Thursday Interview

Taken from Laura, this looked like a good time killer idea...

1) So what are you doing?
Attempting to clean out my classroom for the last time, and no, I do not mean for the year, I mean for the last time. I don't really want to go into details, but I made the choice to officially move on. I have two full days to do about 4 hours of work, so I'm organizing some files and stuff as well.

2) Any future plans?
Well, I'm working for the Forest Service this summer, and have considered moving and taking a permanent position with them, but I'm still convinced teaching is my thing and want to find another position locally. I do have an interview or two lined up. I'm pretty cranky concerning the situation, so I'm pretty much just waiting to see what happens. I've got the ball rolling and am trying to convince myself that things DO really happen for a reason.

3) Ok then, what about this weekend? Anything planned for the holiday?
Unfortunately no. I probably will work on a forestry contract I have open and help out at the dance my fire department is throwing. What I really want to do is get on a plane and fly REALLY, REALLY far away from here and never come back and deal with my 'situations'. But then I would have to leave the menagerie and I could never do that.

4) So, 'situations'...care to define?
No, not really, except that I seem to stick my foot in it more often that not and it's biting my right in the butt. Now I'm just waiting a few things out to see if I've ruined a really good thing or if I actually have managed to set things back on track correctly.

5) Still upset over the few problems that popped up last week?
Not as much. I'm pretty proactive in trying to fix stuff, and after a few phone calls and explainations things are a bit better. It dealt with some financial stuff and a mail mix up, and some questionable health issues that had me worried. I've chilled out some.

6) That's good news then.
Yes. Now I can concentrate on the rest of it all. I really am trying to stay positive.

7) It doesn't sound like it. In fact, it sounds like you are wallowing in self-pity.
Yup, pretty much so. But if that was all it was I'd never get out of bed and sleep all day. I'm trying to stay busy and get the day to go by as fast a possible because you never know what the next day may bring!

8) What about all the great advice everyone gave you?
I am eternally greatful. Really. I truly am religious and am praying regularly this all works out. It's hard for me to get to mass because of where I live. It's isolated and sometimes mass just doesn't happen because there's nobody to go, but I try. I think I've got to try and have faith on this all. It's out of my hands and I can't really help myself out any more that I already have.

9) Anything positive?
I am looking forward to starting my summer job. I also have lost my winter weight due to nervous tension. I suppose whatever works right?

10) Alrighty...ever get that blog posting problem fixed?
No. It posts alright during the day...like now, but if I write late at night it still won't post until later the next day. I'm convinced it's my broadband service and not blogger. Not too concerned anymore...just more curious.

Resolution

Anyone who's kept up with my blog is sure to realize my year has been anything but boring so far. Event after event after event has seemed to occur, whether they were welcome or not...and it seems I have gotten a rather negative attitude about life in general rampaging through my mind due to it all. Thinking back I'm aware this has been a bit of a downfall of mine in the past when situations become trying, but what I have failed to realize is just how much I have going for me.

Yes, things suck right now for me. There has been death, sickness, life-altering disappointment and unexpected financial changes, and I was hit with two more 'issues' tonight that ruined my plans and had me in tears, but truly, they aren't the end of the world. I've been through worse before, much worse, and I know I can get through all this too even though it seems scary right now. I am resiliant, strong, stubborn and willing to do what it takes to succeed. I also have a great work ethic, try my hardest to be the best I can, am not afraid to try new approaches to tasks in work and life...I also have a lot of energy and keep busy, so why do I get so negative about things? It's ruining my relationships with others and ruining my self-esteem.

I've decided I have to do something about this. I HAVE to change this habit, state of mind, whatever, into something a bit more positive. Yes, I still need people keeping their digits crossed for me, but I sure would appreciate if you all could share with me the things you do to perk yourself up when you've gotten really down and out. Attitude really is everything, but I just need some help getting there occasionally. Some things I've resolved to do? 1o in the list to start:

1) Smile. It just seems to come easier once you put a little effort into it.
2) When I feel like I'm about to start whining about my problems to somebody, stop and ask THEM how they are instead.
3) Learn to say 'no' when asked to take on yet another extra task voluntarily.
4) Continue to keep regular massage appointments to help reduce stress.
5) Stop judging others. I'm not perfect either.
6) Do one purposly random act of kindness for another per week, even if it's just a smile or 'hello' in the Walmart parking lot.
7) Don't 'bury' my head, proverbial or otherwise, when I get down. Go for a walk or ride with the dogs instead.
8) Research for information about the things that are bothering me and continue taking a proactive approach to them.
9) Tell the people who are supportive in my life how much I appreciate them being here.
10) Don't give up.

Problems Anyone?

Does anyone else have this problem? When I publish a new blog, it often takes up to 12 hours to post. I usually write later at night and I've noticed sometimes it doesn't post until the next morning, or sometime not until the next afternoon. Only occasionally does it post right away. This started about the time Blogger went out of beta, but I also started using a broadband service at this time so I'm wondering if it's the service, or Blogger. SO if anyone else has this problem (not like it's THAT big of a deal), then I know it's probably Blogger. If not, my broadband...Maybe if I write things too late at night it needs time to process through the server? I've noticed my service is awefully slow after about 10 at night...

On another note...things are in upheaval right now in my life. Not going to explain other than I have become more and more convinced that integrity is becoming an endangered trait, and that I have made some major decisions in the last year that I have been convinced show I'm standing up for what is right.

Please keep your fingers crossed for me...your toes too if you can!

It's That Time of Year Again!

Busy as usual. Especially with school coming to a close in the next month. I've never seen so many slackers in my life, nor worked so hard to turn the tables. I'm worn out, and truely wondering if I'm cut out for this job in this situation. All I can do is my best though, right?

Shane and I worked Prom last weekend. Not that I wanted to be at the school yet another day of the week (trust me, I usually have my fill by the end of the day Monday), but since they hired Shane for his sound equipment I felt obliged to attend as well. It was interesting, and somebody managed to snap a pic of us together:

Sorry not much interesting going on. Still calving because the owner of the ranch is a moron and kept the bull on all year. Hopefully I'll be done before June. Only 5 left to go anyway. Also been helping Shane try and get planted (barley). We had a HUGE snowstorm the other day...15 inches in less than three hours here at school and they had to let us leave before noon to get home. As it was a lot of people got stuck. Almost all melted here today, and sunny and warm as usual. Typical Colorado weather!

Misc. Rantings

Fire Department Fun

Last weekend we were asked to burn ditches for some ranchers. They usually donate a few hundred dollars to the department, buy us lunch and watch us have fun starting and putting out fires all day. Tumbleweeds fill up the ditches along the roads and when the mountain flood gates are opened to help irrigate the fields, the water can't flow well through these ditches. Most ranchers burn there own, but sometimes things can get out of hand, so we get called into help. It's a ton of fun!

It's also a great learning experience for those guys who don't have much

wildland experience and a great training for those of us who are newer to the engines and the way the pumps work. I got to be the 'hose' girl for the day and mark out wet lines (boundaries for the fire) and keep post from burning when we burned through a fence. I learned a lot about how to get the pumps running and how to refill the tanks from our tender. I figure it's always good to know a little bit about it all in case one day the people who DO know a lot aren't around. Plus I'm totally a hands on learner. Show me and I completely forget once my back is turned.

Easter Sunday

So the weather here literally 'sucked' on Easter. I was planning on spending the day at Shane's dad's house riding and roping with him after church, but nothing went as planned. It rained lots instead. Actually, I felt the day was not a total waste as we went to the nursing home and had lunch with his grandfather. But I was a bit bent out of shape about a few things; first and formost is that I figure Easter as a family day, and Shane's mother's family didn't invite him anywhere and his father had plans with his friend from out of town. I really felt bad for him because usually I get a bit down on the holidays since I live so far from my family, and here is someone who is literally surrounded by family and there is nobody to be with. He didn't seem to mind, but I think it bothered him some, hence why we went to the nursing home...nobody was there with his grandfather either.

I was really happy to be able to spend the day with him, and that he included me in what plans he had. It ment a lot to me, and got a bit on the defense in his case because I've gotten a bit bothered by his family a few times now. Not that all his family members are horrid or anything, it just seems that I see somebody who gives so much whenever he can, but because his parent's are divorced, I feel the families' sort of lost him in the shuffle when he was a kid and they forget he's part of them too. He's awfully close to his grandfather though, and I think it really hurt him that he was sort of 'forgotten' in the nursing home that day. I know thay went and visited him later, but was it so hard to sit down and have a meal with the poor old guy? Well, we did the best we could, and I suppsoe that's what counts.

Wedding Planner Crasher
See, now I just sort of feel guilty about my brother. I am jealous, but in a good way. I've gotten closer to him in the last few months than I have been for years since he told me he was planning on marrying his girlfriend. There's a lot of excitement, and he and I have 'big' plans for the wedding...but then I feel I really shouldn't try and have a say because this isn't my wedding at all, so I'm just becoming the passive listener and being excited for their plans period. Not that I'm a meddler, he and I can just get carried away with ideas over the phone, and it's really his fiance's family who is planning it all.

I guess I feel I want to be involved more. Living 1500 miles away from this all sort of keeps me out of 'the loop' and I'm updated as an afterthought. It's not anybodies fault really. I DO live awfully far away (by choice) and am out of 'the loop' per se. It's just I'd love to help out some with the shower stuff and bachelorette (how the hell do you spell that word?) party, and I just know I won't be able to afford to keep flying back and forth for it all. I want to talk with my mom and brother and suggest they at least plan the shower over holiday time or something when I'm home, but does that seem too demanding? I mean, I wouldn't want somebody telling me I had to make plans around their schedule just so they could be included. Afterall, it's not MY wedding.

Mom For A Week

I really wonder why I do these things to myself...I'm babysitting this week for three kids. Actually, it isn't bad at all. The oldest is 13 and pretty much takes care of herself, the youngest two are 7 and 10 and won't stop fighting. I guess that's the age! It's a ton of energy and I'm so impressed with people who have growing kids in their house! Though I would like children of my own, I definitely don't want to wake up with three having 'miraculously' appeared, half grown already. I'd rather raise my own, thanks.

I'm also shuffling them to and from school and making them work on the ranch because, 'life goes on'. The 10 year old was up half the night sick, but was fine this morning, so I guess it was something he ate. I'm keeping a close eye on him at school, but he's fine so far, so yeah me. I'm exhausted, but I guess it's good practice eh?

Thanks Lesley for the Fun!

Look! I'm and M & M! Complete with John Deere green hat!

My Brother is Getting Married

Bear with me while I whine a bit...

Am I totally wrong for feeling weird (and maybe a bit jealous) over the fact that my brother is going to get married next year? He told me he was going to propose at Thanksgiving, maybe around spring-time, and he did just a few weeks ago.

I do really like the girl he's going to marry, and it seems she's pretty easy going about everything, so the wedding will probably go off with out a hitch...but I'm just feeling a bit strange over the whole thing. My baby brother is getting married, has found a person he wants to spend the rest of his life with and I still haven't. It's just made me a bit depressed, and I'm even more down and out about it because it makes me feel selfish to think this way. I've given myself a lot of time to chew on this too...so it isn't like I'm just jumping on some feelings that popped up when this all started to happen.

I feel I have to work lots harder to reach my goals, have had some serious setbacks, force myself to overcome incredible difficulties...and my brother just waltzes around and has this incredible luck with his jobs and the women he meets. And now he has this amazing woman to spend the rest of his life with and I feel as if it just hasn't been fair. I'm a bit less than happy with work and don't feel appreciated at all, plus I seriously thought I was in some fairy-tale relationship once upon a time, and not only did it go sour, but just about ruined my life as well. It seems things must thunder, lighting and then be knocked down by hurricane force winds before they end for me instead of just having a rain and letting me know it isn't working. I definitely have a life it pours on...and trust me, I would catch the hint if the clouds started rolling in and I was blessed enough to actually have a warning.

Granted, I don't want Prince Charming, they don't exist in real life. And I do have a wonderful relationship NOW though, and maybe things will work out with us, but I occasionally feel like if I start to think about taking this a step farther, all I'll do is step on my brother's toes because he was engaged first. What a conundrum!

I AM happy for my brother. Really. I'm also really glad he doesn't have to deal with the hardships I do, 'cause they suck and I'm not sure I would wish them on anybody. But sometimes I wish big, life-altering, happy things would come to me a bit easier as well...occasionally. Without me having to go to Hell and back first.

Oh God. I'm going to have to wear a bridemaid dress.

It's Happened Again...

Wind storm last night. Tree fell across my drive. Was almost trapped on the place until I remembered I have two other drives (I know, I know, I'm blond and it was way early morning...) that were gated up to keep escaped livestock in. So I just opened one up and drove out!

What is it with me and falling trees?

2 In One Week!

Yup, I thought I should truly update you all with my life for real and let you see some pictures from the last few months.

Let's answer some true questions from 'The Life of Danielle':

So what major events have been occurring these last few months?

Well, after the pumphouse thawed out and water and septic were back up to par I moved home. I was working on a forest contract marking trees, but since the weather has gotten warmer in the last few weeks, I was shut down so as not to damage forest roads driving in and out. The break is nice, but I actually am looking forward to the roads drying back out so I can start making some extra cash again. As mentioned previously, calving is still at it's height, and we are shipping out the last of last years steers and those cows who have been sickly or too old to have healthy calves. By culling the herd things may start to go a bit easier for me.

Done anything fun that doesn't involve work?

I've done quiet a bit of skiing, but since most all of that has been for school, I'm not sure if it counts! I've helped Shane out a lot burning ditches and helping with his cattle at his grandpa's ranch also. In February we drove up to Gillette, WYO to pick up some bucking stock bred cows that are going to calve here next month, and a few weeks ago we drove to Clayton, NM for his mom's birthday. We also have managed to get out riding and starting to rope for the warmer months to come.

How's firefighting going?

Had my first real house fire! Usually all I deal with are vehicle accidents, but we've had two house fires in the last month. Luckily neither were totaled, and one of the houses was a student's place, so it was really hard on her at first, but her room was at least untouched. We also have had a lot of training lately, and being one of the only girls I always feel like I have to work even harder to prove myself. The guys are great and put absolutely no pressure on me, but I'm proud to say that I have been qualified at a Level 1 for SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus), meaning I can be part of an entry team on fires from here on out for my department. I also am being trained to drive the tender, and impressed the guys with being able to shift it without using a clutch.

Want to be anywhere else than here?

Yup. Can't wait until summer break. Granted I'm working for the Forest Service again, I'm looking forward to the money and having three day weekends during which I plan on traveling to rodeo's with Shane. He's actually in Laughlin, NV announcing one of the largest PRCA rodeo's there is. I wish I could be there to see it. He's also doing a PBR there in a few weeks which I'm also going to miss. Bummer.

Major concerns?

School as usual. Family. I'm finding it harder and harder to live away from family and friends, but wouldn't change living out here for anything. It's nice having a boyfriend again, and that helps, but he's thinking of possibly moving so it's been real tough thinking about that. A year from now moving for me could be a real possibility, but for now I'm committed and have contracts. To me, honoring my word means a lot.

I also love the ranch I live on, but it's becoming harder and harder to deal with the guy who owns it. He's a really great old guy, but his business sense sucks, and it seems he has so much money it seems he doesn't care about much and is pretty cheap. I don't want my name associated with a lot of it anymore. I'll do the grunt work, but forget dealing in horses or livestock.

Also, Shane's grandfather has been real sick and it's hard watching someone else worry about someone they love. My grandmother also hasn't been doing to well it seems, and I think I need to take a trip to Louisiana and visit soon here.

Anything else to add?

Come visit! Weather has been mostly beautiful and am a bit lonely for a good time every now and then!

Other than that, everything is doing great at home! Dogs are happy, cats are happy, horses are shedding off those heavy winter coats, my goose is still terrorizing anything that moves, and my chicken has managed to hide her nest good enough that I can't find it! I need help for a chicken egg hunt!

UPDATE!

It's been forever, and I'm making this fast, but I'll get around to writing worthwhile stuff again soon!

The seasons have definitely changed here! Warmer weather and rainstorms, sunny days and spring blizzards; everything contradicts itself at 8,000 feet! I'm half-way through my calving, and hate to say it, but it hasn't been that great of a year concerning calves. I feel loosing one is one too many, and more than that have been lost. It's a bit depressing. One the other hand, Rumba, my mare, is getting closer to foaling and soon I'll have a little bugger running around with his mummy! I can't wait!

With our warm weather has come a decline in skiing conditions. A-Basin is usually open well through June, but these local places are loosing their base fast. As long as the sun is out and the temps are warm it's still worth it, but when it turns rainy, or those Chinook winds start to blow, well, it's just downright miserable!

Been bringing in hay, still! Driving me crazy! So between work and play (mostly work) I've been busy, hence why this thing hasn't been updated!

Still dating Shane. Still happy. Still haven't posted a picture. Sorry!

Will Wonders Never Cease?

I have been so crazy these last few weeks I'm not sure where my head is! We finally have closed the basketball season losing in the District finals on Friday. I hate to say it, but I'm so happy to have my weekends back! I started calving last week and have been averaging about 1 calf a day. I have two heifers (first year moms) that refuse to come in and have been getting up every few hours to drive out in the field and check on them at night. Two nights ago one snuck off though and had her baby. No problems, thank God, but I can't get her in to check if it's a bull or heifer and need to band if it's a bull (put a rubber band around his nuts to make him a steer). Oh well.

Also - Maverick has figured out how to climb fences. Sunday morning was spent trying to Maverick proof the kennel. So far so good, until he finds another corner to climb. I'm glad he's so smart and such a problem solver, but it's beginning to challenge me! And get expensive! He's such a good boy though and I had to hide in the house to get this picture. He waits until I'm gone, jumps up, grabs hold and climbs! I put some chicken wire across the top and he bounce off it a few times until he figured out he was screwed with that maneuver.

But, the real story for the weekend is how amazing animals really are. As mentioned, I'm at the height of calving and recently was up all night with a heifer who lost her baby. He seems to have been dead before birth and came head first, forcing me to catch her in a chute and try and get a leg to pull the calf. My neighbor finally ended up helping me at 4:30 in the morning (they were up calving too), and between the two of us managed to pull the calf. The heifer seems fine, but was a bit depressed at first and wouldn't leave her dead calf. A few days earlier this heifer's mother had had her third calf and was still in the paddock with all the expecting mothers. When I turned the heifer who had lost her calf out with the others, she immediately went over to her mother and started to nurse her little baby brother! Not only did her mom let her do this, but it seems they have teamed up in taking care of the little guy and are sharing him! Isn't it amazing how animals take care of their kids? Even when they are all grown up? I can think of a few people who could learn a few things from these 'dumb' animals.

I wish I had a better picture of all three of them. But they are really protective and want to eat me. This is the 'big momma"! And her daughter looks just like her with red patches over both eyes. The little guy is just too cute for words!

Also - Skiing is awesome this year with all the snow! Here I am braving some arctic weather for thigh deep powder with a few of my students and me with the other sponsor.

Anyway - thought I'd share!

A Little Info...

Since I haven't updated in awhile and am feeling guilty...tada! Anyway - way cool trip to Gillette this weekend. I will update this thing eventually with my real life adventures soon.


1. What is your occupation? High School English and Science Teacher, Rancher, Firefighter and contract Forester
2. What color are your socks right now? I’m not wearing any!
3. What are you listening to right now? My dog terrorize one of the cats
4. What was the last thing that you ate? A cheeseburger at the basketball game
5. Can you drive a stick shift? It’s all I've ever owned practically!
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? pink
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Most definitely
9. How old are you today? 28
10. Favorite drink? Alcoholic -Lambrusco, Non-alcoholic - water
11. Favorite thing to watch? The horses run in from pasture
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? yes
13. Pets? Too many too count!
14. What was the last movie you watched? RV
15. Favorite day of the year? Christmas
16. What do you do to vent anger? Go for a horseback ride or long walk with the dogs
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? Grover
18. What is your favorite season? Fall
19. Hugs or kisses? kisses
20. Cherries or Blueberries? Depending on what I feel like
21. Do you want your friends to email you back? YES :)
22. Who is most likely to respond? not sure
23. Who is least likely to respond? Well, since I’m blogging this, probably everybody
24. Living arrangements? House
25. When was the last time you cried? I was a bit frustrated this evening...
26. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, a spare sock or two, dust?
27. Who is the friend you have known the longest that you are
sending this to? The gals I’ve known the longest who read my blog are probably Lesley and Erin
28. What did you do last night? Drove in from Gillette, WYO with Shane’s bucking stock and crashed (in bed that is)!
29. What is your birth sign? Gemini
30. What/Who inspires you? Mom, dad and hard work
31. What are you afraid of? Having to depend on someone else
32. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheesy and spicy!
33. Favorite dog breed? Boxer crosses or any type of working cattle dog
34. Number of keys on your key ring? Lots...house, school, truck, parent’s, Shane’s, etc...
35. How many years at your current job? Almost 3 and a tenure!
36. Favorite day of the week? Thursday ... a whole 3 day weekend ahead of me!
37. How many states have you lived in? 2 - MI and CO
38. Favorite holiday? Christmas
39. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? Yuppers! Both!
40. Who is your favorite College team? Depends on the season...
41. Do you have a house phone that is NOT cordless? I don’t even have a house phone!
42. Prefer 10 inches of snow or 100 degree weather? 10 inches of snow (but not 10 degree weather)!
43. If you could have the chance to talk to 3 people who are dead, who would
they be? My grandfathers, grandmother and Aunt Gail

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggady Jig

Yeah! Again! I'm home! So 47 feet of frozen PVC was unfrozen under my driveway the other day and the leaks under the house we temporarily sealed until warmer weather. I REFUSE to turn off the water until the weather becomes more consistently above freezing, and have a hose running to the septic line constantly to keep that open and always crack either a faucet in the house or a spigot in the paddocks. This is becoming insane, but I will definitely have stories to tell about this winter for years to come it seems. I keep waiting for the next event to occur.

Of course all of this had to come at the worst time possible with the height of basketball season in full swing, me coaching, FBLA district conferences and Homecoming this Friday (which of course I sponsor). I also need to move in my cattle for calving here real quick and I'm supposed to road-trip in to Gillette, WYO with Shane next weekend to pick up some bucking stock. That at least is the highlight of my next few weeks since he's only been home for 2 days in the last 17 and leaves again the week after next. He has no idea this thing exists and isn't a big internet bum so I feel free to share! So far I've really enjoyed the time I've spent with him.

Anywho - hopefully I'll get some pictures up here within the next few weeks and everybody can at least see how beautiful it's been out here despite the cold. It is warming up though, and we're hitting double digits at night and getting above freezing during the day more regularly.

Yet Another Chapter in the Life of Danielle's House

Okay, okay...it's not funny anymore. Last night I discovered the pipe to the drain under the house had burst and I now have 'Lake Driveway'. Yeah me. So I've once again moved out, but have a plumber coming to see if it can't be fixed in a few hours. Supposedly this probably had been occuring over a long period of time. Seems the water from the laundry did 'er in last night.

Hopefully it's not so bad the water has soaked into the ground so my house starts to sink come spring...Ha, ha, ha....wouldn't that be the kicker?!

Yeah Me!

Yeah! I'm moved back into my house! I kept a heater going in the pump house since it froze and have been keeping my finger's crossed. Last Sunday afternoon it broke through and I have water!!!! Then a few hours later the septic on the south side of the house unfroze and I moved home Monday after school. I didn't realize how stressed out this all had made me and I'm so thankful to all the good thoughts sent my way and all the help my neighbors gave me in hauling water and whatnot. I still have a problem with some septic pipes on the north side of the house, but that can wait until warmer weather.

We've got another cold snap rolling in as I type this, but no fear! I am not turning the water off until it is consistently above freezing EVER again! Currently I have a stock tank running, and though I have a little river running through my pasture because of it...I don't care. See? Lessons learned.

Now that I am safely tucked away back home I can look back a a few incidents fit for the archives and laugh. The tips I have learned:

1) Try to haul water BEFORE temperatures drop before zero so the spigot doesn't freeze. Then you don't have to half drown yourself sucking water through a hose to try and empty out the portable tank.

2) Let the formentioned tank empty of water by hose and don't try and speed the process up by tipping it over once it has become light enough. This may cause you to slip and fall into the stock tank along with the portable tank and freeze your dripping wet rearend to a post while attempting to load the portable back into the truck in shin deep water.

3) Declaw your barn cat so they don't climb to the top of the electric post and get stuck 16 feet in the air after nightfall so your dripping wet rear doesn't have to problem solve and can go inside instead. If this does happen, grab your handy heading rope, stand on the fence next to her and continually swat away until you knock her loose. She may hate you initially, but it beats spending the night in the open. Then go change out of those wet clothes (of course this all happened in one night! What else would you expect from me?).

4) Don't get crabby about your situation. Somebody probably has it worse.

5) Have faith. Sometimes it works!

Thanks again for all the good thoughts!

What Silver Lining?

I need finger's crossed for me, prayers, voodoo...whatever works to get me out of the situation I'm in. I've been dealing with this for over a week now...

As everyone knows, the weather all over the nation has been crazy in the past few weeks. Southern Colorado is no exception, and even though we haven't received the cow killing snowstorms like the front range has been having, we have had some seriously low temperatures and wicked wind. Just an idea of how bad it's been: we didn't have school yesterday because the pump at the school went out and half the teachers are gone this week because though they survived last week, they're finding their pipes are frozen this week! Maybe if we had some sort of snow cover to help insulate the ground that would be one thing, but there's nothing here!

I discovered last Monday morning my pipes had frozen, but since I had some water I figured it must have frozen at the pump. I turned on the faucets, jacked up the heat, and opened the cupboards. My landlord was notified and I headed to work. Didn't work. It seems the same night we had some -40 some degree weather, the bulb in the pump house had burned out and the pipes had frozen there. To top it off, the pressure valve broke. Once that was all fixed up and thawed out I discovered I STILL didn't have any water, and neither did the livestock at the paddocks. So I took last Wednesday off work to try and assess the situation and come up with some sort of emergency plan. I did manage to get water out of the pumphouse and ran a hose to a portable water tank for the livestock. Since then I have discovered many things:

1) The water is not frozen under the house nor at the hydrants. Thus it is frozen somewhere UNDERGROUND and nothing can be done since the pipe is PVC and has to thaw out on it's own. Yeah for May. April if I'm lucky.

2) Septic can only stay unfrozen for so long when the pipes are out of use. Therefor, as of Saturday, my septic is now frozen also.

3) My house is unlivable.

4) Obviously the idiot who put the lines in did not bury them deep enough because the line from the pump to the pumphouse has frozen as well, and now I have absolutely NO water anywhere on the property. Supposedly this violates code and this guys can get in some serious trouble. But what good is that going to do me right now? Even if they made him dig it all back up and fix it, he's still have to wait until thaw.

5) My neighbor rocks because he is letting me fill portable water tanks at his pump and hauling it over to my house for the livestock.

6) The septic can probably be thawed out so I can haul water into the house also, but it needs to get a little warmer so it doesn't freeze right back up.

7) This needs to be figured out soon because I start calving and need to be home more than once a day, and my dogs are seriously starting to hate me.

8) I've moved in with Shane temporarily, but he's gone announcing anyway for awhile so it's no big deal.

9) I'm going broke with all the extra driving to the ranch everyday and 30 miles to a home I can stay in. I didn't budget for an extra 180 miles a week. This may break me.

To top it all off, all this stress and running around in the cold weather after dark has left me one sick puppy. I'm feeling a lot better today and don't have to blow my nose every two seconds, but am really run down and extremely tired. Shane's a doll for putting up with me when he has been home, but I really hate this situation and want my own place back. It helps he's gone for the next two weeks, then I don't feel underfoot, but still, it's not my place and I'd love to just be able to do chores and then kick back and relax instead of having to drive 30 miles just to get a shower.

Looking at the somewhat bright side: I do have a place to live until this gets worked out.

Another One for the Archives...

Ok people. I've got another 'moment' for y'all. So I stayed over at a friends house the other night due to inconvenient weather conditions and was the last to leave the next morning. After warming up my truck and making sure the house was locked up, I started to scrape the snow and ice off my truck. While standing in the door frame I must have hit the door lock and, you guessed it, locked myself out of my running truck. To top it off my phone was locked in the truck as well. Since a convenient ranch work truck was parked next to me, I started rifling through the bed for wire or tools that might help me break into my truck since I became an expert at it with the Chevy (I am notorious for locking my keys in my trucks....). Needless to say I discovered this is almost impossible to do with a Ford unless one literally 'breaks' in. BUT! Low and Behold! The work truck is unlocked and has keys in the ignition! Normally I would NEVER borrow somebody else's vehicle without asking, especially on icy roads, but I think this consititutes and emergency. So one spin-out (little truck, no traction, icy roads...forgive me) and 2 hours later I return with a spare key. Fun, Fun!

The spare is now wired to the frame of the truck.

So y'all want to know MORE details!?
I said I wasn't jinxing anything and just taking it as it comes, but to satisfy a few bodies...Shane is 33, about 5'10" or so, has dark hair and eyes, announces rodeo, works a ranch, rides, and occasionally reminds me of a few of my obnoxious students (minus the irresponsibility part). He pretty normal looking but has one hell of a personality (I suppose you have to when you work in front of an audience for a living), and really is adorable once you get to know him. He makes me laugh and seems to genuinly want me around...which I think is a good thing because we're both at an age where drawing things out seem really pointless. I figure, 'get to know a person, if they aren't who you want, move on...' No sense in wasting time. Jump in and have fun! If you aren't having fun...well....

Sorry. I'm not posting a pic specifically of him, but maybe he'll pop up on a future slide show or something ;)

Details, Details....

In response to the e-mails and comments...Yes, yes I am dating somebody quite regularly again. I'm not jinxing this because I really am just 'living for the moment' concerning this one, but so far it's been a lot of fun. We have a ton in common and enjoy a lot of the same things, plus he actually thinks it's cool I can help out working on his truck or with livestock and isn't intimidated by my independence. We both do our own thing as well and it's kind of nice to be missed and miss in return when he's away for work! He also actually likes having me around and worries when I'm headed home on icy roads or whatnot and asks me to call when I get back. What a nice change of pace! I quite literally forgot what it was like to have somebody truly interested!

He's a rodeo announcer and works on his grandpa's ranch, plus he's getting into breeding bucking stock, which I always thought would be interesting to do if I ever bought my own place. So fun, fun...I have somebody to ride at the arena, help me improve my roping with, hang out with...blah, blah, blah...

Woohoo!

Happy New Year!

Crazy last few weeks! First off, I have to say I am sooooo sorry I never made it to the GLI Friday night! I did truely miss everyone, but my trip home had been a whirlwind of activity and I had yet to spend one night with my mom. Since my plane left Saturday I decided I needed to stay in. I hope everyone I missed understands and I REALLY appreciated getting phone calls wondering where I was!

As much as I hate to say it: I think this may have been my last winter travel back to Michigan. For starters, it was a LOT of work getting the ranch ready before I left because of the unpredictable weather we've been having, but that wasn't so much the problem. I wanted to stay in Michigan longer but couldn't because of all the work I have left here. Because of this I only spent one night home with my parents, never did get to see some of the people I woud have loved to visit with and pretty much left exhauseted. It also took me a VERY long time to get back into Albuquerque since the airports had been closed, a VERY long time to drive back to Colorado since the highways had been closed, and to top ALL of it off, my New Year's plans were canceled because of the weather and nobody could get to where we were supposed to be! BUT...it gets better, I arrived home to discover my tack shed had been left open and horses had toppled over all the grain, a cow had found a crack in the shed wall and dismanteled it to get through, a water tank had overflowed and one heater isn't working for some reason...after putting things in some sort of order to take care of in the morning I went to bed and brought in the New Year's asleep with Maverick the Best Boyfriend Ever in my bed that still hadn't been made from when I left. So, winter trips call for some serious return work it seems...

On a good note. It was a good trip home. It was good seeing everyone I did get to see and it was a good Christmas. My mom bought me a sewing machine and a cookbook so I'm going to attempt to be domestic from time to time. It's not that I'm not familiar with it...I usually just choose not to do it! I also got a cool pink gameboy. So I'm also going to attempt to discover what is so great about video games and try and relate a little better to my students (though I will admit it definetely came in handy at the airports!).

Also - I have met a boy...*gasp*! That's all I'm saying. So other than the disaster I was met with yesterday and had to fix this morning...the New Year may be coming in alright afterall!

Warning! Please read fine print...

Anybody have some sort of fluorescent lighting in their house? Bathroom, kitchen, etc... Does anybody actually know just how much pressure those bulbs are under? Well, I just found out the hard way. And no, I wasn't actually stupid enough to break one; on purpose.

Know how strange things people only hear about always seem to happen to me? I have a new one, and this may actually beat out the current champ holder...The Beaver Incident.

This I am going to title: The Fluorescent Light Company is Going to be Sued Incident Because There was NO Fine Print. A bit long? I'm tired and will come up with something shorter eventually. First off, I'm just going to suggest that a warning is put on fluorescent lights explaining they are under extreme pressure and are, in short, little bombs. Let me explain:

I'm tired. Was up late last night, was woken up by coyotes, and pretty much was getting no sleep. I actually may have been almost asleep when this most recent event occurred, because I was very confused but remember what I heard in detail. A few months ago my bathroom light began to flicker and I bought a replacement at Walmart. These are those super long, skinny bulbs - not regular bulbs. I couldn't just buy one, two came in the package. Seeing as I am a disaster area, I decided this extra bulb needed to be put someplace safe and out of the way to avoid breakage. I placed it behind my bedroom door against the wall. I figured this was a safe enough place as it is kind of a nook and completely out of the way. And it's been fine there for weeks now.

Last night, about 4:45 am, I hear this 'POP' like a small caliber gun going off, a crunching glass noise, what sounded like a bunch of rocks thrown at my ceiling and then a bunch of tinkling...in that order. My first thought was that somebody just shot through my window and I reached for my phone. But then I realized the dogs weren't doing anything and there wasn't any cold air coming into the room, so I turned on the light...which reflected off millions of pieces of glass covering the room. I got the dogs out and looked closer at the situation.

The bedroom door was part way closed, and somehow the bulb had fallen over and hit a doorstop I have. On impact it had exploded, bouncing pieces of glass off my ceiling where they shattered and spread across my room. If you ask me that's some serious pressure.

It doesn't stop there. Now I have to try and get this picked up, so I pulled out the vacuum and pretty much vacuumed everything in the room. The curtains, the laundry, the bed, inside my shoes, etc...and sucked up a sock. This is so typical isn't it? I fight getting the hose off forever, manage not to break anything too bad, but did bend a butter knife up (don't ask) and retrieved my sock so I could continue vacuuming without starting a fire.

But it still doesn't stop there. Dixie is in the bathroom, Sedona outside, Mav's in the kitchen. I figure it's a safe enough place for him and I've given him a bone to occupy his time as well. Seems that wasn't good enough, and as I am trying to put my vacuum back together I hear a huge crash from the kitchen. Mav is standing ON the counter, a plate of Christmas cookies are gone and he has knocked another onto the floor, sending broken glass and crumbled cookies EVERYWHERE.

My bedroom and kitchen floors are spotless. I think I may be finding microscopic shards of glass for the next few years though.

The Nutcracker

Yeah it's my weekend! Unfortunetly it's a seriously crazy one, but it's all good. A run down of the next three days:

Tonight:
Drive to Alamosa and rehearse for The Nutcracker
Friday:
Be at school to drive up to Monarch at 7:45 am.
Drive home at 2:30pm
Be in Alamosa for opening night of The Nutcracker at 6:00pm

Saturday:
Have a horse saddled and loaded by 8:00am to move cattle
Be in Almosa to perform by 6:00
Try and stop in at the School Christmas Party after the ballet
Sunday:
Be in Alamosa by 1:30pm for the final performance

Drinks at the studio owner's house afterwards
Be in Hooper for a surprise party by 6:00pm

Hello? Is mylife even my own anymore? But just think, in a week I'll be packing to head for Michigan!

I have always loved The Nutcracker and have seen it performed by dozens of different companies, including The Rockette's at The Fox. This is the first time 've ever had the chance to perform in it...so I'm pretty excited, albiet exhausted from the schedule I've kept this week. I'll try and get pictures, but since I don't have anybody to come watch me here I have to put some effort into that. Stay posted!

"I am so smart...SMRT..."

For those of you who don't know...the above is quoted by Homer, Homer Simpson that is...

Anywho - obviously, I figured out how to fix my 'migrating' page info. Found a very helpful blogsite.

Yeah for being proactive!

Crazy...

I seriously am losing my mind. I'm actually so tired I can't sleep. That ever happen to anyone else? Between coaching at 6:30 am, Fire dept. meetings, and performing in The Nutcracker, (never mind chores, hay, grading papers, etc...) I believe I have actually lost track of what day it is. I cannot wait until break! Than I can run around like a crazy person in Michigan instead of Colorado. Fun! Seems I may actually have something to do over New Year's too! Was invited to a roping in Las Vegas, NM with some friend's I haven't seen in forever. Should be way fun!

Excuse my mini-rambling episode. Trying to get sleepy.

Oh yeah - anybody know why all my profile stuff is down at the bottom of the page? It's happened before and usually I just change some settings and I thought stuff was too wide this time, but nothing I do fixes it. Help!

Fun Stuff

I can't believe how motivated I've been this week! I got school Chritmas cards out, my cards to send out almost finished, a scrpbook as a gift done, pictures of Kelly's babies dressed up for Christmas taken and printed out, senior papers graded, a graduate paper I've been trying to start started, and cheer practice for out tourny this weekend every evening! Yeah me!

I thought I'd share some pictures of the foals all dressed up and of me and Dixie trying to have our picture taken for Chritmas cards. A friend came over last night and attempted to help me organize my dogs for a picture. Maverick kept try to eat Sedona's santa hat, Sedona kept attacking Mav's reindeer antlers, and Dixie kept jumping on the both of them...so I gave up. Could have been cute, but no. So we decided to get a picture of me and Dixie for the cards instead. Dixie was a bit uncooperative, as you can see from the following set of 'bloopers'...but we DID get a good pic that will be sent out on the cards I am mailing early next week! Check out Dixie's facial expressions through the whole ordeal...

Ahhhhhh! Ha, ha, ha....

Admit it, you are ALL laughing at this!

Sick, I know. Just thought I'd share a little cowboy humor. I just recently saw 'Brokeback' for the first time...I had to work up to it. I'll never be able to hear one of these phrases without laughing again...

Feel the Burn!

Burning thighs, windchapped skin, dehydration headache, lack of oxygen...not to mention fresh, boot deep powder and backcountry, empty runs...Yup! Couldn't love it more...My ski season has officially started! I know I'm a bit late for Colorado, but seeing as I haven't been home and really busy otherwise, this isn't too bad. Monarch was open less than I week before I managed to get there! It doesn't have snow-machines, so they have to wait until something piles up! The day was perfect, but overcast and snowy, which only called for more powder! It actually was perfect, because where it had been groomed was a hard snowpack, and where it hadn't, deep powder. It was like skiing back at Ripley...good choices and a good challenge! The pictures don't do the hill justice. It is an UNBELIEVABLE view from up there! Seeing as that I have a season pass, I'll be back and get some pics to show you all what I mean! Here is just a preview looking down the hill. I'm about 3/4 of the way down this run. That's the parking lot waaayyyy down at the bottom.

Today was a bit of a chore...literally. I have a ton of Forestry work I'm supposed to be getting done, but decided I really need to move some hay today first, and good thing I did! A storm rolled in about 3:00, just as I was unloading the last bit of hay. Not much snow, but I'm sure the hills got hammered once again! I may say to hell with work tomorrow and go skiing instead! I also had the fun chore of trying to de-freeze the stock tanks. Despite having heaters, one continues to freeze. I put a new heater in it today, so we'll see how it goes. Normally the sun warms things enough during the day to thaw everything out, but we had a REAL cold spell a few nights ago and one pump froze solid. I got it thawed out with a blowtourch, brought the float into the house to thaw, and now have water again. Keep your fingers crossed for me I'm not repeating this procedure everyday.

I am exhausted though. Screw this "I am woman, hear me roar" feminist bullcrap. I have the calluses to prove it, I CAN do it by myself. Do I want to? No way in hell. This sucks. Somebody send me a man with muscles I can appreciate. Please?


Some of you asked how I stay in shape... I loaded that pickup and trailer on my own. Thank you very much! That's a little over three tons there (6000+ lbs) that I loaded and then UNLOADED by myself. That's 12,000+ lbs altogether. Oh, each bale is about 70 lbs each as well. About 30 bales to a ton, well, you do the math. Lots of lifts, squats and swearing....I'd much rather go for a run if somebody would help me! Any takers? *REALLY big sigh* Oh well. Did I mention I hurt? LOL

Check THIS out!

Mt . Bohemia, one of the places I used to patrol at WAY up the Keweenaw from Mont Ripley is rated as one of the top 10, unknown, kick-ass world ski destinations! Yeah! I love this place, but most runs are rated expert, and bring a pair of rock skis in case the snow hasn't been falling like it should! A REAL hill...no snow makers!

Check out the article at MSN.

On another note, Monarch opened last week and it hasn't quit snowing up there in the last few days. To top it off, Colorado is under a snow advisory! We don't have much of anything here, just a dusting, but the hills are getting hammered! I'm taking the kids Friday no matter what! Sick or otherwise....see below:

So my partying has caught up with me...I have walking pneumonia. Fabulous. Seems a bit too much cigarette smoke from the bars and restaurants in Michigan, combined with my asthma caused a lung infection. Again, fabulous. Michigan needs to be a smoke-free state too, before Christmas, then I can party again. I feel fine, but am really tired and am having a hard time breathing. Probably why I'm tired.

God I hate girls...

I AM NOT amused this morning. AT ALL. This is the letter I would LOVE to hand out to my team, but have held myself back and dealt with things more calmly. The consequences do stay the same however...


To my dear, sweet girls who failed to show up at practice this morning,

First I would like to express my concerns pertaining to coaching cheerleaders in the first place. I am not, nor ever will be, a perky cheerleader, but took this job because I have a background both stunting and dancing and felt I would be an asset to your team (plus it pays decent). Because of this, I expect you to be the perky cheerleaders you choose to be at 6:30 am as well as during game times. Why you ask? Because you choose 6:30 am practices every other week, and if I'm here doing my best for you, so I expect you to also be here doing your best for me.

Let me also explain to you what 6:30 am practices entail for me, especially this week while I am playing 'mom' to three children ages 6 through 12...I must get up extra early in order to do chores. When I say early, I mean around 4 am. Then I must get three tired children up, make them breakfast, and get them on their way to get ready for school. Then I must come here and unlock the doors to let you all in. Except there was only two people there this morning, and when I called your homes, you were in bed. Since somebody , somewhere has failed to teach you that there are consequences to your actions, I feel that maybe I DO actually need to teach a few of you a lesson or two.

This does NOT make me happy because I am not your mother, your father, your guardian, etc... In fact, I don't have any children of my own! Go figure. But if I did, I'd be kicking their butts right now for irresponsibility. Plus I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick to top it all off...and I don't have anybody to take care of me like you all do. Actually, you are probably lucky I'm getting sick and have almost no voice, this way I'm too tired to get riled up, and can't yell. On the downside, this also means I have no energy to deal with this, so if it occurs again at our next practice, I am kicking you off the team. Also be warned, when you do show up you will be running your little tail-ends off for me all morning and hopefully we will NEVER have a repeat of this 'little' problem.

I just wanted to make sure that we were on all on the same page as each other so communication problems wouldn't be an issue. If you have any questions you know where to reach me.

Miss. McLeod

P.S. For those of you who had a 'real' problem getting into school this morning: When I ask you if you have my phone number, don't lie and say yes because you are too lazy to get a pen to write it down. See what happens when you can't reach me in the morning? Tough.

WooHoo!

It's a REALLY good day! My new Sketcher's came in! I have been looking for a flat to wear with everything...jeans, dress, etc...something that could look okay with all kinds of colors, but mostly black. I know, I always ask the impossible, but look what I found!

Sweet Home Colorado

Today is going to be a good day despite being a Monday. My Bald Eagle is back for the winter! He always sits on the (one) tree next to the road I take into work. I'll have to remember my camera sometime.

Even though it is extrememly isolated out here and lonely on the best of days, I wouldn't change it for the world. Just driving home through the mountians always gets me. Don't get me wrong. It was wonderful to visit friends and I wish I lived closer to family, but, wow, you have to see it to understand.

Yesterday was crazy once I got home! I visited with Lisa and Dave in Conifer for a few hours. Her girls are beautiful! They are so cute and funny! I picked up Maverick and Dixie at the vets' (who are friend's of mine). Mav just got fixed, poor bugger, and pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon walking sideways due to whatever drugs he was given. He looked like a few people I know on a REALLY good night. I wanted what he was having. Sedona's still at one of my student's but I'm picking her up on my way into Alamosa for dance tonight. Everyone looked good back home, but one of my bossy mares pinned Kelly's little paint filly up against the wall and she cut her heel up while I was doing chores. Luckily I caught it right away and wrapped it up so it won't separate and scar. No rest for the wicked! Here we go again! It's always something...

So other than a long drive and playing vet nothing new except a LOT of sunshine and blue skies!

She's ALIVE!

I've been in a perpetual state of drunkeness or hangover since the day I arrived. So if some of this doesn't make sense bear with me. Cool thing is I'm sitting in the truck writing this as my dad drives me to the airport. I love this broadband stuff. Oh - and I LOVE dunkin' donuts!

Idiot wonder here thought I had a 6am flight this morning. Try 8:10. BIG difference. I'm such a moron. Dad stumbled across that fact last night. I could have stayed out longer;(

Yes, yes, to quell any doubt, I have survived my ten year reunion. It was, to say the least, interesting. Let's begin where it all started shall we?

Reunion

For starters, my brother tentatively made plans to go to the restaurant early with me and his girlfriend to 'scope' out the situation, get a decent meal and get a few cocktails down. Notice I say 'tentatively'. He didn't pick me up until 8:30. Half hour AFTER the reunion had started, so already the scoping out bit is down the drain.

We arrive, they get a few drinks, I wander into the reunion shaking from nerves, sign in, and make a beeline for the bar. A few girls I played ball with walked in right after me, and not only did they not even say hi, they ignored me completely. Great way to start out. Seems some things never change at all.

So, whiskey in hand, I head back to my little bro and check out the people still wandering in until I see a girl who thought she was 'all that and then some'; now was as large as a cow pass by...so my whiskey induced strength kicked in and I felt brave enough to apply myself to the situation...laughing all the way! I think I hurt myself laughing that night at similar situations. My abs still hurt. Either that or the winter insulation is kicking in and I need to do more crunches...

Once inside yet again, I immediately saw an old friend whom was always a good back-up date for the many events I never had a date for. I figured he'd turned into a major hottie, and I was SOOOO right! He seemed alone, we were having a great conversation, I'm thinking, "wow! I should have picked up on this 10 years ago! What a dumbass I was (well, still am but let's not go there)!" and then the pictures of the wife and kid come out. *Sigh* Oh well. He looks great. His wife is beautiful. His kid is adorable. I seriously couldn't be happier for him because he was one of the nicest guys in the school. So we're going to keep in touch and get together at Christmas so I can meet the rest of the family.

Moving on...$60.00 ticket, no food but munchies, no top shelf liquor, and only about 2 hours until we have to start paying...and this place isn't cheap. No reunion stuff either, like pictures, or who's changed, or anything like that...I think strange, but maybe good. There are people I didn't mingle with back then and I don't want to mingle with them now.

Some people didn't change at all. The little whores still looked like little whores. The potheads were still potheads. Some girls who deserved to stay beautiful did, and others didn't. And then there were the people who changed A LOT! Like a girl who I swear only kept me around as a charity friend case...who was HUGE! And the bald, fat guys I didn't recognize until I realized they were some of the most popular guys back in high school! I laughed so hard, and some of the people I was with just didn't get it! I guess we were on different levels back than too. It may be evil, but it makes me feel good. I'm allowed that every now and then.

Surprisingly, a few guys made there way over to me for introductions, only to figure out who I was. I'm thinking I made an impression? Good, that's EXACTLY what I wanted to do! I discovered that guys do maybe like a chick who can take care of herself. Or perhaps they're just tired of the rich, whining attitude of so many girls from Birmingham, and I was a refreshing change? Or maybe my redneck, cowgirl ways are scary so they just decided to be nice so I didn't hurt them?

I did my best to drink $60 worth of liquor. Didn't happen. I have to remember that even though I'm at sea level it doesn't mean I can drink like I used to in college. I ALREADY killed my liver. Of course I arrived home around 2 am starving and my dad was still up, so we ordered a pizza (yeah for city food!) and stayed up talking.

Saturday

I saw Kara! It was so great to finally see my 'kid' again! She looks absolutely beautiful and her daughters are adorable! Motherhood definitely agrees with her. He parents' house is like a mini Scott daycare. The whole family was there for the holiday! I'm so glad things are working out for her and all our prayers concerning her girls have been answered! I cannot wait to see her again over Christmas if we can find the time.

Went to dinner with the folks and my brother and his girlfriend. Supposedly he's going to propose here sometime soon. NOW I feel old. Since when does your younger sibling find happiness first? That's not fair. Anyway, we went to this expensive restaurant called 'The Moose Preserve' and it's all decorated like the UP! And they have hamburgers called 'The Houghton Burger' and 'The Hancock Burger' and a UP Realty sign on the wall...and I'm thinking, "people pay $20 a meal for this, but avoid the UP and it's backwoods ways like the plague?". How can they honestly make money off that? Do the people up there know about this? Do the people that own the restaurant know that a lot raging alcoholics populate the UP? VERY strange. Why should I pay $20 for a Walleye dinner when I could catch one and make the same thing, but only better? But than again, that's me and I'm strange. So if anyone if jonesin' for some UP surroundings, visit 'The Moose Preserve'. Never mind that most of us never caught a glimpse of a Moose up there...and I was a FORESTER for God's sake!

Anywho - went out for a few drinks last night because I forgot I'm a lightweight despite my convictions I can drink more at sea level. Well, that and a boy was buying, which is always a good reason in anybody's book. And I'm not writing anymore about that because I know he's reading this (ha, ha, ha). Remembered another thing. I shouldn't drink caffeine. Oh yeah! I'm scatter-brained and hyper enough without it! How could I forget? So I basically have gotten no sleep because my blood pressure was a bit up there...I could have been bouncing off a wall if I hadn't been trying to get at least a few hours of sleep. Can anyone say DECAFE?!? For crying out loud...

Maybe I should have pulled an all-nighter afterall...but then things REALLY would have sucked today trying to get chores done, dog's picked up, paper's graded, and driving home from Denver...and this week isn't exactly condusive to catching up on sleep. I have dance Monday night, coaching Tueday and Thursday before school at 6:30 am, babysitting my friend's kids Tuesday and Wednesday while she and her husband attend an out of town conference, a basketball tourny Thursday, skiing Friday with the class I sponsor....ahhhhh! Back to the psychotic schedule I keep. Somewhere in there I think I have a firefighting training also...hmmmm....I need to check my planner....

Signing out all you beautiful people. Until the next time I decide to terrorize the Detroit area! Notice I already have a ticker counting down...