Canyoneeering

For his birthday, I bought my husband two canyoneering classes, one for him and one for me. We decided to make a mini-escape out of it. It ended up being one of the neatest and funniest things we have ever done. But it was a comedy of errors from the get go. We started off by taking Wednesday & Thursday off work and planned to leave early Wednesday, but instead ended up cleaning the house until the kids got home from school. When we finally pulled out, it was to late to find a camping spot first, we had to go straight to the class. We got to the site, camper in the bed of the truck, and realized that the incline we had to traverse to get into the parking lot was much more than we had expected. I had to get out of the truck while he pulled up into the parking lot, because I had so much anxiety. But once in, we had a glorious parking spot! Then, on to canyoneering 101. We learned to tie knots, secure carabineres and harness ourselves for future canyoneering adventures without our trusted guides. Little did they know that without a guide, I was scaling no mountains, jumping down no rock faces and harnessing up again never! I'm sorry, but even a double jacket fire hose is not strong enough to hold me after I've tied a knot in it! But all things considered, we had a great time. By the time we left, it was well after dark and we still needed to find a camp site and a grocery store, not to mention dinner! We ate at Red Lobster, love that endless shrimp! Then we went to Target and picked up some stuff for breakfast. By this time, getting a camp site was going to be nearly impossible, so we conceded and stayed in the camper in the WalMart parking lot. Funny thing, we pulled in and backed into a spot with a single pine eree,ustaseyond thside the door and a little stream just beyond th

Do I really want an iPad?

Last year I won an iPad and I got rid of it as quickly as I got it. I really didn't need an iPad, I had an iPhone and I really needed a lens for my camera since my beautiful Ladybug took me too seriously when I asked her to "throw my camera in the truck". So, I traded my winnings for a camera lens and never looked back.... well not fully anyway. But now I am beginning to wonder. At my husbands Christmas Party, he won a Pandigital Tablet and we have played with it a little here and there, but never extensively and often times we forget it even exists. So why would I want an iPad. The answer is simple... because everyone else has one and I don't! Silly I know, but true as true. So I have been working my tail off at work, hoping to win another iPad. Looking at the rules of the game, I am being very liberal with them, but if it all plays out the way I hope it will, I will have an iPad by the end of the month and I will have joined the newest line of sheep. Any suggestions on what pointless item I should covet next? Because you know it's coming... it always comes!

Football... Dance.... And So It Begins...

The school year winds down and Summer begins so benignly and then it hits! The Summer Boom, we call it. It's that time during Summer when the relaxation ends and EVERYTHING begins! It doesn't start slowly, it hits with the force of a 3000 pound truck. WHAM! It's time! You jump out of bed and hit the ground running from sun up to sun down, it's football practice, dance practice, soccer and skating lessons. It's country fair days, family reunions, girl scout camp-outs and holiday picnics. And somewhere between the madness of creating and baking the next to-die-for summertime potluck surprise, driving your kid to football practice and wondering why you didn't just make him play the clarinet, you realize that half the summer has slipped away. A little later, while enjoying one of those sweet moments of relaxation after mowing the lawn but just before you start weeding the garden, you look around and realize that school will be starting soon. You have spent your entire summer running, baking, cleaning cooking and weeding and you realize that you have missed out. Well, not this year. This year I want you to remember to stop.... take a minute to enjoy a sweet lemonade while sitting on our back porch and watching your kids play in the sprinklers. Believe it or not, your family reunion will survive if you just bring chips this year and your kids will survive if the house is not immediately picked up. After all, between football, dance, soccer, camp and skating... they wont be around anyway. Enjoy your summer... it only lasts just three short months!