Burn, Baby, Burn!

Janiac and I getting ready to start the day

I am currently on an extended vacation with Janiac in California.

I can't recall if I've mentioned it, but she get angry because typically when I come to visit her, it is for an event and I'm not in town very long and apparently there are lots of things that she wants to show me.

At least twice I visited her while she lived in Paso Robles and she wanted to take me wine tasting, but inevitably we had a little too much to drink the night before and wine was not really the first thing we wanted.

So we scheduled a trip. A very long trip.

One of the other things that she really wanted to do was to show me her family's ranch.

On Sunday morning, we set off from Hanford to Paso. We had plans to wine taste and then head out to the ranch for the night, because on Monday, there was scheduled to be a prescribed burn on the ranch and we were "the help."

We managed to successfully taste wine at one place before getting distracted with shopping and heading out to the ranch.

Monday morning, we woke up, had breakfast, and began moving vehicles and equipment for the fire. 

Let me back up for a moment.

When Janiac was in Arizona a couple of weeks ago she received a text from her mom asking if she would be around on a couple of specific dates because they were scheduling this burn and needed help. 

The dates were Nov. 8 and 11. Janiac said that Nov. 8 wouldn't work because I was flying in on the evening of the 7th and we wouldn't be able to get to the ranch in time.

Unfortunately for us, they went ahead and scheduled the burn for that day.

On Friday, we were sitting at the house and Janiac gets a text from her sister, "Burn cancelled. Bulldozers, prisoners, and two helicopters headed to Toro Creek."

Wait, what?

Helicopters? Prisoners? What are we in for? 

Jane says, "I thought this was the 15 guys from the fire camp down the road with some shovels."

I replied, "Apparently that would be like bringing a knife to a gun fight."

Only a portion of the equipment that would be used throughout the day

Pre-burn briefing

After the briefing with all of the crews, Janiac and I headed up to where the fire was supposed to start with a couple of other folks. They laughed at me when I got nervous about driving into the fire. I was like, I don't know if you've noticed, but those guys up there - they are wearing fire suits. We are wearing jeans and t-shirts. If the fire happens to get out of control, we are going to have some troubles.

Lucky for us, the fire did not get out of control, but we headed back down to the camp around lunch time to help put lunches together for the ranchers who had volunteered to help. Once they were ready, we got into the Polaris with Janiac's mom to deliver them. 

So into the fire we went again. This time, I wasn't as scared.

We were about halfway through delivery when we stopped to talk to one of the fire fighters and he was telling us that they had the perimeter pretty well burnt, but since the fire wasn't carrying well, they were going to start using the heliotorch.

What is a heliotorch, you ask? Well, we had the same question.

Basically, the attach this tank to the bottom of the helicopter and it shoots out napalm and starts fires.

(I have a video of this awesomeness, but for some reason, blogger won't let me post it.)

For the remainder of the day, Janiac and I rode around with her mom surveying the fire. At one point, we went up to the highest point of the fire to get the best view possible.

The day ended with a huge bbq for all of the firefighters, prisoners, and volunteers. We served over 100 people dinner, and were in bed by 8:30pm.

All Rise

You know that quote that like everyone has as their email signature?

"Don't judge another person. You never know what kind of battle they are fighting."

That may not be exactly how it goes, but you get the idea.

When I landed in Fresno earlier this week, Janiac asked me about my flight. It was pretty uneventful. Then she told me a story of the flight she took earlier in the week.

There was an older woman sitting next to her, and a young woman with a very small child behind them. By all accounts, the child was struggling with the plane ride (and probably traveling in general). The woman sitting next to Janiac was making very loud and very rude comments about the behavior of the child, and pontificating how the woman must be a bad parent because of it. Going so far as to say that she probably shouldn't fly until she can get her child under control.

This story upset me. That woman didn't know the situation in which the younger lady was traveling for. There could be a million reasons for the travel. A family wedding. A funeral. A final visit with an aging grandparent who would meet her child for the first and last time.

I'm not saying I have never judged someone without knowing the situation. I hope that I have never spoken so rudely about someone within their earshot, but I honestly can't tell you that is even the case.

In general, I try to understand people. It is part of my nature to want to know them. I want to hear their stories. Know their fears. Celebrate their accomplishments.

So when someone does something different than me. I try to understand why. What in their life makes them the way they are.

I watched the following video from TedxBoulder and it really got me thinking. 

When she says, "There is no harder. There is just hard," it resonated with me. Why do we insist on comparing our trials with those of others? And say that what we are going through is worse than what they are going through? Or even worse, discount what we are going through because it isn't as bad as theirs?

Each one of our battles is hard. It is hard because of the effect it has on our life.

Each one of our accomplishments is great. It is great because we overcame something and made it. 

Stop comparing. Stop judging. Just comfort and celebrate when someone calls on us to be that for them.

Ringing In the Year of Fitness

Remember back on my birthday, when I stated that this would be the year of fitness for me? And that I was signing up for a triathlon?

Well, I had to postpone the triathlon, though I haven't ruled one out in the beginning of November - does anyone have a bike I can borrow?

Either way, it was shaping up to not be the year of fitness for me.

And then, little things kept happening. I kept reading articles about people setting goals and reaching them. Or seeing examples of life being too short. Or watching videos of my favorite CrossFit athletes talking about pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.

Then, one of the guys at the gym told me about a competition that he had signed up for in November. There is a scaled category. I went back and forth, and finally decided that at some point, I was going to have to push myself outside of my comfort zone. And now seemed like that time.

Well, Nov. 16. The Saturday after I come back from a week of vacation.

Clearly, I've taken leave of my senses.

In an effort to not make a total ass of myself, I have stepped it up a little at the gym. I'm going in on Wednesday evenings for extra help with rope climbs, and to work on some other weaknesses (like rowing and pull-ups). 

Traditionally, on Tuesdays, we work on gymnastics skills and then do a WOD with either rowing or running - sometimes both. This past Tuesday, we were supposed to work on muscle ups, atlas stones, and max height box jumps - rotating through the stations as we progressed.

I am HORRIBLE on the rings. Literally, the only thing I can do on them is hang. People are getting upside down and doing dips and all kinds of crazy, and I'm like, "la, la, la, I'm a monkey..."

So, the coach had me working on the short rings, and just doing static holds with a band. I do that and he says, "That's too easy. Try a dip." So I go down in a dip and as I'm pressing back up out of it, my muscles start to fail. Rather than step out of the band and onto the floor, I just start falling. Nearly face planting on the floor of the gym. 

I honestly have no idea, how I managed to land without hurting myself, but I did. And I looked up at the coach and he said, "Are you ok?" I answered that I was, in fact, fine. And he said, "Next time, when you are approaching that redline - go ahead and just step out of the band."

Advice he probably never thought he'd have to give.

Coming Down

I just made myself a "milkshake" with a frozen banana, a scoop of raw cacao powder, coconut milk, and a tiny bit of ice.

That shit was good.

In other news, I think I'm having withdrawals from the fun that I had at the end of last week/weekend.

The following series of pictures was taken on Friday night. We were heading back to our rooms for the night/early morning when Janiac suggested a cartwheel contest.

Once I start doing cartwheels, I start thinking about CrossFit, so of course handstands are next.

I honestly can not look at that last picture without laughing out loud. 

Right after it was taken, security came around the corner like a ninja and sent us to our rooms.

I thought we were following directions nicely and not creating a scene, just waiting for the elevator, when the security guard called for back-up.

And they arrived within 3o seconds. 

Luckily no one got arrested or shot with a bow and arrow.

Change the Conversation

Janiac is back town! 

I love her new job because she is spending so much time in Arizona. One of these days I'm going to talk her into moving here.

Either way, on Saturday evening we were getting ready for a night on the town. She was laying on my bed and I was putting on eye makeup in the bathroom mirror.

I turned around and said, "I'm not trying to be an asshole, but sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and I think 'Damn, I'm pretty!'"

Janiac laughed at that and I assured her that I was serious.

I know, it sounds a little ridiculous, but it is the truth.

Sure there are things that I want to work on, but I think it is far more productive to focus on the positives than the things that I may not be 100% happy with.

Recently I was talking to another friend and she was criticizing a picture that was taken of her. And I got really angry. 

I just don't understand why we are always focusing on what's wrong with us.

No one is perfect.

Not me.

Not you.

But I'm willing to bet that there are a lot more great things about you than flaws.

That's the case for me.

We have to stop striving for perfection and start striving for positivity.

I am beautiful.

I could probably use a little less "fluff" around my mid-section, but I have great boobs.

I have a "royal nose," but an engaging smile.

And from today on, I am going to try really hard to focus on what I love about myself and the people around me.

And if you can't focus on those things about me and you, then our friendship may be on it's way to the finish line.

Out of Control

Janiac called me this morning at 11, and I was sitting in front of my computer drinking coffee (as I had only been out of bed for about 30 minutes) and eating dark chocolate covered almonds for breakfast.

I think it is safe to say that my life has spiraled out of control...

Speaking of out of control, do you want to know something crazy about me?

Too bad, you're going to hear it anyway:

I saw a girl from high school on Wednesday and I was telling her how I felt like I was losing control because people were changing events and canceling plans and not making plans in a timely fashion. And she said, "Oh, I'm so glad it's not just me. My mom is always yelling at me that I can't control everyone else's lives."

To which I responded, "We don't want to control everyone else's lives, just the part of it that interconnects with ours..."

So, later that evening Match and I were driving to a dinner and I was telling her that story.

Me: Who would have thought that her and I would be similar in that respect?

Match: Not me.

Me: Well, I'm pretty sure that she is a Gemini too - I think her birthday is at the beginning of June.

Match (looking at me like I'm crazy): Are you serious?

Me: Yes, I'm pretty sure it's the first week of June.

Match: I'm going to look it up on Facebook - if you are right, that's going to be effing weird.

While she is looking on Facebook, I will tell you that this girl and I weren't great friends in high school. I mean it was a small school (less than 200 people in my graduating class) so we all knew each other, but her and I didn't hang out all the time and we certainly haven't done a lot of hanging out since graduating high school.

Match: Oh.My.Gosh!

Me: What? Was I right?

Match: It is June 9th. That is ridiculous.

I can't help it, you guys. I don't know why I know that. I don't know why I remember the birthdays of people forever and ever, even years after they are out of my life.

I guess I'm just awesome that way.

Pictures...

38/365

sound of freedom

I have mentioned my intense love for our Country and the military before.

I won't lie to you - FCP isn't my favorite organization for a variety of reasons I will not share, but I do love the sound of jets flying overhead!

39/365

take me out to the ballgame

I attended a baseball-themed dinner for work in preparation for Spring Training in our City.

I thought this centerpiece was adorable! Peanuts, sunflower seeds, and caramel corn - the only way to make it more baseball is to fill it with beer after.

40/365

hot pink heels

It is a very rare day that I wear pants to work - I can't help it, I'm a skirt and dress kind of girl.

But sometimes you just have to end your work week in your favorite shoes. And when they are neon pink it is best to dilute the look with a long pair of black pants. Unless your job includes "street sales."

41/365

afternoon delight

Janiac was in town for one night and one night only last week! She was apparently starving when she arrived at my house so I gave her some cheese, crackers, and vodka and I enjoyed a glass of wine.

She told me that drinking wine in the afternoon makes me an old drunk. I think it just makes me a good Italian.

42/365

louv

I spent some time on Saturday with two of the loves of my life! 

Biggie wrote me a special message on the whiteboard that I bought him for V Day. How cute is that??

43/365 

why-o, why-o, why-o?

I don't know why I look up the wod the night before Crossfit.

Let me tell you, getting out of bed at 4:09am knowing that five rounds of walking lunges are ahead of you is not an easy task.

Yeah - Clean It Up!

So Janiac was in town this weekend. That basically led to some crazy shenanigans, but more importantly it reminded me of a hilarious story from back in the day with Dirty and Janiac and a few others.

You see, Dirty was being named Cowbelle of the Year at the CCA Convention and the rest of us were just there to party.

And party we did!

One night in particular, we decided that we would have a delicious Basque dinner. (Because let's be honest folks, the Basques have the best food!) And in the spirit of fully immersing ourselves in the culture, we decided that we would start the night with some Picon Punch. And no Basque meal is complete without a little red wine, so we threw some of that in for good measure. And then I believe we each had a whiskey drink at some point - to even the score.

So, we are now finishing dinner, and we have drank our weight in liquor.

The results:

As  we're getting up from the table, Dirty falls out of her chair onto the floor and can't seem to get up. We all, of course, are laughing hysterically and are no help to her.

I forgot to mention at the beginning of this post that the Basque restaurant is kind of in the ghetto of Reno (I know, I know - what part of Reno isn't the ghetto, right?!?) and we had to take a taxi to get there. So we've now called two taxis to pick up our group and we're waiting inside so as not to freeze our asses off.

The cabs get there and we split into two groups. Dirty, Janiac, Dirty's mom, and I are in one cab and our cab driver is a little butch, but no big deal. Until we all climb in the cab (including the driver) and Dirty says, very loudly, "I wonder what team she plays for."

We finally make it back to the hotel without our cab driver kicking us out in the ghetto and resume partying at the casino bar.


The following happened in the course of the night:


- Janiac had a very long conversation with another friend of ours. After she walked away he confessed to me that he had no idea what she was talking about. He heard something about cars being kept in horse stalls, but he couldn't focus because he was certain that one of her breasts were going to fall out of her shirt.


- Dirty and Janiac ended up with tropical drinks and beachcomber hats.


- Dirty dropped her tropical drink and the glass broke all over the floor. When the custodian arrived he was wearing white coveralls, kind of like a Ghostbuster. He was down on his knees cleaning up her mess while Dirty stood over him saying, "Yeah. Clean it up!"


At some point Janiac and I headed up to the room and ordered chicken strips. However, I fell asleep before they arrived and missed out. Though Dirty walked in as Janiac was eating and helped herself. (Does that sound familiar Diddy?)


The following morning, Dirty and I had to attend a breakfast event and we nearly died. It was one of the worst mornings of my life. And then we won the door prize...


...a bottle of wine.

Forgetting the Alamo

As you all know (I think), I used to work for the organization that was putting on the meeting that we were attending in San Antonio. I had never just been an attendee to the meeting - always either an intern or an employee. I like attendee much, much better than both.


After flying in on Thursday night, I met Diddy, Match.mom, and PapaBear at the hotel bar. We had a few drinks and Diddy and I headed out to meet with Dirty, Janiac, and some of my former coworkers. 


We had a good time catching up while Dirty and Janiac went to the piano bar. Diddy and I never made it there, instead calling it an early night and heading to bed to rest up for the adventure that was sure to come. 


Friday morning dawned, Diddy went to a meeting, I went to the gym, and Dirty showered. 


After our Puffy Adventure, we headed to the room for Diddy to change and then to head to the Convention Center. We did a few walks around the trade show, nothing too exciting occurred. Although I did run into the Hottest Man Alive and talk to him for a bit. 


Then we headed up to see what was happening in a couple of meetings and visit with some friends. 


Once the membership committee meeting was over, I coerced (trust me there was a lot of arm-twisting) my former coworkers into starting happy hour, and the fun began.


After lots of drinks (Diddy had seis Presidente Margaritas and a shot of tequila) and a few appetizers, we headed to the hotel to change into our clothes for the night event. There was scheduled to be a bull riding and concert off-site so we had to ride buses to get there. So we changed our clothes and headed to the hotel bar to meeting Match.mom and PapaBear and have a few more drinks before catching the bus. 


(Yes, if you are keeping track, we are now too many drinks in and Diddy has announced, "This train is leaving the station.")


The bull riding side of the bar was packed and we couldn't see anything so we kept drinking and moved to the dance floor/concert side of the bar. 


It was here that we found Banana and her crew.


And kept drinking.


I know at least two more shots of tequila were consumed - I can not be sure if that was it.


At the end of the night, we boarded the bus back to the hotel. Apparently everyone on our bus was feeling the same as we were, and we talked the bus driver into dropping us off at a 24-hour Mexican food restaurant.


Somehow, Diddy, Dirty, another friend, and I were the only ones who made it to the restaurant, but that didn't concern us. After some delicious Velveeta-smothered burritos, we made the walk back to our hotel.


Dirty's flight was scheduled to leave at some ungodly hour, so by the time Diddy and I woke up, she was already gone. (We still don't know how she managed to get out of bed and make it in time.)


As the morning unfolded, Diddy and I began slowly remembering (or piecing together) the night before. 


Apparently, our friend only fell while dancing. She did not throw up on the dance floor.


And we allegedly did leave another friend at the bar when we got on the bus. 


Rumor has it I danced more than I thought I did. 


However, Dirty had a conversation with Honker that she can not recall and I had a (very long) conversation with a gentleman from Georgia and I can not remember the content of it.


We do know that when we woke up in the morning, our hotel room resembled that of The Hangover, minus the chicken and the tiger.


And luckily, Diddy still had all of his teeth.


As our cab driver kept saying on the way to the airport, while laughing and shaking his head, "Tequila..."

True Love

It's official.

I'm in love.

With Las Vegas during the National Finals Rodeo.

Actually I think I'm just in love with the National Finals Rodeo. Going to Vegas during one of the weekends it is going on just enhances that love.

And I'm in love with cowboys. Even rodeo cowboys.

And I'm in love with my new shark boots. Even though Bruce's dad had to die for them.

Maybe I should start from the beginning.

Dirty Shirley, Diddy, and I headed to Vegas last Friday to join in on the festivities of the NFR. Diddy and I had never participated in this particular activity so Dirty was going to be our guide.

Early Friday morning (though not as early as I would have liked) Diddy and I loaded into Tyler and headed west. I am sure that you can imagine the hilarity of a four hour car ride with the two of us. We did not disappoint this time, it just so happened that no one was there to benefit from it.

When we finally arrived in Vegas, we headed to the airport to pick up Dirty. Then it was off to the Hilton (H-I-L-T-O-N) - our home until Sunday. We made it to our room, dropped off our luggage, and headed to the convention center for a little shopping and a lot of alcohol! On the elevator on our way down there was a couple who were both pulling suitcases and one of them had an open 18-pack of Miller Lite and a man with only one spur on (we still don't know where the other was and we didn't see his horse parked outside). So no one says anything in the elevator, although I was thinking, you did something wrong if you're leaving with the beer. Then, as if I had spoken those words aloud, the man said, "We are changing hotels. This is the worst hotel in Vegas. Just look at the people walking around here, it's trashier than every other casino here." The rest of us just stood there. Seriously? The Hilton is the least classy? I think he used the wrong word.

The convention center shopping was successful for Dirty and we all imbibed on a few alcoholic beverages, ran into a lot of people we knew, and witnessed some really bad fashion! Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the night.

We had dinner at the MGM and then headed to South Point to watch the rodeo and buckle presentations. Thanks to Diddy's quick thinking, we sat down at some video poker machines near the bar with the TVs and each put a dollar in and drank free casino drinks while enjoying the events. Once that was over, we headed into the auditorium for some live music and awards. We were lucky to find a table and enjoyed a few dances and a lot of drinks. Some of us more than others. At the end of the buckle presentations, and five minutes after the last time I looked at them, I turned around to Dirty and Diddy and they were 3M hammered! Dirty was watching the stage with one eye closed and Diddy was feeling his face to make sure it was still there. I believe that those are both international signs that it is time to leave the bar, so we headed out.

Our great plan to avoid paying an exorbitant cab fee was to take a cab to the MGM and then Monorail from the MGM to the Hilton. We got to the taxi stand and were approached by a gentleman who said that we could share a ride to Harrah's with another couple for $25. Deal. When we arrived at Harrah's, we had to walk through the revolving door and Diddy and I were in the compartment (is that what those are called?) behind Dirty. So in the middle of this particular door there was a gold platform that looked a little like a seat, however, it was not - it was slanted and when Dirty tried to sit on it, she slid right off. Onto the floor. While the door continued to revolve. So she stuck a leg out, which I'm pretty sure was dangerous. Luckily, Diddy and I made it out of our compartment in enough time to pull her out of hers and all was well.

Until we got to the Monorail station, where Dirty fell off a bench and hit her head on the concrete. Then Dirty and Diddy slept the whole way to the H-I-L-T-O-N and proceeded to fall down some stairs before we got to our room. Once we got to our room, Diddy decided that he was hungry and needed to order chicken strips and fries. However, Dirty was so drunk that she pulled an "Airplane" and passed out before the food arrived. Then prior to going to sleep Diddy drank the remainder of the blue cheese dressing that came with the chicken. Then kept saying to me, "I just drank the blue cheese. That was gross. Why did I do that?" (I am laughing hysterically just remembering it.)

Day two got started a little late because everyone was moving slow, but after a 10:30 am breakfast, Diddy and I were ready for some more BM's! This time we were off to the Sands for shopping and waiting for O'Connor to arrive. The Sands proved to be a bigger success in the shopping department as all three of us found a pair of boots that we couldn't live without.

Mine are brown. Shark skin. Beautiful.

I know. You're jealous. And it's about to get worse.

I got them for half-price.

I know!

But, back to the story.

Before coming across these boots, we came across the most wonderful bartender who let us make our own BM's. Like she poured the vodka and mix and we got to add the fixings. I added horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, celery salt, and pepper. It was heavenly!

Then Janiac* and O'Connor arrived and the fun began (well continued). After having a few apps and some drinks at TKE, we headed back to the room to get dressed and hit the town!

Then it was off to South Point for the rodeo and live music! We had a blast! (Although I will say that the next morning everyone agreed that we didn't have as much fun as we could have.)

I taught O'Connor how to dance and we all danced the night away. Again, when we returned to the room, chicken strips were ordered, but everyone stayed awake until they arrived.

The next morning, Dirty awoke around 7 am and began doing calisthenics in the room, which woke everyone else up. After a late breakfast, everyone hit the road.

The drive home with O'Connor and Diddy was HILARIOUS, even though we had to sit in DAM traffic for an hour. I'm sure there were things that would be worth writing about, but I can't remember.

Either way, go ahead and assume the trip was a success and we will be there again next year!