Kids, Hills and NEW MUSIC

Oh how I miss interacting with young people who are struggling! I get so wrapped up in the administrative duties I have at work that I am pretty far removed from the kids anymore. Today I attended a meeting with a family and got to talk with a young lady and her mom, I LOVE THAT!! They are so lucky to be asking for some help to navigate the turbulent teen years, they will survive and hopefully thrive because of that!

I also got to ride my bike today, just 6 miles, up Tonaquint Drive and The Legacy hill (tough, but so much easier than last year), but still---have you heard the song...I want to ride my bicycle!

If you haven't noticed I added to my song list. Should you have any questions about why I picked a particular song just ask, I wish I knew how to put a one liner next to each song with a brief explanation...in addition Jason was going crazy having to hear Queen every evening, he needed some variety, I guess everyone doesn't feel the way I do about that song--it speaks to my soul!

Celebrating Pat

Our neighbor Pat passed away and the neighborhood had a memorial barbecue this evening to celebrate her life. It was really nice. I was glad to have an opportunity to tell her husband Pete how sorry I am for his loss. They had been married longer than I have been alive, oh he is going to miss her! I look forward to growing old with my sweetheart like Pat and Pete did. I am also very grateful for thoughtful, compassionate neighbors who got together to celebrate the life of this sweet woman and support our neighbor Pete. I don't know who the "spear heads" were but it was at the Sonju's house, Travis Hafen barbecued, Ken Hinton took pictures and so many others were there with love. Even Jas made it over, anti-social as he is. We really fell in love with Pat and Pete over our mutual love for dogs. They had a dog named Farley when we got Herc, and Herc used to bug the crap out of Farley every chance he got... Pat and Pete always took Herc's annoying antics with Farley with good humor!

These are a few of my favorite things...

Jason.
Herc.
Turt's tank clean.
The smell of rain (getting it right now from the breeze through the open sliding door).
Anything orange.
Old Trucks.
Rat Rod looks.
Finding the perfect dress at the first store we stopped at!
Talking to nephews and nieces on the phone.
Riding my bike.
Fantasy books.
Shoes on sale. (3 pair for $50!)
Oh and did I mention Jas?

53.5 miles baby. enough said.
Well also a perfectly grilled steak for dinner at Ja son son's.

BBBS 5 Year Celebration

I got up at 5am to shave my legs in preparation for the big event this morning....so you know it had to be something important to me! I am on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Utah and we have been planning a 5K fundraiser for the past few months...Today was the day. It was a fabulous day. We held it at Highland Park in Coral Canyon and watching the sunrise from the top of the mountain was magnificent. I'm impressed that they put a park right on the edge of the mesa, valuable real estate, but it makes for a very scenic run along their path. While there weren't as many runners as I would have hoped for it was a great event and I hope we will make it annual and the attendance will grow. We had a band- the Scott Emett band, they were great. There was a bounce house and a 1k for the kids, it was so cute to watch them race and see how excited they were to tell their parents what place they came in!
As an added bonus I bought some of the raffle tickets and I won an acoustic guitar! It is beautiful and I am going to have to hit up Braxton and Kurklan (my nephews) to teach me to play!

Fantastic Life

Today I am grateful for my fantastic life! My teeth are straightening as I type (and I can feel it). I started my day at the orthodontists office. Work was good. Got to see Nicci's new house-it is beautiful and of course already put together after only a few weeks! Then after work a mountain bike ride that kicked my butt, literally, I fell down on my butt-beats falling on my knee, but still...Then some delicious spaghetti, a little house hunters and now off to bed with my favorite person on earth.

A few of my favorite people and favorite things

Yesterday I got to go to lunch with my sister in law Tara and a couple of her siblings. It was so nice to visit with them. Tara is here from Houston and is basically trapped, flights have been cancelled. So Shawn and the 4 kids are home, safe and sound, Thank Goodness, but missing mom very much! For this weekend I am most grateful for the fact that my family weathered Ike ok. So many did not fare so well. If I'm repeating myself, it's only because I am ever so grateful about this!

Yesterday I also talked with and got to hug my great friend Jen Gates. She is awesome. Any kid that goes to Tuacahn High School has the best school counselor in the business, no doubt!

Today we went on another road bike ride in a place to remain nameless because we saw a darling little desert tortoise, about the same size as Hambone, cruising across the trail. On a very sad note I ran over a little lizard, it is so hard to tell the difference between lizards and sticks until they move, I never even saw him, poor little dude.

On a work related note I attended training on working with youth who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, or Questioning today. It was put on by a person from the Utah Gay Pride Center. It was very informative, I learned several things I didn't know before. It also helped to examine some of my own prejudices that could interfere with creating an environment that feels safe for kids who are GLBTQ. Did you know that 1 in 2000 babies born are intergender- meaning physically either both genders or chromosomally different than XY (male) or XX (female)?

Back on the Road Bike

What a beautiful evening for a bike ride out to Snow Canyon! Nothing like 30 miles on the first time back on the hard as a rock saddle...It is amazing the difference between 100 degrees and 106 degrees-100 is ride able...I love fall!

Jeep Ride

We went on a jeep ride in Browse today (exit 30). It was a blast, so beautiful, just Jas, Herc and me...Now Herc is wiped out, he loves to go for a ride and then also got to play in a creek...that's hard to beat.

Last night we had a fish fry with our friends, it was also a great time. We've gotta do that occasionally just so the house will be clean! Darb cooked up the fried halibut and Jas barbecued the rest, it was delectable! Left overs tonight and no cooking!

Also my brother Shawn lives in Houston and we got a text last night that they weathered the storm well so I am Extremely Grateful that they are safe and sound following Hurricane IKE!

I'll have to write about last weekend in Jackson Hole and the Snake River when I get the pictures developed (I know, how old fashioned but I had to use disposable cameras because my digital is broken)...

Life is FANTASTIC, we are loving our lives!

Power Pointer and GUSTAV!

I learned how to create a power point presentation today and was even able to add in a video clip of an awesome mountain biker- it is a good analogy for creating goals for kids--you get what you focus on, if I look at the rock, it doesn't matter how loudly my brain says DON'T hit that rock, if that is what I focus on that is what I hit! So we must create goals that show kids what to do, rather than simply what not to do. It was kinda fun. I also got to role play a kid in some interviews this morning, I love to pretend to be a kid!



I am also extremely grateful that our dear friends in Louisiana are safe and sound with only minor damages following the wrath of Gustav! Check out the Big B Molly... blog for pics of the flooding...and they are in central LA, not near the coast. I am grateful for the fantastic climate we live in here in gorgeous St. George.

Happy Happy Birthday, its Middle Age for Jas

Happy Birthday to Jas and Darb! Jas is officially middle age now. I am waiting for the mid life crisis. I can't wait until he wants the convertible porsche, that is what I want too.
On a sad note it looks like the motor blew in the double cab today, not a great birthday present for Jas...but at least it is fixable.
On the plus side my attempts at domesticism were successful- Jas and Darb enjoyed thier Chicken Enchilada dinner and Blueberry Cheesecake with a song for desert. Listening to two grown men sing Happy Birthday do each other would bring joy, or at least hilarity to everyone's life!

In case you don't know Jas is my life partner, spouse, love, hero, idol, entertainment committee, etc. and Darby Jones is our life long friend and room mate who happens to share Jason's birthday of September 3. However Jas was born in 73 and Darb in 74... I love to throw people off by talking about my male roommate...gotta have fun where you can!

A Good Surprise for Jason's 35th

Yes! Jas opted to open his birthday presents early tonight. He is turning 35 tomorrow, I'm glad he has to go first, 35, how did that happen? Any way, he LOVED IT! I was worried. I don't have a great track record for surprise gifts. First I got him a 300 ft rappelling rope and he looked terrified when he opened it, and then returned it--the fear of heights over rode the desire to double rope Cougar Cliffs. Then I got the 2nd monster tool box for the garage and he didn't want it so I had to take it back (too much in the garage already, wanted to downsize, not put more in there). So the day after I bought the Safari Window kit (front and rear) for the '64 VW Double cab (perfect gift, I thought) Jason said, "Lets sell the bus and put the money into the 'Burban". He has a 58 Chev Suburban in the garage that we have toted around forever (his dad gave it to him at age 13 or something...it is the dream, but no engine, doesn't get worked on, it is still a dream...the double cab runs and is fun to drive and gets worked on, so silly me I figured lets go with that). So I was thinking "GREAT, I thought I got the perfect gift and now he doesn't even want to keep that vehicle!" I have been in dread since they arrived-they can't be returned! Well tonight when he opened them he saw the "Wolfgang" address label and guessed what they were and LOVED THEM! Yee Haw! I did good, I did good!
Nothing beats surprising the love of my life in a good way.

Lake Powell

We went to Lake Powell this weekend and had an absolute riot! Tubing and water skiing and wave running. Saturday is actually the only day we got on the lake but it was quite enough- Jas' back is jacked and my upper body is SORE!