Miscellany Monday

one.

beautiful surprise!

I returned home late Friday night to find the MOST beautiful gift EVER!

A friend of mine made me this padfolio with my initials on the front.

I cried. It is seriously the most beautiful gift that anyone has ever made me! (No offense to anyone who has made me a gift in the past...)

two.

Dance with the one that brought you.


I was in my office this morning and a darling old man came in to complain about the IRS. (It is a weekly occurrence with the old men in the town I work.) So we start chatting and I begin telling him about an event that we are hosting on Friday evening.


He interrupts me to tell me that he is going to a dance on Friday night. Then asks me if I dance. Obviously, I say yes - I love to dance!


So he proceeds to tell me that every Friday night at the RV Park up the road there is a dance with a good band and I should join him some time.


Then he tells me that he tried to go dancing at another place in town, but the music was not good because you couldn't cuddle up.


I'm thinking I won't join him at the RV Park dance anytime soon...


three.
So sad...


This week is the annual convention for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.


So many of my friends are going to be there, and unfortunately, my schedule isn't allowing me to attend.


Though, I'm not sad about missing out on the weather - single digits tomorrow - no thanks!


four.
ICYMI.


If you have not yet done so, please watch the Joe Nichols video below.

The Shape I'm In - Joe Nichols - Joe Nichols Videos

"...the one thing you gotta believe in is...you gotta believe in yourself."


I'm telling you what - if you start feeling down, just watch that video - you'll start to view things with a different perspective.


To read about the heroes who appear in the video, go to the Lone Survivor Foundation.

Wednesday Wisdom

"Freedom is always the right thing to fight for. You can't stop believing in freedom just because some people use it to be stupid."

-Ellie Goodman (mother of Susan G. Komen)

Beautifully Flawed

I am not perfect.

Shocking, right?!?

It is the truth.

If we are being honest with ourselves, none of us really are.

We may have perfect days.

We may try to present ourselves as perfect to others.

But the truth of the matter is, we are all flawed.

And those flaws are what make us beautiful.

I try to be the best person that I can be.

Some days that is a harder task than others.

I know that I don't always succeed.

There are things about my personality that others don't understand.

We'll get a few of them out of the way right here:


1. I typically talk a lot (like haven't stopped since I came out of the womb), but I internalize my problems.


When I'm ready to talk there are a handful of people I call to do that.


If they don't answer, it is highly likely that I won't talk to them about that specific problem.


2. I L.O.V.E. to be around people.


Even more, I love to be the center of attention.


However, I also L.O.V.E. to be alone.


Sometimes just to watch TV, sometimes to read, sometimes to run, sometimes to clean. I just really enjoy time alone and awake to reflect on what's going on in life and work through some of what is in my ever moving mind.


3. (Kind of an extension to #1) I really dislike talking on the phone - especially when I'm at home. 


If I call you while I'm out and you don't answer, and you call me back once I've made it back home, I sometimes won't answer. (Sorry, I'm just being honest.)


I think it's why I like texting and BBM - I don't have to fully commit to a conversation for a long period of time.


These are just a couple of my flaws.


But they make me who I am.

Miscellany Monday

one.

I am on the injured list today!

Last night, as I was preparing food for the week, I was slicing onions with the mandoline, and my thumb accidentally got in the way. I lost a sizable chunk of the finger, but managed to get the blood flow stopped and the wound bandaged.

But I must tell you, injuring the thumb on your dominate hand is VERY inconvenient!

two.

I am my mother!

You all laugh (and some of you  may have already known this), but it is becoming my reality!

On Saturday night I was at the bar with some friends, dancing and generally hanging out (not drinking because CageFighter and I gave it up for 30 days...). Towards the end of the night a man came up to me. He looked really familiar and it isn't like me to not know a person's name. Seriously, Match always says that you can say, "Airplane, remember that girl we met when you were 7 and she had red hair?" and I would immediately come up with her name. It is a little freaky.

So when this guy comes up to me and says something to the effect of, do you recognize me? I couldn't believe I didn't come up with his name. I said, You look really familiar. Then he tells me his name and enter Match.mom.

I yelled, Ohmigod, Louie, how are you?!?! and gave him a huge hug! Even as I was doing it and could see that I was becoming my mother I couldn't make it stop.

Send help quick.

(Just kidding, Match. I love you!)

three.

I want to be better.

Last week two things happened that brought me to this realization: I finished reading Promise Me and I attended a memorial service for a Border Patrol agent who was killed in the line of duty.

And it made me realize that I want to be a better person. I want to make a difference in people's lives.

West Side Story

I mentioned on Monday that FredAstaire and Ginger got married this past weekend. And I'm certain that I have mentioned to you before how much I love to dance.

Though I'm not sure that I've told you that is a common trait among my family members. We are dancers. Not trained. Not formal. Just fun.

Seriously, if I haven't told you before, we have bands at our family reunions.

We LOVE to dance!

We'll go to weddings of friends and look around the dance floor and we'll be the only ones out there. I am sure that people think we are crazy. 

One of our favorite things to do on the dance floor at a wedding (or really any event in which there is music and a dance floor) is to get in a circle and take turns dancing in the middle of the circle. It is great fun and everyone can get into it.

So, on Saturday night, we were all waiting for the dancing portion of the reception to start so we could "break it down like inner-city kids."

The first song the DJ played was "Shout." A great song to get the dancing started. And much to our dismay, Ginger's family was out there in force as well.

What? We aren't used to sharing the dance floor.

A couple of songs in, the DJ puts on "Sexy Back." As JT is singing it, Ginger's family gets into a circle and takes turns dancing in the middle.

Match and I almost died!

I'm telling you, we were like the Sharks and the Jets out there.

It was pure madness!

Miscellany Monday

one.

FredAstaire got married on Saturday night. The wedding was beautiful! 

Fred and I learned how to dance together and we went all through school together and we've been great friends forever! I was *thisclose* to being in his wedding. He married a WONDERFUL woman, Ginger*!

PapaBear and Me outside the church.

Tiny and Biggie (they are holding hands...)

two.

I don't want to pack for the week. While this new job is giving me a great opportunity to spend time with Sissy and the fam, I am really disliking having to choose my clothes at the beginning of the week and being committed to them.

three.

We moved Sissy and the fam into their new house this weekend.

I meant to take pics of the chaos for all of you, but I was working too hard. I'll try to get some pics of the place this week.

four. 

I REALLY want a flip cam. I think I would enjoy filming some of the madness that is my life.

five.

I have set myself a goal of reading 30 books this year. I am at 4 so far.

I just started reading "Promise Me." Have I ever told you that I met Nancy Brinker in 2004? Yep, drove her around Albuquerque, NM.

And it reminds me that I need to start fundraising for the 3-Day. I'll put that on the list for next weekend.

How I Feel Today...

But I'm leaving here soon, headed to my own house, hopefully by the time I get there I will have decompressed enough to write something a little more substantive.

Let's hope anyway...

Pure Embarrassment

As I mentioned yesterday, I am listening to the Decision Points audiobook. Which is making me think a lot about 2004, so I guess I'll share with you a few more stories from my days working on a Presidential campaign. (These stories are recreated mostly from my memory, any deviation from fact is purely my fault.)

It was July 2004. If you know anything about Arizona, you know that the heat is nearly unbearable in July. But, the show must go on, and Vice President Dick Cheney (VPOTUS to insiders) was coming to Tucson for a campaign rally. This would be the first campaign rally in Arizona.

For some reason, probably my mad organizational skills, I was tapped to head down to Tucson before the rest of our staff. There were a lot of meetings, diagrams, conversations, and tours. 

Let me stop here to tell you the story of Adonis*. Adonis was a secret service agent. Hell, he may still be, I don't run in that circle anymore. So either way, as you can probably gather from his name, Adonis was god-like. He was so good-looking it should have been illegal. On top of that, he was very nice. Being a SS agent, we typically only saw him in a suit. I will also note to you that our campaign staff was comprised of five girls and one guy. The night before the event, three of us girls were sitting in the secure suite at the hotel, making final plans for the next day. As girls are wont to do, we were talking and laughing and having a good time. When all of the sudden the door opened and in stepped Adonis. He was wearing a white t-shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and flips. It was so uncharacteristic I can remember it like it was yesterday. The moment he walked in the room all three of us quit talking/laughing immediately. All we could do was stare. I'm certain that I even blushed. Then, he walked out and we all took a breath and started laughing hysterically.

I miss Adonis.

But, back to the story at hand...

It looked like the event was going to be held at the Pima County Fairgrounds. In one of the buildings where livestock shows are typically held. 

These buildings don't have adequate air conditioning systems, so we would be bringing in three or four large portable units to pump cold air into the building.

A few things that you should know about campaign rallies. Besides being a great way to fire up your supporters, they got a lot of media coverage, especially in a Presidential campaign. For that reason, everything has to look great.

There have to be homemade signs, and flags, and lots of people, and cheering. There is a lot that goes into the whole thing.

As part of the rally, we decided that we would hand out small flags to the attendees. 

Something like this:

So on the day before the event, we were putting these on bleachers and chairs in the VIP section. When a secret service agent came up to us and told us that we would not be able to use the flags. Curious, we asked why not. He said that the posed a hazard to VPOTUS, as someone could poke out his eye. 

What?

After further discussion, they decided that if we could remove the gold piece (it appears yellow in the picture above) from each of the flags, we'd be able to use them.

So we did. But I have to ask you, would you rather be poked in the eye with the pointy gold edge or the blunt edge of the stick?

From that point forward, "It is all fun and games until VPOTUS loses an eye." could be heard in our office on a pretty much daily basis.

Ok, it's the day of the event. The temperature is rising, and people are starting to line up. 

There are three sections in the building, the section furthest to the back is where the SS is bringing the general admit folks in through the magnetometers and where caterers are serving hot dogs and soda. The next section up is where a majority of the attendees will stand during the rally. It is also the site of the press stage, where The Great White Hope and I were in charge of the press. The very front, closest to the stage, was the VIP section and the cut stage for the press to get a different angle.

Directly to the right of the press stage was the door where the press, elected officials, and certain VIPs could be hand-wanded to enter.

 I can't readily recall how many tickets we handed out for the event, but it was a lot. And as you can imagine, it takes a while to get a lot of people through the mags. So the line was getting longer and longer and the day was getting hotter and hotter. Needing to fill up the VIP section, I was sent outside to find people I knew were VIPs to bring through the press door. So off, I went. 

First group, PapaBear and Sissy. I can't remember if they had other with them. And on down the line, I just kept running back and forth between the line of people and the press door.

The place was filling up and all was looking good. And then, people started passing out from dehydration and heat exhaustion in line. Paramedics were bringing people into the building on stretchers and setting them right next to the press stage.

This was a nightmare!

Finally, the event started and things were going great! Vice President Cheney and his wife Lynne were on stage. TGWH and I were moving press back and forth to the cut stage. People were cheering, the place looked great.

As I was standing up by the cut stage, admiring how all of the hard work had come together into a great rally, VPOTUS started talking about the importance of getting the right judges appointed to the courts. He pauses to catch his breath, and someone in the front of the crowd yells, "Get Bill Myers on." The Vice President stopped his remarks, looked down at the person and asked, "You know Bill?"

Without being at the front of the stage, I knew, with every fiber of my being, that the person who had yelled at the VP was none other than PapaBear. I was mortified!

Some of the campaign staff were standing backstage watching and they said that they all laughed when the saw the 6-foot-3 man in the cowboy hat talking to the VP like they were old friends. They said to each other, "That's Airplane's dad."

Miscellany Monday

uno.

I've mentioned it more than once on this website, but I LOVE music! And I am a big fan of Cody Canada. Recently, his original band, Cross Canadian Ragweed, broke up. I won't get into whether or not I think they wronged sweet, sweet Grady Cross... But I will tell you that Cody Canada has still got it. 

Check it:

Yum!

dos.

A couple of months ago I bought Decision Points and started to read it. But I had a hard time, life was crazy and the book is large and difficult to carry around. Then PapaBear got the book-on-tape for Christmas.

I'm normally against books on tape. (Back when I was travelling a lot for work, a friend of mine gave me the Shopoholic books on cd to borrow for the long drives. I had read the books, but I couldn't listen to them while I drove. I would just get REALLY angry with the main character of the book and it would fuel high blood pressure and road rage.) Either way, this book is actually read by the author, President George W. Bush, so I thought the book-on-tape would be ok. You may or may not know that I am big fan of his.

I started listening to it this morning on my long drive to the office. And I fell a little more in love with him.

tres.

Tonight begins week two with the nephews. I admit that there is not much sleep to be had with a 4-year-old in your bed, but I think that there will come a time when I look back on these days and am grateful for the time that I got to spend with the little guys.

What Do I Want?

Last month I posted about going to see a movie alone.

And in that movie, the advice given to the heroine was, "Find out what you want and ask for it."

I have a problem.

I don't know what I want.

I'm having some serious issues with life lately.

Not in a I want to end it kind of way.

Just in a What is it all about? kind of way.

And the truth is - I'm really confused!

Sometimes I think I know what I want, but even that changes.

Mostly I want to be happy, but I am thinking that the problem is I don't know what makes me happy.

None of this is an excuse for being lax on posting to this blog, but it should help you to understand why I haven't been so active and/or funny.

But, I did sign up for the Warrior Dash and training for that starts next week, so I'm sure I'll have some kind of funny story to tell you about how I fell off the monkey bars at the local playground...

For now I want to thank all of you for reading. Please don't stop because I've been slow. I'm still trying to get my groove back.

Survey!!

Ok, I need your input:

I REALLY want to do the Warrior Dash in April.

But I'm scared.

Do you think I can do it?

I'm serious - I need your input in the comments section.

HELP! Please!

Miscellany Monday

Sunrise Service.

I started a new job today. It will require me to basically live with Sissy and her family during the week. So I will drive the 85 miles to the office on Monday mornings and then head back home to B-Town on Friday nights. This morning was clearly my first day of this and this was the sunrise I got to enjoy on my way to work.

Keeping Time.

Let me tell you a real quick story. Way back in 2003, I was an intern for a trade association. And I went with one of my coworkers to a fundraiser for a legislator where they were giving away a Michele Watch. And I won the watch. It was crazy. I wore it for a while and then the battery died so I quit wearing it. (I feel awkward with a watch on - I know, I'm strange.) But on Christmas Eve, SuperFan found out that I had a Michele Watch and she freaked out and started telling all of these people about it and they were all mad at me that I had a Michele Watch and didn't wear it. So I got the battery fixed and Ta-Da!

I just think it is so hilarious that I have something that is in style and everyone wants. That never happens.

Speaking of Hilarious.

I am a HUGE fan of The Big Bang Theory. And saying Ta-Da above made me think of this:

Tell me you didn't laugh. That Sheldon - he's a crack up!

Running Around.

I started 2011 off with a run. It was FREEZING cold, but I made it the 3.1 miles in a little less than 39 minutes. A 12:30 mile. My goal for the year is to get down to a solid 11-minute mile. Wish me luck and cheer me on!

I've Got Your Number!

Dear 2011,

I hope that you have been training hard, because I've got your number and I'm ready for a fight!

Your brother, 2010, got the best of me. We could maybe call it a draw, but I definitely didn't win. So I'm taking it out on you.

I will dominate you for the next 12 months! 

I'm not sure what the Chinese calendar says, but this is the Year of the Airplane!

Best of Luck,

Your Worst Enemy