda fun. I apparently was born the day that Blondie had a hit song! I had no CLUE who Blondie is, but I googled her name and song and I've heard that song before... not one of my favorite 80's hits, but I guess someone liked it that day!! Oh, and her hair color is back in style again. I still am not sure what to do with that color combo... I couldn't do it. But some of you can!

Arches Slideshow!

A Few Things

I was hoping to be posting pics from my most recent adventure to Moab from last week, but I think Mike took his camera to work... and I don't think he left pics on the computer for me... :( I'll have to add those later, but here's a quick update of some things.
(PS I got the camera!!!!! See post above for pics in a slide show!)

Went to Moab last week. Mike's work was doing a solar installation on the roof of the Moab Arts & Recreation Building/Center (they call it the Marc there, which left me speechless the first few times trying to figure out who Mark was... duh Vick!!) The array (arrangement of solar panels!) looks really nice on their roof. And Mike & Co always always always do great clean work so the WHOLE thing looks fantastic, and they even cleaned up after themselves. I love that I can say that about them. They are good boys!

I hiked around Arches one of the three or was it four days we were there... yah, it was very pretty, and I was very adventurous for a pregnant lady travelling solo in a huge park with little to no cell phone service... I went about half-way through the Park Avenue hike. That was cool. I hiked to the end of the lookout to Delicate Arch, the upper one, then upon reaching the top and thinking "man that is far away! AND that was a long uphill walk." I turned around and went down the hill to hike the small (okay it was 20 feet) length to the lower lookout, and amazingly got the same view... So, if you are planning on just doing the lookout, go for the lower one; saves time and energy. You can even use the same zoom on your camera and get the same pictures. But if you have the time and the energy and aren't 7 months pregnant, go for the LONG walk all the way to the Arch, I've heard it is great. I also hiked in to see Skyline Arch (it might be Skysomethingelse Arch, but this is my blog so I'll name it what I please). That was fun. I saw bunny tracks in the snow and only one other person had been there to mess up the snow besides me and that darn rabbit. It was cool to get that close to an arch, but that one is way up there!
I drove to the Devil's Garden Campground and that was neat. I'd stay there it was very pretty. Oh, side note, when in Arches in the winter, wear fleece lined jeans, the wind is SO cold. But with the sun out, you'll still feel great if you are really workin hard, which I wasn't.

We ate at some interesting places. Eddie McStiff's (oh my what a name). Moab Brewery (I highly suggest this hot spot, and not for the brew!). And the italian place on 100 North. We ate at some mexican flavor restaurant that had great chicken taquitos, but I wouldn't highly suggest them... I think that is all the eating out we did. The hotel had great breakfast (HA! Not!) but I ate there happily for free every morning.

Pregnancy: I got told to "lay low" for the next 4 weeks. If it causes me to have contractions, stop doing it (which means it by the way you didn't need to know that but you do now!!!) And I could use some more water I guess. Oh, and he said, "constipation is not your friend either so don't do that"... LIKE I WOULD TRY FOR THAT ONE!! Yup, I AIM for that daily. heck. And baby is doing great. I got a great picture of her left hand at rest. She napped through the ultrasound this morning. Hands up by the sides of her head, a lot like Elise slept. Oh and her feet are still in my right ribcage if you need to know. Due date still the same... and heartburn is raging still. I did get a prescription for something new to try on that front. I've had my last after dinner shake/dessert until she's born cause that is a sure-fire way to end up with an all-night session of heartburn, acid reflux AND no sleep.

This post needs pics... I'll get them on here tonight. Arches was SO pretty.

Love to ya'll!