I love you, Dad

Over the years, my dad has taught me more than anyone else I know.  I guess this means that he's largely responsible for how I turned out, which may be more responsibility than he wants to accept!

Thanks Dad, for always being there when I needed you.  I love you!

The Law of the Garbage Truck

A while back, a friend sent me an email containing "The Law of the Garbage Truck".  I was going to post the tale here, but Googled it first, and found that it's a real, copyrighted story, so it's not right to republish it.  Check out the story here.  It's a short read, and well worth your time.

All day long I've been feeling prompted to compose this post, and I think it's just because Heavenly Father wanted me to re-read that story, and open my eyes to the garbage trucks in my life. I spent yesterday in a heap because of one, and so I really needed to remember the moral of the story:

"Successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day."

Time to take out the trash!

Titles

I always hoped to be known as Mom-who-must-be-obeyed.

Instead, I find myself as Mom-who-will-be-ignored.

How many more days until school starts again?

Pedal & Paddle 2011 Highlights

Here are some highlights of my recent Pedal & Paddle experience; a more detailed blog post is forthcoming.

• I left on Friday around lunch, and returned Monday after dinner.
• Had a great drive up with Clarinda - didn't get lost, stuck in construction, or run out of things to talk about.  I was, however, guilty of almost scaring the bark off a tree.  It lived.
• In spite of packing the morning of departure, I didn't forget anything major, like... pants.
• Everyone from last year's adventure returned for more fun, and we added one more - Clarinda.  It was really incredible how well everyone got along.
• The weather was wonderful the whole weekend.  It only rained for about 10 minutes at 3:30 in the morning the first night, when I was the only one up to hear it.  (Guess how I spent my night after drinking 4 or 5 bottles of water in as many hours).
• Kayaking was amazing - I paddled a single this year (rather than sharing a double like last year) and I think I did really well for the whole 5 hours.  Everyone said I totally rocked the rapids.  It was awesome!
• I cycled a metric century - 100K (62 miles)!!  This was much longer than I had intended, but plans changed, and I went with it.  (Yes, me.  Being all flexible and stuff.  I'm not lying.)  I felt really good at the end - a little shaky, but 6 hours on the bike will do that.
• I kayaked for 5+ hours one day, cycled for over 6 hours the next, with no injuries and very little pain.  I then proceeded to injure myself while sleeping.  No, that wasn't embarrassing at all.
• The food was really, really good.  I even tried Crawfish Étouffée, and liked it.  I will admit, however, that I got the reputation of always being the one asking "When are we going to eat?"... I think I'm a little more schedule-oriented than the other Wahoo Women.  An 8:30 pm dinner simply doesn't exist in my world.
• We had some really, really interesting conversations about underwear, the lack thereof, and all kinds of other topics that I'm sure made Dave wish that he had never agreed to be the chef (and lone male).  I believe he may be permanently scarred.
• After leaving camp Monday morning, Clarinda and I explored Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls State Parks.  Had lots of fun hiking and checking out waterfalls.  No visit to the North Shore is complete without a stop at Betty's Pies, so of course we just HAD to stop for a late lunch.
• I was so tired the night I arrived home that I didn't even want to spend time on the computer.  That's TIRED!

Off We Go!

Well, I'm leaving in four hours to pick up my friend Clarinda to head up north for our Pedal & Paddle 2011 adventure!  I should be packing, but here I am, blogging.  This speaks volumes as to (a) my level of procrastination and (b) my degree of computer addiction.  Is there a 12 step program for that?  Maybe I should google it... *grin*

Anyhoo... here are some pics from last year's event, which was fabulous, even though it rained pretty much the whole time.  I strongly recommend Wahoo Adventures if you're in the market for outdoor fun, and, honestly, I don't just say that because my picture happens to appear on their homepage...

Our first adventure day was 5 hours kayaking on the Cloquet River.  That's me in the purple, shooting the rapids.  Betsy and I made it through without a hitch, then had to try and paddle back upstream to help the next person who got stuck on the rocks.  That's the downside to sharing a kayak with one of the guides... :)

Day two was a tour on the Mesabi Trail.  That's me on the far left.  I only made it for the first 27 miles, then had to quit.  (I had a chest cold with a terrible cough - that's my story, and I'm sticking to it)  This year I'm bringing my own bike, and I'm confident I'll make the whole 45 miles.  I may look out of place on Old Blue - everyone else will be riding hybrids - but will be much happier on a familiar bike.

Can't wait to see what this year will bring!

Mobile Blogging

Good news!  Google has introduced a beta version of mobile blogging, which I have enabled for this site.

What does this mean for you, dear reader?  Well, if you are checking this site from a mobile device (Gary, I'm talking to you) you'll automatically get the mobile version of my site.  It's much easier on the eyes than trying to view the full version in teeny tiny print.

So go ahead, check it out!  Since it's still in beta, there might be a few kinks, but it seems to work great on my iPhone.

Thanks, Google!

Endorphins and Creativity

I swear to you that I compose the best blog posts while I'm out riding my bike.

It gets a tad boring logging all those miles, so I start "mental blogging".  Since I am riding, I obviously can't write anything down, but it seems to flow, and I just can't wait to get home and write it down.  Must be all those exercise endorphins everyone raves about.

Trouble is, I lose about 60% of that wonderful post just in the time that it takes to park my bike and walk inside.  I sit in front of my laptop, and .... blank.

Everyone gets writers block, I know.  It's just more frustrating when you know that you once had something incredibly witty to say, but simply can't remember what it was...

I need to figure out a way to safely do hands-free voice memos.  There's got to be an app for that, right?

HOT.

As I was running errands, I took this photo while stopped at a traffic signal.

It actually reached 103 about 5 miles later, but I was driving and didn't want to be bothered with pulling over and retaking the picture.

I read later that Minnesota has only topped 100 degrees 14 times since 1956.

All day, all I could think about was my poor kids in their non-air-conditioned schools, and the poor, desperate teachers trapped in rooms full of sweaty kids.  I have never been so grateful for air-conditioning... and that I'm not a teacher!

Things That Make Me Happy: Sunny Mondays

Mondays are usually the most productive day of my week.  When I awake to a sunny Monday morning, well - that's like hitting the jackpot!  I don't know why it's easier to get motivated when the sun is out, but it is.  I'm sure someone has studied it and has scientific evidence, but I don't feel like googling it right now.  Just trust me.

All sunny days are great, but sunny Mondays make me super happy.  I'm off to get something done!

Recipe: Broccoli Salad

I had an interesting experience at a potluck yesterday, and yes, it was food-related, but not in the way you might think.

I brought Debbie Arrington's Winning Broccoli Salad (yes, that's the official name - it was the stuff of legend in the Columbia Missouri Highlands Ward - so beloved by all that Debbie was always required to bring it to any ward function.  Also, she used "winning" long before Charlie Sheen tainted it).  I've tweaked the recipe some - replaced the raisins with craisins - but it's still her basic recipe, and it's fast becoming my potluck staple.

Returning to my potluck... I was deep in conversation, standing near the desserts (natch) when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone approach the hostess and mention "broccoli salad".  Uh-oh. Whenever someone mentions my food, I get worried. I'm not exactly known for my culinary skills.

I saw the hostess point at me, and there was some animated gesturing on the part of the inquirer. I turned and gave my best innocent look/trailing question combo: "yes, I did bring the broccoli salad...?"

The woman came over, stood directly in front of me, took both my hands in hers, and proceeded to tell me that it was the BEST broccoli salad she had ever had, and the broccoli was just perfect, and the cashews, and all the sauce... and she could just TELL that there was so much LOVE that went into that salad!

All of this accented, of course, with slight hand shakes after each phrase.

Wow.  Nice, but... kinda weird.

I smiled, thanked her, and gently extricated my hands. I sincerely thought at that point she was going to hug me, but she just sighed happily and left me, bewildered, still backed up against the counter.

Broccoli salad.  Transforming lives.  Bet you didn't know it could do that.

Debbie Arrington's Winning Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:
2 lbs. fresh broccoli
1 small white onion, chopped fine
1 cup Miracle Whip (I use MW light)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. white vinegar
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup craisins (or raisins)
6 slices bacon, cooked crispy and chopped fine (I use maple bacon.  ooohhh....)

Directions:
Wash broccoli, then remove florets and separate into bite-sized pieces.  Place in a large bowl, and add chopped onion.

Whisk together Miracle Whip, sugar, and white vinegar in a small bowl. Pour over broccoli and onions and stir to coat.  Refrigerate overnight.

Immediately before serving, stir in cashews, craisins, and chopped bacon and mix well.

Stand back and watch lives being changed.  :)

Writing this post made me wonder what happened to Debbie.  I tried Googling her and looking for her on Facebook, but wasn't able to find her.  I'm sure, wherever she is, she's changing lives... and still stuck bringing this marvelous salad to every ward potluck.

Suspension of Disbelief

** SPOILER ALERT**  Not intended for young children!




So, at my house, the Easter Bunny has been debunked.  Apparently the movie "Hop" didn't convince my girls that there is a magical bunny out there who makes his own jellybeans.

Unlike their cousins, my kids have never believed in leprechauns.

The Great Pumpkin only exists in Linus' head, and Jack Frost is just a funny holiday movie.

I've never, ever tried to sell them on the idea of a flying, diaper-clad little person wielding a deadly weapon in the name of love.

The whole old man turning into a baby at midnight thing has never really been successfully explained to me, let alone passed on to my kids.

The main man, Santa, is on the way out, as 50% of the kids in this house claim to know "the truth".  The other 50% will NEVER accept that reindeer don't fly.

Only one character is left standing - the Tooth Fairy - who, oddly enough, has been saved from elimination through the unusual pairing of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Julie Andrews.

Apparently, this movie offers an entirely plausible explanation for how all those teeth are collected and handled.  Julie Andrews is very convincing.

Madi lost another tooth today at church, and is either utterly convinced that the tooth fairy exists, or has been doing some serious work on her acting skills with financial gain in mind.  Either way, it looks like a gold dollar coin will end up under her pillow tonight...

I said I wouldn't, but I did.

I know that I vowed that I would never ride with Gary on his new road bike, but this week I gave in to temptation and arranged for a Saturday morning babysitter so that we could ride together.  The weather was perfect - low 70s, very little wind - and we got in a nice 45 mile ride.

This was my view for a good portion of the ride.  I was quite proud of myself for taking this picture while riding and not crashing in the process.

I was also quite proud of myself for not holding him back too much.  We kept up a good pace - one of my fastest ever.

Maybe it's a good thing to be pushed out of your comfort zone once in a while.  :)

Things That Make Me Happy: Funky Flowers

So, we are heading into summer, the time of year that most people enjoy the most.  For me, however, it's usually when depression hits the hardest.  Sigh.  I just have to be different, I guess.

Anyway, I thought maybe routinely blogging about things that make me happy and adding some funky flowers to the background of my blog might help.  The power of positive thinking, and all.

source: shabbyblogs.com

Stay tuned for more TTMMH... 2T2MH... hmmm...maybe I need to come up a catchier title. Suggestions welcome.

Sarah's Choir Concert

Sarah had her (first and) final choir concert of the year tonight.  (She missed the winter concert because it happened on the day that her school iPad hit the ground and shattered... demolishing Sarah in the process.  It was quickly replaced, but Sarah simply was not up to performing that night.)

We were so proud of her!  There was no aide provided, so for the first time, Sarah was performing on her own.  She did great!

I have to admit that I was a little worried about how she would do, but ended up being extremely impressed.  She sang most of the songs, which was a big deal in itself.  I do have to admit that there were a few behaviors that made her stand out from her classmates.  Probably the most noticeable was that she clapped as if she was in the audience at the end of each song, which was actually kind of adorable.  She caught herself, though, after only 2 or 3 claps each time, and then put her hands down and stood quietly while the audience applauded.  I also noticed that by the fourth song in their set, she had started swiveling side to side with the beat.  It wasn't too bad, and it kept her standing in her spot and quiet.

Because of her position onstage, Sarah was set to lead the entire choir offstage to return to their seats in the audience.  She's not the fastest mover when left to her own pace, and the choir teacher wanted to make sure we didn't end up with a 15 minute interlude while Sarah meandered.  This meant that at the end of the 7th grade set, I came onstage and helped her make her exit, since I'm pretty experienced at keeping her moving.  :)

Since I didn't know I'd be doing this, can I tell you how glad I was that I had dressed up for the event?  When their choir returned to stage to join the 8th graders for the final number, I had to lead her from one side of the stage to the other.  I felt silly, but Gary said that I looked like I belonged there, as Sarah's aide.  I choose to believe him.

Sarah did great on the final combined number, and when I met her backstage, she was as pumped up as the other performers were after a great performance.  It was fun to see her having a good time in a group setting.

We ended the evening with Cold Stone Creamery treats before heading home, tired and happy.