"Ogres have layers."

This is one of my favorite clips from the Shrek movies.  In a way I can relate. I have layers and my layers have layers and one day someone will be lucky enough to discover what all those layers are about. 

HELP...

I decided to change things up a little on the 'ole blog and now my header is all off kilter.  Can anyone tell me how to fix this?

Fishing...finally

 Saturday night while I was at my great uncle's 75th birthday party, my sister and brother each sent me a text.  Very similar. "Dad wants to know if you are going fishing with him tomorrow.  You should call him."

There are very few things my Dad likes less than telephones.  But I called him back and during the shortest conversation in history we planned to go fishing on Sunday.

I haven't been feeling well all weekend.  A summer cold kind of thing that really just makes me tired but I packed up the gear and met Dad for a day on the pond.   The spot we like the best is about an hour and a half drive and at about 9000 feet.  We passed a lot of snow up in those mountains.  Thankfully the road to our little pond was open and there was no snow in sight, except at the higher peaks.  We donned our waders, hopped in our float tubes and sat out on the water for a few hours.  The fishing was terrible.  I had a couple nibbles and the one that I actually caught found it's way off the hook about 5 feet from my little tube. 

Although the fishing was terrible.  The day was not.  While out in the tube, I let my line dangle in the water while I napped, or took in the gorgeous scenery.  With the fishing so slow, I probably could have read a book.  I normally keep one in the tackle box or the pocket on the tube but left it home this time.

I don't have pictures of the fishing but I do have some of the pond.  Hopefully in a month or so, we can spend a weekend camping, 4 wheeling, and fishing up there.

Potter's Pond

Dad taking a picture of the pond.

Week in a nutshell...

I have been meaning to post something all week to get rid of my Monday post but time just ran away on me.  It seems I have been nothing but busy since moving.  But being busy must be good for me because I have lost about 7 lbs.  Not bad, eh?

Last Friday evening, Mixer Man and I went to Cabella's (so romantic) and I bought a new tackle box/bag.  It might be a little too big for right now but I am sure I will manage to fill it up.  It is even a bright orange, so as Mixer Man says, "We won't lose you."  Now I just need to go fishing. Mixer Man might be available to go on Sunday but I am not holding my breath.

I wish it were pink!

It came with four of these...

Last Saturday, my friend Rachelle invited me to go to an outdoor concert that included about five local bands.  Our favorite local band "Firehawk" was playing.   They play a mix of their own stuff and cover songs.  They are so much fun.

Bad photo...Firehawk

 

Another bad photo...this is me and Rachelle.  I like the band so much I had to buy the tank top.

This was an outdoor family event and there were a few vendors around.  Rachelle wanted to go look at a purse vendor.  I don't know about where you are, but here we seen to have these big, blingy purses being sold everywhere.  Normally, I don't see anything that interests me.  I am not a new mother so don't want anything that could double as a diaper bag nor do I like a lot of the designs, BUT I found one that I really like...and it is pink...so I bought it.

My cute new purse.  It has a little bling but I like it. 

If you read my last post then you know how my Monday started.  It ended a whole lot better.  Grandma and I went to a baby shower for my cousin Megan.  She is expecting twins and indicated on the invitation that she needed diapers. She got them. I don't think I have seen that many diapers outside of a Wal-Mart aisle.

On Tuesday, Austin and I went to the library for new cards and to check out a few books.  I may have checked out too many but I have 4 weeks to keep them and I can usually read a book in about a day and a half.  These are easy reads. 

Thursday morning my boss called to tell me that our annual merit increases were approved and will start on July 1st.  It isn't a lot but something is better than nothing.

This evening I went with Grandma, Mom, niece, and two nephews to a kids/ mini float parade.  These floats were really cute and it was a nice way to relax.  Afterwards we ate taco's on Grandma's deck.  Not a bad evening. 

Tomorrow will be another busy day, so it is off to the shower and then bed.

Have a great weekend!

@#$% Monday

And that is how I felt this morning. 

I started reading Debbie Macomber's "A Turn in the Road" last night before I went to bed.  Then I started to fall asleep.  I turned out the light and lay in the darkness for almost an hour and sleep would not come.  This went on until 3 am.  Back and forth - read, fall asleep, drop book, wake up, turn off the light, lay in the dark wide awake.  Then do it all over again.  At about 2:30 my leg started getting twitchy, so I finally took a Tylenol PM.  Should have done it BEFORE I went to bed.  But that would have made too much sense.

Finally, I fell asleep (finished the book) then ignored the alarm clock, and the house clock that starts playing music on the hour at 7 am.  Woke up at 8:30 ish, already late to work.  Went to take a shower and had a trickle of water.  Checked the house and yard to make sure we hadn't broken a pipe.  Called the city - there was some sort of water problem (really?!? Couldn't have guessed.)- and had water again at 10:00. 

Not a very good start to the day and definitely not what I had planned to post.  A better post later.  I promise.

I'm Peeved...Well maybe not so much

What get's you peeved?  Here - in no particular order -are some of my pet peeves.  Little, big, silly, weird.  Here you have it, at least what I could think of today.

1. People who drive on I-15 through the Utah County construction zone like they are qualifying for an Indy car race.  Slow down people!!! I have family and friends working on the Interstate reconstruction project everyday. 
2.  When the under-wire in my bra breaks through the casing. Seriously!?!? With all of the technology in the world today, why can't Victoria's Secret come up with a revolutionary fabric that keeps the under-wire from breaking through.  For $50, I expect my bra to be Teflon tough.  
3. When I set down my glasses and can't find them again.  No, I am not scatter brained - at least not when it comes to this - it is because I am so BLIND without my glasses that I can't see where I set the darn things.   My vision is about 20/800.  Yep.  What the average person can see at 800 feet, I can see at 20.  
4. Going to Wal-mart.  I'm serious about this one.  I am not a super fan of Wal-mart.  I prefer to buy my groceries at a locally owned grocery store because they actually have the produce I am looking for.  And forget buying clothes at Wal-mart.  It seems you either need to be in the Miley Cyrus or Betty White category to find anything at all worth wearing.   Well, except for sportswear.  I do buy my workout clothes there.  They are cheap and with any luck I will need to buy smaller sizes sooner rather than later.  
5. Finding out important news about loved ones on Facebook.  I am talking about things like family illnesses, or that my best friend has a new boyfriend.  Somethings are worth an actual conversation folks. 
6. Wasting half an hour texting when a 5 minute conversation would have taken up less time and gotten the job handled much quicker.
7. My work computer constantly crashing while I am trying to work on a specific project.  It only happens on that project.  
8. The almost constant use of the word God on television.  One of the reason I rarely watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition is because of all of the kids who constantly say, "Oh my G".  Call me weird but it bugs me.  I am from Utah and prefer "Gosh".
9. Television shows that purposely use the F-word just to bleep it out.  I hate hearing the bleeping bleeps, so leave the bleep word out of the bleeping show, so that there is no bleepin' bleeping.
10. Not being able to come up with a number ten on my peeved list. 

So...what gets you peeved?

In Your Face...

I am not a big sports fan unless it involves stock cars circling an oval for 3 1/2 hours and 500 miles - then I love it.  My Grandma, however; is a huge basketball fan. She loves her Utah Jazz and then she loves watching the NBA Finals even if her Jazz are not playing.   So, we have been watching the Finals here and I have to say that I've really gotten into it.  But then I am like that.  The big games are the ones I like watching.  The Superbowl.  The NBA Finals.  The University of Utah Utes vs. the BYU Cougars (Go Utes!).   In these games - except the Utes vs. the Cougs- I cheer for the underdog, usually they are the ones who deserve it the most.  I am not sure how much of an underdog the Dallas Mavericks are but Grandma and I were cheering for them to win.  What do you know, they did it.  The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat.  It was awesome.  It was fun to watch.  So there..In your face Miami.

Now to my favorite sport...NASCAR...I along with a group of friends have a NASCAR pool going where  each week we pick who we think will win and then get points for where they placed at the end of the race.  The better your driver does the more points you earn, the more points you earn the better your chances of winning the pot of cash at the end of the season.   For the first time, the driver I picked for a race actually won.  Sure, it was Jeff Gordon and I am really NOT a fan of Jeff Gordon but his stats at this track were too good for me not to pick him.  So there...In your face sister's boyfriend who thinks I don't know how to pick a driver.  I can't wait to pass him up in points.  Oh and Mixer Man is eating my NASCAR points dust.  It's awesome!

Enjoying the weather...

I am loving the sunny weather we are having this week.  On Monday and Tuesday afternoon while making the trip to Grandma's from the old house, I rolled all of the windows down, turned the radio up, sang along at the top of my lungs, and smiled.  Yes, SMILED. It felt wonderful.

Yesterday morning Grandma and I went to the nursery and bought flowers.  Some Dahlia's, Zinnia's, Marigolds, and a few other things I can't remember the name of.  The day didn't quite turn out as I had planned and the flowers didn't get planted until this evening.  But I was able to get them in before the gale force winds kicked up.  Looks like I will be picking up little tree limbs in the yard tomorrow. 

This is what the flower bed locked like this morning.

This is the after.  We still need to fill in some spaces but it looks great. 

I wanted Grandma to share in the fun of planting and set her up next to the barrel.  The perfect height for her to plant.

This has nothing to do with planting flowers but it is our favorite treat these days.  We are almost out!!!!

Stick a fork in me...

Image found at Google Images

I'm done. Well almost.  Pretty much EVERYTHING went into storage today except the curio cabinet and TV.  There just wasn't enough room left in the moving truck, my blazer, my sister's mini-van, and Mixer Man's truck.  Later this week when I go over to clean, I will haul those last items over. 

FYI, Mixer Man is the new name I've given to my friend John P.  Yeah.  Haven't blogged about him before or at least I don't think so.  He and I have been friends for about 3 years.  Yes, that is friends as in not really dating.  Not really doing much of anything.  But he tends to be around when I need him. Like when I need to move, when I need to play hookey from work for an hour or two and he happens to have the day off, when I need to go buy a gun, or when I absolutely NEED to go fishing. Yeah, he is good for those things.  He is one of those been married, bought the t-shirt, don't really want to go there again type of guys.  But oh well.  Friends are always nice to have.

I think I have a thing for bald guys.  Not the "Nature made me bald and I am fighting it so I'll just comb over or neatly style the remaining hair I have left" bald but the "Nature took some of my hair so let's shave the rest off " and the "I'd rather bic than style" bald.  Those last two show a level of confidence I find highly attractive.  Mixer Man is in that category and my other John - John B. - or Tri Guy is as well.

Tri-Guy and I have been friends for about 12 years.  I spent too many of those years thinking maybe he would think I was the right girl for him.  Now I know better and am really okay with it.  He bought the same t-shirt as Mixer Man, and is a confirmed bachelor.  No messy relationships to mess up his single, free-wheelin' mojo.  When our friendship first started, we were working together, so dating was a real no-no.  Since then, he has moved all over the continent and back.   He is a triathlete hence the name Tri-Guy.  Mixer Man runs a cement mixer.  See how creative I am.

Perhaps I should end this cycle of bald men named John. It hasn't really worked thus far. But again, having friends is nice.  Tri-guy is always good for dinner if he happens to be in town and our schedules mesh, which is usually about twice a year.  This pattern is so consistent, we have begun to call them our bi-annual meetings.  Mixer Man is around a lot more and is good for manual labor and outdoor activities.  I figure I probably won't have a long term relationship until after my son graduates high school, so friends are better anyway.

This post has kind of gotten away from me.  I am sure it is a direct result of how exhausted I am this evening.  Hope all of you have a great week.

The Sun is Finally Shining

I snagged this image from Google Images.

The sun was out today, both literally and figuratively.  It was a bright, sunny day outside after days of rainy weather.  My mood is also bright and sunny.  It is amazing what a good breakdown cry can do for ones mood.  In my case the breakdown crying lasted about two and a half days.  But I feel so much better.  Letting my feelings fester is never a good thing. It makes my moods worse and the happenings in my life seem monumentally overwhelming.

After the breakdown crying, I finished reading a book my cousin recommended.  It is called "The Gifts of Imperfection".  I will write a post about it another day.  But  finishing it made me realize I need to re-read the entire thing.  Life got in the way between the time I started and the time I finished so some of the guideposts have been forgotten.  It is a great book and I can think of a certain blogger friend who I would love to send a copy. 

Anyway, things are looking brighter.  I am getting settled into my Grandma's house and as soon as I get completely moved out of the other house things will be even better.  I look forward to planting flowers with her, spending some time relaxing in the deck, and getting to know her and possibly myself better.
 
I hope the sun continues to shine and my outlook can be just as sunny.