In honor of Thanksgiving, I have decided to put together a list of things that I am thankful for:
1. My family. Mostly because they support me and don't tell me I'm crazy (even when I obviously am...)
2. Reunions with old friends. After 6 years or 6 days, a meeting with an old friend who knows your stories is always nice.
3. New friends. For a long time I thought that I had all of the friends I needed. I was wrong.
4. The future. Anticipation of what's to come makes me giddy with excitement.
5. My iPod. Music makes me truly happy.
6. Blackberry Messenger. Being the crazy communicator I am, it is nice to be able to communicate quickly and frequently with friends.
7. My job. I can't think of anything that I would rather be doing for a living at this point in my life.
8. My nephew. I know that technically he is family, but he is in a category all his own. Watching him grown and learn is one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. Plus, he says some hilarious things - I think he got my sense of humor.
9. The American Soldier. Knowing that I can rest easy at night because someone is out there protecting my freedom is a liberty that I never want to give up.
10. Coffee. The taste. The atmosphere. Everything about it.
11. My hair stylist. I'm the most indecisive person in the world when it comes to my hair and she always suggests something great.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Another Addition...
One more thing to add to the list...
1. See a baseball game in every Major League Stadium. (I've done Colorado, Boston, and Arizona so far. BodyBuilder* has talked about doing this with me, in which case I would have to start over with her)
2. Go to Mount Rushmore.
3. Master a signature dish.
4. Eat pizza in Italy.
5. Flamenco dance in Spain.
6. Drink in Ireland.
7. See the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center.
8. Get married.
9. Become proficient in Spanish.
10. Write a book.
11. Publish that book.
12. Give birth.
13. Learn to surf.
14. Visit all 50 states.
15. Learn to ballroom dance.
16. Go to the Summer Olympic Games.
17. Attend the Kentucky Derby. (or one of the other races that makes up the Triple Crown.)
1. See a baseball game in every Major League Stadium. (I've done Colorado, Boston, and Arizona so far. BodyBuilder* has talked about doing this with me, in which case I would have to start over with her)
2. Go to Mount Rushmore.
3. Master a signature dish.
4. Eat pizza in Italy.
5. Flamenco dance in Spain.
6. Drink in Ireland.
7. See the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center.
8. Get married.
9. Become proficient in Spanish.
10. Write a book.
11. Publish that book.
12. Give birth.
13. Learn to surf.
14. Visit all 50 states.
15. Learn to ballroom dance.
16. Go to the Summer Olympic Games.
17. Attend the Kentucky Derby. (or one of the other races that makes up the Triple Crown.)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Hottest Girl In Nevada...
This post is going to be a flashback. About a year ago, I went on a road trip in Nevada for work - a lot of crazy things happened, and I think I tried to block them out of my memory. However, this week I was in Nevada again for work and was invited to attend the very same road trip this year, which got me thinking about my adventures before.
This particular road trip is a marketing trip for a producer who runs a bull test station. It is a yearly event, and this was my first experience with it. We were travelling in a large group and had four stops in four days. The first two days were pretty uneventful. The third day things got interesting as we moved into Nevada.
We left Lakeview, OR at the crack of dawn, headed to Elko. I ended up in the truck with two older gentlemen (both old enough to be my dad, almost my grandpa). As is typical of me riding in the back seat of a vehicle, I fell asleep almost immediately. I woke up around the time that we were stopping at Denio Junction for a bathroom break and some coffee. It was probably about 9:00 am at this time and when we walked into the coffee shop/bar/hotel lobby/quick mart, there were two gentlemen sitting at the bar. One was fairly normal (well, as normal as you can be if you are at a bar in the middle of nowhere at 9:00 am), the other was WASTED!! He had to have still been drunk from the night before because there is no way he could have drank enough to get to this point this early in the morning.
I order a cup of coffee from the bartender and she directs me to where the cream and sugar are located. I have to walk by the drunk guy on my way there. Of course, he starts talking to me. He is going on and on about how beautiful I am and are those men my boyfriends, etc. I am slightly uncomfortable. But I continue on to fix my coffee without stopping. I was not so lucky on the way back. The drunk stops me again and asks me if I'll give him a hug. At this point I am hoping that one of the older gentlemen that I am riding with will break in and say that we need to leave - they did not. I avoid the hug, but he invites me to join him in the hot pumps down the road later that night. I politely decline his invitation and we are finally on our way.
We make it Elko with a lot less excitement and get set up for the night ahead. The previous two nights followed the same schedule: social hour w/ drinking, dinner w/ drinking, more drinking after dinner, and then possibly go to a bar and drink some more. Elko turns out to be no different. The hotel that we are staying at has a casino in the lobby, but you have to walk across the parking lot to the rooms. So we commence drinking in the casino bar and are having a great time. About the time that I'm ready to head back to my room one of the other gentlemen on the trip (not one of the ones I was riding with) says that he is ready to go back as well and he'll walk me across the parking lot. How chivalrous, right?? Wrong! We walk across the parking lot and come to my room first. I say, "Well this is me. See you in the morning." He says, "Are you just going to go to bed?" I say, "That's the plan." He says, "I could come in and hang out for awhile." WHAT?? NO! This is crazy talk - he is definitely old enough to be my dad. And I'm pretty sure that I have not given him any signs that I want him to come and "hang out" in my room.
After narrowly escaping that situation, I was glad that he wouldn't be joining us for the fourth and final night in Winnemucca. Again, the night followed in the same fashion as the others, but because this was our last night and we had to get up really early to head to Fallon the next day, there was not as much partying going on. But two (different) guys and I went to the bar in the hotel after the dinner for a final drink and to chat for awhile. So we're sitting there enjoying our drinks when one of the guys asks me if I'm single. The following conversation takes place:
Me: Yes, I am.
Gentlemen: I'd love to set you up with my brother.
Me: What?
G: Yes, you would be great for him.
Me: Tell me about him.
G: He owns his own company, blah, blah, blah. And he lives in Indiana.
Me: How do you propose we meet if he lives in Indiana?
G: Well, you don't live in Nevada and you're here now.
Me: Touche. However, Nevada is in my territory for work, Indiana is not.
G: It's just as easy to fly to Indiana.
Me: And just knock on his door?
G: Why not?
Is he kidding me?? Like I'm really going to fly to another state to meet a guy that I don't know. I don't care who his brother is. This is crazy!!!
So, needless to say, I am a little nervous about going on this same road trip for a second time. I guess it will probably bring more blog material...
This particular road trip is a marketing trip for a producer who runs a bull test station. It is a yearly event, and this was my first experience with it. We were travelling in a large group and had four stops in four days. The first two days were pretty uneventful. The third day things got interesting as we moved into Nevada.
We left Lakeview, OR at the crack of dawn, headed to Elko. I ended up in the truck with two older gentlemen (both old enough to be my dad, almost my grandpa). As is typical of me riding in the back seat of a vehicle, I fell asleep almost immediately. I woke up around the time that we were stopping at Denio Junction for a bathroom break and some coffee. It was probably about 9:00 am at this time and when we walked into the coffee shop/bar/hotel lobby/quick mart, there were two gentlemen sitting at the bar. One was fairly normal (well, as normal as you can be if you are at a bar in the middle of nowhere at 9:00 am), the other was WASTED!! He had to have still been drunk from the night before because there is no way he could have drank enough to get to this point this early in the morning.
I order a cup of coffee from the bartender and she directs me to where the cream and sugar are located. I have to walk by the drunk guy on my way there. Of course, he starts talking to me. He is going on and on about how beautiful I am and are those men my boyfriends, etc. I am slightly uncomfortable. But I continue on to fix my coffee without stopping. I was not so lucky on the way back. The drunk stops me again and asks me if I'll give him a hug. At this point I am hoping that one of the older gentlemen that I am riding with will break in and say that we need to leave - they did not. I avoid the hug, but he invites me to join him in the hot pumps down the road later that night. I politely decline his invitation and we are finally on our way.
We make it Elko with a lot less excitement and get set up for the night ahead. The previous two nights followed the same schedule: social hour w/ drinking, dinner w/ drinking, more drinking after dinner, and then possibly go to a bar and drink some more. Elko turns out to be no different. The hotel that we are staying at has a casino in the lobby, but you have to walk across the parking lot to the rooms. So we commence drinking in the casino bar and are having a great time. About the time that I'm ready to head back to my room one of the other gentlemen on the trip (not one of the ones I was riding with) says that he is ready to go back as well and he'll walk me across the parking lot. How chivalrous, right?? Wrong! We walk across the parking lot and come to my room first. I say, "Well this is me. See you in the morning." He says, "Are you just going to go to bed?" I say, "That's the plan." He says, "I could come in and hang out for awhile." WHAT?? NO! This is crazy talk - he is definitely old enough to be my dad. And I'm pretty sure that I have not given him any signs that I want him to come and "hang out" in my room.
After narrowly escaping that situation, I was glad that he wouldn't be joining us for the fourth and final night in Winnemucca. Again, the night followed in the same fashion as the others, but because this was our last night and we had to get up really early to head to Fallon the next day, there was not as much partying going on. But two (different) guys and I went to the bar in the hotel after the dinner for a final drink and to chat for awhile. So we're sitting there enjoying our drinks when one of the guys asks me if I'm single. The following conversation takes place:
Me: Yes, I am.
Gentlemen: I'd love to set you up with my brother.
Me: What?
G: Yes, you would be great for him.
Me: Tell me about him.
G: He owns his own company, blah, blah, blah. And he lives in Indiana.
Me: How do you propose we meet if he lives in Indiana?
G: Well, you don't live in Nevada and you're here now.
Me: Touche. However, Nevada is in my territory for work, Indiana is not.
G: It's just as easy to fly to Indiana.
Me: And just knock on his door?
G: Why not?
Is he kidding me?? Like I'm really going to fly to another state to meet a guy that I don't know. I don't care who his brother is. This is crazy!!!
So, needless to say, I am a little nervous about going on this same road trip for a second time. I guess it will probably bring more blog material...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Ranch Ready...
Regularly on our adventure tours, Diddy and I contemplate the reasons that we are single. We can not come up with a good reason. Diddy is an AWESOME guy and well, let's face it, I'm a catch! We will admit that we are not without our flaws, but our positive characteristics far outweigh our negatives ones...
One of the things that I needed to brush up on was my "ranch readiness." So Diddy and I created our own little training program to make sure that someday I would make a good ranch wife (or owner at the rate things are going...). After this weekend, the training is almost complete.
Gather cattle in a truck? Check.
Gather cattle on horse? Check.
Ride a horse all day? Check.
Work at the chutes while processing? Check.
Drive a truck with a trailer or gooseneck attached? Check.
Drive the feed truck through the pasture? Check.
My next lesson will be backing up with a gooseneck attached and will be taught by Banana. She tends to have a little more patience than the guys...
One of the funniest parts of the weekend was when I was sitting on the porch at the ranch house with our Navajo friend, Homes*. He was telling me stories (as he frequently does) about when he was younger. I almost wet myself when he told me the story of his time as a drug dealer in a Mexican Mafia gang. He told me that the only time he ever got dressed up was when he went to see "The Man." He would put on his Rolex, his diamond ring, and his gold chain with the gold medallion that said his name, "Homes" on it. And he would carry his gold snake briefcase. It was hilarious!
One of the things that I needed to brush up on was my "ranch readiness." So Diddy and I created our own little training program to make sure that someday I would make a good ranch wife (or owner at the rate things are going...). After this weekend, the training is almost complete.
Gather cattle in a truck? Check.
Gather cattle on horse? Check.
Ride a horse all day? Check.
Work at the chutes while processing? Check.
Drive a truck with a trailer or gooseneck attached? Check.
Drive the feed truck through the pasture? Check.
My next lesson will be backing up with a gooseneck attached and will be taught by Banana. She tends to have a little more patience than the guys...
One of the funniest parts of the weekend was when I was sitting on the porch at the ranch house with our Navajo friend, Homes*. He was telling me stories (as he frequently does) about when he was younger. I almost wet myself when he told me the story of his time as a drug dealer in a Mexican Mafia gang. He told me that the only time he ever got dressed up was when he went to see "The Man." He would put on his Rolex, his diamond ring, and his gold chain with the gold medallion that said his name, "Homes" on it. And he would carry his gold snake briefcase. It was hilarious!
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